Seeing it on the wall, the madness of painting

Lately working small, I miss large! 

I made a major move in my gallery at Crossroads a few weeks back. Aside from now sharing it with the Swimming-in-Paint team, I dusted off a few of my "Best Wall" billboards and rehung them in the gallery. I needed a visual reminder why I paint in the first place. Thinking big about making art is central to it and sharing that idea with the Swimming-in-Paint team seemed timely.

I'm not sure you really become consumed in painting until experiencing the challenge of a really large and very blank canvas you advanced to a successful sign off. Many team members have accomplished that goal albeit on a bit smaller scale. Koi in a pond will have limited growth and opportunity defined by their environmental space.  However humans, given the opportunity, have the capacity to expand and flourish beyond. Painting or making art is all too often tucked away, a singular endeavor, which is why I made the Koi comparison. Occasionally its important to have another perspective, have space, someone to challenge our ideas, keep fresh and not get mired down in artist quicksand. We are constantly going through learning curves to advance our art. Nice to occasionally do it with others going through the same process. I'm a firm believer we, as artists, need a reason to make art in the first place.... as a painter I need walls to paint for (real or imagined)......the reason for my Crossroads gallery below. The team also needs a reason beyond a classroom setting which in my mind is really a shared studio setting where we encourage each to the finish line. Swimming-in-Paint goes beyond that, it also explores what happens next...... seeing it on the wall.    

THE MADNESS OF PAINTING

SWIMMING-IN-PAINT'S

FEBRUARY "WOW" WINNER WALL
was claimed by
LEA EMORY'S BALLET PAINTINGS

 

"WOW" 
PAINTING SOLD OPENING NIGHT!

TOO TUTU 20x16 oil on linen by Lea Emory
Captured a new wall and started it's adventure in the immortal world of art.

THE NEW TEAM WALL!

A WALL FOR THE TEAM'S BEST PAINTINGS

LILIES IN RHYTHM 30x40 oil on linen by Dale Williams

A STUDY IN HARMONY 24x24 oil on linen by Susan Paavola

WORKING ON A "BEST WALL" PAINTING

Artist, Sevti Sowers adding finishing touches

 

ANOTHER "BEST WALL" PAINTING SOLD!

PRIDE 24x24 oil on linen by Elizabeth Titmus
Also found a new wall and is the "Pride" of a new caretaker.
 

Art has a life of its own.... our job as artists is to make it and its for others to protect it for future generations to admire. If we do our job well, good art work will always have a wall to hang on.

The March team has been busy so we have a whole new crop of "Best Wall" paintings to hang in our next post! 

Congratulations to the February team!!
WOW! WHAT A TEAM!!

Coach's Feburay "WOW" award

February's Swimming-in-Paint!!

THE COACH’S “WOW” AWARD

WOW! We've got talent exposed again! Last weekend we finished up our 2nd workshop. The February team worked hard. Some continued at home between sessions to produce a wide body of work around a "Single Subject". By design, the team is always made up of many different skill levels because we also learn from each other.

I believe hard work needs to be acknowledged beyond the classroom setting. The "Jump Factor" is something that stops you in your tracks and you take notice. It often happens in Swimming-in-Paint and needs to be acknowledged. Each month this year we will have a COACH’S “WOW” AWARD to celebrate a member’s hard work. We also dedicated a wall to that end in my Crossroads Gallery. Each month the wall will feature a new "Swimming-in-Paint" award winner. The "WOW" painting or paintings will also be displayed during the bi-monthly Crossroads opening. Plus, the whole gallery will be dedicated to a month long "December Swimming-in-Paint Exhibit"

The Team Member "WOW" award of the month is Lea Emory for her progression of ballet paintings studying expressive light and colour. Congratulations to Lea for a stunning months work! It's hard to pick a favorite. Lea Emory's Ballerinas look equally wonderful at 30 feet as they do up close and personal.....:=)

COACH'S “WOW” AWARD WINNER

Ballet 20x16 oil on canvas by Lea Emory

 LEA'S FINAL CANVAS ABOUT LIGHT & COLOUR

 Lea Emory's Untitled Ballet 30x24 oil on linen February 2017
 

Lea Emory's Ballerinas 20x16 oil on linen  February 2017
 

All three ballet paintings will be on display at Crossroads in Chuck Larivey's gallery for the month of March. 

