Tuesday, March 25, 2014

New Drawings

I've been wanting to do some drawings lately.  I thought I'd like to do some pencil drawings but then I discovered a set of rapidograph pens stashed way back in a drawer.  When I checked them out, my mouth watered because one of them was a very fine point, my favorite.  Here is the result.


Breakfast On The Go
Trixie grabs a worm for a quick snack as she wheels down the path.



Play Ball
Waiting for a game to join.




Spinning Out
Having a little fun in an empty parking lot.

These can be purchased from my Etsy shop: Ginny Piech Street


Cold Wax Paintings From The Play Day

Here are some of the paintings that resulted from the cold wax play day.

Red Stick Marsh


Red Clay Day


Poppy Paradise


Bee Bush


Big Sky

Burning Bush


Moon Fence


Kicking Up Out Here


Peeking Through The Bamboo

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Cold Wax Play Day

After our inspiring workshop on cold wax oil painting given by Leslie Stokes,
some of us decided to pursue the medium a little farther.
We invited two friends who were interested. We gathered at my house
for 3 hours of experimentation and continued discovery.
Five of us total. 



We have Holly & Cheryl. (You can't be creative on an empty stomach!)  Marcella & Holly.
Anita & myself (Not Pictured).

The cold wax process in very simple terms.  Oil paint and cold wax are mixed somewhat
equally to begin with.  Then the paint mixture is squeegeed across the substrate.  This can be 
masonite, gesso boards, etc. Layers are subsequently built up, adding texture, scratching the surface, 
rolling with a brayer, imprinting, etc. Liberating to the artist like myself who is quite attached to imagery, as the medium lends itself most readily to a more abstract approach as in below.



Cold wax.  An oil painting medium made generically at home from white beeswax and
turpentine, or in the case of our gathering, a batch made from white beeswax and mineral spirits.
I tried turpenoid earlier in the week and it was unsatisfactory.  The recipe I used was one part 
beeswax to two parts turpentine. Melt the beeswax on the stove. I have a gas stove
and on low, it melted slowly, but you will have to gage this for yourself. Some use
a double boiler. When the wax is melted, remove from the heat and stir in the turpentine.
Remove to a ventilated place to cool. When the wax solidifies and turns white again,
it is finished. Store in a lidded container.



This is our batch, solid but still has more cooling to do.



Or you can buy Gambin's Cold Wax pictured here on the table. Expensive
but like butter to use.

Also in this pic you can see four paper beginnings and a number of quarter inch 
MDF pieces, cut into standard sizes and gessoed.  All of these pictured have their first two
or three layers.  The paper cold wax pieces have the borders taped and will need to be matted
and framed under glass.  Flexible substrates can crack.  But I'm fond of paper.  So
I have to give it a shot.  I gessoed the paper after I taped the border.

Now the real fun begins.


  

Holly mixes a mouth watering turquoise.



Anita and Cheryl discuss process. Anita is surrounded by beginning paintings.



Cheryl works on her wax spreading technique.
Above the paper drawers is one of Leslie Stokes' earlier, pre-cold wax paintings.



Marcella looks on as Anita takes a gander at her work.



After lots of laughs, experimenting, sharing and three hours of creative process,
we unanimously agreed to meet Sunday to continue painting. Show and tell in the next post.

And I ask "Will there also be food?"


Friday, March 14, 2014

Laying Out A Collage


I've had these fellows floating around on my table for a little while.
Putting it together now.  Look for it soon!


Sunday, March 9, 2014

Gelatin Print Notecards


I love printing with a gelatin plate. This process is simple, but it's difficult
for me to make a complete art statement. So I find that using the prints for
other purposes such as note cards gives great results.


I've gathered my materials. The gelatin prints have been cut to size, 
giving attention to composition.


This is where the real fun begins.  I lay out the blank cards, put the 
gelatin prints on top, then assess each one for visual weakness.
I add extra trimmed pieces to make the weak ones happier.
Can't get totally away from the collage!



Time to glue.  Here I'm running a line of glue across the top to adhere
to the card blank.


I position the print on the notecard blank.




I give the card a good rubbing from the back, using a printmaking barren.

 Below, a few cards.








You can make your own gelatin print cards this Friday,
March 14 from 1 to 4 pm, in The Underground at Art Mundo
111 Orange Avenue, Downtown Fort Pierce.

Pre-registration is required.  


Monday, March 3, 2014

The Evolution Of An Idea

 from Fish Head Press



I don't know about you, but I have a "thing" for paint chips.  Maybe it
has to do with all the great colors at my fingertips!  Anyway, when I was 
browsing Pinterest, I came across these great little notes from 
a shop called "thought process" on Etsy.

So, I made a few. They were fun. I gave a few away. But they sort of 
left a void. I started thinking "how can I make this idea mine".
To me this was obviously a Fish Head Press item. So, they needed to be 
hand printed.  


This is what I came up with. First the design, carved on a block.


Here's my little stamp.


I cut my paper & made the appropriate folds to indicate where I needed to print.



then I printed and assembled!


A single sheet fully printed and folded.


Match Book Notes closed.


Match Book Notes back.


Match Book Notes open. 

These will be available for purchase in Fish Head Press, located in
The Studios Back Under. Check them out next Art Walk, March 12 
in The Studios On Orange, 111 Orange Avenue, Downtown Fort Pierce.
Also available at my Etsy shop Ginny Piech Street

One of the things beneficial to me as an artist is to always be
on the search for ideas and experiences that grab me,
sometimes subconsciously. They get stored somewhere
(Pinterest?) for possible future integration. Use the tools
you have to make it yours.


Art Is Theft.
              - Picasso