Lightpainting

Lightpainted Dahlia - outside

I'm still on vacation and surfing around the internet last night brought me to a flickr site of lightpainting. I wasn't familiar with the process and searched around some more for instructions on how to do it. Since Helen has a fabulous garden in the back, I tried it. The weather wasn't good, so much fog that moisture accumulated on my lense -- and a little breeze to go with it, bad sign for a long exposure.

I think the technique has definite possibilities and I look forward to trying it again with another subject. This one is illuminated by a regular flashlight playing around the flower.

Color My World

I did something yesterday that I bet nobody else did - I cooked a turkey dinner! I used my new knives that Santa brought me, and my silicone spoon, and my gourmet salt. I slid navel orange slices under the skin of that big bird, buttered the outside and powdered it with fresh ground pepper. I fried fresh apple slices in butter in a hot pan, then added cranberries, diced orange and spices. Acorn squash was halved, buttered and sprinkled with pecans and praline flavoring then popped into the oven. Pureed cauliflower was made much more festive by the addition of roasted beets. It was a lively fuschia color. And of course it was New Years, so I cooked a batch of black eyed peas. Not content with the same old thing, I added dried tomato pesto, which added a warm smoky flavor. And if all that weren't enough, my friend came by with fresh tamales! What a feast. Obviously I didn't start a diet.

But I did start working.

I have been struggling with the size limits for printing. Even though I have BIG printers, the size maxes out at 44" in one direction. I have told my clients this many times, yet they continue to ask me to print bigger. I have researched the costs of those huge printers, and I'm certainly not spending that kind of money.

These particular images are the photo panel series, that have a printed element at the top, and the rest is painted. Sure, I can print to the edge of the canvas for 44", but then there's nothing left to stretch. So, I took a large piece of canvas, folded each side under and stuck it down with double-sided carpet tape. At this point I taped off and painted the appropriate part of the canvas with inkjet receiver and let it dry. I had a little trouble getting that whole thing (44" x 64") to feed through the printer, but finally had success just this morning. I've untaped it all now, and it really worked! I love a challenge. Two more to go.

I love the beginning of a new year!

Inspiration of the Day: fuschia

Photo Experiments

I'm working on these wacky paintings for lululemon, and I've gotten to the stage of painting the realistic element. On the first one, it's Reunion Tower, instantly recognizable on the Dallas skyline. I thought of just painting it, or an image transfer, or a combination. I have some inkjet film that my account rep at Lexjet sent to me to try. I printed a nice landscape on it and taped it to my studio window. I didn't really know what to do with it after that.

This morning my eye passed over it and a thought was generated. Would that print transfer to another surface? I coated a piece of canvas with gloss medium and laid the print down in it. I burnished. Nothing happened. The ink did not move. Several hours later I sprayed the back of the canvas, and the print started to disengage. It came off as a film of the image. Not perfect, but enough to give me another idea. I'm printing another one for further experimentation.

Back to Business

Lattice 1, acrylic on canvas, 25 x 28

I must have had jet lag yesterday - because today it's back to business. I started a new painting last night, and have finished it today. I already had the canvas ready, or I couldn't have finished this fast. The painting is abstract, and based partially on one of the Generations series I did in Santa Fe.

At this point in my career I feel free to experiment, and am not so attached to how the paintings are received in the marketplace. For instance, I know that the color palette I have used in this painting is not popular right now. Regardless, it was right for me.

I had a call from a long-time client in Denver. Amazingly, every time she has called me over the years, I have been in Santa Fe, and this time was no exception. I'm going through what little inventory I have and will send her what I can.

Had another call yesterday from a client I haven't heard from in almost a year. A hotel project that I did spec pieces for has come through for the room art. I have two pieces, and got to bill for royalties yesterday. Free money!

Encaustic Paints

Look what came in the mail while I was gone! A small expensive box of encaustic paint and mediums. Yum! Can't wait to get started with them.

So even though I'm not busy with orders, I still have a lot going on.