Today, At the Easel

more than mountains progress 2
Work in Progress. Making headway on this one.

When I began this series, the ideas existed in my head as images of very spare, pale, acrylic paintings on canvas. Then one day I just grabbed a large watercolor pad and started painting. They have become layered, colorful pieces, created with a mix of watercolor and acrylic. A mix I have never tried before. But, I was struggling my way through the first piece, tempted to try adding the acrylic for some opacity, yet afraid to test something new. I had to take a break from it, work on something else for a few days, mull it over…and then I finally got my courage up, squeezed some acrylic onto my palette, and went for it.

The result was interesting. Something new for me. Something I will be learning how to work with as I keep going with the series. Last night I began working on the background for this one, and continued today. Some watercolor here, some acrylic there…New textures on my brush and on the paper.

Some of Us are Further Away Than Others

plant heads

Continuing the sketchbook pages based off of random bits of rescued paper. I have several pages prepped with paper pieces pasted in, (say that ten times fast!) and when I am feeling like doing a sketch I draw over or around the piece of rescued “trash” on that page. This one had a torn corner of a paint chip that I found on the floor. It became a plant pot. The plant is one living organism but with many heads, some are closer to the roots, others are growing further away.

hands over ears

Some new ideas are bubbling around as well. Thoughts on another series that I might begin when I complete the Lyrical series that I am fleshing out at the easel now. Right now it is an idea for a theme, but it needs time to expand and develop in my mind (and my sketchbook) before I begin.