Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Full Circle with the Chalk.

Just quick note to restart this blog, and to bring readers up-to-date on where my journey has taken me...This is going to have to be a 'two- step' post.

First, a glimpse at the first piece that poured from my heart and really started my journey in fine art after I had left the 'real world' working as an architect and project designer. The piece is titled "Celli in Waiting", and was drawn from a photo that I took at a dear friend and very talented luthier's shop- Jan Van Rooyen. He lives with his wife in a beautiful home attached to his shop, in a very gorgeous part of Florida not too far from Gainesville, where I went to architecture school. He has titled his property, "The Magic Forest", and I believe aptly so, because every time I am there I feel as if I am entering a time and place that is somehow a magical haven from the noise and darkness of the world. I explained in an earlier post how I came to love the violin, and of course that translates to all stringed instruments, especially the cello, as my son has played from age 4 to now, at age 19, and his playing always turns my heart inside out.

So, for your reference, my first cherished pastel piece. It is interesting that after all this time I have another piece in my mind that is similar in subject to that first one in the same medium.

 "Celli in Waiting"
Chalk Pastel (2008)


And then a recent piece, along with a video, showing how I work with chalk pastel. It seems that I resonate well with this medium, and I cannot truly explain it away. I certainly don't have the most experience using that over other media, although it comes a close second to pencil, and it is used quite a bit like it. And I really and truly love to paint. There just seems to be a beauty about applying the color first, and THEN mixing. It all happens so magically, and the simplicity and immediacy of it allows me so much freedom of QUICK expression. And yes, it's messy, but so is cleaning oil paint off brushes! This piece happened because of my love for theater. Believe it or not, this image comes from a photograph of a stage set, looking up at the wiring and lighting. It has been a dream of mine to combine what I love about architecture, visual art, and performing art, and work with a team to create stage sets. I did get a small taste of this a long time ago, and someday may pursue it again if the opportunity arises. I saw a photo taken by a friend, Aradhana Tiwari, a very talented director and writer in Central Florida, who graciously allowed me to use her photo for inspiration. The drama of the light and the glittering glass was perfect for the medium, and it was a lot of fun to do.

Untitled ~ Chalk Pastel
2013

Click on this link attached to see some of my work on the above piece; in the video I had begun by laying in some of the mid-range hues, and then went over it with highlights first and then shadows. 
 


 However, interestingly, despite the fact that I was very pleased with the outcome of this latest piece, I have recently sort of jumped overboard and am HAPPILY swimming in a sea of watercolors right now....... Curiouser and curiouser......Stay tuned to find out how, why and WHAT happened when I jumped!


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