Ripping Paper

"Work Kit"
24" x 24" Found Paper on Canvas"

"Point of View"
24" x 24" Found Paper on Canvas

In October, I created a pair of collages, "Geisha" anticipating my trip to Japan later in the month. I completed "Work Kit" first, stylizing my design. "Point of View" was done second. I was challenged to create the traditional white makeup while suggesting planes on the face and neck.

My artist friend Joan and I plan one art-related vacation a year. This year, Joan came to California and stayed with us in October. The Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society sponsored a workshop by Derek Gores, who had previously taught a collage workshop in 2012. I took that workshop and found paper collage became a favored medium. I was happy to retake the workshop, as did a couple other artists, to continue building my skill. Derek is an accomplished, energetic young artist and an excellent teacher.

Part of the success of the paper collage depends upon a range of values, to model forms and create transitions to soften and vary edges. This is done using papers of varying tones and shades of color. Another way is to use text.  If you view some of my other collages, you will see text creates the planes of the face. Now that I had a few years experience on my own, I could focus on the finer points of Derek's demos and lessons. During critique he said he loved the text next to the eye in "Work Kit." On "Point of View" he was taken with the china plates in the upper right quadrent.  Making the background interesting is all part of the package.

Derek calls his work "Fearless Play" and creating the art is a unique challenge. I love finding interesting papers and then creating a way to use them. Also, I cannot exactly plan how the piece is going to come together. Each piece influences the choice of other pieces. There is a randomness in how the image emerges and I could never create an original copy.

There are several guidelines to creating interesting work. The first is to tear the paper so that there are some interesting edges that contrast with the hard edges found in the magazine or memento. The second is to find the edges within the paper. In "Work Kit on the upper left side, you will see a women in a long dress forms the hairline near the red ribbon. There is also a window in the forehead. The woman was standing in front of a window and I liked the unexpected element in her face. The third is to vary the edges so the image doesn't just looked glued onto the canvas. The fourth is create interesting backgrounds. If you want to enhance your understanding, study Derek's art.

I have always been drawn to geometrics and shape, a reflection of the family engineering gene. Thus my backgrounds are somewhat grid-like, though I like to interrupt the grid with an occasional diagonal, as you see in "Work Kit" in the darker values next to the head on the right quadrant. The kimono is pure fantasy. I wanted a red, black, and white scheme.  When I found a magazine sheet with wrought iron fencing, I had aha moment for the trim. I felt it said "Japan.

We went to Japan on October 29 for a bit over two weeks. While in Kyoto we learned that geisha's still entertain in a theater district that was fairly close to our hotel. However, all the geishas we saw were visitors, especially from China, who went to shops near the shrines and temples to be dressed as geishas for the day. They did not, however, wear the white makeup. Their kimonos were colorful prints. Our guide explained that most Japanese women who wear kimonos select much more subdued designs, and wear their kimonos only to special events. The real kimonos usually sell for  thousands of dollars. So there are geisha's, but I did not likely see any real ones.

I will write next about the Japan trip, complete with travel sketches.

Stephen Quiller Workshop at the 4UR Ranch

"Nature's Confetti"

19" x 14" Watercolor

 





 

"Trout Fishing at the 4UR Ranch"
19" x 14" Watercolor

"Nature's Beauty"
12" x 15" Watercolor

After travel to Colorado and Japan, an October visit from a good friend, and two workshops, I am back to blogging about three art adventures. Here goes with the Steven Quiller plein air workshop at the 4UR Ranch in Creede, CO, Steven's home town. I attended with friend Jeannie from the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society, and the whole experience was just so special. Jeannie and I found that we were very compatible travel companions. 

 

The ranch was so much more than I expected -- a Cordon Bleu trained chef gave us beautiful meals; the ranch has breathtaking scenery; we could take advantage of horseback riding, swimming, fly fishing, and hiking trails; though we were mostly busy painting); we were also treated to two meals cooked on the chuck wagon hauled into the mountains; and the accommodations were superb. I loved this dude ranch that has hosted the likes of Presidents, John Wayne, and Walt Disney. Steven gives two workshops a year at the ranch. We had an interesting range of temps, from low 20s early in the day to 70s by afternoon, mostly clear skies, and just a bit of rain a couple days.

