Dancing color

I came across this work on Facebook. Isn't that where we find a million cool things in life? Anyway, someone posted a link to the photos and in poking around I found this video. Seeing these colors swirling, moving, dancing and bubbling brought me back to my early days of working at Red Swan. Before Red Swan became the main source for art supplies in Ocala it was the go to place for builders and sign painters to get supplies for their respective industries. We also sold house paint to the homeowners looking for something new and pool paint for the folks looking for relief from the summer heat.

One of my first jobs there was mixing custom colors in the gallon cans of house paint. Now I'm dating myself here but there was no digital matching of colors to people's fabric swatches or machines that automatically spit out the correct color mixtures of universal colorant. I looked up the formula of color portions and spun the dispenser around until I got the color I was looking for, then I shot the color into the gallon of base paint. As I did that I would stand there and watch the colorant bubble up from the bottom of the can where it hit with great force and then shoot back up to the top where it would swirl and create the most amazing patterns.

A few times my boss would come in to the back room and catch me watching the colors moving around on the surface of the base paint. I found it mesmerizing. I could stand there and watch it for as long as it took the colors to settle. I wasn't about to put the can in the mixer before the colors were done with their dance. For me, it's kind of like watching a fire. It's very soothing and meditative, not to mention just plain cool and artsy.

Well, my boss didn't think it was very cool and artsy. I wasn't in trouble at all but he did think I was pretty flaky. For the rest of the 18 years I worked for him I heard the occasional comment about me being one of those flaky artists. There was always a chuckle from him along with the comment so I knew he was teasing.

Thankfully, over the years, he got to know many more artists. As the computer transformed the sign painting business he carried less and less of the particular items needed for that business but fortunately many sign painters were also artists so he had a lot of requests for fine art materials. That's how Red Swan as the place for art supplies was born. As Orval used to say.... "the art supply camel got his nose in the tent and pushed everything else out" and that was the end of house, pool and sign painting supplies. The next thing he knows, Orval is dealing with a bunch of artists.

Now just so you know, Orval is definitely creative. He's a very good writer and has a wicked sense of humor. But.... I think the visual artist is a mystery to him. He spent many moments just shaking his head at the quirkiness of me and my fellow painters. Even so, at this point, I think he could appreciate the swirling, dancing hues of Mark Mawson's work. It might even bring back memories of a young mom and artist who was in need of a job and gave him a chuckle while she mixed house paint.

Watch the colors dance,
Carlynne

Getting Unstuck

There are times when you hit a brick wall. I guess this is one of those times. I'm working my way through it though. This canvas has had a landscape painting on it twice now. The sky is gold leaf and that hasn't changed at all. Everything below that however has changed multiple times. It started out with a red base coat, palette knife work put the landscape greens down and it just wasn't working. I took out a nice big brush and painted over all the land with another layer of red. Again, with some knife work and brushes, putting in the greens and yellows of the prairie. Again, hated it! This time I took out a nice big palette knife and smeared red on top - again. There's a wonderful rough texture going on, I like that part and when I put the red on this time the knife skipped here and there and left wonderful peeks of greens coming through. I may have an inch of texture built up on this thing by the time I'm done but that's okay. I'm liking it a little more each time I paint over it.

This is one that I thought was done. Funny how our vision changes with time and it's not something the eye doctor can fix. I took it out again and studied it.........

and this is where it is now..... gessoed over and new color washed on. When I did the gesso layer I left some of the original blue showing through, I liked the texture in that area. Now I'm building up layers of color and sanding in between to bring back some of the contrasting color.

I don't know where these pieces are going to end up but that's part of the fun. When I'm stuck and can't figure out where I'm going I drag out old canvases and play with them. I'll let you know how it goes.

Have a great weekend,

Carlynne

It's April

It's April, it's a new month. This is a month of meaning for me. This month my oldest child turns 30! This month will be the 9th anniversary of my quitting smoking - that's a biggie too. This month I get my first tattoo - that's tomorrow! Kelli said she wants to document it with photos so maybe you'll see it here. And yes, for a short time I fell for the Google/Topeka name change thing. LOL! The lengths people will go to for April fool's day.

Anyway..... above is one of the pieces I finished today. I just couldn't get the violet color to show up the way it really is which is warmer in tone and more vibrant. Oh well.

I know I've been absent from here recently but I've been focused on painting. This is a good thing! I've been working on a hopefully promising project. If it pans out I'll share more info so keep all of your fingers and toes crossed for me. In the meantime I'll be breathing through the tattoo process and then setting up for the First Friday Art Walk in downtown Ocala. Come say hi to me and Kelli. We'll be on the square from 6-8 tomorrow night at the Sushi Bistro of Ocala.

Peace,
Carlynne

I really want to know...

