today i am delighted that i was invited by 



katherine jeanne wood 



to participate in a virtual blog tour. 



i have admired katherine's unique style 



and the feeling and uniqueness of each of her paintings.



i hope you will treat yourself to katherine's blog.



i have been inspired by her art, challenged by her



blogging creativity, videos and her 

 

constant way of mixing up the presentation of her art



to make each post just a little bit different and 



keeping the reader wanting for more.



unlike most days, today i will be answering questions 



put forth to me by the virtual tour.  i hope 



that it will interest new readers and spark your



curiosity to search through the archives of this blog



and for those of you who know me, i hope you gain some



insight into my art process.  these questions sparked me to



stop and pause and to think about what it is i do every day.

What am I working on?




i have been working on getting my pieces together for



a second annual one person



gallery in the garden show at



the studio of dianne dunn in redondo beach.



last year i showed 46 paintings. the response was overwhelming to me.  



it has been quite a satisfying, time consuming and tiring  process at the same time 



 to gather up work, put the finishing touches on each one,



get them framed or ready to hang.  i apologize for being behind in



responding to your comments and visits.  i am hoping that by the 



end of the week, i will be able to start catching up on your blogs.



some times are like that and i hope you understand.







 How does my work differ from others of its genre?



this is a good question.  as a self doubter i think that



there is nothing different in my art but if i scratch below 



the surface, i believe that each person has a unique way of 



presenting in the world.  there are not two people who have 



the same mark making expressions, gestures, vision.



this has become more and more evident to me as i really



look at art.  so to answer the question, while there are many



mixed media artists, we all have our own signature.  i heard 



many times from others that they could tell a particular 



painting was mine.  truthfully, i find this a fascinating truth.









 Why do I write/create what I do?




i both write and paint, but i paint more now than write.  



i do for many reasons.  it is a pure pleasure, it feels natural, 



like i have always done it in reality, it is only



in the past few years that i even considered painting.  



it feels natural, like it's meant to be.  while with writing



i felt pressure, stressed, it was work.  i love to experiment with



different mediums and techniques.  i admire artists who have 



settled into one medium.  that's not me.  it's not that I'm unhappy



or i need more, it is just an inherent way that i am in the world.



i doubt if that will change and i am growing to accept this about myself.







how does your writing/art process work?



i paint almost daily.  if i am not painting i am thinking about it.  



i paint in my home studio as well as in participating in various



group settings, including online workshops.  i also belong 



to a consultation group of six artists which meets once a month to discuss 



the art we have created  or any other topics that are of interest to us.  



i have a running list of different projects i would like to try in the future



but sometimes i forget to look at the list. 







along with katherine jeanne wood's blog, here are a few others who 



have participated in the virtual blog tour.






Lisa's post: http://foursimplyliving.com/2014/06/02/a-monday-blog-tour/

Kim's post: http://pickingpoppies.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-virtual-blog-tour.html



brian kasstle will be upcoming in the tour 

we all have photo bloopers laying around,  i'm sure.  

the ones that didn't turn out but still sit in drawers.

before photo

  jacki long learned what to do with them from 

karen michel and shared that information. 

 besides photos, the supplies are basic- container of water, 

steel wool,  bleach, awl or sharp object for scraping,

paper towels, newspaper, gloves.  in case you are interested 

in experimenting,   the bleach is diluted approximately 

50% bleach to 50% water.   i tried a gently bleach when i got home 

but it did not result in the different colors, just bleached out the photo 

to a sepia tone.   i would suggest experimenting.

dipped in water, textured with steel wool over punchenella

i flipped it around in all directions when vertically

i saw a face starting to emerge.

three colors of pastels were used to define 

the details.  and here is the  result.

there is more on altered photos in these two books,

the complete guide to altered imagery, by karen michel

and mixed emulsions, altered art techniques 

for photographic imagery by angela cartwright.

while this technique is not totally new to me,  

it have been wanting to revisit it and the books again.

