The Challenge for May: Abstract

Our challenge for this month is to do an abstract work of art.

                                                           ********
Donna Vines

I have always enjoyed looking at Abstract art but painting it is not easy.  It has to evoke an emotion, a feeling, something beyond a recognizable thing.  The more I thought about how to approach this the more I realized it is all in the colors to me.  I looked at several artists then looked through my photos to find a mood.  I finally chose a fall mountain scene because it looked so vibrant, alive and hopeful.

Vermont in the Fall
9x12 oil

Donnavinesart.Etsy.com


***************

Jean Thomas

This is an abstract landscape that I made up from a sketch. My purpose here was to experiment with watercolor and try to get a wide range of value. The original is about 7" x 9".

************************

* * * * *

Abstract was a totally new idea in the art world when painters attempted to render a piece with no recognizable subject matter. The goal was to provoke a certain feeling and most art enthusiasts just didn't get it. "Radical, my kid could do it, just paint thrown on" were some of the oft heard reactions.  While times have changed I'm one who will tell you that good abstract art is much harder than painting something we can all identify.  Try painting an emotion (and no fair using flowers or a sunshine.)  I can't really get there but it is fun trying.  My piece definitely has discernible objects in it altho my husband and I see totally different things.  Maybe I got closer than I thought!

14 x 11, acrylic
Cindy Michaud
art@cindymichaud.com

* * * * *

"Love in the Time of Coronavirus"
6x8, acrylic

I am not an abstract artist, so I employed a little Jackson Pollock to this and dropped the paint on the board from about four feet. Then I enhanced the round blobs to resemble COVID-19. It was fun.

Carmen Beecher

carmenbeecher.comcarmensart.etsy.com

* * * * *

Mary Warnick's Abstract

"Ocean Motion"

I have admired the work of John Salmonen for many years, especially his beautiful cityscapes.  Several years ago he gave a workshop in Melbourne and I signed up.  It turned out to be an abstract workshop.  It was very intensive and complicated.  I think he was trying to incorporate a few techniques into the process, including line drawing and the grid method of transferring an image.  Over time I tried simplifying, but stuck to his advise "if it starts looking like something, get rid of it before you fall in love with it".   This little watercolor is a very simplified version.

* * * * *

Kathy's response to the challenge:

I love to doodle and when I have nothing in mind to draw, that's what I do. One of my favorite methods is to randomly draw two lines across a page or canvas and then fill them in . Below is my progress from start to finish on canvas. Then I took it into Photoshop to finalize it. Click on any image to expand it.

Moment of Impact
8x10 Acrylic to Photoshop
Kathy Garvey

*****

Hope is a Thing ...
Mixed Media Collage
by Fay Picardi

**********

One Percent
Denette Schweikert

This "painting" is the left side of the I am very beginning of a large 36" X 46" picture.  I am not very good at abstracts.  

As the year winds down and I prepare for my sorta-annual bonfire of canvases that don’t make the cut of hanging around, I always feel a need to dream up some new challenges for a new year.  I can’t really articulate those yet but as I was studio cleaning I found a stack of unused canvases and some leftover interior wall paints that were way past their “use by” dates (kidding of course).  So I pulled them all out and tried to leave my comfort zone.

If you know my “work” then you know how far afield this is for me.  Colors, drips, splats and splotches.  Actually both pieces began with a “thing” in mind (that’s just me) but the more I got into it the more I began to have definitive ideas about where the next chunk of color should go, and whether it must be light or dark. I lost all concept of the “thing.”  And I began experimenting with tools: credit cards, sponges, chop sticks and gravity.  I even got out my spray bottle of water.

A friend stopped in and spent some time studying this one at an earlier stage.  She was trying hard not to insult me and yet still ask me where it was going.  “I’m not sure,” I answered honestly.  “Does it go vertical?” she ventured.  Same answer.  “But?” I explained that right now I was playing with color and shape and motion...not very well I might add.  In all likelihood I would end up sketching a large figure on it and then painting out the background.

She looked distressed and said “Do you mean you would then cover up all your hard work?”

 

I paused.  Not once had what I was doing felt like work.  Never mind, “hard work.” More like  child’s play, experimental efforts and exploration. But not work.  Which is not to say that some days painting something (like a nose or a hand or a flower) is and feels like very hard work.  But not this.

Why are we afraid to experiment? Why must everything we do have an expected, acceptable outcome? Folks are horrified that I burn old paintings.  Is everything you do perfect? How boring!  How will you know if you like a new spice if you don’t cook with it? Fabulous or failure, to me it is worth the effort.

