I Paint

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art, art and emotions, art experiments, art ideas, art instruction, artist, artist's eyes, artwork, creative art, experiments in art, fine art, imagination, p allingham carlson, Patricia Allingham Carlson, watercolor, watercolor painting

I paint.

I paint for hope, I paint for fear.

I paint to seek my truth.

I hope I paint when very old, I started in my youth.

I paint to mourn, I paint to play

to celebrate good news.

I paint in rainbows colorful, I paint in mainly blues.

 

I paint to see, I paint to feel,

I paint to comprehend

When I get some time to paint I don’t want it to end.

I paint.

New Years Resolutions…for this Artist

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art, artist, artist's eyes, artwork, creating art, experiments in art, fine art, p allingham carlson, Patricia Allingham Carlson, stay grounded, turning photos into paintings, watercolor, watercolor painting

1. Get and stay grounded. To me this means to keep to the present task- whether shopping for groceries or cleaning out an old drawer full of junk. My tendency to daydream can be a big time waster. Even while taking a walk I need to remember to live in the Now.

2. Get a better schedule- with the holidays here I have been staying up too late, sleeping in too long, and doing a lot of reading. Time to get back to normal( though the time off was nice!)

3. Stephen King- Yes, an on-going goal of mine is to do a book cover or illustration for my favorite author. Free. Just to do a pay back for all the wonderful reading and adventures and places his great imagination have given me. Yoo-hoo Stephen- you out there?

4. Keep up the current energy level- this past year has found me rather driven. As I learn more about marketing art, gain more confidence in my artwork, I have seen more success in my career. Success causes me to paint more, and each painting I do teaches me more about painting.

5. Don’t stop believing ***- we all have low times; the key is to remind myself of this and keep on trying. Getting rejected by a prestigious art show, doing a show with low sales and poor interest happens to many of us.As well as having those days/weeks where the ideas or abilities to paint are MIA. Keep the faith.

6. Stay in touch with the important real life- Must remember to not get so taken up by my plans or obsession to paint that I don’t make the time for my people. And remember to enjoy where I am and what is around me right now. The housework- well that’s another matter.

7. Stop and reflect- what am I doing, where am I going, how am I doing at what I wish to do? Put down the book , tv, and spend some time going over the state of the being. Having some regular restful reflection time needs to be in the mix.

8. Remember to be grateful. Many people help me all the time. I need to remember to thank them. And if some very good events occur in my life, I need to remember to be thankful. Actually I have been very blessed in many ways; gratitude is a very important grace to embrace.

9. Stimulate creative ideas- Winter can be such a dull time of the year. Art exploration requires creative stimulation. I need to look at the art of other artists. Take a hike outside in an interesting place. Go to a museum. Walk around a town street and take photos. Brainstorm and talk with others. Try a new art medium or medium use. Exercise the imagination.

10. Enjoy the ride! Life is what you make of it. Give it your all. Figure out the obstacles, deal as you must, then try to find the fun in what you do. After all, if you are a creative person with a talent at your art form, you have been given a tremendous gift. Use it and have as much fun as you can!

Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end of the day.
— Winston Churchill.

My Silver Fairy Bell

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My cool, bohemian fashion forward sister was wearing it, on a long chain around her neck. A silver orb, a bell that chimed so softly , sang with a ringing tone yet muffled; as though from behind a veil to another world.

I was enchanted.

And touched when she gifted me with my own necklace bell a few weeks later. It was Christmas time, and I wore it every day, holding it to my ear and hearing the magic bells chime, feeling the fairies dancing. That was over twenty years ago and I still bring it out every December. To those who don’t know of its magic, it looks like a festive holiday necklace. But it holds the key to my imagination.

Moonheart

Orbs and spheres are magical shapes. They go round and round, the beginning and the end, containing worlds within them. Circles of life, symbols of eternity. To enter into one is to enter another realm where anything is possible.

I often use spheres in my artwork. I figure a little magik can’t hurt. I paint round entrances into the other side of the veil, portals opening in the distance,

Windlestrae Bek windlestrae blog

small glowing orbs in the air

Firefly Frolic

and on people’s brows,

Guardian

beautiful spheres, mysterious ones and perhaps dangerous ones too.

