Friday, January 4, 2013

Finding Something in Nothing

Happy New Year!!! Though I never want to wish my life away, 2012 was an extraordinarily difficult and challenging year, a true test of "CARPE' DIEM"!!! I am happy for a "new beginning". On the positive side, my creative self was given amazing opportunities to thrive, absorb, learn, experiment and grow. I made deep, special, wonderful connections and true friendships with people around the world thanks to "creativity"!!! As some doors closed others opened brimming with things unseen. I look very forward to the unknown that will reveal itself this new year!!!

My first project of 2013 (thank you +Ardith Goodwin!!!) has brought  me to today's post. Week 1 Challenge (acrylic and graphite) of a 52 Week Mixed-Media Challenge had me surprisingly stymied as to what to do (quite unlike me!!!). I stepped out of my current box (though I jump in and out of them on regular basis) and found something out of nothing!!! After being stumped for a while, I thought of a great idea that I DID NOT do (why make it easy on myself...sheesh!). Unlike what was suggested, I decided to start bigger (14x22) than I've done in several years as I recently completed 14, 4x6 detailed ink and markers drawings. I looked at that big white blank nothingness and began a journey into the unknown...

The Process:
1) randomly poured a little gesso on paper


2) randomly squirted some acrylics (violet, blue lake, crimson yellow ochre, phthalo green)

 
3) blended/scraped front top to bottom with an old credit card

 
4) randomly added drops of white acrylic then used a brayer to spread it over the page


5) slowly I began to see people and faces emerge which I traced with various graphite pencils; I then highlighted with the above mentioned colors.


 
 
 

Though I was originally not happy with the results, as new things emerged I loved it more and more!!! It continues to grow!!!

If you look closely, even when life seems a huge mess, special surprises will emerge!!!

 

Happy New Year!!! Happy Creating!!!

CARPE' DIEM friends!!!
Christine :D












5 comments:

Unknown said...

Absolutely love this... thanks for showing us how this evolved from a blank canvas

Unknown said...

Absolutely love this... thanks for showing us how this evolved from a blank canvas

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I love it, too!

Thank you for sharing this inspiring process, Christine - and:

Happy New Year! :D

SH2022 said...

i like this piece(s) and the progress photos, which really helped in understanding the evolution of the piece. the close-up images revealed great detail (i.e. figure outlines) that i may not have perceived and it really benefited me, the viewer, as i'm not able to see it in person.

your comment, "Though I was originally not happy with the results, as new things emerged I loved it more and more!!! It continues to grow!!!", tells me that you began to allow the piece to dictate to you as the artist and the wonderful result was blissful, as you said: "If you look closely, even when life seems a huge mess, special surprises will emerge!!!".

it's a good piece. i would be happy with it too! :)

shad