i have a mental list of processes i want to try but until 

i actually write it down, get the supplies out or have a workshop,

they often stay on the list for a while.  i am wondering if this is 

my procrastinating spirit or if you also don't get around to

doing all that you would like to in this rich and full life?

waiting at a stop sign i saw this today, 7am

hello to all my paint party friday visitors 

and

have a lovely weekend.

these three panels have been sitting around for a few weeks

for the next step to become apparent.  sometimes it takes a while.

you know how that is, i'm sure.   i started with a little collage,

and that took me to the next step.  it has taught me a few things.

one step at a time,  try not to get ahead of myself,  trust in the process,

you don't have to have all of the answers and most of all enjoy the moment.

hoping your work space gives you joy.

joining with julia dunnit's woyww (what's on your workspace wednesday)

i am the first to admit that i have a lot to learn 

about painting abstracts.  my normal way to paint is to put down 

color and or collage and  look for a face or a figure. 

in the past my attempts at abstracts have felt awkward and 

i had not known where to go once i started.   so i tried something new.  

i started with this collaged piece from an earlier experiment.

then selected a portion of it that i thought 

might make an interesting abstract. 

i narrowed the scope with a viewfinder.

i loved the colors in this painting by plain air artist

daniel pinkham.

and used the it as a reference start. 

this is a really large painting (for me), 33" x 40".  i am working

on unstretched gesso canvas taped to a large  foam core board.  

usually i work with it  on a table top so i can walk around it but the foam core allows 

it to be propped up  against the wall to get a different perspective.  

wip

and just a follow up on the neck 

i filled the neck with several coats of wood putty.

did a little sanding and painting and the

reconstruction is complete.  all is well.

1. 

a family gathering of sorts...

i am rounding up paintings from here and there

wherever i have stored them.  some from their places hanging

on walls, some in a large portfolio i painted to hold flat paper pieces,

some propped up against my studio walls. they will first be evaluated, tweaked,

maybe a little bit of paint or glaze or varnished added.  next 

i they will get their photograph taken,  cataloged and counted to

take their places in my family of paintings.   why you might be wondering?

finishing is not my strong suit.  i love to start a painting or project but lose steam

when it comes to completing them.  another project, technique or idea entices me away

right at the very end.  it's gotten away from me now and  this round up is necessary.

but the biggest impetus  is that the second annual  gallery in the garden is upcoming 

featuring my works is coming up in august!


(ps i am hoping to get a new camera soon so i can get clearer shots.
till then, my iphone will have to do)



linking this post today with artists at  paint party friday

today's post is a little of this and a little of that...

in my experimental art group  

i worked on the other side of my house started last month.

on the first side of the house i included photos 

from my japanese ancestors from the 'olden days.'

this side i have included elements from 

the house i built and where i raised my family

embellished with magazine images.

i have yet to collage in a few more

family photos

working on this project brought back so many wonderful 

memories.  i found myself musing and taking my time.

each new element glued down touched another fond memory.

i enjoyed the unexpected gifts in the creative process. 

i am linking with woyww where people share their desktops and works in progress.

and just for fun... a watermelon 'cake'  made

 to have on a warm summer night sitting outside

 in the dark talking with friends.  afterwards i looked 

up recipes.  there are lots of them online that look so much

better than mine.  but, as i said, we were in the dark and 

everyone love it

:)

a peek at the traditional fireworks at the 

stub hub center after a los angeles 

galaxy soccer game

i am continuing to work in a series.  theses are 

little timed sketches on 10 x 10 cradle boards.  

also, i decided to cut this mixed media piece into two parts.  

i thought it was finished but as it hung something seemed off.  

i don't have plans for the the bottom section...yet. 

 one thing at a time.  

i was invited to  participate  this month in  a virtual blog tour 

by katherine jeanne wood.  details to come.

have a lovely 4th.  i would love to hear what 

you are creating. and as always, i 

thank you for visiting today. 

XOXO

also linking this post with 

eva, kristin and all of the linking artists at

paint part friday

and woyww