The Art Blog

This is my IF submission for this week. I used a mixture of techniques that include collage, ink, and digital manipulation. Normally I create my work through traditional painting and illustration methods but I wanted to experiment a little with this one. Go to Illustration Friday to learn more about this challenge!

Installation "Woman as the Creator" Marita Dingus 2002 Detail from "Woman as the Creator" Marita Dingus 2002 Face with Pink Flowers by Marita Dingus, 2008 - Photo by Richard Nichol Latticework Baby with Corks by Marita Dingus 2008 The Arty Girls group met this weekend for a little creative communing. I mention them in Tip #4 from my last post on motivation . One of our members is artist, Marita Dingus . She is a fabulously creative woman and her work will be on display at the Francine Seders Gallery in Seattle from Dec. 5 through Jan 4th, 2009. If you are in the area don’t miss it. Her work is very inspiring. I'll see if i can get work samples from more Arty Girls to share so stay tuned for that.

We all need a little push now and then so I put together this list of tips that have helped me stay motivated and perhaps they can help someone else too... 1. Show Up : This is the single most effective thing you can do to improve your productivity in the studio. Get in there. Even if you are just making phone calls, sorting out your brushes or organizing your supplies. Simply spending time in your studio will get you into the habit of creating. Daily time spent in your studio will improve your productivity. 2. Set Goals : Set goals for yourself and break them down into smaller categories: Long Range, Short Term and Immediate. Example: I am going to paint 5 pieces this month, 2 paintings this week and prep 1 panel this afternoon. 3. Dress the Part : Put on your favorite work clothes for motivation. I have a great pair of funky old shoes (see photo) a beautiful scarf and a paint-encrusted smock that make me feel super creative the moment I slip them on. Discover your power...

The Baron Masquerades - encaustic, oil on wood Detail of the Baron This shows the funky shape of the panel This is my submission for IF: Pretend. The painting is called The Baron Masquerades but you could also say the Baron is pretending . My thanks to those who browsed by last week and commented on my first IF submission. Your comments are so appreciated. This week I experienced first hand the power IF has to motivate and inspire. Especially for the self employed artist type like me. So…I want say "Thank You" to Penelope Dullaghan , the founder of Illustration Friday , for creating such a great online resource and community for us creative folk.

November in Seattle means lots of rain, wind and fog… perfect conditions for hunkering down in the studio and playing with materials. I have been making paper dresses this week and dipping them into encaustic medium (bee’s wax & resin). Thought I would share my favorite dress here. I love the way the little hanger turned out too. The dress with hanger measures 10” tall by 6” wide. 

WISE RAVEN- encaustic w/mixed media - 12" x 12" Illustration Friday is a weekly illustration challenge. A topic is posted every Friday and then participants have all week to come up with their own interpretation. This is my first participating entry. The word/topic for this week is WISE and I have always thought this raven had the look of wisdom... but he’s not talking.

I decided to share a few shots of this portrait I made during the 2004 elections because I feel it still has some significant political relevance. This piece was created with plastic toy soldiers, epoxy resin and acrylic paint and measures 16” x 16”. There are a few more pieces from this political series and one that relates to today’s financial crisis so I will post additional images soon. At the time I was creating this work I was feeling such deep sadness, frustration and hopelessness and I had to process all of that through the act of making art. I am so glad those days are over. Now I am wondering how to approach a portrait of Obama! I might create his likeness with wax and optimism.

It has been raining steadily all day today so I have been keeping myself busy in the studio. I am posting a few more images of recent work and pieces that I am working on today. Not sure where I am going with some of these paintings but that’s half the fun. I will post images of the finished work if I am happy with the results.

Now with the elections over we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief and get down to the business of creating real change. I am back in the studio working on some new horizons of my own. At left is one of the paintings that resulted from my high contrast experiments that I mentioned last month. I was initially working with black and white and the piece evolved into this watery cascade of wax with some subtle blues and greens. Contrast is still at play here but not how I thought it would be when I began this piece.The painting is 48” x 12” so it is really tall and narrow which lends to the cascade effect. It will be on display this month at the Pacini Lubel gallery along with several other new paintings. I will post more images of new work soon.