Good morning! What a pretty day, finally some sunshine. We've had nothing but rain for the last few days and it was starting to get depressing. So, happy day and favorite things. Today I just thought I'd show you some of my favorite things - books. One of the first things I do when visiting an artist is check out the book shelf to see which art books they like to keep around. Here's a few of the shelves in my office. What are your favorite books? I'd really like to know, just call me nosy.

My own version of our book cover photo. These seem to be the colors I'm attracted to at the moment. Maybe I've been willing spring to come by using these colors all winter. Apparently I haven't done a very good job - this has been the longest, coldest winter we've had in Florida in many, many years!

Collage and creativity.... of course notice the 3rd book from the left. :D

Landscape and light.

Many colored pencil books of course......

Acrylic and abstraction.

Now all I need is a cup of coffee and my comfy chair - I'll get some inspiration and then unwrap those two new canvases I brought home yesterday. Hope you all have a lovely day!

Peace,

Carlynne

I'm feelin' it

I absolutely LOVE textures. Anyone that knows me knows that I can't keep my hands off of a cool looking textured surface. From the time I was a little girl I was fascinated with textures in nature - tree bark, veining in leaves, bird tracks in the snow (I didn't always live in Florida), the fuzz on new spring leaf buds, the indentations of raindrops in dirt, the bubbles of tar on the side of the road in the summer.

Of course the natural progression of things is that I would end up incorporating texture into my paintings. I play with textured papers, pastes and gels, sand, glass beads and rocks. There's nothing I love more in the studio than watching the fluid acrylic paint seep into the crevices of crackle paste and puddle around the bumps of glass beads. The nuances of color as it concentrates into a smooth valley or gets absorbed into a soft paper surface is just plain exciting! Call me weird.... I don't care!

So..... for the people out there like me, Kelli and I will be teaching a workshop on playing with these textures. Since the texture gels and pastes usually take overnight to dry we're going to prepare some panels ahead of time and then focus on what to do with paint and collage elements to enhance the textures and make them sing. The workshop will be in Ocala at Red Swan Paint & Art on Sunday March 21st from 1-5. Give us a holler if you want more info and contact us soon before the class fills up. mailto:andhershbergerhuff@hotmail.com

Now go touch something and feel the texture - you don't have to tell me what it is. :D

Peace,

Carlynne

One hubcap, 2 paintings, no car

This has to be one of the most unusual projects I've done. When I painted the Horse Fever horse called Aggie it was quite a job. It was a challenge not only in size but shape - it's a horse! This time I was painting a hubcap. A lot smaller but still a challenge in shape. I'm so thankful I didn't get a hubcap with all the holes in it. The artists that did those had a bigger challenge.




If you saw the earlier post you saw the blue side almost done. I didn't do much more to it but I did add the copper acrylic for a warm accent. That made a big difference. The green side got a lot more layers, more color and tissue paper and then I added some iridescent glaze to the white shapes. So, now it's varnished and done. I just have to box it up and ship it back. Soon my hubcap will be on Landfill Art You really should check out what the other artists have done - I can't wait for the book to come out, it's going to be quite a collection!

I am missing one thing though, well 2 things actually..... a title for each side of the hubcap. Anyone have any suggestions? I'll give a prize to the person or persons that come up with the winning titles. I'll be mailing the painting(s) soon so I'll call the deadline for title submission Friday, March 5th at 5:00 pm Eastern time. Help me out here, my brain's tired and you might win a little prize!

Hope you're having a peaceful end to your Monday,
Carlynne

Body of Work

Ok, this is totally different. This is not the abstract work that I usually do, or the landscape work that I enjoy doing. This is something that started a couple of years ago even though I haven't shared it until now.

In my late 40's I started thinking about where I am and where I'm going, what's expected of me as a female, what's important in my life. Maybe that's just the mid-life thing talking. Maybe it's the recent experience I've had with cancer that's adding to the conversation and giving me the feeling that's it's time to pull these pieces out of the closet and give them exposure. Maybe it's just that I'm in my 50's now. I thought about the things that women have done to themselves and to the other females in their lives over the course of centuries, from foot binding to corset wearing to plastic surgery. Things done for the sake of image, societal standing and financial survival. We did what we had to do. Do we still have to do these things? Have we evolved beyond this stage? Maybe, maybe not...

This 2-page spread in the book is about medical tourism.... these are actual vacation packages. Do you realize you can go on a cruise and have a tummy tuck and facelift at the same time?

