Word

I don't feel like writing anything.

Stuff

So we have the mural sketched out- next week on Tuesday, the paint will show up, and then week after- it'll be done. I'll be documenting the process and will post a time lapse on my youtube... I forgot to record us projecting and sketching but it wasn't the cool part anyways. All the freehand junk will be recorded as long as I'm around to record it. I enjoy blogging but I also enjoy watching Youtube so I figured, YOU PROBABLY DO TOO :) I'll link it here, and all of my other accounts when I get there. 

ONWARDS.

This portrait has been supremely challenging and lengthy, but dos skin tones doe.

Been hacking away at some other stuff. Tried out a brunaille and a Verdaille, now I need to try grisaille. 

Cute dog progress. (Brunaille, starting to add colour)

New portrait commission base coat- trying out Verdaille.

I really want to start varnishing my work, but it's almost all commission and I don't have time. I mean that's a good thing because I'm being a grown woman making money and stuff, so there's that.

Ciao!

-C.

Secret Murals- SHHHH!

I Can't say too much, but I have some exciting events coming up. In terms of the information I can give you, I can tell you it's part of the Beautification of Surrey project, and I'll be planning and making it with my fellow artists Hailey Logan, Shandis Harrison, Andres Salaz and Jess Orrin. I'll be keeping a play-by-play of the progress and when it's finished, perhaps I can show you how we went through the proposal process. 

I'm very excited for this opportunity and wish I could show everyone our preliminary sketches- they came together so quickly, and I would say as a team we work incredibly well!

As for images, I can show you NOTHING, haha. But here's some updates on old things, moving slow but getting close (ahhh, glazing...)

I will be featuring summaries of art events I've attended or interesting pieces I've encountered... Tried out the video thing but I suck. You may get a review of the ECU grad show at some point, when I learn this stuff.

Ciao,

C.

Short Blurb

I really like how this looks in black and white.... I've done so many layers on this thing and yet for some reason in colour it looks unfinished. So here's the edited version, which I prefer because it's harder to tell that there are so many muddy colours; only contrasted by the chalky blue background. But without colour, I would pass it as near finished.

Here's to crossed eyes.

-C

Nothing is Easy

As a gift to my friend Manuel, who modelled for me a few months ago, I decided to give him a small portrait. Considering the ease of the last one, I really thought it would be quick... 

No.

Nope.

Nada.

...oh it looks a bit like-

-NOPE.

:$&3&3&7$:&3

Ok ok...

IT FINALLY RESEMBLES HIM. :|

Just goes to show you it isn't WHAT or WHO you're painting, but the abstract shape, colour, form and tone within it. Always try to flatten the image- take away all meaning, twist it upside down if that helps you. Make it so you don't recognize it. Never paint 'Manuel'- just paint colour.

Good luck. 

Commitment Issues

Sometimes I have commitment issues.

Too pale...

Why did I put purple on it? Wtf

Let's use retina-scorching red instead!

Let's just scrub it with solvent and start again...

Voila! One layer... That was just one :(

What you don't see is that I make lots of mistakes... And it's perfectly normal to wipe, repaint and experiment.

Having no knowledge of colour theory (warm or cool) everything is pretty much trial and error. Luckily I have friends who DO know it, and that's why progress critiques are valuable to me. 

Also, lots and lots of paint thinner.

Manganese Blue Hue

My favourite colour, to paint with right now, is Manganese Blue Hue.

               Mmmmmm, juicy.

I happened upon this colour in a Gamblin starter set, and I suppose it's based on some old, toxic colour that disappeared for awhile. I had the same experience with my beloved Flake White (which used to be full of lead) and now I'm starting to think I am attracted to things which could potentially kill me one day.

The reason I am posting about some colour, is that people seem to comment most on the coloration of my works. 

I've always gravitated towards certain types of work with a juicy type of luminescence. I feel that pastels have a glow. All of my under paintings are done in a pale colour, very thinly, and I like to work up into the darks. I like to do this because I'm interested in the transparency of the layers of oil paint.

Without any technical understanding of colour theory, I began by looking at my favourite colourists and wondering how they worked. One artist who inspired me deeply was Mark Ryden, who isolated himself with white during the Snow Yak Show and used only bits of very pale colour. 

       "Long Yak" Mark Ryden, 2008.

I believe this lead him into his signature tonal style, which has shone through his work since. When I first saw his work, it was still beautiful enough to capture me, and as a preteen I obsessed over a CD cover he'd designed for Jack Off Jill- but I would say the Snow Yak Show was a discipline based exercise that created some of his best work.

