Trying Something New

A Painting the Peanut & I did together

can be daunting. Especially when you go from working in a medium that you have become so comfortable working in, that the process is mostly a focus on bringing about your vision instead of learning the aspects of that medium and how to work within the medium to get the finished product that is in your minds eye.

For example changing your drawing medium from pen and ink to brush and ink. With pen and ink you draw using lines, crosshatching or scribbles for building up your shadows. After a certain amount of time you don't really think about where your pen tip is going how your marks are being made you just look at your subject and draw, or int he case of drawing from your head you just draw. If one day you decide to try something different and pull out a bamboo brush and a jar of india ink the process of drawing becomes a little more about using that medium instead of the medium as a means to an end. With ink and brush you start with light washes, working from light to dark, it's a slower process, the ink dries in a specific way and the look of the sketch is softer. if you are working wet into wet you get unexpected blends and unexpected hard lines where the wet areas have dried. The process becomes focused on the medium and you start to look at your subject differently. When that happens there's growth in your art.

Snapshot from my phone

Of course one of the daunting aspects is that what you're making isn't going to be perfect, that there are going to be less than ideal and unpredictable outcomes. The trick is to use the newness of the medium to let go of the finished project. Make the process the goal instead of the final piece; at least until you've gotten to really really know the medium. Of course that's not as easy as it sounds when you put it down in words. Creating something be it a drawing, a photograph, painting or sculpting is a personal thing. Becoming invested in what you are creating is inevitable. there's the time invested, the money that goes into buying the materials, the imagination and the effort. All those things put together make it almost impossible to give up control, to relinquish the desire to put what is being worked on up on a pedestal. A good friend just posted about this very thing on her blog. She put is so perfectly that I felt I had to address the same subject here.

Why? well because I made a decision at the end of last year that I was going to reintroduce myself to the basics of creating. You know, in between dealing with a busy Bean and a precocious Peanut. It's not always easy but to motivate me I've started following the Sketchbook Challenge and I've started photographing on a daily basis with an iphone. (getting past the camera has to be a camera mindset helps a little. My camera snobbery was holding me back, especially when I was worried about braining the Bean with my heavy SLR when she'd need to be picked up.) I'm more prolific with the camera right now but that's not what's important. What is important is that I'm making time to create and the process is more important than the final outcome.

Doodles from my sketchbook a la
The Sketchbook Challenge

Giving myself permission to make mistakes, push past them and go too far, to reign it back in and push too far again to go so far that there's no turning back, no fixing it. To let go. It seems like taking advantage of that permission is the greatest challenge. So what about you? do you sometimes find that you are holding on too tightly to what you're creating that you aren't letting it grow? I remember a drawing class where after a set amount of time we stood up moved to the next space and continued on the drawing that our neighbor had just left... I still cringe at the thought of letting go of my ownership of that piece of paper...

5 questions: Painted Pink

A few weeks ago I suggested one of my favourite Etsy Shops to Mod3rn Art's Featured Artist Contest. She chose my suggestion and I was fortunate enough to receive one of her recent featured artist's prints. The wonderful thing about winning this contest is that not only was I able to share one of my favorite Etsy artists but I gained one in return. Last week I posted about winning Shay Dodson's print and it looks so lush and juicy in person that I can only imagine how delectable the original painting is.

Whether it's a subtle play of monotone colours or a dizzying dance of pigments; the paintings in Shay's Etsy shop are sublime. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art with a concentration in painting and her mastery of the paintbrush is a testament to her education. in her Artist Statement, Shay refers to a life-long love affair of color and she uses it intuitively allowing the viewer a little insight into her subjects thoughts and emotions. Shay goes on to say "color always has an emotion to express." and she expresses these emotions so beautifully and energetically through the medium of paint that I can almost see her paint each stroke as I look at her work.

I really enjoyed Shay's replies to my questions, she has a wonderful way of explaining herself that is almost as painterly as her art. You can see more of Shay's work online at the Saatchi Gallery. As with all of my five question features please click on any of the images to learn more.

Can you describe the palette you use to create with, what colours do you always reach for?

