14 finished
August 17, 2007
(11×15, mixed medium)
14 paintings finished (two are being re-used from other shows), 6 more to go. I finally caught up with myself over this week. Painting this much has been a bit crazy (read: major ups and downs in outlook), but fun… yesterday I really played with some new techniques and came up with the one pictured above.
I started by dying the paper with black tea, which was a little tricky. On my first try I was carrying the tea outside to work in the sun and dropped the pan, spilling all over the living room floor. And because I was wearing flipflops, I slipped in it and fell, cutting my hands up on the brick fireplace mantel. Ouch. There was cursing and crying. And then I recovered and tried again, this time leaving all the doors open so I wouldn’t have to fumble with the handles. And that worked.
So I dyed the paper and then dried it in the sun. After that I drew on it and painted (finger painting!) and scribbled. Got some feedback from a friend and then did a little more. I like how it turned out. A little different from me, but it was fun.
(and I got a call from the gallery saying that my show was actually in gallery #2 - there are a lot of events going on in the building opening night and another artist is showing in gallery #1. There is also going to be a yoga movement act/thing going on in my space, which I am not sure how to feel about. Maybe it will be fun and draw people in. Or maybe it will be a distraction and no one will look at the art. I’m trying not to be bummed. Maybe it’s a good thing.)
Have a good weekend, friends. I hope it fills you up.
xo
*update, 3pm: The gallery owner called again later this morning and explained a little more about the yoga thing… she said the thought was to show the performers my work and then they would create a routine based about their reactions to it. And she asked if I was comfortable with that… if not — that was okay. And I felt a lot better hearing that explained and now can’t wait to see what they do. How totally interesting! Can’t wait! (I’ll try to get some video for you.)
August 17th, 2007 at 6:12 am
Beautiful teawork, I love all about it. Hope your hands are feeling well. Good weekend to you too!
August 17th, 2007 at 7:23 am
love this one, penelope. i’m also a big fan of using tea in my work–for both staining and drawing. this one is more stream of conscious, less predictable and controlled (not that the other ‘cleaner’ ones aren’t great), but this one feels very ‘real’. from a deeper place. maybe ‘different’ for you, but it’s definitely my favorite. happy all is going well for your show work. don’t worry bout the ‘opening’–it’ll be great. xojenny
August 17th, 2007 at 8:12 am
interesting piece. Very katherine dunn-ish. Good luck with new direction!
August 17th, 2007 at 8:14 am
I love watching your journey - the work looks really fresh and spontaneous :) Anyhow, I wish you the best of time with your show AND wish your kitty safe healing.
August 17th, 2007 at 8:33 am
wow, penelope, when you experiment, great things happen! I absolutely LOVE this!
August 17th, 2007 at 8:55 am
Thinking of you & Bailey, dear girl.
Your work is lookin’ very good indeed! xoxo
August 17th, 2007 at 9:13 am
this piece is beautiful - I love hearing about the experimentation behind it. maybe the serene quality of yoga will draw people in to see your beautiful work…
August 17th, 2007 at 9:56 am
Wow, I like this one! Inspiring! Thanks for sharing!
August 17th, 2007 at 9:58 am
i love the starkness of the black against the tea stained paper. if the face wasn’t in the picture, it would be simialar to some of those beautiful japanese paintings done with swift brushstrokes.
i like the other red abstract one too from the earlier entry.
it seems that the most interesting results come from playing and experimentation.
all the best for your show!
August 17th, 2007 at 10:18 am
I love the direction you are going in. This is wonderful…and so is the fact that there are other events going on when you are having your exhibition. It WILL bring in folks who may not have otherwise ventured in and I think yoga folks will love your work !
August 17th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Penelope-
I’ve been watching your progress as your prepare for your show and I am finding these very inspirational. I really enjoy your work and think you are one talented lady, but these pieces are really speaking to me. The women all seem so self-confident and comfortable with themselves. They just seem happy in their skins, which is a difficult thing for women today. Okay, maybe just me and that’s why I am so touched by this series. I wish I were close enough to see them in person.
Just had to quit lurking and comment. Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring.
Karen Blados
August 19th, 2007 at 6:58 am
Thank you for your comments guys! I really appreciate the feedback… it’s nice to be able to put it up here and not work in such a void… Glad you’re all digging the direction. :)
August 19th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Wow. I’ve always wanted to try working with tea. I think this could be your best work yet!
August 21st, 2007 at 6:08 am
These keep getting better and better - I love the freedom I see in your new pieces.
I’ve painted with coffee and wine, so tea makes perfect sense to me. :) I think it really helps kind of take the “blankness” out of the paper and gives it a more organic and friendly feel - at least for me! It’s not so daunting to try to fill the page.