finding the person in the background

i have recently begun to prepare canvases with random colors and patterns. generally, after a session i take the paint remaining on my palette and use it to mess up a new canvas. then, at the next session i take the prepared canvass and use it as a starting point. it is interesting because it presents challenges and opportunities. the challenge is in making the prepared canvas from a previous session work for the current session. it seems to be working out that i can sometimes "find" the figure or the right spot for the figure in the seeming randomness of the mess i previously made.

in the following example, i liked how the darker background areas would work to subdue both the model's face and his nether regions. also, his chest had the most light on it, which seemed to work well with the lighter yellow area behind it. on the right side of the canvas, there appears to be some motion or activity. i will see whether i leave it as is, or if i find a subject that would go well with that area.
[acrylic on canvas pad, 16x20]

the benefits of a model who does yoga

a model we had recently at the Tuesday Night Group, who also does a lot of yoga, took on a pretty ambitious pose. she draped herself over a pile of pillows. even though supported, this is not an easy pose to hold for 30 minutes at a time. yet she did it - 3 times (with breaks in between). i decided not to paint the pillows, because l thought the arch of her body was pretty dramatic as-is. [acrylic on canvas pad, 16x20]

texture

i started working on some different surfaces. for the piece below, i took some prepared pumice and mixed it with medium and paint and used it to rough up areas of the canvas. then at a figure session, i tried to find areas to fit the figure between the rough areas. i think the result is interesting and will continue to try this approach for a while.[acrylic and pumice on canvas, 24x36]

glimpses

i am working on a "collage" painting of some images that have either been in my mind or have struck me. i am fitting them together in what i hope can be something interesting to look at, as well as tell a story. here are a few glimpses of different components of the painting.[oil on canvas]

salon at 52 o street

our tuesday night group participated in studio gallery's first "salon". read more about it here:

http://dupontcirclearts.blogspot.com/2010/01/at-michelines-studio-talk-and.html

cardboard

i have been working on cardboard recently. i was inspired to use cardboard when i saw a couple of pieces by Toulouse-Lautrec at the national gallery. i used cardboard from a large box that was going to be recycled - but reuse come before recycle in the trilogy, so it sounded like a good thing to do. i am really enjoying working on cardboard and the texture of the underlying ribs provides some nice results. here are some snapshots from a work in progress:

the canvas project and the atlanta airport

I belong to an online art participation called the Art House Coop. One of their recent projects was called The Canvas Project. Every participant received a piece of paper with 5 random words on it, and 5 3"x3" canvas tiles. The goal was to create a visual encyclopedia of as many words as possible. The following is a photo of the tiles I submitted (my words, in order, are: desire, kindly, dawn, mind, want):



The Art House Coop people selected some of the tiles for mounting and display. They are currently on exhibit at the Atlanta airport:
www.flickr.com/photos/arthousecoop/sets/72157621898258767/

One of my tiles ("Kindly") was selected for the exhibit (in the J/K section, 3rd row, 4th one over - red heart on orange background):
www.flickr.com/photos/arthousecoop/3815895962/sizes/o/

If you are passing through the Atlanta airport in September, take a look!