Zooming into a Moment

As i'm getting busy in the studio again - what seems to be happening is portraits.

Not portrait, portraits; but images of women, caught in a moment. A moment of recognition, self-realization, or simply an emotion that is revealed for but a brief moment. A fellow painter who saw these, said they were like inside-out portraits. I like the sound of that. Inside-out.

I feel like i'm being led somewhere interesting, but I don't know where that is. As an artist, that's the best feeling in the world.

These are some of the works in progress:

the first - familiar territory

the second: playing with modeling
and flat colours

the third: i'm baffled
but i like it

images: property of kyra crouzat

On Birth and Death

This past month was a busy one in the studio.

I finished a commission - this one was a quite the birthing process. Some paintings don't come into the light easily. This struggle is often part of the creative process, I continue to paint sometimes with sweat and tears, until I reach the place where I need to take it.

Another project I tackled, was that of designing art work for a tombstone. It was interesting and challenging. How does one give two lovely figures justice while working within the parameters of the medium. (Sandblasting the image on stone/marble requires minimum line widths, etc). It was an honour to be asked to create this piece in the loving memory of someone's parents.

I'm enjoying the intuitive aspect of the work I'm doing right now - I'm trying to remove myself from intellectualizing it. Let it be what it is. That in itself, is work!

Playing with abstraction once again.

The reward of suffering is experience. 
(Aeschylus) 

Wednesday Afternoon

Earlier, I said I needed and craved colour - yet I've since done three more pieces in the same vein as the b&w figures for the March show...

I'm working on a few projects - commissions, a June Gallery show...

Drowning in colour once again... the birds chirp, the air is still cool in the studio... the sun sneaks by...

I started a new series. One of the first pieces, is a painting I began... oh, a year ago - I had set it aside, and last week I stumbled upon it... the image on the left is the result of my last few hours in the studio.

It's painted on paper - a rare occasion - of late, I've been using hardboard as a painting surface (it works well with collaging techniques I've been using. I used a Carbon Sketch pencil and white soft pastel - otherwise, it's mostly acrylics paint.

Self Portrait

I finished my self-portrait... I will have a better quality image soon.

I had much fun layering colours and used a small plastic bottle with a 0.7 mm tip to do the "squiggles", I enjoyed the looseness of that.
Half my face is in shadow, most appropriate at this time in my life. And the colour, well, it speaks for itself.

I also used a quote from Shakespeare:

"Their life, exempt from public haunts,
Find tongues in trees, books in running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything."

That's how I feel in the middle of the forest... I then played around with the order of the words, with texture/collage... a fun project to get me in the right head space for the new body of work percolating in my mind.

In the Studio... works in progress

I have been happily ensconced in my studio this week...
I'm working on pieces for the Black & White Show at On Canvas Art Gallery at the end of March.

A raccoon's eye-view... One came by for a visit this afternoon.

The Studio on this cloudy day


One of a pair... mixed media
Black and White

Detail of the second Black and White Mixed Media Piece

Embracing the decorative...

Here she is.

I find her more seductive wrapped in the vegetation - she is in her own world. It's colourful, it's "full" and its hers alone.

"Her Secret Garden"

Copyright by Kyra Crouzat
2007

Where to Now

Where to now. mmmmm.

I've been working my butt off on this painting - left the other couple half-started orphans aside.... and have been struggling to set this one free.

There is lots that's not "quite" working yet - I wanted her body to look like a decoupage image but all the fluidity is gone from the original sketch... I don't know if I should have altered the left should/arm. That might be the problem - I like her face... took me quite a lot of work to get her expression the way I wanted it... The collage bits on her torso are mostly buried now from trying to give her body more contour with paint and gesso (for transparency)... I want more collage and less definition... More fluidity... the negative space is developing in my head - I know I want it to look like a "surreal garden"... Well, I will start by drinking a cup of coffee and pondering my plan of attack for the day...

Silhouette - I used Micaceous Iron Oxide for the first time. It's gritty, great for mixed media - like pastels. (They'll adhere better to the MIO than to reg. acrylics.)

I used solely pastels to define her hair, she's outlined with gold acrylic.
I collaged pages from a child's encyclopedia - the inscription reads three boys' names and "Christmas 1960" - There's a chapter about the "Fruits of the Earth" I used the pages from that chapter... they were calling my name.

Moving on....

My Blue Woman

I'm working on a new piece - I have no idea where it is going- it's pretty illustrative (as you'll note on the detail shot) I've stylized a photograph of my friend Erin - one of my favourite models - I'm not sure I like the direction I'm going in - the image feels a little stiff. I've decided to keep going, it's way too early too judge - I am a little out of sorts- haven't painted in a... month?? No wonder. I spent 5 hours painting today - was late for a meeting this evening, and showed up with paint on my hands and shirt. There was something very satisfying about that. I feel most like myself when I'm painting. I love the dazed feeling from sitting at the easel so long... Even the frustrations that come with "giving birth" to a new work are welcome!

I'm nervous about my upcoming show, I want a few new pieces, that gives me a month. (While working another job 37.5 hour/week).... panic!!