Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Paintings, photography

Sometimes a painting inspires one to take photographs, and sometimes a photograph may serve as inspiration for a painting.
Here, a photograph of my dear friend, that I developed in black and white, served to then create my own color scheme in an acrylic painting on canvas paper. "Claudia", 16"x20", acrylic on paper.

Friday, April 12, 2013

First oil painting since I was 15 years old

I have been painting with acrylic paints for years.
When I was only 13 I was given a set of oil paints from my grandfather. I used them for a while and then, after working in an art store at 17 years old, I bought acrylics. This is what I used for many years.
Just today, after many years, I had the pleasure to paint with a new painter friend. We used oils.
This is the first oil painting I have done is many many years. At first I was a bit shy with this new medium, but after a while I see the difference of painting with oils, and believe I just may continue with them!

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Painting how you are feeling

Just did this painting yesterday, Woman and Child, acrylic on paper, 16"x20". Never before in my life have I realized how much I am painting how I am feeling. And what I am feeling is the need for relaxation, calm, and doing two of the activities I love, swimming and walking.
I like to express calmness in artwork, things that relax me and others. I had taken a series of photographs at a swimming pool here, of parents with their babies in the water. It was like entering into a very personal intimacy with them, I almost felt like I shouldn't even be there with them. But they kindly let me photograph them, and I enjoyed it immensely.
This is a painting I completed in a short time yesterday, after working on a painting that took me weeks to finish, I felt the urge to just let myself relax with colors and shapes, and while doing it I was relaxing too.