Sunday, November 5, 2017

Lemons Redoux

This week I was in a collage frame of mind.  I wanted to start using some of the wonderful papers I have been hoarding but to start off slowly because it has been awhile.  Going through completed, started, half done and never to be finished projects I  found this great little photo of a painting I had done of lemons.  What would it be like to have an oil painting, a photo and a collage of the same subject??? Well here are the results.
The top is the completed collage, then a detail and lastly the collage with the photo on top.








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Wednesday, November 1, 2017

alcohol inks

I love experimenting with other mediums besides oils.  I usually try collaging or even pourings using acrylics but I have discovered something new alcohol inks.  I know these are not new but they are to me and I have been enjoying them for a few weeks now.
I am mostly using tiles and yupo paper right now.  I tried photo paper but did not have as much luck.  I feel like they really need a smooth surface even with the flow medium.  I did a few tiles that I liked using the same color combinations.

 
On this one I tried stamping the tile after the ink was partially dry.  It was semi successful but I need a lot more practice.

 
With this tile I used flow medium and let the ink move around while I moved the tile in different directions.  I also used a lot of spray alcohol to make the small spots.


With this tile I tried putting alcohol on the tile and adding inks to an area at a time.  This one reminds me of a landscape with a sky, trees and a lake. 

This is a lot of fun and very relaxing.  It allows you to let loose in a creative way.

donnavinesart.etsy.com
donnavinesart.blogspot.com



Sunday, October 8, 2017

Work in Progress

There are all kinds of ways to approach a painting.  Many artists paint large pieces over long periods of time.  Some smaller pieces that can be painted in less than an day or even hours.  I am the kind of painter that likes to finish a piece as soon as possible, I am impatient and can't seem to focus on one subject for long periods.  I can do series of paintings on the same subject but not the same piece, hmmm.  I don't know what that says about me but that is just how it is.
This is a painting I did in a workshop and took me awhile to finish it.  I really like the detail and results of this painting and would love to do some bigger pieces like this again but I think I need to be in a structured setting to do it.







 
 
Donna Vines
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Saturday, September 30, 2017

Pears ala Cezanne

There is nothing like pure color to get you out of a funk when you are a painter.  I have been playing around with alcohol inks lately and doing a lot of abstract which is all color.  I have been enjoying it but I wanted to do a quick little oil with some definite shape but still mostly color.  I immediately thought of Cezanne and how much I love his work. 
One photo is the finished piece and the other shows the photo I was working from.
Here is a little 5x7 homage to Cezanne.


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Saturday, September 23, 2017

New Beginnings

Recently my niece had her long awaited first baby, a little boy named Josiah.  I wanted to make something for his room that she would like and he would like looking at as he got older.  I did this little collage of a ewe and her lamb.  To me they symbolized new beginnings in the sweetest way. Here is to new beginnings.

New Beginnings

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Saturday, August 5, 2017

Wallace Nutting

Most people don't know who Wallace Nutting is.  Unless you are exposed to his photographs or love historical furniture his name is not well known.  I came across his unique art form when I was thumbing through a box of old photographs and postcards. They were quite old, before the era of color photography yet they were so colorful, they almost looked otherworldly.  Most were just blank but a few had the signature Wallace Nutting on them. After doing a little research I discovered that he was a pioneer of hand colored photography.
He was a minister who retired in his early 40's because of ill health.  He had two hobbies, photography and bicycling.  He combined the two, taking many photographs of the New England countryside.  He hand colored them to make them more interesting using oil paints, solvents, small brushes and solvents.  They became so popular at his peak he had 200 "colorists" working for him.
I used his method to do some hand colored photos on my own.  It is a long time consuming process but the end result can be really special.
This is one of my favorites.  If you zoom in you can see where the color is applied.
Below is Sunset in Rockport NFS

 



Pretty Things
5x7 photo in museum quality 8x10 mat

piecesof8art.blogspot.com
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Saturday, July 22, 2017

Buttons

This 10x10 collage of found objects was done after a course I took with Carol Nelson.  Not only is Carol a talented painter but she is a great teacher and experimenter. 
This is not so much an example of Carol's art but my interpretation of her technique using found objects I liked.
Please visit Carol Nelson's website and enjoy.
carolnelsonfineart.com


Buttons

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piecesof8art.blogspot.com





Saturday, July 15, 2017

Red Pail

This 8x10 oil is of a little girl playing on the beach enjoying a sunny summer day in a more mellow way. You don't have to surf, swim, play volley ball or Frisbee to enjoy the beach.  Sitting by the water or in the water is a great way to cool off , enjoy the ocean and have a great time.

Red Pail

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Saturday, July 8, 2017

A Little Abstract

Part of the joy of art is trying new things.  Art is a form of expression that actually wants you to stray from the norm, get out of your "comfort zone" so to speak.  If you have seen my Etsy shop or blog before you know my comfort zone is landscapes, I really love them. There is something so comforting to me about large areas of color.  One blending into another. But, you will also note I have lots of other kinds of paintings and even different kinds of art on my site.
This is a 5x7 oil abstract of a marsh seen in a different way.  It also uses large areas of color but only suggest what they may be.  I really had fun with this.  I like imagining different scenes each time I look at it.
I did a larger one first and used some of the suggestions from followers on this smaller one.
Enjoy.


Abstract II



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Saturday, July 1, 2017

Summer Fun

This is a little 5x7 oil of my granddaughter Stephanie for our July challenge, Summer Fun.  She was visiting from Massachusetts and wanted to learn to surf.  We went up to Ron Jon's in Cocoa and she took a few lessons and had a great time.  I always loved this photo even though it didn't show her face.  You could tell from her stance, the water swirling around her and her determination she was really into it.
What could say summer more in Florida than riding the waves.  Even though it is very hot here in the summer the beaches make it cool in a different way. 

