DATE: 05/17/2008 06:11:46 / MOOD: other

Winsor & Newton
produces the tube watercolors, brushes, and watercolor mediums that I
use. I am happy to report that I will continue to be using their
products, as they have very strong environmental policies in place.
Here is what I found on their website:

Manufactering:
*We
are holders of the manufacturing environmental British Standard 14001.
This is an international standard and certification for environmental
systems and we are committed to achieving the targets which allows us
to keep it.
*We have achieved significant improvement in reducing waste (reduction at source, alternatives to landfill and by recycling.)
*Our factory machinery is monitored for energy usage and has been upgraded to improve efficiency.
*We
have reduced the amount of water usage in our factory and have invested
in an improved effluent treatment plant. This has enabled us to recover
30% of water resulting in a saving of 1.2 million litres of water per
year.
*Our packaging recycling facility enables us to reduce landfill disposal by 180-220 tonnes per year.
*Our office's new individual heating and cooling system has greatly reduced our energy consumption.
*Our
cadmium levels in our waste is dropping by about 80-90% year on year
which is a clear reduction in our hazardous waste. This is due to
improved processing, not a reduction in the use of cadmiums.

In
addition, Winsor & Newton provides tips to artists on how they can
reduce their own environmental impact. Since I may not be able to use
the Dr. PH Martin's Hydras Watercolors due to their lack of response to
my inquiries, I may begin using Winsor & Newton tube colors more
often. Please visit their website at Winsor-Newton to see all the great products they make and to learn more about their environmental policies.

DoAn

View Entry

DATE: 05/12/2008 18:47:42 / MOOD: full of life

In the continuing examination of the products I use to create my art, I am pleased to announce that Derwent is a company whose products I will continue to use. Derwent produces a large array of artist pencils and related products. Aside from the usual drawing and colored pencils, I also use their watercolor pencils, graphitint (colored graphite) and inktense pencils (ink in pencil form!) to create my art. I went to their website to find out about their environmental policies and here is what I found:

Please check out the Derwent website for more information about the company and their products!

I have not heard anything from Frederix (Tara Materials) who makes the canvases I use, nor have I heard from Dr PH Martin's, or Daler Rowney, both of which make the inks and watercolors I use. I have contacted them twice now. Unless I hear back from them regarding their environmental policies, I will use up what I have of their products, and will not purchase any new materials from them. It is a shame, because I really like their products a lot. Let's hope they come through sometime in the future.

DoAn

View Entry

DATE: 05/10/2008 10:13:37 / MOOD: other

The
Goose is a continuation of a unofficial series that I started with the
Fox paintings I completed at the end of last year. I had thought it
would be interesting to do a painting representing the animals
that have served as guides and symbols for me over the years. These
animals have repeatedly shown up in dreams, journey work, or through
unexpected situations. The Fox has connections to place and home for
me, which is why I created four paintings representing the four seasons
that my home passes through.

The Goose represents my own spirit.
You could say it is kind of a personal totem for me. I read a lot of
folklore and mythology associated with the goose. Before I stated this
painting. I wanted to allow the information to simmer a while so when I
began the piece, I could tap into the qualities of the goose that I
connected the strongest to. However, because I let the information fill
my subconscious, I believe that the painting can be viewed by many
different people and each person will connect with an aspect of the
Goose that doesn't necessarily represent my relationship to it.

In this painting, I focused on the qualities of the Goose that represent protection, creation, and community.

I
have a Goose standing on an overlook, keeping an eye out for danger.
The Celts associated the goose with war because of its watchful nature
and aggressive temperament. Geese will vigorously defend their
territory and warn of any visitors with their loud honking. If you have
ever experienced a territorial goose on a farm, you will know they are
very effective! There are stories about how geese saved the Romans with
their warning cries when the Gauls attacked the citadel of the Capital.