For that reason, I am isolating myself (as a colourist). I have been for awhile, and I think it's working. I haven't forced myself into the same paleness as Mark Ryden, but I'm sacrificing things... I only really let myself pick a few colours and white. Right now my paintings are about the red family- a consistent mix of oranges, reds, and pinks that remind me of the sugary Kool-Aid I drank as a kid. Then there's white- and when I get to really important parts, I use Manganese Blue Hue.

    Angels singing, trumpets and stuff!

It's like magic. Wherever I place it, colour comes to life. When I mix it, I notice things I didn't notice before. It's the secret ingredient in an Italian grandmother's recipe (it's more Garlic). I am madly in love with a colour, but I know it's only sheer luck. I know if I use it too much it'll become tasteless like a favourite food- eaten too often.

It will be fleeting, I know my love will disappear one day if I ever leave this family of colours... But for now, it's a fresh new romance.

If my boyfriend reads this, I still love you, but can you be my Manganese Blue Hue?

Sincerely,

C.

The Artist as GOD

Are you an artist? Do you know an artist? Are you trying to think of the politically correct answer? Most people will know a safe answer- maybe DaVinci. How about Monet? 

                 "Can I be one?"

There is something to be said about "what is an artist?" and in my opinion it seems to bring some spiritual significance in that some people might think they're not "talented" enough. Maybe they don't make big waves, turn water into wine, invent things, or paint everything blind with just the stubs of their malformed arms...

But they're still artists, and it's still art. 

An artist is not a title. It is not knighthood, or sainthood, or superpowers. Artists aren't alchemists (although some are) and they don't all start sculpting marble with their chubby infant hands (although some do).

What an artist is, is anyone that makes art. For tax purposes, it's maybe anyone selling their work or working within the field of art. If you just read about art, or think about art (sorry, conceptual artists...) I don't think you're an artist.

I promise you I am just like a plumber. If plumbing was art, I would love to fix toilets. I would unclog, cleanse and drain sinks every day, and relish the sound of a leaky faucet. I would spend each night making complicated solutions for new types of drainage systems and create the perfect flush.

But you would never question whether I am a plumber, so why question whether you're an artist?

S.O.S. Venezuela

I bought two 3' x 3' canvasses knowing only two things. One of them, was that I wanted to paint my friend Rosaura, a fellow artist, and the other was that I wanted to use a certain shade of pink. When I think of Rosa I think of her pink backpack, her favourite colour, and her name "Pink Aura" in English. Yet she is no typical pink kind of girl. Even if she plays tennis and smells like flowers, she has a rare depth that few people I've met can match.

One of these many facets is Rosa's heritage. She is a Canadian citizen who was born in Venezuela. 

"Rosaura" (in progress), oil on canvas 3'x3'

In order to for my photographer (Hailey Logan) to takes the references photos I needed, I began to discuss the politics of Venezuela with Rosa. I saw a glimpse of her true feelings and that far off look told me she wanted to be there, fighting for the human rights her people deserve.

This spurned on my idea for the second painting. I asked a friend we had visiting from Venezuela if I could paint him. Once again, we used this process of discussing what he felt about his home, and through broken English, Manuel began to unfold just like Rosa had. 

I feel like the words of Venezuelan citizens are being silenced but the freedom of expression is here with them in Canada. They have the conviction of soldiers, and I hope my diptych will express it in the way I want it to. 

Thankyou to my soulful models and my talented photographer. S.O.S. Venezuela.

Money

I am thinking perhaps of participating in my first auction, but struggling to understand how to price my work. I've heard there are a few methods- hours worked + materials, square foot + materials, how much you like the customer...

          "How much should I cost?"

   "Sebastian" oil, 2014, 24 x 36 inches

I have only ever sold smaller paintings, 1x1 foot commissions at $70, and have found nothing but success with the accessibility of my pricing- but in the same vein, being a professional working artist is something my spirit needs to flourish, and for that reason I should probably start thinking about money.

"Consider this face permanently installed until I make some money."

I am wondering if, as an artist, it is wrong to think about money? In this generation of booming connectivity, of simple sites like etsy and eBay to forums tightening the gap between continents and generations, is it so wrong to present yourself as a business when you make "art"?

When for only a pittance, any artist could promote themselves in a never ending digital marketplace? With no consent of gallery curators (with questionable, self-gratifying agendas) nor galleries (who will suck 50% of your blood and still charge you a rental fee) can you make yourself into something... Recognized? Important? Profitable?

    "I hope so, because otherwise no smiling. Ever. Again."

I feel as if something big is coming, and it has to do with all of these ideas. I feel as if maybe my arms are strengthening in ready for a big climb. Hopefully... Up.

More soon,

C.