Friday, August 24, 2012

Infectious Curls (For Creative Tuesdays)


Over at Creative Tuesdays, the theme this week is Curl.  Another really neat and very open-ended topic, where virtually anything seemed fair game. My initial thought was to just go all chester cheetah here, having crunchy cheese curls all over the canvas, but that would just tempt me to go buy a big, and seeing I've been doing so well on my diet, didn't want to tempt fate :) 

So, I simply startled by splashing the paint about, trying to figure out how and where I would incorporate curls into the work.  The painting I came up with really had this fantasy feel to it, unfortunately the curls I made with a very thin knife, one I never used before, which created an etching effect, but unfortunately, unless I blew the painting up to full screen mode, all those intricate little curls just did not show.

I learned something here.  When not sure how something is going to look, stop and examine it before you spend another forty minutes doing the same thing, especially when what you're doing is detailing.

So, I decided at this point, to try and highlight over as many of the etched curls that I could.  A very interesting thing happened.  Where the etched curls reminded me of carvings, glyphs etc..the black highlights reminded me of disease, viruses and the like.  So, I went with it, and added a few additional curls in fluorescent colors, hinting upon either an antibody forming, or new strands of the virus being born, thus causing even more problem.

After I was done with it, I think it turned out more like a multi-layered graffiti piece, which is fine, just mentioned it, as I definitely found it interesting how an idea of how something looks while you're working on it, can actually vary greatly from how it appears when done, even more so, when you save it, then come back to it with a fresh set of eyes hours later.

Head on over to Creative Tuesdays, and see all the curls immortalized this week in the ever enjoyable and impressive artwork created by all those at CT.  And hey, it's early, so perhaps you'll feel inspired to do a curl of your own.  If you do, share it, but first read the guidelines.  Enjoy.





Sunday, August 19, 2012

Polka Dot Pin Cushions (For Creative Tuesdays)


At Creative Tuesdays this week, the theme is Polka Dots.  It's really funny too, as all these weeks past by where I had to push myself to try and expand my artistic ability, which is something I never even thought i'd be daring to do when I first came to CT, but now, something I look forward to every week.

So, you see, with this one, it was perfectly placed for me to do an abstract, which, I have to say I was eager to get going.  But as the week or so, now approaching Tuesday, I had yet to think of something to use.

Then I came across some old things of my grandmothers upstairs. When I went up there to feed the cat, I thought about some dresses my sister used to wear, and seeing the house is really like a storage area as of late, I thought I'd find one. But while not a polka dot design, I forgot all about how she used to have so many pin cushions. She's been gone for 8 years about now, but I have to say, seeing these pin cushions for the first time, really jarred loose some memories that never had the opportunity to be mourned.  Therefore I had a nice purging moment, wonderful tears of remembrance came, and it felt great.  Yeah, I know that might sound weird, but for me, the mourning process never truly ends, at first, for varied lengths of time, the mourning process is very difficult, too soon, ya know, but as time moves on and a distance sets in, you still feel the loss, but the happy memories really take forefront and you get to celebrate those things.

So, anyhow, just wanted to share this with you all.  And to thank CT, for without it, who knows if I would've stumbled across these pin cushions or not, and the cry was very good, so again, Thanks.

As for the piece, I tried to incorporate the pin cushions, without the pins of course, and I adhered to the theme making them of polka dots.  The outer ones represent emotions and feelings, and the split screen, I tried to use it symbolically, as to reflect two distinct time periods, back when she was still living with us, and now, where her spirt hasn't nor can leave us.

Fun and really meaningful exercise this week.  Normally I give a bit of backstory, but rarely do I go into detail about the piece itself in such a detailed manner.  Typically I like to allow the mind of the viewer to come up with their own interpretations etc..but here, this week, seeing the meaning was so personal, there really wasn't anyway the effect would be possible for interpretation, so, I do apologize taking away that aspect of my art, but again, did want to share and give thanks.  Cheers.

Also, on a side note, I thought I'd add another page to my website here and use it for all my CT and other sites I post too here and there.  That way, if visitors come by and want to specifically look for those pieces submitted to CT and the others, it'll be much quicker than having to go through the whole site.

Sorry for the length of writing this week.  I do know it was rather long, but I do appreciate all who took the time to read it all.  Thanks again, you're all wonderful at CT :)

Abstract Designing


Monday, August 13, 2012

Blurred Cognizance

Fading into an unconscious State

Visualized Heat Sensors reveal an ominous presence

The unknown is either real or imagined.  Even though, their images grow closer into focus.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Gene Pool


Chaos/ At Breakneck Speed



For these pieces I took the piece I posted a couple days ago with the variety of rings, actually I used the template for that piece, not the one that was posted, but anyhow, I took that piece and wanted to see where the knife would take me.

I started off with the idea of utter chaos moving at breakneck speed.  Well, as it turned out, I split that tagline down into two pieces, the first, I hope, gives off the impression of life moving by at relentless speed and the second piece illustrating the idea of a chaos that is moving in all directions, but also impossible to pinpoint it's point of origin.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Smearing Perception



Couple of tear-downs that I thought looked kind of neat.

What I mean by tear down is that I just take the the knife flat and smear the piece in random directions, hopefully allowing the unconscious to awaken.

I'll post these once in awhile, and I always find it neat how the mind can interpret them in so many ways, probably differently for each set of eyes.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Excommunication


This is the last of the group that I worked with last week.  In my opinion it's the most primal of the lot, and in so being, the most unique of the group.  I see a few things when i look at this, which Is great, as I typically have a single idea that forms when I work with the initial piece and then try to alter that piece using color to change the mood or reframe the piece using color alone.  But this one, took on more than I thought it would when doing it, which usually I get the inkling of what I'm seeing form as I'm working with it, rare for me anyhow, probably because I'm too connected to each of them, but usually my perception reverts to what I know the main intention was as I was composing it.  This one though, surprised me, and the idea of a collapsing communication tower in a war-torn setting comes screaming at me, along with the main idea I had, and another one that appears when i look at it a certain way.  But I won't list them all, because I think the fun of abstract art is letting the mind of the audience decipher the piece their own way, coming up with their own interpretation.

Longer write-up than intended, but glad I covered everything I wanted to say.

A Gathering of Spring(s)


Saturday, August 4, 2012

SPY (VS. SPY) (For Creative Tuesdays)



SPY, is the theme for this week's Creative Tuesday's Challenge. Definitely stop by and check out everyone's response to the challenge.  Another great theme, where the artistic interpretation can be found in a myriad of directions.  I was going to go with the OO7 idea, perhaps try my abstract hand out with perhaps a weaving of OO7, where bullets, girls and the like can be seen interweaving them, but I don't know where it came from, but SPY vs. SPY popped into my head and I rolled with that idea.  Can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with.

If you've never been to a Creative Tuesday, then definitely stop on over, you'll enjoy what's linked up, and, perhaps, you'll join us in future weeks as well, perhaps as a contributor even.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

A Need to find Inclusion

Barren Shelves or Empty Cage?

Distortion Seen through The Cage or How Life Erupts the More We fill Our Shelves