Cedar Lee April 7th, 2009

I’m about to start painting 9 more additions to my Sunflower art series.  Each piece is a 16″ x 16″ hardboard panel with a deep wooden frame.  Although there are many options for displaying the paintings in this series, which can be mixed and matched, hung together or alone, these 9 paintings will be meant to hang together, in a grid like this.  (That’s my Quani Belle hanging out in the top left corner.)

You can’t tell by the above photo because the faint pencil lines are so hard to photograph, but I’ve drawn a design onto each panel, to use as a guide once I begin applying color.  I’ve fiddled with the contrast to make the pencil lines more visible in these photos:

Scribbled here and there all over the designs are shorthand notes to myself, illegible to all but me.  They say things like, “brite-dark-brite,” “gray-blu,” “white red dots, red yellow dots,” “BG deep green,” “lite shadow,” “indian red into brown” and “purple/gold.”  Although what’s here now doesn’t look like much, the hardest work on this project has already been done, all the details carefully considered and a plan made.  These are my blueprints.

The painting stage, although time-consuming, will be simpler and more meditative than the planning stage.  I’ll sit down with my colors and let the hours slip away as I methodically follow my directions to myself.  For me, the painting part is more about intuition and flow, and less about thinking and planning.  My color palette is decided and my tubes of paint are laid out and ready for me.

I’ve had to spend a lot of time doing my taxes in the past week–now that every form has been properly filled out and filed in time, I can breathe a sigh of relief!  Speaking of aggravating paperwork, I also had to fill out a really long questionaire for the Census Bureau–anyone else have to do that this year?

I’ll post pictures of the new paintings when I’ve made progress on them!  Just so you know, I have not abandoned my Looking Up tree series, or my Cosmic Dance series in favor of painting only flowers–they are just on hold for the moment as I fill orders for more flowers.  In the meantime, I’m really enjoying my continued exploration into the many varieties of sunflowers.

• Works in Progress
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Cedar Lee February 5th, 2009

We had an ice storm last week and all the little twigs on the trees were coated in ice–it was so beautiful! When I was 12, my little sister was born in the middle of the night during an ice storm, so whenever I see trees perfectly encased in ice, I think of that day.

Here’s a poem I wrote in college:

Growing Things

The night Shirah was born,
a cracked leafy web of ice crystals
crept up the window. In the yard,
each branch of each bare tree
was coated all around
by a slick glassy tube of ice.
The morning brought a pink sunrise
over fragrant roses on the windowsill.

The day Jordan was born,
making me big sister once more,
I danced,
his small soft perfection
clasped to my chest,
and sang to him
“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”
for hours while Mama slept.

Mama’s wedding ring was a turquoise opal
flanked by tiny diamonds.
She dug her happy brisk hands
into earth’s black richness,
squatting in her garden
every day for years.
One by one the diamonds
were lost in the dirt
but the garden became a fruit-bearing jungle
full of mangos and blue jays.

The poem is about my mom, or really all mothers, and how they give so much of themselves to help their children grow. And in a more general sense, it’s about how life can be hard, cold, and filled with loss, but those joyful moments when you celebrate the fruit of your labor make everything okay.

So, I’ve been thinking about how I really should get started planting some seeds indoors for this year’s garden–I’ve been dreaming of “growing things.” The deadest part of winter is the time to prepare for the new life of spring.

These irises come up in my garden every spring, and are very similar to the wild irises I’ve come across when hiking in the mountains.

This flower is so gorgeous and regal–it looks like it’s celebrating! In reading about the iris flower, I discovered that it can symbolize many things, including faith, hope, wisdom, royalty, passion, courage and admiration.

I found this blurb on the history of irises at proflowers.com:

The iris’s history is rich, dating back to Ancient Greek times when the Greek Goddess Iris, the messenger of the gods and the personification of the rainbow, acted as the link between heaven and earth. Purple irises were planted over the graves of women to summon the Goddess to guide the dead in their journey. Ancient Egyptian kings marveled in the iris’s exotic nature, and drawings have been found of the flower in a number of Egyptian palaces. During the Middle Ages, the meaning of irises became linked to the French monarchy, and the Fleur-de-lis eventually became the recognized national symbol of France. From their earliest years, irises were used to make perfume and as a medicinal remedy. Today, they are primarily seen in gardens, in bouquets, and in the wild all over the world.

I was inspired to paint irises. Here’s what I’ve got so far. Right now just the very first layer is done–the base color. The end result will include a lot more color and detail. I’d say at this point it is about 1/4 of the way done.

I’ve been having a recurring dream of sitting in my garden on a blanket in the grass. The sun is shining, birds are making a racket, and the temperature is about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m wearing shorts, have a good novel in my hand, and I’m munching on a fresh batch of guacamole and chips, with a tall glass of iced tea at my side. The suntan lotion is lying next to my sandals, which were carelessly kicked off. Every muscle in my body relaxes under the heavy heat of the sun. Bees are buzzing and I can smell the sharp scent of basil and mint, and tomatoes ripening on the vines in my garden.

Somehow I’ll have to stick it out until the weather warms up–experimenting with recipes for delicious soups and wearing big fluffy socks should help.

• Family , Works in Progress
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Cedar Lee January 8th, 2009

Today in the art studio I’ve got several paintings in progress, all of them large-scale.

I’m working on some new paintings in my Lotus flower art series. Most of the paintings in the series have been 20″ x 20″. These are much larger, at 30″ x 30″. They are taking much more time to complete as well as much more paint!

But I’m really excited about them–on such a large scale, the beautiful jewel-tone colors–red, green, ivory and gold–will really make an impact when hung on a wall!

