A Year of Transformation

 

2024 was a year of transformation, in my art life and in my personal life. On the personal front, in November we sold our 1926 vintage home in Central Salem and moved into a 1960 home in suburbia. We miss the vibrancy of inner city living and the close proximity to downtown and the waterfront, but we don’t miss the constant noise of traffic or the sound of shopping carts being rolled down the middle of the street in the wee hours of the morning. On our first night in our new house, Howard said, “I can’t sleep, it’s too quiet.” We have adjusted and we’re just a ten-minute drive to downtown.

One of the first things we did once we got settled into our new house, was to build a painting studio. We went with a Tuff Shed (click HERE to see lots of photos and to read the story of the build), and it has worked out perfectly. My studio is just 16 steps from our house, close enough to slip out wearing pajamas, but removed enough to have solitude. My beautiful new studio was completed the end of January, just two months after moving into our new house.

As for teaching, I had decided in 2023 that I didn’t want to teach very much in 2024, just at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology in the summer, something I have done for many years. But things didn’t work out as planned. I ended up teaching the most I had ever taught; twice at Sitka and three times at the Art Department. I also did something I didn’t imagine doing,: I began teaching online thanks to an invitation by Martha, the owner of  Winslow Art Center.

Here’s a summary of my 2024 teaching:

I developed a new class, which I titled Building Creative Muscles. I taught it at the Art Department in May and again in November, and it got added to the Sitka teaching schedule in July.

Another new class I developed this year was Lexicon of Collage. This class came out of my one collage a day in 2023, which I called my Lexicon of Collage project. I launched this new class at the Art Department in Salem in April (stay tuned for news about where I will be teaching this class in 2025).

I taught my annual five-day oil and cold wax class at Sitka in August, Wild and Free Abstracted Florals, and it was fun to teach a different subject. The class was filled with vibrant, fearless, creative artists, having fun making abstracted florals using the versatile medium of oil paint mixed with cold wax. Their paintings were stunning.

The biggest addition to my teaching schedule came with the addition of doing online classes through the excellent Winslow Art Center. Throughout the year I did some small online classes: an Art Chat (about my art journey) and a Technique Takeaway (oil and cold wax) in May, and another Technique Takeaway (making a collage using book parts) in October; and a couple of free to students short classes, one in October and another this month.

In July, I did my first official online class, Wild and Free Abstracted Landscapes in Oil and Cold Wax, and it was a great success. Winslow takes care of registration and has an excellent platform for watching the classes through Zoom, as well as a private classroom for interactions with and between students. I did a second class, Curious Untamed Blooms in Oil and Cold Wax in October. My biggest fear about teaching online has always been the technology, but Martha and her team are intimately involved with all aspects of the technology part, holding my hand and helping me solve any problems that popped  up.

Outside of teaching, I was invited to serve as a juror for the biennial Word and Image show through the Hoffman Center for the Arts. It was an honor to serve as a juror, but it meant I wasn’t able to participate in the show, a favorite of mine, but I will be submitting my proposal when it is held again in two years.

One of the highlights of my year was having a show at RiverSea Gallery in July, Curious Untamed Blooms. I spent six months painting abstracted florals, pushing the design, color, and composition in fresh ways. By the time the show was ready to hang, I had painted 34 pieces: four were 20 x 20, with five 12 x 12s, several 8 x 8s, and the rest 6-1/2 x 12 inches. It was a beautiful affirmation of my work when 12 pieces were purchased from the floor – meaning, the pieces were leaned up against the wall in preparation for the hanging. What a way to open a show. In the end, I sold 28 of the 34 pieces. My heart is still fluttering.

On a more personal note, I took a couple of classes at Sitka. One in June with Ken Marunowski, Painting the Abstract Impressionist Landscape and Abstract Sketching and the Creative Process in September with Lauren Ohlgren. Both were excellent classes and enrichened my own painting and drawing life.

