Trying to be Joan Mitchell

Recently I finished reading a biography of Joan Mitchell, one of the famous female artists in New York City in the 1940's and 50's.  Wow!  What a life she led.  It is a wonder she had time to paint but then she did a lot of her painting after midnight in a state of mild intoxication.  Her work fascinates me so I decided to give it a go.  First of all, it was in the morning and second of all, I was sober so why would i expect success?  I enjoyed doing it but discovered later that I tend to do horizontal marks and she is more inclined to do vertical and horizontal marks.  My scribbles don't resemble her scribbles is what I am trying to say.  Whatever, this is my attempt

I call this Sunbathed Beach.

Cabin fever is giving me fits lately.  I keep thinking of places I would like to go and then I remember that it is best to stay home.  Florida is having big increases in Covid 19 cases and I do NOT want to have to deal with that.  My daughter bought me a shield and I have worn it when I go out.  I like it much better than a mask as I have asthma and find a mask very confining.  The shield is much easier to breath for me.  I have listened to family, children, grandchildren and great grandchild and how they are coping with the pandemic lifestyle.  It inspired this painting

This is called Navigating 2020

If you look closely, you will find words that relate to this year in the fog.

Hopefully my friends at Paint Party Friday are happy and healthy!

Blooming on the lanai this week

You get what you pay for

Curious week, this week.  Things are slowly opening up but not many are out and about.

I am one of those that didn't get out much before the pandemic, and won't be out much after the restrictions are opened.  I imagine after this weekend we will see more activity.

I bought 3 crappy canvases at Michaels this week for $10.  You get what you pay for and these are not worth a penny more than $10.  But the good news is that when I paint on a canvas like

that, or an old used canvas, I tend to paint much looser, which I like.  So the first day I had a very busy canvas AND a very purple canvas.  So the next day I got up and used chalk to draw a design on the dry paint.  I mixed a bit of black in the purple and used some white and completely changed it.

I like this but I don't like the canvas...oh well.

Then I dug out an old painting and reworked it a bit.  I am not sure about it yet.

And the good news is, one of my favorite orchids is blooming this week.

This is a dendrobium amabile nobile and it reminds me of egg yolks.

This plant has a dozen bloom stems, a record for it.  I repotted it last spring.  This year, so far I have divided and repotted 16 plants.  It is hard, dirty work.  I don't need to tell you what my hands and nails look like.  

Wishing all a Happy PPF

Gathering my thoughts

It seems that when my creative genes retreat, I turn to collage.

This is the result of one of those times.  I called it "Gathering my Thoughts" because it looks to me like what I think is going on inside my head.  One random thought sort of connects with another random thought.  

This week in SW Florida we were released from quarantine however I am VERY uncomfortable with being out and about.  I started repotting my orchids and that has kept me very busy and isolated and I think I will stay that way for the next few months.  We are so fortunate to be older and not really interested and a social life.  I feel very sorry for young people missing graduations, weddings and other milestones in their lives.  They will create the 'new normal'.

A reason to celebrate for me.  This grammatophyllum is 10 years old and has been cared for by me for 10 years with no blooms.  This year we have BLOOMS

Happy, healthy PPF

Ephemera

Hello!  It is Friday again.

We are getting ready to have our lanai and cage cleaned so I

am not painting for the next week.  Having it cleaned involves moving close to 100 orchids, their tables and my painting supplies.

I just hope it stays cool.  I have been repotting some of my orchids and as long as it is under 90, I don't wear out as quickly.

In the meantime, my painting this week was done with a brayer.  

I like the texture you get with the brayer.

Here is another one that is currently on display at Art Center Sarasota.  I received an Honorable Mention in this juried show.

This was also done with a brayer and then I collaged the petroglyph designs.  We have seen petroglyphs in France, British Columbia and the Southwest and I am fascinated by them.

I was asked to gather three of my favorite orchid photos recently and I thought you might enjoy seeing them.

This is called "Celebrity:"

An Orchid Bouquet

Look at My Face

Aren't they gorgeous.  Growing them is such a rewarding passion, even when I do have to repot them.
Wishing all a happy, healthy PPF

And some more collage

The days seems to crawl, but the weeks fly by.  How does that work???  I am busy repotting orchids as this is the best time of year to do it.  Each year it seems to get tougher, they seem to cling to their pots more and I struggle to complete one a day, with a day off in between.

The fight is on!

This year I have completed a lot of collage pieces.  I have tried different techniques and created lots of collage paper with my Gelli Plate.  They are all filed alphabetically by color in a big basket.  Sounds organized but it really is a mess.  I can never seem to find the paper I want because I can't remember what color it is filed under.

Here are a couple that I have done recently.  Both are on 30" x 30" canvases.  The bicycle was a real challenge until I covered it with tissue paper and Elmers glue (and ½ water), let it dry and they put a raw umber glaze over it to make it look antique.

My seven year old granddaughter said "I hate to tell you this Nana, but you ruined it!"  I had wanted to call it "She's on a Roll" but on completing it I called it "On a Roll:".  What do you think?

Here's hoping no one has had to deal with the virus and that

we can all return to a new normal soon.

Happy PPF

Playing with collage

Through out my art journey, I have enjoyed getting messy.

No matter how you try, if you are working in collage, you have a mess.

I have tried using the heated iron and I do the traditional glue method.  No matter what, you still have bits and scraps of paper everywhere.

The process (and the mess) are very relaxing from time to time.

Here are a few samples of my work.

Using old book pages

Using cardboard

I used my own papers here

I used my own painted paper here.

I am hoping every one is healthy and safe from this ugly virus.  Any of you working to keep us safe or to keep our food on the shelves, thank you!  This has been a challenging time. 
HAPPY PAINT PARTY FRIDAY!

I used my own painted papter here

Painting with a brayer

Time slogs on

Am finding that my creative juices really lag.

So I returned to YouTube for some inspiration and found it!

I have been watching Linda Benton Mccloskey (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLM5a9yoYNVlOcV7sT-bwgQ )

So here are my attempts at painting with a brayer.

I really enjoy her teaching and  how she starts a painting.  It certainly helped me loosen up.

Both of these were done on old canvases with  collage and lots of texture using Linda's technique.

If you are in the mood for inspiration, this is a great source.

Wishing all a Happy PPF

Been wandering and wondering

I have been wandering round the web and wondering how friends from Paint Party Friday

are doing in this new time.

So far, thank God, our family has been spared but that could change in a second.

Today was a first.  I got my sewing machine out (had to google how to load the bobbin) and made us 

masks to wear if and when we go out.

So far our area of Florida hasn't experienced the intensity of the infections that the larger

cities have experienced.  That said, they haven't made much testing available so who

really knows.

I have had lots of time to paint but find I am a bit too antsy to get much done.  I have enjoyed

tinkering with my orchids in hopes of a beautiful display later in the season.

My new header is one of the new directions I have tried this year.  I had an instructor at the Art Center who has really encouraged us to try different abstract ideas.

This is another one of them.

My orchids have benefitted from our being sequestered in our home.  I have new fertilizers and am more attentive to a regular watering schedule so should see some rewards soon.

These are both the same variety of orchid, dendrobium but VERY different plants.

They are my current blooms.

Wishing all a happy (and HEALTHY) PPF