Extremes

It seems to me I am painting in one style or another these days. As you know, I have been painting the details of the little squares or cells combined with the reflective paint. But in preparing for those paintings, things like this happen:

I thought this was going to be a base for another one of those paintings, but this came up. It literally appeared before me as I was applying base paint on the canvas.

I have done some of these minimal canvases before and really enjoy them a lot. This one had to stay. In my heart, I felt it just did not need to be touched at this point, so I have not. Well, there will be some fairly heavy glazing added.

How about you? Do you find sometimes you are stopping just when you are getting started? Do paintings kind of present themselves to you when you least expect it?

Now, have a good weekend. And next week, I will be publishing my Conversation with New Zealand Glass Artist, Lesley McIver. You are clearly in for another treat!

Adding Glaze

I spent the weekend in the studio. One of the things I did was to put glazing on this painting. I know you have seen it before, but I thought you might get an idea of what the glazing does for the colors. You can scroll down to the post titled Walking the Path (just one post between these two) to see the same painting without the glazing.
As you can see, I again just took quick shots. But they are in the same location with the same type of light (even taken the same time of day).

Now this edge shot was a lot more difficult to get for some reason. But you can see the glazing clearly here.

This particular painting has about 12 layers of glaze on it.

Sorry you are seeing the same painting again, but it is one of the things I did this weekend and I thought you might like to see the changes this technique makes. I will be showing you a few other things later on.

Did you make any art this weekend?

Have a Wonderful Day!

Walking The Path

This is one of the paintings I have been working on lately. As you can see, this is just a quick snap, but I thought you might like to see it. Additionally, it will get a lot of glazing which I hope to begin this weekend.
At this point, there are no glazes applied. So hopefully I will be able to show you the difference once that happens. The exciting part is I have the glaze ready to begin applying. The working title for this painting is Walking the Path. This is copper, inference and regular acrylics on canvas.

This shot shows the edge of this piece. Most of my paintings also wrap around the edges like this one.

I am thinking of some other ideas along these lines and am continuing with some of the other ideas within the Contemplation Series.

Soon, I will be making the rounds to your blogs. I am missing you but need to get a few personal things straightened out here as people are going here and there and I am the director of traffic! :)

Here is to a Great Day for Everyone!

"Phases of Life"

Good Morning Everyone! I do hope you have had a lovely weekend.

Today I grabbed s quick shot of one of the paintings I recently completed. You have seen this as a WIP before, however since then I have added layers of gloss glazing. This will go into my Contemplation Series and will have the subtitle, "Phases of Life". It is painted with acrylics (including silver, pearl and inference), and each small canvas is 4" x 12" (12" x 20" overall).

This is different for me, but I have had a great time doing it. It fits right into my work with slow, meditative art. Actually, Andrea gave me the idea when she was doing drawings of jewelry. Thanks Andrea...I guess this goes to show you no two painters see things the same way. :)

Summer is in full swing at my house these days with lots of stuff going on. I hope you are enjoying what ever form summer or winter is taking at your house.

I will be back with another post on Wednesday this week!

Have a Beautiful Day!

It Is About Time....

I guess you thought you would never get to see any more paintings from me. Well, here you go. As I have said, I have been working on several at once, but have decided to call this one done.

So here is a quick shot of one which will go in my Contemplation series, however I have no idea what to sub-title it (suggestions are very welcome). This is acrylic on a 12"x24" staple-less deep gallery wrapped canvas. Some of the paints have some inference colors added and the more orange hue is in copper acrylic. There are about 50 layers of the clear glaze on this painting...so getting any reasonable photo was not easy. Doing this painting was like dancing! I had a great time with it.

I had a very busy, studio-less weekend. I hope your weekend was fun.

Look for me back here on Wednesday with my Conversation with Fiona Long. I know you will enjoy what she has to share with everyone.

Until then, I look very forward to hearing from each of you!

Seeking Advice

Here is a little posy to get your week off on a lovely path!

This is the painting I finally completed this weekend. I have been working on this for quite some time as it has probably between 50 to 75 layers of glazing. It will go into my Contemplation Series and is acrylic on 30 x 40 gallery wrapped canvas. I am still toying with names for this one. If you have ideas, I am listening. Some of the ones which have come to me are Into the Depths, Soul Seeking, and Into the Spirit. But I have not settled on anything at this point.

What do you think would be a good name for this painting? Do you ever have trouble with naming your works? Did you have a good weekend of art making or art seeking?

I have received a book shipment, so tomorrow I will share with you some of my thoughts on what I received.

What is in your ear when you are in the studio?

