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The Statuary Phase

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 by Alyice

When I was a young child, I loved to draw. I was actually quite good and my teachers really wanted me to pursue art more. Of course, I was only 11 years old and didn’t think all that highly of my drawings. As the years passed, I forgot all about doodling, sketching, and art. But then in 1983 my mom’s best friend, whom I affectionately called Aunt Sue, took up an interest in statuary. She was quite good, too!

On the week-ends she had me, we’d hit the nearest statuary store to find that “perfect” piece and pick up any colors of paint she didn’t already have at home. Then we’d have lunch and talk about what we were going to do to our pieces. After lunch, we’d sand the pieces down, pick out any imperfections, wipe them down with a damp cloth, paint them white, and then begin the painstaking journey of transforming a formed block of plaster into something beautiful.

We painted stuff to be hung on the walls, we painted stuff to decorate bookshelves and we painted Christmas ornaments. My aunt would even make little scenes complete with Christmas trees, presents, and snow.

We literally got lost in the moment and before we knew it the week-end was over. I’ll never forget those week-ends for as long as I live.

Those week-ends were stress-free and all about me and my relationship with my Aunt. In those painting sessions, I felt loved in a way that I didn’t always feel at home. My aunt was very loving, very encouraging, very patient, and she loved taking me under her wings and teaching me new things. She encouraged me to be true to myself and to believe in myself—even when no one else did. She showed me that mistakes happened and that they were (are) all a part of life and nothing to feel ashamed of or guilty over. She helped me deal with my need to be perfect by showing me that life was (is) full of imperfections and just like our art, those imperfections could actually turn into something beautiful.

Perhaps that’s why I’m finding art so therapeutic these days and why it feels so good to get back into that creative mojo! Not only does creating feel good for the soul but it is helping me deal with my sometimes compulsive need to be perfect and controlling. Through creating, I am reminded that my imperfections don’t make me less loveable and that just like art, there can sometimes be beauty in them.

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Anniversary Canvas

Friday, March 21st, 2008 by Alyice

After fussing with my inappropriate household lights I finally have a photo of the most recent canvas I’ve been working on. I seriously need to save up for some indoor lights designed specifically for photographers!

The couple, in this canvas, was married 53 years ago and has eight lovely children, 24 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. They’re now in their late 70s and this canvas was made to honor their lifelong love affair. It will hang in their daughter’s home—she’s the sixth child in the family.

This canvas took a week to complete between layers and drying time, but I think it was worth it. I started by painting gesso on the canvas. Then I painted the entire canvas orange. When the paint dried, I added crackle plaster around the edges of the canvas.

My original intention was to give the entire piece a weathered, worn look so I covered the orange center with a layer of crackle. I was supposed to wait until it got tacky to add the next color so that when it dried it would give the appearance of worn paint. Unfortunately, living in South Dakota, during winter leaves the basement where I paint rather cold and the crackle just wouldn’t settle. Irritated, I simply painted over it and let it dry over night.

The next day I printed the two photos and sprayed them with Workable Fixatif by Krylon to prevent the ink from spreading when I covered it with decoupage paint and glued it onto the canvas. After adding the two photos to the canvas, I let it dry for about an hour before adding molding paste around the photos to complete the textured look I was going for. While the molding paste was still wet, I inserted heart-shaped cut outs and let the canvas dry over night.

Then the fun began! I began painting the top of the canvas. Only there was one problem. I wasn’t too thrilled with the plain sides, so I stopped painting and began adding molding paste to each side of the canvas, shaping the molding paste into cute swirls. Of course that meant another day of drying.

Finally, I was ready to paint! The canvas has many layers of colors, though you can’t tell by looking at it. By painting many layers on top each other I am able to achieve a depth of color that I can’t get by simply mixing the colors. Of course, it’s also because sometimes I think I like a particular color only to discover that it simply didn’t fit the piece. All in all, I probably have about 15 to 20 thin layers of paint on this canvas.

After drying for a day, I began adding the varnish. It’s important to add more than one coat of varnish, especially when using crackle paste because it’s very light and flakey. Between drying times I ended up with five coats of varnish and three more coats on the photos themselves.

I wish you could really experience the texture in this canvas. It’s so much fun to run your fingers across and to pick out little patterns and designs.

Keep Creating

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A Photographic Style

Thursday, March 20th, 2008 by Alyice

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Aside from the fact that the Bell’s Palsy has made my eye see blurred and fuzzy images, thus making it difficult to pursue photography at this time, I’ve come to realize something that’s been holding me back—thanks to Anne Geddes’ new book, A Labor Of Love. And that’s the fact that I don’t’ really know what I want to specialize in when it comes to photography and that makes it difficult to get out there and market.

It’s very much like the life of an artist. An artist must first define his (or her) work and then set himself apart from other artists. He must show—through his art—what makes him different, special, and distinct. He must give his clients a reason to choose his work over that of other artists, or to choose his work to complement the works of other artists already purchased. And right now, I can honestly say that I don’t have such a direction for my photography.

Sure I know that I want my photography to help record and preserve history at both an affordable and profitable price. I also know that I want to capture real life and real moments in time and that I don’t want to work with people who want digital plastic surgery just to make themselves look better. I know that I want to work with people who like themselves for who they are inside and want that inner beauty to be portrayed in their photographs—minor touch-ups okay. And finally, I know that I wouldn’t mind using a little Anne Geddes magic in my photographs. But beyond that, I have nothing. I don’t yet have a style to call my own.

Early on Geddes discovered that “…every photographer needs to have their own individual style, a sense that you can do it your own unique way….” and she knew that it would “take years to develop”. But that did not stop her from owning her own photography business. She cultivated her style while working as a portraiture photographer. And today, she’s living her dream as a renowned baby photographer.

Reading A Labor Of Love. was a truly inspirational and motivational experience because it allowed me to see where Geddes came from and how she got to where she is today. It showed me that one can begin a photography business without yet having one’s own distinct style and that one can grow into that style over time. And it made me realize how vitally important it is to stay true to one’s self; for only then can real success take place—whether that success is monetary or otherwise.

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