Stephie


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Saturday, June 24, 2017

Bottle and Pitcher

This 11x14 oil was painted during a workshop I took several months ago with Elio Comacho.  Elio is such a talented artist, anyone who is lucky enough to take one of his workshops learns so much.  He is so generous with his time, knowledge and talent. 
I really like the simplicity of the set up.  Each piece stands out so you can really appreciate the colors.
If you would like to see more of Elio's work visit his website,
www.colorrelations.com


 

Bottle and Pitcher
 
 






Saturday, June 17, 2017

WOW

WOW is the World of Wearable Art completion that is held in New Zealand every year.  It is such a fantastic, imaginative show.  Everything has to be wearable no matter what materials they use. I was lucky enough to be able to see the traveling museum show at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA.
I saw costumes made of plastic, wool, wood, metals and so many other things.  I just loved it.  You can view some of the costumes online and keep an eye out the new show is in September.  They always have videos to watch.  Just google wearable art or WOW.
Here are a few of the spectacular costumes designed and made by these amazing artists.







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Saturday, June 10, 2017

Copper Dream

Copper Dream is just that.  I had attended an eye opening workshop given by Carol Nelson.  She is a very talented painter but best of all a fearless experimenter.  She uses many, many different types of unconventional materials and just goes for it.  All of her art is wonderful no matter what medium.  She really has a magic way of seeing.
After trying several experiments I just let go and put several things I really liked together and this is what I came up with. I just loved the way it looked.  This 6x8 is made with acrylic paints, torn papers, copper paint and India ink.  I just love looking at it.
To visit Carol Nelsons website go to:
CarolNelsonFineArt.com


Cooper Dream

 

Saturday, June 3, 2017

Road Trip

This fun little collage was for a challenge we are doing at Pieces of 8.  Every month we have a new challenge, this month it was travel.  I looked at so many photos of places I had been, beautiful scenery, familiar landmarks, places I loved or held great memories.  I could not decide what to paint so I thought what says travel better than Road Trip!!! 
I thought back to the days when travel was really an adventure.  You took photos that were so meaningful because you had to have them developed.  You bought stickers for your car and luggage so everyone would know where you had been, that you were an adventurer, a traveler.  I used these old travel stickers to show some of the places you might have been on a road trip.  To set  the mood I added a cut out I made of a Xeroxed road map of an old fashioned car and trailer.
I used a 6x12 board because I wanted the mood to be open road.
Enjoy.


Road Trip


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Saturday, May 27, 2017

Tea Time

I love teapots.  I have no idea why but I just do.  I have a teapot collection and when my grandchildren were younger we would have tea parties.  They would dress in slips, scarfs, hats, high heels and beads from the play trunk and we would have a proper afternoon tea complete with little sandwiches, cookies or cupcakes.
This 11x14 collage is of one of my favorite teapots.  I used so many different colorful, textured papers to make the pot standout. There are even pieces of a cookbook page hidden in the pieces.

 
Tea Time
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Mountain View

It is getting to be that time of year again.  No matter where you live you try to get away for a week or so in the summer.  If you live in the mountains you may think of the seashore.  If you live near the ocean like I do, you dream of the mountains.
This little 5x7 oil is a vista in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the most beautiful and magical places I have ever been to.

 
Mountain View
 
 
 
 




Monday, May 15, 2017

Animal Farm

I don't paint many animals and most of the ones I have painted are ones I know, I don't know why this is, animals are very interesting to paint and beautiful to look at. It maybe that I spend lot of time trying to capture the human form or that I love landscapes so much I just want to do those. When I look at my listings I see so many landscapes, still lives, abstracts, collages but not many living creatures.
Here are a few I have done.


Argilla Road Rooster
The chickens and roosters I knew from a small farm on Argilla Road in Ipswich were really free range chickens.  They had the use of the yard, the fields and the road.  They spent a lot of time crossing that road and that is where I became acquainted with them.
 

Rocky
I did portraits of my brother in law Michael's cats Rocky and Rambo they were very different cats.  Rocky was the more friendly.  He would inch his way over to  you if you stayed long enough.
 

Rambo
Rambo was the more standoffish.  He was always very busy guarding Michael's shoes.  He was really good at it, Michael never had a show stolen while Rambo was there.

www.piecesofeightart.com

 

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Got a minute or ten or thirty?

I have been doing a lot of ten and thirty minute paintings lately.  I really like doing them because it helps me really look at something before I start painting, plan what I would like to paint and to focus.  Ten minutes is such a short amount of time to get anything down on canvas or anything that resembles what you are trying to paint that when you switch to thirty minutes it feels like you have all the time in the world.
These exercises are not only fun but so helpful.  Find something to paint such as a lemon, mug or shoe, set it up, get out your kitchen timer and start.  Have fun with it.  Paint the same thing each time or switch it around.


Pears
 




 
Cup





Donnavinesart@etsy.com
 
 

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Finally

Well after two years of on again off again trying to fix my old blog so I could get into it again and long hiatuses of doing nothing then jumping into the fray again I think I am in!!!!!!
I still have no idea how or why but I seem to be able to use my blog again.  I did change the name to correspond with my Etsy shop was that the ticket?  I don't know.  All I know is I think I am back.
So much has happened but I won't go into it all.  I will just say hello again and start posting some paintings.

 
 
Hello from sunny not yet sweltering Florida!!