 

A frosty scene from our porch on our first Colorado morning

Steven gave us our money's worth. In addition to working from 9 am to 5 pm, he hosted several evening sessions. Everyday we painted at a different location in the San Juan mountains: by the Rio Grande, by a trout lake, and amidst spectacular fall colors. Steven would demonstrate his approach, and then we selected our subject and painted. At the end of the day, we returned to a workshop area at the ranch where Stephen did a critique of the day's work.  

 

When I finished the week, I felt like all my paintings were pretty mediocre as I was pushing myself to try new approaches to watercolor. However, after going back to the paintings a week later, I decided to do a bit of work and apply Steven's critique suggestions to three of them. I was then satisfied with my results.

 

"Fall Confetti" was done on the morning of our second day when we went high in the mountains on an unpaved ranch road to a spot Steven had previously selected. Steven is a color expert and has written several books on the subject. He always emphasizes that the greyed colors and neutrals are what make the pure color pop. His suggestion was to use pure acrylic to add in the dots of falling leaves. The name came from a statement by Angie, our carpool driver in her large SUV -- she gazed at all the fallen leaves and stated they were nature's confetti. That day we had to return to the ranch workshop area and finish our paintings due to rain.

 

Painting fall color before the rain

The third day was spent at a beautiful trout pond backed by spectacular scenery. Steven arranged from two of the ranch hands to do some fly fishing while we sketched and photographed them. I worked one of images of the two fisherman into "Trout Fishing at the 4UR Ranch." The fourth day we painted along the Rio Grande, which runs past the trout pond. Steven arranged for a wrangler and one of the horses, Navajo to do some posing for us  along the river. I have not yet gone back to that painting.

 

The final day we went even higher in the mountains, roughly 10,000 foot level to paint an area of nature that was both affected by a fire a few years ago and by a beattle blight in the evergreens. The area is called Station 10 for the purposes of trout fisherman. The result is quite spectacular with the colorful aspens against the burn and the deep magenta and purples of the blight. It was extremely cold that morning, and I wore 4 layers, including a light down jacket. Later I would shed a jacket and flannel shirt as the day warmed nicely for the fish fry done on location by the chef.

 

 

Attentive artists at Station 10

 

Steven demos at Station 10

On Thursday evening, we had a voluntary visit to the Quiller Gallery in Creede and the local historic theater where Steven recently installed a gorgeous 4 panel mural. Part of the gallery is devoted to his "Beauty in the Burn" series done in paintings and monoprints. The "burn" refers to the devastating fire, a small bit of which we painted on Friday.

On Friday night, we were invited by Steven and his wife Marta to their home for a delicious catered dinner. They graciously allowed us to view Steven's paintings throughout the house. Steven gave us a tour of his splendid studio, which we entered into the top level office retreat and descended into the working studio. Spectacular views of the Rio Grande that flows below them and the mountains across the valley were icing on the cake. Steven said the view paid for the studio as he has painted it many times in all seasons and weather.



Mary, Steven, and Jeannie behind the studio

The following day, Jeannie and I toured the area by car, seeing the remains of the old mines that built Creede in their day. A day-long scenic drive back to the Denver area completed this art adventure. We flew home the next day.

 

Monday Morning Pastel: Susan's Roses

"Susan's Roses"
12" x 14" Pastel



The traveler is back and I attended Monday drawing class last week. Friend Susan brought in some lovely roses and an interesting pitcher. Instructor Bob paired it with a lovely drape and good lighting. With just a few hints from the instructor and some work after at home, I was able to complete this one to my satisfaction. I find floral bouquets in pastel quite the challenge. How to suggest without doing every pedal? It's all about values and edges.  

