Abstract Color, Musings and Paintings

Wow, hard to believe that this year is almost over but looking back, I realize that a lot has been accomplished. Maybe not all that I thought would be but then plans change all the time. First, I've tabled putting so much of my time into creating art. Does not mean that I haven't painted this year but I've found that other ideas have given me new channels for creativity. Most of you know that I've worked as a volunteer with the FAITH organization at their Furniture Shop since moving to the mountains, and this year I applied and got the position as Assistant Manager. Talk about change (that was my word for last year)! Still not sure what the word for this year is. I did take a quiz on FB and it said my word was "Success" for 2019....so I hope that's true. A new job! A new Etsy business! Maybe my word should be busy!  I've upcycled old lamps into a more boho look with wire shades and those old timey light bulbs. Took a ton of old jewelry parts and C

This is a demonstration using oil pastels in outdoor painting (plein air). My set up shows two substrates ready for painting. I chose two because the first painting takes some time drying when the turpenoid is applied giving me ample time to create the second painting alla prima. I'm standing on a floating dock next to the Altamaha river. 1. The set up     A pad of Sennelier oil pastel paper (in case I have time for a larger work)     Two small pieces of Ampersand sanded paper      Set of Sennelier oil pastels 2. The pad is used behind the Ampersand as a backing.     First layers of oil pastels are applied to the horizontal sheet.     The first image shows the riverbank in the direction I'll be painting. Loose strokes are used to apply shapes. Then using the turpenoid, I brush over the oil pastels blending. While the turpenoid is drying, I work on the second painting. Using a small box of mixed brand oil pastels which are harder than the Senn

Creativity is a way of life. Even when I take time off from painting, other ideas battle for dominance in my mind! My Etsy business for vintage items is up and running and I have lots of new ideas! The holiday season is closely approaching! So how does all this activity effect creativity? A recent question in an artist forum got me to thinking....When life gets too busy how does one stay inspired? The word means "to breathe in". I suppose my question to self is..."what am I breathing in?" Inspiration can be elusive at times, but that still small voice can be heard if one takes the time to listen. Check it out for yourself. Step outside in the brisk autumn air....listen to the birds singing...the squirrels scampering about, a waterfall thru the trees....that's inspiration talking...Listen well...

Here's a new technique that I learned from an online site WetCanvas.com. Check it out if you're an artist...it's free! and the forums are filled with helpful information on all mediums! This is an unfinished painting begun recently in a mixed media workshop. I demonstrated how to begin a painting with black gesso, aluminum foil and a brush but that demo is for a later date. With a good background of acrylic paints, I covered the area with acrylic gel medium (matte) and then applied several torn pieces of paper from an old dictionary (thinner paper is best). Even an old phone book works well. After applying the gel medium and papers, I used blue painters tape in strips over the paper. Allow to dry overnight. First I pulled off the tape which brought some of the paper with it. Then I spritzed with water and rubbed off the rest of the paper revealing the text and images below! This is a close up of the effect...and I love it! Will be using this often in my mixed media

Recently I have noticed an incline in the problems with my knees! So of course, the researcher that I am, the internet became a first resource. What happened was my findings on how walking can actually aid in so many ways...strengthening muscles, reducing stress, even helping with creativity! So...my findings have given me the incentive to challenge myself to a short walk at least 4 or 5 days a week. I volunteer at a local thrift shop and walk there for hours...but it's not for relaxation!  Here are a few of the benefits that I discovered during my research... A walk outdoors can lift your spirits! Revs up metabolism! Could mean that some extra pounds will diminish! Daily exercise can actually add years to your life! And I'd really want to enjoy my grands for many years to come. Walking means I save money on the gym membership! And my neighborhood has plenty of uphill paths! Walking reduces stress! And there are more...which you can find with a search on google! S

One never knows where the adventure will lead them! Recently I found a beautiful vintage beaded bag at a flea market that I love to frequent on Saturday afternoons. I've collected vintage bags and jewelry for many years never thinking I'd do anything with them except carry one on special occasions or wear a special brooch every now and then. But....you know there is something coming when you see that word! I decided to open an Etsy shop and sell some of my jewelry and evening bags. I had forgotten how much work it is to sell online but Etsy makes it as easy as possible. So if interested, check out my new adventure on www.etsy.com. My shop is                                                         MagpieChicBoutique Someone asked how did you come up with that name. Well the magpie is a collector of trinkets, especially shiny or sparkly items. Just like me! Here's one of the bags you'll find in the Boutique!

Here we are another week into our almost fall weather! It's my favorite time of year...the season when nature pulls out all the stops with its wardrobe. Glorious reds, oranges, yellows and purples decorate all the trees and the fields turn a golden color that glows in the early morning sunlight. While painting my thrift shop find, I kept thinking about how nature loves to brighten its palette each year. And gazing out my window at all the trees, I spotted a few leaves turning a rich orange. I knew that fall was on its way! Here's the outcome of the thrift shop find. I had so much fun rescuing this canvas and creating my version of Autumn. Let me know if autumn is your favorite season! carly

Isn't it fun when you spot that perfect treasure in a thrift shop! That's what happened a couple of weeks ago. Someone dropped off a 50 x 34 canvas covered with tissue paper collage! I think it was discarded because no one knew how to proceed with all that abstract texture. But to me, it was an inspiration!! This is a crop showing the texture after I've used acrylic inks to create vertical lines and liquid acrylics....I think it is taking shape as an abstract landscape. One never knows what might trigger an inspirational moment! Don't count out those really odd thrift shop finds! Sign up to follow my blog posts...there's a link at the top...and I don't use your email for anything ever.   carly Stay tuned for the final image in my next blog...

