Change

Wine Helps!

Our world is made of metamorphosis. In a constant state of change we, as human beings, remain constant also: in various degrees of total resistance. Transition brings us to new places and new thoughts. We have a choice to accept and grow or resist bitterly. The act of acceptance and growth is really dying to an old understanding and usually a limited perception. So what does this have to do with art? Artists have the wonderful advantage of receiving growing opportunities every time they enter the studio. Knowing this does not really help me at the moment. I am in a state of transition. The last few months have been delightful in my total immersion in studio work to prepare for and entertain my solo show. I feel complete in that wholesome environment, that sacred space. I understand the wisdom of painting every day. My engagements with the brush however seem to come in clumps. This interlude includes much that has nothing to do with canvas. We are renovating. We are in the process of deciding what those renovations will look like and driving the bidding contractors and ourselves crazy… Once they are done I will be moving my studio into my own. So good. In the meantime how do I transition into acceptance and growth? Resistance comes naturally. Studio withdrawal has set in. Somewhere in the chaos I need a few king pins of routine. Again I am grateful for deadlines. I have another show coming up in November and I cannot repeat the same paintings I am showing in my solo at present. So…. All is well and all will be well as I choose the dates with my brushes, this time, watercolour brushes. Life is good.

Last Minute

There is always something to do in the last minute. In fact some people rely on the last minute to get anything done! My solo show was quite different in that respect for me. I had things under control about two weeks before the delivery date. At least I thought so. I am not so good with the business side of things; although I did do a lot better on the advertising there still is room for a copious amount of improvement. For example I received an email from a wonderful reporter for a local newspaper wondering when I might be ready to let him know about the upcoming show…. That was on Monday. Sigh. I did not contact the other media even then… Sigh again. It is a Freudian slip showing I prefer being a hermit. Of course that does not sell paintings. All in all the reception was remarkable in that so many people did attend and so many of them wanted to stay longer than usual. Some promised to return with someone else so they could contemplate the paintings more intensely. My work does inspire contemplation. I suspect that is because it is a product of contemplation. I love what I do. Life is good.

Books, Bubbles and Betterment

This is the week! I deliver my paintings to the gallery on Wednesday and my opening is on Saturday between one and four in the afternoon. So exciting! To commemorate this momentous event I have created a book of all the images that will appear in the show. There are some people who wish to buy all of them and this is one way they can. The books will be available for sale at the opening and I will have some order forms there for those who wish to purchase as well. Bubbles, well, I wanted two other words that started with B. And if I stretch things I could say there are a lot of circles in my work, circles looking like bubbles in fact. They create an awesome amount of energy and help with the movement of the eye around the paintings. Betterment, there is nothing better than creative work to loose preconceived notions and get one on a path to openness and surrender. I so love what I do! Life is good.

P.S. You can order your copy on my website: www.karenblanchet.com
P.P.S. If you have not received an invitation to my opening, here it is:

Tin Foil

Quite often I use metallic colours, pens and actual metal in my images. Iridescence plays a big part in making the surfaces glow. It helps with the illusion of light. When it comes to filling in negative space or the occasional circle I use gold (real gold!), metallic foil or tin foil. How I happened on tin foil was serendipitous. Among the many preliminary layers on any canvas there lies gold or silver mixed with iridescence. I find silver works very well with the red/green complimentary combination. It is also brilliant with the phthaloblue/burnt orange duo. As I began to develop the painting at hand I heard the request for metal negative spaces…. Silver is so fugitive. It tarnishes. I have lots in my cupboard to prove it… I considered gold. Unfortunately there was no foundation in gold. None. It would look totally out of place. I considered metallic foil. It also is somewhat fugitive in that it does not retain its appearance in the long term. What was I to do? I cannot remember what I was cooking that night. What I do remember is whatever it was required tin foil. Yes! That is it! Tin foil is not as easily bent and torn as tissue paper. In fact it is quite uncooperative. Lately I have discovered the most efficient way to cut out the little pieces is to use tracing paper to trace the spaces then repress it over the foil to leave a cutting line. I have designated a set of scissors for the job. Actually it tears well along the straight indents. It is work intensive and in the end I have exactly what I want. So good! Life is so good.

Negative Space

I must admit I am hooked on negative space. That does not mean I am a negative person… I just prefer developing the shapes around what people usually look at; the shapes most people do not even know exist. I must also admit I have taken it to the extreme. My new series does not have the traditional “objects” one sees on any given day. Apart from the drawings of women (or men as some see them), there is not a whole lot of representational imagery. I choose the spaces to darken and lighten. Out of those choices organic forms appear. This is not as easy as it sounds. As I gaze upon the runs, drips and drops I see clear shapes between and these shapes are broken up even further by the texturing I have previously added to the surface. The texturing plays an important role in breaking up overly large areas such as the ‘sky’ or ‘water’. Instead of painting in the whole section with one monotonous colour (usually the undercoat) I fill in the textured areas only leaving the interplay of undercolours showing through… Negative spaces within negative spaces! Fun! There are some decisions to make however. If I included every negative shape instead of amalgamating some into a cohesive whole, chaos would reign to the point of overwhelm. If I do not include enough it would cause a case of underwhelm…. Balance, it is all about balance! Love it.