So these thoughts turned into a book. Not your usual kind of book - this was an old book that was painted and collaged into a new work. I had seen some people doing altered books and I was fascinated by them. I love books so my first thought was - SACRILEGE! How can you do these things to a book? But then I thought.... what's wrong with transforming a discarded thing into a work of art. I found the process interesting, thought provoking, creative and challenging. Each 2 page spread became a work of art with a different story all related to the same theme. Then as the images and thoughts developed I started working on canvases that related to the book theme. In coming posts I'll show you some of those canvases. This has now turned into a series of works based on this same theme - women and body image.

As women, what are your thoughts on this issue? Ok, you're not all female out there so as a human what are your thoughts?

Peace,
Carlynne

Yesterday's Progress

It was a good productive day in the studio yesterday. Remember the hubcap? Back to work on that. Amazing Hubby sandblasted it for me and then I gave it a primer coat. Next was a coat of gesso, a layer of crumpled tissue paper and a thin layer of acrylic paint. We'll see where it goes from here.

While layers of the hubcap were drying I worked on a new canvas - this one 48x48. It takes up quite a chunk of space in the studio! I had to work flat for the first layer of texture so I had it on the dining room table for a couple of days. The rest of the painting can be worked on the easel. At the top of the photo you can see where I'm putting in the lines for the geometric shapes.

Today I'm at Red Swan all day so I'll get back to the studio over the weekend. Hope you're having fun and TGIF!

BTW..... if you're interested in taking our workshop next month, send us an email and we'll get a registration form to you. hershbergerhuff@hotmail.com

Peace,

Carlynne

More layers

Mosaic 4

16x16

More layers, more layers, more layers. It was time to zero in on the colorful shapes and tone down the others. I woke up this morning and just didn't like what was going on on the right hand side of the painting so I did some drybrushing with a white that has a touch of green in it. You can still see some of the underneath color, it has more depth now. What I ended up with is acrylic, gold leaf and tissue paper on canvas. I think it's done. If you have a different opinion, share it, don't be shy. I can take it (as long as you're not too brutal).

While I'm painting I'm watching the speed skaters in Vancouver, what an inspiration. Maybe I should try speed painting - set a timer and do 30 minute expressions. That could be fun, and messy!

Short post today.... the kids are coming over for dinner tonight. Can't wait to see them! Have a lovely evening and if I'm not on here again tomorrow ~ a very happy Valentine's Day!

Peace, and go kiss someone,

Carlynne

Another Stage

It's another stage..... don't know if it's a good one or not. I'm happy with some things, not so happy with others. I added some more tissue, a little gold leaf and of course some more color and geometric shapes. Changes will be happening soon - maybe some drastic ones. Maybe I'd better sleep on it. hmmm....

Supper time,
have a good night,
Carlynne

Update on the Landscape

Hi All,

Here is the latest version of the landscape. Muuuuuuuuch better but still not done. You opinion is always welcome here. Raining all day here in central Florida. Great day for painting.

Peace to all,
Kelli

Critique Please

Hey All,

Please take a look at this painting and tell me what you think it needs or is it complete as is? I am trying to do a series of very, I mean VERY, loose landscapes, sort of impressionistic (just call me Kelli Monet) with texture (did you think not?) and some bright colors. Sort of a mix of Minimalism, Color Field and Impressionism all rolled into one. (Mincolfimpism?) I am all about the texture, but I want it just barely recognizable as a landscape. Be honest, I can take it.

Thanks a bunch.
Peace and love,
Kelli

Beginnings and Tom Hanks

If you are an artist, how many pieces do you work on at once? Here's 6 paintings that are underway right now. 5 of them just have the first layers on. I just can't seem to start one and stay with it til the very end. There must be traveling around the studio to different tables with different materials at different stages of drying. And why not, I don't travel any where else.

All the acrylics here are little 8x8 canvases. The colored pencil on board is 22x22. Seems a little backwards doesn't it? I think the next acrylic is going to be 48x48 but I'll have to do a little rearranging in the studio to fit that on the easel.

Can you tell I like complimentary colors?

What's this doing here? Yes, I still do colored pencil. It doesn't look like much right now. This is the first scribble stage done last night. Very soon it will be smeared and pushed around with mineral spirits. If you want to try this technique, do it on cold press illustration board - works great, you can really move the color on this surface.

A softer palette to start, but you know there's brighter color to come.

Trying to figure out what to do next...... I might leave this one for a while and work on the others. First things first ~ do I listen to Etta again or switch to Adam Lambert? I could start the afternoon with Mozart and then play more high energy later when I need it. OR.... I could have Tom Hanks keep me company with an old movie. I think I spend just as much time figuring out who I want with me in the studio as what to actually do in the studio. This is important stuff, the right vibe is at stake.

Have a golden afternoon,

Peace,

Carlynne

2 more stages

Hi and welcome to February!

