GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTS, DESIGN SKETCHES

Work in progress:  "Cone II"  18" X 18"   Lori LaBerge  2016

I found this week to be a good time to delve into a little bit of everything. The hooking in the second of the cone series was started this afternoon.  

Colors chosen "Cone II"

Some wool was dyed and some I was lucky enough to find on the studio shelves. The top of the cone section will be yellow and green then shift to rust and brown at the bottom. Dark and medium grays will go into the right hand background and medium and light grays in the left hand background.

"GeoScape II"  design sketch

I am continuing to delve into geometrics inspired by plein air study. The above work developed from viewing a tree against the moon and clouds at night. The work could be hung a variety of ways including horizontally as above or vertically as seen below.

I would have included a sketch of the scene done realistically, but unbelievably I am using the excuse that the cat shredded the sketch. She also has broken two vases. Yes, she is still alive and well. Just too cute to get mad at.

 "GeoScape II" vertically

I will be discussing using plein air to create abstracts as part of "The Art of Plein Air" class at Green Mountain Rug School in June.

 "Geoscape III"  sketch

The third in the series is a sketch I made in Florida. It continues my current interest in wood pilings on the water. While clearly abstract it is easier to see the subject matter of this piece than that of  "Geoscape II". Will the colors chosen affect that perception?  

Kandinsky and Klee in Tunisia by Roger Benjamin

While preparing for class I am reading works by some artists that are not thought of for plein air work but created them at some point in their art career. This book takes the reader through the adventures Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee had while creating work in Tunisia. Klee's plein air work there led to his increased interest in color. This interest in turn led Klee to turn more and more toward abstraction.

A Happy New Year to all. Join me in continuing to love, view and create art in 2017.

RUG HOOKING AND SKETCHING IN OHIO

"Cone 1" in progress,  18" X 18"   Lori LaBerge  2016

Yes, boxes of wool accompanied me on our trip. The cone work is moving along. I am looking forward to seeing the effect of the darker grays when they are applied. They will go around the right side and bottom of the light gray background.  

Pier sketch in Ohio,  Lori  LaBerge  2016

I timed myself while sketching this week, allowing up to 20 minutes maximum per sketch. These sketches are being used for ideas for further work.

There is plenty of fodder for water scenes here in Port Clinton. The pier above caught my eye with the buoy hanging among the tires used to protect boats when they dock. I found it difficult to get perspective correct without my viewfinder, but was happy overall with the way the scene was visually cropped. It took a few minutes to decide what to include and what to leave out before starting the sketch.

Boathouse sketch in Ohio,  Lori LaBerge  2016. This view is from our third floor porch.  Sometimes you don't need to go very far to find a subject!

A small yellow boathouse is next to the condo we are renting. It is surrounded by trees and fronted by rocks before the lake begins. This sketch was done fairly quickly, about 10 minutes and it could use stronger use of contrast in the land areas for definition.  

Sketching is good for practicing composition, improving concentration and decision making, and working on ideas for studio work. A sketch can be redefined in the studio through improving composition, stressing value, and exploring the use of color. 

We saw this ship turned into a house on our return trip from Put-in-Bay Island. What a great subject. Read more about the history of this project at Ship on the Bay.

I am also working on some smaller plein air hooked works using sketches while here. The weather has been beautiful. These works will not be shown on the blog. They will be used as samples of both realistic and abstract styles for the plein air class being held at Green Mtn. Rug Hooking School next year. 

Art Exercise--

Find a scene that interests you. Sketch out a basic composition. Do not time yourself while sketching, enjoy the process.