January 2010
19 posts
8 tags
Finished...maybe...
The key to finishing is quitting. Just quit painting for a while….and that is different from stopping! Quitting doesn’t mean you can’t go back to the piece tomorrow or next week, but quitting early is tons better than later. In the beginning, the only way I knew I was finished was when I had done one thing too many - and was sorry. I would nudge a painting forward and only...
10 tags
Push and Pull
A little of this and a little of that — this composition has a lot of detail and I’m deciding what should stay and what should be tied together. And the truth is that I’ve left a lot of detail out already! There are so many decisions to be made while painting and those decisions are where 90% of the painting is done.
My first concern is the overall impression - are my shapes...
8 tags
The mask is off
Learning to work with interruptions is an art in itself! I’ve had a ton of distractions while working on this little piece. I managed to get a few hours to remove the masking and start building some detail. I’m building form in some places in others I’m deciding how to get some interesting contrast — where to push a light against a dark and vice versa.
So many...
9 tags
Blue sky...
I really don’t mind Mondays! After the weekend adoption event and house renovation, I enjoy getting back in the studio. I’ve masked off the edges of my structure so I can build a sky. I like a flat sky - it creates a nicer composition and we all know what a sky looks like. This is the second layer - it is still wet in this photo. I’ll build a couple more layers today then...
Coming up...
So it is back to watercolor….thanks to Blue Spiral Gallery. I was leaning that direction and they helped me make the decision yesterday. They sold several watercolors — thank you thank you thank you! I’ll finish up my last Midwest casein, varnish the last two groups, and start thinking watercolor again! And by the way, Blue Spiral is an outstanding gallery. I say that...
9 tags
Starting a new casein
I’m starting the third casein in this group. On day one I did the drawing on primed illustration board (acid-free) and blocked in the major shape. Yesterday I defined more shapes so I can consider the overall composition. I’ll tie a lot of these details together with a wash later but for now I want to get an idea of what is IN this composition. I’m thinking about what...
Seventh Session
This one is almost finished. I’ve put it aside so I can take a break from it. I’m sure I’ll make some little adjustments in a day or two. Knowing when a painting is finished is tricky and takes experience to feel confident about. There is never a definite completion point — I think that decision is very personal. How far we take an idea and our expectations are part...
Session Six
Taking a couple of days away from this painting was the right decision. The board was totally dry today so I didn’t have a problem with lifting paint. As I created form, a little lifting to blend with was okay — on the brink of disaster at times but still a good thing. By letting it dry thoroughly, I can start building again and get some crisp edges.
I sharpened up some of my...
Session Five
The mask is off….
I developed more form on the large forms (which happen to be tanks) and reached a point where I felt I needed to stop. I have a decent gradation and feel the transition is smooth enough — I would have liked smoother but it is bordering on overworked, so I’ll leave it for now. In watercolor, my primary medium for years, there are no brush strokes or marks...
Contact
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dana.danabrown@gmail.com
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Slow but steady
It doesn’t look like I did much - I actually worked very hard today! I worked on this little piece as long as I could until it needed to dry overnight. Builidng form on the white tank, I realized I was working too long and awkwardly at preserving the non-white shapes. Masking seemed like the right thing to do. Masking fluid is still on the protected shapes tonight - I’ll remove it...
11 tags
A little faith helps....
This is the third session for this little piece so it is making less sense rather than more at this point. Casein is a very weird medium, if you ask me. Moving the paint around takes practice and a certain touch that is easier on some days. A lot of the drawing details and shadows aren’t added yet - I’m trying to build form on the two grain silos (or whatever these amazing, huge...
Midwest Number Two
I started Midwest Number Two today with a simple drawing and the first wash. I”ll develop the drawing as I go. The first wash is diluted casein and I increase the opacity of the paint with each layer. I’m working on archival illustration board that is primed with two layers of casein. The photo at the bottom is the one I’m working with. A long way to go yet….
A little Midwest
I’m finishing the first little casein in this group - I almost finished this one today. I was in the mood for some clear skies — blue skies, that type of feeling. I’ve always loved industrial subjects and the midwest farmland has some wonderful imagery. My plan is to do three small caseins, each about 9” x 15” — all three images are already selected.
...
8 tags
Going through the motions
It’s the title of this painting….and sometimes exactly what I need to do! It’s comforting, reassuring, and can border on boring BUT I really think it works.
My focus has always been to keep working. Right or wrong, if in doubt….I paint. I might not feel creative or inspired but I have a choice to make. I can stare at the blank sheet and freeze, leave the studio and eat...
6 tags
Change is good
I’m excited about my new web presence. I”ve been an artist long enough now to appreciate the need for change. For instance, I’m in an airport right now, waiting for a flight, and updating my website. This is good.
When I started working full time as an artist, one of the first things I did was go to a printer and have a thousand business cards made. Then, I created a...
7 tags
Okay, I’m starting the new year with the emphasis on NEW. I’ve wanted a new web approach for about a year and didn’t know where to start. My old site was static - boring, actually. So I’m trying a new approach using the networks that we all use already. Twitter, Facebook, and this new blog. I hope you’ll come back often - I’m hoping my entries will improve...
Gallery Representation
Blue Spiral Gallery Asheville, NC Dragonfly Gallery Fayetteville, TN Perlow-Stevens Gallery Columbia, MO
River Gallery Chattanooga, TN
Resume
Recent Exhibitions (Selected):
“Beautiful Again”, Carnegie Visual Arts Center, Decatur, AL 2010 American Art Today, Highland, NC, 2009 (Best of Show)
Blue Spiral Gallery, Asheville, NC, 2009
Winter Exhibition, Dragonfly Gallery, Fayetteville, TN, 2009
“For Real? - Art of Deception”, Concord, NC 2009
Perlow-Stevens Gallery, Columbia, MO, 2008
National Watercolor...