Here are 2 more steps in the progression of this piece. I'm building up layers of the geometric shapes, mostly with acrylic but I'm also adding a few pieces in tissue paper. I took these 2 photos a couple of days apart so the lighting is a little different in each. It looks lighter in the upper right corner background but I really didn't do anything to it. The first one was taken during the day and the second one I took after dark this evening so the studio lights had a part in that.

Anyway, the layering will continue. I'm not sure how much farther I'm going to go. We'll see what the painting has to say about it.

Hope everyone is staying warm and dry,

Peace,

Carlynne

Great minds... I can only hope

Waxwing Poetic

Vera Curnow

Tri-Focal

Vera Curnow

With this being the 20th anniversary of the CPSA, I was thinking back to the beginning of the group and Vera Curnow came to mind. My first contact with Vera was 20 years ago when she wrote an article to the Artist's Magazine wondering if there were any other colored pencil artists out there. I was down here in Florida doing my thing... coloring away. I was thrilled to see that there were other people as in love with the medium as I was so I wrote to her, along with the others who were saying "hi - we're out here". She founded the organization and I've been a member ever since.

Vera has been an inspiration to me on so many levels - her work, her drive and energy, her creativity, her teaching ability and her willingness to take chances. She's the one who taught me to paint with colored pencils using mineral spirits - this was revolutionary for me! It changed how I worked and opened up a whole new way for me to play. Working with a brush again brought me to working with watercolor and colored pencil which led to doing colored pencil on canvas which led to doing..... acrylic on canvas - acrylic without colored pencil, hmmm...

A few years ago Kelli and I had the opportunity to go to Vera's gallery in Indiana and teach a workshop. It was great fun to see what Vera was up to. Not only was she doing colored pencil, she was also doing acrylic. She has the same love of texture that I do and I was thrilled to see that we were going down the same road. I had an argument once with a woman online. She was telling me that you can't change your style or subject matter in your work - that would mean you were unfocused and immature. What a bunch of BS. Of course you can. If you feel the need, then by all means go for it. I still work in colored pencil, I just expanded my horizons to include other things. Vera works in a variety of media, is she unfocused and immature? I don't think so!!! Just take a look at her work above. If you want to see more of what she does visit her at http://www.veracurnow.com/ If you want to see what she created when she started the CPSA go to http://www.cpsa.org/

Thanks Vera for being an inspiration to so many,

Peace,

Carlynne

Painting Update

Happy Tuesday everyone. I thought I'd give you an update. This is where I am right now on the acrylic painting. Did you think those geometric shapes were just going to be white? I might leave some of them white but the reason I'm doing the white layer first and then painting color on top is to brighten the color a bit. I'm using Interactive acrylic here which I love for the liftability (is that a word?) but they don't have the covering power that I'd like sometimes. The white helps to block out the base color and let the bright colors shine. More to come later, hope you all have a fabulous day.

Peace,

Carlynne

What a weekend!

Wow, it's early. What am I doing here? My "amazing hubby" - that's his name from now on - had to go on a trip this morning so I got up to see him off. I couldn't go back to sleep so here I am. My brain is trippin' from all the projects I'm working on at once. That's not a bad thing, not at all. It's exciting to me. My problem is I want to work on them all at once, so yesterday, I did my darndest to do just that. Up top you see the start of a new acrylic piece in the earth series (coming to a gallery near you - if you live in Ocala or possibly Jacksonville).

This is a little 5x7 oil pastel with colored pencil. I'm starting a series of these mini landscapes for Etsy so look for those soon.

Some of you remember this one - Prairie Light - from the book. It was project 6. It's now listed on Etsy.

Yesterday was one of those days - I was having such a good time in the studio, the energy stayed up all day and I got a lot done, not only painting but computer work and even a little organizing. Amazing Hubby will be gone all day so guess where I'm headed? What a weekend!

hope you're having fun,

Carlynne

Staying warm in the studio

Mosaic

24x24

Well, I'm over the excitement of Florida snow. Now it just needs to warm up a little, I don't mean get hot again, just a little warmer. We're such wimps down here.

Ok, back to the studio...... I finished this one as you can see. I've used a slightly different palette than I've used recently. I was really into the blue/green and still am but on this one I was introducing the human element into the earth compositions so I wanted to add some unusual colors. This is all acrylic, even the texture. I used a palette knife to sculpt the paint into the river shape and lay down a base color of blue. After adding more layers of color I sanded the raised areas to bring back the blue color and then dry brushed the lights over the rest of the painting to enhance the texture over all and give the feeling of cloud cover.

Now I'm working on another one with the same techniques but with a base of red instead of blue. I'll post a pic of that one soon. There's also a piece in progress that involves crochet - don't know where that one's going yet, right now it just looks like a mess! Maybe I should post that one and get your input.

That's it for now, stay warm wherever you are,

peace,

Carlynne