TAPE BATIK

For some reason, this tape batik process is really hot right now. It's taken several years to perfect it after realizing that a whole painting could be painted using regular masking tape to block out shapes that are finished. It's almost like using miskit to protect shapes from future paint application, but tearing tape to fit a shape is trickier than painting miskit on with a brush. And more tedious. The tedious part is why I never liked teaching the process - too much whining. But for whatever reason, artists are really wanting to learn how to create this batik-like look. And there's no whining!!! YES! This older couple were on a train ride, and it was delightful to watch them interact. I think she knew what he was thinking before he even thought it and vice versa. They were beautiful.

Tape-batiking a face with the sharp edge that tape creates offers some special challenges with this process. The hat was my favorite part to paint and it turned out wonderfully, too. Some people have said that they like the square in the painting (I do,) and a few find it distracting. What do you think?

"IRISH EYES" Transparent Watercolor on Crescent Board 30 x 20"

DOUBLETREE

The landscape outside my Doubletree Hotel last month in Dallas included a 'doubletree' that looked a little like this, twisting and reaching towards more light. This was painted using my 'tape batik' method on YUPO, with fluid acrylics. Lots of fun, especially when so many of the women at the workshop helped 'peel' the tape layers off to reveal the textures of the finished painting. This TAPE BATIK method is one I've developed since the mid 90's as a result of a Watercolor Society of Indiana workshop I attended with Al Brouillette. He used tape randomly to save shapes and create new ones. My thought was, "Why can't I paint a whole painting using tape to create the shapes?" It's been challenging and exciting to develop this process, and I love the fascinating batik-like textures that result.

Check out the new SPLASH book to see Monique Wolfe's results from one of the first workshops I taught regarding this technique. She's an excellent and accomplished South Carolina artist who quickly grasped exactly how to do this.

The painting of the 'doubletree' was done in Dallas for the experimental YUPO workshop there. A new painting is drawn on YUPO and ready to paint.....gotta go.

"DOUBLETREE" Transparent Fluid Acrylics on medium weight YUPO 26 x 20" COLLECTED

ART SHOWS

Entering and attending art shows seem to remain low on my priority list, but a couple of weeks ago, a good friend insisted I enter a show. This painting along with 'Liguid Gold' is in that show at 'The Evergreen' on Galbraith Rd. in Cincinnati. It's an all-watermedia exhibit featuring many works by members of the Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society. If you're in the area, please do stop by to see it - located across from Drake Hospital. The paintings are hung throughout the main buildings. The surface of this painting is on a wooden door covered with a mixture of joint compound and acrylic medium. Using my 'tape batik' method, several layers of multi colored glazes were applied over several layers of the saved 'taped' shapes. A lot of touch up was done when the tape was removed, so the taping process is not as evident as it usually is. The advantage of painting on a door is that no frame is needed at all. The painting was sealed with several coats of varnish and hung.

One of our local TV stations, WCPO Channel 9, ran a feature on the show in one of their newscasts this weekend, too, and LIGUID GOLD was shown on the newscast. Sweet!

Someday, maybe I'll understand why entering shows just isn't my cup of tea .....headed out to the garden right now. Must plant three viburnums before my Thursday morning class gets here. It will be a good class today! Have a great day.

"ORTA ARCHES" Transparent Fluid Acrylics 43 x 24"

JONATHAN

Our nephew, Jon, lives in London and is an accomplished musician, song writer, and music mixer. His group, ADULTS, CHILDREN, AND ELDERLY (ACE) plays in several venues in England, and he is their awesome drummer. This painting, done on gessoed watercolor paper, celebrates his creative spirit. Jon is so gifted artistically as well as being truly brilliant. The gessoed paper surface was randomly stamped with an 'ART' stamp before it dried. Several colors of fluid acrylics were flung onto the upright paper and allowed to drop off before the watercolor portrait was painted. Thanks goes to Nick Simmons for his ACRYLIC FLINGING demo at our workshop here in the studio last month.

Many years ago, I squirted staining watercolors onto an upright sheet of 300# Arches which had some miskit 'combed' onto it, then explored what I could make out of the colorful splashes. Below is the result of that very special painting.