I
depicted a goose on land, one swimming in the water, and another flying
in the air. Because Geese are equally at home in all three
environments, they represent the integration of the physical (land),
emotional (water) and spiritual (air) spheres necessary for creation.
The main goose is standing on one leg, which represents the goose's
ability to travel between the three spheres. Standing on one foot, in
ancient tradition, was a technique for accessing the Otherworld. In
Ancient Eqypt and China the goose was considered a messenger between
Heaven and Earth.

In the foreground grows a blackberry bush. The
blackberry is associated with the goose, probably because it is a plant
that is protective and also serves as a portal to the Otherworld. I
have the canes of the blackberry growing in the shape of an infinity
symbol, to represent how the integration of the three spheres is a
never ending cycle. The leaves on flowering canes always grow in
threes. The number three is a sacred number, which is reflected in the
triple nature of the Goose.

Geese are never alone. Community is
everything to them. Geese mate for life and will never leave their
partner behind. If one of a pair is sick or wounded, its mate will stay
with it. When migrating, geese work together, flying in a V-formation
to help save energy in their travels. In China the goose is a symbol of
marriage because of their life-long pair bond.

Even though the
Canada Goose is more common around my home, I chose to depict the
Greylag Goose because of my years practicing Korean Buddhism, which
uses gray robes for its dharma habit.

There are many ways to
view the Goose. Don't let my interpretations limit your own. Go ahead
and explore how you might relate to this fascinating bird.

DoAn

(The Goose, 5 x 7", ink on clayboard)

View Entry

DATE: 05/06/2008 20:41:55 / MOOD: full of life


Step 4: The Creation Stage

I
have done the research, come up with the image, mediated, and completed
the drawing, and planning. Now I am ready to really bring the painting
to life. This process is the least complicated, but often the most
demanding.

Before I start painting, I get the colors together
that I selected from the previous stage. Then I use the tracing paper
and transfer a very light tracing of the drawing on the painting
surface. In this case, it is an Ampersand Clayboard Smooth board.

Then
I might play some music to help connect me to the energy of the
painting and to set a creative atmosphere. In the case of the Goose
painting, I listened to a lot of medieval music, with a tendency toward
heavy drums. The band Corvus Corax
became a favorite while working on this piece. The music helps to
connect me to the painting, which is beneficial when I have to stop and
start painting many times.

When I actually start the painting, a
curious thing tends to happen, I find myself entering a meditative
state, similar to when I am creating the drawing. I have a tendency to
lose track of time. In fact, I often can paint for five or six hours
straight, thinking when I have stopped to take a break, that I have
only been working for an hour or two. When I am working on the
beginning stages of the painting I need to be sure that have a good
chunk of time in which to work. If I have a place to be or have a job
to go to, it is not a good idea to start painting, or I will end up
missing the appointment or being late for work. If I wait until the end
of the day, after I get home from work or my appointments, I might
paint until the wee hours of the night and end up losing precious
sleep! At later stages when I am doing detail work, I can start and
stop more easily. So, sometimes I can paint for an hour before work or
after I come home, without fear of disappearing from the world for too
long!

Where do I go when I paint? If any of you meditate, you
might relate to this experience more easily. I practiced very serious
sitting meditation for over four years before I began shifting my focus
more heavily on painting. To me, there is little difference between
sitting meditation and painting. The only difference perhaps is in the
posture. In both instances my mind is open, my thoughts are focused,
but not fixed on any one thing. I am connected to the present moment.
Suddenly, I am aware of no past, present or future, perhaps, I am aware
of them existing all at once. I believe this helps me to create a
painting that is connected to universal energy. It helps to keep my
artwork authentic, which I hope, in turn, helps my work to reach people
on a deeper level.

