Rite of Spring

Spring is almost here. In fact, here in southeast Texas we can pretty much say that spring is around the corner by the end of January. This year I'm welcoming the season by planting new things in my garden - strawberries, cabbage, and spinach (and a replacement rosemary plant for the one that died) and working on some pieces that will feature the colors of spring.

 

 

 

I wanted to showcase the soft shades of green and aqua, as well as the colors of the warm sun and budding flowers. They are both in acrylics - the first painting is on an artists panel measuring 6" x 8", and the second is on a 1 1/2" deep canvas measuring (I believe) 12" x 24". Neither piece is titled yet.

I'll also work on producing some ACEOs to showcase spring themes. I may follow the trend of the two paintings and create simple, abstract pieces, or I may decide to produce more detailed works such as this one, Titled "Among All the Commotion":

So, with new art ideas, along with projects around the house, lots of thorough cleaning, not to mention my full time day job, I've really got work to do!

What plans have you got for spring?

Posted with Blogsy

Are you a "Colour Lover?"

As an artist and all-around creative person, I've always loved looking at colors and how they mixed, matched, clashed and complemented each other. It's always fun to pick two or three colors that you would never think of putting together, and having them make the most amazing palette. My paintings usually start with me staring at my tubes of paint and contemplating: which ones fit my mood right now? Is it this one, these two? Oh, now do I want contrast? I discovered a website a few years ago that helps you discovered some really beautiful color palettes: Colour Lovers Colour Lovers allows you to search for palettes by color, or you can browse and be surprised. You can even make your own and submit them, which I believe might require registering on the site. Here are a couple of examples I found:

I actually did this sort of thing with my latest painting, which is a work in progress I'm featuring on my website here I didn't actually submit my palette, but here's what I came up with:

I think that looking through palettes might be inspiring, or it might even help kickstart a lazy art muse into producing ideas - I know that just looking at all the interesting color combinations helps me feel quite creative :)