Painting Like a Cubist

I spent  a couple of afternoons over the Bank Holiday weekend learning to paint like a cubist.  There were 11 of us, most knew each other.  I was the odd one out.  In spite of everything, I managed to let go of any pre-conceived ideas and actually enjoyed myself.

I won’t be calling myself a cubist yet, but the class has given me some ideas.  We did a maximum of 4 bodies of work on A1 cartridge paper and one on A1 wood panel.  We used charcoal for drawing, paint and collage.  We made wood grained paper with a graining tool.  No need to mention that I will be buying one of those on my next trip to the hardware store!

This is what I made.

I made three paintings with the violin and one with a mandolin.  Working in A1 size is rather large for me, but we did trace around the actual instruments to use as templates.  I still have all of my pieces and I could scale them down to make something smaller should I wish to work on canvas or board.  There are no masterpieces here, but the fun was in the journey!

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Playing With the Cruciform Shape

I haven’t posted for awhile as I have been very busy at work and home.  My contract has now ended and I have been enjoying a week off of work.  I had been looking at different design compositions lately and one I have been drawn to is the cruciform.  I have to say that I like straight lines and intersections.  I am sure there is some hidden meaning there but…

I recently purchased three videos from the Artist’s Network when they were having a sale.  I am drawn to the work of Annie O’Brien Gonzalez and couldn’t believe my luck when I was able to purchase three videos for $30, which is less in pounds!  In her video on painting abstracts she uses the cruciform shape.  I watched the video a couple of times and then had a go myself.  This is what I turned out.

Crossroads – Collage and Mixed Media on Canvas – 20x25cm

Sorry about the quality of the I-photo.  I had a few small 20x25cm canvases floating around and decided to work on these.  Most of the collage is covered up with paint.  I tried to be loose and make marks and stick to a neutral pallet.  I live near the countryside and this reminds me of fields, if not an aerial view of a landscape.  Looking at Google maps for over a year when I worked for the council has stuck in my brain!

This next one is completely different.

Dark Angel – Collage, Mixed Media on Canvas – 20x25cm

Still keeping with a neutral pallet and cruciform shape, I made this dark angel.  I used Micaceous Iron Oxide on top of the black which gives the angel a nice sheen.  It isn’t so easy to see in this picture, sorry.  My husband thinks it is a little bit scary, but I think she can’t be too scary as she has a halo, right?  BTW, this is my first figurative piece!  I might make some more.

I am still working on two more cruciforms in a neutral pallet before I move on to making some more in full color. I will post them when they are finished. Until then, happy painting!

Online Art Class, Lesson 4!

My Favorite Teapot – Mixed Media on Cradled Board – A4 Size

Lesson 4 was about using the skills we have learned thus far and making a dynamic background to draw our favorite cup.  As I don’t have a favorite cup, I used my favorite teapot.  There is a bit of pentimento going on here too as I wasn’t happy with how the water soluble crayons and pencils were reacting with my paint, so I covered it up.  Although some of the marks show through, I am quite happy with that.  I used a skewer, and a scraping tool that looks a bit like a hair pick.  I think it is a felting tool, but not sure.  Anyway, it makes nice lines!

Will look nice in the kitchen with my Yellow Teapot and Barcellos Cockerel.

My Barcelos Cockerel – Acrylic on Canvas – 60x40cm

This isn’t exactly to scale.  The cockerel is A3 and the teapot on top left is A4 and the yellow teapot is a little bit smaller than A4.  They are all varnished and ready to hang this Easter Weekend!  Hopefully I will get to finish off lesson 5&6 this weekend too!

On another note, many items in my Etsy Shop with expire on Easter Monday, the 2nd of April and I am having a 40% off sale with a minimum purchase of £50!  This is chance to start your very own Arlene collection.  Please share with your friends!  Thank you!