tree figure - a work in progress - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

kramus · 01-16-2009, 10:58 AM

I don't really have a working title for this. It will be a tree form/figure with another figure relating to it. I have some thoughts about cycles and rhythm which may or may not develop on the canvas. Pretty much a process piece.

The sketch is in the sketchbook which got stolen the night before last. My first art class in years - introductory painting - and my Lady picks me up to go out for dinner afterwards. We park off a main street in Chinatown and have some food. Get back to the car and as she pulls away from the curb I hear an odd sound. Look back and see a window smashed in with bits of glass still dangling around the edges of the door. Note her leather work bag sitting on the seat. Note my art bag missing from the floor between the seats.

Shit.

The bozos who smashed the window reached over her bag to pick up mine. My bag had held note books, sketch books, drawing cases full of instruments, a tape measure, a new painting. Her bag still holds her laptop full of files including a presentation she was delivering the next day. Her passport that her ex accidentally took and had just returned to her. Her data stick. Confidential patient files. Stuff like that, all in a nice leather case. She was sooo relieved. In a way I was too, but in a way it hurts. Because the work in those books is gone. The painting is gone. I have a couple of scans, but scans are not the same.

So you have here:

(1) the sketch of the painting which now exists in the trash somewhere if the bozos dumped my book. Or maybe they are using it as a coaster. Who knows.

(2) the canvas with the sketch transcribed on it.

(3) a weak-ass tonal interpretation of the sketch. Early days on the painting. I really don't have a clear vision of what it will end up like. Hopefully it will be enjoyable to look at.

I'll post the occasional snapshot of the canvas as it progresses - hence w.i.p.

acrylic 30" x 24" - 76cm x 61cm

robot_parade · 01-16-2009, 06:28 PM

Cool, I dig it! Keep up the good work, and don't let yourself be discouraged by bozo's.

Incidentally, if there was secret information on the laptop or memory stick, it really should've been encrypted. /nag

kramus · 01-19-2009, 11:25 AM

Thanks rp

fwiw her laptop and stick tend to carry papers and book chapters and presentations, not so much the personal paper type stuff. Not sure she would be interested in encrypting that ilk. The personal documents are a rarity and came about due to the odd circumstances surrounding the timing of my first class.

I get to find time and energy to rebuy materials for the second class coming up - this with the car on the fritz and me doing the kid thing morning and night. Wish me luck.

robot_parade · 01-19-2009, 05:37 PM

Good luck. :-)

And just remember, adversity makes artists that much greater, right? Right?

genuinegirly · 01-19-2009, 06:06 PM

Mystical. Looks like a fun project!

kramus · 01-19-2009, 09:19 PM

I don't know about the adversity element, robot parade - but there is a quote taped to my drawing table from Leonardo da Vinci . . . "Art lives from constraints and dies from freedom." Which is better than striving to be different than the guy beside you just for the sake of being different than the guy beside you. Know what I mean? Besides, even if I cry the blues a bit, things are pretty darned good here at the Manor, by Jingo!

This piece is starting to grow on me genuinegirly

I know it looks nothing like the sketch, nothing like the tonal wash - but the work and the process is giving me a sense of where it might go. Still not sure how cycles will evince themselves, but ideas sit in the background at least.

The first laying down of colour.

icevrething · 01-20-2009, 10:43 PM

Downward dog in the sun! This piece screams healthy well being. Beautiful work!

Sun Tzu · 01-22-2009, 06:44 AM

excellent!!

lostgirl · 01-22-2009, 09:30 AM

Beautiful and surreal. I like the way it is coming along.

genuinegirly · 01-22-2009, 12:50 PM

The color is intoxicating.

anti fishstick · 01-22-2009, 10:40 PM

this is awesome. very kinetic!

Fly · 01-24-2009, 07:50 AM

always..........always love checkin' your work kramus.........

fuckin' eh man

kramus · 02-09-2009, 10:12 AM

Thanks iceverything

I hope the pose remains strong as the figure devolves into the tree figure.

Thankyou, Sun Tzu. I hope my painting allows your comment to stand as I keep laying down colour. At a stage like this I find I worry very much that it will fail.

Thanks for your comments lostgirl. I want the surreal feeling to stay, but also develop some warmth or connection in the painting. That depends on how I am able to develop the figures. We shall see.

Hi genuinegirly. The colours are fun - I sometimes wonder if my approach is too juvenile or what have you - strong primaries and swirling contrasts - but it feels very natural and fun so I continue to go with that. As long as in the end the piece still works, and it all looks ok to members of the viewing audience, right?

