Art Take Aways

What does this mean? For me, it is what I take away from an art experience. I recently went to Minnesota for a photography and art workshop with Jan Martin McGuire. We spent a couple of intense days taking reference pictures for future paintings. Plus, there was lectures, painting demonstrations and paint time.

I generally work in pastel but over the last few years have re-introduced oil paints and acrylics. There are plus and minuses to both. During the painting demonstration Jan showed techniques for working in acrylic paint; doing rocks, tree bark, grasses and under-painting. There was instruction on composition, using technology to help with layouts. All of these were great take aways.

Back in Arizona I had a painting that needed a rock. It is a oil painting that will go in a show in February. I decided since I had the under-painting for the rock and it was dry I could try the rock technique Jan showed the group. It worked very well, the down side, it needs to dry before adding shadows and other details.

While in Minnesota I had time to paint with Jan. We used that same type of technique to create a wood branch for a chipmunk to sit upon. The painting is in acrylic, waiting to be finished. It was good practice for the wood, the fur of the animal, in which I discovered a new brush (thank you Eric Rice for that lovely gift) and will try adding grasses in the background. This piece won't be for sale but it will be a reminder of the workshop and working with Jan on these take aways.

Here are a few photos from the workshop and Minnesota Wildlife Connection. Along with a couple detail shots of works in progress with fur, wood and rocks.

Take Away - Watching Jan Martin McGuire demonstration

Take Away - technique with new brush for fur

Take Away - technique to create bark on tree

Take Away - Wolf photos at Minnesota Wildlife Connection

Take Away - creating rock textures

The Color Blue

One of my favorite colors is blue. Combine that with shades of sienna and it is my favorite combination of colors. Today's theme for #NationalArtsandHumanities month is: BLUE! My son, John, says I use too much blue. Too much may be a bit strong but I do use a lot of blue. I realize this when I had a solo art show years ago at The Artists Gallery in Frederick, MD. I did a lot of hand pulled print-making and apparently Indigo Blue was an ink I used a lot. I am sure as I go through my art files I will be able to find some examples of Blue Art.

The blue in the Arizona skies is one of those things that makes me happy. So, let's start there...

Here is the saguaro cactus in my backyard with early morning blue sky.

From my printmaking days I came across this reverse linoleum cut. Instead of printing it as a relief print, where the ink goes across the top. I treated it as an intaglio/etching style print and the ink was pushed into the carved areas.

These next two pieces are more current in style but still lots of blue. I have been doing mixed medium tree pieces for a few years now. There is an intense dark blue, close to phthalo blue watercolor crayon that I use to create the soft blurred and runny effects in these works. Pairing that blue with sienna just works.  

This work can be seen at Willow Oaks craft cider & wine, tasting room & art space in Middletown, MD

This work is available at the Matrix Gallery, Blacksburg, VA

Lastly I ran across this picture of me all in blue with beautiful blue sky behind me in Utah.

Art Catch Up

I have fallen behind in my posts for #NationalArtsandHumanities Month. I was out of town doing a #photography & #painting workshop at #Minnesota #Wildlife #Connection with Jan Martin McGuire. You may have seen a few pictures I posted on FB of the native wildlife in Minnesota. I have enough reference images between there, going to Flagstaff for autumn color and recent visit to #Liberty Wildlife to create lots of new works for the next year and beyond.

Back to Arts and Humanities month, here are my posts for this week:
Monday - Theater
Tuesday - Rhymes with Art
Wednesday - Numbers in Art
Thursday - My 1st Art Experience

Since today is Thursday, lets start there. I don't have a image for my first art experience. In fact I am not exactly sure I know what that first experience really is, because I was encouraged at a very early age to draw. I know I was in elementary school and got in trouble for drawing on a quiz paper. Luckily my teacher contacted my Mom and told her to help me find ways to create without doing it on my school work. Mom got me sketch books but that did not stop me from doodling on school papers.

I think this was my first box of pastels

Some of these pastel pencils could be the first set I ordered

Wednesday, numbers, as I was looking for an image I came across my Fibonacci paintings. "Fibonacci was an Italian mathematician from the Republic of Pisa, considered to be "the most talented Western mathematician of the Middle Ages".  The Fibonacci spiral: an approximation of the golden spiral created by drawing circular arcs connecting the opposite corners of squares in the Fibonacci tiling; this one uses squares of sizes 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 and 21. Wikipedia"

"Within the Fibonacci I"

"Within the Fibonacci II"

Backing up some more, Tuesday, Rhymes with Art - Wild at heART...the name I have used for my business and sometimes special shows. I now just use l. harrison-parsons but Wild at heART may appear as a title for a show now and again - maybe next October back on the east coast, say in Middletown, MD. 

Going one more day to catch me up for the week - Monday - Theater - Well, have to go with N.Y. Rick and I did a trip before before to AZ and took in a couple plays. Recently, we were down in Tucson and saw "Beautiful" the story of Carol King's making of Tapestry but did not take a picture. So, N.Y.,New York!

This brings me up to date for postings for National Arts and Humanities Month. Friday will bring one of my favorites.