"Enough about Me" Pairs Well with Perfect Match

"Enough About Me"
16" x 12" Torn Paper Collage

 

One way to pair with "Perfect Match"

Reverse pairing

 

Between travels I managed to complete a collage for my wine series. This one features red wine and a variant on the blue poppies I saw at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC. I reversed the background, but used similar colors and design elements so that it would pair well with "Perfect Match."

 

I find it easiest to put down a basic background first, then start with the large elements and work to small. Finally, I continue to work the table and the background until I achieved harmony and interest. I also have to work to vary the edges, a bit of a challenge for me, so everything is not hard edged. The yellow orange color was really necessary to add a lively touch, and I like using checks and polka dots to pull things together.

 

A change of scenery will take me to a dude ranch in Colorado for a Stephen Quiller plein air workshop featuring Fall in the San Juan Mountains. I expect to see colorful Aspens. I hope to have a few paintings to share when I return.



 

 

More Collage with Perfect Match

"Perfect Match"
12" x 16" Recycled Paper Collage

In Santa Clara County, we are surrounded by many wineries, some well-known, and many small, high quality businesses, often family-run. I wanted to honor the many beautiful places that offer wine tasting. The design of this piece is from imagination. I took out two of Reidel glasses designed for some white wines and used them as my models. Then I had to think how the white wine would look against a deep blue background. It was fun to get the translucent look and the highlights.

I also called upon my recent visit to Buchart Gardens in Victoria, BC. I took photos of some gorgeous pale blue poppies. They were the inspiration for the flowers on the table. The blue and white definitely needed a pop of color, so I added some random shapes in orange-yellow.

I finished off the piece by adding interesting colors and textures. I find that I cannot finely plan the final piece. Each piece applied changes the relationships and influence the choice of anything that follows. That is part of the challenge and the satisfaction in doing these collages.

A Melon Monday

 

"Melon"

10" x 12" Pastel

 

 

Bob decided to go simple so we could really "dig into" the finer shading and rendering. Unfortunately, this photo is not quite true to the color and I am not that good at Photoshop. I really enjoyed this exercise. In less than three hours on a Monday, it's difficult to get to more than the basics on a more complex setup. So this gave us the opportunity to work on the melon surface.

Imagination at Work and a Nice Surprise

Recently I sent for some small canvases online that had no explanation of depth. I like to do my collages on canvases with 1.5 to 2 inches of return. These turned out to be just 3/4" return. So I decided to have some fun. I squirted some liquid acrylic paint onto the canvas and started smearing it. I then added more paint to vary the look and conjured up a scene of a garden. I wanted this to have a modern feel and did not worry about a lot of detail on the flowers. I plan to put this one in a floating frame.

An organization has purchased "Mountain Peonies" from viewing it on the blog. Every now and then that happens, and it feels really good,.

On the Road Again with Sketches

Coast Trail
9" x 5" watercolor sketch

"Standing on the Corner"
9" x 5"Watercolor Sketch

Foggy Day at Half Moon Bay

For my long-term blog friends, these scenes will look familiar. Bob attends a Flutes By The Sea Master Class in Half Moon Bay every July. This is his third year. I go along for the fun -- the B&B, the good restaurants, the quaint shops, the coastal trail rides on my bicycle, and the sketches I do with my tiny travel set. You can check out previous workshop experiences in 2014 and 2013. My favorite sketch from those trips is the greenhouses in 2013. This year we were there for 4 days.

I actually painted Foggy Day first. After dropping Bob at the workshop, I drove to a parking lot and sat on a wonderful bench over the sea. The following day I went to Pillar Point Harbor, but that was a more ambitious piece and not done yet. I took photos along the coast from my bike in the afternoon. The third day I rode my bike again to a bench and painted Coast Trail. You can probably guess that I amped up the color because the views are so beautiful that it seems that bright.

Standing on the Corner is just a cute scene on a corner near the B&B. Someone has done a very fun bench and I couldn't resist painting it. I did not attempt to do this plein air with traffic. Instead I worked from a photo on my phone. One of my friends really liked this one.