YUPO AND FLUID ACRYLIC WATERCOLORS

The batik-look in this painting is the result of painting over bits and pieces of masking tape which have been torn or cut then pressed over the existing paint to preserve those areas. It's on the slick YUPO surface that's been accurately described as 'like painting on glass.' A new product that seems to be identical to it is now manufactured in France, called Lana Vanguard, and is available for sale now in Europe. This was painted with fluid acrylics on the YUPO. In a couple of hours, my plane leaves for Dallas, Texas, where I'll be teaching a five day workshop. Our focus will be to explore the exciting possibilities of painting experimentally on YUPO, and I know that we will have a lot of fun. Check back later for posts about what's happening at the Artists' Showplace workshop.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?" Fluid Acrylic on YUPO 40 x 26"

NICHOLAS SIMMONS

Last weekend my studio was electric with energy and creativity. Nicholas Simmons (website link) challenged us to try many new processes to develop our paintings. Nick had already taught a workshop here almost three years ago which was awesome, and since I'd done all the things Nick taught then and learned so much, I didn't anticipate painting as much this time. WRONG!

Nick (blog link) led us through four intense days, packed with exciting possibilities, showing us how he uses FLUID ACRYLICS and TRANSPARENT WATERCOLOR. It was impossible to tell the difference between the two mediums unless you rewet the paint to see if it moved.

This painting is one of many that I worked on in Nick's workshop. Staying up late at night to do our homework was a requirement that we didn't know about ahead of time... but worth the effort.

And here is a 'newly painted' wall in my studio, painted by the 18 people who were here. The actual paintings that resulted from this artsy wall were astounding. Most remembered to sign their names somewhere on the wall, too. A taped up sheet of plastic with towels under it caught the paint as it flowed to the ground, but we still managed to add color to the studio's concrete floor. Think I may have to frame the wall.....

Nick's teaching skills are only surpassed by how well he paints. THANKS SO MUCH, Nick, for an awesome and incredibly great four days. Nick will be returning for another four day workshop here in 2012, beginning on Sept. 28 going through Oct. 1. A couple of people have already put a deposit down for their spot in the workshop! They'll be glad they did.

Nick's not making coffee in these cups, but getting ready to paint a new painting. He uses Da Vinci brand paints, both watercolors and fluid acrylics, and knows how to make them look so good on paper. The previous workshop with Nick was dynamite for sure. In my opinion, it was on top. This workshop was actually even better. Nick's a natural teacher, able to convey ideas and processes in a fluent way, while staying in touch with what the class and individual artists need. He's an amazing guy. Everyone went home with tons of notes and exciting possibilities to explore. It was a great workshop. Thanks goes to all who were here for helping make this workshop a wonderful success.

YUPO PAINTING

Color 'dances' so vividly on YUPO. As it dries, it keeps its intensity, since the paint can't soak into the slick surface like it does on regular cotton watercolor paper.

This YUPO painting has been created with fluid acrylics. First, miskit was painted carefully on the whitest shapes, then the whole page was covered with randomly applied colors of very fluid paint, all the same value. The colors mixed on the paper rather than in the palette, since they were so juicy when applied.

When that paint dried, the next darkest value shapes were also miskited carefully, then once again the whole page was covered with more or less random colors, very juicy. This process continued, each layer of paint getting darker, until 7 layers of paint had been applied on the successively applied value shapes of miskit. The result was a total of 8 values in the painting, as well as a unifying blend of colors.

Removing the miskit is relatively easy on YUPO. Use your fingers to rub it off or lift it off with rolled masking tape. Avoid using a rubber cement/miskit remover.

Some corrections were made before I could call it finished. When regular watercolor on cotton paper is miskited, a small amount of paint comes up with the miskit. Fluid acrylics stay put and won't lift when the miskit's removed, resulting in a more glorious glow to the colors. And since this has been created on YUPO, the "POP" of the colors is vibrantly alive. Love that YUPO - and love using Fluid Acrylics on it, too.

"LIQUID GOLD" Fluid Acrylics on YUPO 25 x 31"

GIFTS

Giving a painting as a gift is always risky unless you REALLY know the recipient's taste in art. Today this painting is headed to Indianapolis where our younger son lives. We think he'll be surprised with the painting, which is for his birthday today. Duke is on the right, and Daisy is the partially cross eyed Siamese mix on the left.

Getting the right photo to work from for pets is often challenging. Once I have a good photo and a good drawing, the painting is fairly simple to do. Paint the shapes with the right values and establish the proper edge for the shape. Miskit fur edges that are too hard to paint around, and don't paint any 'fur' hairs until the very end, painting them sparingly only where needed to suggest the softness of the fur. Color choices are not nearly as critical as getting the correct values of lights and darks. In fact, the purple, coral, orange, blues, and teal were fun to use for shadows.

