Dec 24 - Holiday Wishes and the Carousel Horse

 I thought as a distraction from all the holiday preparations you might find yourself in, you'd like to see the progression of one of my Fabricritters (tm).  This carousel horse was in an earlier post finished, and I've never shown the procedure for doing one of these totally unique art pieces.  Now is the time!

This started as a standard 36 x 24 inch stretched canvas, and knowing I was going to cover most of it with cut fabric swatches, I didn't tone it like I usually do for a regular painting.  I used about three images of carousel horses, composited for the design--head from one, mane and tack from another, leg from a third.  Artisans who carve these horses have their own signature styles and are well known to historians.  I didn't want any one style to predominate, as an artist, that's one starting point for originality.

As you can see, I'm already thinking purple/blue/orange for the complimentary color scheme.  No fabric at this stage--purely drawing and thin layers to make my mental "connection" with the idea in my head to the white canvas.

On another note, I'm in New Jersey (like last year!) and brought Sparky along.  He reunited with Onslow, and Hiroo, and of course we had to go "walkies".  Here's an image of the trio in a tangled mess trying to figure out what's what!  No white Christmas here yet, the skies are blue and bright with the grays of the bare trees showing incredible variations of middle value grayed reds (aka rose), light grayed purple (aka lavender) and blues... I brought my traveling acrylics, so will be doing several landscapes again--just like last year!

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Dec 20 - Finished the Snow Scene and Just in TIME!

"Waiting for Supper" 16 x 12 Oil

So much fun to finish this painting up and post it for you just before I am leaving for the East Coast again.  Remember last year in New York City?  I went to both MOMA and the Met, and filled my mind with some amazing artwork.  I hope to do that and more this time!  Of course, Sparky is going with me.  Today he got his "traveling papers" for the flight.  

In finishing up this painting, I used some gel medium and painted in the rays of the evening sun coming through the branches.  This is yet another "stitching" move to link together larger areas of the painting.  Like telephone poles, tree trunks and the like, these linear shapes can make a quilt-like connection between larger areas of differing values or color. 

Last time I wrote to you, it was in the high eighties out here in California.  Now as I look out my window as the rain streaks it wet-down, and the wind buffets the big pines behind the house.  I make rounds to keep the gutters and ditches clear of debris, and enjoy this rain coming down.  Good for the dry soil, but not for the ski slopes, since the weather up there isn't cold enough for snow.  

I'm glad I had my chance up there, and perhaps it will improve for when I return.  I did go ice skating a couple of days ago, and tried to attach an image that had me going around in circles... to no avail!

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2010 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.