Artomat WIP #5 - Fishes and Flowers

OK, nobody sneeze! One brisk breeze, and it's all over.

I've been cutting tiny little fishes and flowers out of paper all day, and the studio is full of them. I'm placing them on the blocks and rearranging them to see which combinations look best. Another dozen or so cutouts and then I'll start gluing them in place.

I'm using my favorite origami paper, a Miyabi Chiyogami floral. Now I think it's time to go for a walk or get some exercise

Artomat WIP #4 - Tweaking The Color

After the last layer of color dried, I brought the blocks together and considered each one of them. They all needed a little fine tuning. Some needed more pools of color, others needed details.

The painting steps are now finished. I'm happy with how the blocks look and am ready to move on. The next step is to get out the origami paper and cut out all kinds of little flowers, fishes, and other shapes. It could take a while to get all those little pieces cut, arranged, glued, and sealed.

In case you missed the earlier steps, here they are:

• Step 3 - Middle Color
  
• Step 2 - Background Color
• Step 1 - Base Coat
• Prototypes

Artomat WIP #3 - Middle Colors

Now we're getting to the fun stuff! This is where the colors get interesting.

I brushed plain water onto a block, then dropped in diluted paint in different colors. The paint swirled and blended on its own, depending on how much water was on the block and how much water was in the paint. Each color behaved differently. Each block has a different pattern of colors.

It's fun to see how the blocks progress because the color change so much as they dry. They start out looking outrageously dark or bright, but blend nicely and become subtle.


In case you missed the earlier steps, here they are:

• Step 2 - Background Color
• Step 1 - Base Coat
• Prototypes

Now I'd better get back there and wash out those brushes before they harden up.

Stay tuned for Step 4....

Call for Artists: Cups of Kindness - A Benefit

Artists are invited to offer a Cup of Kindness (1-3 pieces) to those in need, through a show and sale of small-scale work in Peninsula, Ohio, to benefit the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

This event, in its second year, is the vision of Debra and Stephen Bures, owners of Elements Gallery in Peninsula, and will be co-sponsored by Peninsula Art Academy, the Peninsula Area Chamber of Commerce, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway.

Artwork may be functional or decorative and may represent an artist’s interpretation of a “cup of kindness”:

• two-dimensional works must be no more than 8 ½ by 11 inches, and be ready for hanging.
• three-dimensional pieces must be less than 7 inches tall, and 5 inches wide and deep.

Cups of Kindness premieres on November 27, 2009.

A Meet the Artist’s opening reception will be Saturday, December 5, 2009 at Elements Gallery and Peninsula Art Academy from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. Participating artists will be listed on the website, and will be linked to their own sites if applicable. This show will run thru January 10, 2010 from 11-5, Thursday thru Sunday. Special times may be arranged, please call to make arrangements.

Please submit your donated artworks before November 6, 2009. Items received before this date will be photographed for inclusion on the Cups of Kindness website, and will be for sale on-line, with the artist’s name featured http://www.cupsofkindness.net.

Please include a description of the donated items, including materials, techniques and value, along with the artists’ name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. A portion of your donation may be tax deductible.

Donations should be sent to Elements Gallery, 1619 W. Mill Street, Peninsula, OH 44264.

For additional details, please visit www.cupsofkindness.net.

Artomat WIP #2 - The Background Color

Ta da -- color! I finally got 2 coats of gesso on the top and edges of all 50 blocks. So now it's time for the background color.

The blue ones on the left are Liquitex Bright Aqua Green Soft Body (fluid).

The bright green ones in the middle are Liquitex Vivid Lime Green Heavy Body.

The yellow ones on the right are Windsor & Newton Cadmium Yellow Medium.

I thinned all the colors with mat medium so that they'd go on nice and smooth and fluid.

Whew! Off to lunch, and then back for another round of painting.

To refresh your memory, step 1 was here: http://lifeneedsart.blogspot.com/2009/06/artomat-wip-1-base-coat.html

Week 26 - MidYear

Do you read Cheryl Richardson's newsletter? I do, and I really like it. Each week she talks about some small positive change you can make in your life and suggests a small action to take.

This week's newsletter was a reminder that we've finished Week 26 for this year, and suggested to review the changes we've made over the past 6 months, and celebrate our successes. The newsletter is here: Life Review: Inventory Your Success

I normally try to do that anyway, so the newsletter was a good reminder to make the time to do it. It reminded me to review my word for the year, which is "Path" and see how I'm doing on that.

Positive Changes So Far This Year:

• I have slowed down and learned to concentrate on one thing at a time. I'm in the moment more, and do less multitasking. That's a positive change because I tend to try to do too much at once and find myself distracted. Being present is a good change.
  
  
• I'm learning to limit my computer and email time. Yes, they're important, but so are other things. It's all about balance. And, I know I've lost some blog followers because I don't post as frequently as I might, but in return I've spent more time painting.
  
  
• I'm listening more to my body, especially when it needs rest. I have had a lifelong habit of resisting sleep and trying to cram too much into too few hours. Being adequately rested carries so many positive aspects through my day -- better concentration, better focus, more even temper, better choices, and so on -- that's it's worth the extra hour of sleep.
  
  
• I've cleaned and organized my studio to use the space more efficiently. I bought a couple of cabinets and a set of shelves so that I can put things away, reduce clutter and yet still find them when I want them! I can even run the vacuum without the risk of losing something important. That's so cool. Consequently, I use my studio more.
  
  
• I've taken some risks and put my art out for more people to see. I've applied and been accepted to Artomat. My ACEOs are now stocked at Artefino Gallery. I entered the Clothesline show in Hudson, which I haven't done for several years.
  

So that's my list, so far. I'll add to it as I think of other things.

How's your year going? What positive changes have you made? And how do you plan to celebrate your successes?