I think I may declare this piece completed. I have called it Winter Ascent because it brought memories of ice climbing in New Hampshire. I get the feeling of being at Frankenstein Cliffs in the amphitheater. The blue is the frozen ice waiting to be conquered and the white is the snow amid the flows that waits to fall on your head! A belated Merry Christmas to all you out there and a Happy New Year filled with joy and laughter.
It’s Christmas time and I am busy just like all of you are. I sat last night and doodled this small piece during a few spare moments. When I left it last night it did not have any green. I went to post it today and I suddenly thought that if I added green it would give it a Christmas touch. As I looked at it I realized that all my little white triangles looked like Christmas trees! I colored them in green and it reminded me of the myriad of Christmas tree lots you see right now. It gave me some Christmas joy and it hope it does you too!
This name comes from the fact that when I look at this piece I see a roller coaster in the upper right corner. The colors seemed right for an amusement park and I also thought of melted ice cream cones. This piece had many incarnations as I tried to achieve a finished result with which I could be happy. There are layers of gesso, watercolor, and cray pas. I like the line work and decided it was finally done.
It’s Monday and we are drawing close to Christmas. Usually I have all my shopping done by Thanksgiving, and yet this year I am still not finished. You would think that would be stressful, but I don’t feel stressed at all. I’m confident it will get done. I have been able to do some of the things that I decided at the beginning of the month were most important: getting a Christmas tree, making Biscochito’s, and attending the Messiah performance at my church. Making Biscochito’s is a tradition that we picked up from my sister-in-law. They are a state cookie of New Mexico, flavored with anise, and are wonderfully delicious. I made 6 dozen and I’m SURE they will all get eaten! Along the way we strung our outside lights, which was important to my daughter, and had fun at the garden center where we got our tree. I hope that I can retain the peace and joy I feel right now right through the holiday.
I’ve just been working on my new piece. I am trying to slowly add detail and let this piece tell me what it wants to be. Still not sure it has given me the answer, but I am happy with how we are progressing together! I was curious to see the photo’s side by side so I could get a feel for how far I have come. I feel like I did a lot today, but I’m not sure it’s evident from the photo’s. Ah well, tomorrow is another day…
I took the picture below in Provincetown this summer at sunset. I was mesmerized by the beautiful color in the sky and how it reflected in the water. I came across this picture yesterday putting together a calendar for my in-laws and decided I wanted to share it.
Today, instead of a recently created miniature I decided to post one I made a couple of years ago. I like the composition, color, and texture. I haven’t named, matted, or framed it yet I have always had a particular fondness for it. Perhaps I should mat it and give it as a gift for Christmas. Or maybe I should find a nook for it in the house.
I love the feel of this piece though I’m not sure why. I started by just brushing on some red and yellow watercolor – a very watery, pale wash. Then while it was still wet I grabbed my india ink again. I put a bit on here and there and moved the card this way and that to create patterns. I get the feeling of granite cliffs like those I’ve climbed and the coloring suggests sunrise. Perhaps like when I climbed the Grand Teton and started in the dark and climbed as the sun rose. Enjoy your day!
When I look at this I see a topographical map. The sparkles I added are the Christmas lights adorning the homes and businesses of the town below. Sort of like when you see lights from a plane. I applied two layers of tracing paper over some damp gesso. I painted over the textured surface with red watercolor and added some glitter. I thought the pink glitter was red – I wasn’t paying close attention. Oh well!
I thought I would post one of my works in progress for something different. This piece has undergone so many transitions I can’t keep count. I’ve never been satisfied so I keep recreating it. That’s a benefit of collage – you don’t have to be done. Just add another layer or some more paint! To be brief about how I got to this state, it has many layers of pictures and tracing paper. Most recently I added some rectangular grids and then gessoed the entire surface. While the gesso was still wet I worked over the surface with a crumpled up plastic bag. I pressed and turned to create a rather stippled surface. It sat like that for quite a long time. Sunday I grabbed some blue watercolor and did broad washes of color over the surface. I liked how the color settled into the gessoed texture. Today, I have been working to delineate some of the shapes a little so it’s not so amorphous. In the process I found a figure in the lower left. He looks rather like a Roman to me and I’m seeing his back somewhat in profile. Is he ascending into the clouds? Ascending Mount Olympus? He hasn’t told me yet. Looks like there is mist and maybe waterfalls. I’ll keep you posted as I find out more!
After very sporadically creating miniatures over the fall, I created four on Sunday. It felt good to do them and I had a lot of fun. That got me to thinking. I think I had become burnt out doing them. That’s why they trickled to just one here and there. They became an obligation and weren’t fun. Sunday they were FUN again! I think I just needed a breather and I think I have to just do them WHEN it’s fun. It’s it not fun it’s not worth doing. Anyway, todays card started with gesso on a postcard. While it was still wet I sprinkled a bit of water onto it and applied some india ink. Then I tiled the card this way and that to create a pattern. As I worked some of the gesso got incorporated into the ink. It looked rather pretty to me. I added just a touch of gold glitter (I am glitter crazy lately – must be the season). When I sat down to post this it made me think of gnarled branches in winter. What do you see?
Whew! This was hard to name. But the designs in black really do look like some sort of lacy organism that might be found in the oceans depths. I started with red watercolor onto which I sprinkled salt. Then I added some yellow watercolor and let things swirl around a bit. I added india ink and since it wasn’t moving much I used the end of my paintbrush to create all the fine curved lines.
Kathleen Hendrick 