Another in the Purse Series of Collages

"Beautiful Baubles"
10" x 10" Torn Magazine Collage with Hand-painted Rose
$150
 

In this piece, I expanded my process to include a rose that I painted in acrylic on Arches paper, cut out, an applied with gloss medium. I was inspired by a purse ad that showed a retro purse covered with black and white flowers that a friend gave me. My purse is neither flowers, nor  is it the same shape. It is, though, black and white and I loved the geometric papers I found going through my bins of magazine papers.  The flap of the purse is actually a graphic of high heel shoes!

I then found myself draw to geometric shapes for the background, but I wanted a little excitement so there is quite a bit of variation. The jewels really grabbed me as having potential, so I heaped them on the table. Then I repeated the jewelry theme in the background.

I believe I achieved some amount of simplicity, but it was not without a lot of trial and error. I don't know if I will ever get very speedy at creating my collages.

North to Alaska

"Riding the White Pass and Yukon Railway"

"Morning at Mendenhall Glacier"

Misty Fjord from the Float Plane

 

"Sailing Queen Charlotte Straits, BC"

 

This is a big year for travel. As the years pass, I am determined to get out and see the world while I can. This trip was a largely unplanned cruise to Alaska. After getting back from the Panama Canal in March, we had an offer from Celebrity that was really reasonable. Alaska was on our bucket list for next year, so we moved up the timetable. This was a repositioning cruise so we started in San Francisco and returned from Vancouver, BC. Our neighbor dropped us at the train station and we took Caltrain to San Francisco and a taxi to the pier. So nice not to have to fly to the start.

I wasn't in the mood to paint until about 3 days before the end of the cruise. I was sitting on my balcony on a warm day as we sailed through the Inside Passage surrounded by islands and the mainland of British Columbia. I grabbed my little travel kit and captured the scene. I did the remainder of the paintings from photos I had taken along the way over the next two days.

Bob hasn't met a railroad he did not want to ride, so we took two train trips. The first out of Skagway is documented here. I highly recommend this ride that lasts several hours and takes you up a high pass and into BC from Alaska. You can appreciate that gold is quite an allure when you see what they endured on foot to get to it. I captured a moment when I could see the front part of the train from our car. We also could see huge trestles suspended hundreds of feet above the valley floor that we would be crossing, but I didn't paint that scene. In spite of my fear of heights, I was not at all bothered by the ride. We also got to see a large bear right by the tracks, a rare sighting we were told.

From Juneau, it is very easy and reasonable to make the 45 minute ride to Mendenhall Glacier National Park. So we went off of the local shuttle bus service and enjoyed a beautiful morning at the Center using our National Parks Senior Pass to get in free. The scene I painted was the first I captured from the parking lot. The glacier is rapidly receding. In fact, we practically had California weather all during our trip, much warmer than average. I learned that Juneau, though it is the capitol of Alaska, is not connected by roads to its constituents because it is on an island. The locals have a saying, "You arrive in Juneau by boat, plane, or birth canal."

In Ketchikan, we treated ourselves to a boat ride deep into Misty Fjords and the weather was indeed misty that day, perfect for our morning ride. We saw many bald eagles, porpoises, and star fish, as our naturalist gave us background on the area. Many people live on islands without bridge connections to the mainland. The public schools teach the children survival skills. Before leaving grade school, the children are dropped off in twos for their test. They have to live off the land without any supplies for three days. This is a far cry from our very protective approach to raising mainland children. Deep in the fjords, we tied up to a floating dock and our float planes arrived to wisk us back to Ketchikan. I just loved the ride, the views, and the excitement of a small plane.

I am glad I got in the mood to paint. Travel sketches always help me recall the moment.

Susan's Pitcher at Monday Morning Drawing Class

"Susan's Pitcher"
Unfinished Oastel

 

 

 

I have been attending Monday Morning Drawing Class whenever I'm in town, but I have been unable to finish anything so I have not been posting the pieces. I know that this will lie there in the stack unfinished, so I decided to show the part that is more done. There is actually the rest of the tray and a couple red onions to the left, but I only got to draw them.  There is a bit more table to the right, also. It was fun to do this piece. The finish on this old pitcher is wonderfully worn and a challenge to reproduce.