First and foremost: pink. It has cultural and socio-political connotations and I believe it to be the perfect neutral. I appreciate the fact that in the West it is a color primarily associated with little girls, romantic and relaxing, where as in other cultures, it has a strong masculine presence. Pink is controversial, gender-bending, and looks like luscious candy on canvas.
Second: white. I rarely use many darks or true neutrals. Third: light blue-green and a bit of pure cadmium red, my favorite colors to decorate with. These colors have a strong presence in my home and usually show up in anything I paint.

What has surprised you most about selling your creations online?

The thing that has surprised me most is how much publicity I’ve been offered through artists’ blogs like this one! It’s been a wonderful experience. I’ve met many amazing artists and crafters through Etsy. Everyone has been so supportive!



Do you listen to music when you create? If yes, what's on your play list right now and why?

I definitely prefer to have music playing when I am painting or drawing. There are a few mixes I’ve made especially for this purpose, including songs by Tori Amos, Portishead, Muse, Sneaker Pimps, Jem, Uh Huh Her, Garbage, lamb, The Cardigans, and Iron & Wine. I like a mix of energetic, electronic, and really mellow music when I’m painting, because that’s how I work. ‘Sudden chaos, then quiet passivity’.




What life or art lesson have you learned that has shaped your work?

Like my paintings, I always consider myself a work in progress; never finished. An influential professor and mentor of mine, Nancy Morrow, has always encouraged my intuitive use of color and has told me to let my work be what it is, as I used to struggle to make my work look like someone else’s or be something that it is not. I’ve only had success with the paintings and drawings which were driven by intuition, where I wasn’t consciously aware of each decision I was making, or worrying anxiously that I wasn’t obeying conventional rules of painting. Nancy encouraged me to be completely myself, and that is something I strive for personally and artistically, each day.




If you were an animal what animal would you be?

I think I would like to be a sparrow. I’ve always loved the idea of having wings to fly. Birds are not my favorite animals, but I enjoy the symbolism behind the tattooed image of sparrows and swallows. In addition to travelling the world then returning home, they are symbols of loyalty and fidelity; these birds mate for life and carry messages of hope.

busy day

I've signed on to the Spring Baby Shower on Etsy again. I'm pretty excited about being a gift giver in this wonderful event.

I went through my pregnancy a province and a half away from family, a little extra special something would have made my day and I'm happy to be a part of that for someone else. The shower will take place on Saturday. If you or someone you know is looking for a gift for a new little person join the chat, there are hundreds of fantastic gift ideas from the shops that are participating.

So in anticipation of the big day, I've been working on some paintings for my designated new mommy. I've also been working on some new baby buggy cards and will be listing them In PeanutButterPie over the next few days. In addition the paintings not chosen by my Mommy will also be listed in PeanutButterPie.



I spent today documenting my latest work for listing on Etsy. I'm pretty happy with how these photographs came out, especially the decor shots. Plus with the great back yard I have to work In I'm thinking that it might be time to rephotograph the rest of my inventory to unify the shop a little bit.

Back at it

So I'm not really completely unpacked and I don't have everything organized. This weekend we set about getting shelves up and more boxes emptied. I'm not sure how far we'll get, (At the time of this part of the post I am waiting for the Husband to get up and drinking coffee [my second cup {caffeine jitters here I come} of coffee that is] and listening to the infernal sign language DDD in the next room.) I'm itching to get back into making things again. I have an urge to paint and I'm going to give it full reign to see where that goes.

In keeping with the urges. I've set my Etsy shops back to normal from Vacation Mode and I'll see if I can keep up the momentum that was brewing before the fire alarms went off or if I'm in for another grueling uphill battle for the next sale. Either way I want to be back, so I'm in. On the same note I'm heading back into doing the regular features previously a part of my posting schedule here. They won't all be returning at once but will be re-introduced over a period of time, starting with Toddler Tuesday.

I'm hoping that the shops and features will give me something else to dwell on other than reliving escape routes. I'm still dealing with the emotional trauma from the fire and finding it hard to get to sleep without my mind drifting back to each step of the events that led us out of our building that morning. We're getting some counselling to help with the stress but that hasn't started yet. The victims services liaison we met right after the fire told us to just let our emotions play out and not to push anything away else the stress comes out in other ways. So I'm going with the flow but also hoping that a return to normalcy will help things out too.

