Precocious

'Precocious'

6" x 6" acrylic on masonite panel

$65 plus $7 US or $15 International shipping

One of my mom's favorite stories to tell about me is the time I went to see our new doctor for the first time. I think I was about five years old. I remember sitting on that exam table that seemed so very tall, with my hands under my legs, listening to the paper covering crinkle under my fingers, and the swish of my legs swinging back and forth.

I don't remember much else, but I do remember what the doctor said. Or maybe I just remember my mother telling me about it.

He studied me, then finally he pushed his thick glasses further up his nose and looked at my mom. He took a deep breath then said, "She doesn't say much, but you can tell she's a thinker."

The little girl I painted reminds me of me when I was tiny. Always far away and thinking about something. I had dark hair as a kid too, and big chunky cheeks. :)

Huzzah!!

Looking Up

'Looking Up'

6" x 6" acrylic on masonite

I painted this little portrait of my youngest son a couple of weeks ago. The photo is from when he was a baby, about seven months old, and he's sitting down in that little frog-legged way that babies do when they're just learning how to sit up on their own. My mom stands behind him, leaning over with her arms on either side of him, ready to catch him if he wobbles too much and topples to the ground.

I love that photo. I plan to do a large watercolor of the whole image one day because I love the look of my mom's hands protecting him and his trusting expression as he looks up at her.

But I just felt like painting an acrylic portrait and I loved the lighting on his sweet, chubby face. :) I think it will be interesting to see what the watercolor looks like in comparison to this acrylic study. When I get around to it, which might not be for a while. Always too many ideas and too little time.  I wonder if that will ever change? I sure hope not. About having too many ideas I mean. :)

Huzzah my friends! Until Saturday!

Full Cheeks - SOLD

"Full Cheeks" SOLD

6" x 6" acrylic on masonite

Last week I took my youngest son to the park when the older two boys were in school. That doesn't sound like a very big deal does it? And really it wasn't. But at the same time it really was.

We played on the playground, raced down the slides, ran across the giant grassy field and pretended to be trapped in the soccer net. We rolled down the hill and got the dried grass leftover from last fall all over us. He held my hand when we climbed the stairs to the playground and he told me I was his best friend.

That night I wrote in my journal about that small and simple thing, calling it one of the very best days of my life. And it was.

I look down at this little boy that I love more than anything and I can't feel anything other than an immense gratitude that he's my son and I get to spend this time with him every day. That I don't have to leave him with someone else and go to work.

He's my last, my baby, and soon he'll be going to school with his brothers and I'll look back on these days and wish there had been just a few more.

Protector

 Protector

12" x 12" acrylic on masonite panel

NFS

"Every boy should have two things: a dog, and a mother willing to let him have one"
- Anonymous 

Remember a few posts ago when I talked about green slime? When I get feeling green slimey I know that artist's block could be just around the corner. So I decided to fight back before it got me. Ha ha! Take that!

Something that always works for me when I'm trying to get rid of artist's block is switching mediums. I don't know why. I think it's just trying something different. Especially something that I'm not entirely proficient at, because then I'm extra thankful to return to the comfort of my watercolors.

So I broke out my acrylics and painted this piece of my son and one of our dogs, Chauncy. This scene took place right after my youngest son was born (who is now three). This is my middle child (MC Cook) and he had a lot of things that he wasn't too happy about happening in his life at the time. 

His older brother had just started first grade so he lost a friend and playmate from 8 am - 3 pm. And his mother was constantly holding this squirming, crying, and sometimes smelly baby and couldn't play with him whenever he wanted anymore. Life was hard.  

But there was always this dog to play with. Or lie down on. :) They became very good friends, and it was one more reason for me to be thankful that this giant sweetheart of a dog came into our life.  

You know how some paintings are more enjoyable to paint than others? And I'm not talking about fun, I mean something a little deeper than that. I don't know what to call it, satisfying maybe? In any case, that's how I felt about this painting. I LOVED painting it. Even though it was challenging (I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing with acrylics). I think it's because I was reliving a memory from a very sweet time in my life.

Art is good.

Life is good.

Huzzah!! :)

Have a good week friends!

An Interview With The Artist: Brenda Thebeau (and blogoversary winner announced!)