As most of you know I am currently working on two series (a loose description for what I do, actually), The Contemplation Series and The Music Series. No, I am not going to show you photos of paintings again, today...promise! But I normally paint with music playing in my studio even if I am not working on the Music Series. It is very relaxing and it also gives the rest of the house the message I am working in there! :)

The little iPod was a birthday gift to me this year. I love it...and normally things like that do not hold a ton of interest for me (for example, I don't have a Blackberry nor do I wish for one). But this little rectangle is great. In the studio I unplug the earphones and plug it into little speakers. When that music is going I relax and sometimes I even dance...and I get lost in there creating my own little world...you know what? The brush and paint really love the music, too. I can tell because they begin to dance together sometimes. :)

Do you listen to music when you work? If so, what plays in your ear? Who do you listen to?

Me? What you want to know who I listen to? Oh, I have lots of musicians I like...Josh Groban, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Five for Fighting, Savage Garden, Supertramp, The Moody Blues, Neil Finn and even the likes of Rod Stewart. There are many more, but this gives you a general idea. If it isn't old, I usually hear about "music you will like, Mom", from my children...those precious ones!

Contemplaing on Contemplation

Contemplation 9 (do you have ideas?) Mixed Media 18 x 18 deep, gallery wrapped canvas

As you can see, I was able to get into the studio a bit this weekend. Yippee! You might recognize some parts of this particular piece. I think a while back I was showing some things I had done on rice paper and one was this particular image. After that, I tore the painted rice paper into strips along with another painted rice paper which was done with similar paint however without the image. I then wove them together as you can see here and attached the woven piece to some other rice paper. This almost felt like loosely woven fabric...it was quite lovely to touch. So this hung around for a little while. Then I came up with this particular idea. The background has many, many layers of thin glazing. You might be able to see those if you click on the image to make it larger.

So for this one I am looking for ideas for the subtitle. As you can see it will go into the Contemplation Series, but I am not sure what to call it. Yes, my international friends, let me know your thoughts, too. Here are some I thought about, but was not sure how they might be received...Meditation, Focus and Silence.

So my questions are: Do you like any of these subtitles? Do you have other ideas which might come to mind when you view this work?

I look forward to hearing from you all...Have a Very Lovely Day!

A Big Thank You and Music 1

I want to thank everyone for visiting here yesterday. Being able to share another artist's art and story with you was so very rewarding for me. I hope you all enjoyed learning about Andrea and her work. Please continue to visit her blogs as they will inspire you, bring you joy and with each visit you get just a glimpse into the life of this beautiful person. Again, thank you all for playing along with us while we prepared the conversation and for your tremendous support and visits yesterday.

My personal goal is to continue to have conversations with artists on some regular basis. It takes some time to pull everything together, but if I can do one or two a month for now that would be good. I promise no more dragging you along, either. I will tell you when to expect one! Additionally, if any artist has an interest in being a part of this with me, drop me a line via email: artist[at]KimRodefferFunk[dot]com (sorry for the dead link, but you know why).

This is the first painting of a new series for me. The series is titled Music and this painting is Music 1 . It is 30" x 40" Mixed Media on deep (2.5") gallery wrapped canvas.

With this series I am listening to a CD a lot - even if I know it very well. Then, I paint while also listening to the CD. Each painting in the series will have a gestural mark which is made while listening to a particular song on the CD. While I don't have permission to share with you the name of the song, I will share here on this blog the name of the CD. Music 1 was painted while listening to Josh Groban's Awake CD. If you are into contemporary classical music and do not know of this singer...you need to find one of his CD's to listen to. He has the most amazing voice for such a young man.

I have started the next in the music series and hopefully I can share that with you next week! At least I am focusing on that! In the meantime, you can contemplate on who I have chosen next. Anyone out there who already knows...shhhh!

So today I leave you with these questions. Do you work in a series? Do you think it is important? If you work this way, how do you come up with what the series might be?

Thinking through the weekend!

This is a 10 x 10 Acrylic on deep gallery wrapped canvas. I have not made any decisions about what to call it or even if it is completed. At this point, I am contemplating, so it will probably go in that series! Of course, if you have any thoughts about this work, don't hesitate to send me a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Now, on to today. I would like to maintain the focus throughout this weekend on yesterday's topic. I am only interested in staying on this subject through this weekend then want to move forward with other thoughts. Todd Camplin (http://www.camplinart.blogspot.com/) posted a nice, detailed response to yesterday's post on his blog. I am inline with his thinking and appreciate him taking this on there, as well. Hopefully there will be some additional comments here, too. Yesterday Andrea (http://cestandrea.blogspot.com/) and Julianne (http://www.colorspeaker.com/) posted some good comments, of which I also agree. Please read over those and visit each of these blog sites. After reading these responses, please let me know your thoughts, concerns, etc. about this subject. On Monday, there will be a totally different subject on this blog and I will move forward with other thinking.

