portraits of friendship

acrylic on canvas, 10 x 10

acrylic on canvas, 8 x 8 (tonked)



watercolor on paper, 20 x 14

My dear friend Teresa has been sitting for me every week. She is a forgiving sort and lets me manipulate and distort her features every which way. At some point I will settle down and get closer to what I actually see of her! But here are a few of the latest efforts.

it's good to be queen

Forever and a day since I posted. have gotten into the studio a little, trying to get out plein air more often too. Here is a sample of what I've managed to get done lately!
Got into a little jazz again. New nature vivant series in progress, it's good to be queen.

floodplain study, 4.5 x 4.5", ink and watercolor on canvas, copyright 2010

Varnished this little watercolor and now it's permanently fixed to the canvas with mineral spirits varnish. Had to gas-mask up for this but it was worth it as I did several pieces at once. This stuff can be used over oil, watercolor, probably pastel although I haven't tried that, still afraid of what it might do. Guess I should test it! Have not used it on paper at all yet.

new old fiber arts

Mustang Kimono with Fish (detail), woven acrylic skins on plexiglas, copyright 2010


This summer I've been reclaiming some notes from my past, sometimes in 3 dimensions, mixing various media as fiber. Here are some parts of the process, combining layering, collage, mosaic and weaving of skins made of acrylic paint that also incorporate painted paper and hand-dyed silk threads.




'

Reweaving II, woven and collaged acrylic skins
with painted paper on stretched gessoed canvas,
36" x 36", copyright 2010

Updrafts, 20" x 20", copyright 2010
collage mosaic on painted canvas comprised on acrylic skins, painted paper, hand-dyed silk

rail yard

A few weeks ago I sketched this scene in ink on canvas at Fishermen's terminal. It was freezing but bright! Later painted it in the studio. 4.5" x 4.5"

teresa painting, christmas 2009

This has been a season of peaceful holidays, spent painting! It's been years since I had this freedom.

On Christmas Day my friend of many decades gifted me with her presence and suggested a portrait party. We set a limit of 20 minutes but failed to set a timer, I think it was 30! This sketch is in acrylic on canvas, 8 x 8 inches.

bridge to somewhere

Here are my two newest tiny (4 inches square) paintings. I am tempted to just do these tiny little paintings forever, this is really satisfying! They begin as pen/brush drawings on gessoed canvas in airbrush-consistency acrylic (I call it ink); when that is dry, I add tiny bits of color, transparent and opaque, until they are suddenly done!

These are views of the Aurora bridge west of Gas Works Park here in Seattle.

This one, West From Gas Works II, was originally drawn in white acrylic on black gesso:

West From Gas Works III was sketched in anthraquinone blue acrylic "ink" on white gesso: