True Colors

Sticking to my guns-

After my last post, I finished that piece- Titled it “Hold It’ and finished another with the same ideals titled “Rampant”

Far Left- Hold It. Right- Rampant progress and finished.

As you can see and if you remember, these were painted with the idea of using darker colors than usual for me. I order to properly POP a color, there needs to an opposition. 

No good without the bad 🙂

I have always bee cautios of using TOO much “pop” as it seems to often be a cop-out for lacking other qualities when I observe too much in other works. There is a place where you can paint stunning colors without sacrificing composition, texture etc. and have a unique, quality painting.

I strive to work in that place everyday.

I was pleased with the two pieces done recently, and am now working on something still looking to use subtle darkness and natural colors- a somewhat garden tone if you will… 🙂

This monster is 8’x6′ and only a few washes in…….. MUCH much more to come with this painting.

I must admit, due to the sheer size of this piece, I am being just  a tad more careful on how I approach and apply paint and color. A small thing can turn big before you know it!

Stay tuned for much more progress …..

Darker side of color

Just a quickie 😉

In the last piece I finished, I realized the beauty of darker colors on a larger scale. Yes, I have used dark colors in my work for a long time, but not as a forefront image. This last color (deep Cabernet purple) was so seductive I had a hard time covering MOST of it up- therefore I had to save it for the next one!

This is not titled yet, because it is not yet finished. I almost NEVER title a piece before it is through. You need to see the face to know the name 🙂

Back to color-

Part of what seduced me so deeply was the way the contrast brought the hidden Hugues of what some may call “black-brown etc.” and not see the grape, or red that may be coming through in a very subtle way.

This is the basis of the current piece I am working on- that may change as things do while on the wall getting painted, but for now, I am focusing on subtle washes to bring out the beautiful colors that can hide in darker shades.

Hope to finish this guy soon to see what I can do with it next!

 

New YEAR, new WORK!

I am most pleased about my 2013 experience and hope you all were too-make the most of what you did and resolve to do MORE and do it BETTER!

I almost finished my series “Rhapsody in Pink Minor” in 2013 but missed it by just a few days. So, that means I finished my first piece of 2014 already AND the series is finally done 🙂

I have worked in series’ before- in fact, usually what I am doing is some form of a series. This set, however, is the first that was done intentionally as a set of five, and done with all intentions of being seen together. The flow of each one ties to the next, and compliments each one in different ways. While I am sure they will not stay together once sold off, I am putting all my efforts into at least having them initially shown together.

“Rhapsody in Pink Minor #5”

(to see the whole set see my website http://www.elisagomezart.com )

The process of working on this last piece was, of course, slightly different as I used some deeper colors in my under washes, and was a bit intrigued by them. My next work will incorporate them much more. You can see below the wine like reds and purples which gave a warmer base to this piece.

It also gave way to the bits and pieces of green that snuck in- a color I struggle using for no good reason 😉

I am very pleased with the whole set and experience of putting the series together. Not often do my ideas and drawings turn out with such accuracy and pleasure as these 🙂

Happy New Years EVERYONE!!

 

Happy Holidays!

What a Year!

I have SO much to be thankful for this year and particularly the past few months-

A number of unexpected sales, as well as an amazing show i Houston put on by Matt Adams ( http://adamsimagery.com/?author=1 )

one of Houston’s top 100 creatives this year- and to top it all off an acceptance to The Peoples Gallery in Austin TX for the year of 2014 at City Hall!

https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesGalleryATX

A girl can’t ask for more 🙂

With all this going on alongside of the holidays, its been tough to get in quality paint time. Luckily I have stolen some hours away and kept at the series “Rhapsody in Pink Minor” which is on its FOURTH piece! Phew!

#4 was just as fun and fulfilling as all the others and I am loving the direction the series has lead me. I think one more will round it off perfectly and hopefully I can show them all together cohesively. That is very important to me.

I have been able to explore so many avenues with these pieces- layering the different shades of white, gray and pink- drawing, dripping. All of it! I’m sure I will take that with me to the next series. Is there one you like more than another in the series? Let me know which one and what stands out to you! (the set is all on my site)

http://www.elisagomezart.com

Onto the new of City Hall………

What an amazing opportunity to get all types of people to see my work in an already stunning setting that it Austin City Hall.

 

Moonlight Baby, and Waking Up are the pieces chosen from the images I sent over. I love both these pieces for different reasons- but especially Moonlight Baby. This piece really got a lot of wheels turning in my mind on color and space issues that drove my work for the better part of the year. You could say its MY baby 🙂

I am so pleased to show it at City Hall and hope anyone in Austin will come to the Artist Reception the evening of Feb. 28th. The entire building will be filled with fantastic work!

In case the next few weeks keep me away-

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!

 

 

 

Commissions?

 First commission piece- how’d it feel?

