Glass Blowing Series - Glass Furnace I

Glass Furnace I

12 x 9 soft pastels on Art Spectrum Colourfix

by Miki Willa

In working to convey my impressions of glass blowing studios and glass art, I find myself more and more drawn to non-realistic representations. In this painting, I deliberately left the top portion dark and vague. It could be anywhere, maybe even a cave. I did add some detail to the furnace itself, especially at the bottom, which is further forward. One of the things about being in a glass studio is the intensity of the heat, light, and creativity makes it difficult to really focus on the details too much. At least it is for me because I get caught up in the heat, light, and creativity.

So many people have no idea what goes into creating a piece of glass art. We see so many "hand blown" vases, plates, cups, and glasses at places like Crate and Barrel for such low prices, we are astonished at the prices in glass studios. We forget that most of these pieces are made in factories where repetition is the bread and butter. The glass artists I watch work hard. They often sketch out their designs before they gather any glass. They need to understand the properties and chemistry of glass, especially colored glass. They have to have respect for their chosen medium. Then there is the heat and physical endurance, especially in the upper arms and lower back. Next time you look at a piece of glass art that is made in your local area, be sure and look closely. You will be amazed.

In this series, I am paying tribute to these glass artists.

My first collage

Landscape 1 , 12 x 6 torn paper on 300lb watercolor paper

I finally overcame my fear of trying something new and created this collage. I used paper from magazines, scrapbooking background paper, paper bags that I painted, and some washi paper I had stashed. I also found one of those skeleton leaves in the garden and added that for texture and interest. I decided to do a relatively simple landscape. I wanted to keep it rather simple for a first collage.

I knew the colors I wanted to use and looked for them in my paper stash. I was missing a few, so I took a grocery bag and painted pieces with acrylics. When I paint landscapes, they are pretty realistic in style. I tend to use fairly standard sizes, so I wanted to get away from that with this piece. I think I accomplished my goal here.

I do have a number of technical questions I will have to find answers to. I am sure there must be better mediums out there for attaching everything without all the wrinkles. How do I apply the medium to the pieces of paper without them curling up on themselves, or should I strictly apply the medium to the support. I read about using a tacking iron, and that sounds cool, but the curling up thing would still be an issue. I will sort all of this out soon.

In the meantime, I have a pastel painting on my easel. It is another one in the glass blowing series. I should have it finished in a day or two. I will post it when it is ready.

Painting and more

In the Shadow of the Mountain

9 x 12 soft pastels on Art Spectrum Colourfix

by Miki Willa

This scene was painted from a number of different reference photos shot in the shadow of Mt Baker in the late fall and early winter. On my screen, the colors appear a bit darker than they are in real life. I really like the look of the fallow fields with the isolated farm buildings. The tree line in the back is a mixture of evergreens and winter skeletons. This is another painting I will include in my show in July. As the date approaches, I will give more information about the location. For now, I will say it will be in Bremerton, Washington.

I have been studiously avoiding my easel for over a week. I just kept putting off painting while I worked on other things. I have been working on creating a visual journal, and am having great fun creating rather abstractly painted backgrounds using acryllics. I am also learning to do collage. In a few weeks, I will be posting some of them on another blog dedicated to this art form. I am also working through The Artist's Way, again. This time, I am taking time to do the tasks, writing my morning pages, and going on my artist date. I have only been at it for a week, and I am already excited to paint again. I have a bud of new insight about myself as an artist which I will nurture further before I share it here. It is a very profound shift in thinking for me and want to make sure it sticks.

For both of these projects, I am working with online groups and having a great time. For the visual journal, I am working with Kelly Kilmer at A Prompt a Day. There is still time to sign up for the May group. Learn more about this at this site. For The Artist's Way Journey, I am working with Laura Lein-Svencner. See her blog here.

An Eagle's Nest

Black River Eagle Nest

18 x 12 soft pastels on Kitty Wallis Professional White

by Miki Willa

I have decided I need more Northwest landscapes for the show in July. A few weeks ago, we went to the Black River Riparian Forest in Renton, Washington. There is a very large heron habitat there. There is also a pair of nesting eagles. An interesting combination. It was too early for the trees to be fully leafed out, so the nests were all very visible. I decided to paint the trees around the eagle nest because of the contrasts in the colors. I used a very limited palette to create the mysterious air about this fairly unknown place of beauty and wonder.

If you want to read more about the area and the heron colony, go here.

Glass blowing series #7

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Small Landscapes

Beaver Pond in Spring

5 x 7 soft pastels on Art Spectrum Colourfix

by Miki Willa

This is the first landscape I have done in a while and it was fun to do. I was able to keep it very loose, which was one of my goals. I used a complementary underpainting. I love the way the orange peeks through the greens. I wasn't sure I could put all the information I wanted to include in this 5 x 7 format, but I found it a useful exercise in really looking for what was important. I am always amazed by the work of plein air painters who work in these small sizes. When it stops raining, I will have to get out and try it.

Painting 5 x 7s

Color Rods

5 x 7 soft pastels on Art Spectrum Colourfix

by Miki Willa

On a recent visit to a glass studio, I got a lesson on how color is added to glass art. I won't go into the details here but to say that glass artists purchase color rods in various lengths, colors, and opacities. I happened to spot a few short pieces on a nearby shelf. I was taken in by the colors and the arrangement. I decided to try portraying them in a 5 x 7 format.

Why 5 x 7? I recently had a brainstorm about my upcoming show (July). I decided I would have three to five 5 x 7 paintings for a free drawing. Visitors to the show would fill out a card and drop it in a bowl (glass of course), giving contact information and first choice of painting if they win. At a designated time, I would pull out a card or two, and l would award the painting(s). I think this will be good PR. First, I have to create the paintings.

I have not painted in this size before and it is quite interesting. I had some left over pieces of paper I had been using to test color for larger paintings. I brushed the test colors out and created an interesting under painting. I wanted to keep the strokes fairly loose so it would be in the same style as the rest of the paintings in this series. The reflections of light and of the rods on each other was very interesting to me. I also like the pattern of the shadows. All in all, this was fun to paint. I am not sure the power and intensity of the ovens would work in this small format, but I will have to try.

I also painted a small landscape. I will post that tomorrow.