My First Attempt at a Mandala...

A Four-Sided Mandala from a Sunflower
original photograph by MaryAnn Cleary
copyright by MaryAnn Cleary




Mandala No. Two
copyright MaryAnn Cleary

The mandalas above are my first attempts at making them using Photoshop Elements. It took some time to figure it out, but what fun once I did. The first is a simple four sided one and the next is a six-sided and my favorite as far as making mandalas. The photo for the above actually came from a calla lily that was growing and blooming in my kitchen area. What a beauty.

Look for more of these. I may also going to try doing some with watercolor and pen & ink, but so far I really enjoy the manipulation of a photograph.

Enjoy and feel free to leave any comments.

How to Develop a Series.....Oh, my!!!

Pink Dahlia I
Opening
Image copyright by David Bookbinder
Flower Mandalas by David Bookbinder
The above blog has some spectacular photos of mandalas created by the author.

This past week I have really been trying to focus on paintings or drawings for a series that I plan on doing for Cami Walker's 29 - Day Giving Challenge. With this challenge, one begins to realize how fortunate we are and how simple things can and do change people's lives with our actions or words. The gift of giving does not need to be something significant. I realized many years ago that sometimes it is just a person's kind words or a simple compliment that can make a difference in how another person thinks of themselves.

But back to this thing of developing a series....29 paintings. Goodness!!! I think that I have finally decided that breaking big things down into little things is so much more manageable! So the plan is to do several groups of paintings or drawings and then one major work as the grand finale. I am still contemplating on the little groups. They will be seven groups of four similar items.

My daughter, Julie, had a most wonderful suggestion and it would be fitting with the theme of the 29-Day Giving Challenge...a group of mandalas. Prior to her suggestion, I had no idea what a mandala was. Of course, I have seen them and been exposed to them many times. They do surround us in nature. She suggested that it would be a way of developing a feeling of peacefulness and contentment. Lately, I am feeling so overwhelmed with what is going on in my life...and at times it seems a bit frightening. After all, I am now semi-retired and looking to find some type of job that I enjoy while my art becomes established. It certainly would be simpler just to go back to a full time regular job, but I want the passion of what I love doing so......

So back to the series.....initially I thought of just doing all small oil paintings. However, why limit myself. I also enjoy watercolor, pen and ink, color pencil, charcoal and photography. Why not do them all??? Today the plan is to do seven groups and they will be:

• four mandalas probably using pen and ink with watercolor....I will need to think on this
  
• four charcoal/conte drawings on toned paper....maybe flowers or portraits
• four miniature oil paintings of flowers...(bud, opening, open, and going to seed)
• four sunrises or sunsets
• four elements of air, earth, fire and water (I am not sure how I am going to pull this one off)
  
• four trees (trees give so much to the earth...so look for a tree)
  
• four things that usually go unnoticed (this is my way of saying, I don't know yet ;-) )
  
• the finale....a mystery so far.....

Of course all of this could change as I do have the option of changing my mind. However, I will attempt the mandalas first. I have a feeling these will take a few hours to create, but they will be a good starting point for the rest of the series.

Also, if anyone has suggestions or ideas, please drop me a comment or email. I would love to hear from you.

As far as the 29 paintings/drawings, I plan on creating the works first and then I will give one piece of art for 29 days in a row. If you would like to be eligible for a "free" piece of artwork, email me and I will put your name in the drawing. I will need your name and email address. The give away will begin in July or August!!! This is absolutely free with no strings attached. I will pay the shipping!!!

Enjoy!!!!

What to Do with the Old Book Press??

The Old Book Press ~ closed

Here is a brayer rolling ink onto it on a piece of glass. Next to the brayer is the lineoleum (or other material that can be carved) inked up. The dark areas are ink and will transfer to paper.

Here is the block after the ink has been pressed on to paper. The block previously had brown ink left on it from a previous use a few years ago.

And here is the old book press open without any thing between the plates.

To use the press one first has a wood block or lineoleum block that has an image cut into it. The block is then inked using the brayer....different colors could also be painted on. I use a couple of pieces of felt as padding with one on top and the other on the bottom. So one would have felt, inked block, paper and felt. This sandwich then goes into the press and the plate is brought down. (The book press is extremely heavy!) Once pressure is applied, the plates are separated and the sandwich taken out...and a print is made.

I plan on trying out different ways to see what gives the best print. The paper used here was just typing paper....just to test it out. Better paper will be used for a good print as well as signing and numbering them.

This old press was found in an antique store several years ago...finally it will get put to use.

If anyone has any suggestions or knowledge of print making, I would love to hear from you.

Sunflower Sketch....

original drawing using charcoal and white conte on a blue toned paper
size: 9"x11"
copyright MaryAnn Cleary

the photo on the left is the original, the one on the right is using the Lucis filter
Reference photos taken by MaryAnn Cleary copyright

In order to do a sketch not only from life, but to be later have a reference photo to use, I sometimes take photographs of what I am sketching or something that I would like to sketch. In this photo, I wanted to capture the light on the sunflowers as the sun began setting. The light would only last a few minutes and then the moment would be gone.

