IsabeauxStudio

I took a break from the unpacking and procrastinated with painting.  My apartment is a disaster, boxes everywhere.  More importantly there is no real space to work indoors-instead of a studio I now have an "art closet" so sad!  I have turned the back patio into my work area (at least during the sunny months.)  Here is the studio al fresco.  Not so bad,  just a little chilly.

I spent the better part of an hour transfering drawing the sketch from my previous post onto the good yupo paper.  I managed to get most of the ground colors in before I got too chilly and decided to call it quits for the day.   Here is what the painting looks like thus far.

I received the prospectus through email for the Brand Art Show down in LA.  This is a show I had participated in a year ago (see journal entry Wall Flower.)  It is a lovely space,  and I think I am going to try and enter this year.  Thankfully the deadline is in June,  so it gives me a bit of time to get my act together.  The theme for the show is pertinent, "Here & Now."

Below is the pencil sketch for a new piece.  Here is my version of "Here & Now."  It is titled, "It is as if I am made from stone."

This is the piece I completed in the afternoon portion of this month's workshop.  It is titled "City on Fire."  Again I used Yupo, and it made a real difference to the over all final look and success of this piece.

Initially it started off as a piece in primary colors- red, blues, yellows.  I dried it, and went over it with a glaze of quinacridone gold, which really made a difference and changed the final look.

This month's watercolor class had us working on Yupo instead of watercolor paper.  Yupo is a synthetic paper made from polypropelyne.  Initially it was used by printers but this amazing sheet of plastic accepts watercolor and and water media and is pretty amazing.  The effect and technique is totally different.  I cut my teeth in oils, and this is the closest that I have been to it in a long time.

With watercolor paper, the paint seeps into the paper. When the paint dries, the color will lighten about 20%.  With Yupo,  the paint can't seep in, and lays on the surface.  The bold rich color is retained.  Working with Yupo you use your materials differently.  Instead of using a variety of brushes, you use mostly your "flats" in conjuction with small foam 3 " paint rollers, and of all things a squeegee.   Here are some examples of how it handles.

Notice the difference in the vibrancy of color, and the ability to add amazing texture.  I was in heaven.  I really like using this as I was able to get the bold rich color that  had been struggling to achieve in previous paintings.  I had been trying to utilize watercolors like oils, and well,  now I can!

These two abstract "tests" were done in about an hour in the workshop.  Enough time to test the technique and play a bit.  I really look forward to test driving Yupo a bit to really see what it can do.

This month has been all about change.  New place, no studio, trying to figure a way to continue to keep painting.  Following up on the ladder motif, the piece Grace's Flowers flowed in to the beginnings of this start of a self portrait.  I know when I am on to something when the starting of a new piece becomes effortless.  That is very rare.  The initial sketches of both "Grace's Flowers" and this self portrait were started and finished in 2 days.  A record, even for me.

As a sketch it does look a bit like "musculature" and a bit harsh, however when I add color to it, I plan to use tonal shades which will help soften the overall look.

I like how the smaller ladder components wrap and interweave to make the overall form emerge.