“With Gracious Strength,” Curious Untamed Bloom by Dayna Collins

My personal transformation began in July after my show opened at RiverSea Gallery. In looking at photos of myself, it hit me how much weight I had gained since 2023 and especially through all the stress of packing for our move, having a gigantic garage sale to downsize so many years of collections, and then the move itself. So when I looked at my photos after my opening, I had a light bulb moment that I wanted to make some changes; they weren’t big changes, but I reevaluated what I was eating and trimmed down some of the types of food I was eating (POPCORN being a huge delight and culprit), and I upped my daily steps (I was already averaging 12,000 a day, but I increased it to 14,000 a day). But the biggest change I made was joining a Club Pilates that was four blocks from our new house. It was the biggest game changer. I had heard of Pilates since forever, but had never done it and didn’t even know what it really was. I learned that Club Pilates offers Reformer Pilates, which I absolutely had never heard of. Reformer Pilates involves equipment, (and some say the reformer bed is a torture bed). I took a beginner class, and I was hooked. I love the Flow classes, which are whole body workouts, focusing on core work and stretching, weights are involved, as are a lot of springs. If you don’t know what Reformer Pilates is, just Google it to get an idea.

So here I am five months later, down 33 pounds, and feeling the best I have ever felt. My word for 2024 was TRANSFORMATION and it was a year of transformation. In my art because of my teaching schedule and my shift to abstracted florals, and in my personal life because I looked at myself and knew I wanted a transformation.

My word for 2025?

Radiance. 

Word and Image: Writers and Artists in Dialogue

The Word and Image show is one of my favorite projects and it took place last month at the Hoffman Center for the Arts in Manzanita (on the Oregon coast). This event occurs biennially, and I was fortunate to have participated in 2020, so I was eager to apply for 2022. The process for the show goes like this:

Artists and writers are invited to submit samples of their work; artists submit three art images and writers submit three poems/short stories. The jury then chooses 12 artists and 12 writers. A pairing event is held where an artist’s name is pulled from a hat, then a writer’s name is pulled from a hat, and voila! those two are partners. The artist choses one of the three writing entries and creates a new piece of art in response to the words, likewise, the writer choses a piece of art from those submitted and writes a poem or short story in response. This new work is submitted electronically so beautiful broadsides can be printed and a book prepared and published.

MY PAINTING PROCESS

I chose to use an 18×28 inch cradled birch panel. I prepared it with acrylic paint, a layer of plaster, more acrylic paint to seal the plaster, and a couple layers of oil and cold wax. This was all the preparation to begin painting in response to the writer I was paired with, Simeon Dreyfuss. I chose Simeon’s poem, Walk Roots the Day as the piece I was using for my responsive painting. When the initial layers of my prepped board were completely dry, I wrote Simeon’s poem across the surface of my board.

I wrote Simeon’s poem on the surface of my board to incorporate his words with my paint.

I began adding layers of paint, looking for the poem to emerge.

An early layer.
Another early layer.
I used my painting for a demo when I was teaching at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology this summer. The demo was how to scrape off paint!

After layers of paint, and scraping off a layer, I worked on this piece when I wasn’t teaching at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology – either early in the morning, or in the evening after my students had left for the day. It seemed appropriate to be painting this piece while I was at Cascade Head on the Oregon coast.

I played around with this design and color idea by painting a small piece on paper and a 12×12 inch piece on a cradled panel.
Close up.
Close up.
Close up.
Close up.
The finished piece.

THE SHOW

Art was delivered to the gallery, art and broadsides were hung, an online reception was held, and a beautiful book was published.

The beautiful book that captures the work.
Two-page spread in the Word and Image book.
Opening reception via Zoom.
Opening reception via Zoom.
Opening reception: Simeon’s words in response to my painting, “Everything Feels Different.”

THE VISIT

The show!

A HAPPY POSTSCRIPT

As I was working on this blog post, I took a break to welcome Paula Booth into my home. Paula is a professor of art at Western Oregon University and also curates the art at two northwest hotels, The Dundee and The Independence. I am fortunate to have art at both hotels and we had made arrangements for Paula to come to my house to view my available work to change out some of my pieces at The Independence. I had just picked up Storm Mounting from the Hoffman Center for the Arts, and so it was one of my available pieces. Paula was excited to include this painting in the group of paintings she selected.

