Sunshyne Art & Design

Music & Painting

Music is another of my passions. I don’t play any instruments…well a wee bit of guitar, but I am terrible at it!…but listening and digging for hidden musical jewels, old and new is a favourite pastime for me. Recently I discovered 8tracks.com, and started making playlists there just for fun. I like to play them, and others I have discovered there, when I paint…especially in the summer when I get to paint outside. Something about sunshine, good music, and color…. 😀

I am often inspired and get motivated by the music I am listening to while I paint. Every genre takes me in new directions, it seems. I love classic rock to paint to, and it often gives me the energy bursts, where my brush strokes become wilder, and very playful. Blues however, inspires more thoughtful considerations…deeper layering, more subtleness, more detail. It is a little weird when you think about it….but then again….maybe not so weird. Maybe music, being an art form in itself, is intrinsically tied to the creative process of painting…. I think so. I know so, because I feel it, and it is real. I paint far better and less distractedly when I listen to tunes, over, say a podcast, or a movie on Netflix, both of which I enjoy doing also while painting…especially watching Star Trek…which inspires me on whole other levels…but that is another story! lol

Anyway, I made playlists at 8tracks (and on my iPod of course, but I can’t embed those here :P) for my painting purposes, although they also work well when on the treadmill, or cleaning the house! lol

Today, as I delve into another mini painting, of which I am going to try a sideways approach to encaustic (painting with wax)for the first time…that is to say, not exactly encaustic painting, per se, but using the wax as an effect over acrylics (I shall write another post when I finish that, if it works out, and maybe even if not. haha), I think my blues/blues rock playlist at 8 tracks will work well with it, because I want a depth of feeling in this piece, even though it is just a mini, and sort of an experiment.

Every piece is special…and to quote Bob Ross, “We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.”. 😀

Uncovering Hidden Colors

One of my favourite techniques to use with acrylics is glazing. Using an extender (I use Folk Art floating medium) to thin the paint, as opposed to water, lets the under colors shine through in often unexpected and wonderful ways. It also “loosens up” recently dried paint, so it is extremely helpful when I want to employ sgraffito techniques, and uncover the color that way.

Glazing is amazing! 😀

glazing-with-watermark — detail from “Multiverse”

Color Reality

I have my artwork for sale at a few sites, and while I am generally happy with the way my paintings translate onscreen, and happy with the way the product turns out (I have ordered a few of my pieces on products as gifts…for others and for myself), there are a few occasions where a photograph cannot capture the essence or subtleties of the piece. I love to paint detailed whimsical landscapes, and I recently finished a 24×24 painting entitled “Summertime on Vega 7″(yes I am a sci-fi geek! lol),and just could not get a photo I was happy with. It looks ok, but not good enough to post to my online stores. Maybe I am just too picky, but it just bugs me when the photograph will not pick up the nuances of the colors, or the slight effects I add, which, to me, add immensely to the personality of the painting. I just could not get it to look right onscreen, so it will just hang on my wall, for myself and my family to enjoy. And here, of course…. 🙂

summertime-on-vega-7-with-watermark — “Summertime on Vega 7”

My paintings reflect my love of color, and the way it plays together. Layering of colors gives a luminosity to each piece, and photographs have a hard time capturing that, no matter the lighting when I take the pic.

My work is far better viewed in person, although I tend to be a hoarder of my paintings for my own personal enjoyment! hahaha No originals are for sale, as I can’t bear to part with them. I originally started painting for myself, because I find a catharsis in the process and at gazing at the end result. I often can lose track of time doing both. Painting is my escape from stress and anxiety, besides just giving me an immense feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. Color relationships and trying various brush strokes and visual effects are my thing. I love to explore with color, abstraction, and expression. Many times throughout the day, especially if I am feeling out of sorts, or stressed out, I will wander to one of more of them, and just get lost in the scene, the color relationships, the nuances, and the special little touches that I give each of them. Reality is always better in regards to viewing art. I think this is probably true of a lot of things, though….

Mini Paintings on Salvaged Wood

I love to go the salvage centre where I live in search of things to use in my art and jewelry making. Reclaiming things that others throw out, and making art out of them, is very satisfying to me. 🙂

The other day, my quest was for anything made of solid wood, so I could cut it up and paint on it. There were a few new techniques I wanted to try, and they both involved painting on a more solid surface than canvas. I had found a set of solid wood coasters, and they are perfect for mini painting and for trying out new techniques without spending a lot of time on a painting. I wanted to work on a smaller scale first before I put the time in tackling a bigger piece, and risk not having it turn out the way I wanted.

It turns out, however, that I loved painting on these things so much, that my first two ended up just being small paintings without the effects. hahaha

bloom-trees-with-watermark — “Bloom Trees”

Today, I finally did my first one with the antiquing effect I had been wanting to try. First I painted the image in acrylics, then distressed it with a pointy tool. After letting it dry overnight, I mixed a little Liquin with burnt umber oil paint, to make it a glaze, and covered the whole image with it. Then, taking an old piece of soft cloth, slowly buffed it off. The effect looks better in person than in the photo, but it worked out wonderfully! The oil paint works itself into the nooks and crannies created by my distressing marks, and the end result has a very warm and vintage feel to it. I can’t wait to do another! 🙂