Happy New Year Roses

Roses from a Friend

8x6in oil on canvas  $125.

Well - am I a lucky gal or what! A friend
decided she knew the answer to my recent "trials and
tribulations" and sent me these gorgeous roses.
Lickity split...just like that, I painted these without
any redos.

Artist Note.

As I finish this year I reflect on the personal growth
in my art. I managed to develop my own technique and
even devised a tool for doing it. It has brought me deep
personal satisfaction as well.
Looking back on my journey into Fracturing, I can see
bits of it appearing and then disappearing for many years.
It took the discipline of painting every day to bring it out.
I wanted the looser appearance in my work but didn't
want to just swish my brush over the edges to get it.
There were a whole pile of artists doing fresh loose
paintings. This was the school I was drawn to.
Studying John Singer Sargent was a great way to start.

This very week, one year ago, I painted these roses.

I still love roses and blue and white vessels, and I was
rather pleased with this one here, but I can
tell you that I prefer the actual act of painting the new one.
It holds my interest and I find the painting has more "life"
to it.

Breakthrough pieces were
these freesias.  I painted this
one very loosely and fast
on oil primed canvas.
(This one has never sold
and I always thought it
was a strong painting.)

I followed it with the version above. Both were painted
as a demo to show the different approaches to the same
subject. I loved painting this one so went  back to try
and do it again.

 This time I tried it with hard
surfaces to see if it would
work.
I was delighted to find it did.

I use the two pieces above in my gallery area to demonstrate
what the fracturing is in comparison to my more realistic pieces.
I can tell you that as many visitors like the first one
as do the second one. It is the more knowledgeable ones,
and usually artists, or ones with some art background
who enjoy the Fracturing.

Next step was to see if I
could use the technique
with a landscape.
I did a series on
Yellowstone using the
watercolor sketches I had
painted when there.
I enjoyed it immensely.
I had found a technique I
could paint everything
with.

In March I did a series on lemons  and Daily Paintworks picked
my Lemonade as one of their "picks of the day"
and I was thrilled. Then a couple months later I was a featured
Spotlight artist (click if you would like to read the interview.)
I started to realize that my Fracturing technique had a following.
I was asked to do an Artbyte by Daily Paintworks so I made a video
(in real time ) It has been finished and will be offered later this month.

So this has been my trip down memory lane for the year 2012
I want to give a special thank you to those wonderful people
who have bought my work. You gave me encouragement
to continue in the new direction. Without art collectors there
would be less painters and what a loss to our culture it would be.

Thank you also to my wonderful blogging friends and supporters.
I look forward to seeing your new work and following your
amazing blogs in this new year.
I wish for you all a healthy, enjoyable and productive art life in 2013
Your friend in art,
Julie