Not all those who wander...continued

My previous post and painting were all wrong.  I realized what the problem was.  Once again, I was trying to mimic "popular" styles, which are fine in the process to figure out how to do certain techniques and all.  But it wasn't right.  It looked too industrial and modern for me. So here is my First Try.
I painted over the canvas with sepia and did some distressing techniques.  Using a Hobbit styled font, I hand painted the words.  A couple spots bother me, but I will fix them later.  I will totally redo the bottom.   I may not get to touch it up for a few days.  Plus that may give me some more ideas....

Even though unfinished, I feel more at peace with how it is coming out....

I added some gold leaf paint, but the photo was awful due to lighting, but it looks cool...

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

For many reasons, the largest being that our house is on the market, I have been truly uninspired lately.  You can't really have a messy place when you are selling a house.  And now, I am not trying to sell anything, so I tried a few different drawings, doodles, projects and just can't get into them.  However, last night I had this epiphany that I should do a painting with text or a quote.  Sooo....

Now, for the true LOTR fans,   I realize the true quote is "not all those who wander are lost".  But I felt it may have been too cluttered with the extra word.  I probably should have used a smaller font, or different type of letters, I don't know. Tonight I may paint over the whole thing and try again. Remember, I am uninspired at the moment.  Now to pick up the trail of debris left by my three wonderful kids.

Vincent Mercaldo - Painter of the Old West

      My father inherited 3 watercolor paintings from his great uncle Vincent.  Vincent Mercaldo was an italian immigrant who was a professional artist in NYC.  My mother told me they were "cast-offs" and his best works were in museums.  I haven't found out all the details of his life yet, but from what I could gather online, he painted, photographed, but was important mostly because he gathered a great collection of photographs and paintings of the Old West. He owned photos of  Annie Oakley and Wild Bill Cody, among others.
     Here are some pieces of his collection  Vincent's Collection .
 
     Ever since I can remember, these paintings were hanging in my brothers' rooms.  Then I asked for them when I had my own kids.  My brother Luke had already been given the larger of the three (which I think is the only signed painting).

These are the two I own.  I think they were preliminary studies for his paintings.  The painting below is Luke's.  It was by a window during a storm and has suffered some water damage, which I am going to research to see what can be done.  I may just scan it and see if anyone with photoshop skills can help me get a clean digital copy.

It is really cool when you learn about someone in your family's past who has had similiar loves and interests.  The Mercaldo family has had its share of excellent musicians, even a few recordings, but there are less visual artists.  Plus, this inspires me to search out some western landscapes to photograph and paint when we move to Texas!

Angel Oak Tree and other pastel paintings

During the past couple of days I have attended a watercolor/pastel workshop.  I am really going to miss the Cabarrus Art Guild when I move.  The people who I meet through the events and classes are amazing.
My goal was to not only learn more about the medium, but to push myself creatively.  Lately, a lot of my paintings have been "flat".  Lacking something.....magical.  So, I thought that this was a great opportunity to try to rediscover that essence. During the workshop we learned some techniques with layering pastels over watercolor backgrounds and acrylic washes.  It is a great technique for a watercolor that is not working out "right" , you can fix it with a layer of pastels. 

I have always drawn trees, probably since I was 7 years old.  I love them.  But until recently, I did not know about the Angel Oak tree in South Carolina.  A friend was telling me about it, and it is an amazing tree, and it is extremely old.  And it is the #2 most photographed tree in America.  I heard that some developer is trying to cut it down to put a housing development there.  Can I just say, that would not happen in tree-loving Vermont.  How could anyone think of hacking down such a beautiful triumph of nature?   Here is a pastel sketch on canvas paper of the Angel Oak Tree. (not totally done, but I am at a point where I do not know yet what I need to do to finish it)

The next is a seascape which I attempted with a black gessoed background and rougher texture.


Another seascape with warm hues on a sanded paper.

 My favorite technique became using pastels on a metallic background.  This originally was supposed to be the essence of water or a waterfall,  one of the other artists at the workshop suggested this composition with the sun on the bottom.  I think it works.

 A gold background with mountain...

So say we all... (art journaling)

Lately, I have been working on pages in my art journals.  It is a great outlet, since I can't get things too messy around here (our house is for sale).  Also breaking my toe last week has caused me to be more stationary than I am used to.   Art journals don't require anything more than the book, pen, or pencil, and you don't need a lot of space to work.
For me, I have put aside my acrylics and been working on my nemesis.... watercolors.
The paper in my journal is handmade (not by me) and reacts so uniquely to the paint.  I am really liking the affect.

BSG fans may appreciate this page...

Below is a page inspired by Kandinsky's composition paintings.  In a recent class, I had my students look at a few of his paintings and create their own similar piece of art.  This is my interpretation.  I guess I was craving olives...

New Blog

In an attempt to be more organized, I am creating a new blog for my rambling thoughts about songs, books, movies, and everything else.  This will allow me to keep my main site focused on my art, art lessons, and art history stuff. 
My new site is:   http://rambling-meditations.blogspot.com/