October 30

Something new [uncompleted]

24" x 36" mixed media: watermedia and collage

2009

Off to the doctor this morning to see how I am doing. Expecting bad news especially about my blood sugar levels, last time it was under 8.0 .
We will have to see what today will bring. Have the new collage with in view of completion. here is the uncompleted version.

October 29

Almost finished my new water media collage, as of yet unnamed. I am already planning more pieces. I was looking back at my posts and see that I have not posted a new work for over a month. I guess you call that a vacation. I am again working and need to finish before publishing. I am wondering about my direction. Got the collage doing what it is supposed to. Collage went down fine used acrylic and medium to perck up yellow and to branch from collage to empty space at top of new piece, Now I just have to regulate the upper composition with the rest of the design of the piece.

October 28

I was looking back at my posts and see that I have not posted a new work for over a month. I guess you call that a vacation. I am again working and need to finish before publishing. I am wondering about my direction. Got the collage doing what it is supposed to. Collage went down fine used acrylic and medium to perck up yellow and to branch from collage to empty space at top of new piece, Now I just have to regulate the upper composition with the rest of the design of the piece.

October 27

We are home it is a relief to be back on you own turf and my bed. It is also the first time in over a month that I get to get back to work on my Art. I have some ideas.

I feel at this time that I will continue to do the mixed media: water media and collage that I have been doing for the last year.I will continue to explore the use of the fast food wrapper in my collage.

I have a desire to do more work in portraiture and figure painting [drawing]. I also want to get back to the use of wax pastel (watercolor crayon) they give a very unique color signature.They show and enhance the handmade texture creating in a drawing mode.

October 21

Mark's birthday, may your birthday be a celebration of your life. Happy Birthday.

The collage is taking on some of my characteristic shapes and colors now. Started to layer tissue paper into the collage to blur the torn wrapper shapes and as a lightening device of the area selected. Seems to me to be working well, gives me a good feeling all over.

October 20

Took Paulette to the eye doctor, for her three month checkup, her eyes are some what stable, nothing is worse. Kind of like mine.

My collage is coming along slowly. have some what done the undercoat, need to do more collage and watercolor, Then, I need to tighten up the composition and go from there.

It is an interesting process to create something on paper. I personally start with a doodle large or small. I then try to fit it into a landscape concept. This will get me going and help me smooth the way to a new piece creation. As you work through your beginning you will see that the concept you are working on will expand and take shape thus giving rise to your idea. Fruition is a ways off and can only be completed with a finishing satisfaction.

You should realize when you are done. Who else could.

October 18

Finally back to work. I took a vacation, a few sketches, read a few articles. Kapt the mind active,
Working on a larger mixed media collage. Laid in the watercolor and am about to finish ithe inking, then to the collage.
Trying to stick with a sence of landcape instead of strictly abstract.
If you do abstract you need to start with something unabstracted(natural) to change into the abstraction. I have an I dea for the natural yto change.Like Duchampe's nude decendinf a staircase I want the original to be unmistalkable in its scope, then to work from that to where ever it takes me. Want to use some washi to combine body with texture

October 15

Its been a while since I had the gracious feeling of reaquaintebce. I'm glad to be home again.In my own bed, no distractions by looking to stay out of other peoples way. Don't have to do what others want, can work on my Art to please me, and with out the consternation of others.
Still raining. Has been for five days. Dallas radio said that it has rained every day Except
for two in October, well that's thirteen days I did some sketches of vacation, here are a few.

Of course there are a lot of limitations in sketches. They help me to put down an idea, a changing concept and to work on new or evolving techniques. As well as testing what I have thought up. Take them for what they are worth.

October 14

Up and on the road again. while the trees are everywhere, they are more green, not putting on the show they did farther north.
The rain has stopped. The traffic is more evident, more drivers, More crazies, too manyof them on their cell phones.

October 13

Its raining lightly
9:00 am left Branson on our way back home
The trees are more fully into their fall colors now pretty in their dazzling splendor.
Stopped for the night in Paul's Valley Oklahoma.
Ate at a the Pumpkin country eatery, excellent food.

October 12

Columbus day a day to reflect
on the endless things Columbus brought us
when by accident he found us instead of India
on his journey so many years ago.
So manty hate him because of the perceived evil
of his deeds when all want to blame him
for the misdeeds of those who came after.
God does visit the iniquity of the third and fourth generation
of those that hate him. And shows mercy to those that love him.

