"TEXAS LAYERS" ORIGINAL MIXED MEDIA LANDSCAPE OF TEXAS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

 

"Texas Layers"

41"x12" MDF cradle

The butte that is the top "layer" of this Texas painting is from Davis Mountain State Park.  These are not mountains like I know here in Colorado, but they can still be imposing and beautiful.  I took the scenes from around the area of Davis Mountain State Park and laid them all in like I do in my layer paintings; which are really just layers from top to bottom from in and around the area of focus. I am still working with the bright colors that have captured me and love the life it brings into something that does not hold these colors in true life!

You can see the spiral paper cast that I have integrated into the body of this painting to bring more pattern and texture to the abstract flavor of this painting.  I've also put in some texture to the sky as well as throughout the body of the work with modeling paste, but I'm not sure that can show through in the photos. I'm loving the cactus that can be found in this area. I left them green, but punched up the color a bit.

as I moved down the support I included a bit of the elements found above but kept the strongest contrasts near the butte and top cactus.  You can see a bit of fence moving down to the bottom  as a part of the whole conversation, but I did not emphasize it like I did the cactus so as to not have too many competing elements to this painting.

You can see the paper stream and other papers in the body of the work.  This is the element of my growth spurt as an artist that I want to keep.

I have yet to decide what to do with the 1.5" sides, so I will not be adding to my website until I make that decision.  Over all I am excited about this as it is keeping the parts of my earlier work and adding the strong color...the marriage is new, but it is coming together!  FUN!

I've been enjoying conversations with our resident bunny of late.  He or She comes daily now to munch on grass and carrots in the nearby grass...I'm loving this little creature that has come to be with us this summer!

HAPPY CREATING!

TEXAS LAYER PAINTING IN PROCESS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

On my easel now is a 41"x12" cradled board with the beginnings of what I am lovingly called my Texas Layer Painting.  We are considering a move to Texas at some point, so this is my way of finding that beauty that lies in every place one might find themselves.  I suspect there will be more of these paintings.  This first photo is of the middle...you can see I have attached my paper cast life spiral, and the other marks you see over the papers and paint will be cactus. FUN!

As you know I have been working and moving towards brighter color in this latest artistic "growth spurt".  In a time of growth and change for an artist it is important to spend some time considering what parts of the previous work is still valuable to you and where you want to grow and change a bit.  FOR ME, keeping the pattern and texture is very important, but moving towards brighter colors is where I believe I'm headed.

 Rock Cliffs (sold)

 Pine Canyon

Rocks and Clouds

In this new layer painting I've added lots of paper as you can see.  You can ALSO see that I've changed my mind about which bluff I wanted to add at the top...ha...it's just vine charcoal, so no biggie.  You can see the colors I've chosen and the design coming together for the cactus and where I am including my extra texture element in the life spiral paper cast.

There is going to be a road with Texas blue bell's (I believe) in the center and on the sides like are in so many Texas landscapes.

Here you can see I've begun to add color to the bluff after adding texture and painting the sky.

This painting will be much like my other "layer paintings" as I call them.  My layer paintings are taking bits and pieces of scenes in and around the area and layering them into a composition as I move down my support.  Remember these two?

 

Colorado Layers (sold)

Mt. Evans was the focus 

 Nebraska Layers (sold)

a farm cilo I drive by on my way to Nebraska

note the Grant Wood influence here...FUN!

SO, on I go...working my way down the support for this Texas Layer Painting...

FOR FUN the other day I sat in and played with some local artists at the AAR RIVER GALLERY in Westminster.  Susan Schmitt; one of my inspirational artists was teaching a fun stamp making class.  Now, I know how to make stamps, BUT, it is important to mix and be with other artists...it keeps that inspiration moving right along!

 My stamps!  FUN DOINS!

HAPPY CREATING!

WHAT INSPIRES ME: IN HONOR OF ARTIST APPRECIATION MONTH

Recently, I was reminded by the folks at Patience Brewster about Artist Appreciation Month. The idea of Artist Appreciation Month is to talk about what inspires one about being an artist. If you have not had the ultimate creative inspirational experience with Patience Brewster you must follow the link attached to her name above to see her wonderfully whimsical creatures!
The Christmas Ornaments are INCREDIBLY inspirational!

 We shop at our local nursery, which also has a wonderful gift shop in which Patience Brewster's ornaments have a whole section.  She has inspired me in her whimsy and color for a long time.

 A personal favorite I think I'm going to have to own!

When I think about who has inspired me over my career several come to mind immediately.  My elementary art teacher, Mrs. Kanazee was the first.  She was kind of wild and whimsical (seems to be a theme word today), which attracted me from the beginning!  I loved her creative spirit, and the love of art was BORN!

