Golden Artist Colors - Gels, Pastes, and Grounds Demonstration

Today I did a demonstration for the Scarsdale Art Association on Golden Pastes, Grounds and Gels. Basically this was about how these Golden products can be used as grounds (as a surface to paint on) and mediums (mixed in with the paint). Every year I get invited to do a demonstration for their artists and I usually do a "Fast, Loose and Bold" painting. This year I offered them the option of teaching a mini-lecture on how these various products can provide new and interesting surfaces and textures they can integrate into their paintings. The lecture went very well - LOTS of questions about the products and the correct way to use them.

Its very fulfilling for me to share this information, because I myself find these options so exciting. The more I work with them, the more I think of new ways to use them. I have never considered myself drawn to working in thinner type watercolor-style paintings... until now. My niche is all about thick paint. Will that change? Probably not. But the fact that I so thoroughly enjoyed working on these various grounds made me realize that I want to work with them more. For instance, when I travel or paint en plein air, schlepping around a suitcase full of heavy body paints is, well.. heavy. Working in a watercolor style would lighten my load immensely. The thought I had while painting in this very fluid style was that "the painting is painting itself" - the colors were flowing and mixing and pooling in the grooves of the texture - wow - its so cool. And it felt really natural and... fun. I feel like I just discovered a treasure chest full of toys. Can't wait to get into the studio and play with them more! I'm looking forward to teaching hands-on workshops in these products, which will be posted here on my blog as I start adding them into my schedule. I will be co-teaching a hands-on workshop about Golden products in Boston this coming weekend with a friend of mine, and very much looking forward to it.

Eau De Provence (SOLD)

Last night, in my late night scramble to find a subject to paint, I realized I've been neglecting glass. All those reflections! I never feel like I have enough time to get into that complexity, it seems so time consuming. Excuses, excuses. So I reached for a pretty little bottle of perfume sitting on my dresser and forged ahead bravely. Truth be known, glass is like anything else... one color spot next to another color spot, keep the values correct, don't get too fussy. When I find that my paint starts to get sticky and tacky (1- 1.5 hours) I know its time to quit. The properties of acrylic paint make it a perfect automatic alarm clock. Glass - its fun!

Eau De Provence - SOLD

Acrylic on Canvas 6x6"

My Metallics

These are NOT Dancin' Shoes, I learned the hard way. Nor are they walkin' shoes. Or go to see a concert shoes. They are, however, wonderful paintin' shoes. So I did.

My Metallics

Acrylic on Canvas 12x12"

More Macs

Whenever I have a new student I do a quickie demo for them, just to show the technique with the big brushes, applying color, being aware of the values, etc. I do try to keep the whole thing within about 1/2 hr -45 min., so they can see how fast it can be, after all thats the name of the class... Here's one I did today for my students. Apples are always a great demo - simple shapes, pretty colors, what could go wrong? (Answer: plenty!) I have to do 4 demos this coming weekend for a large group of seasoned painters... yikes - wish me luck!

More Macs
Acrylic on Canvas 8x10 $150

Cup'l

I've heard it's good to paint in a series - like 2, 4 or 6 paintings of the same/similar subject, same size, same style, etc. so they all go together, and potentially could be bought together as a series. Another reason is that there is something nice about having a series; it looks cohesive, they each complement the whole, and it feels like you had an idea and explored it beyond the initial attempt. I felt that "Two Cups" needed a complimentary piece to go with it, so heres what I did today.

Cup'l

Acrylic on Canvas, 6x6" $100.

Two Grannies

Red Delicious (previous blog post) needed a mate - two voluptuous grannies were available and interested... maybe I should have named this Ménage a Trois?

Two Grannies

Acrylic on Canvas, 6x6" $100.

Red Hot Jazz

Someone asked a question about the painting of the girl in the airport, ("Busted Flat"), whether I painted at the Airport. Painting in public places is do-able, depending on restrictions and permissions, but entails a lot of issues to cope with. What I like to do is sketch and do paintings from the sketches. I did this painting to illustrate how its done -

My husband is a jazz musician (the bass player) and often I go to his gigs and sketch the band while they are playing. Here's a pen sketch - I focused on the big shapes and the values. Not much detail, but just enough to tell a story. Then I did the painting using a limited palette, just using a few colors to indicate values. I did not take photos so I had no extra information to rely on, which forced me to improvise ... which is what the painting is all about.

Red Hot Jazz

Acrylic on canvas, 9x12"

Pink Polish

Pink Polish

Acrylic on Canvas 12x12"

Eye Candy

Yesterday I hung a show of 25 pieces, some of them were my smaller daily paintings, which look so nice as a grouping of 6 or 9. I mounted them on wooden 6x6" boxes that have a 2" depth so they stood away from the wall very nicely. I painted each box a coordinating color, which made for a very lively and colorful presentation. The show is in Beacon, NY, about 1 mile from the Dia Museum Art Foundation, and about 90 minutes from NYC. The curator saw my work in a group show last year and we have been planning this for several months. Its always a kick in the butt to prepare for shows - framing, promo materials, last minute touches, etc. But seeing all the work up on the wall, in their color matched boxes, mmmm - easy on the eyes and satisfying for the soul!

