Minimalist

Here I am working with a minimalist mindset - just the bare essentials to express the idea. I am using color as the dominant design element and suggesting a landscape by the division of space. This fits into my newest series "Horizons" and I want to continue working with this theme with varying degrees of simplicity/complexity.

In and Out of a Grid, again, A Work in Progress

Another day of working with grids! My major conflict of styles has always been doing simplified versus "busyness" in my paintings. I love both and cannot seem to stick to just one style. I recently was encouraged to see a quote attributed to Degas that said "I'm glad I haven't found my style yet, I'd be bored to death" and that is the way I feel. Today I have been working with "busyness" in and out of a grid.

Small-Space Grid

Today I have been working with a grid of smaller spaces than I have done before. I really like working this way! I limited color and concentrated on not seeing any recognizable thing happening in the painting. Setting new challenges for myself is a good way to go, I think.

Painting with a Grid

The new challenge for the AARP painting class with Steven Aimone started yesterday. We are working with grids; either starting with a grid and developing the painting/drawing or starting with intuitive drawing and imposing a grid on it. I have done this a few times in the past and am finding I really enjoy this method. I think I may do-over some old paintings.

April 15

In keeping with my theme of working with numbers, I thought of doing paintings that reflect the date; hence, here is my April 15, 2011. I am starting with the date, covering up, repainting, cevering up etc. hoping that some of the date may or may not show through but the spirit of the day is remebered. I am realizing that in order to give this non-objective style of painting a chance for me, I must work on it for a good while....

Aimone Workshop

I just attended a Steven Aimone workshop in Asheville. It was a great weekend. We had such a wonderful group of people from all over the US and Canada, and there was such diversity among us; but we were a really cohesive group and formed great friendships. Steve teaches an online class for AARP now and has workshops in several places during the year ranging from weekends to full weeks and next year ten days. Most of the people in the group had read his latest book EXPRESSIVE DRAWING and like it so much that they HAD to come. I took a workshop from him a few years ago and felt it was time to gain some more knowledge. I usually don't work in quite this way but am trying to learn! We worked really hard; Steve gave different projects to do, and we moved quickly through them. Not much time to think - that was the point - to draw straight from energy within with no visual reference. We gathered to look at each other's work and made comments or asked questions. Steve is a strongly positive person and sees the good in everything and is encouraging to everyone. I hope to do another workshop in the future and in the meantime am enjoying the AARP class. The painting I am attaching is part of a tritych gleaned from a large painting done in the class.

Without A Plan

I am continuing to paint intuitively, without a plan. I just pick colors that I like and start in with painting. I am stressing texture, line and color - or lack of color. Also, much removing and covering up is done. Wonder where this will end up!

Note to Me

I have been wanting to incorporate words into my artwork for some time, and today I did it with a "Note to Myself". There was something I really didn't want to forget, and I had been working on figuring out how to remind myself of this. I watched a u-tube video by James Kalm that said that words are becomming a big part of the art scene, and I figured there was no time like the present to try this. Paintings as journals can be a fulfilling experience. I will try more.

Snow Storm

We have had a snow storm here in the South for the past two days. The snow is beautiful, but it creates a real problem here as we are not prepared for snow and ice. Everything closes down, and we are all stuck at home. Of course, that just gives me more incentive to paint! I am still working on abstract images, and this one is an abstract of a snow storm.

Another Cover-Up

Here is another "cover-up" painting done in the AARP class of Steve Aimone. This is a triptych done with acrylic paint on canvas. I seem to be good at covering up as there is not much left of the original colors put down; I guess in order to get color left on the canvas, I would have to eliminate white paint! Is this the real me?

Minimalist Again

Here is the latest of my minimalist paintings. It is acrylic on canvas. I am finding that this minimalist way of painting is really expressing what I want to say, and it is interesting to be able to reduce the painting down to the bare essentials and still feel that I am getting the message across. I love to play with the materials and can go on forever working on a painting, but it is a challenge to reduce it down to a minimum of action. This painting is named "Beside Still Waters"

and is another of my "still places" series. My suggestion for a website to visit is http://ruth-hunter-studio.blogspot.com.