Finding my GrOOOOOOve. . .

 

. . . with one little mark
 

This post is from my monthly Studio Updates, dating November 2020.  Take note that the timing of this post my not be relevant.

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At this very moment of writing, America has resolved the election and potentially developed a strong Covid cure. It sure has been a tough road. Together we all have been on them at different times of our lives, with steep hills to conquer and bruising bumps to get over. Our 2020 stories will take the route into the history books and cement them into our current generation. I wonder how stories we all have in common from 2020? Sad, yet somehow I am feeling a little glimmer of hope. 

On a brighter note, so much is bubbling up in my studio! There are several half-finished paintings that I'm re-addressing, online courses are starting to take shape, a BIG, long-term project is being imagined, and just some good vibes all over. I"m happy to say that my slump is nearly over and I'm starting to find my groove! It all came to a head while I was working on a painting last week, when one little, and very joyful brushstroke "giggled" at me! Yes, I wrote giggled. You see, the act of painting is a dialogue...and sometimes it speaks to the artist in most mysterious ways, but this time it giggled! And the best part? I was ready to receive it! What a joyful and intimate moment. I sure hope that joyful mark comes back to greet me again and again. As for the photo above? Yup, that's me...high up on the top of the beautiful St. John's Bridge in Portland, OR., during a graffiti abatement closure. A while back when life was "easy", a few of us artists, Don Bishop, Quin Sweetman, and Za Vue had the idea to paint a nocturne of the Willamette River upon the closed bridge. And what should one do when in a most opportunistic place? Well... Cartwheels! ... and take a rest in the middle of the high road!

So how do you find your grOOOOve? Do Share!

Moooving along...

Lloyd via Pearl 16x20"

"Lloyd via Pearl" 16x20" Pastel

Hadn't shared this one yet cuz I've been so busy with family stuff... graduation, and my folks visiting. It's been a fun week of celebrating and more, and now back to work today. Weather is looking too good to be inside, yet much to do that has piled up in the studio. So I'm finally getting this one out there. Worked on it during the rainy months here in Portland. I came upon this scene when I made a wrong turn and ended up with the perfect moment to shoot a pic from my car dashboard as the trolley was stopping. Loved the lights and the atmosphere of the scene. 

The Fall Line, 24x24"

"The Fall Line" 24x24" Pastel ©Brenda Boylan

Urban scenes continue to inspire me because of the activity, lights, and pops of color. I Portland, OR., where I live we have a metropolitan transit system called the MAX.  There are several routes that travel throughout the various areas of the central region often crossing bridges, and sections of town. Some of the the routes are identified by the color of the trolley.

In this particular piece, I focused on a triad color scheme of orange, purple and green with a dominant warm color temperature. Because it was a Fall scene, I chose as the dominant hue.  Look closely and you might see hints of orange in the street.  

Spring Wear, 10x8, Yosemite, and PAE!

"Spring Wear", 10x8" Oil  Sold

The plein air season has begun here in Oregon; that is, whenever we get an occasional dry day. It's even better if there are blue clouds above, if you can imagine that in Portland. There have been a few days when I've gone out with full intentions to paint and then end up leaving with a camera full of images only to paint in the studio for the day. "Spring Wear", above, is one of those painting days.  The inspiring image was taken from a stroll down the trendy boutique blocks of NW 23rd.

I've been busy as usual, happily readying for upcoming trips, painting a few paintings, entering shows, traveling, and composing my Studio Updates newsletter.  Fortunately for me, my husband is home on sabbatical and that has helped tremendously, allowing me to get quality work done with a lot less rush. We took a trip to Yosemite for Spring Break last week with the kids and I had a couple of opportunities to paint the amazing landscape. The weather was cooperative for late March which allowed us to access most of the park. Imagine breathing the fresh air after a rainfall, seeing wild poppies in bloom, hiking amongst the Giant Redwood trees, walking under a solid vertical piece of granite that measures 10 football fields high, and feeling the mist from giant Yosemite Falls upon your skin. Yes, Yosemite was breathtaking! I highly recommend that every artist go there to paint at least once in a lifetime.  Here are two plein air paintings I painted in the park:

Half Dome", 8x10" Oil

(available through artist, $550)

 "Tunnel View", 8x10"  Oil

(available through artist, $550)

One Happy Camper

Upon my return from Yosemite, I was greeted with an acceptance letter to participate in Plein Air Easton!  Can you say "happy artist dance"? Some artists call it the "Ironman" of plein air events because of grueling hot and humid weather conditions, fierce competition amongst top plein air artists, and oooh sooo lavish parties. I can't wait.  To get an idea of what Plein Air Easton! is all about, click the logo below for the calender of events.