Motion is exciting, isn't it antifishstick. Always love putting the movement in a piece.

Hey fly, glad you popped in

Hope things are going great on your side of the mountain

More colour laid down. This is a slow go because of other commitments. That and the fact that I learn as I go.

I learn things such as the value of making colour sketches before applying paint. Which would have allowed a better approach instead of saying to myself I ought to put red in the horizon line, but not have it working out the way I visualize it. Man but that red jumps at me.

I will spend more time working on the central part of the piece, then expand from there. The beginners painting class I'm taking emphasizes how you can rebalance a piece if you go to its centre and get that to work. And then expand from that working centre. It just takes time.

I'm beginning to see why people like oils. These acrylics seem to dry almost immediately, which is starting to seem like a liability in spite of the convenience of a quick drying medium that is usable in the bed room (see the pic showing where I am set up in that small space beside our balcony doors - the only windows in the room).

genuinegirly · 02-10-2009, 10:25 AM

Looks like your workspace is a bit cramped. Painting a sunny image such as this one must make the winter weather less dreary =)
Oils are wonderful. The linseed fragrance permeates the room and becomes a soothing balm that drives away the worries of a harsh day. The fact that they take a considerable amount of time to dry means that any project turns into a weeks-long affair, waiting a week or more between layers. There are a few tricks to making it dry faster, such as using a 50/50 linseed oil/turpenoid mixture to thin the paint. I'm so used to oil at this point, I can't work fast enough for acrylics.

You're making great progress! Keep it up.

kramus · 02-10-2009, 05:02 PM

Yah, the space is cramped. But I also have room for a drawing table and some smaller tables for supplies, a printer and scanner - stuff like that.

My concern about oils is that my Lady may find the smell of oils and thinners hard to take when it comes time to sleep. I guess I can only try, eh? That layering would create lovely effects. But I would have to spend more time painting with my current medium first. I don't want to make lots of horrible mistakes on a piece that I spend months on. That would be a total drag.

I can tell that at my current pace Progress is not my middle name

kramus · 02-16-2009, 04:56 PM

More background work done - trying to tone down the background.

genuinegirly · 02-16-2009, 06:14 PM

Tranquil world you've created there!

little_tippler · 02-17-2009, 03:01 PM

I am sorry for what happened with your work getting taken! That sucks.

I actually thought the tonal interpretation was pretty awesome. I have to be honest and say that sometimes, less is more. I would simplify more on the next one. I love the piece, the composition is very dynamic and the way you have painted it makes it almost luminous. I'd definitely try this on a larger scale canvas, with less variety of colour and detail. Great work!

kramus · 03-05-2009, 06:49 PM

Thanks LT. I agree that less is often more. My Lady comments on this as well. Perhaps the froth and detail/overworking is a result of my being amateur and wasteful with my time. Experience will help that become less of an issue (I hope). That tonal interpretation ought to be revisited, maybe as one of those things you do some work on and then put it away to percolate for a while.

Here is a bit more progress on the painting. I'm working my way down the canvas, and when it seems like the bottom is done I'll go around the whole thing a little bit to see if the colour and form can be knit together more. Anyways, 'nuff said.

little_tippler · 03-06-2009, 02:08 AM

This is really great work kramus...beautiful. I like it more and more. There's a flowing, liquid quality to it that really bursts at me.

genuinegirly · 03-06-2009, 07:11 AM

You've developed a lovely texture. Thanks for sharing the progress!

troit · 03-19-2009, 10:11 PM

It's great to be able to scroll down and actually follow your progress. Until the last picture I hadn't even noticed the figures in the background. Keep the frequent udates coming...

ring · 03-20-2009, 10:00 AM

It reminds me of Perelandra.

