Old into New - Take 6. And still refining!!

Experiments with media ...

Having previously experimented painting with oil pastels on black canvas:  -

here is my latest painting, this time using acrylic with an oil pastel overlay on plain canvas: -

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Mad March Sales ............

One way of selling paintings has always appealed to me and may be of interest to others. That is to enter a painting into an auction or exhibition where some or all of the selling price is donated to a particular cause. In such an auction I usually opt to share the price achieved 50-50 with the cause.  As an example, a few years ago I donated paintings to a couple of auctions, held in consecutive years, to raise funds towards the renovation of Oamaru Opera House. Both paintings were well received and each achieved a good price, which was highly satisfactory for all concerned!!

More recently I have regularly donated paintings to the annual fundraising art auction held on behalf of the Port Chalmers Rowing Club, Dunedin. The club is one of the key centres for this popular outdoor sport. This year my painting "Waiting" was included and sold, but sadly did not raise much for either party at $120 ($60 each)!  But I guess that's better than not selling at all - which happened one year! The paintings are displayed at a waterside, the historic Carey's Bay Hotel, prior to the auction which has become a very popular event. Overall the auction boosted the club's funds by approx. $5,000.

Waiting (oil pastel on canvas)

Also in March one of my paintings sold in an Art Exhibition held at St Leonard's School, Dunedin. This was supported by many local artists and, asking only a modest 25% commission on sales, realised a boost to school funds of around $3,000.

Not Fade Away (mixed media on canvas)

Not long for this world!

Have finished this painting only to find that I am not entirely satisfied with it, - its OK but ...... (if you know what I mean!). It's so aggravating not to manage to get the look one is after! So this pic is under sentence of being obliterated with gesso!!!! In fact, that will definitely be its fate because I was working from a photograph found on the Internet. But it was a good exercise for getting this lazy-bones started again.

Snowshill lavender (Acrylic with pen)

Mixed Media Painting Finished

Stage One:

Having gessoed over a 'failed painting' I make a basic drawing using simplified shapes., then start blocking in colours - pretty much making decisions as I go! I put the painting aside while I think about what I want to do next.

Stage two:

Having laid down the base colours with acrylics, and after several days of procrastination I begin working over them with oil pastels and pens ..... this is evolving into a 'mixed media' work!

Stage three:

Patterns and texture are added using oil pastels, stencilling and waterproof pen.

Hear Us, See Us (23" x 31")

Work in progress .... mixed media takes over!

After laying in the basic colours with acrylic I've begun working over them with oil pastels and pens ..... this is evolving into a 'mixed media' work!

And now for something completely different!

A new work in progress -




Don't know where this will lead but its fun doing something new!!

Mixed Media collage - finished!

golden days

(mixed media on canvas)

Mixed Media collage - more layers!

I'm working in thin washes of pure acrylice colour ... layering them quite wetly over the textured surfaces and allowing colour to run and pool in places. Around 5 layers added so far.

I have still not quite decided on what is going to be the dominant colour.

But I'm quite happy with progress and am enjoying the process ... its fun to play!

New work in progress - Mixed Media Collage

Been thinking about trying mixed media collage again for some time now, and in the last few days a couple of ideas sprang to mind. Its great to actually feel enthusiasm for a project after such a long time in the desert!

I am working from a similar 'hymn sheet' to "Not Fade Away" - which was only my second effort incorporating collage elements, the first one being "Life can be delicious"


FIRST STEPS

1. Print out quality copies of my own drawings on to cartridge paper and tear round them to give a soft, bevelled edge.

2. Arrange and fix to canvas using binder medium.

3. Apply some texture with modeling compound.

Now I am thinking hard about colour, textures and paint application before starting the next stage!

Mixed media on canvas ..........

Village du Sud

Mixed media on canvas (20" x 16")

My objective with this painting was to create an impressionistic image with plenty of texture. Click on the photo to view an enlargement and see more clearly what I was up to! I am quite pleased with the result ... it's pretty much what I had hoped to achieve.

rusty paint brushes!

In a recent comment artist friend, Philip Edson, wondered whether my paintbrushes were going rusty as it has been so long since I did any artwork ... (rude boy!). Well, it just so happens that I've been de-rusting them this past week .......

flutter

Acrylic collage (12 x 12 ins)

this and that ......

