painting | Beth Emmott

This is the archive for the ‘painting’ Category

What Summer?

September 11th, 2020

Well that was June, and this is Sept. Haven’t been anywhere—3 times to a friend’s—outside— brought our own wine—and 2 normal Dr’s visits—since March!!! Hard to paint but I have done some. Images of places where I wish I was. And one lockdown portrait!

Image of Mask
Vision of 2020

I did finish the long, dyed piece with hand twisted silk cordage – added some slow seed stitching.(10.5 x71 inches)
See detail on Fiber Page.

Image of Life/Twists and Turns
Life Takes Twists and Turns

When I first did the cordage twisting, I made some using tea bag paper and got the idea of using the paper as a support for designing stamps and printing. The result is a series of 12 works called, collectively, “Tea Bag Tales” More can be seen on my Works on Paper page. This one is titled, “Beach Dreams”.

Image of Tea Bag Tales
“Beach Dreams”

Then there is always a book needing to be done and this one uses tea bag paper – some dyed, some not – and with ink. Bound with cordage made of dandelion stems and a dandelion cordage bookmark. More images of this may be seen on My Books Page.

Image of Tea Bag Book
Tea Bag Book Spread with Book Mark

I had dried the dandelions this spring and finally got around to twisting them. Some I dyed with rusty tea, some were half dyed so the twist is half dyed and half natural. Some the twist loosened a bit up as they dried, and some I weighted as they dried to try and keep their twist, and some stayed tight as they dried on their own. I love the different personalities they have.

Image of dandelion cordage
Twisted Single Dandelion Stem

I’d only picked and dried a few stems, so I’ve used my stash and can’t wait till next spring to dry more. (I’ll probably still be here locked down…)

Each project leads to another and I feel I’m ready to begin painting in earnest (if the world doesn’t get worse and spiral me into a deeper funk.) I’ve been reading a lot and enjoying the many artist interviews appearing on social media. So wonderful to see what people are doing all over the world. As I’m locked up it really helps to see others in the same situation and how they are dealing with canceled exhibitions, workshops, and lack of travel. Don’t feel quite so isolated. A life line.

Exhibition 2020

February 17th, 2020

Well, this has been a while. Holidays over and done – all good but glad to move on.

Very excited to be having an exhibition of my work at Imperfect gallery, opening April 4th at 6:00. Titled “Places and Spaces”, I’ll be showing both paintings and stitches.

Much of my work deals with time past (a “Place” or “Space” in time as well as physical location) and I like the contrast of the haunting ancientness my landscapes with the relatively short human scale of time in my fiber work. I hope to get across this duality/contrast in this show. My paintings are representative of the awe I feel of nature, how it adapts and endures —both in subjects close to home and those from my travels. My work with fibers represents memories of family and my connection to women who made things with their hands. The fiber work I’ll be showing is mainly “slow stitch”, hand work which again references time, a slowing down and contemplation.

Of course, there are unfinished works to get ready—and paintings need time to dry as I work in oils. And then there always one more idea…So that’s where I am right now, stitching, and mounting, framing, and dyeing.

And a huge shout out to Bob who is making frames for my images! How wonderful is that!

Glad for a warmish Feb day for outside spraying!

Of course, new tools were needed!

Frames being joined.

Fall 2019

December 11th, 2019

It’s December and Christmas is upon us—Cards are made, lights are up and gifts sent—now to concentrate of being with and enjoying family and friends and to get back to my painting—but first I wanted to make up for not posting for a while.

While in Maine this summer I worked on sketching trees and this fall they were combined with rusty bits found in Maine and Campobello. I have lots of sketches, photos, and plein air studies to inspire work from here. These rusty studies help get me going in the morning.

Sketches mounted

Fall was busy as it always seems to be. After our trips I came home to a painting commission that was fun to work on and can’t be shown yet as it’s to be a surprise. Also began lots of work inspired by Scotland—Orkney and the Isle of Skye. First sketches and drawings and then on to paintings. I didn’t have time during our trip to draw and absorb as I wished but I do have photos as well as the images and sensations seared into me. I want to capture the sense of power and haunting timelessness I felt. I’ve just begun this series.