Thanks so much to all of you for your sweet and thoughtful comments on my blogoversary post (and really ALL of your comments on each of my posts). You all are just plain awesome. I wish I could give each of you something. I have the winner (randomly chosen by my son) but I'm not going to announce it until the end of this blog post so you can focus on this amazing artist interview I have today. Seriously, I have been so excited to share her with you! Her paintings and posts leave me feeling inspired, empowered and motivated. And I know you will feel the same. You can visit her blog by clicking here. Let's begin.  :)

This is Bren. She is a mixed media abstract artist and she is made of awesome. :)

Bren, you truly are an amazing artist. Your abstract pieces always evoke an emotional reaction when I see one, I can only imagine how it really feels to see one in real life! I’d love to get to know you a little better. Could you tell us a little about your path to becoming the artist you are today?

You're too kind, but I appreciate knowing that my art communicates, it's a thrilling and humbling feeling. About three years ago, I began to toy with the idea of making my life practice of journaling more visual in nature. As I searched the internet for some inspiration I found a whole community of Art Journaling bloggers! I began to pick up on techniques and found that working with acrylics and ink in my journal was just my fit. After exploring all manner of ideas through my journal, I began to wonder if what I was doing on paper would translate onto canvas. It was liberating and before I knew it I was off and running into the world of abstractions and mixed-media.  Liberating is a word that always comes to mind when I look at your art. :)

'Expanse'

3-panel 12 x 16" = 16 x 36"

acrylic and mixed media on canvas by Bren Thebeau 

You post new work regularly to your blog, which I think is very impressive. It’s not easy to be consistent about your work. What inspires you to create your art and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?

Maybe it's because I've only been at this for a couple of years, but I don't worry about trying to be consistent, I just follow my inner rhythm. Mind you life and health issues can really mess with my rhythm! I struggle with rather debilitating fibromyalgia so to set a goal of painting daily would just lead to defeat. Instead I've learned to hold loosely to plans and make the most of the moments and times I have. While I'm working on a piece, the process is working on me. It's a mystery to me but at the darkest of times the process of creating somehow holds and releases the things I have no words for, or way of understanding. Working on my art connects me to myself and my world in all its layers and that keeps me motivated. Well said Bren. I just love that. :)

Like I said before, you create some absolutely, stunning, jaw-dropping abstract pieces. What is it that draws you to paint abstractly? What is your thought process before you create each piece?

All too often there is little conscious though that goes into a piece to begin with, but as I work I begin to realize that something has been bubbling away on a subconscious level and out it comes. I have learned so much about myself, gained insight and I hope some wisdom as the process exposes and helps me explore in ways that other wise would have taken longer to see or realize. Rather than having a visual of what I want a piece to look like, I will have a desire to work with certain mediums, play with some new idea or colour palette. Exploratory! However, when working with the Gorilla Glue, I do take some time to consider a basic design, only because once you get that glue down it doesn't come back up again! As for choosing to paint abstractly, I love the wide open feeling I have when creating abstracts, I can play and explore without a worry of ruining what came before. Layer upon layer of explorations. And I confess, abstract choose me, because I have little talent when it comes to painting realistically! I leave that in the talented hands of people like yourself. You have loads of talent my friend! I could never create what you do. But you are too kind Bren. Thank you. :) 

'Unbroken'

24 x 24" acrylic and mixed media on gallery wrap canvas

by Bren Thebeau

Life as an artist is pretty awesome. But it’s not all glitter and rainbows. What do you think is the best part of being an artist? And the worst part?

I'm not sure I've been at this long enough to qualify in answering these, give me a few years and maybe I'll have something worth saying! :)

What has been your biggest challenge as an artist so far?

Personally, it has been getting my art out there, taking the plunge and putting my art on display. That didn't and doesn't come easily. I'm not an outgoing person and frankly it's still a wonder to me that others have liked what I've created! It has been the biggest personal challenge and the most amazingly, positive one all at the same time!

What is one thing you want viewers of your paintings to walk away with?

Do you know, it is such a humbling experience to have someone view your work and to be moved by it. I hope they feel the power of the colours, sense the movement of the design and find some part of themselves being expressed there on the canvas.

'Joyous Struggle'

acrylic and mixed media on canvas by Bren Thebeau

Let’s talk about artistic influences. Who has been your biggest source of inspiration? Dead or alive.