Well done.

xuvio38 · 03-21-2009, 04:01 AM

~~~~~

kramus · 04-01-2009, 04:34 AM

Sorry for the long delay in responding. I have put the paintings face to the wall for a while in order to refresh it in my eyes.

I'm glad you like the way it is developing little_tippler

You mentioned earlier it was busier and more varied in the colour treatment than you found effective. I remember from years ago how I would pour hours into a flawed piece and that would overwhelm a lot of viewers, make the work seem better than it was. I hope that this isn't an outpouring into a flawed work, but the natural growth of the piece as I explore it.

Thanks genuine girly and Troit for taking a look. I do tend to tuck things into pieces that I spend a lot of time on. They often are outgrowths of barely formed ideas which take a more solid presence as I work. The water has yet to be touched, and I am not really sure how much it will change/multiply from the look it has now. Perhaps an extension of the sky motif, maybe not. Not sure yet.

I had to look up Perelandra Ring. Sounds like a visual image feast.

Thanks Matthew Vita

I like "beautiful and majestic" - sounds like the effort is becoming more effective.

Thanks again everyone for the comments and critiques.

ring · 04-02-2009, 06:21 PM

as the paintings i paint, begin to take form,
their voices and desires guide my hand in their birth process.

newtities · 06-06-2009, 09:03 AM

wow their are really good

kramus · 06-07-2009, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ring

as the paintings i paint, begin to take form,
their voices and desires guide my hand in their birth process.

So true

Thanks for the comment Newtities.

I realized that though I haven't worked on this painting for a while, there had been some progress since the last image posted. So here is a bit of an update.

genuinegirly · 06-07-2009, 11:07 AM

Truly a delight to see an update to this one.
It's fascinating seeing you work through the process.

Kasey · 09-02-2009, 04:39 PM

anyway i don't know how to express my ideas.it is some secret,mysterious

kramus · 10-13-2009, 06:02 PM

Returnings. Everything changes, but everything also returns eventually.

Calling it done. I'm happy with the look - it does look better IRL than what I can reproduce w my poor old camera. Ran a frame around it and hung it over the mantle for the Bayview Art Tour I'm taking part in this weekend. Wish me luck

If anyone is interested in dropping by to check out the work that will be on the walls, pm me for details.

seamaiden · 10-18-2009, 04:08 AM

Beautiful imagination you've got there! I used to think of myself as a budding artist, but I lost myself for a few decades. I'm taking an introduction to water colors course, starting next week, and I haven't even drawn for years. I've never painted (except for walls) so I'm going in really green...hoping to stir my creativity into consciousness.

kramus · 01-13-2010, 01:18 PM

Hi seamaiden - I hope the juices are starting to flow. I know it is easy to let the day-to-day eat away at your opportunities. And when you've done nothing for a while it is easy to feel that you have nothing worth spending time on. But doodles, sketches and projects for family and friends can kick-start the drive at any time. I know it works for me.

mkainz · 03-13-2010, 04:34 AM

I like it! Sorry about you getting ripped off. Like your studio, good light! I have to make do with artificial.

kramus · 03-14-2010, 07:15 AM

Thanks mkainz

It is a bother getting ripped off. In a way it is even more of a bother because the thief was after a bag, and what was in it was incidental. In the past it when my art was stolen it was always specifically the art they were after. So this time it was less of a compliment.

I'm lucky to have a couple of spots to work in the house, each with a lovely north exposure beside large glass doors.

Tully Mars · 03-14-2010, 05:27 PM

Very nice, awesome in fact.

kramus · 03-15-2010, 05:24 AM

Hey Tully! I hope life has been treating you well

And thanks for the nice words.

01-19-2009, 11:25 AM	#3 (permalink)
kramus loving the curves Location: my Lady's manor	Thanks rp fwiw her laptop and stick tend to carry papers and book chapters and presentations, not so much the personal paper type stuff. Not sure she would be interested in encrypting that ilk. The personal documents are a rarity and came about due to the odd circumstances surrounding the timing of my first class. I get to find time and energy to rebuy materials for the second class coming up - this with the car on the fritz and me doing the kid thing morning and night. Wish me luck. __________________ And now to disengage the clutch of the forebrain ... I'm going with this - if you like artwork visit http://markfineart.ca

01-19-2009, 06:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	Mystical. Looks like a fun project! __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

01-20-2009, 10:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
icevrething Upright Location: Lincoln, NE	Downward dog in the sun! This piece screams healthy well being. Beautiful work! __________________

01-22-2009, 06:44 AM	#8 (permalink)
Sun Tzu Conspiracy Realist Location: The Event Horizon	excellent!! __________________ *To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking*

01-22-2009, 09:30 AM	#9 (permalink)
