NEW 'on my EASEL' PAINTING FEATURED

Hey, guys it's time for a post about a new painting. It's long over due.  This time I had a lot of trouble deciding what to write about mainly because I have so many paintings that I've done in various mediums and techniques, that I was not quite sure what I should tackle first. I am somewhat stuck. I am tossing back and forth with what paintings I have listed in my etsy shop and on Facebook.  Since I began painting before I began this blog, I have a lot of work to talk about.
In the past year I have been working mainly on abstract experimental painting and still life paintings.  I like to work on both because it keeps my skills up and I am constantly learning new things.  I also find new ways to manipulate the paint and brushes.  I think I am getting better but hey, who am I to judge?
I'll let you be the judge.
Well, let's talk about this new painting...

                                   'HEADING TOWARDS THE LIGHT'

'Heading towards the light'                       24 x 30                       oil on canvas              Loren Fidalgo

Just recently, I sold this painting, YEAH!!! and I would like to talk about it before it leaves it's current home.  The title of this painting is 'Heading towards the light'.  It is 24 x 30 and oil on canvas.  I really love the 24 x 30 size canvas to paint on.

I began this painting shortly after I began painting abstract back in the beginning of 2012. I think it was my 3rd or 4th painting.  I still felt new to abstract and unsure of my direction when I stumbled upon this painting style.

I began this painting using oil paint and by laying down blocks of color in Cerealean Blue and Ultramarine Blue squares in the bottom left hand corner using a palette knife.  I used various shades of these colors next to each other.  I dragged the paint around the canvas and dropped the palette knife down on the canvas where I decided the colors should go.  To merge colors, I dragged the color to the left side into the color in the right side with the flat part of the knife.  I used a lot of Alizarin Crimson as the dominate color around the canvas and especially on the top.  The Crimson color worked it's way into the shape that is painted in a curve.  This is a contrast to the square/ blocks of color.  The curve in Crimson sort of tucks you into the yellow areas of light almost like it is hovering over the yellows like a archway to a bridge or some kind of animal pulling your eyes into the painting.

There are two areas of light, in the blues on the bottom and in the yellows on the middle right side.  The Cadmium Yellow really brings your eye in to it and it looks as if you are heading towards the light starting at the bottom left corner of blues and moving up into the yellows.  In some ways. it reminds me of a landscape sunset with water on the bottom. Do you see it??

Although there are many colors in this painting, when I look at it, I see Crimsons and Yellows.  The other colors kind of recede for me.  They are secondary.  I wanted to show the interaction between many colors all grouped together on one surface.  I had a vision in my mind and at the same time I wanted to just let the colors flow out of me.  I didn't want to judge it while I was painting.  The title came to me right away and I knew what I wanted to say with it.

Well, I have to say "good-bye" to this piece as it will be leaving me soon.  I know it will go in an  awesome home, so I am so happy about that. I created another painting like this one.  I will feature it somewhere down the road.   Leave a comment if you would like to share something about this painting or my work in general.  I love to hear from my readers.

Live life!
Cheers,
Loren

'on my Easel' NEW PAINTING FEATURED

  

                                           'SUNRISE SUNSET'

Hey folks... new painting is featured on my first 'on my Easel' post.  For this post I will be writing about my painting 'Sunrise Sunset'. This painting is a triptych (meaning three separate panels).  The size is 33 x14 total.  Each separate panel is 11x14 each.

When I first began this painting, I was unsure about the direction I wanted to go in.  I knew I wanted to do a triptych, however I was in uncharted territory. I was using acrylic latex paint (known as interior room paint) and I was a little unsure about how it handled. I had a vision in my mind of the way I wanted these paintings to look but I was not sure how I was going to get there. I started by creating a starburst on the canvas with my three colors.  I was using buttery, creamy yellow, bright fire engine red and textured sage green paint.  The green paint had texture because the glitter that was in it had disintegrated into something like a sand or gritty feel. The green paint was really cool and interestingly textured so I knew it would make the painting look different than I was used to working with.

I started with a canvas and I painted a starburst pattern with the yellow paint and then I went over it with the red which created somewhat of an peachy pinky color. You can see some of the starburst pattern on the outside edges of the canvases and underneath the top layers. I used a brush to swish the paint around because it was runny and was flowing quickly on the canvas.  After I finished the starburst pattern, I decided to take the leap and began to pour the paint onto the canvas because I couldn't wait any longer to get to a place that I felt comfortable with.  I have only poured my paint a couple of times however, I felt that it was a safe way to go. I poured the green textured paint onto the canvas first and around the edges of the canvas, then the red colored paint and the yellow color.  I let the red and yellow colors drip down as I started to see what I wanted to happen with the colors.  I began to turn the canvas every so often to control the flow of the paint.  The trick was knowing when and how to turn the canvas. This was key. It took some time and I patiently waited for the colors to run and integrate with each other.  I then took my palette knife and stroked the paint as I moved it into a different direction as it flowed.  Again, I turned the canvas.  There was a lot of paint on the canvas at this point so I had to balance it out all over the canvas so it would not be too thick.  I moved the paint around some more and I turned it again.  Whenever it dripped too much, I'd turn it so it would go the other way. This enabled me to create these beautiful patterns on the canvases.