My husband was surprised when I started this painting on Friday night. He asked when I'd get it done. Actual painting time was under three and a half hours, but the drawing and miskiting time took longer than that. If I count the time it took to get the right photos, too, the preparation time before putting paint in my brush is more than double the painting time. For me, the preparation, planning, and drawing are critical for a good painting, and I enjoy all the planning just as much as I love the painting time.

Painting size is approximately 17 x 22", making the cats life size. Happy birthday, MATT!

CROP AND BURN

This painting is from several years ago. It recently returned home from the gallery and challenged me to rework it. Since it was done with both watercolor and gouache, the challenge sounded like a good possibility. First the garish cool yellows were calmed down. That helped a little but not enough to suit me. Next shapes were quieted somewhat to what you see here.

Finally, after a lot of deliberation, cropping became an option, because the painting had no holding power as it was. The overall pattern of lights and darks was just too weak to keep my attention.

Often when a painting is shrunk down to a one inch size, the pattern of the lights and darks of the painting becomes very easy to read, since all the detail is too small to see. If there is an effective pattern of light and dark shapes, the painting will hold together at any size, which helps to keep the viewer's attention longer. You can see the difference of the major light and dark shapes here of the original painting and the cropped version.

Below is the final cropped painting. Slicing off the busy shapes, even though I really liked them, helped the overall success of the painting. The new and narrower painting now 'lives' in southern Michigan. It found a happy owner on its first debut out the door. HURRAY!

NORTHERN EXPOSURE (previously called POLAR EXTREMES) Watercolor, Gouache, and Fluid Acrylics on 140# Fabriano 30 x 13" Collected

BATIK WORKSHOP DATE CHANGED

The wax batik workshop, originally scheduled for September, has been changed to Nov. 13-14. You can see several of my wax batiks in the previous post. The process includes using watercolor, along with sumi ink and hot wax to create amazing paintings on rice papers. It's an intense process yet the results are so worth the effort. Get more info about the workshop by emailing me at sandymaudlin@gmail.com.

EXPLORING BATIK AND WATERCOLOR

Date changed for BATIK WORKSHOP. If you love the look of batik and want to learn to create that fascinating effect using watercolors, check out this 2 day workshop. It will be held in my studio near Cincinnati on November 13 and 14. (Dates were changed from Septemeber.)

Posted below are several of my paintings done with this fascinating and ancient process. We'll be using hot paraffin, rice papers, regular watercolor paints, and sumi ink. Every artist will be painting their own original works of art, using special techniques to create their one-of-a-kind batiks.

Cost is $150 and includes two very full days of instruction as well as the use of melting pots, hot wax, and an assortment of tools. Contact me at sandymaudlin@gmail.com for more info. Do hope you can join us.

DOUBLE FUN

Painting on canvas brings back college memories for sure. Back then - the 60's - acrylics had just been introduced and, as I remember, they were very, very plastickie. These two canvas were collaged with various bits of rice papers and football cards, then painted with Fluid Acrylics, my favorite medium right now.

Both have been hung side by side in their new home in Richmond, Indiana. The person they went to is a banker, so I managed to print my own 20's, 50's, and 100 dollar bills then transfer the ink from the prints onto the canvas - seen in reverse, backwards. Ditto for some golf ads, too. This was fun to create but a little scary because I wasn't positive they would like it. They did:-D

MEMORIES

Sweet memories arrived today via an email from an old friend. She sent me a copy of a card I'd painted for her fairly soon after I'd started painting with watercolors. The front and back of the card are shown here. The broccoli theme was an inside joke which we had a lot of fun with.

The card must be over 20 years old, and I feel honored that she'd kept it all this time. The inside of the card completed the rhyme with "Hope this is the best birthday of all." The back of the card certainly didn't go with the theme, but the choice of flower and colors were important. Maybe it's time to paint more cards.

YUPO ALL THE TIME

May 27th - New photo of painting posted --- The painting has been adjusted a bit since it was first posted two days ago. The hull of the gondola is a bit more accurate, and some areas have been lightened and warmed a little inside the work shop as well as inside the gondola. There's more warm/red on the face of the guy on the left, and the sweater of the man on the right has more variation in it now.

The demo was drawn and painted in under an hour - somewhat easy to do with so few values and shapes, especially using YUPO. Since the demo this past Saturday, I've probably invested about 2 more hours making adjustments. Time to STOP before it goes into overkill.

(Blog below was posted on May 25.)