I love the ladies of 'Experimental Abstract' like Maxine Masterfield, Pat Dews, Virginia Cobb, Jan Sitts, Suzy Andron & Mary Todd Beam. Their work inspires me endlessly.

What do you like to do when you’re not painting?

I love being with my family. Hanging out with my Grand-daughters, maybe playing in paint, enjoying my adult children, talking up a storm with my sisters and Mum. And any time spent with my husband of 35 years, is a great day in my books.   :)


What are some of your goals for the future?

I'm not a goal oriented person, although I've tried. I tend to work from a big picture perspective. I do keep my To Do List handy though, couldn't get along without it. There is a phrase that I have adapted, something I learned from working on one of my abstracts of a Joshua Tree. 'Bloom then branch.' According to the Wikipedia the Joshua tree usually doesn't branch until after it blooms. I knew right then, I was to just focus on letting my art fully bloom, and the branching would come naturally. I'm finding it to be so. If I can continue to grow as an artist, improving, expanding, exploring and remain mindful and open to opportunities to branch I figure I'm doing pretty well. 

And finally what tips or words of advice do you have for beginning artists?

Begin! Let the process take you, on an inner journey that leads to a profoundly, powerful experience in artistic expression. Trust your own creative voice, you have one, never doubt it. Nothing will derail you quicker than substituting 'other' voices for your own. Be you, you are an original! Those are some wonderful and wise words. And so true!

 

Acrylic and mixed media on canvas by Bren Thebeau

SPEED ROUND!

  Dawn or dusk?  Dusk by nature

  Sweet or salty? Mmm, salty.

  Winter or Summer? Cool is better :-)

  Zombies or Unicorns? Why yes this is an important question. Answer please :)  Unicorns if you please. :))))

  Dine in or eat out? Eat Out, cause then I don't have to cook! Huzzah! :)

  All-time favorite book? One! Just not possible.

  All-time favorite movie? Brave Heart, Dances With Wolves

  All-time favorite food? Lays Potato chips Yum!

  All-time favorite song? Again, only one! I'm afraid I like a random and varied music selection

Acrylic and mixed media on canvas by Bren Thebeau

Thank you so, SO much Bren! This has been such an inspiring interview, I now feel like rushing to my studio! And it's one I know I will be back to read over and over again. :) Once again you can visit Bren's blog esynergy to follow along with her on her art journey.  

And now to announce the winner. . . Last night I wrote all your names on little slips of paper and put them in a hat (because we're high tech like that around here) and had my son draw one of them out. And this is who it is. . .

Sandra Busby you are the winner of my print!! I'll be sending you an email shortly with the details. Thanks again to everybody for entering, I wish I could give each one of you something. *hugs to all* and Huzzah!! This is not going to be the only giveaway for this year, I have a few more tricks up my sleeve so be on the lookout for them!

See you Thursday everybody! :)

Diminutive, and the benefits of working in more than one medium

Diminutive

8" x 8" acrylic on canvas panel

click here to bid 

When I was little my parents got me a pony that I just loved. But she, on the other hand, was not too fond of me when we first met. She was very shy and wouldn't let me get too close to her. So I did what any rational ten year old girl would do: I stuffed my pockets full of apple slices and headed out to the pasture to make friends with her.

It took a few days of patiently following after her, and watching her prance away from me, but eventually she let me get closer and closer to her, and soon she was eating the apples out of my hand and following me around.

This painting is not of my childhood pony. The pony in 'Diminutive' belongs to my Facebook friend, Alpha Farm Horses, and when I saw the photo I based this painting on it reminded me so much of my own pony that I had to ask my friend if I could paint her. I can almost feel her warm breath in my palm and the sticky sweet apple slices in my pocket again. Good times. :)

This painting was actually my second attempt. The first painting was a smaller size and MUCH brighter in color. So much in fact that when I finished painting it I stepped back, tilted my head and said to myself:

"Dude. I just painted a My Little Pony."

Pony in Technicolor was not the look I was after. But, being annoyingly persistent, I painted it again, a larger size this time, and really liked the results.

This year I've kind of felt like several different artists crammed into one person. I paint in watercolor, then switch to colored pencil, then back to watercolor, then switch to acrylics, then back to watercolor. . . You get the picture.

