I decided to embark upon a more visceral sort of painting so sometimes I take a small canvas and just paint. I thought it would be fun simply to respond to what I see in as unmediated a fashion as I can manage.
So here’s one small painting made with that “get ready, get set, go!” spirit. It measures 8 inches square.
When you need flowers, remember that you can find reproductions of my pictures on Fine Art America. (Got to plug my own site — this is an advertisement!)
I have put many of the flower pictures there, some koi, some landscapes. And there’ll be more coming.
So if you need something red, please think of me. And when you need flowers. And koi. And so on. Think of me!
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/bright-carnations-aletha-kuschan.html
Different painting on the easel today. Yesterday’s painting was a large still life. I put paint on nearly every square inch of its 48 x 36 inch surface. Yesterday’s paint surface is tacky so while that one dries, I take up this smaller painting. I like switching from one painting to another. It keeps my thoughts lively.
I’m working from drawings, but rather than use the actual drawings I find it more convenient to use my computer —
And there are cheerful things in the studio to look at whenever I look up from my work.
But here’s the guest of honor. The painting is in a middle phase. Lots of stuff is already there, but everything needs to be gussied up.
So, that’s my day.
A glass pickle jar sits atop a table covered in a rich and brilliant red cloth. Inside, the jar is filled with a spritely array of flowers of different kinds — mostly carnations of red, yellow and pink, with a couple lilies and red daisies and in the center a lovely yellow tea rose. The jar diffuses the stems of the flowers in a soft way, heightening the light dark abstraction of the oblique lines formed by the stems. The glass jar also catches the light of the room in intriguing patterns of reflection.
Ruby Red: flowers on a Red Cloth is pastel painting that measures 14 x 18 inches.
I have neglected my flower project so this morning I decided to resume thinking about the project by doing some studies of flowers. The flowers on this watercolor page are actually two different vignettes from the artificial flowers I have in my studio still life. They will probably none of them find their way into the painting that’s in the works, but they help get me into flower-thinking-mode.
And the mode is important too.
Just now as I was on the porch photographing the watercolor page, I was surprised to note that there was still water puddled here and there. Don’t know if it’s visible in the photo or not.
I was also very mindful of the humongous spider that I see in that same location at night. I think he’s strictly nocturnal so I don’t anticipate encountering him in the daylight. At least I hope not! He’s very big, very scary (for the arachnophobic). and besides that I’m worried I might trip over him.
Seriously. He’s big.
Anyway, in episodes of coffee sipping when I waited for passages of the watercolor to dry, I made a quick oil pastel of the same central rose. I’m looking at a volume on Sargent lately and I marvel at how much the man was always painting or drawing something. Little vignettes, random sketches, you name it. The lesson for me is this: be often drawing. Look all around you, and draw what you see. It’s that simple sometimes.
Aletha Kuschan's Weblog 