Mixed Media Paintings

Mixed Media on Wood Panel. Each approximately 6" x 8".

Today I made these two ladies. I had two already used wood panels that I had never been happy with, so decided to finally cover them up. I'm a little sad I didn't get the chance to work with the natural wood grain in either, but there will be fresh wood panels to be used in the future. Even though I let loose using multiple mediums in both, I still played it pretty safe with the imagery. I'll get more experimental; these were more of a warm up. I just hope I can keep up with painting once again. After tomorrow I have a full work schedule, but maybe next weekend I can get into it again.

These aren't available to purchase yet, but that will change once they are more thoroughly documented and I've decided on a price for them. To see them larger, feel free to visit my Flickr!

Flying By.

Two Japanese silver-eye fledglings. Oil on wood, 10"x10".

It's my mom's birthday today, this is my gift to her.

My contract in Ottawa went by surprisingly fast. Though it was an office job, the people who work there are all really great which helped a lot. Yesterday I had a job interview for a position as a flight attendant. It went alright, but I will not hear back from them until the end of July. I find that kind of a ridiculous amount of time to wait around for an answer. In the meantime I plan to create artwork and art prints. Philippe purchased a snazzy CMYK printer, and I am hopeful I'll be able to start printing at home which will save on money and time. All I need to do is invest in some good quality paper for prints.

While I'm waiting for an answer from the airline I will also have my trip to the Dominican Republic as a distraction. I'll be there for around 10 days in the middle of July, and I cannot wait to see all my family again. I'm planning on giving my uncles, aunt, and grandfather an original piece of my artwork as a gift. I have never really been in a position to give them anything before, so this plan excites me. I also want to give my dad a few of the old maps I was able to nab from the geography library at McGill University last year when they were getting rid of them.

I'm hoping the rest of this month goes by as quickly as the last two weeks did.

Bird Conversations

I've begun painting birds again. The one on the left is a Western Tanager and the right one is a Vivid Niltava. I painted these guys on the same night consecutively, and when I placed them side by side they just clicked like old friends. I am happy that they ended up being sold together, I don't think I could heart separating them. Anywho, I'll be sharing more birds soon so stay tuned!

Cardinal Rules

Good morning everyone! The early bird gets the worm, or so the saying goes.

I hope you all have a splendid day!

My bird period

I can't seem to stop painting birds. It's soothing, and I really enjoy the process.

Most of these guys are for sale on my ETSY, if anyone is interested.

Silly Bears

After a semester of working on projects that felt really heavy and (personally) meaningful, all I can do now is paint and draw animals wearing silly hats and other silly things. Huh.

I'm enjoying it too. Tee.

In the tub

Oil on canvas. 4'x3' I think.

Who doesn't have one of these photos laying about? Seriously.

I don't think I'm satisfied with this painting yet. Not sure if it's done, not sure if I care to go back to it or move on, though.

Childhood Memories...

"No painting can exist without the tension of what it figures and what it concretely consists of. The pleasure of what it could mean and the pain of what it's not." - Marlene Dumas.

I'm going through an awkward phase with painting. I'm trying to revisit scenes from my past by way of a different perspective, with a different connotation. I am trying to examine the idea of the Other. I just... never feel as though I push my works as far as they have the potential to go. I am afraid and yet yearn for...something I can't even find the words for yet. My paintings are definitely going through a change, though, and change is always welcomed.

p.s. The weather outside kind of sucks. Snow? Rain? Snain, Raiow?

My brother from another mother.

My dear friend Evan, sitting under a tree [hence the strange lighting] at the tender age of 16.

Oil on canvas, 3 feet and 9 inches x 5 feet. Pretty huge!

Distorted Self.

Oil on canvas, 4'x5'.

I really need to push the distortion. What am I so afraid of? It's only paint, after all.

Antler Women.

A series, or the start of one.
I need to work on being consistent. My style really changes from one to the next.
I've ordered them chronologically, first to last. All are various sizes, the largest is 3'x4'.
Oil on canvas.

Water Towers Connect

Water Towers. 12"x16"
Mixed media on canvas.
I don't think I like this, but what else is new?

Philippe.

3'x4'
Acrylic on canvas.

Perma scum.

Just a very quick painting exercise in oils to warm up.
It is riddled with tiny mistakes.
12"x12"

My tiles are gross, I realize.

Fun's Over

I need to get off this fun octo-ride I've been on and face reality again. Sigh.

After Renoir...

My boyfriend found this print on our median and I couldn't help myself.
I am very much enjoying time off from school.

Blood Meat.

May as well post this here since this is my art blog. It's acrylic on canvas, 2'x3'.

Even though my family is all scattered and kind of broken I am looking forward to the holidays.
Are you?

First painting of the school year has got the old wheels turning.

I think I really dislike writing reports or essays. I understand their merit, but I also resent them with every fibre of my being. It's not that I dislike writing, in fact I think I am a rather articulate and somewhat poetic writer when there is something that I am interested in enough to formulate into words.

I remember in high school I was a whiz at writing papers. Yet when I hit college [cegep] I suddenly went in a writing slump and received some of the worst marks ever on certain essays. I suppose I stopped caring about literature in my attempt to focus more on visual representation and stimulation. I stopped caring about the hidden significance in the written word.

Funny how I am now losing interest in the hidden significance behind art. Perhaps that isn't the best way to phrase it; I will try again: I am getting fed up with 'artists' trying to bullshit significance into their creations. In this information age it sometimes feels like art should represent something of 'deep significance' within the creator to be any good, or at least any good to the professor or curator. I think that's ludicrous.

My new resolution is to focus on the aesthetics and emotion/sensation my artwork emits. I'm tired of forcing a significance into something that would probably be far more interesting for the viewer to feel their way through and decide for themselves what it purports to them. That's not to say no thought will be put in on my end, that would be impossible. In critiques I am just tired of feeling like garbage is spewing from my palate when all I want to say is "I did this for the good feeling the aesthetics yield. Representation is up to the individual."

I better get back to my report.

Problem?

Life is generally stabilizing once more. There is also a lot to look forward to currently. The more geeky part of me is in fits about next month being Harry Potter month. I try not to think about it too much because it is difficult containing my excitement. I am also excited because I get to go to Florida with my brothers to visit my dad. This is very exciting for multiple reasons. 1. Get to see my family 2. Get to travel and 3. All the photo opportunities!

But I must not get carried away. Need to focus on the now. Good day!

I'm not dead...

...but I have been incredibly busy!

I finished my first oil painting done at Concordia today, yay! It's 4'x3' big, the second largest painting I have ever done. So here it be.

I also have a very large midterm drawing due on Wednesday that I am yet to start! But I do have most of tomorrow and most of Wednesday to complete it so I am not freaking out.