Tumbling Beach-balls

#69 Tumbling Beach-balls~ 6x6 ~ Acrylic on canvas panel

I've always liked pencil line scratched into paint. Think I'll play around with that for a bit. :-)

icelandics

#68 Icelandics~ 7x5~ Acrylic on collage

Still pretending it's spring here in the studio. :-)

Kroger Bouquet

# 67 Kroger Bouquet~ 12x9~ acrylic on Yupo

Yesterday, I intended to drive to a local nursery green house to pick up some potted plants to paint... hoping for flowering plants...Freesia, or something inspiring. I only made it as far as the corner Kroger (our local supermarket). I did this quick (20 minute?) painting at the tail end of my painting day from the bouquet I got there....(I worked most of the day on a large poppy painting that I'm more excited about)
The set up would have liked some more dramatic lighting... a spot light would have been nice. This is what it looks like with flat, even, daylight fluorescents. :-)  I sort of like the color combo though... it's different for me.

Poppies Abstracted

#66 Poppies Abstracted ~7x5~ acrylic on collage

I have a larger (24x18 inch) one of these begun...I decided to test out some background colors on a smaller size. (Getting smarter in my old age, right?) This process has no do-overs. Gesso won't help. (Though it would make an incredibly textured surface to do something completely different on.) But these watery pure and transparent effects...it's a one shot deal. Yikes stripes.

poppies squared

#65 ~ Poppies Squared ~ 11x11 ~ acrylic on collaged paper

Another Poppy painting... And I have one more larger one in the works... I'm liking the unpredictability of the crinkly paper and the watery acrylic. It shoots about in somewhat unexpected ways.

Icelandic Poppies 1

#64 Icelandic Poppies... 7x5 ~ acrylic and collage

Having some fun now!

sweet pea 5

#63 Sweet Pea 5 ~ 15x11~ acrylic and collage on paper

This sheet of paper is the first "real" sheet of watercolor paper I ever bought. It was expensive and because of that...it's 25 years old. Seriously. I have carried this precious sheet around with me for years, afraid to do anything on it. This last studio move had me reconsidering things like that... What the heck was I waiting for?  The poor paper was just sitting in my flat file year after year. (Makes me think of the island of misfit toys.) Finally, last week it came out...was quartered and is now supporting some paint and collage.
"Well, hello beautiful!"

Forsythia

#62 Forsythia ~11x11 ~ acrylic and collage on paper

Went a little bigger today... Wish I had some branches here in the studio... Frustrating to only have reference photos to use.

Forsythia Bunch

#61 Forsythia Bunch ~ 7x5 ~ acrylic, collage and ink

Still playing with this crinkle paper technique. I think it lends itself to flowers really well... and I could use some immersion in flowers about this time. February in Michigan is all I need to say about that.

sweet pea 3 and 4

#60 Sweet Pea 3  ~ 7x5

#59 Sweet Pea 4 ~ 7x5

Two that are smaller... 7x5. These are harder to do on a smaller scale. Finished Sweet Pea 4 last night and hated it. But this evening, I don't hate it as much. The ink on there gives some structure to the looseness. Hmmmmmm.

sweet pea two

#57 Sweet Pea Two~ 15x11~ acrylic and collage on paper

Here in Michigan, we are dreaming of seeing signs of spring. I have lots of these florals in various stages of completion, all over the studio. If I sniff really hard, I think I'm smelling sweet peas.

sweet pea one

#56 Sweet Pea One ~ 11x7.5 ~ acrylic and collage

Last week, I went out with some of my friends from the old "hood. Jill asked me about one of my challenge paintings that was of sweet peas. I drew a blank at first... then a few moments later thought of the painting she was referring to. I'm pretty sure it was this one. When I painted it, I wasn't thinking of any specific flower, but after she said "sweet pea" I realized, Oh Yeah! I love sweet peas. My sister grows (and fights with them) every spring.

Perfect subject to do this experiment with. I painted (too quickly... i was excited) some sweet pea shapes with watered acrylic onto water color paper. Then I painted more watery acrylic  sweet peas on a crumbled sheet of soft transparent paper. (I have a roll of it from somewhere... maybe my mom's sewing pattern making paper?) Let them both dry then glued the crumpled paper on top of the painting. I love how it veiled the previous painting... and it took the paint really interestingly after it dried and I added a bit more. I love me a new technique.

u b mine?

Acrylic on Yupo... various sizes. 

Lots of valentining going on today...

Frozen Fish

#50 Frozen Fish ~ 14x11 ~ acrylic on Yupo

Love messing around with yupo and acrylic. Obscure then reveal. Push and Pull. Hard to figure out when to stop!

Playing Well With Others

#49 Playing Well With Others  9x9 mixed media

Playing catch-up... some serious catch-up. I guess we're in for some weather here in Michigan, so I'm planning on lots and lots of studio time.