Painting a Memory

A painting requires a little mystery, 

some vagueness, some fantasy. 

When you always make your meaning perfectly 

plain you end up boring people. (Edgar Degas) 

Or you could end up boring yourself.

I recently had the urge to paint "some fantasy" as a way to remember a wonderful trip we had with friends to Isla Mujeres in Mexico.

the colors of the island were my favs, bright and eye popping

And the most unusual thing we kept seeing were the wild iguanas.... they were always sunning themselves and looked liked a cross between an alligator and a dragon.

we photographed this fellow on our way to the grocery

The iguanas just screamed to be painted.  They seemed to represent a bit of our vacation and a lot of fantasy.  Choosing a large, 48" high and 24" wide, gallery-wrapped canvas, I treated myself to working on it little by little dragging out the fun and letting the creative muse have her way.

My photo was pretty poor and with such a large canvas I felt better drawing it out on paper to judge proportions.  I also noted there was a lot of "undecorated" space that might need some help. 

Can you guess what inspired the colors?  This guy could only live on a Mexican island.

I found it difficult to imagine how that critter crawled up the concrete wall so I was concerned about getting his feet and claws positioned properly.  Then I gave up...this was for fantasy not a scientific illustration.

The patterns I invented on portions of the tail remind me of the wonderful Mexican tiles we had all over our apartment where we stayed.

I couldn't decide if he was a friendly soul or not but I stopped short of giving him a grin.

Iguana Be Me

48 x 24, gallery wrapped canvas, acrylic

And now we rest.  Until....

I couldn't resist!  he needed more of a scene so I added these pods...makes the wall look a bit more interesting.
Since I have an idea where this fellow is going to hang, let's mark him SOLD!

COLOR FILLED FANTASY,

Cindy

Three for the Show

There is art that is completed in one sitting (often referred to as 'alla prima') and there is art that takes much, much longer.  Sometimes the artist makes changes and tweaks to an original idea and needs time to make the magic happen.  Other times the process is slowed because oil is one of the longest drying media and painting wet on top of wet isn't always the effect desired.  When I get into a large oil painting I enjoy layering color on top of color, building up texture and a more mottled (as opposed to blended) effect.  

This is why I tend to have many piece in process for weeks at a time and then all of a sudden, bam! there appears many finished paintings.  Right now there are three large half baked paintings in my studio.  And while I had very little to show for several weeks, ta-da!  I was able to put 3 good sized efforts into frames just yesterday.

Here's a few that are now "show ready:"

Travel with me if you will.....

to Mexico.

Plaza de San Fransisco,  12 x 9, oil on board, framed

$200

Finished!  After much work to get the stucco walls of the plaza interior to reflect the age and color they really are, I decided I really like the illusion of lines in this piece.  Forget where it is or what it is and just let your eyes bounce around to all the curves and lines and shapes formed by the sun and shadow.  Not a soul in sight I like to wander through this scene and wonder just how far down the street I can imagine seeing.  The black frame really made this piece pop.

Rooftop Dance, San Miquel, 24 x 18, oil on canvas,  framed

$400

Still in Mexico this is a rooftop scene I showed earlier while it was in progress.  It took several weeks simply because I wanted to use a "glazing" technique on the sky and the background buildings.  This is where you use just a tiny hint of color and a lot of medium that suspends the color and makes it almost like a thin sheet of glass on top of the piece.  I added about 16 "thin sheets of glass" (which each took a day to dry) in an effort to build up the see-through feeling of the sky and to also push the buildings back while letting the laundry and fence come forward.

Lasting Impression, Rome, 20 x 16, oil on canvas, framed

$300

Finally, we return to Rome.  I have tried to paint the coliseum many times.  It became very difficult because my mind told me one thing, the reality of the city hub presented another, and the actual truth of the pieces and parts that jigged and jagged together presented another.   The coliseum has old sections supported by new reinforcements, there is even a huge portion covered in scaffolding and drapes as it gets "restored."  So I had to settle for an "impression" of sorts that combines bits of all of the realities.  Yep, I left out the city traffic but the sky and the tree are real.  Nope, didn't paint the tourists and school children winding their way past the building and down the street.  I painted "my" coliseum....and it may well serve as your impression as well!

I will be putting these up on my website shortly but if you have any questions or interest you may contact me at art@cindymichaud.com for a quick reply.