The tools I use here are:
(clockwise from the bottom left)
--The drawing from which I refer occasionally as I paint, mainly for the finer details that come later in the painting.
--The color sketch and color palette
--My laptop, which I use to view reference photos (I try not to print too many of my photos to help save trees and reduce waste)
--My tracing of the drawing (beneath that is a composite photo I created in Photoshop to use as a compositional reference)
--My cup of tea (now it is white or green tea, since I need a steady hand at this stage)
--My inks for painting
--Blending medium (for extending the drying time of the inks)
--Masking
Fluid (This is a special liquid use to mark off areas of the painting
that I don't want the ink to cover. Perhaps I want to reserve white in
places. I can brush the masking fluid on and let it dry. Then I can
paint all over it. When I am done, I simply rub the masking fluid off
and the the area it covered is untouched by the ink. I can paint that
area or leave it white.)
--Spray mister (to keep my palette wet so the inks don't dry out)
--Jar of water with my brushes in it
--Small jars of mixed colors
--Watersoluble Ink Pencils (These come in handy for very tiny details, as this painting is only 5 x 7")
--My mixing palette
--Paper
towels (These are made from 100% recycled materials. I try to reuse
them many times. Since once the ink dries it is permanent, I can re-wet
the paper towel and don't have to worry about the ink running.)

The
length of the Creation Stage various depending the painting. Some
paintings can take weeks or months to complete, others only a few days.
Usually, the smaller pieces take less time. But, if I am doing a lot of
glazing work, the time to finish a piece can be significantly longer
due to the drying time required between layers.

I am adding the
finishing touches to the Goose painting now, and I will be posting the
final piece in a few days. Be sure to check back to see the result. At
that time, I will also share the background information about the Goose
and why I chose it as a subject.

DoAn

View Entry

DATE: 05/04/2008 22:20:24 / MOOD: full of life


Step 3: Cultivation Stage

Now
that I have the idea or concept and a composition is drafted, I can
explore color! Color is a very important factor to my paintings. It is
probably the main thread that connects all my varied styles of art. I
am drawn to saturated colors. I like rich, vibrant colors that are
still natural and not too garish. This is probably why spring and
autumn are my favorite seasons, as they tend to be the two most
colorful seasons.

The purpose of this stage is to determine the
color palette that best suits the piece. The colors I choose are not
only part of a visual aesthetic, but should also match the theme and
concept of the particular piece. Color not only reflects the world we
see, but it can also evoke mood, create atmosphere, and act as symbols.
I try to incorporate all these in varying degrees in each of my
paintings.

In this stage, I will create a color sketch of the
painting. First, I transfer the drawing onto paper, then I will start
to paint the image using the colors I think will work best for the
piece. I am not as concerned with detail or exactness of the image. I
am focusing mainly on color relationships. While I am painting, I keep
track of the colors I use and think are right for the piece by making a
small color palette on a separate sheet of paper.

One of the
side benefits of doing a color sketch is that I get a second chance to
see if the composition works. In the case of the Goose painting here, I
realized once I started adding the trees in the background, that the
painting was feeling too cramped. So, in the final painting, I will get
rid of the trees and leave an open sky with a low horizon. Now the
goose can breathe!

Often, while I work on the color sketch, I
make notes to myself about the piece. For example, on the Goose
painting, I didn't like how dark the grass was behind the black-berry
bush, so I made a note to lighten the green in the final painting. I
might make suggestions about altering the composition, adjusting a
color, or adding or subtracting details.

The tools I use here are:
On the left side:
Colored pencils for coloring small details or fine lines
Permanent marker for writing comments on the color test.
Paper for testing out colors.

In the Center:
Bottles of Ink.
Bottle
of blending medium for mixing with the ink to keep it from drying too
fast. (Once ink is dry it is permanent and nearly impossible to make
corrections.)
Color Palette of selected colors for the final painting.
Color Sketch.

On the Right Side:
My cup of tea. (I am back to black tea here, as this part of the process doesn't require any careful brush strokes.)
More bottles of ink.
Jar of water.
Small
containers for storing newly created colors. (Sometimes I have to
combine two or more ink colors together to create my own color
mixtures. It is much easier to make large quantities at one time to
make sure the color is consistent in one painting.)
Dropper for mixing colors.
Brushes.
Ceramic palette for mixing colors.
Paper towel for absorbing excess water and pigment from brushes and for clean-up.

