Gouache Ink Resist... Peterson Road Beach


And here's the newest gouache ink resist painting..."Peterson Beach." 
This beach is a nice 40 minute walk from our house over to Lake Michigan...My plan for these gouache ink resist pieces, is to offer prints and cards, giving a portion of the money to HARP. (Honor Area Restoration Project) I'll be sure to let you know all about it as the series unfolds. :)

Pretty Pictures All in a Row....






Paintings are politely lined up.... ready to be wrapped and put into the car for a ride down to Lake Orion, MI for my show at Flint Street Gallery (inside Little Monsters)

The show is called... "Transitions: The Joy of the Process"

Here's my artist's statement for the show....

"Over the last year and a half, our family has gone through some big changes… Moving up to northern Michigan and sadly, my mother’s illness and death were the two biggest things to adjust to. 2009 was a real challenge, and we are transitioning our way through and away from it.

The Collage paintings….

The collage florals are the result of me immersing myself in happy, joyful colors and shapes. The challenge is simplifying the intricate and delicate forms of the flowers. After I get the shapes down, I can have some fun cutting, ripping and pasting; kind of like Kindergarten. Collage also reminds me of the process of quilting. (My mom was a terrific quilter.) I love the feel of the surface of these paintings…tactile. I love smoothing the paper down with my goopy fingers…messy. I love finding just the right piece of paper to add without having to adjust it with paint...finding treasure.

Gouache Ink Resist paintings….

The gouache ink resist pieces are similar to the collage pieces in that it’s about simplifying things, but to an even greater degree. Gouache Ink Resist paintings remind me of linoleum or wood block prints, but without the cut fingers. :) As the title suggests, the gouache (pronounced gwash) is painted on, then covered with india ink. After that’s dry, you hold the paper under running water, to wash away the gouache, revealing the painting. The process takes some planning, and it’s sort of unforgiving, but when it works…. Wow… magic trick at the sink. :)

Both of these types of paintings have helped heal me…I can immerse myself in the effort of creating. For me, it’s all about the joy of the process of artmaking.

waaaaah!


"I'll Cry If I Want To" 7 x 5 gouache ink resist... (sold)


Some days are just better than others.... today was a day of frustration... my printer decided not to communicate with my computer....at least they aren't speaking the same language. So, I spent way too much time trying to fix the problem....and then ended up with 2 visits to Staples, they will be doing my note card printing....maybe a blessing in disguise(?)... I had a terrific young man helping me....and that was the highlight of the day! Picking them up today....and crossing my fingers that the color is what I expect....

February 20, 2008


"Bouquet"
11 x 15
gouache ink resist.... Here's a demo if you are interested....

I thought I'd share my newest artist statement....


I am searching….

experimentation….try it….
what would happen if……
drip….splatter...smear
rub……scrub….squirt
slap…blend…step back…. crop?
hmmmmmmm….no.
what the heck am I trying to say?
smile…play…..laugh…..dream
layer…glaze….push….obscure
oooops…crap!…pout… rip….start over…..
Non-representational?
Pure watercolor?
Value contrasts?
Simplified shapes?
Canvas or paper?
procrastinate….write….draw….sketch…
blog….plan…..make lists…...
drink coffee….maybe tea…..shovel snow…
check email…surf….laundry…
sigh….
fresh paper…clean palette….new colors….
What to do….
What to say….
What to be…..
lather….rinse…..repeat.
searching…..


This is how a transitional period feels to me...sort of a wild and unsettling ride! :)

February 2, 2008


"Pick a Little, Scratch a Little"
4 x 6
gouache ink resist postcard

I'm donating a couple of postcards to the Anton Art Center's "mailed and mounted" show in Mount Clemens....Area artists are sending original postcards to the center...they will be mounted and displayed from Feb.22nd through March 20th....Each post card will be available for sale for $20, benefiting the Art Center programs.

January 28, 2008


"Spring Break Out"
15 x 11.25
Gouache ink resist technique once more...hope you aren't getting sick of these....because I'm not! :)

Quote of the day....
"All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to Criticism."

January 24, 2008


"Sanctuary" (sold)
4 x 4 inches (teenie tiny)
gouache ink resist

I played with a reference image from the library at WetCanvas.com. (they have a copy-write free reference image library that's fun to browse through) I can’t give credit to the photographer because they didn’t give their name. :(…thanks whoever you are!

“Sanctuary” is a tiny intimate piece..It just calmed me to paint it….and it calms me to look at it. This is a scene that I’ll re-paint I think….in a larger format.