New Panels and Drawings

Hybrid Panel 4 - Ivy,  Acrylic and Paper on Panel 10" x 12" x 1.5"

Hybrid Panel 5 - Crocus, Acrylic and Paper on Panel 10" x 12" x 1.5"

Hybrid Panel 6 - Spruce Twigs, Acrylic and Paper on Panel 10" x 12" x 1.5"

Drawing 12 - Crocus, Graphite on Paper 10" x 8"

Drawing 13 - Fiddleheads 1, Graphite on Paper 10" x 8"

Drawing 14 - Maple Flowers 2,
Graphite on Paper 10" x 8"

I have begun hanging the panels on the wall in my studio. It is helpful to see them together, as I plan to complete between nine and twelve that will hang together as one artwork. The Ivy panel needed more work on it. Drawing and cutting two white ivy leaf shapes helped as well as a new pour of semi-transparent paint. I like the halo effect around the edges of the charcoal leaf. The white leaves and the light pour create new figure-ground relationships.

The crocuses were drawn while sitting on the grass in my front yard. The graphite allows for smooth transitions and sharp details. I decided to make a white silhouette from the drawing instead of cutting up the drawing. The crocus panel was interesting as soon as I cut off the upper left corner, while following contours suggested by the crocus plants. 

In the fiddlehead drawing, I chose to include strands of dead fern leaves left from the previous season. I have been working on a panel using a white silhouette of this drawing. My cutting skills with an Exacto knife are improving daily!

Bringing a branch from one of our maple trees into our living room where it has been in a vase allowed me to observe it carefully without the wind moving each stamen and petal in front of me. I enjoyed observing and drawing directly, and I was also able to photograph the twigs successfully. Taking a photo is kind of like insurance that I will be able to finish what I have begun. It was a learning experience as it was the first time I had used the macro lens on the camera correctly. If only I would read the camera manual, I would learn all kinds of special settings I could be using!

I revisited the spruce twigs this week after a discussion with my mentor. I poured a couple of times to lighten certain areas of the panel and I am more satisfied with the result. The panel needs to be coated with matt varnish. It's too shiny and glossy at the moment!