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Tuesday, March 03, 2009

If Life Hands You Some Lemons....

then making a painting out of it!

Here is a sweet little collage of my latest painting, "Joy in the Simple Things"

The first picture is of my base, which I used in a demo for the Carolina Mixed Media Guild a few weeks ago....basically you use modeling paste and tint it with acrylic paint to get a cool background foundation. On top of that I started layering light washes of acrylic paint, sketched out my drawing, and went to town!



In addition to using acrylic paint, and modeling paste, I enhanced the painting with black and white charcoal pencils and then used water soluble oil pastels in a few parts. In a world far away and many moons ago, I used to do a lot of still life paintings in watercolor and I really loved doing them. But, to me, they were flat and kinda uninteresting. Pretty...but they didn't beg to be touched or discovered. In this new series I'm unveiling, I will be doing a variety of fruits and maybe a few floral still life paintings, but I'm going to add my new funky touch and incorporate a lot of texture, bold colors, whimsical elements and a bit of journal writing in the new pieces. I do love my houses and am not going to toss them to the curb just yet, but I do want to grow as a painter, as an artist and I want to try new things. I want to get better at what I do, and the only way to do so is to try new techniques, experiment with different subjects, and keep playing!! So stay tuned for more modern and fresh funky still life work from yours truly. You never know what's coming next!

***
The title of this piece came from my overall need to just pare down in my life, really we all need to take stock in what is important. It's the simple things that add joy to our life. Life's tiny moments and sweet pleasures make up 99% of our life. If we wait for the big events to feel whole, we are going to loose a lot of our life in the meantime banking on what is to come and not appreciate what is. So when life hands you a bowl of lemons, just know that you can make lemonade out of it if you choose. Or just look at the beauty in what was handed you, no matter how simple it is.

What small thing are you finding joy in today?
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5 comments :

Artsnark said...

great WIP shots

Jennifer Williams said...

I'm doing a bunch of fruit and flower paintings too! I think it will be neat to see how different yours are from mine.

I love the work in progress shots. It's interesting how you choose a base color of a color from your painting instead of the traditional black, white or brown.

I look forward to seeing more from you.

Teresa aka Tess said...

Wow, Your works in progress shots really show the depth and texture in this piece. I absolutely love the colors. There is nothing flat ablut anything you do Jodi. Your talent is so phenomenal and I love watching you find yourself within your art.
What's giving me joy these days? Hearing my daughters voice on the phone crystal clear and with complete sentences that make sense. She is doing well and I have finally started breathing again. I'm also finding joy in the new clothpaperscissors magazine. Such fun and creative stuff in those pages, and you too!!

Patti Edmon Artist said...

love your new stuff, but glad you aren't putting your houses on the market - just yet!
sipping lemonade,
p

julie king said...

lemons are just the perfect subject matter for your blue and yellow color scheme! and, it is so fun to see the progress. i'm joyful for a quiet saturday morning in my art room, anticipation of a long bike ride in the sun and getting to see my new baby grandson tomorrow!