So I’m not sure where these will end up.  They could be my artistic break through and earn me thousands of dollars. Or they could be numbers 1 and 2 in next years burn.  Right now it does not matter.  Perfection is the enemy of a lot of things.

Let’s all vow for a bit more play and a little less work in 2020.

Cindy Michaud

www.cindymichaud.com

Questions: Art@cindymichaud.com

The Black Hat, Original Oil on Canvas 8x10 Portrait of Woman

$175

This is quite a departure from the 50-stroke paintings I've been doing. I don't know what got into me, but I really enjoyed this one. It has a vintage look but with a timeless feel. We need a little glamour now and then.

Carmen

Orange Canna Lily Original OIl Painting 5x7 Floral Art

Click to Buy

I was shocked to realize that I haven't posted since September 1st. It's amazing what a hurricane threat does to one's daily life. First, you stock up on supplies; then you install all your storm shutters; pack up things you don't want washed away; finally, evacuate. If it's a slow-moving storm like Dorian, you wait...and wait...and wait. I am not complaining, because some of my favorite beautiful places were wiped out completely in the Bahamas. We were lucky, but the people there lost everything. Homes, livelihoods, and even loved ones. I am so sad for them. Our government won't take them in without papers, and their papers are somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic by now. What a terrifying situation for them.

The proceeds from this painting will be donated to hurricane relief for the Bahamian storm victims.

Carmen

Challenge for July, Florida Themed Art

Our challenge this month: simply, "Florida."

 * * * * *

Cindy: When the theme for the month was “Florida” I knew immediately which piece said it all for me:

Hanging now in my NC studio this piece is huge! About 48” tall and almost 30” wide, it was rendered right before I left the state.  It was from a compilation of photos I had taken while kayaking the Indian River with a liberal dose of imagination thrown in for good measure.  I love the mountains and its four defined seasons but when I feel lonesome for a good river paddle on a hot day I simply lift my eyes and visit Florida in my mind.  This was done for me, me, me and it never mattered if anyone else liked it or not!

Detail of my swirly colorful water....

Cindy Michaud

https://www.cindymichaud.com/

* * * * *

Kathy: I'm on a roll painting leaves lately and Florida has some beauties! I was watering my brother's Monstera plant and its gorgeous giant leaves just begged to be painted. I trimmed one off that was hiding near the ground and past looking healthy, and photographed it. (This leaf is 30 inches tall and 27 inches wide!)

Monstera Deliciosa Leaf

Sometimes I experiment in Photoshop to see how I might want to paint something. If I don't get around to painting it before our Florida challenge is up, below is my digital version. By adding patterns and filters I can make a photo look like a watercolor. The background is created by "painting" with a "brush" made from the same photo.

Also Monstera Deliciosa

Kathy Garvey

etsy.com/shop/snailflower

spoonflower.com/profiles/kgarvey

******

Carmen: There is an island in Florida that is just as good as being in the Bahamas, and it is called North Captiva. I am thinking of painting a large version of this lovely spot.

Paradise, 7x5

Carmen Beecher

https://carmenbeecher.com

https://carmensart.etsy.com

*****

I painted a familiar landmark in the area The Grant House.  It was built in 1916 in the town that is now Grant,  by the Benson Family, who were pioneers in the Melbourne area.  I have visited there several times and always marvel at the how small and isolated these early pioneers must have felt in this vast wilderness that was Florida.

The Grant House

Donna Vines

https://donnavinesart.etsy.com

http://donnavinesart.blogspot.com

*****
I have always loved flowers. When I first moved to Florida, I planted 4 hibiscus trees in my backyard. The blooms were a lively color between coral and pomegranate. And DOUBLE, which I love.  I have used one of my photographs of a single blossom multiple times. Below is the collage I made when my oldest daughter ask me to create my concept of God. You may notice that my two daughters as well as my four grandchildren are all tucked into the pedals.

24"x 30"

For this challenge, I again turned to this hibiscus and to collage. I think I captured the vivaciousness of the hibiscus, but my shadowed pedals are too dark. The  two leaves are from my handmade papers. If I try this subject again, I will use all handmade papers. 

9"x 9"

Fay Picardi
www.faypicardi.weebly.com

**************

FLORIDA!
Our theme for this month... fun and appropriate!

"Sandpipers on Melbourne Beach"

Watercolor, 8" x 11"

    These are two of the things I love about living in Florida, the ever-changing water, and the birds. Isn't it entertaining to watch the little pipers run along the surf's edge? I love how they stay ahead of you while searching for those elusive morsels in the sand.
Taking a walk on a beach will sooth your soul.