An Other Place

All that we wonder about, all the mystery that floats on the world’s winds, legend and myth can be painted about. Adding magical circles can lead me on a fine imaginary adventure in my artwork. Maybe you too?

Kiss on the Cheek

Today I don my fairy bell necklace, listen and smile as it chimes, gently hold it near the ear of my baby grandchild and share its magic song with her. Perhaps it will add some magic to my day; and it will surely remind me of my sister’s loving gift to me.

Have a very fine day, all.

 

Why Make Art?

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art, art and perception, art education, art ideas, artist, artist's eyes, artwork, experiments in art, fine art, watercolor, watercolor painting, why do we create?

A group of people have hiked to a tall and splendid waterfall. They all stand back to look at the magnificent sight.

A geologist in the group studies the rock, ponders the composition of the sedimentary layers. An historian remembers the origins of the area, the Native Americans who dwelt there. An engineer may calculate the rate of the water’s  flow and recall an old waterwheel and mill he saw further downstream.

The photographer in the group is taking photos from different angles, pursuing a certain idea. The dancer is watching the water flow over the rocks, dreaming of expressing it in a waterfall dance. The poet is composing verse in his head to express the sight in words. The artist is studying the atmosphere around the falling water, the light and rainbow play in the mist, the color of the water and rock. The musician is listening to the separate sounds, taking apart the birdsong, roar of the falls, the wind rushing through the trees.

All of these people are enjoying being there, all feeling their own unique responses and ideas. But the artists in the group will take the moments into their various arts and express them as separate creations. Why?

I believe that art is a means people use to process their world. We are surrounded, bombarded by what our senses take in at any given moment. We learn to tune out the extraneous in order to learn anything at all. We learn to focus on the sense we need at the moment to stay safe, to enjoy food, to relax through music, to learn from a teacher. When we stroke a kitten, the exquisite touch of the warm furry creature is amazing. Experiencing the word of sensation can be very pleasurable.

The visual artist also wants to study the composition of the sights he sees. How the insect is segmented, the light flashes on the colors of the wings. How the flower fits together at the center, the petal shapes and stem joining. The mountain rising over the lake, the clouds and colors in the sunset.

Drawing is a first activity for the visual artist, an act of joy and trying to understand how the world is made. Through drawing an object  the artist comes to understand how it is put together and to express that discovery.

The act of expressing is cathartic, releasing tension built up by the bombardment of perceptions, allowing for the how and why to be clearly shown.

Creating begins as a way to understand the world as we perceive it. Processing the perceptions can lead to artistic creation. The act of creating can be wonderful or frustrating, but the artists I know pursue this once discovered,                    “Because I have to.”
Recently I wondered what could I create from a blob of paint. So I wet a paper and added watercolors randomly.After it dried, I imagined a tall sailing ship. Starting at the base, I began removing paint by adding water and blotting it off with toweling. Forming the ship. Next I did more of the same to form the sails and structures. Fun!Done, and the blob of paint has become Sailing Ship.Does your art bring you understanding? Joy? Frustration? Do you find meaning in your art through self expressing? Seeking a means to inspire, process, share yourself and unique ideas with others?Art is created for many reasons, in many different forms from the transitory to the more permanent. From the sewn quilt to the dance to the novel to the sculpture. Whatever your means of expression, I wish you great joy in it.”

Creating a Series, a Second Completed

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A hike in a local park, and an art challenge suggested by an art supplies vendor brought together a watercolor series idea. The hike through the woods and fields of Tamanend Park brought the exercise and peace my body and spirit were craving. The art challenge brought the spark to set my imagination to creating.

When I start a hike outdoors, I am often tense, wound up like a spring from the demands of life. I have trouble turning off my thoughts, running them over and over through frustrating loops. Within a half hour, I am far happier, more relaxed. My eyes and ears open to my surroundings, I see the subtle beauty of light play on trees, and I take photos to record inspirations for artwork. This tree on a hillside had such a quality.

A challenge to use the same image, or subject in four different art approaches felt like a fun way to use it. I enjoy a challenge- it frees me to try new things.

I set up the paper for the paintings. Then I began to sketch the landscape. By the second tree sketch, I was rather bored. It was a tedious start. Then I considered the  different approaches I could take.

