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What are the Major Lines in Art?

April 16, 2021 By Carol McIntyre

When was the last time to the lines you use in your work or in someone else’s? What are the major lines in art? What do they convey? Try to name the five types of lines in art before reading further.

I confess, I hadn’t consciously thought about it for a long time until I was in the early stages of  creating my latest series entitled Colorscapes.

Early in 2020, I began this series for a solo show that was to happen in 2021. (As you may know, it has happened! Visit my portfolio page). After I had completed a couple of paintings, I saw a horizontal line continue to show up. This got me curious to learn more about this line to bring it further up into my consciousness. Below you will notice this horizontal line employed a few different ways in “African Winds,” yet all in one area. There are additional lines incorporated as well.

lines in art

What are the Five Major Lines in Art?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Art Material & Painting Tips, Inner Artistic Journeys Tagged With: abstract artwork, an artist's musings, art tips, Creative Process, painting tips

How Did I Create a Solo Show During COVID?

March 15, 2021 By Carol McIntyre

Back in December 2019, the gallery owner of G44 Gallery, Colorado Springs, surprised me with an invitation to have a solo show in 2021. Not only was I honored and excited, but I also had a strong visceral reaction of “Yes! That will be perfect timing.” Ha! Little did any of us know what the future had in store for us.

How did I begin creating for this upcoming solo show?

At the time of the invitation, I had just begun experimenting with a new medium — cold wax with oil — followed by an excellent cold wax workshop taught by Tish Lacy Reed in January. Subsequently, I dove in with great gusto. At this point – about the Feb/March time frame – I wasn’t thinking about a series or my show, I was dedicated to learning about cold wax with oil. create a solo show

During my 30+ years of painting, I have worked in watercolor, pencil, oil, pastel and acrylics, and in that sequence. During each medium, I focused on just that one medium. In other words, I have never jumped from one to the other and back. Why? Because I wanted to get to know the medium as well as I could and enjoy all of its characteristics. My subject matter also evolved along with these medium changes. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Color Mixing, Tips & Concepts, Inner Artistic Journeys Tagged With: abstract artwork, abstract painting fused with realism, an artist's musings, artistic process, Creative Process

“Colorscapes” Solo Show Invitation!

January 11, 2021 By Carol McIntyre

You are cordially invited to my upcoming solo show

colorscapes solo art show

Opening reception:  Friday, April 2, 2021

Time:  5-8pm

Location: G44 Gallery

1785 S. 8th Avenue, Suite A, 80905, Colorado Springs, CO

 Call 720-951-0573 or visit www.g44gallery.com

Hours: Thursday-Saturday 12pm – 5pm or by an appointment.

Show dates:  April 2 – April 30th

How does color impact you?

Are there colors you love and/or despise? Why?

This exhibition will give you the opportunity to “try-on” a number of different colors and color palettes all in one space.

Colorscapes will feature over 15 new paintings. All of them celebrate color!

Wwhen you come to the reception colorful spirits are encouraged! 🙂

I also look forward to presenting an Artist Talk don Saturday, April 17th at 3pm. Reservations via G44 Gallery are required because space is limited.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: abstract artwork, abstract painting fused with realism, Colorado artist

Letting Go: A Painting Demonstration

April 22, 2020 By Carol McIntyre

How did this painting Destination Unknown,

letting go, abstract painting

become this painting?

letting go, cold wax medium

The simple answer is, “I had to let go.”

Most likely you have heard the statement, “You need to let go,” many times throughout your life. I know I have, particularly from painting instructors. My internal response was always, “…and how do I actually do that?”

No one ever gave a good explanation to the process of letting go – at least to my satisfaction – until I took an abstract painting workshop from Joan Fullerton about three years ago. She  literally made us become unattached to our work. Joan is funny and a great teacher, as well as creates beautiful paintings.

How did I learn about letting go? It took practice and belief.

During the workshop, we would start an abstract painting with gestural mark making, and then we had to turn our canvas 90 degrees. Next, we applied paint using various tools and collage papers. Once again, we had to turn our canvas 90 or 180 degrees. If there was a color combination or shape we really liked, we were to cover it up! There was a lot of groaning from fellow students and a few gasps, as we were stretched artistically. You could feel the resistance in the air.

This process was continued for several more layers until we individually could see a painting to start to develop. From there, we continued working on our paintings until we felt they were complete. Let me add, it took me over a year to become comfortable with turning my paintings and to freely apply paint without over-thinking it.

The feelings of uncertainty have evolved from nerve-wracking to exciting anticipation. Often I am rewarded with delightful outcomes. This happened in the demonstration below.