AND P.S.  I received many excellent ideas last week on how to share (code for divest) myself of art that no longer fits our needs.  I am ponder all of the avenue and will share something this fall when we make the final decisions on what goes and how it leaves.  Stay tuned!  But thanks to everyone for offering their many creative ideas...I'm inspired.

ArtFULLY yours,

Cindy

Once Upon a Time...

I like paintings that have stories in them.  Like a good book, art can also give you something to think about that is "between the lines," or off the page.  My favorite pieces, not only of mine but of others, leaves me thinking about the before and after of the moment depicted.  It gives me a "once upon a time..." feeling.

So before I leave San Miguel paintings (and I actually never will...) I want to share a once upon a time painting captured from a roof top in the city.

Rooftop Chores

24" x 18" oil on canvas

I had the good fortune to attend a reading by an author and since we arrived early I wandered around the hotel it was held in just to explore.  Since we were on the second floor the views of the city and courtyard below were gorgeous.  But what caught my eye was an out of the way view of the working rooftop.  The linens dancing in the wind made the most interesting shadows on the red tiles contrasting with the yellow of the building in the background.  So I snapped a few photos and headed back to the talk anxious to paint shadows.

Working on this piece made me wonder about the person who washed and hung the linens.  Were they from the hotel staff?  Did their home adjoin the hotel?  Was today linen day or did they hang all of their wash?  By the time I finished painting I almost had a novel written...that's what I mean by a "once upon time" painting!

By the way, several folks have commented about how different a painting looks when they see the real thing versus the photo.  I could not agree more...hopefully you find them better in reality.  As I look at this photo I am disappointed at the red blotches in the purple-ish shadows...they are not so startling in reality, much more blended. And the white of the fences, side and back, and linens all photographed very close in value.  In reality they differ a bit more.  Sooooo, never trust a photo (when done by an amateur such as yours truly).  However, the flatness of the photo is a good way to judge certain other elements of the composition so I guess it does have its place!

Happy spring wherever you are,

Cindy

p.s. under the category of "be careful what you wish for...": my husband has been wishing I would clean out the stuffed studio closet which is packed with unused frames, canvas, old art, shipping boxes and a lot of stuff I won't admit to owning.  I came home today to a flood...literally; water coming forth from that closet onto the carpeted floor of the studio with no sign of where it originated.  We still don't know but have turned off all the house waters til the plumber arrives.  Meanwhile, guess who is tasked with dragging it all out, drying, reassessing, trashing, and preparing to reload?  I can think of other (cheaper) ways to motivate me.

Back to San Miguel!

I'm back in San Miguel...well, via my art.  I'm in the studio catching up on all of the smaller pieces I began while visiting Mexico because I am itching to start some new pieces.  I have lots of new ideas on things I want to paint but promised myself to complete these first.  Sometimes the smaller sizes are much more difficult and time consuming than they ought to be. Let's start the tour:

Lavender Morning

8 x 10, oil on canvas

I'm a sucker for trying to paint memories (not by memory!) and this brings to mind the wonderful fresh lavender growing all around our front porch.  I could sit on the stoop of our little house smelling the lavender while watching the sun come up over the mountains behind us. It cast all kinds of kinky shadows on the fields and mountains in front of us and every morning was a different show.

  

La Casa Zen, Simple Choice Farm

8 x 10, oil on canvas

This is Elizabeth's little zen house which was next door to us.  The shadows were always fun to watch and this moment the light particularly shown on the jacaranda tree just over the fence from her.  It was threatening to burst into bloom any day.  Meanwhile the colors of the stucco were very much the colors of the earth.

Bajio Mountains

6 x 12, oil on panel, framed

Hacienda Azul

6 x 6, canvas board, unframed

Our elevation was about 7000 feet and very dry.  The Bajio Mountains must be very old as they were rounded and worn down covered with low growing vegetation.  The second little sketch is called "Blue Farm House"...do you see it?  I just loved the color of the large home....hacienda could be a plantation or a little farm.

Plaza San Francisco

12 x 9 oil on panel

Last on today's tour is the interior mall of the Plaza San Francisco which is downtown near the famous jardin. When the work day begins several restaurants along this courtyard will drag out tables and chairs to sell coffees, drinks and meals.  Some of the shop owners will also display their wares along the walk and of course "travelling salespeople" will hawk their crafts, jewelry and assorted other items along the stone walk.

This was such a pleasant place to observe life that we often found ourselves in the vicinity (not to mention that the Starbucks with free wi-fi was just around the corner...horrors!!).  One day we were in the park just people watching and the school kids came running through the area chasing each other.  It seems they had made eggs filled with confetti which they smashed on each others heads in celebration of carnivale (mardi gras).  The plaza and jardin (garden) were full of confetti for days following!