 

An Oil and Cold Wax Technique Pictorial

A gallon can of Gamblin’s Cold Wax Medium.

I am frequently asked about how to work with oil paint mixed with cold wax medium, especially on Instagram (you can find my Instagram at DaynaLovesArt). When I post videos of my process, I get a lot of interest and questions. Since I recently taught two four-day workshops in oil and cold wax at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, I thought I would post a series of photos of the process. Thank you to several of my students for taking photos and generously sharing them with me.

Mixing Gamblin’s Cold Wax Medium with their Galkyd (which helps speed the drying time).
Pulling out a bag of Fedrix powdered marble dust.
Mixing marble dust into Gamblin’s Cold Wax Medium and Galkyd. The marble dust acts as another agent to speed the drying time. It can also be used to thicken the consistency of the cold wax.
Ready to mix paint!
Mixing oil paint with the cold wax mixture. I mix 50/50: 50% oil paint with 50% cold wax medium (with the Galkyd & marble dust already added).
An early demo of applying oil and cold wax mixture to the painted cradled panel. I am using a flexible metal putty knife from the hardware store.
Using a brayer and wax paper, I am “lifting” paint and creating irregular texture on the surface of the board.
Applying a nice layer of paint to the painted surface (with words added before the paint). I then lay down a piece of wax paper to lift some of the paint to create interesting texture.
Showing the demo board with some of the techniques: applying paint, applying paint with a stencil, removing paint with a stencil, making marks.
Using wax paper to “lift” paint (and then that lifted paint will be applied to a different work in progress to move the orange paint around).
Using a brayer to apply a thin veil of white oil and cold wax (in the upper right corner) over dry oil and cold wax paint.
Applying a thin layer of cold wax in preparation for adding flecks of Pan Pastel.
Applying flecks of Pan Pastels using a small palette knife to scrape a tiny bit of the pastel onto the surface; a thin layer of cold wax applied so the flecks of pastel will adhere.
Tiny little flecks of red pastel add fun interest. Once the flecks have been added, I use a piece of wax paper over the surface and then brayer over the wax paper to embed the pastel.
Applying a layer of thinned out oil and cold wax (thinned with Gamblin’s Gamsol, oderless mineral spirits).
Spreading out the oil and cold wax with added Gamsol to thin out the paint mixture.
Spraying Gamblin’s Gamsol to thin out the swath of oil and cold wax to create drips.
The drips.
Scraping off a layer of oil and cold wax using Citra Solv and a metal putty knife.*
Wiping paint from putty knife onto paper.
Any questions?!?

A beautiful comment from Angela, who has taken my class several times:

It was amazing to see you obliterate a piece, reveal fabulous lower layers and ultimately create your incredible composition. Seeing you do this in class was huge? The lesson in itself was the best possible, teaching us more by showing, creating and telling us your thoughts throughout.           Angela

*This demo piece went on to become this painting:

“Storm Mounting,” the piece I created for an upcoming show, which I will be writing about soon.

 

If you are interested in more information about what I’m doing, books I recommend, techniques, shows, workshops, etc., please subscribe to my monthly newsletter by clicking HERE. In my September newsletter I will be sharing about my recent Personal Art Retreat, all the work that goes into creating art behind the scenes and sharing about the book Creative Authenticity.

 

Teaching at Sitka: Part 2

After my first oil and cold wax class at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology concluded on July 3, the staff at Sitka lugged all of my stuff from Smith Studio up to the larger Boyden Studio. I spent the evening getting set up for my second class. I love preparing the studio for teaching.

Evening of July 3: all set up for class to begin on July 5.

I spent July 4th enjoying the quiet of the Sitka campus. The office was closed, and no one was around, so I wandered, rested, and puttered in the studio. On July 5th, I was ready for the artists to arrive.

Distance view. I have three big tables to work on.
My working and demo space.