Letting Go to Learn a New Medium

As you may remember, I have been learning how to use cold wax medium with oil paints. From those who have not worked with cold wax, it can appear to be merely a new technique. However, it is similar to learning a whole new medium. For example, I went through this long learning process when I went from watercolors to oils, oils to pastels and pastels to acrylic.

The tools are different, oil paints are messy (which I had forgotten!), and timing is another factor to take into consideration when working with cold wax. Consequently, many experiments are necessary – and continue to be – to obtain a rhythm and deep understanding of this medium. In order to do this, I have had to become good at letting go!

You should see my studio. (Maybe I will do a video of it.) Every surface is covered with paints, tools, papers, books, good and bad attempts, rags, examples, etc.  I can’t remember the last time it was this messy nor that I spent so many hours in the studio.

Progress is happening, which makes me do a happy dance periodically, yet there is more to learn. Meanwhile, I wanted to share my process with one painting.

In this example, I am experimenting with combining one of my mixed media paintings with cold wax. This meant I would be painting over an existing painting. Hence, I chose letting go of this 20″ x 20″ painting on panel.letting go, cold wax medium, creative processOnce I honored it and acknowledged parts that I liked and some that I did not, I moved to the next step.

As you can see below, I painted black – it is black gesso – over areas of the painting. Embracing my fear of letting go and engaging in the excitement of trying something new, were on my mind. It was invigorating to tackle the unknown, despite thoughts of doubt. By the way in my mental dialogue, I have decided to change the phrase letting go to moving forward.

The areas that I left visible were chosen intuitively.

letting go, cold wax medium, creative process

Next, I chose and mixed the colors I wanted to apply. They were based on the colors that were peeping out from under the black. Below, are the stripes of colors I applied thickly. This approach is something I came up with. In other words, I had not seen a demonstration or video of what I was doing. It was a risk and I had no idea what the result would be. I dove in with curiosity.

letting go, cold wax medium, creative process

To blend the paint I used one the squeegees – probably the red one – and began moving paint around. letting go, cold wax medium, creative process

My intuition led the way. However, I was conscious of not creating muddy colors. I added some white here and there as well. After the cold wax paint set for a couple of hours, I then went in with some scraping tools. You can see the lines where the paint from underneath shows through. It felt a bet like a mess, yet I liked the colors.

letting go, cold wax medium, creative process

Next I turned the painting 90 degrees and I put it on my easel. (My first layers are done on a flat surface.) I couldn’t believe what I saw! A burning candle. It was a sign of hope during this trying time of COVID-19 and made me smile.

letting go, cold wax medium, creative process

This is the point when I begin to have a conversation with the painting. Now I further develop its content and focus on its composition. More layers were applied in various areas.

letting go, cold wax medium, creative process

After applying more layers, I took a stop back realize, it looked too much like four separate quadrants. Therefore, I applied more paint and blended colors. Below is the finished 20″ x 20″ piece entitled Cake and Ice Cream.

letting go, cold wax medium, creative process

One unanswerable question, “How is the pandemic influencing my ability to let go?” What do you think?

I believe it is at some level, because we are being asked to change many parts of our lives during this crisis.

FYI, there are several books available about subject of letting go, as well as inspirational quotes. Another book is Comfortable with Uncertainty, as well as this classic The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles. How do you deal with letting go and uncertainty?

Please leave your thoughts and comments below.

Gratefully and colorfully yours,

Carol

PS This blog only provides an example of letting go with an abstract painting. It is applicable to any and all styles of painting.

color mixing, cold wax medium, letting go

Filed Under: Creativity & Painting Concepts, Inner Artistic Journeys, Step-by-Step Painting Demos & Commissions Tagged With: abstract artwork, an artist's musings, artistic process, Creative Process, step-by-step painting

Thieves Among Geniuses – Miro and Gaudi

October 14, 2019 By Carol McIntyre

Have you ever had a life experience that includes the good, bad and the ugly all within days, if not hours? I wasn’t going to write about Bob’s (husband) and my vacation to Barcelona, but the impact has been far greater than I could have predicted and it is also art related.

miro and gaudi

It is called the Miro Foundation, because it is an educational institution as well as an exhibition space. It is the only museum specifically designed for one artist.

A month ago, on a sparkling sunny morning, I drove our rental car down from the Pyrynees Mountains of Spain into a western suburb of Barcelona. I parked on a main road directly in front of the Joan Miro Foundation, locked the car with our luggage and went in to experience the profound artistic life of the renowned Spanish artist Joan Miro (1893-1983).