Even though sometimes this has made me feel a little, um. . . crazy, it has been really great for me as an artist. Because it requires me to think differently with every medium. Color mixing with acrylics is so much more direct, I can mix brighter colors right off the bat (remember Pony in Technicolor?), and it satisfies that part of me that wants to paint looser and more impressionistic-like.

So, when I go back to painting with watercolors I bring everything that I've learned with acrylics and try to apply it in some way. Which results in more growth, and an appreciation for the familiarity I've gained with watercolors after years and years of work.

And, switching back and forth, always trying something new, is GREAT for keeping artist's block at bay. At least it has been for me, so far. I'll try not to jinx it. :)

How about you guys? Anyone else seen the benefits of working with more than one medium?

Until next week my friends! Huzzah!

 

Rising Dust, and. . . what's with all the huzzah's?

'Rising Dust' sold

8" x 8" acrylic on canvas panel

So, yeah. I say Huzzah. Kind of a lot. Which got me thinking that I should probably let you guys in on why I say it so much. But first, here are a couple of definitions I found.

Huzzah

huz·zah also huz·za (h-zä)

interj. n.

Used to express joy, encouragement, or triumph.

1. A shout of "huzzah."

2. A cheer.

Huzzah *
Origin: Pirate
Meaning: A term used by pirates meaning "Oh yeah," "Hooray," or "WORD DAWG."
Side Note: Pirates preferred to be called American buccaneers.

*This one is my personal favorite, because I can just picture ye olde American buccaneers shouting "WORD DAWG" while sloshing around their rum. Tee hee. :)

I say huzzah because it makes me happy, just by saying it. It makes me feel like a kid again and as this is the year I turned 30 I need all the help I can get in that area. This word makes me more aware of small victories in my life, when large victories seem hard to find sometimes.

So, when I set down my brush after finishing this painting the other day and saw that it pretty much looked like the painting I was envisioning I whispered a little "huzzah" to myself, even though no one else could hear me.

Until next week my good friends! Huzzah!

Up Next Week: I'm working on a step by step watercolor portrait post for next week, that will talk a little bit more about my process. If anyone has any questions or things they'd like me to talk about in more detail feel free to email them to me (crystal@crystalcookart.com) or leave them in the comments. :D

Sunshine

Sunshine

10" x 10" acrylic on canvas

I've been feeling a little. . . melancholy lately as I've been at home with my boys this summer. I love having them home and out of school. We play games, go to the park, go swimming, hang out and pop popcorn and watch movies in the middle of the day and it's just such a sweet time.

But, being the pessimist that I am I'm also watching them and thinking of last summer and how much they've grown and changed since then. I'm feeling sad that time is passing and they're growing up. It's already almost July, there's only two months left of summer vacation. Am I cherishing this time as much as I should? Am I taking enough pictures, writing down all the little things they do that is unique to this stage of their life that I never want to forget?

I hope I am. I guess one day when they are all grown up we'll find out. :)

I painted this of my youngest son, when he was about six months old, a few weeks ago and when I was finished I looked at it and remembered those first days and weeks after he was born that were so incredibly sweet, but also so incredibly challenging. 

It was much harder to balance the needs of three children instead of two. I was sooooo tired all the time. I remember some days looking at my sink full of dishes, and gigantic laundry pile and feeling so completely overwhelmed. There were lots of days when I'd just start crying for no reason at all. Hormones, the baby blues whatever you want to call it, I had it. 

But then I would hold this baby, and feel his little hand wrap around mine, his breath soft on my cheek, his face tucked in close to my neck and I'd feel better. Who cares about dishes and laundry when I have this perfect little baby to hold and love all day and all night? 

Just holding him made me feel better. He was my sunshine that broke the dark clouds and chased them away. He still is actually.

I try to remember this and all the other happiness each of my children has brought me when I hear a little outraged voice for the tenth time that day say, "He started it!!"

Still Life Interruptus #3, Just A Peek

Just A Peek

#3 in the Still Life Interruptus series

8" x 10" acrylic on masonite

Last week the Daily Paintworks challenge was to paint a gift. So of course, the first thing I thought of was a set up of my son and a big ol' wrapped present he could wreck mischief and mayhem with. This is how it went down, step by step:

1. I went to the store, bought some shiny pink wrapping paper, a ginormous curly-ribbon bow, and a small box of treats for my son's modeling fee. 

