An Abstract Tree-Scape

This week I got the bug to work on a contemporary piece, a quadtych (4 panel) tree-scape, "Extensions".  Sometimes when I'm planning a multi canvas painting, I will run down into my basement and grab a bunch of assorted sized canvases and just begin by arranging them in all different configurations on my studio floor.  I play around with the layout until I think I've got something that pleases me , as I try to keep in mind the design that I want to create as well being that has a great deal to do with the sizes of the canvas and the layout I have chosen. 

This piece has a very abstract background of different slashing shapes (((( and ))))) .  Many times with my paintings I work with  very wet surfaces and watery paints so I must lay the canvases out flat.  With this piece the varying background colors and shapes were done very wet, while the foreground tree branch was done in a dark, bold...thick black acrylic paint.    

The end result was exactly what I had in mind for this painting when I started it, contemporary, colorful and abstract.  All artists have a varied and unique process for their creations and for me, when I'm doing a multi-canvas painting, I like to play around and arrange things and then experiment with color to determine what the base of my painting will be built on. 

Summer's Sweet Song - Acrylic Tree-Scape Quadtych On Gallery Canvas

What can I say, in my mind, no matter what time of year it actually is........I live in the summertime, it is my favorite season and I'm truly happiest when the world is in bloom. This painting is really my tribute to my favorite time of year. I had a lot of fun painting on the 4 different sized canvases and creating the 2 singing birds high up in the trees.

This first panel is the perfect shape to form the body of the tree - 18" h x 6" w.

From there we go further on up the tree with a 14"h x 11" w canvas panel.

Then - 8" h x 8" w and

then a 6" h x 4" w panel. This painting measures a total of 26" h x 26 1/2" w.

I hope you like "Summer's Sweet Song", the newest painting to come out of my studio.

www.artfulcreations.etsy.com

Attraction - Acrylic Hummingbird Quadtych Painting

"Attraction" is a new acrylic quadtych on gallery canvas that just came off my easel last week. I've actually been wanting to paint this for quite some time, a couple of years actually.

It all started one spring when I went to the nursery to get the annuals for my back porch. I have a very sunny location in the backyard so I love geraniums for my pots out there as they are so hardy, colorful and sun & heat tolerant.

I had always gotten zonal gernaiums but this particular year, I saw cascade geraniums and thought for my hanging pots at least, they would be perfect. What I didn't realize was, cascade geraniums attract..............

HUMMINGBIRDS!!!! Imagine my happy surprise at this discovery.

So now each summer, cascade geraniums fill my hanging pots out back and I am treated to the site of hummingbirds fluttering around on a daily basis.

This painting has already flown off to it's new home....I hope it will be enjoyed each day, for a long time to come. www.artfulcreations.etsy.com

Monarchs Emerging - Acrylic Quadtych

Has it really been almost a month since I last blogged?? I cannot believe it, where am I....what have I been doing....why did I wait, am I still alive?? All good questions, I've just been here, in the studio, alive, painting away and maybe, I don't know , carried away too because I was shocked to see how long it has been since I last posted. I'll have to pay a lot more attention next time.

Some people have wardrobe malfunctions, technical problems, you name it, depending of course on what profession they happen to be in. Me, I've had a camera man problem. In other words, the guy behind the camera, the one that usually takes my painting photos (aka Chris) has been really busy these days and so we just got down to work today, taking some photos of paintings that have been waiting very patiently to be photographed.

This is one of my latest paintings......"Monarchs Emerging" paying tribute to my favorite butterflies, perched on an apple blossom tree.

This piece is made up of 4 canvases, each 1 1/2" deep and measuring a total of 18"h x 25" w. Two canvases that measure 8"h x 8" w and 2 that measure 6"h x 4" w.

I've also just learned about the concept of measuring my paintings to include the negative space. Not just what the pieces measure if you just push them together but measuring them as they are displayed, with the exact amount of space inbetween each panel and the whole display being taken into consideration for the total measurment. I must have seemed dim as this concept was explained to me because it took me quite a while to get it, the measuring stick and I have never been great friends.....give me a ruler and I can miss measure quite a lot of things, draw a straight line.......are you kidding, can others really achieve that with a straight ruler?? Anyway, all kidding aside, Celebrations Gallery put me onto the concept of measuring properly ,who knew, you learn something new everyday if you pay attention.

I hope you like this piece. It has to be one of my favorites. Although, anything I paint with this species of butterfly is a favorite, also, any painting that any other artist paints with the beautiful Monarch always captures my attention as well so, maybe I need to GET REAL, I just plain old, love painting these butterflies!! I am however , really getting into the concept of using multiple canvases of different sizes in my work. I think this is a very sculptural look on the wall, something I'm really enjoying exploring. It is very creative, challenging and most of all, fun to lay out the designs on pieces like this.

I'm in the process of closing my Ruby Lane shop and will instead be hosting my canvas work on ETSY.... www.artfulcreations.etsy.com . This piece and others to come soon will all be listed there. That may be another reason I've been MIA the last few weeks, opening a new shop seems to take forever, which I never seem to realize before I start doing it. It is still not done but as some what of an optimist, I will refer to it as a work in progress.