Abstract Landscape . . . New Mini Tutorial

"the sun always shines again"

acrylic on paper

I wanted to share this piece with you guys today and hopefully inspire you to let go and let the paint lead.  I created this mini abstract landscape using 3 colors of paint and a few pieces of tissue paper collage.  It was done with only a palette knife.  I don't like using brushes so when I can I use either a credit card or palette knife.  Here is how I created this little painting . . . 

*Choose 2 colors of paint and titanium white.

*Squeeze the paint directly from the bottle/tube onto the surface in the area you want it to go. 

* For landscape typically you create a horizon line which should be above or below midline rather than directly in the middle.  I squeezed the gray color on the bottom with some white and the yellow on the upper portion also with a small amount of white.  

*Using a palette knife or an old credit card start dragging the paint on the bottom.  Use a light hand to gently mix the white in for areas of highlight.  

*Wipe off the palette knife and begin doing the same with the top color.  Continue going back and forth until you feel its done.  

*To bring out contrast while the paint is still wet using the palette knife scrape into areas along the bottom removing some of the paint.  

*When the paint is dry tear a couple of pieces of tissue or any collage paper and glue it to areas along the bottom to mimic land.  Matte medium works well for this.  Or even mod podge if you have that on hand.  For this piece I used tissue paper I had already prepared with my favorite word stamp with Staz On permanent ink. 

*You can also drag the palette knife into the wet paint to create more texture and line.  

One of the things I love most about this process are the images that show up.  Over on the right side of the screen on the painting I see what looks like a couple in an embrace in the gray paint just below the yellow.  

Hope you will try to let go in your own creating and enjoy the process!  

xo

Seascape Painting on Cardboard . . . 5 years in the making

"Stormy Sea"  

acrylic on 10x10 cardboard

 Continuing on with my love of cardboard I gesso a piece of 10x10 board.  Using only a palette knife and sponge brush I completed the above piece.  The key to landscape painting for me is to really not think as I go along.  Once the thinking starts, analyzing begins and its over.  I try to get into the moment and let the paint lead me.  Not an easy task for me at all.  Probably why you dont see too much landscape on my blog.  

I wanted to share a painting I found the other day of my very first attempt at landscape painting from way back in 2010.  It is actually what inspired me to try a new one.  I was curious to see how far I have come as an artist.  

I like both however I can see how much looser my work is in the new painting.  I am hoping to continue with some landscape and see where I take it.  

If you are interested in landscape painting check out David Dunlop.  He is an amazing landscape painter and has some free videos on youtube.  His approach is very loose and free.  His work is stunning!  

I have been loving Instagram lately.  Too see what I am up to follow me over there just click the link below or look me up @cathybueti

Instagram 

Till  next time!  

xo

Abstract Portraits

I have tried for a few years now to paint portraits.  I am realizing I just do not enjoy creating realism.  Maybe because it is too much of a challenge for me (very possible)  or maybe its because abstract is just more interesting to me.  Either way I grabbed a canvas board the other night along with some paynes gray and white welcoming whatever showed up.  

Whenever I paint this way I always feel as though parts of myself spill out onto the canvas.  I suppose each of us leave small parts of ourselves within our work.  Whether its images or words it would be hard not to.  As artists our work comes from a deeper place, one that we may not even be aware of.  And that place can be very powerful . . . 

xo

Linking up with Paint Party Friday today :)

Landscape . . . Trying to Loosen Up

"field of longing"

acrylic on paper

I don't know what made me do it but the other night I decided to try a landscape.  It has probably been over a year since I dabbled in it.  Mostly because I have been on an abstract and digital art super highway but probably out of fear.  

Landscape always seemed to have too many rules for me.  Those that have been following my blog know that I don't vibe with that!  However after discovering an amazing artist named David Dunlop that all seemed to change.  He is a landscape painter, using primarily oils but his approach is one of looseness and freedom.  I found him so very inspiring.  I felt encouraged to try even knowing I would make mistakes.  It became more about the moment of fun in creating rather than creating the perfect horizon line.  

For this piece I used a limited palette of cerulean blue, cadmium red light, and titanium white.  I chose those colors knowing that as complimentary's it would create a nice effect.  I used chip brushes from home depot (similar to those David uses) and found them to be great for texture and just plain old fun to swoosh around.  I approached the paper with speed knowing that I had to keep my mind quiet to be loose.  I didn't use a reference photo, just an image that popped up in my mind's eye.  

I have to say that I enjoyed the process for the first time in all my attempts at landscape painting.  I am nervous about painting another but I know that I will go at it in the same manner which should help me be more successful.  

For more info on David Dunlop check out his website HERE! 

Sharing today at Paint Party Friday :)

Procession . . . New Black and White Art

"procession"

acrylic on 8x10 wood panel

Well as you can see  my blog has been abandoned for a couple of weeks.  I have been down for the count and I did not even see it coming.  What started out as a cold evolved into what I can only believe was the flu.  I am finally feeling better but not quite over it yet.  It is s sneaky little bug.  I would feel better and then bad very quickly.  Thought I was good christmas eve only to spend christmas day on the couch.  Quite the bummer but certainly not the worst thing compared to the sadness that has been happening around us lately.  

I did however get one day where I felt well enough to paint.  And lately I have been enjoying creating abstracts using a scraper and my hands.  I love the texture it creates and really like the process of scraping the paint around.  

I wanted to try just black and white.  So for this piece which I did on cradled wood panel I applied alot of titanium white first.  I am finding that I like the hard surface to paint on.  Then I used the black mixing it into the white randomly.  I kept going till I felt it was done.  I see some figures on the left side.  What do you see?? 

