Abstract Paintings and Musings on Art
This is another work that started out quite differently than it ended up. It was filled from corner to corner with ovals to start with, but then I kept taking out more and more stuff. I’m much happier with it now. 🙂
Here’s another tiny painting of a little desk toy — this one of a flipping mouse. I seem to get tighter one day, looser the next, tighter the day after that. This one’s tighter; I was aiming for looser. Gonna be a hard habit to break, that tight close blending style of painting.
Last weekend, we finally made it out to Wally Workman Gallery to see the group show “Rivers.” So much excellent work! I was particularly interested in seeing two paintings by Ryan Coover, which were whimsical abstractions that seemed to contain microscopic life seen up a little closer. His two larger paintings were both beautiful and fascinating.
I also really enjoyed the wonderful luminous colors in the large and small abstract oil paintings by Joyce Howell, and the lovely large worlds created by Saliha Staib. Neighbor Jennifer Balkan’s paintings are always a delight to view; I love her hunky application of paint!
Well, instead of reading my blatherings about how much I enjoyed all of the work in the show, why don’t you check out these photos I took of some of the paintings there:
Just a reminder that I had a painting selected from over a thousand submissions of paintings, sculptures, photographs, and more for the 2011 People’s Gallery Exhibition.
The opening is tomorrow night from 6-9pm at City Hall and features over 100 artworks from Austin-area artists, galleries, museums, and art organizations displayed throughout the first three floors of City Hall.
Short films selected for the 2011 Faces of Austin multimedia program will have a premiere screening in City Council Chambers, starting at 7 p.m. And in the Atrium, enjoy music by The Djembabes and refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods Market.
Get updated event and parking information at Austin Art in Public Places
If you go to the opening, look for me and/or my painting somewhere in that space!
Cheers!
Marilyn
More explorations in ink, acrylic, and watercolor.
Exploring undersea organic life forms in ink, acrylic and watercolor. Completed 01-02-2011.
This one is actually from 2010; got lost in a sketchbook. 🙂
This is my first completed drawing/painting of the year, completed on 1-1-11. I’m returning to working with ink, something I’ve spent many years doing since at least high school, but this time I’m trying out some experimental techniques. I’m also exploring depicting patterns like those seen in the skin of giraffes and sea turtles.
Tomorrow and Sunday are the final two days of E.A.S.T. If you love art, or just want to see some of the coolest things happening in Austin, this is the place to be! Visit the East Austin Studio Tour website to find which artists will be where. You may still be able to find a gorgeous printed catalog and map, but you can also view the catalog online.
One of the coolest features on this year’s EAST website is the ability to create your own tour (because let’s face it, there is no way you could visit all 300 artists, 150 studios, 28 exhibition spaces, 19 happenings, and all the furthermores in 2 days, or even 4, in case you’d already started last weekend). Go to the EAST website and click on the link for “Your E.A.S.T.,” then start searching and adding artists, studios, and exhibition spaces. I quickly made a very tiny list, which you can view here, though it leaves out whole great groups of artists. Sorry, I was a bit bleary-eyed, and unfortunately, it seems you can’t add to the list, once you finalize it. Drat! In fact, I left out the exhibition space where I will be this weekend!
I will be at The Vortex again tomorrow, from 11am-6pm: Exhibition Space #E28, 2307 Manor Road–a large Theatre and yard located just east of the dry cleaners at Cherrywood/Chestnut and Manor. It’s deep back behind the parking lot that’s to the south of
I should be there Sunday, too, though I’m not making any promises. I’m not sure I can stand to hang around that long, and I’d sure love to visit some other artists! (So do let me know in advance if you are planning to come to visit me on Sunday; otherwise…you can always call me after the tour if you’d like to visit my studio.
I sure do love to draw! There’s something about the act of drawing that’s so immediate, intentional and strong. My urge to draw has been just huge for the past couple of years, and I’ve mostly satisfied it through sketching, or drawing with water soluble pastels or water soluble pencils which I then brush with water to make little painting-sketches. Lately, though, I’ve been finding ways to introduce drawing into my painting process (again).
Today I’m starting a new painting which I began by drawing in some basic shapes with pastel, then adding a bit of oil medium, then some thin paint; now I’m working some oil pastel and oil sticks into the mix. It seems to be going fast, though my plan is for many layers, hopefully creating a glorious texture, surface and image in the process.
No pictures of the work today; I will post some of today’s painting if and when it evolves into something I am proud of.
In the meantime, enjoy your holiday weekend; I am (doing my favorite thing—drawing and painting).