GREETINGS, from the Complicated Art Man.
It's been a hot & rainy season here in Central Florida. I've really gotten into my golf this year. Needless to say, my artwork has been put on the backburner. I have practiced a bit. Actually painted a couple of pieces, but haven't really committed to a piece. Until this one.
It's a "riverscape". The mighty St. John's river & a Florida sky full of thunderstorms.
I recently noticed that I've been a bit uneasy. The rains have flooded out a lot of the Mt. Bike trails throughout Central Florida, so I haven't been riding much. I decided to give this riverscape a go. Took me a couple of weeks to get into it, but I'm really satisfied with the end result. I also realized why I love painting so much:
The ability to create art & get lost in an art project is extremely rewarding & priceless.
I guess I found serenity in this piece, hence the choice for the title.
This canvas is gallery style, "ready to be hung". I had started to paint the borders plain black, but I thought it looked kind of "cheap". I woke up one morning and the idea came to me very sudden: A brownish border, with caramel colored mermaid scales. I used a stencil and painted the borders with a distressed technique. I guess I don't like to use perfect patterns in my works. So I made sure that the pattern came out "imperfect". I felt that a "solid & perfect" stencil application would make the piece cheezy. I'm very happy with the result and also happy to say that this piece is going to its new home. That was pretty fast work via Social Media.
COLORS I USED ON THE SERENITY ON THE ST. JOHN'S PIECE:
TITANIUM WHITE, ULTRAMARINE BLUE, PTHALO BLUE, PTHALO GREEN, ARTIST'S BLACK, CUSTOM BROWN, BURNT SIENNA, YELLOW OCHRE.
SIDE NOTE: Yellow Ochre is a really cool color to work with. Try it sometime.
Another piece I did this summer is a Full Moonscape. I filled it up with trees & a little surprise in the lower left hand corner. A MAGIK BOX.
I used the paint knife for the trees and they came out awesome. I love using the paint knife. It takes a hot minute or two to learn how to use it. Once you figure out how to manipulate it, you can do some really cool things with it. I've made an entire painting with just the paint knife.
COLORS I USED ON THE FULL MOONSCAPE PIECE:
TITANIUM WHITE, ALIZARIN CRIMSON,PTHALO BLUE, PTHALO GREEN, ARTIST'S BLACK, , BURNT SIENNA.
I have a couple of more projects on the horizon. My main focus will be landscapes & seascapes with a twist. I’m adding these Medieval doors from the Castle Otttis into the painting. I’m gonna have to channel my inner Dalì for that.
Castle Otttis is an authentic Irish Castle & it is located just north of St Augustine in Vilano Beach. It is not open to the public, so I’m sorry that you can’t visit it. I waited over 20 years to visit & the Castle Otttis didn’t disappoint.
I got a chance to visit the Castle & befriended the owner. I’ve been back a few times & even helped him out with an event. He is a very unique and one of a kind individual. It turns out we both a love and affinity for music- ESPECIALLY REGGAE. I am very grateful for him allowing me to visit his property. I made a friend & even gave him a painting as a token of my appreciation.
UNTIL NEXT TIME MY PEEPS!
COMPLICATED ART MAN...OUT!