October 7

8:30 left Atoka for Branson 105,955
Ate breakfast in Savanna at a truck stop.
Got gas ay 11:45 108,057
got to Branson 4:15
scenery was beautifuopl alon 13 we had to cross 2 one lane bridges one was wooden and a suspension
it was a bit creepy and even a bit scary.
The driving through the hills was different with all of the curves and people don't slow down.
We were hounded by a school bus who rode on our ass
because we wouldn't go over the speed limit.
Trees are jusy beginning to turm, The Ozarks are beautiful.
Except for Dallas and Austin every thing north is heavily tree covered.

October 6

Left for Branson at 8:30 am
Stopped in Hills borough.
Stopped at 4:30 p.m. in Atoka, Oklahoma for the night
Ate dinner at the truck stop in Atoka.
On to Branson tomorrow 308 miles to go all on country roads

October 5

Off to the physical therapist today as well as a lot of last minute errands before leaving tomorrow. Plan on doing some sketching and a lot of photography. Also am going to look for collage material for my new projects.

Planning on a few new larger landscape collages. Want to use a larger size paper, verticle instead of horizontal. This will prove to be difficult since I do not have the space to do a verticle piece on my work table. So I will have to do this in stages rearranging the studio as I go.

I want try some more varied techniques with more graphite and some watercolor resist and other masking fluids. And since the Art community is lumping Acrylic in with watercolor and labeling it Water Media, I no longer have to worry about constraints on my watercolor collage that have held me back up to this point. Since they do not accept my work I guess I am free to do what ever I want. I am not trying to stir the pot so to speak, but like McDonald's old motto I want it my way

It will now be water media and collage. I will continue to use ink and colored pencil as well as wax pastel. I reall want to work in more of my way of doing things instead of the prefered way of doing things. I am more concerned with the texture and design rather than the elements of the realism. I want also to convey the feeling of landscape without necessarily doing a landscape.

A was pointed out to me in graduate school. the colors of a region figure greatlty in the actural construction of the landscape. I need to invest more research inyto the colors of Texas and the southwest I also need to find out if there is a actural color preference for this region.

October 4

Working on a few landscape sketches in watercolor and colored pencil.
Will continue to search myself in an attempt to justify there rejection in my mind. Having problems with it.

So I will see how it goes, maybe look for a new gallery. I really like my collage watermedia landscapes. Will also take a bunch of photos on the trip and do some sketching.

Growth does not always come easily or without pain.

October 3

Its a sad day in New Braunfels Jim has struck out. All of the pieces submitted for acceptance into the Artoberfest show at the New Braunfels Art League Gallery were rejected, So for the second year in a row I will have nothing in the show.

Well I guess I will have to rethink my approach to Art and see if changes need to be made.

I realize the the local market is mainly consists of realism and schmaltz. I am not apposed to either, but for the most part I will do what I feel is my best for my work.

But if I am to put my best out there then regardless as to the out come, I will put out my best. If it means back to the drawing board the so be it. I ain't dead yet.

October 2

Funny how you feel when a project is completed.
You sit back and relax and wait for the other shoe to fall.
So, what's next.
Learn to speak french.
I haven't heard as of this writing weather or not the pieces I have entered into the Artoberfest Show will be accepted into the show. If not I have another years to work on something new.

I was thinking about combining colored pencil and watercolor and or acrylic.
the watercolor for smooth transparent values. the acrylic for its opaque qualities and the colored pencil for more brazen mark making. The idea is to infuse the piece with more drawing qualities and still maintain the smooth transparencies of the water media. So I will work on a larger piece and when I gave the base done I will insert collage to more thoroughly enhance the texture and varied colors, as well as making it one piece by fusing all of the elements together in plastic. More when I have a chance I am listening to Dvorak Symphony No.2.

October 1

building block collage

on the rocks

The day has arrived. Last year when I entered pieces into the Artoberfest I was turned down for all three pieces. To add insult to injury I also lost the entry fee. It didn't brake me, but it did give me pause to think through my entries a little more thoroughly. I realized that I had to deliver pieces that they would like. So this year I picked one of the pieces and Paulette picked the other we will now see who has the best submission judgement.

I spent an inordinatly large amount of time working on these two pieces. My work is considerably different than the large majority of entries. They need to be professional looking anf well thought out. I selected for my choice "on the rocks"while Paulette choce " building block collage" I am happy with both now. we changed the orentation of building block from verticle to horizontal.

So we'll see how it goes.