The Upstairs Gallery Show ~ May 9-23, 2009

The three pieces below photographed together as they might be hung for a grouping. Click on the image for a larger view.

#1


#2

#3
These are acrylic works I completed in the Robert Burridge workshop in April. The 3 6"x 6" (1 1/2" depth) collage mixed media pieces can be purchased separately or as a group. I used acrylic paint, acrylic medium, various papers, and stamping and I was working on all 3 at the same time striving for some continuity. Could I reproduce these again? After looking at them again this morning I kept asking "Now how did I do that?" and "What did I do here?" I see small papers from the Anne Bagby workshop and some stamping with the stamp she awarded for best use of line and some gold paint touches and lots of texture. I think there are a few pieces from the Carrie Burns Brown Workshop in Austin several years ago. That's what I find interesting about discussions about copying others work.. I find it difficult to copy my own.

Indigo Floral #1

Indigo Floral #2

Indigo Floral Duet #1 and #2 12" x 12" (3/4" depth wrapped canvas) Acrylic with some stamping These two are pure Burridge (I painted them but I sure tried to use his methods) from the workshop with lots of negative painting and drawing back into the design with a pencil, a Derwent Sketching Wash 8B, one of his favorites to use. I used some stamping and then brushed back over it to blend some edges and then highlight one flower to stand out and say "look at me." These can be purchased separately or as a pair. J. T. Martin of the Upstairs Gallery has invited all adult students to participate in its annual studio show and sale, May 9-23 and the opening reception will be May 9 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The purpose is to thank the students for their support and to share their artworks with the community. This is a great time to view others work and socialize and see what new foods J.T. creates for the refreshment table. Join us if you're in the area.

Anne Bagby Workshop ~ Artists' Showplace ~ Texas Art Blog

Approximately 5" square image made from a collage of handmade papers from the Anne Bagby workshop held at Artists' Showplace. This example was placed in my journal. I made the face area from a page of the 1924 The Outline of History by H.G. Wells. I like some of the text to show.
Anne

Project on a 12" square of deli wrap of handmade papers done Saturday, colored and stamped and collaged. Anne said keep it simple and watch your values. This was anything but simple and it was too much the same value so I added lots of line work. Today I covered a 7" x 10" journal with the page. On the inside I'd pasted a Dan Burt drawing from his workshop. This journal will be used for drawing more than journaling. Anne says she takes the paper out to cover the journals but I worked around the rings and ran a line of paint connecting the edges. Not as neat but it's still together from someone who can't reassemble a ballpoint pen.


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A trip to Aggie land for a wedding and seeing my first bluebonnets.

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Still on the move but time to check out Grace Haverty's sketches. Packing, packing again for the Bagby workshop and it is a 3 day from Thursday to Saturday.
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Anne's card, her chop, some instructions and my small work for my journal. See the stamp at the left of the image...it's an Anne Bagby original I won by using the most line - hope she doesn't ask for it back after she reads this post. Some of us Southern girls in watercolor workshops find great comfort sipping a cup of Earl Gray and applying a watercolor or two but mixed media artists are a different breed. They work really fast and do what's called "speed collage". I'm a Southern Texan. I work slow, talk and hear even slower and like to have time to inquire about my neighbor's Mama occasionally. Don't let Anne Bagby's diminutive size mislead you. She's a one woman dynamo, spewing forth tips, orders, suggestions, and ideas in a rapid lively way and hence the notation in my journal of "General" Bagby. I may have exaggerated a little when I wrote in my journal she said "Move it, Nancy" but I sat at the front table and was under her all seeing eye. At times she did remind me I needed to forge ahead.
I was glad I'd ordered her DVD from Creative Catalyst as I was a little more prepared to know what to expect. We cut out stamps and made our papers on Thursday and Friday and worked on our projects on Saturday - when I got to have a cup of tea while working. I've learned new paper and stamp making techniques, met a fascinating new instructor, made some new friends and visited with some old ones at Artists Showplace. They have a great facility for workshops and provide individuals with nice long tables and the owners are helpful and encouraging. Restaurants are close by and there is plenty of parking for unloading art supplies.
Another treat was Anne's show, Prototypes in Paper in the gallery and we could view many of her 12" canvases. The show will hang during March.
Thanks, Anne, for your patience and explanations. On Saturday, we packed away our supplies and cleared off the tables leaving only our handmade paper and our projects then each student had a show and tell time. The hand stamped and painted papers were amazing and beautiful and now for more projects with our wonderful papers.

On Friday night a student of Anne's, Dianne Hicks, stopped by. She has been to France with her and taken other workshops in the states. Her web site is a treat.

I've included a slide show of some of the activities during the workshop:

Small Acrylic Landscape ~ Tuscany ~ Art Journal Page

"Tuscany Rental"
9" x 12" acrylic on canvas board
$54.00
This is the second small landscape I painted in the Maureen Brouillette class last week (see previous post). It is loosely based on a photo taken while in Tuscany several years ago. This small colorful acrylic landscape was fun to paint and the next class will be March 10 and it will be all about still life.

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I have been wanting to take a workshop with Anne Bagby for several years and now I'm gathering up supplies for a 3 day with her at the Artists' Showplace Gallery in March. Her just released dvd, Collage: Paper, Patterns and Glazing came yesterday and it was and is a visual treat. Now to gather up more supplies. Anne has a great section on her site about her journal pages that I know you'd enjoy seeing. Her pages generated the idea seen below.
On Saturday after good Texas barbecue, I watched "Changeling" just in time for the Oscar announcements. This is a pencil sketch of Angelina, then I am finally ready to part with my Snow White Barbie and I gave it to a grand daughter that had enjoyed her also, and a jewelry party on Sunday.
I've been thinking about an email friend that was about to throw down her brushes and give up watercolor. Then I remembered what Bob Burridge said in a workshop, "We all want to paint better. The only way to paint better is to paint a lot of bad paintings."
Check out some of these sites for some new inspiration:
A good book with some paint along exercises: Expressive Color
Free art lesson videos to watch: Jerry's
About.com Watercolor and Acrylic Painting
Now go paint some bad paintings to become a great painter - maybe even an art maestro and to see one at work check out Nicholas Simmons. I agree with his statement about a painting having a lot of interest that melds and has elements of abstraction and realism.