To finish up with this painting I used a palette knife to create more texture by mixing the colors together around the canvases.  The tricky part again was creating three canvases that would look good together as well as good on their own. I scraped, scratched and then just turned them every which way until I felt they looked the way I had seen them in my mind.  I painted the sides yellow and put my signature on the side of the third panel.  Then it was finished!

Ooops... I fibbed a little about how I created this painting.  Although this is section is called 'on my EASEL', I did not create this painting solely on my easel.  I created it a little on my easel and a little on a table and a little on the floor.  Please forgive me!

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please visit my etsy shop here

 New etsy shop is opened. Seriously, it's finally opened!

new etsy painting shop banner 

Holy cow. I wanted to let everyone know that I have opened my new painting and illustration shop on etsy.  Yeah!!!  Above is my new shop banner.  I love it!  So far I have just listed a few smaller works, but stay tuned.  I will be listing lots of paintings for sale that will be 16x20's and 24 x 30's.  Yowza! that's big, 24x30's.  But for now, I will be listing small little gems that are inexpensive and don't require special shipping.  So, take a peek over at my shop on etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/LorenFidalgoArt  and have a look at my new works.   Don't forget to check back in to read my 'on my Easel' where I will talk about the play by play'  (no pun intended or maybe it was...) process I go through when painting a painting.  I may be discussing the process of a painting that you are interested in purchasing, so take a peek in on 'on my Easel' to learn about your painting..

   Hey, I'm on Facebook now,too. Come by and discuss.  

new Facebook cover

Now here is some really big news. Facebook!  Yeah that's right.  I opened a Facebook site for my artwork. Yippee!!! I'm singing and dancing!   You can get there here .   I am so new to this social media platform and I hope I get the hang of it soon.  It does seem overwhelming with all the information every where.  I think I might need some assistance for this project?  If you have any suggestions or would want to leave a comment or post something that interests you or something that is on your mind, please do.  Any advice or tips are greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Loren

    

'ON MY EASEL' HOW I CREATE MY ART

Hey, folks.  I'm starting a new section on my blog called 'on my EASEL'.  This will feature new work that I will be creating, as well as recent abstract work from 2012 and some earlier works that I have yet to feature on my blog. I thought to create this section to share with you the whys, the whats and the hows about my process of painting. The hows and whys about  coming up with the ideas, colors, forms and the how I approach a painting from technique to thought process.  

I think an artist's thought process is so important to get to know the artist's inner soul.  It helps you to get to know how the artists thinks and feels.  I thought I would like to start this section to give you a 'play by play' of the world that I go into when I am creating.  I will talk about what I am inspired by.  It could be colors, shapes, memories of certain experiences, patterns and emotions/feelings. conversations with other people, reading, looking out my windows at nature and so on...  For me, when I am approaching a conceptual piece it always starts with a feeling or idea in my mind.  When painting abstract, it starts with some things more ambiguos like colors, shapes and patterns that I am imagining in my head.  Some days are  feeling like a yellow day and some days a crimson day and so on.... Some times I see a beautiful color and need to paint it out to see how it feels. Some times circles or squares keep nagging at me until I put the paint on the canvas. I never know what will capture my attention and be in the fore front of my mind when I am painting or creating anything so follow along with me as I try to explain my unexplainable process of creating art.

Check back to see what's 'on my EASEL'.  I hope to see you here again!

Cheers, Loren

AWARD NIGHT AT FLEISHER: MAYBE I AM HOME

Last Friday night Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia ( a free tuition art school) had there closing ceremony for the Student Show. This is where I have been taking painting classes. They were giving out awards for the different categories of art being featured in the show.

'WEEPING'                                24x30                    2012                      oil on canvas

The awards ceremony was to begin 7:00 P.M. and it was in Fleisher's historic Sanctuary chapel.  This chapel is something you just have to see.  It looks like it is from the 1700's however, I am not sure exactly how old it is. The walls are plaster frescos with painted imagery on them. The entire chapel is so ornate with tall columns, pillars, arches and decorative embellishments.  It is dark and gloomy at times and at other times it is so awe inspiring and creatively uplifting because of it's endless attention to the details.  Classes are sometimes held in this sanctuary.   There is a round sunglass window at the front of the chapel.  The altar is dressed with a crucifix and many ornate and decorative sculptures and carvings.  It is next to Fleisher's primary school class rooms and you would hardly know it was there from the street if the sunglass window and pointed roof were not there.

