November Challenge, Do an Avant-Garde Work of Art

This month we were challenged to create a work of art inspired by an artist or movement considered avante-garde. The term "avant-garde" covers a plethora of styles and simply means art that is very modern or original in comparison to the styles of the period in which it is made. (Artists who pop to mind are Picasso, Kandinsky, Mondrian, etc.) For some of us it means stepping way out of our comfort zone, which is the whole point of our challenges.

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Donna's response to the challenge

Well this challenge lived up to it's purpose.  I was out of my comfort zone in a few ways. For some reason I thought it would be better to use acrylics, not so and I had no idea Cubism would be so restrictive to me!!  You have to color inside the lines, which is not good for me.
Cubism is breaking down a subject to a basic geometric form and painting it in a flat manner.  I picked two very round subjects thinking that would make an interesting contrast. 
This is what a dish of pears and a teapot looked to me in a Cubist style.

Donnavinesart.Etsy.com
Donnavinesart.blogspot.com

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Carmen's response to the challenge

"The Death of Truth"

I used Picasso as my inspiration, and the sun/lamp is almost a direct steal from his painting, "Guernica." I think the painting is self-explanatory.

Carmen Beecher

carmensart.etsy.com

carmenbeecher.com

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Kathy's response to the challenge

I love Klee, Kandinsky, and Picasso so I had a hard time choosing who to use as my inspiration, but settled on Kandinsky because his art is just fun to me and I thought I could even try it in watercolors. He really worked to make his images with non-representative symbols, just lines, squiggles, dots and geometric shapes so that it inspired a "feeling" rather than a "meaning" for observers.

Above was my "dry run" just using a mix of his favorite symbols and his way of color blocking them and filling in the background. When I discovered, that despite his attempts to avoid representation, he had put a tiny bird in one of his paintings I really felt he was a kindred spirit. So I included one, too. (Click on the image to zoom in and find it.)



Then I did a larger piece mimicking elements in some of his more geometric paintings.

While this is representative of his painting style, it has meaning (at least to me) as each Kandinsky inspired circle contains the first initial of one of my ten grandchildren.

Kathy Garvey

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Mary's response to the challenge

Channeling Chagall

While still in college I saw Chagall’s “I and My Village” and was enchanted by the color, the design and the sense of joy he captured on a huge canvas. I’ve always loved his work, but found it hard to copy when the Pieces of 8 project of copying the masters took place almost a decade ago. Trying to capture some of his joy and playfulness in a composition of my own was more fun.

Mimicking Miro 
Then, for fun, I tried a design in bright colors, encouraged by Kathy, who is a master of design.  Fay thought it reminded her of Joan Miro’s work.

Mary Warnick





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Jean Thomas Looks at Winslow Homer

“Fox Hunt” by Winslow Homer was a painting I chose to explore. I'm not sure it is avant gard, but it was inspired by a book on Homer I picked up at an estate sale. It’s a large (38” x 68”) oil. Painted in 1893, late in his career, after he moved to Prout’s Neck, ME. It was reproduced in black and white and was only 3” wide. Still it intrigued me.

Homer’s watercolors were more numerous than his oils and he often used the watercolors as preliminary studies. Also, he chose watercolor when he traveled to the Caribbean. This painting was of the coast of Maine, a frequent subject for him at that time.

Once I researched the painting in hopes of getting a better reproduction of it, the story got interesting.  I discovered what seemed to be black blobs in the upper right corner, were crows. And what is going on is that the crows (usually the prey) are out to get the fox! It’s cold, it’s bleak and the fox is running for his life. He is stretched across the canvas, slowed by snow and hunger.  Ahead of him is only water. No escape from fate.

I wondered if Homer ever did do a watercolor of this subject, and if he had, how would it have looked?  I wish I could see the original to see the details and the colors he chose. It is hanging at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts. So here’s my version of “Fox Hunt” in watercolor.

Thank you Mr. Homer.

Foiled!!

