Threshold

Threshold The small art piece shows a white soul standing in front of a tumultuous sky on a black bridge. There is fire raging beside her, a fire that glows in the sky. The sea rages beneath the bridge. The single white, faceless figure stands at her threshold.

This textured, emotional piece is painted on sketchbook paper in acrylics with ink. Though small, it packs an emotive punch with its mix of washed colors and heavy paint strokes. There is swirling blue, white and grey. There are layered brush strokes and haunting color contrasts. Red and orange climb slowly from gray, blue and black. The glow of the orange stops the sky in its tracks. The white ghostly figure on the bridge even has a touch of orange on its side. And there it stands, on the bridge above unsteady waters.

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Thunderstorm on paper

Thunderstorm d1In addition to the emotional process of creating this painting, there is a storm of art mediums. I do enjoy experimenting with different types of media.

Thunderstorm

In this 6 x 9 painting on paper, I’ve mixed acrylic with sawdust and sand. There is also ink and gel with a final matte acrylic seal. If you put all that together and mix it up on sketchbook paper, you get the aftermath of a thunderstorm.

In the painting you see a black face woman with lips and eyes like the sea. Her hair flows into the waves and becomes them. Her body floats until it too becomes part of the sea. You see the burning of the salt and the sun and her yearning for land. There is wave after wave after wave with the impending boom and resulting lightening. Or is has the lightening already shown itself in her eyes?

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Suppose I Could Fly Version Three

Suppose I Could Fly V3

It’s a brutal war to fight one’s mind and body, but that is what I do with chronic pain and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. My body fights to keep going. I feel as if I’m losing that battle. My mind fights itself. I sometimes wish to wave the white flag.

But what if, suppose I could overcome some small part of this turmoil? Suppose I could learn even more coping skills, even more ways to overcome and have a better quality of life? Suppose I could.

This painting is the third and final piece from a series called Suppose I Could Fly. She’s a young girl with dreadlocks looking straight forward. Her eyes are tired but she’s determined to pull through. She holds on to the flowers beside her with strength and a vow, she will continue on, she will let her inner self fly.

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Fish on Line

 Fish on Line

This Cubist, abstract drawing of a fish was created with Crayola markers and crayons. There are lines upon lines with color between lines, on lines and through lines. Right smack in the middle is a big eyed fish swimming his way through the stream with ease. He shares his aqua world with two people in the right corner who greet each other with open arms. Continue reading “Fish on Line”

The Possession of Woe

The Possession of Woe

For nearly three weeks I painted nothing. I sketched nothing. My paints, pens, inks, brushes and canvases sat without purpose as I struggled with an emotional issue that closed me off from everything. I knew I needed to paint but I couldn’t, I just couldn’t but it was suggested to me to start small, take baby steps. I tried that but then something happened, my emotional levee broke.

Images of what swirled in my head were put on canvas. Symbols indicating lack of sight, lack of understanding, anger, frustration and being half informed came to fruition in two painting sessions. It took two painting sessions to drain the emotional level and let it spill on canvas. Continue reading “The Possession of Woe”

Joyful Garden – A Saga

Joyful GardenI struggled with her. I couldn’t get the composition to sing, so I put the painting up and let it rest. Nearly a month later I took it out again and saw what it needed. I needed fresh eyes and a little boost, which inadvertently came from a fun conversation on Facebook. Note in the conversation the Star Trek tones. :-) I will simply do a cut/paste about Joyful Garden, a painting of acrylic and sawdust on canvas sheet.

Sundrip -Lets see how DRAMATIC I can make this.
Artists log: 9/2/13 Sundrip Star Station Awake
We left the station around 9am (station bed). The air was thick with heat, my tongue had dried to jerky through the night. Water, I needed water. After re-hydrating I began to calculate the day’s activities, for there is much to do. The sweeper has sat in its own dust for days, the dishes cry out for water, the plants are past watering. Yes, there is much to do today but my heart can only see the fulfillment of paint on canvas, of images beaming with color. Burnt orange will meet Chinese red and settle upon a light cream. From there a prism will burst forth into a natural symphony ringing notes that will bring the hardest of hearts to its knees. The sweeper will sit. The dishes will go undone. Art will be born.
Sundrip Star Station… Awake

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Pan – An Abstract Panel Painting

art by FMAustin - Vertical

The reason this painting is called Pan is because I hoped it would pan out.  

Not all titles are equal.

Pan is an acrylic and ink painting on heavy white board size 12 inches long by 3 and 1/4th inches wide. 

Today in therapy I was asked why I do more abstract paintings than before. My only explanation was that sometimes there are no figures, symbols, flowers or shapes to express emotion. But to push and pull colors across the page, to strike at them, stamp them here and there is a language all its own. For me its like saying, there’s so much to say I don’t know where to start. I’m so anxious, sad, confused, what have you, that I don’t even know where to begin or what symbols to draw to express how I feel.  I don’t know how to form my words but here is what I can do, I can show you in color how I feel. And so we have more abstract paintings because sometimes my ‘art words’ escape me. Sometimes I’m unable to narrow down figures and objects to express myself through expressionism, cubism and the like.

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Ancient Pathway

ancient pathwayI played. That’s how this painting came about, I played. This is a combination of handmade paper from India, a cut out, a sunflower and rubber stamps made by yours truly. I just started stamping and layering then came the elephant, the tall leaves and the sunflower.

I sat looking at the painting. I knew it needed a focal point then it hit me; light. I layered blue, white and yellow to create a beam of light that came from the sunflower to the elephant. It’s intended to appear that the elephant is drawn to it, walking steadily towards it. Continue reading “Ancient Pathway”

Present

PresentPresent and accounted for. I am here.

Painting details: She is coming of age and realizing her value. She is made of every fine gem and precious metal hue. Her hair stands tall like that of a sunflower, her eyes look straight ahead into the now and the future.

Dripping from her ears are strikes of green meeting cobalt blue and royal purple. Her dress is orange and red with a design that puts an x right over her heart. Her very skin is shades of growing into who she is now: layers of beauty, vibrancy and strength. Around the young princess girl in her glory is a white fog or mist, or maybe just the clouds that honor her presence in a frame. Continue reading “Present”

Sweet Anna Bell – Ugly Girl

Sweet Anna Bell - Ugly GirlShe’s been a long time coming. I don’t know why it took so long to finish her but, here she is. I present to you, ‘Sweet Anna Bell – Ugly Girl.’

Scribbled on the back of the paper she’s painted on dated June 10, 2013, I wrote:

She’s tall, skinny and lanky. She’s wearing second hand clothes and second hand shoes. She knows she’s ugly. She doesn’t need to be reminded, yet they do, as if somehow it’ll change things. Sweet Anna Bell – Ugly Girl.

Verbal abuse is what that is and what this sweet child holds the bruises of. But notice this, her eyes look up, not down in shame. If you look at them closer you’ll notice hope shining. She holds her head up. She hopes. The edges of her mouth turn up in a slight smile. She hopes. Continue reading “Sweet Anna Bell – Ugly Girl”