Monday, March 23, 2009

Uncreative

I haven't been feeling very creative lately. When that happens, I spend time going through art magazines or visiting blogs I haven't caught up on in a while. I happened to do some catching up at Mike Bailey's blog (http://mebaileyart.blogspot.com) this weekend, and saw how he did a very interesting still life painting. He set up the still life, drew it once, changed his position for a different view, drew it again on the same paper, kept shifting his position. In this way, he got a rotating image that he drew on the same sheet of paper. Then he painted it.

Check out his latest works - his painting, Shattered, just makes me green with envy and makes me want to stand in front of it with my nose pressed closely to it and look at every little detail! I've heard that Mike's workshops really put you through your artistic paces. Maybe I need that now. Will have to check when he's in my area - or close. I think he has begun teaching at the Kanuga spring workshops but it's too late for this spring as it begun today.






So the only thing I have to share today is the colored rounds I made for the colorfulwatercolor group to show how Carol Carter (from the workshop I took) talked about shaping things using just color. If you like to watch paint explode and blend, you would enjoy doing these rounds using just your 3 primary colors and making one primary your central/center color with the other two around it. It takes some effort to keep the colors clean and that's what you want - no muddy blending all over :) You can tell from the black and white version (I just unsaturated the photo), that you really are shaping the rounds using just color.















And you can have fun painting just rounds and creating a real painting out of them - if you want to do that :)






8 comments:

Angela said...

Sorry to hear you're not feeling terribly creative - I'm having the opposite frustration - plenty of ideas, but no time to get them out! :)

Smart of you to be doing something to keep your brushes wet though! - I love that bottom painting - I love paintings that are really just about color and what you can do with it. And this one just really gives you a good feeling when ya look at it.

debwardart said...

Sometimes it's good to sit and "play" - something we adults don't do enough of. (I'll have to try the Carol Carter technique).
Yesterday I "played" by going through some art books - it was so relaxing to give myself time to "do nothing" (as the family would have said, had they seen me!!!)
Thanks for the info on Mike Bailey, I'll have to check him out more often!
ps - I corrected my prior post on my blog thanks to you!

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Angela and Deb, for your comments. I'm not too worried about the no creative zone around here - it will pass. I just have to get back to some things I haven't finished - which always stalls me at times. (Deb, I did the same thing on my blog - I had the wrong URL for Mike Bailey's blog and it went to someone else so had to re-enter it).

Ann Buckner said...

It is fun to play and this is most constructive play. Watching the colors work is one of the best parts of watercolor. Happy you did get your brushes wet and kept the creative brain active. :)

Sandy Maudlin said...

Hi Rhonda,
Saw Mike Bailey's demo last night here at Kanuga and got to talk to him. Hope your week goes great and your creative zone pops back up.

RH Carpenter said...

Hey, Ann - and Sandy! Thanks for your comments on this one, Ann, it was playful, just letting the colors happen and trying to work out the kinks.
Sandy, are you burning the midnight oil there at Kanuga?? I'm jealous - wish I was there in a workshop with Mike or someone - think I need a good kick in the pants and some hard work to get me moving. But I want to be outside - in the springtime blooms and digging in the dirt (so unlike me! ha ha).
Have fun there - learn a lot - come back full of energy and great stories.

Mike said...

Rhonda . . .

You might find that the uncreative feeling will propel you forward in your drive to be more so . . .it's that inner craving that provides the 'talent' to do more.

And THANKS for your nice referral, Rhonda. Isn't it amazing who we "meet" in this blog process?

Hope to see you at Kanuga next year . . . . it really is a super time . . .registrations begin August 1, 2009. Mark your calendar. You certainly won't be sorry if you go.

all my best to you!

RH Carpenter said...

Mike, I'm marking my calendar now for registration time :) Hope to see you then and before then, on the blogs :) Sandy Maudlin said she got to meet you this year!