Until then, have a very lovely weekend!

How Do You Like It?

So a few weeks ago, I kind of got into doing these paintings where I applied thin rice paper over a painted canvas, then tore away the parts of the rice paper that did not stick very well. In these torn away areas, I painted again. Well, here is another rice paper covered canvas:

This will also go into my Contemplation Series as Contemplation 7. It is a 12 x 24 deep, gallery wrapped canvas and obviously Mixed Media. With this one, the rice paper really stuck well...I was too generous I suppose. Anyway, I dry brushed several layers over the rice paper, then highlighted specific areas of the rice paper scrunches. It didn't seem complete to me, so I lived with it a couple of weeks. It kept calling me back, then I realized I needed something strong and more severe to balance out the softness of the background. So on went the black squares. It was just what the painting needed, I think.

As usual, I will not sign the front so it can be hung the way it best works in a variety of settings. But I thought it would be interesting to ask you how you best like seeing it? Vertically, it is much stronger and like windows, but horizontally, it is more restful like benches.

Seeing this on the web, out of context, makes a huge difference in how it would really be viewed. But I thought the answers would be fun...and it might make a difference in how I show it on the web, too.

Who knows, though, someone might want to hang it obliquely! :)



I hope you have had a lovely weekend and are looking forward to a wonderful week. I can't wait to hear from you.

A Little Studio Time

I thought I would share what I have been working on in the studio. I have made no decisions about it yet, even if it is done or not. It will probably go into the Contemplation Series, though. This is a standard 24 x24 canvas. I used gel medium with a bit of blue spread rather thickly on the canvas with a cake frosting spreader. I allowed that to dry for about a week or so. Then I painted over that with more darker blue, some red, of course purple and a bit of black. Once that dried, I used gold inference to highlight a few of the more interesting lines made by the origional gel.

Lately, I have been doing a bit of exploring with some of the more unusual paints like the inference, some metals and pearl. They are interesting, but do not photograph very well...most likely it is the photographer, though.

What is happening in your studio? I know there are some really interesting blog posts going on.

I am not sure what tomorrow will bring. Are you planning a fun weekend?

Commissions

I thought I would share this painting with you today. It is Contemplation 6, 12" x 12" acrylic on deep, gallery wrapped canvas.

So today I am going to move off in a different direction. Babs ( http://www.wilsonart-babs.blogspot.com/ ) suggested possibility talking about commissions. My friend, Julianna ( http://www.colorspeaker.com/ ) has recently talked with me about a commission she is working on. And Andrea's postings ( http://cestandrea.blogspot.com/ ) started me thinking about how to approach commissions once they are procured. So I think I am supposed to talk about commissions today.

Now I am not going to talk about how to locate commissions. I wouldn't know where to begin with that one. I am not a person who would take on a commission lightly as it would have to be the right proposal at the right time. What I would like to talk about is how to work with your client to produce the best work you can for them. The one thing you want to do is make the experience of working with you a positive memory. So you first need to realize why a client might have chosen you. First of all, it is obvious, they like the work you do. But I also think it is very appealing to many people to know someone has put effort in creating something original just for them. This is why you want to make the experience a positive memory for them. But you also want to have a positive experience.

First of all, say yes when you feel as though you can work well with the client. That is really important. Say NO if you just don't feel right about it! Lean on your intuition for this one. The next thing I think is important in creating this positive memory is to find out as much as you can about the client. Oh, we will ask what of the work we have done do you like? What colors do you like? Where will the painting be placed, etc. These are issues which can change quickly. So I think it is important for everyone to go a bit beyond that. For example, as an artist, evaluate the type of person they are: introvert, extrovert, laid back, type A, who and what do they surround themselves with, what are their major interests, how do they dress (gives great information), what kind of focus will the work have in their living/working space and of course the specific location they have in mind for the work...although that can change drastically. And use this information to create...

Considering a few of these you may need to think about the opposite of the answers to these questions. For example, a laid-back introvert may very well enjoy an exciting, colorful, over powering work...and they may not. Maybe the classic dresser really loves the idea of rustic...and they may not. The international banker might just love the idea of terra firma...and maybe not. You see, it is your job to really explore all of the possibilities and get a sense of what is going to excite this client in the type of work you do. And by-the-way, no space in a home or office is to be considered not worthy of your work. Sure, who would not like to be commissioned a huge canvas for the foyer of the penthouse? But the bathroom is a place where the viewer is captured alone to contemplate what is on the wall. And the more intimate the space, the more your work will be appreciated.

