Signs, Signs, Everywhere are Signs

I took quite a few pictures of signs in New Mexico...

When you live in the high plains west of Lubbock and Amarillo (as I did 2008-2011), you see big blue sky (unless it is windy) and dramatic sunsets, but you do not have a whole lot of beautiful landscape to see (IMO). New Mexico has some beautiful spots, like Whites Sands, the Lincoln catwalks, Gila Monument, and of course the mountains around Santa Fe, but all of these are far from where we lived.

The brutal heat and ridiculous wind do a number on billboards and signage. As a result, many that are not old or historic appear to be relics of years past. I started taking photos of interesting ones.

We left New Mexico in summer of 2011, but I kept taking pictures of signs, in California and our travels across the country to live in Virginia.

Eventually, some of these photos become artwork:

I love the graphic nature of lettering incorporated into my paintings, particularly if abstracted into shapes. It is an element you can find in many of them, from the beginning (gravemarkers, Chinatown and Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco) to the present (The Boardwalk, Pike Place, and an upcoming painting of Glen Echo). I anticipate more in the years to come.

Reworking

What happens when you let a painting sit around the studio? Sometimes you decide to take another shot at it. Wednesday was one of those days. There were things I liked about the original take, but overall, it felt flat or cutout or something. I think the visual flow is improved and I really like the red in the trees. I'm still trying to figure out "how" I like painting acrylics. I like the staining watercolor look as well as the impasto "oil-like" look. I'm trying to develop "my style."

Below, are my favorite acrylics of 2013. What do you think they have in common? Comments desired!

Day 25 - Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days

Out the Window

Alcohol Ink on Yupo

4" X 6"

$40

Click here to purchase

This sweet mother bird built her nest down in our window boxes. I took this photo looking out my bedroom window and back into the living room window. (See the photo I was working from below.

I'm not sure what kind of bird she is. I originally thought she was a junco; now, I'm not sure. See the pictures below and give me your opinion. I am definitely not good at identification.

Dark-eyed Junco

 Western Bluebird

I had always wanted a house with window boxes and they did look lovely, but had to be watered A LOT. I'm still glad we filled them and enjoyed them while we were there. I wonder if the next renters kept them alive. I was planning to post a picture of the house with the overflowing planters, but I can't find a photo. I sure hope I have one somewhere!

Day 24 - Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days

Pacific Daydreams

Alcohol Ink on Yupo

4" X 6"

$40

Click here to purchase

This morning, I perused my thousands of photos looking for inspiring images to get me through the last week of the Thirty in Thirty Challenge. I have about 500 "art photos" from our ten months in Carmel, CA. We lived downtown near Dolores and 10th, five blocks uphill from the beach. It is a truly beautiful area and I miss being able to walk to all of my favorite spots there. It was too cold for this Southern girl; I wouldn't want to live there permanently, but....I daydream and look at my photos often.

This particular spot was a favorite of mine. It was almost as far toward Pebble Beach as I could walk on Carmel Beach. The rock I was standing on when I took the photo is covered in green mossy, seaweed stuff. If you tread carefully up and over it, there is one more tiny bit of beach. Sometimes, I would find small bits of sea glass there...and moonstones...and coral...and pottery. Yes, I have about ten pounds of stuff from all my walks. I was a little obsessed and I am not recovered, just removed from the trigger, lol. Here is the result of one day's walk.

 Enjoy the painting and your own daydreaming; it is a worthwhile pastime.

Day 4 - Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days

"Lighting Pescadero Road"

4" X 6"

$40

Sale Pending

There are many things I should be doing today besides painting, but here it is! Today's watercolor is of a lantern that hangs by a driveway in Carmel, CA along Pescadero Road. The ten months I spent in Carmel provided thousands of photos that I could paint from, but this one stood out to me today. I love the play of light and shadow the ironwork provides. It was simple enough an image that it made sense to paint it small. When I was just about finished, I decided the beige-y wall shape needed something and splattered it just a bit, something I haven't done in twenty years! Enjoy!

Day 3 - Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days

"El Paseo Courtyard"

4" X 6"

SOLD

The subject of today's painting is a planter that I photographed in the El Paseo Building Courtyard down the street from where we lived for a year in Carmel, CA. If you have not been to Carmel, one of the most enchanting aspects of the town is the plethora of hidden alleys and courtyards, often filled with fountains or sculpture and always beautiful plants and flowers. The climate in Carmel is the dream of many plants. It rarely freezes and even the hottest days don't burn up tender petals. They probably love being misted by fog in the afternoon too! This particular courtyard is between Pepe's Little Napoli (great bolognese!) and Pepe's Wine Bar on the corner of Dolores Street and 7th. (If you put it in Google Street view, you can see the entrance to it complete with the Vespa that is always parked there. I have to admit that even the virtual walk through Carmel made my heart go all aflutter.)

If it doesn't look like my last two 30 in 30 watercolors, that is because I decided to try something different. One of my desired Christmas presents was a set of alcohol based inks and some Yupo to paint on. I did receive these items. (Thanks, Mom!) For the thirty paintings in thirty days challenge, I want to keep the size of my work consistent, so I trimmed a sheet of Yupo into rectangles the same size as my watercolor paper and set to work. Honestly, I had/have no idea what I'm doing. I debated watched at least on demonstration on YouTube, but I'm never one shy away from the unknown, so I didn't. I just jumped right in.

Wow! I can see why so many Yupo works are rather abstract. At least with alcohol inks, there is no way to maintain a sharp edge of a shape. I want to learn to "suggest" what is in the picture instead of providing so much detail. Some time with this combination of materials should help with that goal if it doesn't make me pull my hair out first.

The palette of inks I have is called "Pinãta." I was able to mix most colors that I wanted using it, except for purple. The red and blue in this set do not make the color I was going for, but that is okay. I decided an assortment of blues would be fine. In the end, I like how it turned out. I like the blooming flocculations that the medium encourages. I think it is better suited to certain subjects, but you will see more in the days to come. Feel free to leave comments about your experiences with Yupo or alcohol inks in the comments. I plan to watch some videos too!