Like my last post, Teaching at Sitka – Part I, I feel that photos tell the story better than any words that I cobble together. I’ve made comments on each of the photos, so it tells a bit more about the week than just sharing the photos. But I will say, this group was hardworking, productive, energetic, talented, and supportive of each other. All the ingredients for a fantastic workshop.

Side view of my space.
So many techniques to share.
Demo using solvent to scrape off paint.
Getting paint on the boards.
Everyone deep into the process.
Tissue for blotting.
Mixing up paint.
Words matter.
A table of work in progress.
Work in progress.
From above.
Love the swaths of color, interrupted by marks.
An active scene.
A glorious pile of paint.
Work in progress.
Spreading swaths of thick, juicy paint.
Work in progress. Done? Perhaps.
Pink! Work in progress.
More pink! Yes, please.
Early layers.
Work in progress.
Hard-working class.
A lovely, abstracted landscape.
Scraping a grid composition.
Using wonky chunks of driftwood to make wonky marks.
Lunch in the courtyard.
Painting. Layering. Scraping. Contemplating.
More dots and such a great example of complementary colors.
We all thought this piece would make a fantastic album cover!
Framing discussion.
Margaret and her beautiful series using a limited palette.
I’m crazy for stripes and swaths of color – Carol nailed it.
I wanted to call this a “Carnival of Color,” but that’s just me.
More bands of color and marks.
An active workspace.
So many ways to apply paint and make marks.
Sharing work.
A thematic series of work.
Such crazy and unique marks.
Work in progress.
I love the collegial nature of a class.
Applying paint to a very textural and three-dimensional piece.
A vibrant series of work.
I’m always crazy for dots.
An excellent example of a strata composition. And then there’s the color . . .
A successful and colorful grid.
Work in progress. Done? Hope so.
An energetic work in progress.
A beautiful series of lines, marks, and colors.
Such sexy curves.
A lovely and simple abstracted landscape.
A thematic series of work.
Pulling tape and revealing nine little paintings.
I love the solitude at the end of the day.
The peace at the end of the day.
All but one in this class photo!

I have received such wonderful feedback from the artists in my class and I want to share two of the comments. Reading these inspiring and positive words make my heart swell and it is why I love teaching.

The first one from Carol:

I was so grateful to have had the opportunity to be a student in this class. It was amazing to meet Dayna in person, and to be present in her instruction. She provided a manual, many supplies, demos, readings, and many examples of her work in various stages. She was very engaged and provided such positive suggestions and constant energy. It was truly a great pleasure in an incredible setting. . . . I am still processing all that I learned and felt, and continue to feel so grateful. Thank you, Dayna.            Terri

Teaching at Sitka: Part 1

I had the privilege of teaching two classes at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. The first, June 30-July 3, was in the smaller of the two studios at Sitka, Smith, and with ten students, it was the perfect space.

I taught two classes at Sitka, the first class was in the smaller, lower studio and the second class was in the spectacular upper studio, Boyden.

Because I was teaching two classes and they were back-to-back (I had the 4th of July off between the two classes), I got to stay at Morley House, which was a first for me. I loved this space!

This is where I got to stay for ten days: Morley House.

Now to the good stuff. The class. I could babble on about it, but instead I’m going to share photos – a fraction of the photos I took, but it gives a good look into our four days of art making. The group was talented, energetic, spirited, and hard workers — and they wanted to know if they could sign up for my 2023 class on the final day!

Brand new overalls! Soft fabric . . . and WHITE. I’m ready.
How I set up the oil paints I bring for the class to use.
A demo board.
Picking up supplies.
Pink+handmade holey paper = beauty.
Making room for a beautiful ring.
Just a beautiful blob of paint.
An old wallpaper roller I bought at a flea market in Europe years ago was a huge hit.
All the colors!
Working, working, working.
Blotting with tissue paper, lifting paint, and moving paint around.
Spreading and scraping paint.
Mixing oil paint with cold wax medium.
Such a strong use of color!
Another lover of color!
Carol experimenting with using a solvent to create drips.
A lovely example of a grid composition.
Regina and Liz confer.
Beautiful swaths of color.
Jill contemplates her next move.
My favorite stencil: circles.
Colorful, powerful, and fascinating example of a grid composition.