Once I get the colors right and have a good color palette created. It is on to the next step: the Creation Stage

DoAn

View Entry

DATE: 05/02/2008 08:42:29 / MOOD: full of life


Step 2: Growing Stage

After
the idea or inspiration for a painting begins to take more solid form
and substance in my mind, I can begin sketching and working out the
composition. Here the previous research and meditation have its
greatest influence as the image begins to appear on paper.

I
usually make several drawings, some will be simple line drawings,
others will be value studies. I will play around with compositional
elements as well. I use many different pencils for doing the drawing
and value studies. I use tracing paper to trace over my drawing and
then use the tracing to reposition the drawing. That way I can
experiment more freely with the composition and save time from having
to redraw the entire thing from scratch. The rubbing alcohol is used to
fix the graphite on the tracing paper so it doesn't smudge all over the
paper when I am transferring the image. I use the colored pencils for
tracing so I know what part of the image I have already traced. For
example, in this drawing I have the main goose in the foreground and
two other geese in the background, one swimming, one flying. I can
trace my drawing, then transfer it to a new composition, moving the
flying goose higher or lower to create a stronger composition.

Often,
when I am working on the drawing, I lose awareness of time and my
surroundings. When that happens, it is only when I step away from my
desk to stretch or refresh my tea that I notice fully what I have been
working on. I may decide to do some refinement at this point, or
perhaps follow up with some further research. Occasionally symbols or
images appear in the drawing that correlate with a deeper meaning from
what I had originally intended. This happened recently with my drawing
for the painting Boann: Transformation of a Goddess.
After several hours working in the drawing, I stepped away and noticed
that I had drawn a fish. I did some further research and found out
about the powerful connection between Boann and the salmon. The
information was very likely in my mind from previous research, but it
was stored somewhere in my subconscious memory, because I wasn't aware
of it. The trance-effect of the drawing process tends to bring the
subconscious material out onto the paper.

The other valuable
tools I use are erasers. I use the white nylon eraser for getting rid
of large areas completely. The kneaded eraser (that knobby grey item)
is used to lighten areas without erasing the pencil completely. The
electric eraser (the thick pen-like object) is one of the most
fantastic inventions! I use this as another drawing tool, erasing areas
to shape and give form and depth to the drawing. The power of the
eraser lets me erase fine areas all the way to the white of the paper.
Sometimes drawing is more about subtracting pencil marks, more than
making marks!

The tissues are for smudging the pencil on the
paper to create more gray tones I also use the tissues for applying the
alcohol to the tissue paper.

You can see some field guides and
some photos for some quick references, in this case, to make sure I get
such things as the number of leaves on a blackberry branch or the
pattern of the goose feathers correct. Even though I am working with
myth and folklore, I like to have some aspects rooted in reality. I
would prefer to have most of my information come from direct
observation, but unfortunately, until I can become a full-time artist,
I often have to rely on other sources like these.

And lastly,
my faithful cup of tea! By this time, I am beginning to move away from
the black teas, into black tea blends and oolongs. Soon, I will be
breaking out the greens and whites.

During this step, I might
take breaks and, weather permitting, go for walks in the park. I
usually bring my camera and take pictures of things that inspire me, or
catch my eye. If I have time, I might bring my sketchbook and do some
quick observational drawings. Usually, however, the walk is more about
stepping back from the drawing process. I might need to clear my mind
or settle my energy. This part of the process tends to raise my energy
and I find that once I get up from my chair, I feel a bit antsy and
hypersensitive. Walking outside helps to ground me once more.

Once I get a feeling that the drawing is ready, it is time to move on to the next step: The Cultivation Stage.