lostgirl lightform Location: Edge of the deep green sea	Beautiful and surreal. I like the way it is coming along. __________________ We're about to go through the crucible, but we'll come out the other side. We always arise from our own ashes. Everything returns later in its changed form. - Children of Dune

01-16-2009, 06:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
robot_parade Junkie Location: San Antonio, TX	Cool, I dig it! Keep up the good work, and don't let yourself be discouraged by bozo's. Incidentally, if there was secret information on the laptop or memory stick, it really should've been encrypted. /nag

01-19-2009, 05:37 PM	#4 (permalink)
robot_parade Junkie Location: San Antonio, TX	Good luck. :-) And just remember, adversity makes artists that much greater, right? Right?

01-22-2009, 12:50 PM	#10 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	The color is intoxicating. __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

01-22-2009, 10:40 PM	#11 (permalink)
anti fishstick Post-modernism meets Individualism AKA the Clash Location: oregon	this is awesome. very kinetic! __________________ And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~Anais Nin

01-24-2009, 07:50 AM	#12 (permalink)
Fly see the links to my music? Location: Beautiful British Columbia	always..........always love checkin' your work kramus......... fuckin' eh man __________________ BASTARD SterlingStudios

02-10-2009, 10:25 AM	#14 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	Looks like your workspace is a bit cramped. Painting a sunny image such as this one must make the winter weather less dreary =) Oils are wonderful. The linseed fragrance permeates the room and becomes a soothing balm that drives away the worries of a harsh day. The fact that they take a considerable amount of time to dry means that any project turns into a weeks-long affair, waiting a week or more between layers. There are a few tricks to making it dry faster, such as using a 50/50 linseed oil/turpenoid mixture to thin the paint. I'm so used to oil at this point, I can't work fast enough for acrylics. You're making great progress! Keep it up. __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

02-10-2009, 05:02 PM	#15 (permalink)
kramus loving the curves Location: my Lady's manor	Yah, the space is cramped. But I also have room for a drawing table and some smaller tables for supplies, a printer and scanner - stuff like that. My concern about oils is that my Lady may find the smell of oils and thinners hard to take when it comes time to sleep. I guess I can only try, eh? That layering would create lovely effects. But I would have to spend more time painting with my current medium first. I don't want to make lots of horrible mistakes on a piece that I spend months on. That would be a total drag. I can tell that at my current pace Progress is not my middle name __________________ And now to disengage the clutch of the forebrain ... I'm going with this - if you like artwork visit http://markfineart.ca

02-16-2009, 04:56 PM	#16 (permalink)
kramus loving the curves Location: my Lady's manor	More background work done - trying to tone down the background. __________________ And now to disengage the clutch of the forebrain ... I'm going with this - if you like artwork visit http://markfineart.ca Last edited by kramus; 02-16-2009 at 05:01 PM.. Reason: pic problems

02-16-2009, 06:14 PM	#17 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	Tranquil world you've created there! __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

02-17-2009, 03:01 PM	#18 (permalink)
little_tippler Leaning against the -Sun- Super Moderator Location: on the other side	I am sorry for what happened with your work getting taken! That sucks. I actually thought the tonal interpretation was pretty awesome. I have to be honest and say that sometimes, less is more. I would simplify more on the next one. I love the piece, the composition is very dynamic and the way you have painted it makes it almost luminous. I'd definitely try this on a larger scale canvas, with less variety of colour and detail. Great work! __________________ Whether we write or speak or do but look We are ever unapparent. What we are Cannot be transfused into word or book. Our soul from us is infinitely far. However much we give our thoughts the will To be our soul and gesture it abroad, Our hearts are incommunicable still. In what we show ourselves we are ignored. The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged By any skill of thought or trick of seeming. Unto our very selves we are abridged When we would utter to our thought our being. We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams, And each to each other dreams of others' dreams. Fernando Pessoa, 1918

03-20-2009, 10:00 AM	#23 (permalink)
ring ░ Location: ❤	It reminds me of Perelandra. Well done.

03-21-2009, 04:01 AM	#24 (permalink)
xuvio38 Tilted	~~~~~ Last edited by xuvio38; 02-20-2011 at 11:56 AM..

03-06-2009, 02:08 AM	#20 (permalink)
little_tippler Leaning against the -Sun- Super Moderator Location: on the other side	This is really great work kramus...beautiful. I like it more and more. There's a flowing, liquid quality to it that really bursts at me. __________________ Whether we write or speak or do but look We are ever unapparent. What we are Cannot be transfused into word or book. Our soul from us is infinitely far. However much we give our thoughts the will To be our soul and gesture it abroad, Our hearts are incommunicable still. In what we show ourselves we are ignored. The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged By any skill of thought or trick of seeming. Unto our very selves we are abridged When we would utter to our thought our being. We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams, And each to each other dreams of others' dreams. Fernando Pessoa, 1918