2. Came home, wrapped up a box (which happened to be one of his older games that he hasn't played with in a few months, and I wrapped the treats too, because it would just be mean to have him open up a big box of nothing right?) and set the shiny present in the perfect spot of sunshine.

I did all of this without my little model underfoot, thinking he would be more excited and interested if he didn't know what I was doing. . .

3. I bring my son upstairs and show him, very nonchalantly of course, the shiny little present on the floor and stand back, camera at the ready for what I'm sure is going to be the biggest bunch of cuteness I've seen in weeks.

4. He stands there, prods the present a little bit, then walks away and comes to ask me if he can go back downstairs to play with his brothers.

5. My jaw drops. I'm flabbergasted. For real. Wasn't expecting that lack of interest. Hmmm. . .Change of plans.

6. I bring out the much smaller box of wrapped treats I got for him and let him open it. A-ha!! Now he's interested. He heads for the other present and in about fifteen seconds has it completely unwrapped.

Pretty pink paper lies shredded all over the floor.

But somehow the curly-ribboned bow managed to survive.

And there's now a smudge of chocolate on my son's face as he brings me the newly-unwrapped-old game and asks me to play with him. 

So I do, of course. :)

He beats me, 2-1.    

A little later, when I'm holding my boy on my lap, I wonder if John Singer Sargent had this much trouble with his models? I kinda doubt it. But, I bet he didn't have as much fun either. :)

Synchronize

Synchronize 8" x 8" acrylic on canvas panel

I love that moment when you're riding a horse and there's this perfect communication between both of you. Like you understand each other perfectly.

The other day I had an A-ha! moment when I was painting this acrylic. I don't really know how it happened, but I was painting this and then something sort of clicked in my brain and I felt like I finally understood how I want to paint with these acrylics! Eureka!!

Don't you just love it when that happens?  :)

And last night my wonderful, amazing, super-hot husband got me a bunch of masonite boards and I can't wait to get started on them! It's good to be an artist, right? Even though sometimes it's hard, and frustrating, and maybe even down right depressing when we're blocked, or our work doesn't live up to our own expectations, it's still awesome to be an artist. It makes us happy. And it makes other people happy. And one can never be too happy.  :)

Also, I'm putting the finishing touches on a watercolor painting that I'm pretty excited about. It should be ready to post next week.

Until then everybody!

A Reason to Pout and three pictures of pure AWESOMENESS

"A Reason to Pout" acrylic on gessobord, 8" x 10"

The Work of Childhood series #2

Lately I've been feeling very drawn to acrylics. I don't know why. It's not because it comes easily, because it doesn't. It's not familiar and comforting like my watercolors, or soothingly meditative like my colored pencils. It's unpredictable and challenging. Maybe that's the appeal. I love a good challenge.

I really like this painting. I like the colors in his face and I like seeing the brushstrokes. And those pouty lips. :)

But. . . I kind of feel like a traitor for liking these acrylic paintings so much. I feel like I should not enjoy painting with them as much as I do, because they're not watercolors and that's sort of what people expect from me.

But they are fun, different, new. And sometimes that's just what I need. And it's not like I'm giving up on watercolors. Not at all. It's just nice to try something else for a change you know?

Now, onto pictures of AWESOMENESS.

The other day the Utah Watercolor Society hosted a demonstration given by one of my favorite artists ever.

Can you guess who it is? (If you follow my Facebook fan page you probably already know)

That's right! Alvaro Castagnet!! Can you even believe how awesome that was? Seriously, I felt like I was meeting a rock star. I may have stuttered when I asked if I could have a picture with him. I was a little bit fangirl. . . ok, ok I was a lot bit fangirl.

It was incredible to watch him paint, he's so confident and passionate that it was infectious. It made me want to run for my brushes. And hearing him speak about painting with passion, and being bold, holding nothing back, going for major impact was so cool. 

He was funny, and warm, and just plain AWESOME. 

I wish you could have been there. :)

And then last week I got to meet one of my favorite authors of all time!