R&F Pigment Sticks – making a monoprint.
Selecting pigment sticks to try out.
A beautiful, finished painting. Carol started this one in a class with me a few years ago, brought it with her, and brought it to a beautiful finish.
Work in progress.
Encouraging and supporting each other.
Experimenting with drips!
I love the variety of color and marks in this series.
This is a monoprint of the original oil and cold wax painting (Marc let me have the monoprint and it is hanging in my studio).
Looking in . . . .
A beautiful series of magical marks.
Paintings drying in the courtyard,
Mini abstracts.
Ripping off tape to reveal small beauties.
Final day show and tell.

And then I rested.

On My Journey Home

“On My Journey Home,” 30×40 inches, mixed media (acrylic, collage, oil, and cold wax).

We laugh and we laugh and there is nothing else like it in the world.

A beautiful opportunity presented itself last June and after giving it some deep thought, I accepted a commission to create a painting in honor of a loved one who had passed.  My collector (and friend) knew she wanted the piece to include collage and paint, but was open to how I would incorporate the two. We met at my house a couple of times to look through photos, passports, music, and ephemera, which all represented an interesting and rich life. I got a better idea of what she was thinking and proposed that I include words throughout the process, along with an initial layer of collage. It was agreed that the words and collage would imbue the piece with the spirit of this person, but the next layers would be an abstract landscape to reflect the color and vibrancy of a life lost too soon.

After I had a chance to go through the stacks of materials, we met again to make a few more decisions, giving me clarity of which original documents I would use to energize the painting. I decided I would create two paintings alongside each other so my collector would have a choice between which piece resonated with her the most. I chose to work on cradled panels:  24×36 inches and 30×40 inches.

Over several months, the two boards were painted, writing added, a second layer of paint, bigger and bolder words added, and then a complete layer of collage, with just snippets of the underlying words peeking through.

The process of alternating layers of acrylic paint with words continued, and eventually I began to focus on the composition, moving toward an abstracted landscape. I was pleased, but not satisfied, so in a fit of knowing I wasn’t finished, I took both boards to the back yard and using an electric sander, sanded the surface of both paintings, revealing the various layers as I sanded. Snippets of words, paint, and even some of the earlier layers of collage were revealed.

All sanded and ready for oil and cold wax to be applied.
Sanding in process. Gulp.
Collage, acrylic paint, and words sanded back to reveal earlier layers.
Collage, acrylic paint, and writing, sanded back to reveal earlier layers.
Layers, layers, layers. Sanded back reveal some of those layers.

It was around this time I decided I would switch mediums and move to applying layers of oil paint mixed with cold wax. The vibrancy of oil and cold wax and the rich luminosity of the materials seemed like the right choice. I took the smaller of the two boards with me to Sitka Center for Art and Ecology in early September, where I was teaching a four-day workshop in oil and cold wax. I taught during the day, and then when the students went home for the night, I went into the studio and worked on the 24×36 inch piece, building layers of oil and cold wax.

“Trying So Hard to Listen,” after converting to oil and cold wax while at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology.
Working on “Trying So Hard to Listen” while at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology on the Oregon Coast.
“Trying So Hard to Listen,” after converting to oil and cold wax.

When I got home, I continued to work on “Trying So Hard to Listen,” with more layers of oil and cold wax.

“Trying So Hard to Listen” in process after converting to oil and cold wax.

I completed the 24×36 inch piece on October 4, 2021, and titled it “Trying So Hard to Listen.”

“Trying So Hard to Listen,” 24×36 inches, mixed media (acrylic, collage, oil, and cold wax).

I had also started to add layers of oil and cold wax to the larger piece, “On My Journey Home.”

Early layers of oil and cold wax, “On My Journey Home.”
“On My Journey Home,” in progress.
Adding texture to “On My Journey Home.”
Work in progress.
Refining “On My Journey Home.”