As you can see, the gigantic cosmic painting is slowly evolving as well. It is nowhere near complete, but I like where it’s going so far. No title for that one yet.

I’ve got paint all over my hands and arms and face. By next week I should have some finished works of art photographed.

I’m still grieving for Mr. Fullington–the loss has hit me harder than I would have expected, and it has been a very rough week. I’m sorry I’ll be missing his memorial service.

But tomorrow is my hubby’s 29th birthday and we’re having some friends over to celebrate. It’s a new year and I’m making things happen. My dogs are playful and adorable.

So I’ve got raw pain alongside unmitigated joy. The intensely vibrant colors I’ve been using seem to match my current emotional state.

• Life , Works in Progress
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Cedar Lee December 30th, 2008

This is what my studio looks like today.  The gigantic canvas on the floor is something I just started.  It’s on the floor because it’s too big for my easel or any of my available walls.

I’m working on the under-painting, just the very first layers of color, which will serve as a base for the painting.  By the time I finish the painting, it will look very different.

This is going to be the newest addition to my Cosmic Dance Series.  But this one is different–for this one, I’ve taken four separate canvases, two 24″ x 36″s and two 24″ x 30″s, and attached them together to make one large canvas, 48″ x 66″.  They are not firmly attached yet, but eventually I will bolt them together into one solid piece.  If you look closely you can see the seams.

As I prepare to start my New Year, I’m feeling thankful for my little studio.

It’s true that I could use a bit more space–more storage, a workshop area for building canvases and frames, a shop sink and bigger windows–and someday I’ll have the studio of my dreams, with all of these things.

But for now, this will do just fine.

This is my place of business but also my beloved sanctuary.  It’s where the magic happens.

New Year’s Eve is tomorrow!  Are you excited?

I realize that the dates on the calendar are somewhat arbitrary, and there are other calendars that place their New Years elsewhere.  Technically we could choose any day of the year, celebrate what has happened in the past and decide to start fresh from that day forward.  In fact, that would probably be a healthy way to live.

But it’s all too easy, after months of hard work and play, everyday chores, and the constant busy stream of my thoughts, for me to lose perspective on my life.  So I see the New Year as a great opportunity for renewal.

I’m going to be doing some serious de-cluttering and re-focusing this week.  I’m going to take the time to feel good about all I’ve done this year, and also to be honest with myself about the areas (in my artwork, my business practice, and my personal life) that need improvement.  I’m pretty psyched about making a clean slate for myself.  I think it’s just what I need right now.

Happy New Year, everybody!

• Art Studio , Works in Progress
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Cedar Lee May 10th, 2007

Mothers Day is this Sunday…don’t forget to call your mom!

My own mom is an expert in all things motherly…she is currently a nurse who works with new mothers and babies, and she will be a midwife when she gets her Masters in midwifery. She taught childbirth classes for years, and used to run a home business as a supplier of baby products. Have a question about vaccinating your child? Cloth diapers vs. disposable? Nutrition for little ones? She’s the one to ask.

More impressive than all of this, though: she had 5 kids (of whom I was the first) and has spent many many years making sure we have everything we need, teaching us, talking to us, and loving us unconditionally. Here are the fruits of her labor:

This is a portrait commission that is being given as a Mothers Day gift:

Erin & Her Mom 20″ x 20″

The woman on the left is Erin, who was my best friend in 7th grade. When I moved away from her, we fell out of touch, and last year I found her on Myspace. (The Internet is awesome!) The woman on the right is her lovely mother.

Here is a work in progress that’s been sitting untouched on my easel for the past few days:

I’m not sure what it needs exactly, before it’s finished…but it will have to wait, at least until after this weekend.

We are in the final dramatic throes of our kitchen remodel. Being overeager, last week I scheduled a party for this Saturday night–to celebrate the finished kitchen, it will be a cooking party, followed by eating and movies. So now we are scrambling desperately to meet this looming deadline. (Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about the party, but who knew the tiling would take me so long?!) It turns out the “finishing touches” are more work than we had thought. So that’s why I’ve been neglecting this blog so badly.

Once this all blows over–well, things will still be crazy, but at least I will stop talking about my kitchen.

And I will be able to start spending more hours in the studio again.

• Family , Home Improvement , New Works: Portraiture , Works in Progress
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Cedar Lee January 5th, 2007

People sometimes ask me about my painting techniques. With portraits, I usually start with a pencil drawing on the canvas to guide me. Then…I just paint. There is really no secret to how it works…I mix the paint with my brush, sometimes on the palette and sometimes directly on the canvas, and bit by bit I apply color, look, and adjust until it’s right. I vary the size of the brush depending on the area I’m covering and how much detail I want. Sometimes I start by blocking out big areas of color immediately then gradually making the details more specific. Lately I have been jumping right into the details from the beginning, starting with the eyes. I feel like the eyes are hard to get just right, and they’re also the most important part of a person’s face…so if I can nail the eyes at the beginning then it’s all downhill from there. The eyes, in my opinion, truly make or break a portrait.

Here are some photos of a recent portrait, “Chad,” in progress from start to finish. This will hopefully give you a visual understanding of my process.

The drawing:

Got the eyes pretty much down:

Then the nose:

The mouth:

Filled in larger blocks of color in the forehead, cheek, and neck:

Started on the hair:

More hair:

The face and head are now basically done:

Except for some punched-up shadows and highlights (for dramatic effect!):

Then I did the shirt and some finishing touches, signed it, and voila:

I hope you enjoyed this!

• New Works: Portraiture , Works in Progress
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