More Random Art-ifacts of an Off-Season Painter

Welcome back to my studio, also known as the "window nook." Considerably more comfortable, if less roomy, than the Palm Nut Studio (which started this whole blogging habit).

I'd say I'm generally a conflicted artist/painter: I have a life-long desire to work/play with colour and form and paint and tangible materials, coupled with a basic inability to be indoors on a nice day (thus, the gardening habit). For instance, right now, the sun has come out and I have every intention of riding my bike through the remaining snow banks so I can go get more...paint (or anything).

Desertsong

However, when I do sit down and paint, it can be so thrilling...to find forms and effects that almost seem to happen like magic, or even to be there already...

Can you see the face?

Like so...

...and so...

Muse-ic

It's also a luxury at this time of year to have the time to follow trains of thought and inspiration--I even took a "Brush-Stroke Bootcamp" course at Emily Carr (art school), which was my first bona fide painting class ever! What a revelation. In the first class, I discovered at least 10 bad habits I'd developed working on my own, and about 10 tips for methods/techniques/materials that would make my painting "flow" a little easier.

So even though I still love the works I did (like the one below) in the past, I have aspirations to work faster, in a series, playing more with colour and paint.

(Havana Yemaya, below, is a composite painting from photos taken when my choir travelled to Cuba in 2005)

So here's a new trail of paint to follow...inspired by this Bird'snest stone...

Colour studies for large works on canvas, comin' up!

Wish me luck!