atelier 29

my first 2 layers on my first 2 paintings, the first week's assignment Flora Bowley's Bloom True e-course

Madam G-12 has been returned to the Canon shop for some wee repairs (but that's another story). I miss her. Being camera-less was surprisingly liberating in the beginning, freeing - you have no idea what an obsession taking photos is for me (actually maybe you do.) She's been away now for weeks and after the initial week of dozens of times a day trying to grab her/find her to take a picture of something, someone, some cat, some dog or some light I felt a kind of relief, the pressure's off - I can't take photos without a camera - it was kind of relaxing, gone was that constant worry of missing a great shot. I'm over that now - I'm ready for her to come home.

Her absence is the reason I didn't take photos of these 2 paintings with just their first layer of paint - a warm/hot colour palette with the emphasis on covering the surface as spontaneously and freely as possible. We let that surface dry completely then cracked out the cool colours with an emphasis this time also on getting lots of paint coverage but with the extra emphasis on mark making.

Mark making (sung by that same chorus of angels). How fun is mark making ? Way fun ! How much do I enjoy mark making ? Who knew ? It's so much fun trying out different brushes, rollers, materials to stamp, dot, dab, swoosh, drag - lots of using just your hands & fingers. I LOVE this course. If any of you have been wavering, pondering and/or thinking you might like to take Flora's Bloom True e-course (it's next offered in May) - do it ! it is fantastic. And it's not just about painting. It's about getting to know yourself and learning to trust and accept who you are. It's about intuition and freeing yourself from control & expectation. Hello ! What's not to love about all of that.

We'll learn to build up many, many layers of paint, mark making & drawing & rotating our canvases as we go. It's crazy, it's wild  - it's jst what I need. Watch Flora paint a complete painting here to get a sense of the incredible layering & mark making.

Oliver, always the critic, is not sure about the neon. He's not a fan of neon. He's also not fussy about abstract expressionism and much prefers art which has a representational depiction - preferably of rodentia. Plus apparently he's very concerned that the new Atelier 29 (the big black table opposite the TTD) is also his lunch room (uh-hhem) + his shipping and receiving department. Mr Bossy Pants wants to know - So ... What's Up With That ?

I'm sure some of my mark making will include kitten paw prints ;-)

ps - I brought Madam Olympus out of retirement for these few painting photos - yes she's still kickin'.

*TTD - teak topped desk