Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
The movie "21"
Monday, November 5, 2007
Progress on New Series and other stuff
For my one-woman show coming up Nov.9, 2007 at Thornwood Gallery in Houston at their Birdsall location, I have completed several paintings in this series. http://www.thornwoodgallery.com/
I have included two images above of the pieces inspired by quilts. They generally have more rigid geometric designs than I have used for other series. I have found it more difficult to paint the crisper lines with the palette knife. I have been thinking of trying more of this idea but beginning with acrylics so I can get sharper lines.
I began with thumbnail pencil sketches then transferred the design to my canvases using a t-square and ruler. Once I established the basic colors and designs I applied a thin layer of under colors which show through the top application of pigment. There is quite a bit of texture in the application of pigment with the palette knife. Although the shapes are simple, the balance is complicated and the contrast is dramatic. After the paintings were almost complete but still wet I scratched in fine lines which take away some of the rigidity of the design and have the feeling of loose or trailing threads. These also add interest to the rather large color blocks. The sides are black. In "BLUE, FLOATING, the small blue panel is quite startling against the black panel and seems to float above the surface, particularly under the gallery lights. I feel that the paintings in this series are more sophisticated in design concept than some of my other series. I will have more images posted on my website in a day or so. I welcome comments about these paintings and this new series.
If you would like to see a youtube video from the Russell Collection Opening in Austin on Sept. 8 2007 please click on the link below
Friday, September 28, 2007
Shows
By the time it was made I had talked to so many people that I had almost lost my voice. I don't sound like I have too much of a Texas "twang", however, so that is good. Then the next weekend my husband Frank and I went to Dallas for a group show at Thornwood Gallery. I've shown with Thornwood in Houston for about 8 years and this was the grand opening of their new gallery in Dallas. It is in the design district which has had a lot of galleries move into old warehouses that have been updated to make very cool showrooms. That day was also a gallery walk and there was good attendance at that show as well. One side of the gallery walls are of old brick and the paintings and sculpture look great against that background. See photo above.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
The last three weeks
I have been working on commissions for the last three weeks. Have completed two paintings that are 48"x48" each that are going to California and today I will finish up on a 32"x32" painting to go in a new hospital in Austin. I'd love to start on my new series today. We'll see how things go.
I woke up early this morning and went out to my studio while it was still dark to work on my newsletter some more. I discovered that I was doing things wrong and that my first attempt did not go out at all. I finally got it out today and hope the response to it will be good. Part of my problem is an old computer.
Two days from now, Sat., Sept. the 8th, is my show opening at the Russell Collection Gallery in Austin and I am excited about the show. It will be 4 women artists, Jill Pankey, Vicki McMurray, and Kathrine Watts Martinez. From the responses I am getting it will be really well attended even though it is on a University of Texas home football game night. Being UT EXs we will tape the game and watch it later and hope no one at the show tells us the score. Six paintings of mine from the show have already sold and there have been good sales for the other women as well. They are all very accomplished. I haven't seen the show up yet but my husband, Frank, went by the gallery yesterday and said it looks smashing. It is so exciting to walk in the gallery and see your paintings that have been in the studio for weeks hung in a gallery setting and with gallery lighting. I will try to remember to take my camera.
I am meeting a couple of collectors who are going to the game early at the gallery and then Frank and I are having an early dinner with a dozen friends before the show. I'll give a report on my next blog.
Max
www.maxineprice.com
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Where Some Ideas Come From
In the meantime I have also been working on two 48"x48" commission pieces. I hope to complete the second one today and I have one more 32"x32" commission to complete. So--- I have not had much time to spend on my blog or on my new series. Now that the newsletter is done for the month of September and my commissions are about done I can move on to creating and posting the blog as I go along.
Since this blog is about painting and series development, I will talk about the things that have been going on with developing my new series. I stated my intent in my newsletter to develop two new series for my show in Houston coming up Nov. 8th. Whew! That's putting a bit of pressure on myself. I hope I can pull it off. I haven't been able to start on work yet or that show, but that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about it.
Here's how some ideas get started for me. I read a LOT of magazines including those on home decor and have probably become the catalog queen of my area. It seems everywhere I look there are black and white designs and I am really attracted to them. For several years early in my career I worked only in black and white pencil or ink. I think this is one thing which has helped me in the use of strong values in my work. Although one of my strengths is color I began to get the idea for a black and white series. My intent for this series is to have color in under layers but still have predominately black and white designs.
My other idea is for an abstract figurative series which I've been wanting to do for several years. I took 4 years of life drawing in college and in my prior artistic life I did detailed portraits. Since re-inventing myself as an abstract artist I have avoided doing the figure because I couldn't seem to break away from doing all that detail. I think now, after several years of painting abstractly, I am ready to give it a try even though it makes me nervous. Sooooo -- as I look through all my magazines and catalogs I have been pulling out tear-sheets on black and white designs as well as on figures and putting them in file folders. Along with this I have been doing some sketches. All of these things are kind of jelling in my mind as I work on other stuff so that by the time I can start them I hope to be raring to go.
I hope by next week I will have finished the commissions and will be ready to get started. I'll give some reports on the process and the progress.
Max
http://www.maxineprice.com/
Saturday, August 18, 2007
New Painting
Well, as usual I got pressed for time and did not get photos "in progress done" although there is still some work to be done on this piece which I call "Bateman Hardware" for obvious reasons. I have straightened some lines since the photo was taken and I also plan to glaze the painting to give it a patina of age. I am pretty well pleased with it. The original wall was very wide and narrow so I had to change the composition. Also, the real colors were not only washed out but not pleasing so I referred to the earlier piece shown in a previous post and used those colors which I invented as well. When and if I get anyone looking at my blog, I will be glad to post the original image that I worked from if there is an interest. This painting is all done with a palette knife. The texture is very heavy and will be enhanced by the glazing.
Fortunately, I am prepared with enough paintings for my Sept. 8 show in Austin as I got calls this week wanting commission pieces and, of course, they want them right away. Two 48"x48" pieces for Atlanta needed by Sept. 20 and one for a hospital in Austin needed by Oct. 1. I have a little window of time right now to do them before I have to start painting for my November show in Houston. Since these pieces are both to be similar to paintings that are sold they should go fairly fast.
I want to try some new ideas for the November show and am anxious to get started on it. While painting the new piece, "Bateman Hardware" I decided that I am getting pretty good at doing lettering with my palette knife and got the idea to try some large pieces with words and symbols in them that are not based on actual store signs. I have also had the thought that I want to do some pieces that are primarily black and white. I'm working on some sketches. I seem to always have ideas percolating -- as Paul Simon says -- "in the back of my head, in the back of my head". We shall see what develops
Meanwhile we will have some fun tonight with our dinner club. Some of the members just got back from a trip to Africa so it will be interesting to hear their stories.
Max