Painting #2 in the Lessons from the Spider Woman project is finished. This detail of the finished piece shows a snippet of the completed composition which includes more of Spider Woman's veil, a basket, pot, fetish, and chili peppers. It has been interesting composing with a Southwest Desert theme, especially because this topic is so foreign … [Read more...] about Maria Martinez Pottery
Pigments: Historical and Modern
There is a distinct difference between modern day pigments and the natural pigments used prior to the middle of the 1700s. In the past, artists had apprentices who ground the colors for them throughout the oil painting sessions. Because they were made by hand, the pigments retained a natural grittiness and consistency with larger particle size. Today's oil paint manufacturers make synthetic colors in huge vats where the end result is exceptional smoothness. Prior to the middle of the 1700, natural pigments came from dirt, minerals, and even plants.
Meeting of the Minds
On July 9th on Artists Mentors Online, I listened to the captivating discussion with Michael Harding and Tony Pro. Mr. Harding talked about the making of his line of paints and how he became interested in this topic. There were intelligent questions asked by artists via email and telephone. As you know, one of my favorite pigments is natural … [Read more...] about Meeting of the Minds
Red Hot Chilis
The chili peppers on painting #2 for the Lessons from the Spider Woman series is painted with natural cinnabar and some madder, heightened at the very end with flake white on the highlights. The stems are a simple mixture of yellow ochre and black, which makes a dazzling array of greens. Right at the finish, heighten with a little white on the … [Read more...] about Red Hot Chilis
Spider Woman’s Cross
The Spider Woman is one of the most important goddesses in the Southwest Native culture. She is multi-faceted and has amazing power over her people. There are geographic landmarks named for her as well as constellations, myths, and stories of all kinds. As I have said, she is the equal to Isis in Ancient Egypt and Athena in Greece. The row of … [Read more...] about Spider Woman’s Cross
Amazing Amazonite
One of the most exciting things about my Lessons projects is unearthing new pigments heretofore unknown. Amazonite is one that I discovered sometime back, and it's sold through the Daniel Smith company in Seattle. They do not sell it in the powder form, which I would have preferred, so I bought a tube of the oil shown here pure from the … [Read more...] about Amazing Amazonite
Spider Woman Meets Wedding Planner
The first painting in this Southwest themed project, Lessons from the Spider Woman, is finished. The entire painting, actual title, and size will be revealed as time draws closer to the exhibit date. My artistic license is used lavishly here not only in the Spider Woman mythology but also in the imaginative depiction of the story. Spider Woman is … [Read more...] about Spider Woman Meets Wedding Planner