Don't touch the Paint!

Today, a picture of my poor thumb.  For some reason unbeknownst to me, all my fingertips developed razor-like cuts and peeling skin.  Ouch!  Just try living with open wounds on all your fingertips!

Went to the dermatologist and she gave me the unwelcome news: contact dermatitis to paint.  Any other artists develop this?

So, this artist is trying to figure out how to continually paint without touching... paint!  I am currently using a barrier cream, which helps considerably; I just have to continually reapply it.  Gloves are absolutely for the birds.

Let this be a warning to you people.  There are a lot of pigments that simply are not good for your skin.  Remember, your skin is porous and soaks up whatever it contacts.  Oh, boy.

Maurice Sendak and Life without Hope

 Wonderful People,
This morning I am touched to the core.  As a believer who lives a beautiful life full of hope - hope in this life and hope in my future life with Christ, I forget what it is like to not have that hope.  No question that life can be tough, but there is always the hope we have in Jesus.  Today I listened to the most poignant reminder of that which I have perhaps ever heard.
The interview was on Fresh Air.  An aging Maurice Sendak (of Where the Wild things Are fame) was interviewed.  In this touching conversation, we learn about his choice to not have children.  He selfishly wanted that time to read and write books, listen to music and travel.  He addresses his lifelong dream of having adult children and being lonely.  He has visited a psychiatrist for years and talks about his being gay.  Now that he is aging, he is tender and lonely.  His friends are dying and he clings to life, crying all the time.
Because he is an athiest, he doesn't believe that there is anything after death.  Contrary to this belief, he still clings to the unfounded hope that he will see his brother again someday.  It is really one of the very saddest interviews I have ever heard.  In the end, he gives a most beautiful statement to Terry Gross, which brought fresh tears to me, and most certainly to Terry.
I listened to it twice.  Once myself and once with my son.  We had quite a few things to talk about afterwards, ended in a prayer, and I consider it the most worthy thing I've done with him all week.

The interview is about 20 minutes long.  Please, PLEASE listen to it.

It renews the fire in me to share the hope that I have in Christ.  If you are living a life without hope, please talk to me.  I would love to share a rich, new life with you.

Check out this link for the interview. http://www.npr.org/2011/09/20/140435330/this-pig-wants-to-party-maurice-sendaks-latest
You can also go to Fresh Air on your iPhones.  She interviewed him  because he put a new book out, "This Pig Wants to Party."
Most sincerely, and full of hope,
Cindy Johnson

Book Recommendation - Brilliant Beginnings

The past few days I've been reading this seriously engrossing book.  I dare you to open it for just a minute.  One artist leads to another until you are SUCKED IN!
It gives nice spreads showing early, childhood works of great artists, composers and writers. For example, Claude Monet's early caricatures are shown, along with this quote:
"I was undisciplined from birth, no one, even when I was very young, could make me follow rules... School always seemed like prison to me and I could never resolve to spend even four hours a day there."
It says he drew unendingly in the margins of his books, depicting, in the most irreverent way, his teachers.
You can find it on Amazon, among other places.  I think I'm going to have to pick it up myself, sometimes the library just isn't enough; ownership is necessary!

Back to School and A. A. Milne

Wow!  School is off to a great and busy start!  I've barely had time to make any posts, let alone breathe!  My son, Noah and I got home this afternoon at 4:50 and before five minutes had passed we were both laying flat out on the carpet.  My art classes are brimming this year - seems that this economy has made people realize that they really need art to enrich their lives.  Noah had a good day, too, and when asked what his favorite class was, he quickly said, 'Theater!'

Perhaps because we all feel a little frayed this time of year, I'm going to give you one of my favorite A. A. Milne quotes.  Remember, Milne wrote Winnie the Pooh.  He said,

"One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries."

As for me and my house, life is pretty exciting over here right now.  Hope yours is, too.

Hot!

Seriously?  "...but it's a dry heat..."

TRUE CONFESSION; addendum to previous post about Leaf Abstract

Okay, okay, I have to admit it.  I might as well tell you now, or my sins will find me out.

I had help with Leaf Abstract.  I generally like to keep this type of information well hidden, but I can't stand it.

My cat helped me.  In the top righthand corner, in the blue-meets-red flow I've got going, my cat jumped up onto the table and made it just a little more, ah, flowing.

Perhaps that's what makes the painting - who knows?

(oh, I feel better now... :)

Painting Sold Today

We came home from church today to find that the gallery sold one of my paintings today.  It's a good day.

Before you read on, this is a perfectly awful photograph of a really pretty painting!  The colors flow together and are layered one on top of another to create new colors.  The overall effect is NOT the hots and the red colors you see here, but a nice balance of warm and cool colors.  The prominent leaf is gold pigment which sits on top of the other paints in relief.

This piece is about 20" x 30".  What you can't see is the amount of depth that shows up when you view it in person.  I use a combination of different types of inks, some recede and others step forward, so you have visual interest and can see through the top layers down to the bottom layers.

I named this one 'Leaf Abstract,' because it's built up of layers of bright colors upon which I printed leaves from my root beer plant, which I grow in our back yard.  The plant grows to about six feet, yields leaves which are about 15" long, and they actually do smell like root beer when you crush them!  Like!  The leaves are stiff with really prominent veins which lend themselves nicely to prints.

As I like bright, unsullied colors, I've got a lot of colors laid down in this painting.  During the process, I'm layering, lifting, spattering, moving and texturing, among other things.  Once I've got the under layers of the painting finished and completely dry, I brush the inks directly onto the leaf and print onto the YUPO.  Generally speaking, I'll make a print on a pretty thirsty paper first, THEN on the YUPO.  Doing a second printing with one inking is called making a ghost. As YUPO, which is polyeurethene, is absolutely non-absorbant, I almost always do a ghost.

Once I've got my leaf ink pattern laid down, I'll often use powdered gold pigment over specific areas.  I fill a fan brush with the powder and dust it quickly over the wet ink by tapping on my brush while I hold it above the painting.  It's pretty tricky getting it to obey me and land exactly where I want it, and I won't even know if the painting turned out until it's dry and I can brush off the extra gold pigment.  All this to say, I end up doing a lot of paintings before I come up with one I like.  I like this one a lot, and I'm glad someone else did, too! :)