Addicted to Pour Painting?

A couple of months ago I joined the ranks of people all over the world who are experimenting (and becoming addicted to) Pour Painting. These are the only ones I have done so far, but I am hosting a Pour Party on Sunday and we will pour lots of paint and also a bit of wine (the latter not on the canvases!) Hopefully Louisville Calligraphy will have more photos to add to this post next week.

Not your typical flourish by Louisville Calligraphy

These samples are not your typical flourish says Louisville Calligraphy. I recently took an online flourishing class and these were a few of my examples. They need more practice, but they are fun.

Fun at Silica Ceramic Studio, Jeffersonville Indiana

I have had some fun for a few years now at Silica Ceramic Studio, Jeffersonville Indiana. One of my favorite things (so much so that I did it twice!) was making hand built roses. My painting and glazing left something to be desired and I hope to go back to correct what I don't like. The building of them, and their intricacy, however is both demanding and satisfying. Other things I have done at Silica are these little bird dishes and a fish tile. I painted some measuring bowls for Sandy in yummy spicy colors, and most recently, Laura and I hand built magnificent clay vases. Large! We plan to go paint or glaze them as soon as our schedules realign.

2015 was pretty hectic

Not many blogposts last year because of many life happenings. Crazy health issues, crazy busy with wedding work, and simply very little time to catch my breath, much less sit down at the computer and blog. Even my wedding blog took a backseat to all else. My Facebook page was pretty busy. I did manage to keep that up better. One of my last posts here showcased a few small paintings I made to sell at a Louisville gallery. They all three sold at the same time - I'm guessing to one person. Hurray! I must try to do more. Several of my small pieces at Copper Moon Gallery also sold in 2015. I hope to do a better job in 2016, but can't guarantee anything. But - it is January and I will post something new now. First is a page for a bride and groom's album for their first anniversary (paper). The mother wanted something stylized that included the burgundy calla lilies in the wedding bouquet.

Next is a set of script table numbers. I was given a sample from Pinterest with lots of flourishing as inspiration.

Last is the original page that was planned for The Scout Guide/Louisville. The photos were taken in my studio just in time for the December 2014 first issue celebration. The photos were reformatted and the world didn't get to see my face, but did see much more of my calligraphy. I even ran into a childhood friend a few weeks ago who mentioned that she had seen my work in the Scout Guide.

I'll try to do something fun (for my own sanity and to create a blogpost about) on a more regular basis in 2016, but no promises.

Revisiting Old Blog Posts

I spent a few minutes today revisiting old blog posts and came across this one about my experience with gestural lettering in an Yves Leterme workshop. It brought back great memories of good times with good art friends. Similarly, I am at this time dealing with the hubs' health issues - but someone else is cutting the grass these days. Plus ce la meme chose, plus ca change. (Minus the French grammatical markings.) The more things change, the more they remain the same. Speaking of remaining the same, I am at the same (lack of) talent level with the gestural writing. Hardly a moment spent on practice from then to now. It's a busy life.

(Above photo by Roann Matthias.)

New Small Graphite Series

Just in time for Christmas gifting, here are a few of my new small graphite series. Some have watercolor embellishment, all have illustrations. Framed in distressed white, they will look nice on most shelves or desks. You can purchase these at Copper Moon Gallery in New Albany, IN.

Contemporary Primitives

Recently these small contemporary primitive paintings were accepted into the Kentucky Museum of Arts and Crafts Gallery (KMAC) in Louisville. I had fun painting these and am looking forward to painting a few more.

Free Range

Bird on Ledge I

Bird on Ledge II

Book and Book Box

I made this book and book box earlier this year, and have been itching to make more of them. This was sent to a friend in Italy who had sent me a luscious gift of tea. It was fun to find the teacup brad to use as a fastener. Maybe when the second wave of wedding seasons is over I will have time to make a few more little books with boxes. (Did you know that October is the next June? Brides who don't plan June weddings seem to be choosing October, perhaps because of the weather.)



Here is the front of the book box.



Here is the back of the book box.



And here is the book in the box.



Feel free to 'pin'. To see my wedding calligraphy, see my wedding blog and my website.

Small art works

Small art works are the theme today.  I recently made some small pieces for sale on etsy and in Copper Moon Gallery in New Albany IN  - if you are in the vicinity, check them out! Here are a few calligraphy pieces with simple watercolor illustrations.  I forgot to take a photo of my favorite.  When will I learn?

 

Some were simply matted, others were matted and framed in white-washed frames.  They are small, 5x7" and 8x10", for easy gifting.  My favorite is a quote from designer Nate Berkus with a house illustration.  Naturally, that's the one I forgot to photograph.    The lettering style is a contemporary-feeling pressurized pointed pen lettering with a casual look.  Wedding work season has started now, but I will try to fit in more small pieces in the lulls.  I find if I have quotes mulling around in my mind and watercolor paper cut to size, it's more of an incentive to put spare time to good use.

