Birches

8 x 8" oil and cold wax on panel

My second iteration of a painting that did not end up at all where I intended. The scan is too contrast-y and does not pick up all the texture and more subtle variations of this medium. Time to try a bigger one.

Eucalyptys Tangle, Revisited

8 x 8" oil and cold wax medium on panel

To say I have been in a slump would be an understatement. Posting this undoubtedly is premature, but as a way back, I'm trying a new medium. Even after getting a how-to book and supplies, I was paralyzed by uncertainty and fear-of-failure for a week. Finally settled on re-working an earlier unsuccessful painting. I'm not sure that was the best choice, but I think I improved it a bit, and I did learn. 

The wax basically turns oil paint into stiff, matte, pastel-like paste. Unless you add a lot of medium like Galkyd or Liquin, it doesn't blend much when applied. The benefits of this are that colors stay clean, and it basically forces you to work in layers. The textures and mark-making are intriguing new components.

Old Friend

12" x 12" oil on panel

On some level, painting is always transactional for me; I find it almost impossible paint "for myself". So doing something for a friend provides motivation and therefore is actually self-serving.

 

Green Apple Redux

 9 x 12" oil on canvas

On the spur of the moment, I cropped and partially repainted this 10-year-old, problematic workshop painting. Thinking of submitting it as a donation, not sure. Thalo green is always weird.

Spring Promise

5" x 5" oil on gessoed paper

My donation to the Westmont Ridely-Tree Museum of Art fundraiser. The auction can be seen December 3 - December 18 at Celebrating 10 years: 5x5. It was lovely being invited to submit a piece. Perhaps I will paint again sometime. 😄

 

On Dormancy

I bought this unsent Marjolein Bastin card many years ago; maybe it was for me from me. Having survived a significant crisis or two, I am somewhat familiar with being forced to accept an unwanted “new normal”, as well as with creative dormancy. Trauma does not necessarily produce better art, but it can provide some insights.

Recently on Medium, Julio Vincent Gambuto wrote, “what happened is…the greatest gift ever unwrapped. Not the deaths, not the virus, but The Great Pause…What the crisis has given us is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see ourselves and our country in the plainest of views…Take a deep breath, ignore the deafening noise, and think deeply about what you want to put back into your life. This is our chance to define a new version of normal, a rare and truly sacred opportunity to get rid of the bullshit and to only bring back what works for us, what makes our lives richer…” (https://forge.medium.com/prepare-for-the-ultimate-gaslighting-6a8ce3f0a0e0)

May our faded spirits emerge from dormancy renewed with the creative energy this world needs.

Here's a little experiment from just before this all began. I wanted to play more with textures and the Acryla Gouache I enjoyed using for the last book, but failed to get the results I wanted.

Saved by the Bell

8" x 8" Acryla Gouache on panel

Since painting most of the last book in this medium, I have been wanting to try it for something totally different. For a demo next week, I thoughtg this might be easy  and fun for kids. I  love this paint. It's very matte, and I'm debating whether to leave it  or finish it with a gloss varnish.