Challenge for September, Patterns in Nature

Kathy always gets the closest of closeups in nature and makes wonderful art from them. She suggested we all make art from patterns in nature for our challenge this month.

 The Yellow Basket 

by Denette Schweikert 

11" X 14"

Kathy told me that this painting qualifies as patterns in nature but I don't know. I started this picture a long time ago and put it aside. I then found it, really changed it, and finished it. Now I'm happy about it. I shot the photo at a "pond tour" in Merritt Island.

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Dragonfly Wings

Watercolor, 11x14

I do my best thinking in the pool, so while I was trying to think of a pattern in nature for this challenge, a couple of dragonflies were flying around. I decided to do some layered dragonflies in fanciful colors. The blue one is an actual copy of a certain dragonfly's colors, believe it or not.

Carmen Beecher

https://www.etsy.com/shop/carmensart

https://www.carmenbeecher.com

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I was happily overwhelmed by the challenge this month. You can get so lost in really looking at nature and how beautiful even a bug can be. I went off in several directions until I came across some photos of viruses, yes viruses. I could not get over how beautiful these deadly things could be.

They also reminded me of patterns that I see on native dress in Africa, which incorporate so much of nature in their design. I will not tell you what these viruses are but just know as Billy Crystal would say, "It is better to look good than to feel good."

 

Several viruses collaged together

 

Donna Vines

Donnavinesart.blogspot.com

Donnavinesart.Etsy.com

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I took this photo at the New York Botanical Gardens as it seemed Mother Nature had outdone herself in the design.  The leaves were so interesting they almost appeared to be a product in plastic made by a whimsical artist.  Little did I know this would be the perfect prompt for the challenge.

Costus Stenopuynas costacea

southwestern Costa Rica

And my doodled design...if I had had colored pencils with me I would have enjoyed playing with the greens but rendering it only in black and white was fun.

 

Cindy Michaud

art@cindymichaud.com

www.cindymichaud.com

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Patterns in nature are probably my favorite inspiration. I'm so happy my fellow pieces were willing to play along. For this challenge I was thinking snails! (Okay, I think about snails a lot...patterns, spirals, beautiful colors...what's not to love. ) It was, however, a rough month with very little time for art and so I just did some doodling. Here are two snail inspired watercolor and inks.

Home and Garden

Spirals

Kathy Garvey

Art by Kathy at www.etsy.com/shop/snailflower

Fabrics by Kathy at www.spoonflower.com/profiles/kgarvey

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One of the most intense times I have spent sketching nature was spent at Silver Springs on a Piece's retreat about four years ago. I was fascinated by the profusion of Angel Trumpets.

Interior View  2014

Tons of Trumpets  2014

A recent sketch


I change the challenge a bit from making a close-up pattern, to just making a pattern. The sketch with tons of Angel Trumpets made me think of the pattern of a cotton pinafore that was one of my favorites as a child. I took the form of the stem and added one blossom to each right sided angle (or is that angel)?. Now the pattern resembles the fabric these blossoms brought to mind. Not exactly what intended when I started this challenge, but it makes me happy.

Fay Picardi

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Insects are really beautiful 

Patterns in nature are a great inspiration for many artists. Dragonflies are especially interesting. I have painted dragonflies and had a couple in the file, but wanted to do something new and out of my imagination. I imagined a bee flying over a field and water. (Is there such a thing as a "bee's eye view?") It started as a watercolor (smaller print) and ended up as a mixed media. I just had fun with the patterns and a limited palette.

--Jean Thomas

ozworks22@cfl.rr.com  

I was lucky enough to be in New England recently and had a chance to go apple picking!!  I had not been in many years but there is nothing like a 70 degree day in the fall with the leaves just starting to change and a gaggle of three year olds to get you out there.  Not only was the day delicious but so was the cider and cider doughnuts.
I took lots of photos and hope to do several paintings from today but in the meantime I have this sweet little apple painting to remind me of the day.

Apples all in a row


donnavinesart.etsy.com
donnavinesart.blogspot.com

Fish Painting, Angelfish Painting, Textured Painting,SOLD

Sometime ago, I visited Key Largo, which inspired a series of paintings, I called my Coral Reef Series.  One of  favorites of the series is called "Angels on Parade".

