Sunday, May 23, 2010

Spring time in Texas


I occasionally do attempt representational painting, and this is one such attempt. As you can see, the results are very abstract.
This was my first try at painting the wildflowers of Texas. The Blue Bonnets fading into the Crimson Clover. The fields with their riots of color, each looking like paint splattered upon a canvas. Driving past field after field, and gradually watching the colors shift as I drove into Louisiana, the artist part of my brain was busy plotting on how to paint this scene.
The green background was laid down in careful hues of green. The light green, dark green, yellowed green. Each was painted. And then I took a toothbrush, and started flicking the water colors on top. It's a slow process to build up the splattered paint, but well worth the effort.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Texas Easter


This painting was inspired by my drive to Louisana to see my friend Natalie. The miles of wildflowers captured my imagination. I loved the splattered colors that spilled over to each other. I loved the bright colors against the green background.
These colors though come from Texas. The blue is reminscent of Texas Blue Bonnets, the state flower. The orange reminds me of the Indian Paint Brush. I never could find the name of the bright yellow flowers that bloom. But the purple/crimson is Crimson Clover.
The flowers bloom in the Spring. A Texas tradition is to go get your Easter pictures in a field of Blue Bonnets, or other wild flowers. Here I have a Cross to represent the real reason behind Easter!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Durrow


The Book of Durrow is thought to be one of the earliest Celtic Gospels. Composed of the Books of Matthew, John, Luke and Mark. The style shows the blooming of the celtic decoration styles.
This piece is composed of mostly Celtic interlace, otherwise known as Celtic knot work, on a background of purple water color. The interlace is worked in colors very common to Celtic Gospels, light green, orange, aqua blue and red. The Celtic Artist were limited to the colors that they could either produce, or import. In the early stages of their Art there were few colors that were imported. By the time the 12th century came along that had changed significantly.
This piece has been chosen to particpate in a local art show that will run from May 18- June 15.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Irqa


Irqa- "READ!" The angel Gabriel commanded the prophet Mohammad. Mohammad, a poor orphan who was tossed from family to family as a child stuttered, "I can not read."
"READ" again the angel commanded.
"I can not," the poor man said again, not sure where this conversation with the divine was going.
"READ what I put in your mind" the angel finally said, and began to deliver his proclamation.
And so began the importance of literacy in the Arabic world. When Europe trudged thru the illiterate dark ages, the Muslim world already had over 800 years of social literacy. Children were required to go to school and learn to read the Quaran.
READ
The Quaran is the background of this piece. In the foreground is the Bismallah, the Islamic Confession of faith. The word Allah is cut from the Bismallah giving a view of the Quaran. The specific thing that Muslims are commanded to read.
So READ!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

By His Blood


The dominant color of red just brings to mind the attonement of Christ.

The background is an orange that was painted wet in wet, and then splattered with a variety of other colors.

This was more a happy accident then something that I planned on. I happened the red Steps pattern out, and as I was looking at it, it dawned on me that the pink/purple layer I had recently cut would work well with it. So the red patterned layer is actually glued behind the pink/purple water color.

The Steps pattern is a classic celtic pattern that is often based on a cross shape. It repeats, and is varied to create a wide vocabulary of patterns. I've been experimenting with it, creating carpet pages, filled with step patterns.