Art Journal Stuff

Since I’ve been working on this angel thing I haven’t really had the space in my room to whoop out my painting journal and do anything new this week. I have the weekend off, though, and my plan is to make some progress on that darn thing.

The wings are vexing me.

IN the meantime, though, I wanted to talk about a couple of my painting journal pages.

Here’s Kali:

I didn’t crop her too well when I scanned, but other than that I think this is a pretty cool entry. I used all kinds of stuff, gel medium and tissue paper, aluminum tape, re-gessoing, oil pastels, gel ink. I like goddess imagery a lot even tho I am an athiest- I like the stories behind goddesses and especially this one. She’s pretty much a good reminder that any ordered system can just go bonkers on you when you least expect it.

And then, the other half of the pages came out this way:

I think this is awesome. I have been wanting to write/paint/do something for sometime with this theme; that is, the “Jackson Pollack can suck it” theme.

Not that I don’t dig looking at his paintings. Just that I’m damned tired of stories like his when it comes to art and “genius.” The “tortured genius” thing really gets me agitated. The idea that any art is only for a chosen few steams my rice and leaves little burnt patches at the bottom of the pot. And the idea that being some kind of “tortured genius” is an excuse to treat people like shit, especially women- and then to make art that promotes that attitude, and put it out there to influence other artists- it’s just ridiculous. And it’s ridiculous that we give that kind of adoration to these folks.

Their art should stand alone, like everyone else’s is supposed to, and the lives of these folks are really not much to celebrate. I know that might be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t really care. There are too many actually tortured women geniuses out there who never get a chance to put a paintbrush to paper for me to give a shit about the motivations that these kinds of men have had in dehumanizing women in their art.

Anyways.

Hope y’all like the pictures.

Period

I made this “zendala” last month while waiting for Aunt Flo to arrive at my door.

Today I have been a bit un-positive, due to the hormones. I know there are folks out there who say that PMS isn’t real, that it’s just something that we all buy into that makes women look really crazy. But I tell ya, it does a number on me.

I did do some work on the painting today. I’ll post pics later tonight. The figure details are looking much better, now I just gotta figure out those wings!

“Zendala” is a combination “ZENTANGLE”/”MANDALA”. A “zentangle” is basically just a jumble of really simple, really repetitive little designs and a mandala is based on a circle. I like combining the two. It really helps if you want to practice making little designs and it is just really relaxing. There is a website on Zentangle but I have really mixed feelings about posting it here mostly just because they want you to buy a kit to make them and the kit costs fifty bucks, and it’s totally superfluous. I’m gonna think about it and decide later if we want to link to them.

Now, I have to get ready to go to the grocery store.

Process, process…

So I said I’d post some pics of the artsy process for y’all to look at. I got this new painting I am working on and it’s inspired by my love . Anyhoo, I’ll be adding some collage elements to it and I’m not sure exactly how that will look, but i can show you how it’s going so far…

Here’s me slathering on a mixture of black, red, and super-cheap craft smart gold paint to make a sorta base for my background…

And here’s the background with a wash on top of it (super cheap scarlet mixed with the super cheap gold)

The nifty thing about adding the super cheap craft smart gold paint to everything is that it dries all matte, but adds glimmeryness that is very subtle and you probly won’t see in the pictures. But there are tiny flecks of goldness in the layers.

After this is dried, I gessoed the basic area for the figure I wanted to put in, and then kinda worked the gesso till it was the right shape more or less.

I know a lot of folks will just do the sketch on the canvas, but I like how it looks when you gesso on top of the background. I used to want to be an archaeologist. I like the idea that underneath art is more art. Idunno if that makes sense. Don’t care really. I just like doing it this way.

So then I added a sketch, then a little color, then some more.

And that’s where she is right now. Yes, the gesso halo is deliberate. I can’t wait to finish painting this so I can start gluing stuff to it and paint it some more.

Yay!

Also, went to art store today and got some MOD PODGE!!!!!!!!!!!! I love Mod Podge. Yes.

Starting Something…

I started a new painting last night, I think I mentioned it in my post. I am very excited about it. Laid down the background colors last night, and put gold paint in all the colors. Dunno why, I have been spoiled by the effect of just a little touch of shimmer.

I am trying to decide whether I should go ahead and sketch the face or not. Anyways.

I think I might post pictures of my progress. Have to figure out where the USB cord is to this confounded digital camera…

The Storm

Fay is really venting right now. So much that here in (normally) sunny Orlando, we have these crazy winds and rain that you just can’t believe unless you’re from around here, which I’m not, so I’m having a hard time. I think Fay’s just upset, maybe it’s a little overwhelming, what with thinking she’d be a “real” hurricane, then it not happening, then having to hang out in Daytona Beach after spending time in Cocoa, I dunno. I mean, shit. She needs to go to Tennessee and see how the other half lives before she goes dumping all her pain onto us. I’m just sayin’.

Since this is the new blog, and it wants to be an artsy blog, I thought I’d throw up one of my journal pages just so folks wouldn’t think I was full of shit when I said I was making stuff. This one is (obviously) where the header art comes from. It’s a bit of a crooked scan, but hey.

I was doing some experimentation layering book pages and acrylic paints and oil pastels and sharpie marks, and after I scanned it I put in some white-out and some gel ink, which you can’t see here. The girl is a sort of paper-doll cutout of bible pages, I think. IDK if you can tell that from the pic. It was a journal entry dealing with everlasting, mature love and faithfulness and envy and all that shit. there is another half to it. It looks like this:

and It actually should go on the left but I’m too tired to try and figure

that out. I have yet to add words to it, am still chewing on that.

My process has been paint first, then write what I think on top of it. I like pictures with words. It makes me feel good and sane.

My journaling process is kinda like this: I keep this one, which is just a regular sort of hardcover biggish unlined journal, just for painting in. I clip down the pages then gesso them and go crazy. I have a smaller sketch diary, just for practicing, and then a bit of a bigger sketch diary for when I feel like practicing on a larger scale.

Anyways. I started a new painting tonight. I am excited. Yay.

Now I must try and sleep. Mucho amor, y’all.

Testing, 1, 2…

First post on wordpress. Testing the waters. Waiting for a storm to hit my neck of the woods.

I’m sleepy right now, and have to get up early. Spent most of the evening tinkering on the way this thing looks.

For a while I’ve needed a place to put my writings, but only recently have I developed a need for space for visual art. I suppose I just wanted to hide my few sketches and hid my fear behind a lack of color. But after investing precious dollars into acrylic paints and brushes and canvas I feel compelled to display the results of said investment, somewhere, and I guess if I am going to talk about how I see the world I ought to also paint it from that perspective.

A warning: sometimes my paintings have boobs and pubic hair in them. So if that bugs you, I apologize. But you will most likely see some boobs and some pubic hair rendered in acryilic or in oil pastels somewhere on these pages at some point in time.

You will note that there is an “about the artist” page, and soon to come are the “rules” and the “why porn is bad” pages, which will be special and stand on their own. I want the folks who visit to be able to see them, don’t want them lost in the shuffle.

Also, you will notice the creative commons license to your right. :: points :: Please. Notice that.

And now, she crashes. G’night.