Before entering, I confessed I knew only a cursory amount about Miro’s artistic influence. Within minutes, my mind was markedly expanded. Britannica describes Miro as: a Catalan painter who combined abstract art with Surrealist fantasy. His mature style evolved from the tension between his fanciful, poetic impulse and his vision of the harshness of modern life. He worked extensively in lithography and produced numerous murals, tapestries, and sculptures for public spaces. These sculptures below show his whimsical side. I loved wandering the exhibitions spaces and experiencing his genius and diversity.

miro and gaudi

He was a breaker of artistic rules as he constantly pushed the boundaries of painting and sculpture. In fact, he created what he called, “anti-paintings.” Below is an example. We watched a video of him painting and then burning his canvas with a torch from the back. He then painting more on the front. This quickly demonstrated how he did not treat his work as ‘precious,’ which is something so many of us do. I also saw a sense of fearlessness that I have not witnessed before, which was good for me to see.

miro and gaudi

We left the museum moved by how Miro’s art impacted the world. Because I was embarrassed that I had not studied him or his work, I was inspired and looking forward to journaling about what I had learned and reflecting on my own artistic journey through my visit with Miro.

Upon arriving back at our car, our world was rudely turned upside down and inside out. The lights for unlocking the car did not blink and I immediately knew something was wrong. Our car vent window had been smashed and all of our luggage and a computer bag were gone. It was gut wrenching. Oddly, we had read several articles about the rampant stealing and pick pockets in Barcelona and had taken several steps to protect ourselves, but this was completely unexpected. Even the Spanish were shocked to hear about the significance of this theft.

miro and gaudi

The vacation that we had been planning for months with high expectations, came to an abrupt halt. Plans of celebrating our 34th wedding anniversary further up the Spanish coast and then over into southern France to spend time with friends was over. We felt stripped and violated.

miro and gaudi

With nothing but the waist pouches and clothes on our backs, we then spent about 3.5 hours in the Barcelona Police Station. I will not bore you with the crazy details of that experience. It was 7pm on a Saturday evening when we arrived at our hotel in the heart of the tourist area. What to do next? Where do we purchase something to sleep in, a toothbrush, other clothes, prescription drugs, etc??!!

Then we had to decide if we should try to continue on our trip or not. Given several circumstances, it was best to return home. We were emotionally devastated. The next few days were spent obtaining new passports, returning a damaged car, purchasing necessary items, figuring out new airline schedules, and trying to recover from the trauma of the event. In retrospect, both of us were in a state of shock for several days.

Fortunately, I proclaimed, “I will never return to Barcelona, but I will not leave without seeing some of Antoni Gaudi’s (1852-1926) work.” Oh my! We were in for another profound eye opener. I knew that his influence was evident throughout Spain, in particular Barcelona, but I was not aware of its significance. Because of the theft, we were not able to take advantage of tickets we had purchased in before leaving the US. However, we did walk by the Casa Batllo. What a fun and funky apartment. He was a genius way ahead of his time much like Da Vinci. I encourage you to learn more about Gaudi.

We then went to his magical and magnificent La Sagrada Familia!! On another beautiful day, we approached this basilica in awe.

It encompasses an entire city block. Hence, photos do not begin to give it justice. Nearly every architectural decision Gaudi made was symbolic and mathematically calculated. The Spanish began constructing this world wonder in 1882 and intend to have it completed by 2026, which will be miraculous if they do.

miro and gaudi

Below, the stained glass windows create the gradation of green to orange via the afternoon sunlight. It was something to behold. The Sagrada Familia is a sacred place. I could feel its beauty and spirituality.  We are grateful for having experienced it as words cannot describe it adequately.

miro and gaudi

We arrived home with mixed feelings. We were safe and yet we had to begin putting our lives back together again and dealing with insurance paperwork, replacing items, etc. I experienced days of depression and minor anxiety attacks as well a moments of anger. Finally, I asked a good friend to tell me to “Go and paint!” I wasn’t really motivated, but I know that painting grounds me and often takes me out of negative spaces.

Here is one of the paintings I created. I had no expectations. I just started applying layers of paint while tapping into my emotions. Given my story, what is your interpretation of it?

miro and gaudi

Painting did help get me back on track again. Processing inspiring artists such as Miro and Gaudi, while trying to navigate this trauma will take more time…..and painting. Writing this post is also cathartic. Thank you for coming along.

What do you do when life throws you a curve ball? Does creativity play a role?

How do you process seeing artwork that moves you to tears and intellectually challenges you?

Please consider forwarding this post to others who may be interested using the buttons below.

Colorfully and gratefully yours,

Carol

PS I noticed that Miro and Gaudi used color differently. It will be interesting to study this further.

 

miro and gaudi

Filed Under: Art Travels & Preparations, Inner Artistic Journeys Tagged With: abstract artwork, an artist's musings

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