Photo by Jenny Martinez Photography

Sarah Dessen! I have loved her books for years, read all of them, own most of them, and she is a major source of inspiration for my writing. I just love her. Her book "The Truth About Forever" is coming with me if ever I get stranded on a desert island. It's one of my top five favorite books of all time. (Which is saying a lot considering my list of favorite books is about five miles long)

And she was so nice and humble and just truly genuine. I think she and I could be friends if we were neighbors. :)

And yes, once again I was a fan girl of epic proportions. I just couldn't help it. I mean this is the Dessen we're talking about! She is incredibly AWESOME!

It was so cool. :D

It's inspiring to be around creative people who want to share and help other creative people. It's just one of my favorite things in the whole world.

See you next week everybody!

P.S.

Dear Alvaro,

I hope you will forgive me for posting this photo of you with your eyes closed, but I simply had to. For the sake of AWESOMENESS. I hope you understand. :)

Sincerely,

your most devoted fan girl,

Crystal Cook

KW4DZDF82V2W

One Year Old. . . And Fear, my Arch Nemesis

"One Year Old'

10" x 10" acrylic on canvas

Here's my sweet middle child again when he was just a year old. I've been diving through older photos lately, searching for fresh material to paint and came across this one. I just can't get over those full cheeks and that awe struck expression. It brought back so many memories of when he was this age and how it felt to hold him warm and cuddly on my lap, his head resting against my shoulder and chubby arms wrapped around my neck. One of the best times of my life. :)

And this portrait was so much fun. Switching from my preferred medium to something else is one sure fire way to beat artist's block for me. Painting with acrylics is a totally different experience than painting with watercolors. It feels more therapeutic to me right now, the buttery feeling of the paint on the canvas is just awesome.

Fear.

Oh, how I loathe thee.

You sneak up on me when I least expect it.

A spider cutting across the floor right after I've mopped it. You're cruel too, see?

Using all that sneakiness and cruelty, made me a little bit blind to your tricks. I'm not ashamed to admit that it took me longer this time to see you for what you really are.

You were the reason I had a nasty case of artist's block.

You were the whisper in my ear every time I sat down to paint. Telling me that I couldn't do it. That I would only fail, again.

"Why even bother?" you said. "It won't be what you expect it to be. You can't do it. You will fail."

I believed you.

Until one day, I had this thought. Who cares?

So what if I fail. Isn't that part of the game anyway? Failure is to be expected, planned for, maybe even praised. Failure has come to be my greatest teacher. Not the cool, fun teacher who lets you watch movies and turn in your homework late, but the teacher who actually helps you LEARN something.

 Failure is nothing to be afraid of Nemesis. Failure is my friend. :)

But Fear? Well, you're just an annoyance. A stumbling block. I'm done with you.

Take that!

Come back later with your super villain costume on and I just might take you seriously.

But, propably not. :)

Huzzah!!!!!!!!!

So, my good friends, tell me, how do you beat the Fear of failure?

P.S. A quick apology to all those who've sent me emails that I haven't responded to yet. It's not because I don't love and appreciate them, and it's not that I don't plan on answering them, I do. I've just fallen behind on that and I have to ask you to forgive me and be patient with me. I'm getting there, I haven't forgotten you, I promise. And if it's been a while since I've visited your blog I'm sorry about that too, I'm working on it, promise! :) Are we still friends? Pretty please? ;););) (that's me batting my eyes at you)

Long Lashes and Soft Cheeks, and one year blogoversary

Long Lashes and Soft Cheeks

6" x 8" acrylic on canvas

This is my second acrylic portrait (if you're not counting the two or three disasters that I scraped off on my first try, which I am not) and it went much better than the first. I felt like I had a better understanding of how acrylics worked and also I was able to mix colors that are close to what I use with my watercolor portraits, which for some reason seemed impossible with my first one (which explains the monochromaticness of Emerge).  My favorite part are his lips, they were so fun.

And. . . . tomorrow is my one year blogoversary!

Huzzah!

I never imagined all of the benefits that would come into my life from starting this blog. I've found motivation to paint more often, I think I've really figured out a lot of things about why I paint and how I like to paint and what it means to me in my life right now. And probably most importantly, I've made friends and found support from so many amazing people that I never would have even known existed without starting this blog.

It's been a crazy fun ride, that's for sure.

