One More New Painting: Yabbadabbadabacus!

“Yabbadabbadabacus!” Watercolor on heavy Raffine sketch paper 5.75″ x 6″ © 2013 Marilyn Fenn
“Yabbadabbadabacus!” Watercolor on heavy Raffine sketch paper 6″ x 5.75″ © 2013 Marilyn Fenn

I started 3 more small sketches for watercolor paintings in the last day or two, erased one of them, ignored the second, and painted only this one.  This didn’t turn out quite the way I envisioned, but I like it anyway, and it is inspiring a new set of oil paintings that I hope will be rather successful, but we’ll all have to wait and see on that.  🙂

Another New Work on Paper: Octopus’s Garden

“Octopus’s Garden” Watercolor on heavy Raffine sketch paper 6″ x 5.75″ © 2013 Marilyn Fenn
“Octopus’s Garden” Watercolor on heavy Raffine sketch paper 6″ x 5.75″ © 2013 Marilyn Fenn

Here’s another new one this week continuing in the sort of hippie theme.  🙂

I feel like I’m on a roll, and it feels great!

My husband said something the other day that has had me tickled ever since.  He said basically something like, if I weren’t doing these little paintings, they wouldn’t exist.  They could only come from my own particular take on the world.  So, yay me!

I think that’s true of all artists (of all flavors – painters, musicians, writers, etc.) who are following their inner need to create, rather than trying to respond to the marketplace.  I think of all the painters, writers, and musicians without whom the world would be a much poorer place.  Too bad our society makes it so hard for artists to survive by doing their art.

So, if you are an artist, keep that in mind: you are (hopefully) adding something of beauty or importance to the world by following your true creative voice, something that would not be in the world without your endeavors.  🙂

Anyway, I have taken forever to find that thing inside that needs expression, and of course, it keeps developing.  I’m glad I started with representation, but I’m even more glad that I’ve moved past that.  I’m really grooving on these shapes, compositions, and color combinations that I discover by the drawing and painting of them.  Something like these little painting studies will probably make it onto large canvases in oil, and I’m really looking forward to that, too, but I may not be done with this round of little studies yet.

So here is another original work from the slightly twisted mind of yours truly.  🙂

New Work on Paper: Woolgathering

“Woolgathering” Watercolor media on heavy Raffine sketch paper 5.75″ x 6″ © 2013 Marilyn Fenn
“Woolgathering” Watercolor media on heavy Raffine sketch paper 5.75″ x 6” © 2013 Marilyn Fenn

I had a lot of fun with this one.  Stayed up all night working on it, and then worked on it some more.  It’s surprising how long these little paintings take, but also quite enjoyable.  And it feels good to be completing a few small things to show you.  This makes my 12th piece of the year, so far; I have 9 more studies for larger works that I probably won’t be posting until the larger works are done to my satisfaction.  Patience.  🙂

New Work on Paper: Hippie Nouveau

"Hippie Nouveau," watercolor pencils on heavy Raffine sketch paper, 6" x 5.75", © 2013 Marilyn Fenn
“Hippie Nouveau” Watercolor pencils on heavy Raffine sketch paper 6″ x 6″ © 2013 Marilyn Fenn

So far this year, I’ve been working on some small studies for larger works.  I may post the studies when the larger works are done, but that could be awhile.

In the meantime, here is a small watercolor pencil painting on paper from a couple of days ago.  I started from the point of continuing my thoughts/impressions of Bontecou, but decided to aim for a simpler design and a slightly subdued (for me) palette.   I love how this piece turned out!

New Painting: Not-So-Daily Painting 2012-008

“Not-So-Daily Painting 2012-008″ Ink and watercolor pencils on heavy Raffine sketch paper 6″ x 5.75″ © 2012 Marilyn Fenn
“Not-So-Daily Painting 2012-008” Ink and watercolor pencils on heavy Raffine sketch paper 6″ x 5.75″ © 2012 Marilyn Fenn

Happy Thanksgiving!  I wish all my friends a wonderful day with loved ones and good food.  I give thanks today for my smart, talented, appreciative, and considerate husband, for my dear friends and loved ones all over the world, for the joy of living in the lovely city of Austin, for my wonderful neighbors, for the delight I experience daily living in our cheery little house, and for the great gift of time and energy to create art and a lovely space in which to work.

Here’s a very cheerful piece from my series of small painting-sketches — the Not-So-Daily Paintings/Drawings.

As always, available for sale in my shop — on the Works on Paper page.

New Painting: Not-So-Daily Painting 2012-007

“Not-So-Daily Painting 2012-007″ Ink and watercolor pencils on Portofino hot press watercolor paper 6″ x 6″ © 2012 Marilyn Fenn
“Not-So-Daily Painting 2012-007″ Ink and watercolor pencils on Portofino hot press watercolor paper 6″ x 6″ © 2012 Marilyn Fenn

Here is another in the series Not-So-Daily Paintings/Drawings (inspired by the sculptures of Lee Bontecou).

It is available for sale in my shop on the Works on Paper page.

New Painting: Not-So-Daily Painting 2012-006

Not-So-Daily Painting 2012-006, Ink and watercolor pencils on 100lb. Raffine sketch paper, 6" x 5.75", © 2012 Marilyn Fenn
“Not-So-Daily Painting 2012-006” Ink and watercolor pencils on heavy Raffine sketch paper 6″ x 5.75″ © 2012 Marilyn Fenn

Here is the second of my latest works for the series Not-So-Daily Paintings/Drawings (inspired by the sculptures of Lee Bontecou).

It is available for sale in my shop on the Works on Paper page.

New Painting: Not-So-Daily Painting 2012-005

"Not-So-Daily Painting 2012-005" Ink and watercolor pencils on heavy Raffine sketch paper 6″ x 5.75″ © 2012 Marilyn Fenn
“Not-So-Daily Painting 2012-005” Ink and watercolor pencils on heavy Raffine sketch paper 6″ x 5.75″ © 2012 Marilyn Fenn

Last week, I resumed working on my Not-So-Daily Paintings/Drawings series, and also the work inspired by the sculptures of Lee Bontecou.  Here’s the first one from last week.  I’ll be posting more for the next several days.  If you’re intrigued and want to see the rest, you can view them on my art site on the Works on Paper page.

*This painting has sold.