I don’t recall what specifically inspired this piece, painted after a stormy October weekend in Lincoln City, Oregon. Depending on the quality of the light in the room, it can appear as a stormy afternoon, or the twilight of evening.
Shot in different light:
This is one of several pieces that I spent time on in 2020 and 2021, without doing much about documenting the work or sharing it; we’d just moved into our house in McMinnville, Oregon, and frankly life was pretty busy. lol
I’m enjoying a weekend in the studio, and finding much of my inspiration in recent sunrises and sunsets. Quite a bit of new work in progress. Details to come, once pieces are finished, but here’s a sneak peak…
I haven’t made enough room in my life lately for long weekends painting. It feels good to be back in the studio working creatively. I’m eager to see how these pieces develop, and getting them up for sale.
Funny title for a painting, I suppose. It has a backstory. Perhaps I’ll share that with a buyer one day. Perhaps not. This 8″ x 10″ acrylic on canvas piece has details that include glow-in-the-dark pigments and glitter. It was inspired by a brightly glowing luminous round full moon and the shimmering waves beneath it one mild October night in 2022.
Time spent in the studio, painting, seems to pass quite differently than any other time. New work drying on my work table, on counters, on bookshelves, and as they dry, joining the stacks of other pieces, completed, not yet sold. Very satisfying.
One recent work (Hints of Autumn) sold almost before it had completely dried, to a friend who has collected several pieces over the years. Also very satisfying – although even after so many years, I often find selling my work rather difficult; it means letting the sold pieces go. Somehow that’s still hard for me – they’re part of who I am. They speak for me when my own words are not enough.
One new piece continues to fascinate me, and each time I see it in new light… I “see it in new light” figuratively, as well as literally.
This particular canvas was painted around the same time as “Ship of Dreams” and “Nalla Was Here”, earlier this year, on a moody weekend fraught with romantic stress, during a pandemic. The physical experience of painting, for me, is often one of very soothing motions, allowing the act of painting itself to become a sort of meditation. “Feeling the strokes” as I work is one reliable way for me to “get out of my head” and back into my body, and to be more present in my experience. This particular work was supported by bass-heavy EDM tracks (mostly trap and house music), and was painted with Arteza acrylics (a departure from my long-time Liquitex and Pebeo selections). I’m enjoying the texture of these acrylics, which have a consistency of room temperature butter on a warm day – not quite molten, almost liquid. (I generally use heavy body paints, which is particularly useful for the sort of 3D mixed media pieces I often create, so the flow of the Arteza paint is quite a change!) I’m not held back by brand loyalty with regard to paint; I use what works for the piece I have in mind, or create based on the materials available. 🙂
I’ve been getting more time in the studio, but spending less on the computer. New work is piling up, unshared!
Summer very much felt worth celebrating, and there were some stunning moments that seemed to sparkle with joy.
The time slipped away so quickly… and just this past weekend, I found myself noticing hints of Autumn here and there, on my walks, and as I ran my errands. Time spent in the studio hints at those hints.
Happily, time in the studio is increasing as I become more settled in my work and home routines in this new place. More to come!
New work and work in progress. The new studio space suits me. As the holidays approached, I thought a lot about dreams, and memories. Two new pieces developed rather spontaneously from those thoughts, and the delightful new Rosemary & Co brushes, and new paints, that I got as a holiday gift this year.
I consider this first one to be the “proper” first piece to come out of the new studio. “Nalla Was Here” was painted from a perspective of thinking over long-remembered places I haven’t seen or visited in many years, and the way time sort of “smooths over” some of the details. A friend I shared it with exclaimed when she saw it, taken by a similar sense of familiarity and remembrance. (This piece is not for sale.)
A modest shift in lighting begets a very difference experience of color. (Gotta say, I’m enjoying these paints quite a lot.)
I started two other canvases that day, but finished neither of those. I’m okay with it. The luxury of having dedicated space for creative work allows me to slow things down and really take some time. So much so that I’ve been re-exploring watercolor recently (the miniatures I did in September were in watercolor), and this next piece, which I painted this week (Monday?), was an opportunity to give new gouache paints a try. “Ship of Dreams” is another 8″ x 10″ piece, and is inspired by contemplation of dreams and dreaming.
This is another piece that changes quite a lot depending on the light source. In indirect natural light, it has a dreamy dawn-scape look.
I’ve been fairly dreadful about keeping up with this blog – missed all of 2019, I think, (which was a relatively creative year) and most 2020. I’ll make a point to reflect on work created in that time frame sometime… soon…ish? 😉
My recent burst of inspiration resulted in some fun work in glow, mostly pretty light-hearted. It was a gray rainy day, too, and the filtered light and overcast skies resulted in creating some sunshine on canvas.
“Irises” 8″ x 10″ acrylic on canvas w/glow
This one results in a bright “moonlight” silhouette when charged.
“Irises” charged and glowing.
Spring flowers haven’t bloomed in the garden quite yet, but they bloom in my studio. 🙂
The Art of M. Elisabeth Howell 