The larger piece, 30×40 inches, was completed on my birthday, October 14, and I titled it “On My Journey Home.”

“On My Journey Home,” 30×40 inches, mixed media (acrylic, collage, oil, and cold wax).

My wonderful friend and collector decided she wanted both of the paintings and in mid December, the paintings were delivered and hung. It was such an honor to see them hanging, knowing that they each had multiple layers of images, words, and paint and reflected emotional energy, love, and memories of a life well lived.

“On My Journey Home,” in its place of honor above the fireplace.
“Trying So Hard to Listen,” in its bright, beautiful space.

A journey of discovering that I love people, I love myself, I love my secrets.

Little Paintings

It’s that time of year when galleries like to offer smaller pieces of art at a price point that people can purchase original art as gifts — I have always loved this idea, whether for gifts, or for personal collections. I am excited to be sending small pieces of art to my three galleries: Guardino Gallery (in Portland), Salem on the Edge (in Salem), and RiverSea Gallery (in Astoria). I thought that rather than just sharing photos of the art that I have created for these three galleries, I would first share a bit of the background in creating these pieces.

When I teach my Oil and Cold Wax Abstracted Landscapes class at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, we do warm ups throughout the week using Arches Oil Paper, which we tape (using painter’s tape) onto large sheets of butcher paper or newsprint. I give verbal prompts for things to do on these small squares of oil paper and while giving these prompts, I also follow along and do the prompts on my own squares of paper. By the end of the class, we all have several completed paintings as well as several fun starts for finishing in the future. Here are some examples of the taped down pieces of paper at various stages.

This year, I took several of the sheets of taped down paper pieces, and started tackling the small squares one at a time, adding layers, marks, creating compositions, and resolving issues, working on them while they were still taped down with six paintings per sheet of paper.

Once I resolved the paintings, I removed the tape (WATCH FOR MY NEXT BLOG POST WHERE I SHARE WHAT I DID WITH THE PEELED UP TAPE!), trimmed the edges of the paper where the tape had been, and then glued the painting onto a cradled wood panel. I applied a final layer of cold wax and varnished the edges. By the time I had completed this process, I had 26 paintings, six were 5×5 inches, and the rest were 6×6 inches.

Fast forward to today. All of the pieces have been waxed, buffed, varnished, wired, titled, photographed, inventoried, and boxed. Deliveries will begin happening over the next couple of weeks. Whew. Here are some of the completed pieces heading to my three galleries.

“The Blur of Memories,” 6×6 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“Smoldering Silence,” 6×6 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“Reflecting Sunlight,” 6×6 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“Out of the Silence,” 6×6 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“Happy Silence of Mind,” 6×6 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“In the Silence of the Evening,” 6×6 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“Fearless Love,” 6×6 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“Coastal Riptides,” 6×6 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“A New State of Wonder,” 6×6 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“Untethered in Space,” 6×6 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“Along the Tideline,” 6×6 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“Stirrings of Enchantment,” 6×6 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.

In addition to the 21 pieces headed to the galleries, priced at $100 each, I have five of the 5×5 inch pieces available on my website. The 5×5 inch pieces are $70 (and include shipping).

“Currents of Cool Wind,” 5×5 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“A Place of Peace,” 5×5 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“A Field of Peace,” 5×5 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“A Thin Fog of Moonlight,” 5×5 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins.
“Fistfuls of Sky,” 5×5 inches, oil and cold wax, on cradled panel, by Dayna Collins

 

NOTE: The beautiful graphic painting at the beginning of this post, was created by Salem artist, Sloy Nichols.

Colorful and Dynamic Abstracted Landscapes

 

It felt good to be back teaching at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. Last year my workshop was cancelled due to the pandemic and I hadn’t signed up to teach this year because of the uncertainty with Covid. As cases began falling earlier this summer, Sitka’s Program Manager, Tamara, reached out to see if I would be interested in teaching a workshop in September. I jumped at the opportunity. As the workshop date approached, I watched as Covid cases once again surged. I was a little nervous about teaching, but Sitka had worked hard to provide a safe place with lots of protocols already in place. A couple weeks before my workshop, I asked Sitka to cap the class at eight students, to ensure that there would be plenty of space between tables in the studio.