5 Questions: Tiny is the new huge

So, browsing around one day looking for some gift ideas for my best friends then unborn baby; I came across these lovely little paintings perfect for hanging in a child's room. And when I looked a little closer I also saw some super cool Polaroids of toys. The shop was christarenee

In her personal life Christa is a Mom, a wife and a graphic designer, but as she says in her Blog Heir and a Spare's Profile, not necessarily in that order.

What's the best thing about christarenee ? In my opinion the simplicity of the colours and subject matter. Her paintings are cute enough for a baby/ child's room but the style she paints with allows for use outside of the nursery. I'd happily hang any of her tiny paintings in my daughters room as well as in the living room, dining room or in my studio space. her animals and robots have huge personalities that pull you right into their little worlds.

What got you started?

I am a graphic designer and have had my own business for over 5 years. I love being able to work from home, so I can be with my kids (Henry, 4 and Leo, 2) and my husband, who is the full time parent. We spend a lot of time in our PJs and we like it that way. I started my Etsy shop as a way to work another creative outlet into my routine. It had been years since I’d painted. I love my job, but I create things for other people all day, so the Etsy shop allows me to create whatever happens to be in my brain that day.

Who has influenced your work the most?

I don't know if I can say for sure that there are people who have influenced my work directly, but there are artists who I admire. Probably too many to even name one right now. I'm also always inspired by cool web sites — one of my favorites is designspongeonline.com. I check it daily.


Can you describe the palette you use to create, what pigments do you always reach for?
I love warm colors. And I love brown for detail work. I almost never use black.

What life or art lesson have you learned that has shaped your work?

For just about everything I create, it's all about less is more. That is a motto for many parts of my life. And an art director I used to work for had a saying that I loved: "When in doubt, make it big. When still in doubt, make it red." I think about that a lot when I design.

Which Children's book character would you be and why?

The best answer I can give to this question is to say that my hero when I was little was Harold of Harold and the Purple Crayon. Don't think I wanted to BE Harold, but I thought he was pretty awesome.

A card a week for a year: Week 1

Before we begin a little housekeeping:

My Borealis Set Of 4 has been included in a Treasury on Etsy. It's a beautiful one and I'm so pleased to be a part of it. Go and check it out and make sure to click on any of the items that really catch your eye. there are some really striking images included there.

PeanutButterPie now has two new cards with more to come over the next few weeks Go check them out.

Now for what you came for:

One card a week for 52 weeks. Each card depicting a single word or phrase to be used in an affirmation deck at the end of the year.

This is the first posting in this series. I'll be posting the cards here each week with a list of the materials and the process I have used for each one and a short statement about the card. Please feel free to offer word and phrase suggestions if you have any. I'm a little worried that my well might run dry...

Here's the process:

Materials:

• ATC card (in this case Strathmore Acrylic)
• Nicholson's Peerless Transparent Watercolour
• Watercolour Tubes
• Pearl Ex interference pigment
• Brush pens
• Paint Brushes



The Process:
The process was a simple one, a wash of light green Peerless watercolour with further layers of Daniel Smith Under Sea Green and M Graham & Co. Quinacridone Rust with a tiny hit of pearlescent Pearl Ex pigment. Once the base was finished I went in with a Staedtler Mars Graphic 3000 duo marker and sketched in the tree and limbs, using a darker accent colour to add detail and texture.

An atmospheric landscape was brushed in, with the more distant hills painted in fainter than the foreground.

Finally, using the brush pens I added the word Ground.

I chose Ground as my first card to remind me that creativity has a firm foundation in nature. Becoming grounded allows me to refresh my mind in order to approach creative problems and refill my creative energy. Walking in the woods or along the beach is a good way to do this. Gardening is also a good exercise in grounding. Being in contact with nature is a grounding experience.

Grounding is also a technique that is used for ritual ceremonies to draw strength and support before a spiritual working. Often the image of a tree is used to reach this state, with your spiritual roots spreading out and down into the "earth" and trunk and branches growing tall and strong up into the sky.

When I am firmly grounded I feel more confident and creative. Hence the earthy tones and the growing tree.