Thursday, February 24, 2011

Control . . . Getting Messy With Paint

"Control"
acrylics on 8x10 art board

Its strange to me the title that came to mind for this piece. It feels very out of control to me. I painted this late last night which I don't normally do. But hubby fell asleep early and I was restless. So I went into my studio. I grabbed some alizarin crimson, payne's gray, a brush, some paper towels and started smearing then wiping. I had no idea or plan for what I was doing. When I saw what looked like water on the bottom start to come out I worked on bringing that out. I used white gesso instead of white paint. For some reason I really like the chalkiness of the gesso.

The butterfly stamps were an after thought but I like how they look against the darkness of this piece. It felt good to not pay attention to the end result but get caught up in the process which doesn't happen too often for me. With all the anxiety I had at the beginning of this week I feel like maybe I worked some of it out!

Its cool how you never know what you will see . . . I see a little white angel in the top left just above the "L" in Control! Do you see it too?

9 comments:

  1. I do see the angel. This is great, I see it as a cave with a pool at the bottom, sheer walls and rocks with some water falling down them. This is really a cool painting.

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  2. Dark waterfall and doves flying.....
    Odd how we all see something different in work, but fun too!
    I have been *playing* lately with washes and colors....and I discovered I enjoy making the substrates more than making a finished product! LOL! (not good either...)

    XXOO~~♥
    Anne

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  3. Don't you love how the paint can help us find new adventures!!

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  4. So freeing to just let go and see where it ends up.....

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  5. Cathy this piece is really interesting. Your ability to just let it happen sounds very freeing. I love the colors and the names of them that you used. Excellent piece...

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  6. KEEP IT UP...this looks like a gorgeous underground cave, recessed, and then a pool of water at the bottom. i want to walk around in there, hunting, and touching and i sure do see that little angel! WONDERFUL loose work!!!

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  7. Yes, it's a wonderful painting. I agree with Wanda: Keep it up!

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  8. Oh Cathy..YES, I Saw The Angel Immediately! Isn't It Amazing How The Totally "Unexpected" Just Happens? I Just Posted About That Very Thing This Morning! It's So Mysterious The Way Creation Hums Deep And Low Into Our Spirits. I Too Sometimes Find Myself In Front Of The Easel When The House Is Quiet. Never Know When The Mood Is Gonna Strike. Glad You Moved With It. Have A Glorious Weekend Sweet Lady. Hugs Of Southern Sunshine, Terri

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  9. I love paintings like this, the more you look the more you see!
    Saw the angel, saw the devil in the dark.. and will be looking again soon :) xx

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