Last Days of January

The Last Veneer.  Jan 30

It is unlikely I will finish working with this veneer before month's end, but it's a start.  Premo Ultramarine Blue conditioned to Atlas #5, then drawn with small stylus in a Klimt-inspired way until I spotted a pangolin.  So without getting to specific, since this will, after all, be cut into much smaller pieces, I went with the sea.  Once drawn I used my finger to blot in silver, using Liquitex Heavy Body Iridescent Silver.  This metallic family is my favorite: Gold, Silver, Copper and Bronze.  

Jan 31   Acrylics finger-painted on.  Liquitex silver and gold.  Diox. Purple, Cad Red Light, plus Cobalt,  Yellow Green and Turquoise metallics.    Initially I had planned a more controlled application, but as soon as I saw pangolin and some fish, I started to go left brain and that is not what I want. 

Denim-Inspired veneer

Monday I started a new veneer...  and here are some works in progress.

Klimt-Inspired Veneer...a Step Along the Learning Curve ...

I think I'm nearing the end of the road on this veneer, and learned a simple technique for finishing the sides better, using a hair's breadth layer underneath, then burnishing to round the edges.  No great secret but I have rarely worked right up to the finish line without curing the clay before, and certain "refinements" are more difficult after the fact.   I didn't use the technique on the outer perimeter of the pendant because I had already veneered it, and didn't want to sacrifice it.  

COOL HINT:  I don't know why it never occurred to me before because I use them all the time for all sorts of things, but 3 hole page protectors are a fabulous place to store veneers!  I found this hint on a post from 2011 yesterday, and even then "everyone" knew about it.  

10 X 10 Cover the World with Clay -- FIMO

Every time one of these opportunities comes along, I say "I WANT to do this and I WILL."  And then I don't.  I'm sure some of it is inertia, some wearing too many hats and not being particularly organized about it.  And some is my own shyness or reluctance when it comes to groups.  

SO, this Fiftieth celebration of FIMO and polymer clay was intriguing. An invitation to submit a 10x10 cm (about 4 inches) polymer clay tile.  These tiles will form an exhibit and will ultimately be sold to benefit two charitable efforts: One to aid children with heart disease, and one to aid indigenous women who produce art/craft items.

I almost "successfully" avoided it.  But on the very last day, lo and behold, a three day extension was declared.  It was the second extension and I thought...A SIGN.  So I decided to do it.  No excuses.

What to do?  As a painter I paint a LOT of cats, often blue since my interest is generally in "catness" as opposed to portraiture.  Other favorites include poppies and pears.  With polymer clay which I adore, partly because for some reason it permits me to take a much more abstract approach, I lean strongly toward mosaics, a long time love, but which, with clay, I find easier in terms of the technical stuff.  And lately I've been experimenting with metal leaf and alcohol inks. 

So, I took all that and made this, and while I see all manner of things I might tweak, I love him--his spirit.  As of this writing, he is on his way to Canada. 

Before making the above, I made the one below, but even though I like it very much, decided the mosaic wads much more expressive of everything I wanted to include. 

Materials were polymer clay, gold leaf, alcohol inks, a few metallic acrylic glazes (which is not as nice on big "cracks" as it can cloud the clay), and at the end 3 coats of PYM II. 

Evolution of Two Tuxedos

 

Two Tuxedos*    

Session 1-4 ...   12 x 10  Acrylic on canvas. 

Originally there were no flowers planned. I did develop the flowers--reds & roses, but after an overnight got rid of them. 
I also decided to use the following colors only: Napthol Red Light, Yellow Oxide, and Pthalo Blue.  The background was black gesso post-flower debacle, and the tiniest trace of Hansa Yellow Light, Ivory Black & Titanium White was used on their beautiful eyes.  White gesso was used for the whiskers.  It flows so nicely.  (I used acrylic white ink once--that was a disaster.  The stuff wiped right off)

By session 4 everything except my favorite part (eyes) and scariest (whiskers) was finished.
I generally add whiskers only when I feel it enhances the cats, not because of the scary (precision) factor but because they often add nothing for me. And they're scary to do. 

The second photo is (obviously, I hope) the finished piece.   I love this painting.  I love the way they fit together, and I love the way they watch you with their loving eyes.
I think their whiskers are pretty nifty too.

*title subject to change

I Hate Georgia O'Keeffe (sometimes)

Other than skulls and roses, I frankly did not discover Georgia O'Keeffe until 1987, about a year after her death.  Someone told me my flowers and general point of view reminded them of her and showed me her "100 Flowers" book.  I was floored.  A couple of years later I was in New York and started working on some cityscapes.  At MOMA saw her NY book.  WTH?  More like hers than I could explain.  Talking point of view here.  
Then just a couple of weeks ago I was in her country and fell in love with what I called dancing trees.  Cottonwood stands in winter.  We went to a new exhibit at G O'K Museum in Santa Fe.  YEP.    OK mine won't look like hers, but DAMN!  
So here, from Ghost Ranch where she lived is my newest-to-be. .  I know she never painted an embracing cat/raven at moonrise.   
When I'm feeling woo-woo I think a bit of her spirit  found me after her death ....    
That or she was as absurdly far-sighted and maybe amblyopic as I am.  

Getting Back Into the Saddle ...

At least I hope so ...   Today I worked on a 6x6 bird piece  ,, 2d session* .. and when it was time to stop for the day, had enough paint on my palette to rough in Chuck.  I knew he was going to be next, but rarely have more than one at a time going.   A former art instructor, way back in time, was fierce about waste, so as much as possible, I try not to.  Not always easy with acrylics, particularly when working small scale. 
I'm hopeful here that these will both make the grade.   

 

*sessions particularly in winter are usually only a couple of hours...fingers & shoulder object too much otherwise most days.

MOVABLE FEAST(ERS)

Up to 34 mourning doves in the tree outside a straight, short flight to tour deck feeders.  It appears they were taking turns coming to the deck, eating, then returning to roost, and another group of 3-4 would come in for nourishment.  At this point, there were 20-something.

Seems fitting I offered my first set of bird notecards today, though this group has no doves. 

 

 

Oh Julius ... You've been a Long Time Coming ...

On Sunday, I completed the first painting I had done in about 3 years, and the first cat painting in perhaps 4.  It's not that I lost my love of or fascination with cats, it's that living with eight has given me a bit of that "Coals to Newcastle " syndrome.

So without further adieu, here is Oh, Julius a composite of six creamsicle-marmalade-gingers I have known over the past 25.  Three lived or are living with our son, two with us and one a darling rescue from New York who it seems, half the social networking country fell in love with.  

The painting is 5 x 7 inches, his eyes follow you, and he is very sweet.  I will keep him for a time as a talisman which I hope will encourage me to get back to painting on a regular basis, but may do a limited number full-sized prints on canvas. 

I've just added a new blank notecard to my Etsy shop (Pati Bannister).  It's titled "Sonny with Flowers" and is pretty charming, if I must say so myself.   

 

I'm also working on a Christmas card.  First painting in a long time.  Rusty, Rusty.