And some work that is still in progress…

I’m curious if it’s interesting to anyone to see work that is in progress.  Should I continue to show unfinished work here or wait until I’m finished with it.  Please let me know in the comment section.  Thanks.

So the following are some of the things I’ve been working on in the studio lately.

I’m very surprised by it, but I seem to have entered into a soft / gestural phase….

This painting I’ve been working on for weeks.  I keep telling myself I have to make some more marks on it so it can go somewhere, but after I paint anything, or glue anything down.  I decide I hate it and paint over what I just did.  Am I really doing a White Painting?!  I think I just have to put it in the storage room for awhile and and start something new.

And the return of color!

“Guston pisses on me”

mixed media collage on canvas

54″ x 80″  2008

“Super”

mixed media collage on paper

45″ x 44 1/4″   2008

“peacock dressing”

mixed media collage on paper

49″ x 46 1/2″  2008

“Cascade”

oil and collage on canvas

54″ x 44″  2008

“Tempest”

oil on canvas

20″ x 20″  2008

“seed”

mixed media collage on paper

22 1/2″ x 30 1/2″  2008

“blue stripe”

mixed media collage on paper

22 1/2″ x 30″  2008

“bounce”

mixed media on paper

22 1/2″ x 30 1/2″  2008

“stretch”

mixed media on paper

22 3/4″ x 30 1/8″  2008

“Wood- Grain”

mixed media on paper

30 1/4″ x 22 1/2″  2008

The following pieces are going back onto the easel.

I started this piece while at the Vermont Studio Center.  I thought it was finished, it has a nice quietness about it which is unusual for me.  Now that I see it photographed, I think it needs some more layers to bring it alive.

I really liked this one when it was on the easel, but now that it is photographed all I can see is a skull looking at me in the center.  Uh, how horrible…it has got to go.  This will be the first one up for returning to the easel.  I’m embarrassed to even show it…

This one has some good things going on in it, but it just isn’t gelling for me.  Sometimes I leave work that I don’t really love with the belief that they all can’t be winners, but I’m going to retry this one.

]]> http://sharischemmel.com/2008/12/05/fall-work/feed/ 0 sharischemmel guston-pisses-on-me1 super peacock-dressing cascade1 tempest seed blue-stripe bounce stretch wood-grain pieced-pink-and-black stupid-skull purple-one1 http://sharischemmel.com/2008/12/02/studio-update/ http://sharischemmel.com/2008/12/02/studio-update/#comments Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:26:12 +0000 sharischemmel http://sharischemmel.wordpress.com/?p=208 ]]> For the past several days I have been wanting to do some photography of the work completed this fall, but the weather is just not cooperating. So here are updates of the the pieces I have been working on, with my bad studio photography ( they will look so much better once I can go outside to shoot).

No title on this as yet.  It is another one of my pieced paper works.  I’m also loving the ugly brown and yellow color combination.

My other new piece isn’t so new.  I guess it’s really the second life of work I did this summer.

First I apologize for the photo.  It is quite large and I couldn’t get the whole painting in without also getting a bit of my painting table on the left, and uneven light from the window as well. So at the moment I’m working these two canvases in a similar fashion to my pieced paper works, the uneven sizes and obvious “seam”.  These are two paintings completed this summer that I never really fell in love with, was a bit disappointed in, so I gessoed over them and am starting fresh.  Below are the original paintings.

The past two weeks I have been in a funk and unable to make decisions in my work.  I can’t decide if a work is done or if I need to push myself further and build up more layers to take a piece in a new direction.

My usual tricks for getting out of this mindset and out of my head when I’m painting aren’t working at the moment.  Usually I can distact my brain by listening to audiobooks, podcasts or really loud music.  I know everyone is in a funk at the moment with the economic situation and the presidential race (and wondering if I’m going to be homeless)…Sigh.

Anyway the work has been slow going.

These both are updates on the works in process from the previous post.

This is ink, acrylic, collage on paper, 30″ x 41.5″

The good news is I’ve discovered the amazing beauty of shellac based inks on vellum.  Juicy.

These are both on 22″ x 30″  ink, watercolor and acrylic on watercolor paper.  I was enjoying the looseness of the marks, and the lightness of the composition.  Having fun making marks.

in process

This is a small piece, 20″ x 20″ on canvas.  I felt inspired to break out my oil paint again.  I’ve mostly been working with ink, watercolor, and acrylic for several months now.  I loved walking into the studio this morning and still having the smell of the oil paint in there.

in process

This painting I’ve had kicking around the studio for several months.  It’s large, 54″ x 44″ ink, watercolor, acrylic on canvas, and then this weekend I started working with oils on it.  I’ve liked the looseness of the brush strokes on the lower layers, but have been unable to see what direction to take the painting in.  So once in a while I put it on the easel, add some more loose layers and hope to find a direction.  Take it down and set it aside.  With some paintings it just takes awhile before I can get the strength to go in, kill the areas I like, that I’ve been trying to save, and try to find a new direction.  I finally did that this weekend.  It’s definitely in the beginning stages, but it’s no longer a precious thing.  I’m able to work now, and have some ideas of things to do with it.  These are a couple previous stages.

This is two sheets of paper glued together.  The sheet on the right is vellum, that’s why there is that transparency.  So far I have layers of ink and watercolor, with some gold and silver foil across the top.  I love starting a new piece.  I approach it in a playful manner, just making marks, lines, and areas of color.

This one has an old pecil drawing underneath.  I like the freedom in this piece.  I’m undecided at this point, but I might consider this one finished.

This one is an experiment that went awry.  It was blue and green washes with the brown lines.  I decided it didn’t have enough interest and did this to it yesterday.  I’m not sure where to go with it at this point.  I will have to see what comes next.

diagonal rhythm

mixed media collage on canvas

54″ x 44″  2008

diagonal rhythm (detail)

space-grid-landscape

mixed media collage on paper

2008

negative space

mixed media collage on canvas

46″ x 36″  2008

many tiny altars

mixed media collage on canvas

46″ x 36″  2008

patchwork with blue

mixed media collage on paper

41.5″ x 30″  2008

more images

soft

oil and collage on canvas

20″ x 20″  2008

language

oil and collage on canvas

24″ x 24″  2008

grid 2

mixed media collage on paper

30″ x 22.5″  2008

a magical story

mixed media collage on paper

30″ x 22.5″  2008

overload

mixed media collage on paper

30″ x 22.5″  2008

spit it out

mixed media collage on paper

30″ x 22.5″  2008

brushstrokes

ink and gouache on paper

30″ x 22.5″  2008

OK so that brings us up to date with my work…my intention with this blog is to now show my working process.  I’ll post work as it progresses, and include a few thoughts as I go. Cheers!