I'm often asked what inspires me. That is not an easy question to answer because a lot of things play into inspiration. Emotions. Situations. Relationships. The weather! Is it just one thing or a combination of many things that lead to inspiration? How do you find "the muse". Recently I've been uninspired...yes, it happens! Some might say that moving to a new location with such different scenery is the cause....and yet, I'm not so much inspired by scenery as I am by the emotional contact that happens when one stops to listen to the sounds of a waterfall or the rustle of the wind thru the trees. So...what then have I learned about my own muse...it does not appear but it does speak. It does not take a certain form but it does whisper to my inner core...it beckons...even shouts at times. And when I listen carefully....it sighs. Thoughts from a Tuesday, carly

How many times in life have you felt a decision about something has to be made but you keep putting it off weighing the +'s and the -'s until you're stuck in limbo? I have been in that mode for several months now. Weighing the pros and cons of FaceBook. What pushed me to delete my account and leave them was actually a random survey that popped up one day while I was surfing. The questions they asked dealt with everything from "did I feel the site was secure" and "did I feel my information was secure with them" to what, when and how did I use Facebook and to what benefit was it to me, my friends, family, business, etc. So many of my responses were in the negative that I began to wonder just what benefit is FB to my life. At one time it was a great resource for keeping in touch with artist friends across the country, communicating with family and long time friends from school days, and becoming a part of art groups with common interests. However, this y

When asked to do a demonstration for a group, I try to find out what their interests might be. Recently when ask to do one for plein air, I suggested instead something I was more interested in right now - mixed media techniques. The group was very attentive, asked some great questions, and several folks dropped by afterwards to say they were going to try some of the techniques in their own work. I felt so glad that I'd chosen to share some of the fresh ideas that I use in my own paintings. Mixed media can take a lot of avenues. Just do a search on google or pinterest! Here are two of the completed paintings used during the demonstration. One was begun with black gesso painted onto crumpled aluminum foil, laid over the canvas, and using the end of a brush, lines were scrolled all across the back of the foil. Lifted and allowed to dry. You can still see some of the lines. They felt like a mass of trees with tangled vines and limbs....a mysterious place. Fluid acrylics were layered

If you search the term "abstract art", you will find a vast assortment of sites that have information on the subject. Some will tell you one thing and another will say a totally different thing....so what then is abstract art...and can it actually be described in so many words. Personally, I think not! Have I always painted in an abstract manner....not in the beginning. I tried really hard to represent my subject in a somewhat realistic detailed way. Following the advice of instructors, my work became more realistic but boring. Each year I had a "cleansing" of those boring paintings in an outdoor firepit! Then gradually as the fear of failure was silenced in my mind, abstracting the landscape in plein air settings, painting from ideas and allowing the work itself to make its own demands on my knowledge, experience and imagination, I began to enjoy the painting process more than ever. Some sites that I enjoyed while considering abstract art are.... https://www.

A few weeks back I spent several days learning how to "pour" paint. Using latex house paint, a bit of water and a product by Flood, Floetrol, we poured paint onto canvases and watched with awe at the results. I can't say that mine turned out as awesome as my two friends, but it was a fun activity which gave me some ideas for underpaintings. Here's a couple of pics from our experimenting....and some ideas I had watching the formation of figures and abstract shapes. Back at home...I've tried my hand again with the pouring technique. Using three colors on some small 6x6's. If you are interested in learning more about the process, check out www.acrylicpouring.com Here's todays outcome!   What do you see in the paintings?

What comes to mind when I mention "experimental painting techniques"? Bizarre materials? Weird implements? Unusual or untried ways of painting? yes/no?  Well, it can mean all of those things but it also can mean "ideas which create problems for solving".  Some of the techniques I use to achieve "creating problems" can be scraping, pouring, collage, finger painting, scratching out lines....just to name a few! And yes, I use unusual tools like a grout spreader, plastic wrap, trowels, brayers, aluminum foil...along with the usual brushes, palette knife, stencils, etc. Experimental painting keeps my work fresh and alive and challenges me to find a depth of creativity within myself which can often be allusive. The element of surprise from experimental techniques makes the work....fun! What challenges you to dig deeper in your painting journey? Would love to hear your thoughts!  The underpainting for Waterfall gave me exciting ideas about how to achi

So happy to have found my lost blog! Now for any of you who may have lost admin to your blog, try this. Click on your pic in upper right corner in blogger. If you don't see an account that connects to your blog, click on Add Account. Then put in any or all emails that you may have used and the password if you remember it! If PW is wrong but they recognize the email, google will send you a confirmation # to insert in a blank. Do that and you will have access to any blogs created by that account. You can change from account to account by clicking the pic and choosing. Happy thoughts to all!! carly Lost But Now Am Found 24x20 Mixed Media on Canvas