DoAn

View Entry

DATE: 04/30/2008 09:31:08 / MOOD: other


There
is much that happens before a painting is completed, posted on my blog
and loaded to my website, or various print-on-demand sites. I thought
it would be helpful to my clients, those interested in my work, and to
other artists to share my creative process with you. Over the next few
posts, I will be giving you the step by step process of how I create my
art.

Part 1: The Germination Stage

Here you see my desk
with many of the tools I use to brainstorm and come up with ideas and
compositions. Many times, I already have a picture in my head of what I
think I would like to create. Other times, I have no image, but an idea
of a theme or a subject. In either case, I need to refine the image or
develop the idea into something workable. It is rare that I can
actually recreate the images in my mind to my satisfaction, so research
helps to develop something more workable.

You can see several
books that I reference for ideas. In this case, I have an idea to
create a painting based on myths and totemic relationships to the
goose. I look at books on folklore, mythic traditions, field guides,
and studies in biological behavior. I use the computer to do some
additional research (see the pages of notes on the right). I compile
all this information and write about it in my journal, which you see in
the center. On the left are small thumbnail sketches that pop into my
head as I research and write my notes.

In the back are CDs of
music that I listen to while brainstorming. Music is a very helpful
tool in creating my art. Sometimes music is a direct source of
inspiration, like the band Boann's Clan was when I worked on my
painting Boann: Transformation of a Goddess.
They had a CD that was about the life of Boann. I am not always so
lucky to find such perfect music, however, and usually find music that
is relaxing and inspiring. Music helps me to set a mood and atmosphere
for creation. I often listen to the same music over and over while
working on the same piece. No matter what I am doing, or what other
jobs that might take me away from working on my art, I can put in the
CD and I am right back in the same space I was the day before.

Occasionally,
I will stop, do some meditation, and let the information I have
gathered interact and merge in my subconscious. This helps with
developing images and gives my intuitive side an opportunity to offer
input. I am much more interested in allowing the subconscious have a
more prominent role in the development of my work. The research I do
helps to ground my work and gives it the potential to reach a wider
audience. My intuitive side, helps to personalize the gathered
information, so that my work remains original.

Lastly, there is
a cup of tea. There is little I can do without a pot of tea nearby.
Those who know me, know about this minor obsession of mine. It doesn't
matter what kind of tea: green, black, white, oolong, etc. Though I do
tend toward the blacker, more robust teas at this stage of the creative
process. The lighter teas like green and white are more favorable at
later stages of creation, as they tend to be less stimulating, and
allow me to connect more directly to painting as it is being created.

Next Step: The Growing Stage

DoAn

View Entry

DATE: 04/28/2008 08:47:36 / MOOD: full of life

As part of my on going exploration of earth friendly art materials, I looked into Golden Artist Colors.
I use Golden products for my acrylic paintings, including paints and
mediums, as well as for varnishing all my pieces. I like the quality
and consistency of their products. But, with my new mission, whether I
like a product or not isn't enough of a factor to keep me using the
product. The company has to offer more.

I went to the Golden website and found an extensive section on social responsibility . That section describes such "green" initiatives as the Seconds Program, explained on the site:

GOLDEN
has an overall "green" attitude; everything that we are striving for as
far as our formulations are concerned is geared toward environmental
friendliness. This includes the ingredients that go in our paints, the
wastewater we generate making our paints as well as cleaning out
equipment, and any waste we may generate in between or after that
process goes to good use in our Seconds Program. The Seconds Program is
a way for GOLDEN to support artists and keep product out of the waste
stream. Employees, along with local and artist communities, are offered
products from the "Seconds Program." The Seconds Program offers paint
that does not meet GOLDEN standards at little or no cost to artists or
non-profit organizations that can greatly benefit from the program.

Golden produces a newsletter titled "Just Paint",
and in issue #18, there is an article that explains the company's new
water reclamation process. Water is a necessary component not only for
the artist to use paint, but also in the manufacturing of paint. Golden
has installed a Reverse Osmosis (RO) filtering system that reuses over
two-thirds of the water used to clean production equipment. They also
utilize RO in a wastewater treatment process that filters out the
solids of acrylic, pigments and other materials from the water. That
water is then sent to a city treatment plant where the remaining
chemicals are removed. Please see the newsletter for the complete
explanation of the RO process.