Jean Thomas
Ozworks22@cfl.rr.com

I had to post this image for my "Florida" challenge.  After living in Florida for over 40 years, my husband and I moved to Asheville NC recently.  We still spend three months, every winter, in Florida.

During those three months, I am now a snow bird, with no responsibilities.  We rent on the beach, and I get to enjoy the Florida I never knew as a resident.  That includes, a morning walk on the beach.

This painting is the path, I take, each morning.

Carol Schiff
www.CarolASchiff.com

Living on the beach in Florida is amazing.  Every morning the first thing I do is look out at the ocean.  
There is often the sun rising; sometimes so vivid it does not look real, but it is!
Pelicans are often flying above or congregating on the water.
This is a large oil painting that I did from one of my morning photos and a bit of imagination.

Mary Warnick

Hello Kitty, 7x5 Original Oil Painting Animal Portrait of Cat

 

This is my daughter Suzanne's cat, an imperious creature, as you can see. This cat bit me once, but I have a very forgiving nature and honored it with a portrait anyway. Also, I happened to take a dramatic photo that I couldn't resist painting. By the way, the cat's actual name is Hello Kitty.

Carmen

Calm Harbor, Original Oil Painting 7x5 Small Daily Painting on Canvas Panel

Buy Here

This peaceful scene is Ballard Park in Melbourne, Florida, one of my favorite places. It is part of the Indian River Lagoon, our very endangered waterway that is suffering from years of pollution. It is a hot-button issue around here. In the 70s you could see clammers galore in the river; now you see none. I've been told by people who were here many years ago that the water was once clear. Now it is brown murk. Our new governor promises better water quality in Florida; we'll see. 

Carmen

December Challenge, Mixed Media

Our challenge this month is to step outside our comfort zone and use various media together, or a medium we don’t normally use, to mix it up and have fun! Following is how each member met the challenge.

* * *
Cindy's Response to the Challenge

No problemo for me...I was housebound due to knee surgery AND a major snowstorm. So I looked around at what was at hand and began working, out of my comfort zone, with some new medium which included q-tips, homemade ink, colored pens and eco-printed rejects. For the full story on this particular effort go to my blog here.

These are misprints from my eco-printing process making note cards.  I wanted to see if I could salvage them or at least have a little fun.  Using my homemade inks and then doodling with some colored pens I got the results below.  Not earthshaking art but I had fun experimenting with line and color and moving the eye around.  No idea what to do with them now....but that was not the challenge!!

Cindy Michaud - art@cindymichaud.com

* * *
Donna's Response to the Challenge

I  really debated about which way to go on this challenge and decided to tackle watercolors again.  I  started out in watercolors, they looked so serene, so simple, so forgiving, so easy to use and carry. I was so wrong. They were none of these things except easy to carry. I was immediately reminded why I switched to oils and collage.

With someone of my temperament -- impatient, changeable, yada yada--watercolor is anxiety producing not calming. There is no going back, going outside the area, changing colors in midstream as you will see from my paintings.

Here are two pieces I did of  the same scene.  I really liked the first one I did, gentle colors, whimsical, spontaneous but then I decided to add a few trees behind the houses and it was just awful and I couldn't fix it! The second painting is more stick to the plan but looks labored and just lacks something.  Despite all of this I am going to try some more watercolors.  I liked doing it once I got lost in it and maybe I can learn to relax and stick to the plan.

 Scene 1: Notice how I tried to add the trees.
I even tried to turn the trees into mountains
but that didn't work.

 Scene 2:  No trees. Already one lesson learned but the
sense of spontaneity is gone.

Both scenes together.


* * *
Kathy's Response to the Challenge



Collage is definitely not my media, so I saw this challenge as the perfect opportunity for me to use up some of the many parts and circuits I like to extricate from my old laptops. I searched for a couple of real beauties, mapped them where I wanted on my watercolor paper and started ruling some lines with Elegant Writer pens that I could wet to get some interesting starting shapes and colors.

9x12 Watercolor sheet with space for the circuits marked off
and Elegant Writer Pen lines sprayed with water.

I still have a data flow template from my programming days so I drew some symbols on the background and filled them and the background in with watercolors. To add some more "mixed media" I thought I would embroider with some really shiny special thread on the paper. Disaster! Slow, hard to keep my lines straight, and way too easy to snag the thread on the little barbs of the circuits. That little square one is sharp!

Definitely need to rethink the embroidery idea!

I actually love it when I think I've ruined something because then it doesn't matter what I do to it. So, I went to town with adding gold foil, white, gold and green-gold acrylic applied with a pin, colored pencils and things through stencils. Then I emptied my sewing machine of thread and by staying away from the circuits, I was able to stitch some straight lines to get perfect holes. Hand sewed them in with my fancy threads.