Twenty artists explored painting on YUPO last Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana, and their explorations were dynamic, so creative, and very colorful. We used transparent watercolors as well as many tools and devices to apply the paint.

The time literally flew by, but unfortunately, there was little time for taking photos. I so regret not having the time to photograph the paintings that were near completion. The variety of subject matter and style was amazing.

This painting of two men discussing how to repair the gondola in their shop was one of the demos which I painted in early afternoon. After the demo, there was plenty of time for the workshoppers to develop their own original artwork, using the techniques they'd been practicing all morning. The critiques at the end of the day went way past the alloted workshop time, yet no one seemed to mind at all.The Bloomington Watercolor Society is a young organization - 5 years old - with over 80 members.... lots of talented artists with a strong desire to learn more about painting. I loved the diversity of people in the workshop - so enriching and inspiring. We all went home satisfied with a great day's work - actually it was all PLAY, not work, (except maybe for the concentrated efforts at making good design and composition in the paintings.)

It was great to see several artists returning from earlier workshops I'd taught. Teaching is so incredibly rewarding and invigorating, especially with a great group like the BWS. Thanks a bunch for asking me to give the YUPO workshop. Next time we'll have to explore using FLuid Acrylics like watercolor on the YUPO surface. Happy painting.

"TALKING BUSINESS" Transparent Watercolor on YUPO 26 x 20"

YUPO WORKSHOP near IU

Friday, after everything imaginable is packed in the van, I'll head to Bloomington, Indiana to give a YUPO workshop. It will be like a homecoming for me since I graduated from Indiana University there. It's such a beautiful city with the campus only a couple of blocks from the workshop, and they made a reservation for me in a lovely bed and breakfast - quite a treat for me. This YUPO painting of a Cincinnati gorilla is from the archives, created about ten years ago. It shows how texture and vivid colors get to show off so well on the slick YUPO surface.

There are twenty artists taking the workshop, and I'm so looking forward to seeing all the beauty they create. We'll be using watercolor on the YUPO, and the possibilities are endless. Check back next week for our results.

CHALLENGED

Working with YUPO and fluid acrylics last week at a workshop, I was challenged to stretch beyond my comfort zone. Our extraordinary workshop instructor, Sandi D'Allesandro, asked us to not only title our paintings BEFORE we started but also to determine the content of the message we wanted to convey.

Like most artists, nearly every painting I do begins with a new, self imposed challenge to help me push forward, but this direction was way out of my comfort zone. Whether it's good or bad, I seldom know or realize what I'm actually 'saying' until the painting is completed. That's one of the reasons I paint - to express myself. It's much easier for me to express myself with paint than get tangled up with words or with ideas that I can't verbalize. Though I so admire content-driven artists, it's not usually the direction I choose.
The future painting was to be called 'MARRIAGE' and its focus was the last 42 years spent with my honey. Apples and giraffes would certainly show up in the painting, but besides that, my only plan was to have fun and explore. The final painting, finished today, is the photo posted first. The next photo below shows the painting yesterday when it came really close to going in the trash. How ugly could I make it? The colors were nasty in places, and overall, there was no pattern of design to grab the eye. This next photo shows the piece as it was last Sunday at the end of the workshop, (when I thought it was completed.) After looking at it in the studio for several days, I realized that it had a long way to go before I'd want to look at it for any length of time. The last photo above shows just the beginning stages of the painting. Approaching work with this type of Chaos to Control offers such a wealth of learning experiences. When I began, I had a general idea of what would happen.... wrong!

The painting was a big struggle, but now I'm really enjoying it. And yes, it does speak to me a whole lot about marriage, in its design as well as in the effort it took to make everything work together in the painting. The bonus? My honey liked it, too! The new title is FORTY TWO 'n counting.... on heavy weight YUPO 26x20"

WORKSHOP EXCITEMENT Addition

May 1st - just in - Kathie Rice's finished painting has been added here, completing all the works from our workshop in April. Hers is posted at the end of this post and has some rice papers added to enhance it further. Check it out.

April 26 - It's so exciting to show the results of paintings created by the artists who were at the Watercolor Society of Indiana workshop two weeks ago. After the explanation of the process and my demo, each artist worked to create her own masterpiece, using bits and pieces of masking tape to 'save' shapes and values as she went. All the work seen here is transparent watercolor on paper. Realize that some tweaking will be done to several of these, since most of the photos were taken immediately after the tape had been removed, before adjustments could be made. My apologies to these artists if the color is not quite true.