I not only took the photo, but then I also used some software that manipulates the photo to bring out the dark areas. It is an Lucis Art Filter that I added to my Photoshop Elements program. Sometimes, when a person thinks that a photo has totally been lost due to being underexposed, this software can bring out the details. It can also be used to give the photograph some fun effects.

In this post I wanted to show how I sometimes uses photos for my drawings. I am not one who does an exact replicate of the photo as I feel that photos should be used as a reference tool. If a person wants realism, then why draw...take a photograph. To get this photo, I also had to take around ten to twelve shots with only one or two really being able to be used. As Making a Mark noted today, it definitely does take several shots to get a really usable one. I thought it was my poor photography skills, but it is nice to know that even a professional photographer takes numerous photos before getting a good one.

The White Orchid

ORCHIDS
original drawing with conte on toned paper
size: 8.5" x 10.5"
copyright MaryAnn Cleary

This drawing is of an orchid that I drew from a plant that I have....hopefully it will be able to stand my plant care and survive. I thought that I would take photos as I progress through the drawing. I may add some more finishing touches, but for now I need to just set it aside for a day or so.

I am thinking that I may do something more with the background and flowers, but for now it is best to just leave it alone. If there are any changes, I will add them.

Here is the latest change...a couple more adjustments

MaryAnn

P.S. Please feel free to leave any comments.

Attachments....

Attachments
colored pencil on illustration board, 12.5" x 19.5"
copyright MaryAnn Cleary

Yesterday, I was able to spend some time reading about getting organized and how I would really need to do so in order to move on with marketing my art. Those piles of papers, the clutter around my computer, getting my studio set up as a studio, files on my computer, paper files, my inventory, my mailing list....the list goes on. Like the drawing above, things are strewn all over the place and even though they are necessary, everything needs to find a place. This should help with managing my time better as I will not spend those precious moments constantly trying to remember where I put something.

As I read through Stanfield's book, I'd rather be in the studio, I am realizing that the marketing portion of my art will take considerable time and commitment. I have made the decision to leave the corporate world behind me and to venture to this new, but familiar, frontier - at least the art part, not the marketing side. I believe in me. My family believes in me. According to Stanfield, it is important to get organized, stop wasting energy, so that there is more time for the creative mind. "An effective routine is built on knowing what you have to do and when you have to do the things you know you have to do!" (p.28, Stanfield).

Right now I have a lower level room in my house that is filled with my "stuff" from China. I have procrastinated unpacking and getting those things put away. "It is too cold. I need to paint. I have no place to put it...." The list goes on. That room will make a perfect studio. I have a wonderful view of the river and the light is perfect with the northern exposure. So what is stopping me? It means commitment...commitment to doing my art daily, to setting up a routine, to doing what I love. However, I also find myself fearful. I fear that I won't be able to make my house payment or that I will need another job or that who in their right mind would decide to leave such a good job....my "monkey mind" tries to take over and convince me not to take the risk. I undermine myself.

So today, I will make my list, begin to get things into order, and start on being an artist. I believe in me.

MaryAnn


Stanfield, A., I rather be in the studio!, Pentas Press, Colorado, (2008).

"Attachment" - this is a colored pencil drawing with many layers. I burnished some areas to bring out a paint-like quality. This was done while I lived in Arizona a few years back. The drawing was accepted into a couple of juried shows and I remember someone wanting to trade me a set of pottery dishes for it. I decided to keep the drawing.

Where to Next?

"Julie"
acrylic 16"x16"
an early work done after Zemsky-Hines workship
copyright MaryAnn Cleary

Many years ago I took a workshop by Jessica Zemsky and Jack Hines when I lived in Montana. Jessica and Jack live in a little town called Big Timber, Montana. It is beautiful in that part of Montana. As a result of that workshop, I initially began working in acrylics and sometimes watercolors. One of the things that is troubling me now as an artist is that I love working in several different types of media. As an artist, I feel that I should be developing my technique and style. Does that mean I must stick with one medium? I hope not. As one of my art instructors, Jim Garrison, in Arizona said, "painting is like drawing, only you are using a brush and paint instead of charcoal or a pencil". I also feel that depending on the mood and feeling that an artist is trying to get across to the viewer, one media may work better than another.

For now, I will continue doing my daily paintings in oil. I love using the small gallery wrapped canvases as I can paint part of the painting on the side to draw the viewer into the painting. I also like the quick and more instantaneous results (good or bad). Other media that I enjoy working with are conte and charcoal together on a toned paper as well as watercolor and colored pencils. When I use either of the last two media, I use many layers to build the values and colors that are needed. A work can take many, many hours to complete. However, I like the flexibility of using them wherever you are, especially the pencils.

By the way, Julie is my daughter. She now has her own little one, Nico, and lives with her partner in Montana not far from Big Timber.

Please leave comments as they would be appreciated. I would like to know how others figure out their style and who they are as artists.

MaryAnn