Sharing with Paint Party Friday.  

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday.  I feel so out of the loop when I am not online.  Hope to visit you all very soon!

xo

Love Brightens The Soul - New Abstract

"love brightens the soul"

mixed media on 12x12 gallery wrapped canvas

Hard to believe it is Friday again already!  The summer is really flying on by.  I am pretty sure I say that to myself every summer but this year has been crazy so far!

Today I wanted to share my latest abstract.  I used a color palette not typical for me but I am pretty happy with the results.  And after such gloom and doom over here at Casa Bueti lately with my arm debacle and the loss of yet another dog 2 weeks ago it felt nice to paint something inspiring and positive.  

I am finding that the more I paint with my hands the less I enjoy using a brush.  This piece was painted that way.  I always wear gloves when I paint with my hands.  If not that would be one big mess!  I did use my palette knife for some of the details though.  I used payne's gray mixed with quin nickel azo gold, and titan buff.  I am hoping you can see the nice deep green color the gray and the gold create.  

Here is a shot of it before my favorite part.  This was also the stage where I was stuck fearing my next move would mess it all up.  

I am sharing this piece over at Paint Party Friday. 

 It is quite a rainy day here in NY but much needed.   These kind of days make me feel lazy.  Perfect weather for cuddling up on the couch with a pug.  

xo

Abstract Undone

I haven't painted much lately but last weekend I grabbed some of my favorite colors, payne's gray, raw umber, titan buff, and white, used my fingers and just played.  I actually haven't used a brush in a while.  I wear gloves though cause I don't want to deal with all that paint on my hands but it still feels good to move the paint around with only my hands.  I wish I had taken progression shots so you could see how this began.  Typically I do but it went so fast I just wasn't paying attention to photographing it along the way.  

Funny that I completed the whole piece horizontal.  And after stepping back I decided that I hated it!  Then I turned it around and it just felt right.  The finger prints in the upper right corner looks like the top of a tree and below the two circles I see a dragonfly.  So cool how that happens.  I scratched into the paint as I went along.  I am not sure if it is completely finished.  I feel like I need to add some letters or numbers with my stencil somewhere.  Hmmmm . . . 

I am sharing over at Paint Party Friday.  If you haven't checked that out yet I highly recommend it!!  There is always such great work being shared and each week an artist is featured!  

Click HERE!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

xo

Arm Update and A Landscape . . .

I don't know about you but things out in the universe feel unsettled to me.  I have always been very intuitive and more so lately.  The energy feels weird.  And when I feel this way it makes me anxious.  It seems like alot of people around me are going through tough stuff and I know that kind of stuff happens all the time but lately it seems as though its all at once.  I am having lots of trouble keeping myself in the moment.  

My arm saga continues.  I went to the doctor yesterday to have her check my incision site.  For the past few days it has been getting red and I felt a lump forming.  I have never been a good healer from scars but this redness worried me.  Its not looking as good as it had last week.  So she said it was ok, just a bit inflamed.  The lump apparently is scar tissue.  I was shocked to hear that it would be forming so fast.  The stitches just came out 2 weeks ago.  I am now 4 weeks post surgery.  Anyway she said if there is any pain that develops to come in otherwise I will go back in 3 weeks for her to see how it is progressing.  So needless to say my anxiety is increasing with regards to that situation.  

In the meanwhile I have been watching a new DVD by artist David Dunlop.  He is an amazing landscape painter and I love the technique he uses.  Very different than how I have painted landscape before. He does mostly oil painting but he had a lesson dvd on acrylics.   I am following along with the lesson painting the same scene as he in the same color palette.  I feel like it is the best way for me to learn.  This piece started out with a textured background using alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue.  A new color for me is cerulean blue which I have used for the sky.  I really am liking the color and see me using in in other abstract pieces.  

I was reminded how much more difficult it is for me to paint something this structured after doing so much abstract mixed media.  I am not sure how far I will go with this as I got pretty frustrated.  lol  The perfectionist in me goes to town and it isn't good!  If I continue with this piece I will be sure to post its progress. 

Hope you have been up to lots of good things!

xo

Progression of a Landscape Painting

I am excited to share the landscape I spoke of in Tuesday's post that I had been working on a for a good friend of mine. It was a special photo of his that I was so struck by when I saw it that I wanted to paint it for him. I hadn't done a landscape in quite awhile but this has renewed my love for the process of landscape painting! It is where I began before discovering mixed media.

The above photo shows the first layer of color that I put down pretty quickly. I did an initial sketch so I would know where to add the lights and darks. I used a combo of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna for a neutral grayish tone along with some acrylic glaze medium to keep the paint moving. I tried to mimic some of the texture of the landscape as I laid down the color. And then I used a rag to wipe out the tiny bit of sky at the top, the path and the sidewall area on the left. You can probably still see some of my sketch with the tree limbs and a person on the path.

Then I began adding another layer of color this time with lots of green, yellows, and orange. I am now also going from dark to light to establish perspective. I must admit I had difficulty with the curved wall on the right side! I tried to work with shades of light and dark to bump it up.

Here is the finished painting! I really like what the yellow does for the gray of the path. It is a nice contrast and the yellow just pops! The person I didn't like initially and almost took it out at the end! But it is a crucial piece to the initial photo that I needed to leave it in.

I saw him Tuesday nite for dinner and surprised him with the painting. He loved it! And it made my heart so happy that I was able to recreate this scene for him in a painting that will hang on a wall in his home!