Poppy Fever

I came down with poppy fever in early March, 2013 in Tucson, Arizona, after stumbling across some magnificent poppies in full bloom. I couldn't get them off my mind for the next few weeks while I was busy with travel and other things, but their intense color and graceful shapes kept me feverish the whole time.  I have painted poppies before, but really wanted to do these . . . . .  better.   Finally, I sat down in my studio and began painting, rejecting, repainting, and finally, experimenting with different colors, papers, and techniques.  I had to get out of my comfort zone.  After a week or so of obsessive laboring, my fever broke, and this is what I ended up with:

1.  Electric Pops uses watercolor, and vodka as a wetting agent, on yupo, which is a slick, plastic paper.  I was inspired by some creative techniques learned from another Fairbanks artist, Steve Cross.

Electric Pops,  11x14"

2.  Jazzy Pops has unryu--a translucent mulberry paper--covering the painted layer, which was done on 140# Stephen Quiller cold press paper.  The unryu paper adds a nice  texture and softness, and is a technique I borrowed from well-known artist, Karlyn Holman.

Jazzy Pops, 11x14"

3.  Spicy Pops brazenly takes advantage of strong complements--yellow & orange set against a blue & violet background--to make the flowers more pronounced.  It is painted on 140# cold press Arches paper.

Spicy Pops, 8x11"

4.  Shimmer Pops is painted on a Chinese rice paper called raw shuan paper, which was first glued to 140# hot press Arches paper.  This results in a rich and delicate painting surface which absorbs paint without runs or spreading.

Shimmer Pops, 5x11

5.  Juicy Pops is painted on Arches hot press paper, then covered with a layer of fibered unryu paper glued on with diluted matte medium, then painted again over areas of the background.

Juicy Pops, 7.5x10"

6.  Sassy Pops is painted on hot press Arches in a spontaneous, unplanned style to keep the composition simple, bold, and dynamic. 

Sassy Pops, 7x11

Blogger Blues and Vodka Paintings

I may not have blogged for some eight months, but I have at least been painting!  My passion for blogging, like painting, can surge and ebb, subject to mysterious forces-- the phase of the moon, daily chores, winter blues, or any number of other excuses.  But, it is a comfort to know I can return to the blogosphere with few taking notice of my extended absence, there being no shortage of bloggers these days.  Ahhhh, a blessing . . . and a curse.




And, yes, Vodka Paintings!

One exciting experience I had while on my blogging hiatus was my initiation into the world of vodka painting on Yupo paper, one of several innovative techniques developed by Steve Holford of Fairbanks.

His recent mini-workshop in North Pole was quite the riot of thumping music, vodka girls dispensing shots from holstered squeeze bottles, and vibrant pigments, hand-ground and specially formulated by Steve himself.  It was fun, liberating, and just a little intoxicating, though no one actually partook of the vodka-infused paint medium for fear of ingesting some cadmium and growing extra body parts.

Steve is holding his favorite brand of spirits, used as a paining medium in his "Vodka Skapes."

And here is Sue Cole with her vodka painting during the workshop.

Here are several examples of the vodka paintings I did during and after the workshop.

Green Glow - sold

The northern lights, with an nice yellow-green glow.  The sharp eye may detect a portion of the sky that was digitally manipulated to enhance the shape of the lights.

Palpable Orange - sold

Gauze was placed on the paper, straight vodka painted over the top, then regular watercolor paint dropped in and swirled around.  The Yupo paper, which is non-permeable, keeps the pigments suspended on top of the paper, making the colors very intense.

Vodka Lights - sold

This was the painting I did in Steve's workshop, with his hand-ground pigments and synthetic webbing material like that used for Halloween spider webs.

Raven Lights - Currently vailable at Gallery49, Fairbanks

The black details in silhouette are painted with Sumi-e paint, a very thick, opaque Chinese paint.

Tweet Chicks - Available during early May at Phillips Gallery in Fairbanks.

Painting precise, detailed subjects is extremely difficult on Yupo paper, as it easily smears and puddles.  This polypropylene paper has a very slick surface which causes paint to pool and move around freely.

Next posting:  sooner than later!