By NORMA DAVIS - What an unique view up onto the deck, enhanced by strong values changes of sunlight and shadow and the poetic use of color. The textures are fantastic! This painting is a half sheet of paper - lots of taping and painting involved. Today I got a card in the mail from Norma with this on the front of it! Thank you so much.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.



By LINDA BACHOFNER - How I wish you could see this in real life. There is such a powerful emotion in this sensitive painting. The subtle color and value changes make the viewer almost be able to hear the water lapping against the sides of the gondolas. Also on a half sheet of paper, created with Linda's favorite palette of colors. You have to agree that this shows the often painted Venice in a special new way.
.
.
.
.

By JAN BROADDUS - This is an extraordinary painting with an immensely effective pattern of dark and light value shapes. The broken lines created by the paint leaking around the taped shapes add to the jazzy feeling of this old New Orleans sight. This painting has such a 'WOW' factor to it due to Jan's choices of colors and care with composition. It is stunning and on a full sheet of paper, too!
.
.
.
.
.

By LEE PAPAI - Although created with such a limited palette, this painting evokes a strong response from the viewer. The warmth in the focal area (actually warmer than shown here) really pulls the viewer into the painting, and the incredible textures created by the batik/tape effect add exciting interest when seen up close. It seems as if we are peeking through some trees at an intimate moment. Shhhhhh. Don't scare the fish away! Also on a half sheet of paper, but done using the green frog painters' tape, possibly causing more leaking/batiking effect.


By JUDY GLORE - This painting involved many, many layers of tape and paint, and Judy made just a few adjustments to it before calling it completed. What an outstanding design of curved reflective lines against the man made structures by the canal! Painting 'water' with this taping technique is challenging, but this one works so well, and it's on a FULL sheet of hot press Arches. Congratulations, Judy!
.
.
.
.

By BARB STARK - This, too, arrived in the mail today for critique. The glow around the potted plant and buildings captures the light of Italy so well, and the illusion of a figure in the lower part of the painting adds interest, also. When the foreground wall is darkened, the painting will have even more depth. And what a beautiful use of warm and cool temperatures to move our eye through the picture. Also on a half sheet.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.


By MARCIA RELLER -This has to be the most layers of tape and paint ever done with this process - 9 layers! - but well worth it for the dynamic effects Marcia achieved. She still plans to make several adjustments to the painting. The depth and intrigue of colors and textures behind the organic shapes of the flowers and leaves on this painting have resulted in an eye catching painting. And it's also a FULL sheet of paper. Can't wait to see the final results.
.
.
.
.


LINDA MEYER-WRIGHT - This journey through a wooded wonderland may be complete at this point... a bit playful, yet mysterious, with an abstract quality that Linda does so well. The batik-look adds just the right amount of texture to this colorful painting. Some of us at the workshop wondered if that maybe Hansel and Gretel had been there??? Also a half sheet of paper.

By ARLENE WHEELER - Capturing emotion is one of the requirements for a good painting, and I laughed out loud when I saw this delightful creature. The structural straight lines certainly make a perfect contrast for the voluptuous, rounded shapes on the pig. It's great to have so much fun with art. Even the color choices here are playfully fun. This is nearly a half sheet. also.
By SUSAN PORTER - This is another one that I wish you could see in real life. The poppies seem strongly illuminated from behind, and the background textures look like a rich tapestry. Slightly abstracted, the painting certainly captures the sense of a garden full of bloom. On a half sheet of paper, too. Most of these took about three full days of work to complete.
KATHIE RICE's own koi pond was the inspiration for this painting. She's also collaged in some rice papers to add to the illusion of water on this large painting - a full sheet of Arches. The intensity of the colors certainly adds a summertime feeling to this vibrant, whimsical painting. Thanks for sending it, Kathie.

Feel free to leave a comment for these artists. The work they did in just four days was terrific!

.
Here's another partially finished painting, an abstract, by JUDY GLORE. Many of the artists worked on a chaos-to-control type painting also, using the tape as a resist between layers of paint.

WSI is offering 3 more workshops this year at the same facility I taught at, near Castleton, on the north east side of Indianapolis. The Birgit O'Connor workshop has a waiting list, and Mary Ann Beckwith will be teaching there on July 13-16, with George James teaching a YUPO workshop starting September 21. Having previously taken workshops from both of them, I HIGHLY recommend Mary Ann Beckwith if you want to stretch your creativity and would very strongly recommend George James if you want to learn new approaches to design and composition while exploring some exciting, new surfaces to paint on. Happy painting.