I went with my husband Paul and met up with a few friends that I know at Fleisher. I knew I had won an award, I just didn't know which one.  They kept that secret.  Anxiously, Paul and I went into the Sanctuary at around 7:00 P.M. and we sat down to hear the names called for each award category.  The award announcements began with some minor problems as I was the first one to be called up for an award. Go figure!  I was not looking forward to getting up in front of everyone to get my award even though it was in front of people I knew.  Hate that.  I really had the nervous jitters. I felt as though I was going to fall over when I stood up and I couldn't breathe right.  You know, basic anxiety symptoms. I didn't know where to stand and I felt like eyes were all on me. My worst nightmare was coming true. I listened to them call the other names of the artists and waited for them to come up to the podium to get their awards and to join me in the front of the Sanctuary.   I felt better having others up there with me.  After the names for painting category were called, I received my certificate and hurried back to my chair.  Oh, thank goodness, it was over.  I received my award for my abstract painting and nothing terrible happened!

I have been painting abstract since last January 2012.  I've been keeping it a secret because it is a diversion from my previous work.  One I did not need!  It is surely a change in direction for me. It actually started in an unplanned way but possibly inspired by these two things intersecting. One- since I was taking a new class, 'Painting Intuatively'( a modern art painting class) and two- because of my regular class 'Imagination, Memory and Observation'(imagery from your imagination), I was being primed subconsciously for this collision of techniques and to produce something new.

One Thursday in class, I was working on a drawing for a painting I was beginning in 'Imagination, Memory and Observation' and my instructor John thought that it was not in proportion with my drawing in my sketch book. I decided to wipe off the drawing but I felt stuck and I didn't know what I was going to do next. Then out of nowhere, and as I thought out loud, "I think I will paint an abstract painting."  This came to me from a place I did not recognize.  I had been painting still life and conceptual paintings since I began painting in 2008 and I was happy doing it, so this was definitely out of character for me. Well anyway, I went to work furiously painting without knowing really what I was doing. I only used a palette knife.  When class was over my instructor John came over and was amazed at what I had created on the canvas.  He asked how I did what I did and he told me it was great and I should paint abstract, give it a try. (Below, see the first painting that I had done)  After I painted this painting, a new direction and pathway were formed for me and I thought about trying to work in abstract for awhile to see what would develop.   Boy, was I blown away by what was to come. I would almost be totally taken over by abstract painting, form and mass.

'BEGINNING AGAIN'                   24x30                   2012                      oil on canvas

The interesting part of this journey is that when I was a teenager, I totally loved abstract and modern art. My Dad also loved it and we would talk about it when I was a kid. He was so ahead of his time (a toy designer and inventor) and he loved anything that was contemporary or modern.  We went looking for furniture (when I was 13) for our new house and most of it was totally modern.  The colors painted on our bedroom walls were totally modern.  My sister's and my bedroom was 3 walls bright yellow, one wall lime green and brown trim!  Our living room had a vanilla milkshake sofa the had a curve along the back and the carpeting was super plush royal blue that was cut on a curve going from the door to the kitchen!  This was before people realized they could cut the carpet in creative ways. My Dad was 'the bomb'.  We both had the same creative interests when I was young and we had the whole world ahead of us. Sadly, my Dad passed away one year later from a massive heart attack at the age of 40. I knew then that I had truly lost my creative friend in life... and I would never be the same,  and I haven't been.

When I began college, I wanted to work in abstract.  Then, somewhere in my early twenties my interest changed and I sort of found myself moving away from abstract art and modernism and more towards realism and impressionism when I moved to Philly and studied at Moore College of Art and Design. I don't know if it had anything to do with my Dad's death and my not wanting to remember things or not, but this is where I had been for many years. I studied graphic design and ad design in college, so I guess this might be my hanging on to the modern art world?   I'm not sure now if I am comfortable painting in an abstract technique yet, but I am making my way through the process. I feel the fear of beginning each new painting. I can't say that I will move away from conceptual art because it is dear to my heart, but I like the free and expressive energy that is released when painting in an abstract way.  I love the freedom of moving the paint around the canvas and not knowing exactly where I am going only to find a image emerge on the canvas. I am producing a lot and finding the process interesting.  It is funny that all my adult years I had no interest in abstract art and here I am coming full circle to my childhood and all the things I loved about art.  I am thinking about many things I had forgotten about myself and remembering all the things I wanted to be and do. I am thinking about being a child and having all the opportunities in front of me.  I am thinking... Maybe, I am home.

You might be wondering,"which award did I win?".  The answer is, I won the Honorable Mention Award for Painting. I am excited and I realize that I am forging a new direction which is like coming around to greeting a new, yet at the same time old friend.

I will be putting up some of my new abstract paintings soon so stay tuned for a change in direction and mood.  Leave a comment as to what you think of this new style of painting I am taking on.