Various Narratives Show at City Arts

Last Fall my painting They Call it Connection Cafe was accepted into the Arts Council Annual Juried Art Show at City Arts here in Wichita.  Shortly after the opening night I received an invitation to show in the Main Hall Gallery for the Final Friday art crawl in January which opened last night.  The new and beautifully renovated space, gorgeous weather, and four diverse art shows brought a huge crowd with a lot of fun energy.

Various Narratives from left to right:  Releve',
The Backyard Bench, Reading Space,
On the Way to Afternoon Tea

These are a few of my ten paintings on display, all various in sizes and mediums.  On the Way to Afternoon Tea has a new home and all the praise and kind words were enough to keep me painting for quite a while.

I want to thank those that came out last night, it was so fun visiting with you!  And a HUGE thank you to the staff at City Arts for all the hard work. You all make such a great team. The show was beautifully displayed!

And blog friends...see you in a week or so...I am painting like a maniac these days and I will have some new work to show you very soon.  Thank you for your wonderful comments and your supportive words as always!

See you soon!

♥ Lisa

Mother Child Paintings

Look at Daddy
acrylic and ink on paper
4 x 6 inch
available here

This week the theme was mother and child and all of these were inspired by a collection of vintage photos that were kindly gifted to me some time ago.  Painting children is a challenge and these small 4 x 6 inch works made it that much harder because the faces are teeny tiny.   I have found that I try to paint with more detail when I am working with photos vs using my imagination, which is a crazy mission for such a small space.  I won't be doing this too often.

Teddy's Picture
acrylic and ink on paper
4 x 6 inch
available here

I used the same colors for all three works.  It always amazes me how many different colors you can come up with.  Lately I've been mixing 2 yellows, 2 reds, 2 blues, with white, paynes gray, brown, and one or two "fun" colors like a magenta or orange of some sort. I also used titan buff in these.  Titan buff and a bright red make the prettiest pinks by the way.

Cradling Chair
acrylic and ink on paper
4 x 6 inch
available here

Thank you for all the feedback on my Picasso studies in the last post.  See you again soon!  

♥ Lisa

Picasso Inspired Works

Amy
acrylic on paper
4 x 6 inch
NFS

This week besides refinishing kitchen cabinets, I painted these small color studies inspired by the works of Picasso that are found in this book.  I love the book and it is one of my very favorites.

  

Late Supper
acrylic on paper
4 x 6 inch
available here

As I painted with a strong focus on color, I tried to pay attention to values more than I usually do. There is also a common theme:  they are all seated at a table and they all have coffee cups.  I love coffee cups as much as I do chairs.

Harmony Brew
acrylic on paper
 4 x 6 inch
available here

I also thought about hands and how they seem to be important somehow in art.  I realized not too long ago that I am very drawn to figurative art with interesting or strong hands.  So I worked on that a little bit.

Companions
acrylic on paper
4 x 6 inch
available here

Besides working on kitchen cabinets and painting Picasso/color studies, I spent time with various companions this week.  I watched movies with my husband, had a wonderful conversation over the phone with a special friend, and attended my very first Golden Globe/fondue/birthday party.

I plan to further my Picasso/color studies, but the next round will be with an emphasis on mother/child.

Wish me luck.

♥ Lisa

First Post in 2016!

Winter Feed
mixed media on paper
6 x 6 inch
available here

I love a new year.  Don't you?  It's like a breath of refreshing winter air.  A chance to make changes inside the heart and mind and even in the mundane things.  We can do this any time of year, but making desired changes seems more epic if you do it at the turn of a new year.  

Winter Seed
mixed media on paper
6 x 6 inch
available here

I spent the last three mornings rising before the sun and hitting the studio once the coffee was brewed.  It felt great to be painting again after all the holiday festivities.  

Winter Sled
mixed media on paper
6 x 6 inch
available here

All three of these were inspired by a series of photos I took last winter while walking around Riverside after a beautiful snow.  I have found I like to work from photos, but then also add bits and pieces from my imagination to them.  

I hope everyone is off to a great start in 2016!

♥ Lisa