Destruction is part of the creative process part 2




This piece had also been sitting in my studio untouched. The encaustic background went really well and I was really happy about it. I imaged a water scene with tiny people and animals and twigs and such floating around. The problem arose when I got too detailed with it too quickly. A painting should have an in between "rough" stage where a larger brush is used. I went right into this one with my tiny "O.C.D." brush painting lots of details. The painting as a whole didn't "gel". So I scraped the oil parts off pretty easily with a razor (yay, encaustics!) and then covered the mess with some translucent green oil paints. This one also will need to marinate for a while, as I'm not sure what will happen with it. I am feeling a sense of relief to have a clean slate.

Destruction is part of the creative process.




There were 2 paintings sitting in my home studio that I hadn't touched in months. Today I drastically changed them.

This is the painting I was doing of my baby girl- Ingrid, and my fur children. I always paint my pets, so I had no problem with the animal parts of the painting. Painting (well, good painting anyway) is an emotional as well as an artistic and techincal process. I really wanted a painting of my beautiful child, and set out to paint one, even though I am not a portrait painter, and have never even painted an imaginary baby. Needless to say, my portrait of Ingrid did not live up to my expectation. How does someone paint something so precious to them, something so beautiful. Badly, in my case. Which is o.k. I realized the problem and decided to do something about it, to start with a clean slate. Not to mention, painting as sporatically as I have to now that I have this other MAJOR creative process going, I have to think differently. I don't have hours to obsess over getting everything right. It has meant I have to let some things go. I have to decide what is worth obsessing about.
So I have covered this piece with blues and greens, and still don't have a plan for it's future. I will let it marinate like it is for a while while I think it over.


Here is ANOTHER owl painting. I love owls- just can't help it. Anyway, a bunch of people have told me I should start using Etsy, and I may just do that. I would sell stuff like this on etsy, works on paper that are easy to ship and more budget/recession friendly.
When the Etsy thing gets going I will post that address here as well.


The painting of "all my children" has changed again. I'm sure this one is going to go through a couple more stages and may change more drastically. I have been working at home in fits and starts.

This is my new sketch book.  I did a collage on the cover, using words and images found in old National Geographics.  It is reminiscent of the collages that I used to do in college.  Not quite as intricate.  I plan to "kick it old school"  and do more of these.  The "found word" poems inspire images for my paintings.  

This is the painting I am working on for the show-at the Block gallery in Raleigh's municipal building on Hargett st.  I did the background in encaustic and then worked in oils.  I plan to do another layer with encaustic once the oil is dry.  It needs to dry soon because this piece is due on Jan. 20th!

Home studio

Here is where I am getting some work done currently.  Not as much as I'd like with all of the distractions of a new baby.  But when she's napping I steal  away to this room and paint.  I definitely feel a sense of urgency when I am working now.  Since I never know how much time I am going to get I tend to work in short spurts.  I enjoy my creative time more- I can't take it for granted.  I am also enjoying my time with Ingrid- I guess you could say I have the best of both worlds!

So, I've changed the painting a bit.  I never claimed to be the world's most conventional baby portraitist, but I am trying.  I really want a painting of my little munchkin- but not a cheesy "precious moments" type painting- it just wouldn't work in my house!  So here is my attempt.  I am happier with her picture but I am going to do Nugget over and probably Remedios too ( the black cat) cause she doesn't really fit in that corner.  

preoccupied

It will be a while before I can get back into posting regularly.  My painting schedule has been thrown out of whack by my other creative project and also a mishap that ended in a broken ankle.  I have done a few new pieces, however, but did not document the process.  Anyway, you can view the new work here:  www.annapodris.com/gallery/v/Newpaintings/

Spinning Snowflake, Thinking of and Owl



Here are two new finished encaustic paintings.  "Spinning Snowflakes" was featured in the previous post because I put an azalea flower in it and wondered if it would turn brown.  You can see on this post that it kind of did.  But it's a nice brown that seems to work with the piece.

Will it turn brown?

One of the newest pieces- this one has some stenciled raindrops and a watercolor and pen drawing done on rice paper.

Ummm..  It's been a while since my last post.. I have been involved in another creative process and busy with that still.  More on that later.
In the painting above, I have embedded and azalea flower in clear wax.  Hopefully it is completely sealed from oxygen and won't turn brown.  We will see!