Eye Candy

Oil on Canvas, 6x6"

Busted Flat

A couple of weeks ago lots of people, (including myself) were 'busted flat in Baton Rouge waitin' fer a plane', or more specifically, in the New Orleans Airport due to cancelled flights because of snow flurries in Atlanta (snow in Atlanta? and people are denying unusual global weather patterns?) Everyone was freaking out because they were SO inconvenienced. But not this gal - she had the right idea .... make the best of whatever life hands you. And this artist did the same - sketch and take photos of people just being people. I was presented a perfect opportunity to stop and take in the "now" because I had a wonderful few hours to stop, be in the moment, and see life just being itself.

Busted Flat

Acrylic on Canvas, 6x6"

Sneaks

I used to wear these type of sneakers as a kid. Now they aren't called sneakers anymore, and they look like something out of the future with all kinds of crazy designs, embellishments and odd looking rubber sculptured heels. Found this pair in a thrift store in exactly my size - I'll take em!

Sneaks

Acrylic on Canvas 6x6" $100

Pink Stripes and Orange Slices

Pink Stripes and Orange Slices

Acrylic on Canvas, 6x6" $100

Shirley's Christmas Ornament

The green bulb on the left is a vintage ornament that belonged to my mother when she was a child. The metal hanger must be authentic too, because it is so sturdy and feels like metal rather than tinfoil. You can buy bulbs that are recreations of the originals, but there is a glitzy look and feel to them that you don't see in the real thing. I realize I could spend the entire new year just painting these bright, cheerful Christmas ornaments, such eye candy!

Shirley's Christmas Ornament

Acrylic on Canvas 6x6 $100

Two Cups

Two Cups

Acrylic on Canvas 6x6" $100

Cup o' Cherries

I wanted to do a "Christmassy" color schemed painting - ok so blue is not green, but... close enough. We are getting our white Christmas today - on the 26th ... close enough, I'll take it... hoping everyone's new year is like a bowl of cherries ... or at least a cup!

Cup O' Cherries

Acrylic on Canvas Panel 6x6" $100

Two Cupcakes

Acrylic on Canvas 6x6" $100.

Red Apple

Busted flat in Baton Rouge (or close)...8 hours in the Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport - whew! Its been a very long day due to bad weather in the NY area. But the good news is it gave me the opportunity to take some cool photos while waiting... of airplanes at interesting angles, the guys in the brightly colored vests that transport the luggage, other travelers like me who had mega hours on their hands and nowhere to go. Even with all that time, I can always find some way to be busy. We artists can always find some new artistic challenge in any given situation - like our work is never done, theres always a new scene catching our interest that we have to capture in one medium or another - isn't that so? Does anyone else feel the same?

Speaking of rouge, I don't think I'll ever tire of painting brilliant red apples - simple shapes but those vibrant reds and oranges, who can resist?

Rouge Pomme

Oil on Canvas 6x6"

Lime Slices

One of the topics we spent a lot of time talking about in the workshop was every artists dilemma (or at least one of them) which is marketing. Consistency counts with blogging, and posting regularly is key. Sometimes its impossible to do a painting every day, and in those events one should post something from their inventory. That being said, since I'm "on the road" and I don't think my hotel mgr. would appreciate my pulling out the paints and turps do a new piece (altho I have done that before) here is a painting I did this summer. I'll be spending the day today kicking around in New Orleans - my second favorite city. Bourbon and voodo and crawfish oh my! Returning to NY tomorrow.

Lime Slices

Acrylic on panel 12x12"

'Tis the season

I was certainly launched into the holiday spirit this past week, traveling to New Orleans for a painting workshop, and getting a big dose of North Pole weather temperatures. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a Carol Marine workshop, go for it. (That in itself is a challenge, considering her workshops fill up 18 months in advance.) She's the real deal, an excellent teacher, very talented and equally sweet. There is something about taking workshops that catapults me into new places of experimentation. I was working in oils this time around, getting re-familiarized with their unique traits. A very different experience from acrylics, but wonderful just the same.

Christmas ornaments

6"x6" oil on panel $100

Ice Cream Cones

Why paint Ice Cream Cones in the winter? Because they are reeeeally fun to paint. And why stop at one with so many flavors/colors to play with? I became obsessed with soft serve ice cream cones this summer - those lovely folds of luscious creamy calories. But being the purist that I am, I had no interest in consuming them, only painting them.

This is a great exercise I give to my students - keep painting the same thing over and over till you know it so well you can do it with your eyes closed (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating there). The first one is usually kind of stiff, because you are feeling your way around it, as you paint it successively you SHOULD (ahem) get loose and confident. And by the time you get to the 4th - or the 14th, you know your subject so well you can paint it with ease, in very few, expressive strokes. The goal is to enjoy the journey and see where it takes you...

Soft Serve Ice Cream Cones

Acrylic on Canvas 9x12" $200.

For more information or to purchase contact patti@mollicastudio.com