It’s Thanksgiving already?!?!

Where does the time go? It’s a question I ask myself almost daily. There are hundreds of reasons this question enters my mind but without a doubt each day at some point the reason is because I want to know if I will I get a chance to paint or draw today. Sadly, that answer has been no in recent months but maybe that will change.

Per my typical rants, I blame my lack of creative works on a busy life and demanding job. These can be good things at times; however when it comes to fueling those creative fires, it just gets in the way. Now I am a realist, so I understand I cannot quit my job, move to Italy and live in a cluttered little apartment surrounded by canvases and lovely things but there is a dreamer living in here who is constantly trying to access the situation and find a scenario that would work.

Recently I have been lucky enough to travel, quite a bit to be honest and most recently my husband and I went to New Orleans. Seeing new scenery and experiencing new cultures is always inspiring to me. The laid back, relaxed mentality of New Orleans has me reaccessing my current ways, which include constant worrying, over planning, and staying at work way too long. My sister said it well the other day when she sent me a pic of a quote which stated the following. Find three hobbies you love: One to make you money, One to keep you in shape, and one to be creative. I’m trying to keep this in mind.

So today, after work let us out early for the holiday weekend (and I actually left), I had extra time and I decided not to fill it with some unecessary task. Instead, I picked up my paintbrush and started to lay down color. My mind was filled with what felt like a mountain of ideas but I couldn’t organize my thoughts.  I decided to start with the under painting and build on top of that.

As I sat there watching the paint dry I started to drift. My mind has always had a fun way of seeing things in just about every shape and shadow I see. As much as I struggle to put my ideas down on paper my mind is constantly creating, imagining, and pulling from the abstract to build something more… and so it began. A brush stroke here, a dollop of color there and then some scraping to take those actions back.

Below is the first piece I have completed in recent months that has felt complete enough to share. It’s a smaller piece, approx 9″ x 5″ painted with acrylics on Bristol paper. It has moments from past works, organic aquatic imagery intertwined with feathery orbs and floral accents. To be honest it contains most of the bits that make me happy.

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11/23/2016 Calla Grace Fogarty

All I can say is that I hope that this is the beginning of something new and that I can continue to keep my eyes open and senses alive, Absorbing all the wonders of the world around me. You only live once #YOLO and you have to love what you do!

See you you next time,

Calla Grace

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Cape Escape 3 x 3

Once again I find myself getting inspired while away on vacation in the Cape. Maybe it’s because I had a chance to relax or maybe its because I was able to see A LOT of art. Either way it makes me happy.

First we stopped off at the Heritage Museum where they had a great exhibition showcasing three generations of The Wyeth Family. I was familiar with some of the works but had no idea how talented each family member was. The show focused on N.C, Andrew and Jamie Wyeth. I definitely recommend looking at their work. Each had their own voice but you can absolutely see how their work influenced each other.

The Second great art experience of the weekend was my visit to the Edward Gorey House. I’ve always been obsessed with his works and we figured why not check this place out for a whopping 8 Dollars! The tour was interesting and I loved just getting a glimpse into his mind via his collections, stories, clothes etc. Needless to say I bought a couple more books he illustrated, The Sopping Thursday and The Doubtful Guest, GREAT reads.

The rest of my time was spent wondering around Provincetown, indulging in bevies and foods and just looking. I mean really looking and taking things in not just walking with my eyes open. There is a difference you know.

Cape landscape

The above was an interpretation of something I saw while running in Dennis. It’s by no means an exact account but it gives a general gist. It was a quick, relaxed sketch I did when I returned home.

cape landscape abstract

This was an interpretation of the image above! Obviously more pattern inspired but again a good experience. Now to add some serious depth or color blocks and we would be all set.

Enjoy and see you next time.

 

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Not quite 3 x 3 but who is really paying that much attention?

It’s Tayto!  Looking quite dapper if I don’t say so myself and he is Blue. Tayto has a way of staring uncontrollably at a person to the point of awkwardness. Luckily, being that he is a dog its not quite as weird as if the human next to you stared for a solid 5 minutes. Imagine how strange that would be.

Tayto

Anyway, he was just sitting so still I decided to sketch him out. Naturally I had a highlighter near by so he became a blue Pomeranian. After sketching Tayto I felt as if he needed a little something, a chair, a pillow, maybe a thrown if he had his way. He acts pretty entitled like a Royal might, really he is just a moody little thing but I love him all the same.

Enjoy and see you next time!

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3″ x 3″ Weekend Painting Adventures Continues

3" x 3" Image 8

© 2015 Calla Grace Fogarty

Another attempt to explore color and loosen up the brush strokes. I’m a big fan of the vibrant colors but the image as a whole is still undecided. Not entirely sure what this is. Its like I wrapped an Easter egg in fabric and set it against a natural backdrop. Who knows maybe my inner mind is telling me that I want eggs for breakfast or maybe not.