I can't promise that these pieces are done (I have been known to make additions even after framing...) but for the moment they will rest; I can revisit for a touch up if needed before I finish the frame.  They will eventually make it to my shop on FB/etsy or to my website for sale.  Meanwhile if one tickles your fancy just let me know.

Hasta luego, mis amigos,
Cindy

Hasta La Vista San Miguel

We are home!

We decided to cut the trip short and get my ailing husband to his own doctor...which proved to be a good idea.  He is now on the road to recovery and feeling 100% better, there is a lot of comfort in familiar surroundings, especially when it comes to questions of health.

So plans change and I bring my color studies back to Florida to tackle them in a new light, literally.  Meanwhile, San Miguel remains a colorful influence and I can hardly wait to finish all the work that I started while painting from my little zen cottage on the Simple Choice farm.  I will pretend the days are dry, the mornings and evenings very cool and that I can hear the roosters crowing while I pick cilantro.

I finished my little (6" x 6") watercolor studies of some of the intriguing doors of the city.  They are matted to a 9 x 12 size and will be on my Etsy and Facebook shop during the coming week.  I just love the doors there and remember the first time I saw the area how surprised I was to discover the treasures they hid behind them.  (Framed versions can be viewed below.)

These are the blue doors of the Colmena Bakery, Relox 19A & 21, well known spot for traditional Mexican baked goods.

The green bi-fold doors are beautiful in contrast to the red walls of the city and they open up onto a lovely art gallery, La Galeria de Arte Contemporaneo at Relox 46.

This very narrow but elegant door way is the entrance to a home on Canal Street.  The little oval plaque by the door reads "Mi Casa, Canal #58."  The doors were heavy and old and ornate and had a wonderful heavy door knocker on them.  Wish I could have managed an invite inside!

I took plenty of photos and started several pieces of the Bajio Mountains which surrounded us.  I hear that the already colorful area really comes alive with blooms when the rains start...and you can be sure I am pondering a way to make a return trip during that time of year.  Meanwhile, I will re-enjoy it all via my notes and photographs.  

Here is the watercolor series framed:

Have a great weekend, I hope to be back on schedule by Friday...we appreciate your concerns about Bob and thank you for enjoying the sights and sounds of Mexico with us.

Color Fully Yours,

Cindy

The Colors of San Miguel

Color is everywhere the doors of San Miguel

                                            The pottery of San Miguel

                                               the fabric and cloth of San Miguel

Even splashes of vibrant yellow along the roadways           

                                                                   outside San Miguel

You do not have to look far for color inspiration in San Miguel...it is everywhere and contrasts loudly with the now-brown countryside.  When the spring rains begin the place will come alive with flowers and verdant green fields.  But for now I love finding the colors jumping out at me and screaming for attention against the earthy colored background.

And speaking of attention: gold stars to those of you who caught my (mindless) error in the last blog: blue, of course, is a primary color and when mixed with yellow, another primary, it makes green.  Apparently I left a bit of my brain at the health department!  Big kudos to those of you who noted the reversal and nodded in understanding for the foggy confusion I was still in!  I will do better, I will never be error free, but better!

We had a play date today. Instead of hitching a ride with fellow farm guests we took the rickety bus into town - a 50 minute bouncey ride that only takes about 15-20 minutes via auto.  I confess that I love public transportation; what better way to get a real flavor, not to mention smell, of the local populous as well as the scenery?  It was Saturday and lots of folks had time to go into town...I so enjoyed myself that they literally had to kick me off the vehicle at the end of the line!

From there we were on a walking mission to find a Rotary member Bob had connected with and to locate a door knocker for our front door.  The buildings of San Miquel come right up to the edge of the cobblestone streets leaving only about a 24" sidewalk, also of raised cobblestones and very uneven, for pedtrestrians to walk on.  The magic of the city is behind the doors which open onto the streets.  There is no way to imagine what might be contained therein....a tiny shop or the most elegant entrance to a home or hotel.  Large patio gardens sometimes precede a restaurant whose name is discreetly on the door, or it might open onto a hallway for apartments.  No clue!

                                       

So I will go to sleep tonight imagining my door photos made into precious little paintings....I just have to decide whether to execute in watercolor or acrylic....or both!

Sending you colorful dreams,

Cindy