Working on my first commissioned piece this week started out as a bit of a challenge. Big suprise 🙂

Working with the pressure of expectations beyond my own, and hopes high!

The only request was to use colors familiar to me in my college days mostly- whites, pale greens, and pale pastel anything really……what a shift.

It started out with many washed, as usual- blues, reds, browns- all for depth to what I knew would be a rather pastel scene. I needed to make sure it didn’t come out flat and boring.

The person that commissioned this piece is very dear to me. She gave me my first set of watercolors, acrylics and oil pastels. She always nurtured my creativity from a young age. Capturing her love for me and for nature was important. She is a wonderful women and represents a peaceful place to me. Hopefully this piece conveys all that!

As far as commissions being a creativity buzz-kill, that is very much not so. It is a different kind of creativity that takes someone compiling something true to themselves (as an artist) and true to the person receiving the work. I was still very much able to paint MY way, with MY techniques, making a mess etc- It just came from a different place 🙂

Sherry’s View

Working Into Paint

 

Working into a painting rather than ONTO it………

 

 

Today, I finished my first piece from my new roll of canvas. I honor of new things, I revisited a technique I sometimes use of beginning a piece with negative spaces rather than creating shapes on one another. By negative space, I mean leaving open areas of the initial washes when creating the backgrounder area, to be worked into at later time.

Working this way takes more planning and becomes a different experience all together for me as an artist. Of course, I end up splattering and throwing paint around all over the place in true Elisa fashion :), however, that is the very last thing done on a piece like this.

 

Previously, when working with negative space, I use a tool such as tape to ensure the negative space is exactly what I planned- this time was different. I wanted more flexibility and natural form for these shapes- using nothing but brushes and my hands.

 

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it!

 

Tacked up and Taking down

Ending the series on paper “There to Here” with twelve pieces total. These last three finished today, #10-12,had a few “ah-ha” moments, twisted and dripped shapes and finally came to a conclusion 🙂

I am, however, going to continue to experiment on paper. Ink washing and much more!!
Stay tuned……………..

Mixed media-mixed emotions

Painting on PAPER??

“There to Here” series #1-3

As soon as my everlasting roll of canvas did indeed run out, I did as most artist do and started to rummage through my studio for any scrap pieces of canvas, panel unpainted-anything to paint on. Found object art coming to mind?

My senior year of college forced me to take a screen printing class- I loved it! Besides taking away a deeper understanding of layers and color, I also took with me a whole bunch of heavy duty paper- which has been collection dust for years in my portfolio.

Series continuing #4-6

As a former art framer, I have always steered away from paper for my own art. In that area of work, you are aware of the fragility of paper. Its temperament, its need for UV protection, need for temperate climate etc. Why in the world would anyone CHOOSE to paint on paper?

As soon as I pinned the first three pieces on the wall, I decided to put all predisposed notions of paper and how it works aside and just go to town. Worst case I would just recycle it right?

The whole experience has changed my opinion of paper (gasp!) and once again opened a whole new media for me. It is so important to keep an open mind when working as an artist- in order to grow, you can’t be afraid of new things.

Series continues #7-9

I started by attacking the paper right away with washed, to see how it help up. After seeing the different layers, and how the paint was much more transparent on paper than other medias, I then started putting the center figures in. This process has been much more raw. Raw paper edges, raw paint, raw emotions. The paint dries almost instantly which allows me to work much faster, and think about it less. RAW. I often talk about always trying to improve myself as an artist, and that beings allowing myself to explore all areas of emotions and media.

Is there one specific piece of the series that sticks out more? If so, which one and why?

Look for more of the series soon!

Thanks 🙂

 

 

Questions are better than Answers

Great words from Pablo Picasso *IN*  Art and Fear 🙂

 

Hits the nail on the head! The answer means the end of the discussion. Art is a never ending discussion, evolving from piece to piece- from medium to medium. Art is to never find the answer but to keep asking better questions, either from yourself as an artist, or from the work surrounding you in current society.

In addition to the constant need to ask questions as an artist, there is the very valid point made that while you may have a specific goal in mind for your viewer, that is not always what everyone will see when viewing any specific piece.With that in mind no artist or collector should shy away from making or obtaining a piece of art because they don’t understand it, or perhaps see something the artist doesn’t. While there are intentions, there is no right or wrong answer to experiencing art.

Progress of current painting- Elisa Gomez

This is the latest piece I am working on. Untitled- as I never title a piece until it is finished. How could I? The end product will no doubt be far from the starting point (located on the top right corner)

There are currently four layers of washes ranging from deep red all the way to a muddy green. There are more washes to come and eventually I plan on throwing some plaster like paint on with my hands! On the bottom right corner is a detail of the wash and the far left pic is where I am at now……..

Clearly I missed the texture of the canvas during my brief time painting my last series on panel 🙂