Enjoy and see you next time.

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3″ x 3″ Color Study

3" x 3" - image 7

© 2015 Calla Grace Fogarty

This hiatus from painting, which originally seemed like a good idea has left me feeling somewhat lost. It seems like I forgot how to mix color or create and image. The images I created this weekend were studies done primarily to work on the issue of color and a looser hand

I love the highlights and range of color. This piece seems to really help me see more possibilities. I would like to push the darks much farther since this piece has so much room for a bigger range.

Even though there was no intended image or reference this picture reminds me of the times you spend outside in the rain at night. When the reflections create a glow and the water causes the continued repetition of light to flicker all the way down the street. Its calming.

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3″ x 3″ an evening at the kitchen table

Calla Grace - 3x3 Challenge Image 6

© 2015 Calla Grace Fogarty

When I paint, I typically situate myself at the table. Initially trying to be polite and only using one 1/4 of the table but somehow after about 20 minutes I’ve spread my shit out everywhere. Luckily, my husband doesn’t seem to mind so I keep repeating this process nightly. Anyway, I initially laid down some color on this piece about 3 days ago and decided to try and develop something from it. These images feel like color studies to me. The element I love most though is the tubular like structure in the lower left corner. For some reason I am drawn to this and would like to push this forward. Lets see whats next…. Enjoy and see you next time!

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3″ x 3″ – POST #2

 

It’s weird what you end up painting when  you don’t really have direction. Your mind just jumps around between things you know, techniques you are familiar with, imagery that surrounds you and on occasion that brilliant moment of true creativity. The images below are examples of one or more of those ideas listed above. Fury critters wrapped in bold statements and color washes defined by a few hard lines.

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© 2015 Calla Grace Fogarty

 

The Orb – color washes pushed this image into a more defined image. Still abstract and loose the solidity of the orb brings a really nice contract to the background

 

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© 2015 Calla Grace Fogarty

 

Oh Look it’s a Squirrel – No one should ever be surprised when a fury critter makes it into my imagery. I wont lie that hook arm makes me mental but these are just small paintings that are meant for me and who ever stumbles upon them. So in that light I will embrace the hook arm and move on.

Enjoy and see you next time!

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The 3″ x 3″ Challenge – 1st Post – A fall breeze on a summer day….

A fall breeze on a summer day, probably the most ideal kind of day in my mind. On days like these you can enjoy every moment outside, the early morning peace accompanied by the tweets of birds, the mid day rush of passersby-ers trying to finish up their errands while you sip on a cup of tea and the cool evenings wrapped up in a cozy blanket on the back porch.

When your mind is at peace I actually find it very hard to paint but it is one of the few times I have the time to. I decided a few weeks ago to start painting again. For those who don’t already know there was a serious lull in production but I needed a break after my last challenge. I haven’t decided on all the parameters but currently we have the following…

  • 3″ x 3″ square  image size
  • 7″ x 7″ square canvas size
  • mixed media
  • one day per image

I have not decided on a number of total images or a time frame but maybe I will figure that out eventually. Below are a few of the images I have created thus far.

3" x 3" image 1

© 2015 Calla Grace Fogarty

Backyard Bunnies – inspired by the baby bunnies that took up shelter in my flower bed. I was happy to finally have an opportunity to utilize my own reference photos!

3" x 3" image 2

© 2015 Calla Grace Fogarty

Science/planetary – This was nothing to begin with just a few random shapes. It got a little muddy but at least I got it done.

3" x 3" image 3

© 2015 Calla Grace Fogarty

 Succulents are my favorite! – I know that succulents are only a minor part of this image but its what inspired the piece. Succulents are fantastic. They have the best shape, need hardly any maintenance and have wonderfully vibrant color.

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Three Hundred and Sixty-Five!

OMG, I finished and with 2 hours to spare! I finished the revised challenge that is, 365 images in 3 years time! We’ll it is the last post of the challenge and as I was scrambling to finish up the images I did have the opportunity to finish a couple pieces I felt really strongly about, this one included. It completed my panel piece which I will post in full at a later time. I love the critters in contrast with the designs on the eggs. I realize the two aspects don’t blend well but I love the juxtaposition. These little critters were initially born from  this challenge so it seemed fitting to end with a group of them. Also, as Easter is only a few days away why not celebrate! I’ll be doing a recap post this week so I won’t babble on here but always Enjoy and see you next time!

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Three Hundred and Sixty-Four!

The pattern and overlay really interested me after I did the first iteration of this image. This is a second version which offers its own special qualities. I really enjoy the color, it seems so soft and quiet which reminds me of the mood every day I see this. Enjoy and see you next time!

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