ABSTRACT ARCHITECTURAL PAINTING "URBAN ADOBE"

"Urban Adobe",  40" x 30"  acrylic on unstretched canvas, Lori LaBerge  2018

"Urban Adobe" developed from adobe style homes seen on a trip out west. I love the little alleyways between buildings. The earthy colors of places like Taos combined with the pale blues and pinks more reminiscent of California, result in an unexpected color combination. The canvas was left unstretched and hangs like a tapestry.

Sections were taped off to create clean edges. A regular house painting brush was used along with a credit card edge, palette knife and paper towels rubbed into paint.

Underpainting was used to create a base layer of color. This color can be seen through the topcoat. Rather than use one color overall for the underpainting, various colors were used in different areas. Here red sienna and brown are used.

Above shows the final effect after the peach paint was applied over the brown/red paint and tape was removed.

The close-up shows a section of the central building area. The gray and peach areas have the strongest variance in value of colors between undercoating and topcoat emphasizing their importance as part of the focal point. I may look at this crop as a possible painted textile piece to be developed in the future.

A WEEK OF HOOKED ART AND PAINTING

"Monolith"  11" x 14"  Lori LaBerge  2018

My natural inclination is toward strong colors. In this work I decided to have just the one bold area. The dark blue/gray with black half circle stands out among the pastel shades surrounding it. There is a relaxing softness to the work. The use of irregular lines rather than hard edge adds to the soft feel.

  

 "Monolith" in progress on frame

                                                                   

Color selection

Blues, pinks and greens seem to be my colors this week as they appeared in both painted and hooked works.

"Gallery View"  11 X 14 acrylic on canvas,  Lori LaBerge  2018

I've been spending time walking downtown noticing all the building angles and alleyways. Various shapes were sketched out for use in this and future works and studies. Numerous diagonal lines approach from both the left and the right leading to the focal point of a square filled with color against a bright white. It gives me the feeling of wanting to be in the work itself with the lime green and royal blue adding a bit of excitement.

PAINTED TEXTILE, TRIP TO NASHER MUSEUM OF ART

"A-Frame"   10" X 10"  Lori LaBerge  2017

I opened the paint tubes again this week. To keep with my architectural work I started by painting a triangle and built from there, which led to the feeling of an A-Frame home. The architecture of the hooked background shows through creating structure. There is quite a bit of mystery as one looks inside the blue areas with what appears to be a figure near the center. I enjoy doing these in the moment and finding the mystery later.

We made a trip over to Durham to tour the Nasher Museum of Art. The museum is on the Duke University Campus and always shows work beautifully. Various rooms had paper available for those who would like to create sketches from the works on display. There were classes in progress throughout the museum. Just great to see so many people participating in what the museum offers.

Pete knew exactly what room I was headed for when we arrived. Enjoy the following works from the exhibit "Disorderly Conduct: American Painting and Sculpture 1960-1990".

 "Myrtle Beach"  Dan Christensen


 "Winter Light"  Maud Gatewood

 "Hurricane"  Silvia Heyden

 Close-up of "Hurricane"   Silvia Heyden

 "East End"  Valerie Jaudon

 "After the Dance"  Robert Kushner

"Times Light"  Kenneth Noland

 "Modesty Under Construction"  Thomas Leo Blackwell

 "Green Volkswagen"  Don Eddy

"Bashir (Robert Gowans)"  Barkley Hendricks

TEXTILE ART: EXPERIMENTING WITH PAINT

"City Walk"  12" X 24",  Lori LaBerge  2017

This past week I just felt like trying something new.  After puttering around the studio for a bit, I grabbed a work off the wall and decided to transform it. Sometimes you just need to stop thinking and start doing.

The original hooked work

I've always enjoyed the transparency of certain paintings. It is as if something is hidden in the background with layers of paint on top. How would I do this with rug hooking? To still keep the architectural quality of the original work I decided to paint over the top. Another option would have been to place transparent fabric randomly over the top to create a barrier yet still be able to see the original through it. 

In progress on studio table. Tape strips were used in some areas and pulled off later.

The painted work has much more depth, mystery and sophistication to it. I painted with no plan in mind, which always makes me a bit apprehensive. Sometimes we need to leave our comfort place to grow.

The photos below show a close-up of how the bowls can still be seen in the background of the new work:

When the work was completed it reminded me of walking through Asheville and viewing the work of the many local potters through a window with reflections of buildings, perhaps a rainy day. Thus the work was titled "City Walk".

RESIDENTIAL TEXTILE, INDUSTRIAL PAINTING

"Residential Curve"  14" X 11",  Lori LaBerge  2017

Diagonal lines are on the right while a curved line counters them, extending from the far left of the work to past center. There are also straight black lines, one vertical and one horizontal on the left. Two areas balance this: the black diagonal between navy and turquoise and the vertical edge of the white section.

The vertical black line keeps the two dark colors, magenta and navy, from causing a bottom heavy effect. The black lines were added to reference the underlying structure of architecture.

"Industrial Section" and "Industrial Night"  18" X 18" each,  Lori LaBerge  2017, acrylic and graphite on canvas

A deserted warehouse was used as reference for two paintings. The glow of the moon cast a golden hue onto the building and the liberty was taken to place white in the window areas in the first work. The moon was captured in the negative space between a section of building and a smokestack in the second work. I like the interesting shape of the lighter colors against the black in the second piece.

A 14" x 11" textile work to compliment the paintings has been drawn on linen and will be hooked next week. It will be interesting to see how they work (or don't) together. 

