grass abstract

Periodically I take my cheap little digital and take photos.  I am not a serious photographer but I see things that I like or appeal to some little part of me.  Often, it mood or color.  While I was still working at the University I snapped a photo of some ornamental grass only to discover that I had totally not focused it and the wind was blowing too fast to take a good picture.  So the other day I was looking through some old files and found it.  It struck me as movement and light and while you cant tell it's grass was beautiful in it's own way.  I really loved the photo which really looks magical to me. 

So I tried to paint something based on it - not identical but from it.  Translating the piece.  Here is painting one.  I'm going to try it in watercolor next time I pull them out.  I'm still working in the acrylic stuff.

I made the painting more horizontal but may try a vertical look next time.  I'm enjoying the work out.  It's been so long since I've done artwork I feel pretty good with it.  I still see potential in the photgraph. 

Yard art or how to do something when you are laid off

So whilst unemployed (due to job lay-off) I have started doing art again basically to balance the horrible pressure one gets from the Unemployment Office to find a job.  Plus I do worry I will run out of money and the self-employed sweetie just doesn't pull in enough. 

That being said, I've been organizing and looking for things to do and clean and all, I stumbled across a largish box of bottle caps I had been saving for a friend who never managed to come get them.  Being bored, I poked holes in them and strung them up for the yard,  In a weird way, I kinda like the finished art project.  Sorta recycled yard art effect.

It does add a little color in the side yard where we don't water due to the fact we're in a heatwave/drought for most of the year.  Almost a solid two months worth of 100 degree weather makes for dead weeds and such.  So the bottlecap branch adds some color and a little variety.  I think I will eventually add more - we aren't big soda drinkers but we do slowly amass a few.  Sorry don't take donations!

Finally!

After a very long time period, I have started painting again.  It's not great but it's painting.  What with the lay-off I finally have a space of time to get going so while it's been slow, I have started doing things.  It's a small acrylic waterlily - I usually do watercolor but I have all these paints so I started in.

It's coming slowly.  The first phot is me laying in the background.  Generally I always don't put in the background and have huge amounts of white space.  White space can be a tad intiminidating so it's best to cover it quick.  Since it's a limited palette it was fairly easy.

I generally turn the painting upside down at some point to get a different perspective.  I started doing that when I started focussing on one area of a painting.

Once I got the background blocked in I started in on the actual flower.  I was hoping to keep it infused with light but started having some problems..  Acrylic isn't like watercolor in saeveral ways,  For one thing, you generally let the watercolor paper shine through for your whites and with acrylic some of the colors are more opague than other.  So I am having to try to stay light on this.  So I'm getting there somewhat soon.

Wednesday I added a new photo with more work done on Monday.  I gave it a rest on Tuesday and worked on job applications.  (I'm so stupid sounding, it's pretty sad.  I do worse on the actual verbal interview.  I just wanna say - "Hire me!  I can do your work!"