This approach involves powdered graphite- first wetting the paper with water, wherever you do not want the powder  to stick. Powdered graphite comes in a little bottle, and is used to lubricate hinges and such. I tried it out and found it worked fine for this type of art approach.

The powder is washed off with water- in a bucket or hose. It leaves some unique textures.

My structure was set. All that was needed was drying time, then paint.

The colors came together very naturally for this part. Trying to capture the dynamic lines of the image with colors that I felt were suggested by the light, it all flowed for this painting.

The Hill at Tamanend

Darkening for accent, glazing more layers of color for vibrancy, then painting in many small golden branches, it was done.

On to the next one-

This one stared out with just a wet paper with  colors painted on. Pretty plain.

First I scrubbed off some of the extra colors in the foreground which felt over powering. The I started on the branches of the tree, trying to show the unusual quality of the light on the branches that day. I used an ever smaller brush to paint the finely articulated smallest branches.

Tweaking and adding detail, I ended up putting this aside for several weeks. I simply did not know how to take it further.

When I run into a wall with a painting, I often turn to experimentation. My thinking here is what do I have to lose? The work was not what I wanted. If I wrecked it, oh well! I mixed up some watery white tempera paint, and got out a toothbrush.

I spattered fine drops of white paint onto the painting. I used my other hand to block off other areas where I did not want the paint to go. A bit here and there, a bit more- my whole hand was white and the painting was done!  Now it had the ethereal quality of light I was looking for.

On to the next one-

My hikes in the woods lead me to the peace I need to function well.

What do you need to do to function well in your world?

Peace to all.

Creating Dragon’s Eye

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I am reposting Dragon’s Eye for the New Year.

An accident in the studio- a piece of safety glass was cracked; it remained attached in a single piece. As we discussed its disposal, my husband thought to slide a piece of watercolor paper under it and drip liquid watercolor through the cracks… hmmm. We did it!

Well, I let it dry for a week, then slid the broken sheet of glass off and threw that out. A richly textured stained paper was left. It had texture on texture, really impressive! I scraped off as much splintered glass as I could, then studied the thing. I had no idea what to do with it and set it aside.

It remained so for 3 years. Every so often I would pull it out and look at it, but it remained silent, and waiting. Then I saw what it would be. The texture was very reptilian and I decided on a dragon. I researched close up photos of reptiles eyes. I drew in the eye of a dragon.

This became an obsessive piece for me; I bought a dragon wall gargoyle, I listened to music that pictured dragons for me, I painted and had much fun!

I started work with the eye itself. I used watercolor ink full strength to cover the eye area completely. I have always loved painting and drawing eyes of all kinds, and this part was a easy to complete.

Close up of the eye.

In order to include the proper dragon anatomy- my vision of it anyway, I added paper surrounds to complete the whole head as a sketch. Looked right to me-

Done- Dragon’s Eye

20 x 15 inches

watercolor

Relaxing against a warm mountainside; you suddenly turn as the Dragon’s eye opens!

The original is available, as is a print at http://fineartamerica.com/featured/dragons-eye-patricia-allingham-carlson.html

The music I listened to as I painted and dreamed was Demon outside: Run, battle., by Adam Allingham- a gifted music composer.

Check out Adam’s work and songs at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adam-Allingham/174774089223111?id=174774089223111&sk=app_178091127385(soundcloud)

His facebook page at  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adam-Allingham/174774089223111

Visit my facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Art-of-Patrcia-Allingham-Carlson/151439547637?ref=hl

Happiest New Year to all!

Art Experiments with Watercolor and Sand.

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Looking Up

Sometimes I am brimming with ideas for artworks I want to paint. Often I am not. In our busy lives we don’t even have the time to create, express the ideas swimming around in our heads when we have them; how frustrating to have the time to create and no ideas to work with!

On such days I just haul out a variety of materials and experiment.

On this day I decided to try sand, water and paint. I don’t know where that idea came from, but I enjoy creating new textures to paint on, and wondered what these materials could do.

 

 

 

 

 

Outside I dumped sand onto paper, wet it, drew in it with my finger, then dropped concentrated watercolor paint onto it. Then I let it dry, and brushed off the sand.