Showtime



"Early Morning Shadows on the Rio Grande Gorge

Taos, NM

14" x 19" Watercolor

$300 (unframed)

 

 

The Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society (SCVWS) will be having a summer show, "Shades of Summer" in Saratoga. I called upon some photos and memories of early morning at the eighth highest bridge in the USA to create a painting for entry in the show. A hot air balloon was suspended over the landscape and the bridge shone in the early morning light.

 

I used a lot of imagination for the colors. My challenge was to subdue enough of the painting to put the focus on the center part of the gorge, bridge, and balloon. I just finished the work so I may yet make the some changes. I have to walk by it for a few days so it can tell me if it is done.

Painting in the Diablo Mountain Range

"Mountain Peonies"
14" x 19" Watercolor
$175

Another great day painting with the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. We are so fortunate to live in an area with many beautiful gardens, so that is the focus for Spring outings. We visited the Chateau CharMarron Peony Gardens high above the Valley in the Diablo Mountain Range. I had been here once before with the group, in 2013, and knew I didn't want to miss this event. The owners are so welcoming. The place is also open to the public during Peony prime time.

It was sunny and hot, with temps predicted in the 90s. I had planned to find a favorite clump of flowers and paint them close focused, but I decided I needed shade. Thus I did a floral landscape, along the idea of last week's Irises in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

My models

 You can see that I had some lovely models, though I did not choose to paint all of them nor all their leaves. I liked the mountain backdrop with deep, richly colored evergreens.

Some of the day's production

After a few hours of painting we gathered under the covered structure where I had painted to appreciate the day's work. You can read more about our adventure on the SCVWS paintsites blog.

Another beautiful day of being inspired by my fellow artists.

Going Backwards: Plein Air Two Weeks Ago

"California Poppies"
10" x 13"
$100



A few weeks ago, my Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society plein air group painted at a reserve that is about a mile from the 49ers Levi Stadium. Amidst the commercial properties and new condos, Santa Clara managed to set aside an old golf course and restore its natural state. We arrived at Ulistac Nature Reserved on a sunny, hot morning. I love California Poppies so they became my subject. I have some of these babies in my yard in spite of being warned that they like to spread where I don't want them. So far, they are spreading where I do want them.

You can read about our adventures on the SCVWS blog.

Plein Air Painting in the Mountains

"Sailor's Warning on a Foggy Morning"
14" x 20" Watercolor
$175

My models

 Plein Air painting can mean sitting out in all kinds of weather. Today we went to Cummins Iris Garden in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was overcast at my house, predicted to be 75 degrees with sun later. I knew that the mountains would remain fogged in longer, so I was prepared. Some folks arrived and left when they realized we were not going to have Valley weather.

This garden is gorgeous, a loving project of Jim and Irene Cummins. We were there May 2013 on a hot day. You can see the "Don't mess with us"

Some of the garden area

Some of the day's production

S

"Spring Beauty"
22" x 30" Torn Magazine Collage
on Canvas

The first buds are on my Irises in the garden and I looked at a few paintings I've done of Irises over the years. I liked one where I did lots of negative painting, so I decided to use the same approach on this piece. I've worked many hours this week, starting by putting in the background and then doing the images on top. I'm not sure I'm done. I think I may put more color in the Iris on the left.

Another Experiment

"Ancient Wonders"
8" x 10" Manipulated Papers on Canvas

A friend had done some nice abstracts using paper she manipulated with Citrasolv. Today I spent quite a bit of the day working on a floral magazine collage and I needed a break. The other day I tried the Citrasolv on some magazine pages. So I played around with a small canvas and some of the papers. The results made me thing of cave dwellings.

Sunrise over Utah
15" x 20" Watercolor
$175

Thanks to my bicycling friend Mike Miller for the reference photo he took in January while skiing in Utah. In 2008 Bob and I rode our tandem in Utah on our cross-country trip. Incredible vistas. This piece was challenging, but I was determined to finish it.

