Minneapolis Skyline- "Sweltering Summer"

I call this painting, "Sweltering Summer". It is a 16"x24" acrylic-a fun cityscape. I had a blast painting it! I was going to paint the sky red, but decided at the last minute to paint the buildings red. It is from a photo I took of the Minneapolis Skyline while I was lazily enjoying myself at the Stone Arch Bridge Art Festival last summer. I love going to Art Festivals and this particular one is a favorite of mine. It was June, in the morning, I had stopped to have coffee and croissant, and had my camera with. While I walked along all the booths, I decided to walk along the Mississippi river behind all the booths and there across the river was an amazing scene-the skyline was lit up with the rising sun and the colors were fantastic! WOW! I shot a few photo's, came back to my studio, and started to paint. The painting became alive with color- I tweaked it several times until I was satisfied with the shapes, colors and mood. The dark sky is gradated from blue to darker blue and looks better in reality. This painting was in the Minnesota Watercolor Society's Fall Show.

Still in Process...

Just when I thought I was just about done with this painting, I let it sit for awhile-a good month-and pulled it out to look at it. Good thing I did-Ugh! I needed some major changes! I wanted to change the protruding cliff on the left especially. I thought it was just too much, too prominant, and now I am planning something new. I have sketched another image in my sketch book and will be redoing and reworking the foreground. Another thing I noticed is that the foreground is too green and I want to mix it up a bit. The focal point needs some work as well-it is just there-boring! So I will be adding different shapes and different colors in the foreground, working on the focal point and mixing things up abit. I still love the mountains in the back ground. I am asking myself alot of "What If's?" to see about new things that could develop. At this point, I am feeling that the painting is taking off by itself and wanting me to back off- and basically telling me to let go of the control. Some artists will say that their "paintings talk to them, tell them what they need and basically paint themselves". I totally believe in this idea. My paintings do that all the time! I start a painting with my own intentions of what I want and then half way, or even sooner, the painting just starts developing into something else! When this process starts to happen, I find it fun and exciting because I usually become challenged to learn and grow to another artistical level.




On another note, what do you think of this new one on the left? It is a close up of another painting I just finished called, "Mountain Moonshine". I will post the total image soon on my website. Let me know what you think- I would love to hear from you!

Deb

Creating something from nothing....

Well, I cannot really say this is nothing. It is simply a canvas with paint on it with shapes that create a landscape scene. God only knows how to create something from nothing. Like the Grand Canyon, the oceans, mountains, fish, animals or us! But as a humble little human, I think is it really fun to create-even if it is just a painting of a landscape. It is just a canvas with paint on it but it has the potential to touch another human in an emotional, spiritual and/or intellectual way. I think that is amazing. No wonder so many of us love to create.

Notice how I just laid in the shapes with various colors and values? I was searching for the layout and design of the composition and where I needed to go. The process of painting is really, I believe, what creating art is all about. Most of the time I plan my work out in my sketchbook. There are times that I just play around and see what develops. I know the end result is important too, but when you start creating and you are playing in the studio and thinking of a landscape image-or whatever image you have in your heart and mind-that is where all the fun begins!

The finished piece can develop into something that surprises. So many artist love that about art. The surprises and the "Ah Ha" moments. I learn along the way with each painting I create. I love that about my painting process.

You will see the new release when I post the final piece in a few days. Come back soon!

By the way- "Happy New Year!' May all of your dreams come true!

"DAZZLING DAWN"

Good Morning!

I want to introduce to you my newly released,

"Dazzling Dawn". A 24" x 36" Acrylic on canvas. It is another addition to the series I call, "Mountain Messages".

"Dazzling Dawn" is inspired by my love color and mountains. They are so beautiful and take my breath away-they AWE me! How about you?

This particular painting started in a High School Art Class where I was invited to come and do a demo and teach about Acrylics. I had a blast and the kids were awesome artists!

I really did not know where "it" was going to take me. I used a few photo's to get a composition set up, but that was it. From there, the painting emerged into a colorful fantasy mountain landscape with an ethereal feel. I divided the two huge mountains into various shapes using color and value changes to break up the large triangle shapes and to create a sense of connectiveness. The ridges and cliffs are there to remind us that there are always challenges and tragedies to encounter in life. I wanted to create a sense of eternity and the river of life I painted zigzags through the beautiful meadow, and carries you into the ethereal eternal light.

Mountain Messages-"Mountain Secrets"

Here is another phase of Mountain Secrets. I added more color and worked on the composition creating a lake and pushing the mountains back further into the background. Adding more lights and darks. I am not happy with the stark edge of the lake and the line it creates in the lower 3rd of the image. I love the atmosphere of the sky and the mountains. I also need a focal point and will create that where the two horizontal lines of the lake and the lower shaped mountains converge. I also am thinking of adding clouds and softening the mountains even more. The colors in the foreground are too strong and there are no shapes that make your eye travel throughout the piece. So, I continue to ask, "What if....?" and search more of what I can do to make it better. I let it sit for weeks and let it "cook" hanging in my studio. I study, look, listen, let it be...

So, here is the finished piece! I added a river instead! Ha! I am happy with this one. It looks very colorful in reality and with the added 3 coats of gloss varnish, I must say, it looks pretty cool!

I am working on another one for this series that is coming along nicely. I will post that soon, too! Thanks for visiting my blog!

October brings COLOR!

Oh, how I love October! The colors here in Minnesota are just starting to burst and pretty soon there will be an explosion of color. It inspires me to paint more boldly and with more color.

As you can see on the left is the beginning colored paint-sketch of "Mountain Secrets" to add to my Mountain Messages Series.

This one was challenging. I did not know where "it" was going to take me. Yes, paintings talk to me sometimes! In this photo, I have reversed the image because I wanted to see what it would look like with the main mountains on the left. Ugh!! I do not like it at all! And thank goodness, that is not how I had planned it from the beginning. I first started "paint-sketching" this with the mountains on the right using just my fingers and paper towel, (I love VIVA!). Keeping with this series, I pushed my paints, (Golden Acylics), around on a 12"x12"x2" canvas being careful not to blend the colors too much. I used a small brush here and there for some tiny detail. My plan was mountains, sky, and a lake. I wanted to keep simple shapes and have brilliant colors dominate the piece.

I have since completed the painting and will post it this weekend. You will not believe how different it looks. I really am happy about this one! It is very colorful, bold and fresh. Come back soon and see the completed painting! I will Blog more about my thoughts during my painting process. For right now? I'm going out for a long walk and enjoy October's colors!!

It's a Beautiful Day

It has been awhile since I've blogged. It has been 6 months since my sweet mother passed away and the tears and grieving are becoming more sporatic. Missing her still at night seems to be happening. Night time is the time when we all settle down and ponder, make lists, and do our creative thinking.

My painting process has been going well. I am doing the "Mountain Messages" series along with others-"Sisters Series, Dance Ballet and Hidden Treasures". They have all been keeping me very busy. I am presently working on 20-40 paintings all various sizes at this time. It is wonderful and challenging. I love going from one painting to another. Painting parts here and there where I feel the need to touch with my fingers or brush. It is very rewarding and fun to do. The painting on the left is called, "Slide into a Dream" and is from the "Mountain Messages" series. These are all done on 2"x12"x12" canvases. I am finding I prefer a more ethereal feel to these paintings bringing more fantasy and dreaminess to them. I will continue to paint until I find other challenges and pathways to "fall into" as I ask "what if?" while I paint. Look for more paintings to be posted soon or check my website at www.DebMagelssen.com.