Thank you so, so much to all of you for following along with me. I hope you feel welcome and appreciated here, because my good friends, you truly are. :)

I thought I'd leave you with my first ever blog post, just for kicks. (And talk about a wierd coincidence that this piece is SO similar to the piece I've posted today.)

January 14, 2010

Beautiful to Me

20" x 24" pastel on toned paper

Hello, I'm Crystal Cook welcome to my blog! I'm a full time mother of three and part time artist, whenever I can fit it in. I specialize in portraits of children in watercolor, but also use pastel, charcoal and colored pencil. I just finished this pastel in black and white and was pretty pleased with how it turned out. I was very drawn to the child's concentrated expression along with those full cheeks and lashes. But the thing that inspired me the most was the strong back light that framed that sweet face and caught the soft hair that only babies have. This was a fun piece to do, usually I work in watercolor which requires me to plan more in advance and usually takes me a while to finish. But this time I just sketched it out fairly quickly and tried to be as expressive as I could with my marks while still capturing a likeness. I think I need to break out the pastels more often it helped me get out of a rut I was in and inspired more creativity in me. Who knew a few little sticks of powdered pigment could bring such a change in my perspective?

Note to self: I've learned so many things since January 14, 2010. Including that it pays to break up your text a little bit. Paragraphs are your friends. Oh, oh and maybe think about titling your blog posts Crystal. Just an idea.

Have a great day everyone!

Adventures with Claybord

Emerge

24" x 24" acrylic on claybord

So, here is my LARGE work. Let me just tell you that it did not turn out at all like I thought it would. Here's a run down of my last week and my battle with this denizen of Hades known as claybord.

Monday, December 27 : I stare at the claybord and the drawing I've just made and fight the urge to run and flee when I run my hand over the completely smooth surface. We're talking smooth as glass. Insanely smooth. How in the world am I supposed to paint with watercolors on that???

I lay the first wash down and watch it get completely absorbed into the clay surface.

There's no time to pull it into place, or diffuse it for a soft edge. It. Just. Sinks. And stays like that. Forever. Wonky brushwork and all.

Huh. That's not what I expected.

Tuesday, December 28 : I keep hoping that with more layers of color I'll figure out the trick to master this bleeping claybord. But so far, no success. 

It's hideous. And I don't throw that word around lightly. 

I seriously begin to contemplate washing it all off and starting over. But I'm working under a deadline and I'm worried of running out of time. So I suck it up and go back in for round two.

Wednesday, December 29 : By now I'm starting to panic. This isn't working, I can't do this. I am a no-talent-lame-o and this is the worst piece of art ever created. Ever.

I go spray it off and think of what I can possibly do to make this work.

Thursday, December 30 : I give up on watercolors with this board. It just isn't happening. I go to the art supply store and check out the prices for acrylic paints and come home with a bag full of new paints and brushes.

I'm so excited with this clever answer I've come up with, and my bag full of artsy treats, that I have to resist the urge to skip my way out the store and to the car.

Though I confess I may have swagered a little bit. Just a little.

Friday, December 31 : Two attempts at an acrylic portrait later and I'm about ready to throw my shiny new art supplies out the window. They dry SO fast and I'm SO not used to this, and I'm starting to think that I may have developed an ulcer in the last five days.

That's not possible is it?

I go eat some antacids and try not to cry.

Saturday, January 1 : Who knew that you needed so much white paint when you use a medium other than watercolor? I mean what happened to all that pretty white paper I'd gotten so used to saving and protecting? I miss that pretty white paper.

I go to the art supply store and buy more white paint. This time I feel no urge to skip, I don't even swager. Not even a little bit.

Sunday, January 2 : Typically I don't paint on Sundays, but I make an exception today.

This is it, the last day.

This has to work.

I pray. Hard.

I wake up all of a sudden at 5:00 AM with a very clear idea of what I should do to make this work.

I run downstairs and spend the day working on my brilliant plan.

Eureka!

It works. :) All is well.

I take a break, but only for a little while.

Because you see, I'm DYING to get started on a watercolor portrait. I need to feel at home again. I've missed you, my little aquatic friends.

This is my piece for the International Women Celebrate exhibition. The deadline is today, and I finished with hardly a minute to spare.

Now I think I'll go take a nap. Or play the Wii with my boys. Or eat some chocolate. Or possibly all three.