So here is the question, how do you effectively work with the client in a few meetings? That is where Andrea's (see link above and to the right...CestAndrea) project comes in. If you go to her blog site, go ahead, it is really wonderful, and scroll down to where she is talking about her "trend boards". Do you see these creative boards she is using to help broaden the colors for her work? If a client had these kinds of references to view, so you could get an idea of what they like and what they think they do not like, I think it would make the world of difference in the commission experience for everyone. If boards like this were created for the elements of art and you could use the principles to pull together the perfect piece for the client, don't you think it would be a positive experience? Yes, yes of course you would have to create the boards, but that would also be a positive experience for you (I have found that revisiting the elements and principles from time to time is very refreshing) as well. And over time, you could have a lovely series to use not only for your own reference, but to use with possible commission clients, too.

This brings me to my final point, for me it is important to connect with lots and lots of different artists. As you know, I love painting, but I also love other art forms a lot. I also love textiles a great deal and that is what drew me to Andrea's blog (and the fact she lives in Paris and speaks excellent English :) ). I additionally adore glass and have my favorite glass artists, too. Then there is the pottery...oh, I could go on and on here. But the point is by working together and understanding most all creative people are confronted with the same issues, we can learn so much with so much less pain. Sometimes it is another creative person who comes to your for a commission, and that makes working with them a bit easier...there is the common language. But often it is not someone who speaks the language of creativity who wants to commission you, so you have to help them learn a little bit of creative speak and you will need to learn a little bit of "whatever" speak. The experience I have in interior design has allowed me to understand whenever you allow the client into your world a little bit and give them the chance to "participate", then they are almost always happy with the result!

So what do you think? I am sure there are some wonderful comments wanting to get at me on this one.

On Monday... I will tell you what I do to make it easier for viewers/purchasers to participate in how they see my paintings.

Until then, have a Beautiful and Creative Weekend. And let me know your thoughts...

Needed for Creativity....

As promised, I am sharing a few of the paintings I photographed yesterday. It is good I did that, too, since today we are very cloudy and that isn't so good for the way I have to do this.




So this one is called Contemplation 3 and is an 8" x 8" in Acrylic on Deep, Gallery Wrapped Canvas.

I will show you another one in a little bit, but I said I would talk about what I need when I create. Like Babs and JafaBrit (see comments on yesterday's posting), I do not work well under pressure. The thing is I have learned to contend with that in a way I don't hear about too often, I clear my schedule and get the work done when I first get the project going. Yes, I am one of those people who has to get things done early, so I don't feel the pressure. I think this is a hold over from my interior design work (one doesn't spend 30+ years in a field without it having an impact), along with other strange practices.

For me, also having supplies at my fingertips eliminates a lot of irritation, thus helping the creativity flow. I am not a person who needs a pin neat space always, but I do need to be able to see my materials. That, I know, is part of being a visual person...I just have to see it. The flip side of that, I know, is for some visual people their line of vision can't be cluttered. Like most creative types, I need lots of light and a comfortable temperature in my studio (this second one just might have to do with being right at 50 years old). I also like quiet surroundings or peaceful music. I am quite sure I cannot work with the television on, although maybe I should try sketching that way to see what happens. Of course, as mentioned before, it is important for me to be happy. Most of the time, I am quite happy, but when that spurt of anger or negative emotion comes, I can get nothing done. And I need my inspirations! Oh yes, I suppose positive feed back and quality discussions are also important to me. While I don't do that while I work, I do need it in my life to move my work forward. Is that the reason I am doing this blog? There are lots of reasons for that...I just adore all the wonderful people I have met over the last months!

But one thing I know is important is to have opportunities to be influenced by other art. I mean all of the work you each share, but also writings, theatre, excellent film, dance, music, etc. And I am going to include cultures in this one. While a mobile studio is a must for me with our moving around, I do feel the need to experience a variety of cultures...within this country and outside of it!

Okay, so now here is another photo I took yesterday...

This is Contemplation 4 and is a 10" x 10" Mixed Media on Gallery Wrapped Canvas. With this one I did a lot of texture on the canvas with odd bits and pieces...like paper, gauze and bits of metal...then I covered it with a heavier rice paper and painted over that with acrylics.

So here is my question for you...what kinds of things do you need to be creative?

Tomorrow...well, as Babs suggested...maybe we should talk about commissions. It has come up a couple of times. I know there are lots of you there with insights to that one!