(By the way, I kept the colored sand for another future experiment!)

That was really fun!

 

Here is what one of the dried works looked like- truly unique textures had been created. but it didn’t bring any inspiration for what to paint it into. It sat for months in my studio. I would periodically turn it in different directions, waiting for it to “tell me” what it wanted to be. One day it did.

The face I saw in the unfinished work was in an odd pose, not one I would have chosen myself. It was hard to get it right and make it look attractive; the view up someone’s nose is tricky to pull off! But the textures there for a head dress and hair were intriguing and fun to work with.

I used white ink with a pen to do much of the detailing. It took another rest until I saw what was needed to complete the head dress and veiling, then it came together.

Looking up was completed. She looks hopeful; that is a good way to look and to feel.

I hope your holidays were warm and wonderful. Mine were.

And I wish you a happy and creative New Year to be- Looking up!

 

 

 

Art- “Man plans, God Laughs”

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If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him you have a plan.

Holiday season approaching, my mother begins. “What do you plan for Thanksgiving dinner? Who will come to dinner? What will you serve, what time? And what is the plan for Christmas? Gift giving, dinner, …?

I tell her I am planning how to do what I am supposed to do today; I’ll worry about the holiday plans next- and one at a time. If I fill my head with too many plans, I would go bonkers!

In creating art, plans are fine and good. But they frequently do NOT work out as we hoped.

Sometimes, in a perfect painting world, the concept through completion go like a dream. You get a great inspiration, plan it out, paint flows from your brush to the paper, your perfect vision appears, is loved by all, wins a prize in a show… may sell for a great price to a happy customer- But not often!

The plan: crumple a piece of watercolor paper, smooth it out, tape in down, wet it with water, paint on it.

My theory: the paint would sink into the folds and creases, beautifully enhancing the floral forms I painted. Here is the start.

Here it is further developed- to me it was going Nowhere! So I re- wet it, and randomly threw some more paint on it.

Now it looked more interesting to me. I developed a tree form this time.

Now it had gone to a painting I could work with. But after more development, it eluded my ideas, and I put it aside. So much for my yellow roses plan.

A year later a visit to a gallery in New Hope, Pa, found me on the main street on a beautiful day. There I saw the most beautiful old white house, loaded with gingerbread trim and partly hiding behind a flowering cherry tree. With my ever present camera I took its photo.

Later in my studio I was between projects and pulled out some oldies I’d abandoned. There was that yellow roses tree, unfinished, an idea  in limbo.

What if I could capture that beautiful white house I’d seen, and paint it with cherry flowers? Would it work on the old discarded painting?

What happened next was a dream of a painting; all flowed from my brush to the paper with little planning. It happened just right for me this time, unforced, unplanned, the perfect place for those little yellow roses to go.

New Hope Cherry Tree- the white gouache paint I used seemed to add a transparent and transient sense of timelessness to the scene, the tree to embrace it as well. The painting was resolved, I was happy with it.

That’s why I don’t throw out failed paintings; what lies under may add perfectly to what is to come.

My plan came to fruition- but NOT as I had planned, lol!

Two last notes- If you are ever interested in prints of my paintings, they can be purchased at several on line stores, including Fine Art America and Zazzle. Links are at my webpage, and here as well.(about link)

alinghamcarlson.com

I am also now offering for purchase ready to frame, matted art prints, 11 x 14 inches. $45.00 includes shipping in the continental US. Contact me here with a note or go to my “about” link for other contact info. You can also message me at my facebook art page, the art of Patricia Allingham Carlson.

Last note- I would enjoy your suggestions about future blog topics; please drop me a note if you have an idea. Your responses to my blogs are always of interest to me too!

Have a successful week, all-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating Time

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Fairy Wood

I envy artists who have unlimited time to create. It seems my studio time shrinks with each passing week; I must forcefully neglect my self imposed to- do lists and chores in order to grab a bit of precious creating time. So that means the kitchen does not get cleaned, or the rug vacuumed, or I return the library books a day late and pay a fine. Sometimes I am so full of art, I just must do that. Oh well!

