Leaf Painting in Negative Space

A couple years ago I went to ‘Picasso, Black and White’ down at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.  I was not excited about it and had an appointment after my museum visit.  You may have noticed that I’m a pretty colorful girl, so I was expecting a bunch of tiny black and white sketches.  

Picasso blew me away!  I staggered out of the museum about five hours later hungry, exhausted, missed my appointment and inspired to the hilt! His work was monumental and in many pieces he entirely covered the canvases with colors, only to cover them up with white paint and quickly sketch in his subject. The ‘sketching’ was eliminating the white paint to show the colorful ‘underbelly’ of the piece. 

He inspired me to use negative space in my paintings and this is a good example.  Can you see how the entire piece was once entirely color? By painting the transparent white behind the leaves, the leaves are now the subject. This is for sale on my website, shown below.   It’s called ‘Oh the Beauty of the Earth!’

colorcatstudios101.etsy.com

In The Studio

Commission work today; therefore all you get to see is my palette. HOWEVER, once I get to these tiny brushes it means I’m almost done with it! :) love!!  One wonderful thing about spring break is that I have more time to paint, and that’s always good! 

Humorous Painting

This quote makes me chuckle.  I think at some point every artist feels this way.  I popped the quote onto one of my sold paintings, which also makes me chuckle.  I named it ‘Big Furry Bird.’  Pretty sure THAT big, furry bird just wants to be friends. 🙂.

Spring Break Abstracts

My business, Color Cat Studios, is two-fold.  It often feels like multitudinous-fold. One side is my paintings.  I both sell my finished ones and take commissions for what others want me to paint.  When people ask me to paint something, the first thing I ask them to do is look at my art and see if they like it, and choose particular works so I know what style they desire. If they don’t like my style I send them elsewhere.  

Another side of my business is teaching art.  Oh my GOODNESS I LOVE kids! I teach formal classes to kids ages 9-21 and we both love and inspire each other.  I’ll also teach adults at art conventions, art gatherings, speak at business gatherings, etc.  I absolutely ADORE painting for theater; it’s about the only time I get to paint as big as I want.  

Now we come to spring break - whew!  I’m really excited and relieved to have a break.  It’s time to refresh myself.  One way I do this is by working on abstracts.  I love this one, done with good old Brusho pigments.  These pigments are ... well, pure pigment with no vehicle.  I really love these and use them often.  Anyway, HAPPY SPRING BREAK!!! 

Artists Naming Works of Art

This is my lion painting.  I named him King for obvious reasons, which comes to another point; why do artists give such stupid names to their works of art? Why, if you painted a lady sewing, for instance, would you name the piece ‘Woman Sewing?’ (Renoir). Or... following the thought here, ‘Girl with a Watering Can?’ Renoir again.  Renoir, I feel you.

Would you like to know the secret of artists through history, myself included?  We really just want to paint.  We want to paint beautiful things and have people BUY them, so we can paint MORE beautiful things!  Once the painting is finished, we don’t CARE what the painting’s name is!  As for me, I just want to make it, finish it, love it, and then do it again with another piece. The naming thing is distracting from the first desire, to create. 

All this being said, ‘King’ really IS a good name for this one, don’t you think?  And artists out there? How DO you name your work?  This piece is for sale on my website which you can click on below.  Will somebody please buy King so I can paint another painting?  Thank you! In the meantime, I’m going to go paint flowers.  I think I’m going to be really original and name that painting ‘Flowers.’

colorcatstudios101.etsy.com

A Spring Floral

When I paint flowers I always paint in joy.  And there’s nothing like a fresh watercolor painting of flowers to soothe the soul. This is actually a mixed media piece with all sorts of hidden things which will pull you into its rainbow of mystery. A tiny work on paper with a tiny price.  Find it on my website, 

colorcatstudios101.etsy.com

And another closeup..

This piece has some really cool textures in it.  My studio is open; get a hold of me and I’ll give you a free tour.  Everything looks ever so much better in person!!