Illuxcon Demo Paintings...

 "Far Sun"

(Size: 6x8", Oils on Linen)  Price: $300.00 SOLD

 

One of the problems with exhibiting art at show is that you have to be attentive to the people strolling past looking at your artwork with the potential to purchase it. And there is a fine line between being attentive and being obnoxiously pushy (I hate the latter, myself). I tend to let things roll along and talk to people and take an interest, however there are long periods that can seem boring so this year, I chose to do something I haven't done in quite a while... I decided to paint at the table I shared with my hubby. So, I packed my three tiniest easels, paints, brushes, medium, a few inspirational references, my itty bitty sketchbook, and a bunch of different sizes of my linen panels. I figured if I could paint rocket doodles at home fairly easily, then painting them in public shouldn't induce any panic attacks. So, on Thursday, the first full day of the show, I started with FAR SUN, noodling a classic pointy rocket ship settling into orbit with side retro thrusters lit. As with the majority of my rocket doodles, I painted wet in wet and managed to get it 99 percent completed. The next day, I finished a few highlights and details, signed it and called it done. People had stopped to watch me paint and talk to me while I dabbled, so all in all, it was off to roaring start. One of the observers actually bought this one...

Friday, after finishing up FAR SUN, I set up another little easel with a 6x8" panel, ready to start the next effort. Looking around at my references and then up at my paintings on display, wondering what to paint next, I squinted at SCARLET BASE, noting that I had LOVED what I did on the foreground gaseous clouds. Deciding to see if I could recreate a version of that, I drew up a ball space station, some floating rocks, and set to work. As always, I ever seem to have an excess of Cadmium Red Light paint on my working palette so I revisited the 'red sun' as well. I had a lot of fun dropping in paint and blending, rinse and repeat, and then a couple hours noodling the space station detail.

"Mini Scarlet Base"

(Size: 6x8", Oils on Linen)  Price: $300.00

By the Saturday, I was definitely flagging a bit in the energy and ideas department, but I had a bunch of nice lairy colours on my palette and I really didn't want to give up too early. Additionally, Saturday was a big attendance day. So, I finished the highlights on MINI SCARLET BASE that I couldn't complete the previous day because the paint was so heavily wet and signed it. Unfortunately, the photo doesn't do it justice at all. I has the same luminosity of the original painting. Anyway, I gave the idea of 'thinking outside of the box' some thought and created something completely out of left field: EMERALD CITY. No, it wasn't an intentional riff on the new movie WICKED and wasn't planned that way. I just had some gorgeously lush greens and turquoises left over from the gaseous clouds in MINI SCARLET CITY to use up. I drew up a loose asteroid city that was inspired by an old John Harris painting that always leaves me in awe, and off I went. I added the teeny rocket to create an illusion of 'size'. Because of the art deco lines of the space city and the colours swirling around it, I was left no other real option than to call it EMERALD CITY. When you look at it below, you'll see why. Unfortunately, the photo of this painting isn't great, either. Sigh.

"Emerald City"

(Size: 6x8", Oils on Linen)  Price: $300.00

Here are a few easel shots of the paintings sitting on their tiny easels at my table in various stages of completion...

My Painting Display at Illuxcon in October...

 

Time got away on me this year because we added so many odd shows and appearances that there appeared to be no long relief for painting downtime. Several of the bigger paintings I had planned just didn't make it into paint. We've cut out a lot of the extra shows, now and getting back to basics, so more time for painting and writing in the new year.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by.
Cheers,

Marianne