I used a micron pen to add a little Hello World code in Basic, Cobol and Pascal (that tells you how old I am). Topped it off with more watercolors and colored pencils. Fun, fun, fun! I have to sign it, name it and put it out of sight so I don't keep adding more stuff to it! 

May the Circuit Be Unbroken

Mixed Media, 9x12

by Kathy Garvey

Just for fun I started another watercolor collage using a really old circuit. I was barely in to it when my oldest daughter decided she loved it. I added some things meaningful to her in some of the circles and kept it much simpler than the other.

Crossed Circuit

Mixed Media, 9x12

by Kathy Garvey

* * *
Carmen's Response to the Challenge

 Woman in Gold
Mixed Media, 11x14
by Carmen Beecher

Having just been to Vienna, I had Klimt on the brain, so I used the challenge as my excuse to use gold gesso, gold acrylic paint, stamps, pen and ink, and oil paint in a Klimtish manner. I painted the face in oils, then just went a bit crazy with the rest of it. I had noticed that with Klimt, too much was not too much. None of that "less is more" nonsense, although I didn't completely cover the canvas with designs. I didn't want her face to get lost.

* * *

Carol's Response to the Challenge.

**********

I packed up in November and left my North Carolina home, heading south to the beaches of Florida.  The plan is to stay in a beachside condo until the mountains become a little more hospitable......meaning warmer!

Even though, we packed two cars to the gills, I could not bring everything I wanted or thought I needed.  As a result, the only art supplies I brought were my oils.

Why am I telling you this?  I am feeling a little guilty, for not doing a new project for the challenge, but showing you one of my past adventures into other medias.

These are two tiles, painted with alcohol inks.  A few months ago, I became quite interested in working with alcohol inks and experimented with them on several supports.  These are two of my early efforts.  Nothing special, but I do like the colors, and this challenge has re-ignited my interest in this process.  I cannot wait to return home, to my studio, to dig out my inks and further my experiments with them.

Carol Schiff

www.CarolASchiff.com

www.CarolSchiffStudio.Etsy.com

********

Fay's Belated Response

Ink drawings with water color wash were how I started my limited art career. I drew and colored very simple wild flowers. No depth, no detail, but lovely colors. I haven't attempted those in years, but thought I would take up the medium again for this challenge and try to apply it to a scene from our hotel window on a recent trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Below is the first attempt at a watercolor with ink drawing that tries to capture the San Juan Bautista Cathedral. After this feeble attempt, I decided I should take a photo and try again at home. The third work is a my attempt at an ink drawing with a wash. I have a long way to go to perfect my drawing skills, not to mention to conquer watercolors, but I had a lot of fun doing this challenge.

Jean's Response to trying a different media

What are these images (below), you may ask? 

Well, take some blank, white, quilted pot holders. Hmmm, what to do with them? Gifts? Yes!

Get some acrylic paint, white glue, permanent marker, and a little creativity. 

My goal in choosing a new medium is to use the glue as a resist, then paint the surface with acrylic. Once dry, remove the glue. (see the third image) That proved a challenge. So then I concentrated on drawing on the quilting with a permanent pen. 

Still have more holders and I'm determined to find a better resist. Any suggestions? 

Happy New Year! 

Dora Canal, Oil Painting, 24x18 Florida Landscape

Click to Purchase

Our painting group, Pieces of Eight, was in Mt. Dora, Florida, and we went on a cruise across the big
lake to the beautiful Dora Canal. The canal is pretty short, and turns into this lovely river. There is something so intriguing about a swampy river with cypresses and live oaks. The more you look, the more you see, like the plants that grow on the oak limbs, or (though not in my painting) the occasional gator eyes and nose peeking from the water.

I've decided to add the occasional cartoon to my blog, as a kind of journal illustration of what's going on in my life. Hope you like it.

Carmen

Cardinal, Original Oil on Panel, Bird Painting

Purchase

I don't have a thing to say about this painting, except that I squeezed this in while busy with a lot of other exciting things. I finished a huge illustration job, then published my children's book, Dibble the Dragon. Now I am working on illustrations for someone else's children's book. I'm also spending time traveling, gardening and studying Italian. Life is good. La Dolce Vita!

Carmen

Autumn Tree, Landscape Original Painting, 6x8 Oil on Canvas Panel by Carmen Beecher

Purchase

Since I live by the beach, I get very excited when I see Fall colors. This tree just seemed to glow. We were in upstate Pennsylvania, staying on a farm. What a different way of life from flip-flop-wearing, easygoing Florida. 

Carmen