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Sunday, July 27, 2014

To close or not to close ? Paintings and a stamp challenge !

Just lately l have been wondering if l should close my art studio. Why? Well although l am paying the rent and am able to buy all the paint etc l need, for the last 3 years l have not paid myself. Don't get me wrong, l LOVE teaching babies, tots, children and adults but l hate cleaning floors. My main problem is this ... l cannot get volunteers to help me for just 3 hours in the afternoon for 4 days a week! They want to work with the children but not share any of the "yuck" jobs, in their view. So at the age of 61, l am laying the paper all over the studio floor, washing all the floors, washing the toys and so on. 
Anyway, l have had time to think and l have decided to try and get the word out there more and see what happens. Fingers crossed please everyone.... or just the one person that reads this blog! :)
I must start finding time for myself to paint more too, especially as l have signed up to take part in Open Studio's this year again. 
So here are some of the pieces l have been working on recently. As l seem to have so little time to paint these days, l savor every painting session. The trouble is l seem to need at least 4 hours straight, to be able to think, potter and paint these days! Teaching in my studio, takes up most of my day. Don't get me wrong, l LOVE my work but sometimes l wish l could just paint all day.
A while ago, l bought a Geli plate and l have had so much fun.




This is one of my children's paintings, that l have added more details to.


I am just about to finish"The Fallen Angel "series. I am stuck on their faces and am half way through the end painting. The faces are really stumping me, at the moment. I don't want to paint actual faces but l don't want them to stay blank either. Need to think about them for a while, l think. The first image is painting number 3 and then the next one is the last one.



My style has started to change again! This is a new finished piece. It has about 12 layers to it and l had so much fun creating it. Using acylic paint, stencils, modelling paste, inks and markers.


The next piece is another dream that l have had over 3 nights. It is still a work in progress but l am having fun, finding out where it is going!





The next image shows how a lot of my canvases start out. It is the result of me wiping my brush on a canvas, instead of a rag, when l change colour !


I have also been making stamps out of sticky-backed foam. So easy and l love the results. I challenged myself to use every pice of a sheet of foam. Look ... not only did l do that but l made 26 unique stamps. :)

















2 comments:

Unknown said...

It is going to be a very difficult decision for you to make Lynda, especially as you love teaching the little ones so much. I really hope that someone will come along who would enjoy helping with the clearing up, because it is also so important for you to make your art too. You are so very talented, and I just love your work, and have missed not seeing so much of it on your blog. Those angels are looking so good, and i can't wait to see what you do about their faces! Keep up the good work eh!

Lynda Howells said...

you are so sweet ..thankingxxx