My client, who purchased this painting, also commissioned a companion piece.  Below is the second painting.

The client was very pleased with the pair of artworks.

Thanks for reading my blog today!

Carol Schiff
www.CarolASchiff.com
www.CarolSchiffStudio.etsy.com
www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Island Marketplace, Large Figurative Painting, 52x26x1.5" Original Painting

I consider myself to be a daily painter.  As a daily painter, most of my work is small, many times just 6x8".

 My painting today is a different story at 52" x 26".  Not my largest painting ever...but right up there.

Purchase Here

I enjoy painting large, but it does present other issues.  Framing or no frame?  Such a large piece means a large investment in framing....a frame your client may or may not approve.

Where do I store it?  Not everyone has the luxury of a spacious studio.  I am one of those people.  Since downsizing, I have even less space to store unsold artwork.

The logistics of painting such a large piece, is not to be ignored.  My aging knees protest at the thought of climbing up and down a step stool to paint.

So, this piece may continue to be one of my rare, larger efforts.

Thanks for reading my blog today.

Carol Schiff

www.CarolASchiff.com

www.CarolSchiffStudio.etsy.com

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Custom Jean Jacket

Most readers know I am pretty much game

to paint on anything.  A little personal, colorful touch

always customizes things I think...why not?

So it is no surprise that I would gussy up a blue jean jacket 

sooner or later.

Recently I read an Alisa Burke blog where she painted the back of a jean jacket with her classic flower doodles.  I was smitten!  As much as I loved her finished "statement jacket" I do not paint in her style and it would be a poor imitation if I tried.  But that didn't stop me from giving it a go with my own design.  Just in case you want to try I'll outline my general steps here.  Read her notes and/or check around on-line for other tips.

I washed my jacket in hot water and dried it partially in the dryer (no dryer sheets)finishing on a hanger. This removes the sizing and here after you should wash it in the cold cycle.

I like to make sketches of what I want so I doodled in my sketchbook with a rough outline of the shape of the jacket back.  I even made notes as to possible colors.

I liked this idea so now I laid out the jacket back to scale on a piece of paper and drew the design once again.  This sounds like a lot of work but it is really easy and the layout changes a lot when you start gauging it by more exact sizing.

Now I was ready to get serious and transfer these guidelines to my jacket.  I pinned in some old cloth just in case the paint came through (it didn't) because I didn't want it to mar the front side.  I made my lines with a white sharpie paint pen which may or may not wash out.  Making some additional design and placement changes I was now looking at this:

The jar beside the pen is "Fabric Painting Medium" of which there are several brands.  I chose to mix it with acrylic paint to 1) help the paint stay wet and spreadable and 2) provide some softness to an otherwise plastic-y paint to make it more comfy to wear and wash.  It is not mandatory but advisable.  Check Michaels for this brand (Americana) or on-line for Liquetex.

Now the real fun and great experimentation.  Keep in mind that your plans will morph and change as color is added....I know mine did and I consider it all for the better.

I knew I wanted a pink sky, blue and green mountains, green trees and a blue river....now to make it all come together. Slowly but surely I began painting the parts I was most color-choice confident of, knowing I would have to make the following colors tie in and repeat as the design took shape.  At this stage I began to slow down and make choices more carefully as I desired some "still places" as well as some funky design areas.

Leaving bits of the blue jean material uncovered gave it a real 3D look for some reason.  I like also that it ties it together as opposed to looking like the whole back was a different piece.  The area at the top, on the neck sash, got a little design element added and I hope the flowers at the bottom waist section give the idea that there is another field of flowers in front of the trees.  After 24hours of dry time "heat set" by ironing both sides with a dry (no steam) iron on medium low.  Put a sheet over the paint side while ironing.

Not bad for a first (and final) try, huh?  But additional ideas for designs come to mind...almost any theme lends itself for a motif; maybe even a mixed-up patchwork of painted designs.

"The Mountains Are Calling..."

blue jean jacket, original, acrylic

We have lots of summer concerts where I live.  The kind where you pack up a picnic and chairs and listen to live music on the lawn.  They start in daylight but as the sun sets over the mountains there is a little chill in the air that begs for a light jacket....I do think I have the perfect one now.  See you outside.