Additionally, the website has extensive instructions
for artists about how to reduce waste of materials and how to dispose
of waste materials in an environmentally sound way. To fellow artists,
please do check this section out. Even if you don't use Golden
materials, many of the suggestions are applicable to other mediums. I
use some of the cleaning techniques recommended by Golden in my studio,
but will begin practicing even more waste-reducing techniques.

I
wrote to the company inquiring about the possibility of Golden
producing a line of colored inks. I received a prompt and friendly
reply indicating that their line of Airbrush Colors are essentially
inks. I was sent a packet of informational materials on Golden
products, newsletters and hand painted color swatches of many of their
paints. I have since purchased some samples of the Airbrush colors and
will experiment with them to see how they work in comparison to the
inks I currently use.

Because of Golden's commitment to social
and environmental responsibility, I am happy to continue to include
their products to produce my art work.

I am still waiting to
hear back from other companies I have been using, if I don't hear back
in another week, I will send out one more inquiry. If I do not receive
a response after the second inquiry, I will write a letter explaining
that I will no longer use their products until I have heard from them
regarding their environmental policies.

I will keep you updated!

DoAn

View Entry

DATE: 04/26/2008 06:31:51 / MOOD: other

Many of my collectors have come to appreciate my work through the
abstracts I have been working on for the last few years. I also have a
base of clients who have long enjoyed the representational work I do
and at the same time there are others who respond strongly to my
Asian-inspired brushwork. So, what is going on here? Some have asked
about my varied styles of work. Shouldn't I just pick one? Do I have a
problem making a decision? I realize that from the outside it must be
somewhat confusing. So, I decided I should explain a little about my
art and where it comes from.

Most artists develop a style, then
focus on that style, refining it, and simultaneously guiding and being
guided by that particular style. The style of art that a particular
artist works in, becomes their mode of expression, of documenting their
relationship to a particular thought or idea. If the artist is serious
about their work, their style will evolve over time, sometimes
dramatically, other times very subtly.

Perhaps because I am a
self-taught artist, my style developed out of an intuitive relationship
to my art, rather than from any formal structure. From an early age I
felt a need to express myself through art, even if at the time, I
wasn't quite sure what it was (or that I was) expressing. My deep love
of nature gave me a subject to focuson as I learned different tools and mediums to create my works of art.
I even turned to writing for some time, when I felt my relationship to
art becoming strained and forced.

To me abstract,
representational, or brush painting styles are all very strongly
connected. They do not appear very different to me at all. I have
called myself an interstitial artist, because I never felt I could
classify my art within a particular group. Lately, I have been thinking
about the idea of my art being intuitive. Perhaps
Intuitive-Interstitial? But, why apply any labels? Regardless of what I
am creating, I strive for the piece to be authentic. I utilize a lot of
meditation, either before or during my painting that helps to keep me
connected to that authentic source, be it Spirit, God, Unity (again,
more labels).

The art I create is challenging. It pushes me.
Sometimes it is agonizing, verging on painful, but when the painting is
finished and it successfully resonates with that authenticity, I
experience joy. This joy grows stronger when I learn that my work
reaches and affects others in a positive way. I know then, that I
listened well to that inner voice and remained true to the Source that makes each of us both unique and the same.

Originally,
when I posted my work on my website, I grouped it all together because,
to me, it all seemed the same. However, I realize that the connection,
from the outside viewer, may not be so clear. But please don't let the
separate galleries keep you from seeing those relationships. If you go
to my page on Fine Art America
you will see that I didn't separate my work. Each piece on that site
has a description about it that gives background about the development
and what the painting means to me. Perhaps, from there, you too will
see that each piece is both unique and the same.

DoAn

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