Ready for class to start on Monday morning.

I could write about the week of art-making, the learning, the techniques, the epiphanies, the experimentation, the fearlessness, the laughter, the great energy, the hard work . . . . but instead I’m going to do a photo essay, which I think captures the essence of preparation and our week together.

Howard helping clean up the studio.
The studio all set up and filled with so much promise.
Prepping for demos.
Waking up on Monday morning in my little cabin in the woods.
So good to be back.
A brand new gallon of Gamblin’s Cold Wax and a fresh pair of gloves. Yes, please.
Little scraps of paper as inspiration for colors, design, or just to jump start our imaginations.
Early morning in the studio!
The book of knowledge. haha
Tam brought me flowers to match my hair.
Warm up exercise on Arches Oil Paper.
First day demo.
Doing a demo using plaster (an added bonus).
Plaster demo was an added bonus, sharing how to seal the dried and sanded plaster.
Working, strolling, getting started for the day.
Karla creates beautiful palettes.
Working.
Loretta establishing her color palette for the day.
Loretta’s palette. I wonder why I love this so much.
It was a busy, active studio.
Margaret fell in love with this wonky old roller.
Karla at work.
Margaret’s beautiful workspace.
Heidi working fearlessly.
Tam and Louise working through ideas.
The evening glow at the end of a day of painting.
Heidi getting the hang of making beautiful marks.
A vibrant and inspiring palette!
Louise created two dynamic pieces.
Lynn sharing her work.
Tam is a “wicked” painter.
Work in progress by Loretta.
Work in progress by Karla.
Lunch table centerpiece.
Paintings drying outside in the fresh air.
So many works in progress and the beautiful hum of activity.
Early layers by Loretta. Yum.
One of Karla’s color studies.
Heidi playing with drips.
Working.
Work in progress by Lynn.
I love working in the studio after class . . . .
A working studio.
Work in progress by Louise.
Lynn experimenting with drips.
Lynn and Dayna!
Jenn working on Arches Oil Paper.
Tam playing with Transparent Orange glazes. Kapow.
Loretta spreading paint!
Louise scraping off sections of paint.
Getting ready for the day.
Doing a demo on mounting Arches Oil Paper to a cradled birch panel.
Group photo on a beautiful September afternoon.
Thank you to R&F Handmade Paints for donating pigment sticks and allowing everyone to go home with different colors.
Show and tell.
Karla discusses some of her work on our final afternoon.
Margaret discusses some of her completed work.
Lynn discusses her work on our final afternoon.
Nancy does whatever is necessary to get the good shot.
Heidi discusses her work.
Loretta discusses her work.
Tam discusses her work.
Show and tell walkabout.

Some of the work created during the week. . . . .

Art by Louise.
Work by Jenn.
Work by Heidi.
Works in progress by Louise.
Work by Karla.
Work by Margaret.
Section from larger work by Loretta.
Work by Tam.
Work by Lynn.
Work by Heidi.
Work by Louise.
Work by Margaret.
Work by Loretta.
Work by Heidi.
Work in progress by Lynn.
Work by Tam.
Work by Karla.
Work by Jenn.
Work by Lynn.
Work by Margaret.
Work by Tam.
Work by Loretta.
Work by Jenn.
Work by Karla.
Work by Louise.
Ahhhh . . . and they were delicious.

My heart is full and I am feeling grateful.

 

 

Abstract Investigations with Zoe Cohen

Last week I was finally back at Sitka in the beautiful Boyden studio, not teaching, but taking a class from Eugene artist Zoe Cohen. The class was titled Abstract Investigations: Color and Composition. What a great class in my one of my favorite locations — on the Oregon coast at Cascade Head.

