Chromotherapy!

"Chromotherapy" is a type of light therapy that hasn't (yet?) been accepted as a science. Proponents say that chromotherapy can balance energies in the body and therefore cure disease. I remember reading about it in a Robert Heinlein book more than 50 years ago...it was fascinating then and I was intrigued. It's still fascinating - the idea of chakras, or energy centers along the spine, makes sense to me today and I am still tickled, charged up, shaken by color in my environment.

Pink and red are notorious shaker-uppers. When the pink prickly pear and claret cup cactus in my yard bloomed at the same time, I was thrilled! Had to paint it!

Pink and Red...

The painting isn't finished - there are problems remaining that need to be resolved (prickly pear pads that look as though they are soft and fluffy, flowers that are blobs instead of blooms, etc.), but just looking at those pinks and reds next to each other transports me right back to the morning I sat in the dirt and painted this with a giant brush, inhaling the desert air and the bird song around me. How's THAT for inspiration?

More Scribbling...

The second in what I hope will be a series of wild pots, here's "Scribbly Pots 2," just finished. I'm still feeling inspired by the wonderful tempera/ink technique learned in a workshop last month. Although I must admit I'm doing it my own way, not using it quite as it was taught. But I think that would be fine with the teachers, both very imaginative and expressive artists who believe in thinking outside the box.

Scribbly Pots 2

This work started with a poured background, using brilliant colors: quinacridone rose, nickel azo yellow and manganese blue. After drying completely, I used templates to decide where the pots should be, then drew around them. Next, I brushed on white tempera to protect certain areas, scribbled into the wet tempera with the handle of a brush, allowed the tempera to dry, then dribbled and brushed on sepia acrylic ink. When that was dry, the whole thing was scrubbed with a toothbrush in cool water. I stapled the wet paper to a board and allowed to dry, then began to paint back in with the same brilliant colors, pushing and pulling the pots into different positions. Last, with a tiny brush, I added the "sun" in the background with watercolor.

I'm still enjoying the technique, feeling inspired by the challenge.

Trying to Get Inspired

It's that time again. Time to enter competitions, membership shows, and worst of all, themed shows. Although I don't really dislike themed shows, I know a lot of artists who just HATE to have to paint to a theme. It seems that, rather than being inspirational, show themes are so often more like the piano lid slamming shut on the hands.

"Here's Looking at You, Kid!"



"Here's Looking at You, Kid!" was my first response to a themed show featuring wildlife of the Chihuahuan Desert where I live. An ornate box turtle, or western box turtle, appeared on our patio one day. I was stunned by its RED eyes, had to go "look it up" and enjoyed reading about how only BOY box turtles have red eyes. What fun! I knew right away he would be the subject of my entry into that show. I sketched his mug shot on top of a deeply textured background that I had done earlier, using gauze and liquid watercolors. Of course, the red eyes had to be prominent, so that's why only the head. I painted "negatively" around the shape with dark colors, then added details like the shell border, wrinkles, a beak and RED EYES!

There's no secret here, it's the same thing we've revealed repeatedly in this blog:  paint what you are excited about. Find out what turns you on and paint it. How do you find out what turns you on? Go walking in your world. For me, it's mostly outdoors, wildlife, flowers and landscape. For you, it might be something entirely different. But you can't find out until you go looking.

I think painting to a theme actually has more to do with figuring out how what you love to paint fits into the theme. That's kind of backwards and inside-out thinking, but it works!

More Challenges...

Still working with this new technique, using white tempera to mask some areas, then drizzling and dripping black acrylic ink, some of which is washed away before continuing with the painting.

"Scribbly Pots"
 

The challenge, I thought, was to take fullest advantage of the gorgeous riot of brilliant colors and the black scribbles left behind from the ink. I chose two simple pots and worked at making it more interesting by letting you see through the front one. Don't know if it's finished yet...

Best Friends

Cats have always been my best friends. I find them to be God's most beautiful creations. If they choose to love you, you have been blessed. Lots of emotion for me there, so there's lots of inspiration.

Here's Bobbie (actually Robert Harley). He's a funny little guy, walking along talking to himself. He never met a stranger, is sweet and loving and amusing.

"Bobbie"

The painting was created by painting random transparent colors on a quarter sheet, then brushing on white tempera, drying, and drizzling on black acrylic ink. After the ink was dry, I washed the sheet in the bathtub, brushing away most of the tempera and much of the ink. The cat was painted with alizarin crimson+indanthrone blue+quin burnt orange. (I don't own any black paint!)

Inspired by a Challenge?

Recently someone mentioned this abstract landscape I did on a full sheet at a Sterling Edwards workshop last summer. While it may not have been a total failure, it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted. I photo'd the piece and gave it away. Now I'm thinking about giving it another try.



"Canyon Homes"

I still feel challenged to try to get it right. I think I can do better. Sometimes the challenge remains after a painting is finished, perhaps because it didn't say quite what we wanted it to say. Maybe that's why Monet kept painting haystacks and water lilies...