News, Views, Tips & Inspiration

Month: February 2013

The Art of Paint Dripping

The affect of spraying water on acrylic paint on canvas. Painting by Mary Gow

The affect of spraying water on acrylic paint on canvas.

Spraying paint with a water bottle makes paint look like its sweating.

And while it’s dripping try turning the painting 90 degrees.

This example came out so nicely I haven’t wanted to paint on top of it.

One Billion Rising

Work in Progress - "Great Mother," acrylic on canvas, by Mary Gow

Work in Progress – “Great Mother,” acrylic on canvas, by Mary Gow

Tremendous Spirit is moving today!

Women and men rising and dancing in the streets.

You can see it on the Internet at onebillionrising.org.

What is it?

-A global strike
.

-An invitation to dance
A call to men and women to refuse to participate in the status quo until rape and rape culture ends
.

-An act of solidarity, demonstrating to women the commonality of their struggles and their power in numbers.


-A refusal to accept violence against women and girls as a given.


-A new time and a new way of being.

I like what Alice Waters has to say about what today is about.

Exploring Painting Techniques: Spritzing

painting in process by Mary Gow

Work in progress, Part 1, acrylic on canvas, by Mary Gow

paint technique on canvas

Work in progress, Part 2, acrylic on canvas, by Mary Gow

These last few weeks I’ve become familiar with the work of Flora Bowley, thanks to local artists, Anna Kazanjian and Regina Jessup.

Here’s a painting I’m working on.

You can see it changing with a bit as I used the spritzing of water onto the canvas, which is a technique that Bowley encourages. I loaded up my brush with paint and without thinking about it, swished it on my canvas then sprayed it with a water bottle. I felt like a kid again as I watched the paint begin to drip. In this example I’m only beginning this dripping technique, stay tuned for more dramatic examples!

I’ll share more as I explore Bowley’s book. It’s easy to participate as you go through the book in what are called “prompts.”

Sprinkled throughout the book are some of the same quotes I’ve saved in my own arsenal of inspiration.

“Overcome the notion that you must be regular. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary.” – Uta Hagen (from p. 121).

The full title is Brave Intuitive You: Let Go, Be Bold, Unfold, Techniques for Uncovering Your Own Unique Painting Style.

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