Thought it high time that I started up my blog posts again .... I know I've been very remiss about it for the past few weeks!

Two little bits of news to start off the year ........ firstly there is this great new RESOURCE online from Creative Spotlite: - the ART INSTRUCTION BLOG which has masses of links to all sorts of useful information on different media, art instruction and demonstrations, art books, forums, etc. GO TAKE A LOOK!

And second, my entry for the City of Dunedin Awards Exhibition, held before Christmas, sold on the last weekend.

WIP finished! - 'Not Fade Away' (16" x 12")

This is going to be an acrylic painting using collage on canvas 16" x 12" ... a first for me. Trying out something new is exciting .... but it's probably always wise to read the instructions first! As I know nothing about using collage this is real 'learning-as-I-go'. I have a vague idea of how I want the finished painting to look but am expecting to develop my idea further along the way.

STAGE 1

I start off by playing around with some photographs on my PC. These are of two canvases that I'd started of nudes, with only the underpaintings completed. I print out several similar images of these, four to an A4 page, and cut them out.

STAGE 2

I am actually working on one of the two original nude canvases which I have obliterated with two coats of gesso. I spend quite a long while arranging and re-arranging my paper images on to the canvas in front of a mirror until I find an arrangement that I like. I fix them to the canvas using acrylic medium. When this has dried I seal over with a coat of thin varnish.

What I have learned from doing this? - photo-copy paper does NOT stick to canvas easily and it tends to bubble up. Note to self .... need to use a more adsorbent paper in future collage work.

STAGE 3

Now comes the fun part (although its a bit scary too!). I try out applying different colours and wait for them to dry. Then I add textures using Acrylic Modelling Compound and gesso, followed by a glaze using acrylic paint diluted heavily with Clear Painting Medium. In spite of being sealed over with matt varnish the paper is still tending to bubble. Also I am finding it difficult to eradicate the straight edges of the paper cut-outs.

What I have learned from doing this? I should have TORN the edges of the paper collage pieces not CUT them .... they would have been easier to blend in! That's what I get for jumping in with both feet!

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Well here is the finished painting ... I cannot quite get the exact colours with the camera but this is pretty close, although the original is not quite so bright and I am afraid that photo has some reflected glare!


Technorati Tags Art, Weblog, Blog, Artist, Painting, Lesly Finn, Abstract

WIP: Abstract - Stages 1, 2, 3

This is going to be an acrylic painting using collage on canvas 16" x 12" ... a first for me. Trying out something new is exciting .... but it's probably always wise to read the instructions first! As I know nothing about using collage this is real 'learning-as-I-go'. I have a vague idea of how I want the finished painting to look but am expecting to develop my idea further along the way.

STAGE 1

I start off by playing around with some photographs on my PC. These are of two canvases that I'd started of nudes, with only the underpaintings completed. I print out several similar images of these, four to an A4 page, and cut them out.

STAGE 2

I am actually working on one of the two original nude canvases which I have obliterated with two coats of gesso. I spend quite a long while arranging and re-arranging my paper images on to the canvas in front of a mirror until I find an arrangement that I like. I fix them to the canvas using acrylic medium. When this has dried I seal over with a coat of thin varnish.

What I have learned from doing this? - photo-copy paper does NOT stick to canvas easily and it tends to bubble up. Note to self .... need to use a more adsorbent paper in future collage work.

STAGE 3

Now comes the fun part (although its a bit scary too!). I try out applying different colours and wait for them to dry. Then I add textures using Acrylic Modelling Compound and gesso, followed by a glaze using acrylic paint diluted heavily with Clear Painting Medium. In spite of being sealed over with matt varnish the paper is still tending to bubble. Also I am finding it difficult to eradicate the straight edges of the paper cut-outs.

What I have learned from doing this? I should have TORN the edges of the paper collage pieces not CUT them .... they would have been easier to blend in! That's what I get for jumping in with both feet!

But it's been great fun so far, in spite of being a bit of a headache! And I hope to complete within a day or so ............

Technorati Tags Art, Weblog, Blog, Artist, Painting, Lesly Finn, Abstract