An Artist's Journal

Work in Progress Number Four

Martha Marshall — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:03:06 +0000

Untitled (Work in Progress) – Acrylic on Canvas, 12 x 12 x 1.5″

This painting will get more layers of color until it tells me it’s finished. I’m planning more overall color and will cover up part of the texture. As was true in yesterday’s post, sometimes they don’t speak loudly enough to let me know. Sometimes they just say maybe.

Yesterday after a wonderful week of family time, our kids and our adorable little baby granddaughter headed back home. They were smart to drive during the night so the baby would sleep most of the way. I didn’t really see all the stuff they brought into the house last weekend, but when they packed up the car yesterday I wasn’t sure it was all going to fit. Those days are long gone for me, thank goodness. Only the young can achieve such feats.

Since the car was packed pretty tightly, I couldn’t squeeze in the paintings I had donated for their walls, which they had picked from my studio inventory. I told them they are doing me a favor by making room for more paintings. I’ll pack them up in a big box and have them shipped next week.

Another Work in Progress (Or Maybe Finished?)

Martha Marshall — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:12:18 +0000

Untitled – Acrylic on Canvas, 12 x 12 x 1.5″

Looking at this painting on screen halfway convinces me it might be finished. Here it is in two of its previous incarnations, shown in two stages along with the five that I’ve been working on. I kind of like it. Sometimes when I “kind of” like something, it will grow on me. Maybe I’ll put this one aside for a while and think about it. But it does have the deep texture and sense of accumulation of layers over time that I like.

Honestly, I would be doing all this in encaustic, but I just haven’t been able to convince myself to cross over completely. Finished encaustics are tricky to deal with, but they would open up all kinds of new possibilities. I do love the medium.

More Autumn Colors in Paint and Photos

Martha Marshall — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:41:42 +0000

Untitled and Unfinished – Acrylic on Canvas, 12 x 12″

This is another of the five works in progress from last week. Each one will now receive attention on its own, even though I started working on all of them together. I just need to resolve it compositionally in some way. But I do like where the colors are headed. More layers will unify it more.

And here’s a little something from my camera again today. I am going crazy taking pictures of my new surroundings. We visited a friend’s cattle ranch at dusk on Monday, and here are some of the pictures from that visit. Please feel free to use these for your own inspirations.

On the way, we saw some deer out in the field . . .

This is the only way to shoot them — through a camera lens!

Autumn Colors

Martha Marshall — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:57:41 +0000

The colors of autumn have always been a thrill for me. But they are especially wonderful this year, because it’s my first time in many years to live in an area where I can see them first hand.

I loved these amazing orange leaves and tree skeleton against the most gorgeous blue sky. I played a bit with the image in the second and third frames.

The leaves are already half gone from a lot of the trees. I know because they are all over my yard. Raking comes next. That I do remember.

Work In Progress

Martha Marshall — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:44:34 +0000

This is one of the five pieces that I’ve been working on. All are 12 x 12″ canvases.

Everywhere you see white is Golden Pearlescent Glaze. Much to do on this one before I feel it’s a painting.

Ready for Halloween

Martha Marshall — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:11:28 +0000

Looks like our neighborhood is ready for Halloween . . .

A view down our street with fall colors

Our neighbor dog Lucy, who was rescued when she was following the garbage truck, skin and bones. She now has a rhinestone collar, but isn’t wearing it today.

Our house

Our front porch — click on the picture and look carefully at the screen opening for doggie noses and eyes. They’re ready too!

Painting Progress, I Think

Martha Marshall — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:36:49 +0000

These are still just a beginning. Pictured at the top are the five 12″ square paintings at the end of today. The bottom half shows the first stage, from my previous post.

The heavy paint application takes a very long time to dry, even though they are acrylics. There will be many more layers of gels and paint, until they are complex enough to please me. Each painting is in the same position as yesterday.

And here is “pumpkin dog” — an attendee at yesterday’s local Renaissance Faire.

Paint on My Hands

Martha Marshall — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:32:05 +0000

Some works in progress, resumed today with goopy layers . . .

The one at the top center is not a painting. It’s the drop cloth — an old shower curtain I’ve been using like forever. One of these days I want to offset all those paint smears onto another surface as part of some new piece of art.

These canvases are ongoing experiments that I figure will become something one of these days. They started out as “finished” works that I had second thoughts about, so they were originally titled on the backs. I have stopped putting titles on the backs of canvases for this very reason.

My husband fixed me a delicious drinkie so I had to wash up . . .

. . . first things first, after all!

Time for Another Blue Painting

Martha Marshall — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:13:11 +0000

This one was painted in preparation for a solo show. I still have it in my studio, since the gallery closed about a year later and I ended up with a few of those paintings back. But we had a good run after the show. I sold several large pieces and was very happy. So this is a happy painting.

“Splash” – Acrylic on Canvas, 36 x 36″

If you click on the painting you will be taken to my website, which has had a major overhaul today. I spent all day on it. I have added prices to all the paintings in my studio inventory and enabled website sales. As long as they aren’t in a gallery, I figured they needed to be made available.

Anther thing I have done over the past two days . . . I’ve set up a fan page on Facebook. I’m still learning how to navigate it, but my thanks to some of my blog readers who have already joined me there! My aim for the fan page is to have a place for a free discussion of ideas without having to wade through comments sections on a blog. Not to replace the blog, but as a supplement to it.

Still Contemplating the Landscape

Martha Marshall — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:52:51 +0000

This painting is another example of my abstract colorist landscapes. I used it as the background image for my Twitter profile.

“Transitions” – Acrylic on Canvas, 36 x 36″

This painting is sold but I want to do a series based on this one and on the beautiful landscapes that I see out here in the countryside every day.