I first put down some washes. I then masked out the foreground grasses. Next I deepended the washes and I allowed the painting to dry thoroughly. I then looked for organic shapes to enhance with negative painting. The Magic Eraser helped with the sunrays. After removing the mastic, I deepened the grasses.

Monday Morning Drawing Class

"Artist at Work"
12" x 14" Pastel


Blog friend Sherri was worried about me when I hadn't posted for so long. We are doing so much travel lately that I've been remiss at art and at posting. I am back and here is a piece from before I left. This was a fun one to create. I loved the crackled finish on the pitcher, the well used brushes, and the motley collection of paint tubes. It was a real challenge, but very satisfying to do.

I promise to jump start my art this week and get back to blogging. Meanwhile, here is a little remembrance of our recent cruise through the Panama Canal. The crab was delicious at the Crab Shack event on our ship.

Eating at the Ship Crab Shack event
Somewhere off Mexico as we made our way to the Panama Canal

  

Chilling in Aruba
enroute from the Panama Canal to Fort Lauderdale

"Spring Collections" and Good News

"Spring Collections"
10" x 10" Torn Magazine Collage
$150

First, the good news. My "Native Sage" was juried into "No Limits -- Freedom to Create," a show sponsored by the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. I was very pleased because I really like that piece.

This is the third in a series of purse collages. I decided to incorporate some small charcoal drawings of models along with the torn magazine. I used workable fixative on the drawings so they would not smear when I adhered them to the canvas. I wanted to suggest spring, runway shows, and New York City.

Dolce

"Dolce"
10" x 10" Torn Magazine Collage
$150

My latest in a series of small collages of purses. This one was very fun to create. I always find red, white, and black a cheerful and exciting combination.

I also updated two collages,  "In the Pink" and "Native Sage", with modest changes after taking it to critique where my experienced fellow artists made some suggestions.

A Mini Collage

"In the Pink"
10" x 10" Torn Magazine on Canvas Collage
$150

I am on a roll with collage. Here you see a small one. I found doing a small collage more difficult than doing my really large ones. It was easy to overwork the gel medium. I am learning, though and I am pleased with the results.

Native Sage

"Native Sage"

3 feet x 3 feet

Torn magazine on canvas collage

$2000

 

When my artist friend Joan and I were in Taos, NM, attending a workshop, we all went out to a local restaurant. The bartender was such an interesting man that we asked it we could photograph him. He said he was a Lakota Elder from Nevada, working in New Mexico where there is a large Native American population. Joan said she wanted his silver feather earrings. We apparently are not the first tourists to ask to take his photo or want his earrings. He had posed for a whole busload of people earlier in the day. He was bemused by the attention.

 

None of my photos were very clear and besides, my goal is not to create an exact image. I doubt that he would recognize himself. My hat kick continues with his cowboy hat. I wove in some interesting suggestions of a story. There are some horses, the words New Mexico, and suggestions of his rugged character. I especially like the extensions of his mustache that mimic his feather earrings.

This is a large piece and took many days to complete. I started with a graphite drawing, then moved on to drawing him free hand on tracing paper. I transferred the outer edges of the figure,  then covered the entire surface with selected black, grey, and white magazine papers. From there I began to refine the shapes and add the features. I especially struggled with getting an expression that I like.

I am hoping to get this piece juried into a show.



Happy New Year 2015!

"The City That Never Sleeps"
36" x 36" Torn Magazine Collage
$2000

Happy New Year, my blog friends. It's time to get back on the wagon after a busy December with a Hawaiian vacation and many Christmas activities.

I am currently focusing on collage, though I still paint. This piece took a while and went through a couple iterations. Here is the original piece that I thought was done until sharing with my critique group.



One of the very accomplished artists noted the white was isolated on one side and another said remember how the master makes the collage emerge from the background. So I bravely went back and collage out the white. I like the result, which is a bit more dramatic.

I will catch up with my blog friends as I get back in the swing of things.