03-06-2009, 07:11 AM	#21 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	You've developed a lovely texture. Thanks for sharing the progress! __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

03-19-2009, 10:11 PM	#22 (permalink)
troit Transfer Agent Location: NYC	It's great to be able to scroll down and actually follow your progress. Until the last picture I hadn't even noticed the figures in the background. Keep the frequent udates coming... __________________ I've yet to dephile myself...

04-01-2009, 04:34 AM	#25 (permalink)
kramus loving the curves Location: my Lady's manor	Sorry for the long delay in responding. I have put the paintings face to the wall for a while in order to refresh it in my eyes. I'm glad you like the way it is developing little_tippler You mentioned earlier it was busier and more varied in the colour treatment than you found effective. I remember from years ago how I would pour hours into a flawed piece and that would overwhelm a lot of viewers, make the work seem better than it was. I hope that this isn't an outpouring into a flawed work, but the natural growth of the piece as I explore it. Thanks genuine girly and Troit for taking a look. I do tend to tuck things into pieces that I spend a lot of time on. They often are outgrowths of barely formed ideas which take a more solid presence as I work. The water has yet to be touched, and I am not really sure how much it will change/multiply from the look it has now. Perhaps an extension of the sky motif, maybe not. Not sure yet. I had to look up Perelandra Ring. Sounds like a visual image feast. Thanks Matthew Vita I like "beautiful and majestic" - sounds like the effort is becoming more effective. Thanks again everyone for the comments and critiques. __________________ And now to disengage the clutch of the forebrain ... I'm going with this - if you like artwork visit http://markfineart.ca

04-02-2009, 06:21 PM	#26 (permalink)
ring ░ Location: ❤	as the paintings i paint, begin to take form, their voices and desires guide my hand in their birth process.

06-06-2009, 09:03 AM	#27 (permalink)
newtities Upright	wow their are really good

06-07-2009, 11:07 AM	#29 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	Truly a delight to see an update to this one. It's fascinating seeing you work through the process. __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

09-02-2009, 04:39 PM	#30 (permalink)
Kasey Upright Location: China	anyway i don't know how to express my ideas.it is some secret,mysterious

10-18-2009, 04:08 AM	#32 (permalink)
seamaiden Psycho Location: With the man of my dreams in Halifax Nova Scotia	Beautiful imagination you've got there! I used to think of myself as a budding artist, but I lost myself for a few decades. I'm taking an introduction to water colors course, starting next week, and I haven't even drawn for years. I've never painted (except for walls) so I'm going in really green...hoping to stir my creativity into consciousness.

01-13-2010, 01:18 PM	#33 (permalink)
kramus loving the curves Location: my Lady's manor	Hi seamaiden - I hope the juices are starting to flow. I know it is easy to let the day-to-day eat away at your opportunities. And when you've done nothing for a while it is easy to feel that you have nothing worth spending time on. But doodles, sketches and projects for family and friends can kick-start the drive at any time. I know it works for me. __________________ And now to disengage the clutch of the forebrain ... I'm going with this - if you like artwork visit http://markfineart.ca

03-13-2010, 04:34 AM	#34 (permalink)
mkainz Upright	I like it! Sorry about you getting ripped off. Like your studio, good light! I have to make do with artificial.

03-14-2010, 07:15 AM	#35 (permalink)
kramus loving the curves Location: my Lady's manor	Thanks mkainz It is a bother getting ripped off. In a way it is even more of a bother because the thief was after a bag, and what was in it was incidental. In the past it when my art was stolen it was always specifically the art they were after. So this time it was less of a compliment. I'm lucky to have a couple of spots to work in the house, each with a lovely north exposure beside large glass doors. __________________ And now to disengage the clutch of the forebrain ... I'm going with this - if you like artwork visit http://markfineart.ca

03-14-2010, 05:27 PM	#36 (permalink)
Tully Mars Living in a Warmer Insanity Super Moderator Location: Yucatan, Mexico	Very nice, awesome in fact. __________________ I used to drink to drown my sorrows, but the damned things have learned how to swim- Frida Kahlo Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club

03-15-2010, 05:24 AM	#37 (permalink)
kramus loving the curves Location: my Lady's manor	Hey Tully! I hope life has been treating you well And thanks for the nice words. __________________ And now to disengage the clutch of the forebrain ... I'm going with this - if you like artwork visit http://markfineart.ca