 Lea at work

Lea (above) was still at it in the March Sunday class. Only this time armed with a few new tricks from last month to expand her painting horizons. It's this photo and the new (homework) painting on her easel that clinched the deal. 

Couldn't help but show her another idea with regards to moving light. Not sure what she'll do with it, but I have a hunch she's home messing with it:=)

 

A NEW WRINKLE

This month we would also like to acknowledge a job well done to individual paintings by team members whose paintings below will also be on display at Crossroads.

SUSAN PAAVOLA 

DALE WILLIAMS

ELIZABETH TITMUS

Congratulations to all for a job well done!

FEBRUARY SWIMMING-IN-PAINT RECAP

We had an energetic Swimming-in-Paint team in February. All that's left is to select who gets to show their stuff on the "WOW" wall at Crossroads this month.

A TEAM MEMBER'S LEAP!  

Dale had a remarkable two day session last weekend - Dale worked on two subjects, Venice and Pond
Reflections. She used Venice as a subject change when her pond paintings threw up road blocks or it was no longer fun. It allowed a much needed break and a fresh view for the next. Her next was this little beauty below.  Many things we worked on in previous classes started to take hold in Dales painting. Can't wait to see what she does for the March workshop. 

Dale Williams untitled lily pond 30x40 oil on linen  February 2017

A STUDY IN BALLET

Lea's February painting plan was a more dramatic approach to the ballet than her little painting above. She accomplished her goal by following the light with more colour and more expressive brushwork than before. The paintings below done in the workshop and home studio shows how well a singular focus and some serious bingeing can raise the bar in our own paintings.

A FINAL CANVAS ABOUT LIGHT & COLOUR

 Lea Emory's Untitled Ballet 30x24 oil on linen February 2017

THE EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE & A GREAT SIGNATURE

Doug is a longtime Crossroads artist and has developed a personal style. I like a good signature on a painting - one that is aesthetically in balance with the painting like below.

 

LIGHT & COLOUR AS A FINAL PAINTING

Doug Zeigler untitled Landscape 30x40 oil on linen February 2017

FIELDS OF FLOWERS

Peggy is working on fields of colour - getting those flowers to feel natural - not much question she's breaking the code.

KOI FISH THEME

  Susan's three week work process on the table

BY SELECTION IT GOT COMPLICATED

 Susan  Paavola's untitled Koi blast 24x24 oil on linen February 2017

Whoa! This one has fish coming at you from every angle. But, as complicated as it is there is a very defined light source starting to emerge here with each brush stroke. The trick is focusing on one fish, getting it scaled right and working off it. Each one is finished as far as possible before moving on to the next. It took a while to establish a working process but this is clearly on it's way to becoming a keeper.

TWO SESSION PEACOCK

This year we also have a separate "Sunday Painters" team. We meet the first three Sunday's each month and carry on to the music. My favorite Sunday painting in February was by Elizabeth, a long time team member of Swimming-in-Paint. Besides Elizabeth I also have a soft spot for Peacocks.

1st SUNDAY

2nd SUNDAY

Elizabeth's untitled Peacock 24x24 oil on linen February 2017

You can see why February is a tough "WOW" selection. They all did a great job! This month we'll do something a bit different. We have our bi-monthly Art opening at Crossroads on the 17th. Soooo..... members featured above will be invited to submit their last painting and the WOW Award will be among them. The "WOW" winner will get the solo wall. The rest will share my space with me. All paintings displayed must be for sale.