"Summer Lake" 10x8" Pastel

Today I went out with a few other artists to paint in a local park called "Summer Lake".  I have to get my act together for the upcoming Plein Air convention, so I went for a test drive with my pastels, which have been practically abandoned since my introduction to oils. I was wildly surprised that I hadn't lost my mojo with what I was able to accomplish in a little more than 1 hour.  I'd say it was a good day. How was yours?

Crossline, 12x12

"Crosslines" 12x12" Pastel  ©Brenda Boylan

I live in a suburb just outside of Portland, OR. called Beaverton. The city of Beaverton has never had a centralized hub, and so for the past 4+ years, community volunteers have been working hard on revitalizing it's "downtown". Actually, there really is no true downtown as it's had it's share of quick growth and misplaced strip malls. Ah, but I did find this little spot that was bathed in sun and has more or less a vibe of the buildings in the core area of the city. I stumbled upon this 60's style building last fall with my pochade box all ready to paint, but the wind was a bit brisk so I decided it would have to wait. Here is my studio piece of that location as taken from photo.

Crossing the Perch, 24x24

"Crossing the Perch"  24x24"  Pastel  ©Brenda Boylan

After much struggle and delay, I've come to a point where I think all the corrections have been made to call this one piece complete. Along the way, I was flip-flopping between a warm or cool light source. If the light is warm then the shadows are typically cool and vice-versa. Because the foggy sky had a lot of cool color (a typical Portland sky), it made the painting very cool in nature and I didn't want another foggy painting.  So I switched the light to be warm (yeah, we artists can change weather almost in a blink) and it gave the painting the pop it needed.  Also, the highlights on the shiny cars and other urban motifs have either a pink or yellow hint to them from the warm light source, giving my painting some sparkle. Below I share my process of struggle and success...

There is a guy somewhere in Portland who now is in a painting! Who could he be? He originally was a tad to the right, but his head was in perfect alignment with the Nordstrom sign, and that created a direct linear path through the middle of the painting.  That being a big no-no, I scrubbed him off and moved him a cadence back.  Also of note, the grey street is not grey at all, but a series of colors lightly layered on top of each other.  Our eyes "mix" the color and that is what I love about pastels...the layering of colors that make the eyes excited.

Originally, the lower right hand area of the painting was just sidewalk and signs, so I added the ladies from other resource pics I had.  Originally the women didn't have hats on their heads, but as I was painting their hair, the bulkier it got and it began to look kind of nice.  So now they wear hats, as we often do to keep warm in Portland.

Then there are the birds. Every city has them, be it pigeons, seagulls or small brown finches and so I was inspired to name this piece after their heavenly perch because of their presence in every city. These gulls were originally perched a tad towards the middle of the light pole, but I moved them over to the left to give weight to this corner of the piece... creating a flow and balance to the overall composition.  There is lots to explore in this piece, but most of it is painted with a soft blur so it's not too fussy.  In keeping with focal point guidelines, (strong contrast in dark and light, complimentary colors touching, tighter detail, and busy shapes) I kept the tight rendering to the busy traffic pattern in the far distance.

Making room for creativity

A crop of a city scene painting I'm currently working on

There are times when I feel like I could just scream from the frustration of interruptions to creativity.  But in reality, I have too many bowling balls that I'm juggling along with a very busy and productive family life.  This is why I haven't posted in a while.  So many things are happening at one time, and most of them are not artistic endeavors. Bleh!  

Made room for painting today and this has made me feel better and more complete.  I put on some tango music and that really made me wiggle into the creative mode again.  Here is a cropped portion of what I'm working on, and it's been a fight all the way.  Work and re-work. It's a city scene inspired from a trip into the rose city, Portland. The buildings want to curve and bend, the sky wishes to be yellow and the cars keep moving.  I love it all!  I think the tango music is making it's influence.