ANSWERING THE CALL,

Cindy

p.s. if you have any questions just let me know, art@cindymichaud.com.  It was really a lot of fun.

Floral Painting, Flower Painting, Rose Painting, Small Oil Painting, Daily Painting, 8x8x1.5" Oil SOLD

My favorite rose painting.

I was pleased with this one.

SOLD


Roses have always been difficult for me.  This time I tried to channel Elio.  I was determined not to describe each petal,  I did my best to remember the softness and translucency of a rose petal.  I wanted to pop the colors, but, not too much.  Finally, I made myself stop!

Yes, I like this one.....and I hope you do too.

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The word Cosmos in Greek means orderly, beautiful, and ornamental. 

The flower's fragrance and vibrant colors give it

 the attributes of peacefulness, wholeness, and modesty. 

The typical meaning of this flower is 'love flower'.

I love flowers and those that grow outside the confines of a tightly orchestrated garden are my favorite.   I guess I fantasize the "rebel" aspect of wild flowers over those that are cultivated and hybrid-ated and pushed so close to perfection that any individual personality becomes lost in the translation.  My friend Barbara grows flowers and every year is a new revelation as to what and where the colors will root and thrive.  No two springs or summers have ever been alike.  

These cosmos appeared almost as an afterthought...they were spread out in a field that was designated for vegetables.  They danced in the wind and I was totally smitten.  

I started this piece with transparent acrylics that work almost like watercolors.  They flow and drip and stain without the plastic-y feel that most acrylics have.  I simply wanted to make my hand dance like the blooms did the day I captured them by photo.

I put this away for a few days and then returned to it with oils.

12 x 9 on canvas

available

Apparently cosmos are edible and easy to grow.  I wouldn't know.  But I do know that the pink ones are stunning against a backdrop of green. The "love flower" certainly seduces.

...and just like that (snap) summer is almost over?! 

Feeling Pink,

Cindy

art@cindymichaud.com
www.cindymichaud.com 

Slowing Down at the Finish Line

I'm trying hard to practice a fast, energetic start.

The kind where bravery and confidence just

pour out onto the canvas and the paint oozes enthusiasm for

the subject at hand.  BUT such

a beginning requires a careful, thoughtful finish, 

a very critical eye and a lot of patience.  

As I said: I'm trying!

30" x 24" oil on canvas

I was fairly certain this piece was finished.  But how does one know?  Perhaps I was tired of it.

It's hard to tell but when you are left with a "something's not right" feeling it's best to stop work and take a loooong break.

Staring at it at this stage I made a specific list of "to-do's" needed.  The scene was fairly believable and after some lightening (see first illustration) and color enhancement, I was just plain stumped.  But again....that gut feeling....

I had to be away from the studio for about four days so put it out of my mind...or so I thought.  Apparently my subconscience was working overtime as one night I woke right up with a possible solution: lighten up the foreground trees.  I could hardly wait to get back to the easel and experiment.

"Lay Me Down Like a River Tonight"

Subtle, very subtle.  The rationale that came to me slowly is that when we view a scene from life that is back lit we still see plenty of colors in the foreground.  They are darker than the directly lit areas but it is the camera that forces those objects to appear almost black.  It just didn't "read" properly in my mind.  While I had wet paint I cranked up some of the colorations in the lightest areas, organized a few limbs and did some pruning.  

detail close up showing texture and color

For the record there is no black per se on this piece.  I mix the darkest areas (as opposed to using the color black) so they are more interesting...but again, sometimes in a reproduced photo on a blog, the darks read black.

Whew boy....this is not to say that I might not find something that needs correcting next week.  A fresh eye is the best way to spot what's needed after spending such intensive time on one piece. In fact, I recently added a little glitz to the painting I shared last week before popping it in a frame.  

So when people ask how long it takes to make a painting, do they really want to hear about those hours spent in self-critique or the nights my asleep-brain grapples with a problem?  Probably not.

Slow and Easy,

Cindy

www.cindymichaud.com
art@cindymichaud.com