Wildly Cute

The second day of photographing animals at the Minnesota Wildlife Connection and it may be even better then the first. With the exception of getting to hold a baby cougar. We had a young black bear, a couple of very energetic young cougars, a strong powerful mountain lion, a pack of wolves and a  young bobcat.

Since these animals are raised by humans they do not see you as a threat and can freely run around while you stand, sit or kneel taking your photos. They ask you not to touch the animals but it is hard they are so well cared for, so soft looking and so cute. But, we all did our jobs and took lots of photos. While the animals ran around, we moved right along with them to capture photos.

I do believe I have more inspiration than I will ever have the change to paint. Here are a few more photos from today's adventures.

It's A Wild Life

The next few days I have the opportunity to take photography of wildlife at the Minnesota Wildlife Connection. I am taking a workshop with Jan Martin-McGuire, wildlife painter and her husband James Hines, photographer. We started the morning off with a raccoon, a couple of very active fox and ended with a beautiful wolf. The afternoon had a lecture/power point with Jan. We ended the day back at the Wildlife Connection photographing a young buck and a yearly. The topper for the day was we got to hold a baby cougar. It was a grand way to end the first full day of the workshop.

The Minnesota Wildlife Connection, LLC works with native animals to the area. Being able to hold the baby cougar, actually helps the animal as it grows with it's relationship to humans. The owners work to protect these animals, allowing people to come, view, photograph and educate the population about wildlife.

Tomorrow more photography time and lectures. Here are a few images straight from the iphone. http://www.minnesotawildlifeconnection.com To see more images like my art page on FB  http://www.facebook.com/LindaWildlifeArtist

Seeing Art

Thinking about today's theme for the #NationalArtsandHumanities month: Hidden Art. How do I post a picture of hidden art? That got me thinking about artists who have spoken on how the block of marble told them what was inside and that they just needed to release the form. A somewhat paraphrasing of  Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, releasing the angel.

Other artists speak of addressing the plank piece of paper or white canvas. When you have a hand full of pastels, a jar full of brushes, a container of pens and pencils. These are hidden art, they are just waiting to become something.

Mello Yellow

Apparently I use more yellow in my art during the spring. Today's theme for #NationalArtsandHumanities month is #YELLOW! I thought I would have a few photos of cactus flowers to post but as I was going through my photos - well - I found all the Mexican Sunflowers I did last March. Along with Palo Verde trees in spring time flower, of course a bird and a lovely little sunrise.

For a Friday the 13th here is a little something to brighten up your day.

Art in Zambia

Today's theme for National Arts and Humanities month is Art in Schools. You know this is something I am very passionate about. Not every school has the funds for art programs, visual, musical, or performance. Over the years I have done Artists In Residence Programs, via a grant program funded through National Endowment for the Arts, State and County Arts Council. The State & County receive funds from NEA towards these programs. I have enjoyed working with all styles of schools and every grade.

I had an opportunity a few years ago to go to Zambia. It was in hopes of creating a student study aboard program through VA Tech. I went as an independent artist, hoping to connect with local artist. My expectations, to teach recycled paper-making to artists. The experience was beyond anything I could have hoped.

As luck would have it while touring the University there was a meeting for artists to teach them about promoting their work. We were introduced and as I explained why I was there I had several artist and the Labor Council offer locations to make this happen.

Livingstone, Zambia, home to Victoria Falls, wild elephants roam the roads and the people touched my heart. I was able to work with over 30 local artists teaching them how to make art papers from recycled materials. We set up the workshop at Wayi Wayi Gallery. It was done outside with use of their water. We created the pulp without electricity using a mortar and pestle. A very large mortar and pestle.

My second opportunity came from one of the local villages, teaching to the students. We worked outside under a lovely, large tree. Again no electricity and they had to bring water to me in large containers. It started out with one class of students but grew very quickly. Best guess we had about 60 students making paper. It was an amazing and exhausting experiences. I left both the school and gallery with materials to continue making paper.

These are the moments, the opportunities in life that make me continue to believe that art touches all of our lives. It is one of those things that bring us together. I love to share my knowledge.and my passion for creating art inspired by nature.

Public Art

What is Public Art? Is it something kind of permanent like a sculpture or building? Is it temporary like the pastel chalk street murals I create in AZ? Is it a work in progress that gets posted on a 30-30 challenge on social media? Is it food or drinks that get pictures taken and shared? Looking at different definitions Public Art is just that something that is put out there for the public to see. Generally outside but not always.

If you take the time to look around, go walk around your town you will see public art. Just like typography it is everywhere. On our road trip this summer we came upon towns filled with sculptures of presidents. Other towns had murals of their town's history. At the art museum in WI the gardens had works in progress sculptural pieces along with permanent works.

Even gardens are public art, according to Wikipedia "art in any media that has been planned and executed with the intention of being staged in the physical public domain". Most gardens are planned, even your own private garden becomes a public display of your creativity.

Here are a few pieces of public art, including me in action, creating a pastel/chalk mural.

Over the last several years I have created murals in public settings.

mural in Phoenix, AZ

Special outside inflatable installation that you could go into and walk around.
Temporary exhibit at VA Tech, Blacksburg, VA  

from floor to ceiling inside the installation in VA

              

work in progress - Leigh Yawley Woodson Art Museum gardens

Leigh Yawley Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI

Butchart Gardens, Victoria