Some Pretty Paintings; a collection of flowers and figures in paintings and prints
I buy myself flowers because they make me happy. They are colorful and fragrant, and have no purpose other than my enjoyment. As temporal sculptures, flowers mark time by dropping petals, and are to be enjoyed without procrastination. No matter how busy I am, the time to appreciate a flower is gently now.
As flowers shift my attention towards the now, so do people. Collaborating with models is a creative joy. For this series we used blankets and kimono patterned with flowers. We set up in diffused morning light, and the models moved slowly as I captured images in my camera. Photographs allow me to take more time with my paintings, and layer images to carve one moment’s form with another. The figure is now an abstract of overlapping sensual shapes, now with an element of time. As each pose shifts, and we take advantage of the light, day to day, moment to moment, no person is exactly the same.
Drypoints were printed in collaboration with Nikki Barber, printmaking instructor at the Seattle Artist League. I scribed the plates and Barber printed them. Each image sparked a discussion of line, tone, and texture, and each print is a hand worked original. Since each print is hand inked with so much personalization to the wiping of the ink, no drypoint print is exactly the same. Each print is slightly different, and with each print the burrs that cause the velvet areas compress, and for this reason the marks that differentiate drypoints from etchings also mark the end of an edition. Once the burrs are compressed, the print is finished. Drypoints are known for producing editions of only about 10 and then they’re gone.
Some Pretty Paintings; a collection of flowers and figures in paintings and prints
Show opens January 5, 2019
Show up through January 27th
Artist Talk Saturday, January 5th (3:30-4:30pm)
Opening Reception to follow (5-7pm)
[image_with_animation image_url=”11503″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Many new artists feel they need an original idea for every artwork, but most experienced artists get a lot of creative mileage out of one idea (especially a simple idea), repeated in iterations. Here is a great example: Temple Dogs, a series of 8 by Ralph Kiggell. Each illustration is …
Do you make studies before you start a painting? Seems like most painting students don’t. We want to paint, not prepare to paint. Making a study prior to painting isn’t required for good artwork, but we learn about a subject every time we draw or paint it, so the act of sketching sure can help …
Every week in figure drawing I teach a different drawing approach. Today was straight line measures; which always feels to beginners like they’re getting tangled up in bicycle spokes, but it’s invaluable and even relaxing for returning students. The basic idea of straight line measures is that you use straight lines to measure out the …
Pictured above: Patty Haller’s mother in the Smith & Vallee Gallery Patty Haller was invited to use the front studio space at the Seattle Artist League so she could prepare several large panels, including a 12′ painting for her January show “Growth Patterns” at the Smith & Vallee Gallery. Haller spent the fall and winter at the …
Some Pretty Paintings: Figure “Z” and Artist’s Statement
Some Pretty Paintings; a collection of flowers and figures in paintings and prints
I buy myself flowers because they make me happy. They are colorful and fragrant, and have no purpose other than my enjoyment. As temporal sculptures, flowers mark time by dropping petals, and are to be enjoyed without procrastination. No matter how busy I am, the time to appreciate a flower is gently now.
As flowers shift my attention towards the now, so do people. Collaborating with models is a creative joy. For this series we used blankets and kimono patterned with flowers. We set up in diffused morning light, and the models moved slowly as I captured images in my camera. Photographs allow me to take more time with my paintings, and layer images to carve one moment’s form with another. The figure is now an abstract of overlapping sensual shapes, now with an element of time. As each pose shifts, and we take advantage of the light, day to day, moment to moment, no person is exactly the same.
Drypoints were printed in collaboration with Nikki Barber, printmaking instructor at the Seattle Artist League. I scribed the plates and Barber printed them. Each image sparked a discussion of line, tone, and texture, and each print is a hand worked original. Since each print is hand inked with so much personalization to the wiping of the ink, no drypoint print is exactly the same. Each print is slightly different, and with each print the burrs that cause the velvet areas compress, and for this reason the marks that differentiate drypoints from etchings also mark the end of an edition. Once the burrs are compressed, the print is finished. Drypoints are known for producing editions of only about 10 and then they’re gone.
Some Pretty Paintings; a collection of flowers and figures in paintings and prints
Show opens January 5, 2019
Show up through January 27th
Artist Talk Saturday, January 5th (3:30-4:30pm)
Opening Reception to follow (5-7pm)
Smith & Vallee Gallery
5742 Gilkey Ave, Edison
(360) 766-6230
Open Daily 11-5
www.smithandvalleegallery.com
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[image_with_animation image_url=”11503″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Many new artists feel they need an original idea for every artwork, but most experienced artists get a lot of creative mileage out of one idea (especially a simple idea), repeated in iterations. Here is a great example: Temple Dogs, a series of 8 by Ralph Kiggell. Each illustration is …
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