I have ALWAYS been inspired by nature; trees and shapes and colors, so I suppose God was the great artist that began my search for HOW I would translate my love of these things into art. I have, since a girl, loved to look closely and touch and admire all things nature...aspen trees seem to be a special inspiration for me...just look at their nicks and marks that show how strong they are and what they have come through to live and STILL they are beautiful!

 Acorns are also a special love...simple, but so beautiful!

 

Inspiration comes in many ways and places...we just have to look!  

Animals are a special love of mine, which really cemented my love of color.  My 101 Pet Portraits in 101 Days in fauvist color was a big inspiration for me to get back to my love of color instead of always feeling like I had to depict things in their local (natural) color.

 Grant Wood was the first artist, artist that caught my attention. Not for his most famous works like the fun American Gothic, but his landscapes!  I loved the simple shapes and aerial perspective!  I was in LOVE...that set me on a path of simplification that I still work on to this day! lol

I have a friend who is a wonderful abstract artist; Carol Nelson.  Carol is a fellow experimenter.  I have known Carol for many years and have been inspired by her love of experimenting and her end results for all the time I've known her. She travels extensively, conducting workshops that help others to learn to love experimental work.  She is a generous artist and teacher, giving of her secrets and allowing others to grow as artists in their own right.  It is for her love of experimenting that I am inspired by Carol Nelson!

 

Carol's rock like abstracts actually inspired me to try my hand at it as we have wonderful rock walls near our property...THIS is why I don't mind sharing my secrets and processes with others like is Carol's, as look at the difference! LOL

Most recently I have been tremendously inspired by my artist friend Susan Schmitt.  Susan is an illustrator and a beautiful fine artist as well.  I am inspired by Susan's latest works which depect older women wearing artistic quilts. I am not only inspired by the color and pattern and subject matter, but most specifically by the STORY behind her quilted ladies.  It goes back to her family, and for that story telling she inspires me in my own work. 

SO, for me, for MY particular journey as an artist The CREATIVE spirit of my first teacher, the WHIMSY in many artists like Patience Brewster, the COLOR AND BEAUTY in nature that God gave us, the EXPERIMENTAL and BEAUTIFUL results that are the nature of Carol Nelson, and the BEAUTIFUL  PATTERN and STORY behind her work as reflected by Susan Schmitt are things that inspire me as an artist to keep on growing and finding my own true path.

Since it IS Artist Appreciation month, perhaps take a few moments to reflect on what and who inspires you.  It is an excellent tool to find that path you will want to travel as an artist in your own right!

Thanks to Patience Brewster for the reminder,  it was a great exercise that helps to keep me on my chosen path!

HAPPY CREATING!!

"P DITTY - A PIG" ORIGINAL OIL ON 4"X4" PANEL and some fun things...© SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"P Ditty - a Pig"

4"x4" oil on slightly textured panel

$30

Available through my ETSY shop

 "P Ditty" is a pig of a purple nature who is just hanging out waiting to grace the home of a true pig lover! Whether he makes you laugh or feel important he just wants to hang out! Ditty is painted in oil over a slightly textured 4"x4" panel. You can purchase him as he is and either put him on a small frame like the two examples shown (not included), or you can frame him in your favorite 4"x4" frame (remember about 1/2" is taken on all sides when framing), OR for just .50 more I can mount him on an off white 5"x5" matt and you can frame him in your favorite 5"x5" frame so that all his sides will show! (frame shown is not included) The frame shown can be found at Rustic and Refined Design on ETSY. P Ditty will be ready to ship on August 14, 2015 when he is dry! 

I've also been planning another painting.  One thing I knew is I wanted to incorporate some of my paper casts in this painting.  I love making paper casts, and am finding out that there are a myriad of ways to make a cast...check these out! 

 You can see here that I have used brass tubing and sculpy clay to make these molds

 The life spiral is what I wanted to put in my next painting...I used a couple of methods for this mold, but both came out fine...FUN DOINS!

To get this (slightly out of focus) tree of life I pressed a jewelry finding into sculpey and baked it, then used it as a mold!  

The next step will be to seal them in some way...spray sealer or gesso, then apply color in some fashion...this can be ink, paint...use your imagination.  Then, apply!  Remember they are just paper, so use care when applying them to a collage surface.  If you seal both sides they are a little more sturdy.

SO, I've been organizing my life somewhat in preparation for us planning to move when the time is right...THIS organization was really about stuff that gets laid on table tops and messed up...like my daily jewelry...SO, I found this at one of my haunts, repainted it, added photos of flowers my hubby has given me, a few extra knobs and voila` a place for stuff! YAY!

I put it on a wall with some other artwork and photo in the room where I dress...it works perfectly!

JUST SOLD..a Vintage Pooh Bear 2 that was actually requested and I happened to have the time...It's busy days here in the studio!

VINTAGE POOH SAYS "HAPPY CREATING"!