Sunday, May 30, 2010

Horse


This is the first oil + cold wax painting I've completed. It's 12" x 12", on museum panel. Every new layer is usually an entirely new incarnation, which I find a strange painting experience. (This one had maybe ten layers.) I have several other oil + cold wax paintings in progress. "...In progress" meaning I don't like any of them at all so far...meaning, I need to keep putting on more layers until they improve.


Sold.



My crazy boy. He really knows how to infuse style into his naps.





More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Friday, May 28, 2010

Two trees


A mini...only 4" x 4". The color of this is actually more of a blue-violet. I like to think of this as the love child of Mark Leach and Loriann Signori (ha ha).




Whenever Rumi gets intrigued by something, he lifts up one paw and stays like that. It's (of course) incredibly cute.



In Munnar, the tea plantations.


More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Front Range


Underpainting: acrylic + marble dust, somewhat sanded down, on panel.




View from inside my studio, looking out into the house (studio is connected to the house, separated by this glass door). It is so hard to concentrate on my artwork when I look over and see this winsome little face staring at me, hoping I'll come out and play.
(Taken with iPhone.)




In the Jaipur Air Palace.


More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Monday, May 24, 2010

Untitled 53


Lascaux pastel ground on heavy watercolor paper, laid with a stiff brush. A tranquil seascape feel.



From the archives. Baby Lynx (I can't believe he was ever that small!) attacking the fearsome lioness Miss Lemon.



In Jaipur.


More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Breakwater


From a few months ago, when I was experimenting with the cross-hatching technique. I like how it looks but in general am too impatient to do it.






Mountain photo credit: The Husband.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Sailboat





It's time once again for Yoga With Rumi. Today we will perform an Iyengar series of forward bends.








Mountain photo credit: The Husband.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Making a mess


No paintings to show today... I've been doing a lot of experimenting with multi-layered painting in oil and cold wax over the last month or two. I am very excited to take a workshop this August in Longmont, CO, from someone whose minimalist, abstract artwork (done with this medium) I really admire: Rebecca Crowell. She often uses several panels painted individually to create, eventually, a large painting made from the panels clamped (permanently) together. I have many panels in progress right now (they may remain individual paintings, I don't know yet) but so far it's a huge amount of experimenting, and a daily gigantic mess (see above photo)! and lots of interesting learning...but nothing yet to show.

Painting with oil and cold wax: cold wax medium is something you can buy (Gamblin or Dorland's). It gets mixed with oil paint in varying quantities, and then it's just pure play, creating texture and usually with quite a few layers. You want to use a rigid support. Rebecca Crowell also frequently uses solvent to dissolve some layers too, partially or otherwise, to create interesting effects. See her work at the link above. I find it absolutely stunning. (Her video is pretty cool to watch, too.)

I have briefly tried encaustic (oil + hot wax) in the past but don't want to deal with the fumes and heat. This is a very nice alternative (although for those who definitely want inclusions--paper or collage items--in their painting, encaustic would be your choice).

If you like Rebecca Crowell's work and want to take her workshop in August, please sign up soon, via her website.




We're often greeted by this snout (Mojito's) under the gate.




Rumi kills me. He really, really does.


More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Monday, May 17, 2010

Diptych (oil)



This is actually an oil diptych from quite a while ago, but I realized I've never posted it. Each is 10" x 10".





Over my shoulder, being the camera ham that he is.




The side of the ferry, in Lakshadweep.


More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Friday, May 14, 2010

Untitled 13 (oil)


36" x 36", oil on linen.
Sold.

This one, with a lot of glazing, was almost done quite a few months ago, but I got so disgusted with Liquin, Galkyd, et al (I find the fumes intolerable) that I put it aside while researching alternatives. I eventually found M.Graham's Walnut Alkyd glazing medium, nontoxic, no fumes, and (so far at least) works wonderfully. I can't believe there was an oil glazing product out there that wasn't harmful to one's health and I didn't know about it. But I am extremely glad to know of it now. It uses walnut oil as opposed to flaxseed (linseed) or poppyseed oil or safflower oil. Linseed is the most commonly used oil for paints, but the manufacturers tell us that it is okay to "mix" oils in a single painting (e.g., most of my oil paints use linseed oil). On the label it instructs the use of a maximum of nine drops of this medium per inch of squeezed tube paint. It seems to be a good amount; I've been using the full nine drops for a very sheer glaze. The photo is a bit glare-y.

I'm just amazed I can now glaze without killing my nervous system. It's great.



The weather has been so horrible for the last couple of weeks. It's doing what it did last spring, and which it never used to do...thanks, Global Weirding. It has been snowing!--second week of May and snowing!!--and raining constantly. Boulder used to be known for being sunny almost all the time. I'm hating it. Waah.



Tortured tulips.


More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Sky study 21


Clouds like a scoop of peach ice cream and whipped cream.



The boyz.




In Jaipur.


More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Blue Dancer


The Townsend pastels ("soft form") are very gritty-feeling and fill up the tooth pretty much instantly, but there are some wonderful deep rich blues (I own a handful of Townsends; I use 99% Unisons), and when I can get them to work, they give great results. (The red here was a Unison.)

The previous post's painting was also using Townsend blues. You kind of only get one shot at making it work, because so much pastel immediately comes off the stick into the tooth of the paper. Or at least that's what keeps happening to me. It's beautiful, but very hit-or-miss in terms of success.




Rumi, you're my rock star.




In Munnar. I walked by this and then did a double-take, came back for a photo and a laugh. I felt like I had just passed a live staging of a Thiebaud painting.

These types of "Western" sweets are still pretty rare (and not very good, my apologies if I'm offending someone) ...Indians mostly still go for traditional Indian sweets, which are usually based on solidified dairy with spices. (I, with my chocolate-seeking palate, don't like them at all, much to the bewilderment of The Husband, his relatives, and every other Indian I've ever met.)


Sold

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Untitled 52


I'm obsessed by these minimalist "archetypal landscapes." And pastel seems an ideal medium for them.




This position just kills me with its cuteness.




And something else all wrapped up...betel leaf in Munnar (for chewing paan).


More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Night sky


Late, late at night on very bright (moonlit) nights when I'm walking the dogs, it looks like this when I look up.


Busted.




A strange sight for (mostly cow-revering) India, these leather items for sale. Would be more expected in Morocco.
More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Monday, May 3, 2010

Pink tree


From the memory of one of those gorgeous trees in bloom I saw last week. I like how the dark background peeking through makes it look like a print.




Our dear old Jazz turned 13 in February.




In Jaipur.


More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Day moon 2


The other day I spotted my friend the day moon again...

Good news arrived today: I have been accepted into the Boulder Open Studios tour for October of this year. It's the first time I've applied for it and it should be interesting (if tiring). If you're in the area, it would be great to meet you and have you stop in. More detailed info as the date approaches.








In India (where else do you get this sort of color?).

Sold
More art on my website: jalapfaff.com