I have written before about the frustration of finally grabbing that studio time and finding yourself without any good art ideas. One of my fun activities on such a day involves setting up several prepared papers on boards, hauling out the paint, water and texturing plastics and papers and playing with art.

I wet the papers, dab and drip and spatter paint onto the surfaces, then press plastics, paper towels, leaves, whatever into the wet paint. Then I leave them to dry. At least I got to play with color and paint, try out some new texturing ideas, create something.

Next day the works will be dry, and I look at the papers from across the room, trying to see or imagine what I can turn them into. It would be pretty cool to snap my fingers and Shazam!  Fine art! No, I mean to paint into the forms or scenes that could be, develop them into something interesting.

I begin by taking the work I see promise in, and sketching in the scene. If the paint is dark I use a whiter conte crayon- or white pastel, which is easily erased.

Sometimes I can “see” a landscape, sometimes a person, animal, dreamscape… sometimes I must use one of my reference photos.

Here I saw a waterfall , rocks and trees, mist rising through a forest. I painted in the trees, defined the rocks for the fall to descend, used the textures as water and foliage.

Next I refined the details further, painting in darker ares, cracks in the rocks. At this point of painting, the hours fly by( the housework undone, lol) and my studio time is a joy.

And when it feels complete, I rise, stiff muscled, sometimes stretch and go outside to re-coop. Then I come back to the work and smile and feel great!

Then I start cooking dinner!

Does this routine sound like you, my artist friends?

I hope I have given you some ideas to try, I wish you lots of studio time this week, and much creative joy from it.

The First 500 are the Hardest

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Walking into my 12th grade art class was like entering another world. In retrospect the class was a structured more like a college level class, and I was to be treated as an adult. Responsible for my own motivation and ability to learn. The teacher, Mr. Edwin Nagel, had much to impart, techniques, media instruction, critiques- but only if we had the interest to seek it and to pursue it. I was enchanted.

This is what he wrote in my yearbook at the end of the school year- The first 500 are the hardest.

At the time the words had small meaning to me. What the heck? Five hundred artworks were nothing. I would quickly reach that number, then what? They would suddenly be easy to do?

Art Muse

college doodles

Off I went to college to pursue a degree in art education. And I worked very hard to excel in school. The only artwork I did for myself was major doodling. The assigned art was designed to teach concepts, and was often meaningless to me.

Marriage and full time jobs came next. Working to support ourselves, along with rent, food, and cars left little time or energy for artwork. I once traded a painting for part of the rent money- but that was during a rare time I had the energy to paint at all.

Along came my children. A great joy to me, but certainly a great time eater. As a mother I turned most all of my creative energies to being the very best mother I possibly could. It mattered totally.

I began to paint again when my oldest child was 3 or 4 years old. She would sit and work on her own art with me while the baby was sleeping. It was a peaceful time, and the muse would visit; then the baby would wake, the laundry need doing and the family become hungry for dinner.

500 hundred paintings indeed!

Over the years my art time was slowly returned to me. The more I explored it, the more I learned and loved it. The older my children grew, the less they needed my time. Though this did not stop me from inserting myself into their time and learning, I had devoted myself enough to allow them more freedom. And my own grew again.

100 paintings completed. 200 done. I was beginning to find them easier.

The key

Over the years I have had times when I could not paint; life weighing too heavily or time too tight to allow the muse near. Sad people make sad paintings. Stressed people make none.

But when I do create I become so much more motivated to create more. Success in anything is generated by practice. The more you do it, the better you get.

That is what Mr. Nagel meant. If- you have the stamina to persevere, you will find it easier and easier to show what you have in your heart and mind through your art.

And the more you can and do, the more you want to. A joy for life.

Listperson I- created from my many lists as I planned a major family event.

Here I took all the stress and thought devoted to planning a major family event and released it when the event had beautifully been celebrated. Expressing a new idea was delightful to me.

Thank you Mr. Nagel. You treated me like an adult. You offered to teach me with respect. You knew when to push me and when to leave off. You practiced your own artistry, and showed us how important it was to your life. You taught by leading, you were also a friend.

When I graduated from high school, you chose me for   Best Art Student in Graduating Class Award. I was so honored.

And I have painted well over 500 painting now, and you were right!

Have a peaceful day, a happy week to all.