Zoe’s description of the class:

This four-day workshop is designed specifically for abstract painters to help clarify visual language and bring intentionality to their painting practice. We will make a deep inquiry into what inspires our art through examining contemporary abstract art, informal writing exercises and instructor demos. We will traverse the full range of the spectrum from intuition to deliberate action, from right brain to left brain and from spontaneity to decision, and we will learn to travel back and forth between these polarities. 

The class had all the elements that are important and that I love. The first day we focused on value and color mixing, always a good place to start.

The second day we focused on tools and techniques, and we were all off to the races after a couple of demos by Zoe. The day for me was dedicated to initial layers and playing around with leftover paint.

Day 3 was more layers and exploration of abstraction, intuitive versus deliberate actions. We began to look for the composition in our paintings and move our pieces forward. I worked on 10×10-inch pieces of Stonehenge printmaking paper, 12×12-inch wood panels, and 14×14-inch cradled birch panels. I liked jumping between these three substrates.

On the final day, we primarily focused on painting and completing a few pieces. It was a whirlwind of a day, especially since we had to stop a little early to pack up and have a show and tell before class concluded.

These are the pieces that I moved forward to various stages of completion; a few of them I have declared finished and the others, I’ve just stopped at interesting places.

Post script . . . . .

 

Each morning before heading to class, I read a section from jung pueblo’s Clarity and Connection.When I read something that resonated with me, I jotted the words down in my visual journal–the journal I took to class and where I took notes. On our final day, this was the passage I wrote in my journal:

one of the bravest things

you can do

is boldly embrace the unknown,

accept your fear,

and continue to move forward

 

a clear mission

does not always have a clear path

 

                                                    jung pueblo

Getting Messy: Oil and Cold Wax Demo at RiverSea Gallery

I love painting and I love sharing my process and I got to do both yesterday at RiverSea Gallery in Astoria, Oregon (on the northern Oregon coast). I set up my big table, unloaded way too many supplies (is it possible to have too many supplies? we know the answer is no), and by 3:00 a small group of people had gathered to watch me mix up my concoctions and begin sharing techniques on how to apply (and remove) paint.

It was a messy paint fest (messy for me, not for the watchers). I answered questions, added swaths of paint, showed techniques, and got a lot of paint spread in the span of two hours. And I got to paint next to my good friend Stephanie Brockway’s fantastic art watching over me.

I posted four videos on my Instagram feed (DaynaLovesArt) and several people asked questions about what materials I was using. So (tada) I have put together a list of some of the things I used in my demo with some links to where you can find them. It was great how interested and engaged everyone was, both those who attended my demo and my friends on Instagram.

Materials I used for my July 16 demo at RiverSea Gallery. Please note that I am sharing what I used, and there are other brands available. I am also sharing links to these products on Dick Blick, again, lots of art stores carry these products (and I buy most of my materials from our local art store, Art Department, in Salem, Oregon), but for ease of getting information, I am primarily using Dick Blick’s online store.

Gamblin Cold Wax Medium

Gamblin Galkyd (helps speed the drying time)

Fedrix Powdered Marble Dust

Stabilo Woody 3-in-1

Arches Oil Paper Pads

Squeegees from Cold Wax Press

Cold Wax Medium BOOK  (also available on Amazon)

Putty and palette knives. Putty knives from the hardware store are great, palette knives from art stores. But I will say, hardware stores are the best art stores!!

For texture making tools, I scrounge through my kitchen drawers and the garage, and also walk down the aisles of hardware stores for tools and materials that make great texture.

Oil paints. I use a variety of brands. I am partial to Gamblin because they make quality paints (are they are a local Portland company). In general, I look for colors I like, and for paint that is on sale. Some of the brands I use besides Gamblin are: M. Graham, Richeson, and Holbein.

Here are some of the starts from my demos:

And while I have your attention . . . .

If you want the full oil and cold wax experience, I will be teaching September 6-9, 2021, at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (on the Oregon Coast). I just checked and there are still a few spots available. We will spend four days together in a beautiful studio nestled in the woods of Cascade Head spreading paint, learning techniques, laughing, talking about art, and creating colorful abstracted landscapes.