One of the fun techniques that I did some experiments with was working with foil.  I really liked the way you could manipulate it with anything that had the ability to leave an impression.  You could use everything  from a spoon to a fly swatter.  All you had to do was press it onto the foil or press the foil on top of the impression.
When I was in Michael's I saw some really interesting pattern presses, before I started this I had no idea anything like that even existed.  The "pattern presses" are just small flat pieces of metal with an embossed design on them.  They had so many interesting ones that I had  to buy one to experiment with.   I choose one that had different machine gears embossed on the plate.  I also used various acrylics to see how different colors affected the design.  This is how it came out. 
Donna Vines

Mushrooms.....

MUSHROOMS......a triptych from a recent hike in the mountains.  We intentionally went in search of mushrooms...all of a sudden it seemed they were everywhere!  Such a variety of sizes and shapes and colors.  They begged to be painted so I had a little fun tucking them in the darks and lights of the board I had prepared...just like the forest floor.  Admittedly these seem to float around, not grow, but that's the fantasy of it.  Three pieces can hang as two or all together as one!


BY THE WAY.....drum roll! Two NEW "pieces" are making our puzzle complete and we will introduce them soon.  Such talent as you cannot imagine, these two ladies fill in gaps amongst us and promise to nudge us all in new directions and challenges.  Both are headed up to the mountains with us for their grand initiation (which involves whatever we can think of to tease them) and upon return we will do the great reveal of their work and credentials.  Stay tuned for some new work and lots of stimulation.

Cindy Michaud
see more at http://www.cindymichaud.com/

Finding Myself

Look carefully: do you see me hiding in those panels to the left?  Hmmm, every artist it seems is on a search for self...what technique is truely "them." I don't even know how one discovers that...but I think I might be hiding in the two pieces here.  Why?  Because left to my own devices this is the piece I woke up to and went to bed with for the last several weeks.  I planned it just like I plan my parties: lots of good color, a specific traffic flow, little touches of surprise here and there and attention to detail.  The wild movement of color and the specific detail...opposites that make a Gemini happy as a clam...or a fern.

Fran Hardy is to be thanked for most of the layering technique.  The fact that it is all on wood panel is another suggestion of hers...but one that makes me happy as I love the feel of wood...both in my hands and under the brush, and beneath the pencil.  I'm working on other pieces and techniques and styles but, truth be told, i am jonesing to buy more panels and do something in orange with details (mushrooms maybe?) and then some figures and, and, and.......not fine, but fun and if I can find some buyers that it also speaks to then, who knows....maybe as old as I am I did find something of me....

Cindy Michaud

http://www.cindymichaud.com/

Mr & Mrs C Fly Away

I was gaining weight painting all that food so decided to take a break and finish something non-edible.  Under the creative instruction of Fran Hardy I had learned how to prepare this panel to be car-surface smooth with about 100 coats of gesso and acrylic.  It seemed the perfect place to put my cardinal friends.  Somedays the fine detail work of drawing is really very relaxing and I enjoyed working on this devoted bird pair.  After watercolor, acrylic, graphite and a touch of oil I guess it must be labeled multi-media.  Anyway I varnished it and grabbed it on the way out the door to a book signing.

Now here is the stumper: sometimes we artists work for weeks, even months on something that takes every bit of creative energy and emotion we have to give....and it hangs around and hangs around.  Other days we dash off a little something just for the pure fun of it, experimenting and playing with it...and it is sold before it dries.  Not that I am complaining...just wondering.

Anyway, such was the case with "Mr & Mrs C."  I barely put it on the easel before a lovely lady from Blowing Rock shared the story of her backyard cardinals and had to go home with the piece.  Wonderful.  And very good for the ego and back account.  But sometimes I have to think that as every pot has a lid, every painting has an owner...it's just a matter of connecting.  And maybe a matter of having a little more fun while painting and a little less angst!  Go figure.

Cindy Michaud
http://www.cindymichaudart.etsy.com/