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Saturday, February 21, 2015

Mr. Potato Head

 I admit it I love the old toys that remind me of my childhood....which was some time ago. When I was a kid they introduced Mr. Potato Head and for those who don't remember.....it was a bunch of plastic parts like eyes, ears, noses and hats which had a little plastic stake attached to them....you simply got a real potato and stuck them where you wanted them. I came up with some really cool combinations and remember the smell of a rotting potato to this day! You should never leave a dressed up potato under your bed for more than a day or two.....just sayin'.


Decided to pay my respects to Mr. Potato Head the other day in the studio, this was so much fun.

                                       To begin, a little collage and paint on watercolor paper.

                                      Mr. Potato Head image added and beginning to paint....
                                      I like to add lots of colors in small doses to the image.

Here's to you Mr. Potato Head.....hope to do Mrs. Potato Head soon.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Can I do Minimalism?

I admit it, I have a tendency to decorate a canvas....just seems I get carried away with color and marks and stencils and stamps...oh my!!.....and paper.

The other day while looking for watercolor paper in my studio I found a huge sheet of 300lb cold press paper. It always seemed too thick and coarse before but this time it spoke to me. Already full of texture and weight I decided to use a minimal amount of "decoration".

Chicks

While I normally begin everything with gesso I decided to use a stick of charcoal to draw and then to keep it from smearing while I was painting I sealed it with matte medium. Yikes, it really smeared when I started brushing on medium....but I went with it. Sometimes mistakes make the best art. After it dried I used watered down Golden fluid acrylics....about 3 layers of color.

Drifting

I added more black with oil pastels and black ink......I like it. It's a very restful way of working, simple but colorful....and just a little mark making.

Crosswise

I also love experimenting with small, odd-shaped canvas. This one is a 4 x 12.....a little gesso, Golden fluid acrylics and black ink.