Bienville Street Studio

Yesterday I had the chance to visit The Bienville Street Studio and poke around while work was going on as I watched. I have often wondered what it would be like to be a part of a working studio again. It has been a long, long time since I actually had a scheduled time and day to paint and I miss that a lot. Now I paint a bit on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the back offices of the shop. It isn't a bad setup by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a lonely pursuit of a craft.

There is something magic about being in the collective whirlpool of creativity and bouncing ideas off the walls with someone else or many someones else. I could see this in action yesterday as Jennifer and one of her fellow studio residents, Betsy, worked on their current pieces. Piled all around was the evidence that good things happen here!

It was truly inspiring to see all the work stacked against the walls and hanging around the studio. It was even more inspiring to think that I could do this, too! Jennifer has done some truly beautiful things and you should definitely visit her website for a look at some examples of her work.

I think I see the beginnings of a new work - deadline is Friday, Jennifer!!

When To Stop

It will be a real achievement for me to actually quit stalling around here and just get to it. The other morning I put out the ole black easel. That should have been the first warning, right then and there. But oh no, I just went on as if I really intended to finish up that inventory count. Ha! Next thing I know a canvas magically appears and that old basket of acrylics. Now I really have a love/hate relationship with the acrylics because I have absolutely no clue what to do with them. The only things I have ever used are oils and these "other" things just make me crazy. I decided to just start mashing them around and see what happened - only problem is that it happens all too quickly. Well, duh! Isn't that what everyone loves about acrylic? I guess I'll learn to adapt and use this to my advantage.

When I paint, I end up painting at least 4 pieces on each canvas. The first one is the "idea" barely sketched in with charcoal or just a base coat of "color". That's what I did this time - just covered that canvas with a nice neutral linen hue. That looks good in itself!

Next thing is to fill in with some sort of design or representation of an object. This time, however, I just stick some "stuff" on top of the linen color. Maybe some neat paper that came in some packaging the other day. Yes, that looks pretty cool. And maybe a piece of bubble wrap just for fun. No - let's use that to put some texture into the paint! Really neat looking now. And then some more color and some squiggles here and there.

Then just let that dry and come back and do some more "stuff" - I bet it won't even look the same by the time I finish that. I at least thought to take some photos of what I did so I can see where it fell off the wagon!

I think I like what I am seeing - and this is the hard part for me everytime. Knowing when to quit is just as important as knowing what you are doing! And I always miss the stopping point it seems and end up with something even I have no clue about!

Well I did manage to just stop - walk away, and then come back later. Later............well, later I just put some varnish on it so I couldn't start messing around with it again! And now I am done.

Where Were You Last Night?

That could be a leading question, I know, but I was really hoping that everyone will have as fantastic an answer as I do. Last night was the opening of a new exhibit at Ann Connelly Fine Art here in Baton Rouge. Ann Connelly has long been the "home" gallery for many Baton Rouge and New Orleans artists. Some of my very favorites hang there - Donna West, Amanda Talley, Karoline Schleh, Amy James and a lot of new favorites! Last night was especially gratifying because I bumped into (quite literally) Libby Johnson in whose studio I used to paint. I drive past the studio every day on the way home from the shop, and each time I promise myself that I am going to drop in and hang out. Something must be in the air right now, because I actually put the brush to the canvas myself yesterday and am here this morning at it again. And for Libby to invite me back into the studio with her groups is just such a wonderful thing. I have been smiling ever since! And trying to figure out how I can schedule it so that I can get back to one of my most favorite things that I do (or don't as the case has been for the last 3 years). There is something just so energetic about being surrounded by creativity - and my mind takes off and sometimes I fear there won't be a landing anytime soon. Last night was no exception.

So today I am finishing up one canvas and trying to work through another. When I say working through that is exactly what I mean. I have never really worked with acrylics and so everything I do is an experiment. Some are real flops and some have some hope for them. I just chuck them behind the freezer - whoops can't do that anymore since that freezer died and moved out of the laundry room! Maybe behind the armoire at the shop - no one would ever discover them there!