Sun; II

I wanted to share the line qualities of the monoprint textures a dashed off the painting panel yesterday. This was an effort to remove excess paint from a still-too-wet panel and a painting start I had decided to 'wipe out.'

I have lots of good acid-free Strathmore Bristol scraps in my flat files. I placed these pieces onto the damp panel surface and just drew lines or squiggles on them. One of these is the monoprint that introduces linear rays around the sun face. Just lift them off carefully for interesting textures and inspirations for collage or other paper projects.

Do you see those color blocks? That's acrylic over/ under (after/ before) the monoprint process.I am relying on the water/ oil antipathy to keep them separate.

Sun; I

This is the first few stages of a sun painting on a Raymar panel- 11 X 14.


My latest oil medium mix is too slow drying. So, to make lemonade out of lemons, I scraped down the damp painting to remove the previous brushwork. This made the blue gray background. I removed some of the alkyd paint by transfering via monoprint designs onto good art papers. I'll use these in collages later. The linear rays in the photo below are a result of this transferance.

Scraped the panel again (I use an obsolete credit card) and lifted out the lighter areas of thecomposition with a clean flat brush and turps'.

Now that the composition is set and a few darks put in, I'll post this painting's progress and show some of the monoprint stuff, too.

And that makes four...

Our greyhound hoards his toys in one corner of the living room. This is one new work and these have been very popular.

He doesn't like tennis balls but there's Ducky, one-armed monkey, dead mouse, etc.

FAMILY TREE

My doggie brush paintings are a big hit! I'm working on a new series now.

The puppy would be the newest bud on this family's branch.....

SUNS for a rainy day...

 Here are three brush drawings of
'JEALOUS LITTLE STARS.'
Colored pencil, watercolor and gold leaf.
Some of you will recognize this subject; I return to it but usually in color.

Did you know that a star with a face is called a 'Sun in Glory'?

A TRIO OF DOGGIES

And this is the rest of the collection of ink/acrylic sketches of funny canines.

We have an annual dachshund parade here in Key West; it's a lot of fun.

' SMART, TOO! '

PEOPLE like my dog sketches. This one is set apart by the addition of some 23 carat gold leaf on top of the ink / acrylic halo. Watercolor works best for lettering.

TENNIS Ball Dogs

Here are a pair of brush drawings; simple and funny.

Both have additional color added in watercolor pencil; the lettering is done in watercolor.

STUCK

' HERE'S THE PLAN...' is a little mixed media painting on a scan of vintage Fortuny fabric. It is decidedly different in coloring than the shared palette of the previous posts.

LOST

I've painted this subject twice before but never atop a collage. I remember a New Yorker cartoon of a woman who looked very much like Mrs. Drysdale from the Beverly Hillbillies. She is bent over a small, wayward animal and asks , "You poor little thing! Are you a dog or a pig?"

A PAIR OF GARDENERS

Two collages of folk with planting on their minds. Acrylic ,pencil and gold leaf on paper.

' FALL '

This collage has a layer of printed velum on it. I drew the sun on my Wacom tablet and abused it with oil pastels and scraping. Very fine designs are scratched into the background of acrylic over oil pastel.

Not very large; it'll fit a frame sized 11 X 14.

'A GREAT DAY TO BE ALIVE'

I'VE DONE A FEW DOG PAINTINGS lately, and this is one of my favorites as I play the simple drawing off a patterned background. It's really a collage, including some silvered thread.

'THE GODDESS IS PLEASED'

This smiling goddess wraps up the night in sweets, including a slice of Key Lime cheese cake.

The altar is appropriately framed in cautionary design elements.

Alkyd oil and found elements on prepared museum rag board.

'GREEN HOUSE'

I sure have been a bad boy in neglecting my blog. Today I've tried to make up for it with the three postings. This one is called 'GREEN HOUSE' and I've made a print of it for the gallery.

 All the paintings are alkyd oil on prepared museum rag board. These are the 'drop-outs' from my acid-free mats prepared and sealed with a rough brush of Liquitex acrylic gesso. The slow drying time of oil begs for more color mixing and blending; really nice in comparison to acrylic pigments.

I like Paul Klee's work; didja guess?

'HARBOR'

A mer-man figure among the sunken salvage of a mysterious, lost city. I like the very abstract and simple fish form; it reminds me of one of my favorite painter's work. Can you guess who? See next post....

'GRASS AIR'

This is a smaller work, about 10 inches square.  'Though I'm fascinated with still life work I can't shake my design sensibilities and chuck my desire to paint flat patterns. And so this and my latest postings.

I wanted a sketchy movement to the bird forms so they're nearly dry brush oil and a little scraffito technique.

Alkyd oil on prepared museum rag board.

'Sirena'

I'm always painting mermaids; my first show here in Key West was nothing but mermaids and mermen. A friend calls herself 'Sirena Loca'  or 'crazy mermaid.' Mermaids are clever and cunning and 'crazy like a fox.'

This little painting is alkyd oil on gesso'd museum rag board. Simply signed with a symmetrical  'M.' I think I'll make a print of this for my fans at the gallery.

'Perfect"

This little dog portrait is simple; like the ink brush drawings I occasionally have at the gallery.
In these, I allow myself the fun of quick expression and calligraphy mixed with humor.

This painting is alkyd oil on a prepared cotton rag museum board. I have photographed it before gilding the halo with 23 carat gold leaf.

MY FRIENDS

THIS image is acrylic and w/c pencil over a unique fabric ($!!!) so it's really mixed media.
I'm hoping my greeting card publisher will pick it up for their line.