"DOWNTOWN" TEXTILE ART, PAINTING STUDIES

"Downtown"  14" X 11",  Lori LaBerge  2017

Completed this week, "Downtown" gives the viewer a cool relaxing entrance of blues and greens leading into a warmer orange/yellow which is more action oriented and has the meaning of intellect, happiness and success. The bright colors lend an optimistic feeling. It is a place I would love to enter.

Framing for it will be discussed and completed in the next month before it is sent off to its new home, an office space in Los Angeles.

"Among the Blue"  14" X 11",  Lori LaBerge  2017  acrylic on canvas

I am creating a group of painting studies experimenting with various textures and techniques. This work is as if one is standing on a balcony, the lower section of diagonal across the piece, looking out upon the tops of city buildings.

More work was delivered to CVA Gallery in Greensboro, NC. Five of my works will be showing from September 1-November 10 in "Cut and Dyed: A Fiber Arts Exhibition". The reception will be September 1 from 6pm-9pm. The gallery is a strong promoter of arts in the community.

COMPLETED TEXTILE AND A PAINTING STUDY OF GEOMETRIC FORM

"Maine Gold"  14" X 11"   Lori LaBerge  2017,  wool on linen

"Maine Gold" is now ready for framing. The circle triangulates the whites and helps to anchor the work, giving a focal point. The repetition of diagonals contrasts with the straighter lines. Architectural forms in landscapes and buildings seem to be the direction future work is headed.

"Mulholland"  study 18" X 18"   Lori LaBerge  2017, acrylic on canvas

The second half of the week was spent playing with shapes by working with acrylic paint on canvas. When we visited our daughter in Los Angeles in May, we took a ride on Mulholland Drive. The contemporary homes with their curves, rectangles and other geometric shapes have stayed in my mind. This work was done from memory.

This soft mix of teal, green and yellow would look beautiful dyed on wool.

"Mulholland" was used to experiment with various textures using both brushes and palette knives. While I love the composition, this piece would present better in a smoother finish that would leave the focus on the geometric forms. It is a good study for development of a larger more finished work.

A visit to the Farnsworth Museum and seeing the Andrew Wyeth exhibit of studies showing both his painted works and sketchbooks has influenced me. Composition, line and shape are a larger part of my research now.

ABSTRACT: RUG HOOKING, PAINTING AND DESIGN

"Cone 2", hooked section completed 18" X 18",  Lori LaBerge  2016

This was a week filled with abstract work. The background was hooked into "Cone 2". The contrast of the dark grays against the yellow and greens and the light gray against the rust and browns works well.

Dark gray will be whipped along the dark edges and dark brown against the light edges. Metal bars are cleaned and ready to be painted this week. They will be attached to the work after the whipping is complete.

"Night Light",  acrylic on watercolor paper 15" x 10" , Lori LaBerge  2016

I am continuing to pursue various media in my spare time or maybe I'm just working all the time and don't realize it.

The work above developed from an abandoned house nearby. I saw it during the day, but switched up the painting to imagine what it would look like at night. The leaning columns were what drew me to it. They provide great negative space behind them.

Design for textile works was also on the table this week:

 "On a Roll", design  24" x 12",  Lori LaBerge  2016

I am thinking of hooking realistic spheres on this one rather than flat circle shapes, as if they were wooden balls sitting on shelves.

"Unstill Life", design 24" X 12",  Lori LaBerge  2016

This work shows how you can use the same basic composition to create totally different works.

It follows some of the basic lines "On a Roll" does. If you look at both works you can see the top line of the bowl on the left follows the shelf with the largest ball. The bowl on the right has its height at the shelf of both the smallest ball and the ball on the far right. The arrow arcs up through the largest ball over to the upper right ball's shelf. 

Art exercise--

Choose a basic composition and see how many various designs can be created from it. This is challenging. You may want to start with a simple "L" shape.

COLLECT WHAT YOU LOVE

After last week's blog, I received an e-mail from a reader asking what type of art I collect. I have to admit I collect quite a variety of artwork. I truly believe in collecting pieces that you love. I don't adhere to art matching the decor of a room and I never think about where I will place a piece in the house until I get it home. If I like a piece of art, I will find a place for it.

Mountain painting by Jean Watkins. Jean and I used to have studios next to each other and this painting kept grabbing my eye. When I found myself still eyeing it a month later I made the purchase. I love the abstract feel of this and it looks perfect in the hallway of our mountain home.

Woody Higgin's "Quasimodo, Hunchback of Notre Dame" caught my attention right away. It was centered in a gallery with a few of his other works. The gothic feel, the various mouldings used, one of the little figures on the side bent over like Quasimodo, and the door that opens made me have to have this. This piece sits on a chest in our main hallway.

Linda Persons makes these wonderful ceramic horses. They come in various sizes. I love the form of these, the smaller head and long legs, and the little marks near the hooves as if the horse's hair is falling over them. It greets visitors as they enter the living area of the house.

Jim Waters creates encaustic work. I love this for so many reasons. The geometric shapes, the stripes, and the texture of the wax. The three pieces allow for a variety of ways for hanging, allowing one to mix it up once in a while. Beautiful and fun. This piece resides in the sitting area of the master bedroom.

I met Virginia McKinney at the Southern Highland Craft Show in Asheville. Her adobe dwellings kept me in her booth for quite a while. Love the way there is an opening in this piece, creating an aura of mystery. The ladder really invites you to come on in and enjoy. This piece reminds me of the trip my husband and I took out west and fits perfect on one of the timbers in our living area.

Collecting is such a joy and tells people a little bit about you. Enjoy whatever items you collect, buy what you truly love to add to your collection and have a great day.