I love collage!

I love collage!  I used to do a lot of it, mostly paper collage, then I switched to mostly digital collage, and now do a little mixed media collage.  But for 2014, I think one of my resolutions will be to get back to some paper collage.  It's a great way to blend texture, color and even lettering.  Here are a few of my paper collages from years past.  You may see more examples of various art I do on my website.

This one incorporates a Nietsche quote in black letter calligraphy.  To get the red lettering to show up on the black paper I first lettered in red to no avail.  I lettered over it with white, then again with red.  Tediously exacting, but worth it.  I could have sold it about 7 times at Art in Speed Park the year I made it, but a couple bought it and left it at my booth while they shopped so others seeing it were disappointed.  I still love it.  I hope they do too!

The Earth Speaks, The Moon Listens.  This is on of a series of layered paper collages.  They often incorporated handmade and/or hand painted papers and calligraphy.

This is Asia Blue I.  It was one of a pair in the same colors and theme.  It has calligraphy, painted papers, embroidery threads, embossing, thin sticks and a small paper-cut meant to emulate a Chinese 'chop'.

Here's one from a couple of years ago, made as a birthday card.  Papers were painted and lettered, cut to shape and glued on flat.  Details were added in colored pencil.  I used to do a lot of torn and cut paper funky bird collages, but made no photos to document them.  I want to make more! 

 This was an early one, and won a first place award in a state competition.  I called it Ya-Te-Hey.  It has a peahen feather, homemade papers, sticks, wires and embroidery floss echoing the colors in the papers.

Latin Wisdom was part of a small hanging booklet, made like a Jacob's Ladder.

2014 for me will at least partially be ' The Year of Collage' - or at least the year I revisit collage.  Of course, I will still mostly do my wedding calligraphy!


by Jan Hurst

Another week, another workshop - Jacqueline Sullivan

Another week, another workshop - Jacqueline Sullivan this time, teaching Visual Poetry.  It's the third successful workshop I've been a part of in just two months, coming on the heels of workshops by Bonnie Stahlecker and Michael Clark.  Here is a part of our group at dinner on Saturday night.

Jacqueline taught acrylic painting with calligraphy on canvas.  The goal was to integrate the lettering into the painting.  I have done this successfully on my own many times, but in this workshop piece my lettering is still sort of sitting on top.  I'll work on it some more, but I like the direction it's going.

This horse gets around.  All class members gathered round for a class photo. Front: Jacqueline, Shirley, Austyn and Deb.  Row two: Ellen, Denise, Sarah, Nancy, Marilyn and Mary Lou.  Back row: Jan, Phil and Jen.

Here's Jacqueline, looking festive at the opening reception for her exhibit.

Here are a couple of photos of some of Jacqueline's work.

 I caught this moment I call "The Healers" of Jacqueline, Mary Lou and Marilyn during the workshop.  I can attest to the peace, warmth and calm that Mary Lou's touch imparts.  She told me that Marilyn's are the same.  Lovely capture, I think.

 We worked in fluid acrylics on stretched canvases and in art journals - a great way to try out new ideas.  Here are some participants and their work.

Austyn - named for her 'hometown' of Austin, TX.  She was glad she wasn't named for the small town she actually lived in, Pfleugerville.

Deb with her lovely works in progress.  Wow!

One of Ellen's luscious pieces in progress.  I love the colors and the 'interest' she has created in this background.

Phil wanted his piece to be more 'Visual Poetry' instead of pure calligraphy.  It looks like poetry to me!

Mary Lou loved these experimental canvas pieces we did as a means of learning what works best with different mediums on canvas.

Mary Lou's canvas with her fragmented lettering.

Denise's exotic looking journal cover - stenciling with molding paste, gilding, paint and pastels.

Below are a few of my two-page journal spreads and the as yet unpainted canvas journal cover embellished with light molding paste. 

Art journals would make a good place to 'clean' your brushes.  Although I was actually painting here, it looks like I was cleaning my brushes of excess ink - and I will do that!  The page was first painted with absorbent ground.

This was paint on a black gessoed page.  I added a stenciled dragonfly in molding paste. 

More experimentation on black gessoed pages.  Here we painted with absorbent ground on the pages in white, then painted over them.  On the left, we painted most of the gessoed page with absorbent ground and covered it with crinkled saran for a few minutes, then painted them.  Although the page looks heavily textured, it is actually very smooth.

These pages have some gilding with gold adhesive and patent gold (in my case copper), pumiced, then painted.

 Jacqueline may be teaching the journal portion of our class at the International Calligraphy Conference next summer.  She is an excellent and generous instructor who continually educates herself in order to give the best to her students.  Upon leaving Louisville, she was heading to New Orleans to become a Golden art products certified instructor.  She's been using and sharing her knowledge of Golden products for years, and is now making  it official.

Excellent class, excellent people.  I love the calligraphic community!

(Please click on images to see them a bit larger.)