Evening view from Elgol

In Oct my studio was on an artist studio/house tour—that took a good bit of cleaning up and getting my work in order. So much fun to see people enjoying my work and in discussing it with them.

Mostly cleaned up

And, always fiber. I had purchased small bits of fleece in Orkney and spun and wove tiny tapestries with them as well as continuing to spin fleece from Flying Fiber for use in other tapestries that are in the works. When things get overwhelming, fiber work calms me down, puts things in perspective and I’m ready to go again!

Love my Fiber

Washing Paper!

August 30th, 2019

I was tearing some large sheets of Arches 300 lb. watercolor paper to work with next week and remembered a little sketch book I made with that paper several years ago. It’s a simple accordion structure and I wanted to have it to sketch things in my garden. Wanted heavy paper so I could work on both sides of the accordion pages. I hadn’t worked with paper that heavy and my watercolor didn’t take to the paper very well. It made an interesting texture but wouldn’t do what I wanted. I was busy and set it aside.

Today I remembered reading (John Pike’s book, “Watercolor” that had belonged to my mom) about heavy watercolor paper having a sizing on it that might be washed off, so… I washed my paper. Just a simple run through with slightly warm water and then gently sponged off with a clean soft sponge. When the water first hit the paper it beaded up like crazy but after the sponging, nothing! No rubbing or soaking, just a gentle sponging to remove the excess water. Then laid on paper towels to dry.

Also did a quick test strip—just rinsed and sponged half the strip. When dry I took a brush full of watercolor and swooshed over both washed and unwashed areas. On the blue sample I also did a dab of color on each side.

Mystery solved! Now I need to rinse my book without making a mess or messing up the existing sketches. A job for another day. But I did wash my prepared papers today!

Thought I’d share this as others might run into the same thing. I’ve studied watercolor formally years ago in school but then I used lighter weight paper that I stretched on a board. Since then I’ve used water color blocks of about 140 lbs. as I mostly take them for quick sketching. Other than my early work I’ve been mainly self taught in this media and missed this bit of the watercolor world! Always something…

Maine Painting Retreat

August 19th, 2019

Just came back from a wonderful week long painting retreat with Michael Chesley Johnson in Maine—way Downeast in Lubec Maine and in Campobello Island in Canada. I took a workshop with Michael years ago. It was good to see him again!

Michael Chesley Johnson demo and Quoddy Head State Park

Finally unpacked, wash is done, house reclaimed and grass is cut. Now to think about all that happened. On the way north we spent two days on Monhegan Island with Holly and Stig—one takes the ferry—no cars—lots of hiking—lots and lots of hiking—beautiful forest and coast line—good food and beautiful music by a woman composer (whose name I’m sorry I didn’t get). She practices on the piano in the little church next to our hotel.

Monhegan Island—view from hike and a new friend

Then Sunday, back to rt 1 and north. We stayed at West Quoddy Station in a little cabin called “the Camp”. West Quoddy Station is a repurposed life guard station that is now lodging in one of the most beautiful locations in Maine. About a mile from there is the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse and Quoddy Head State Park which pride them selves as being the most eastern point in the US—the sun does rise early! We met Sunday evening with Michael and the other artists for orientation. Our plan was for me to paint as part of the retreat and Bob would go off and photograph—both happy!

Light house and our home away from home!

Michael mainly is a plain air painter as were most of the others but as this was a “retreat” as opposed to a workshop or class we were free to pursue our own directions. People worked in oils, watercolors or pastels. They came from all over the US and Canada. Days began with a sharing/critique of the previous days work and then we all headed to a specified location to paint. Some days Michael demoed and others he painted with us. Quoddy Head State Park, the fishing village of Lubec and Campobello Island all offered a wealth of locations—the weather was perfect—perhaps too perfect—post card days. Afternoons were free to continue painting, visit other locations, hike or just veg and soak up everything. Many peopled worked as long as there was light! On the third day I just sketched and photographed and took it all in.

Something around every turn!

I realize that I’m not a plein air painter but rather a painter who enjoys plein air painting as a resource for studio work. It was hot in the sun and working with warm oils was a relatively new experience—didn’t master that this week but I learned a lot. But I did bring back lots to work on and think about during cold winter days in PA.

Two of my quick plein air paintings.

Bridges

June 28th, 2019

Been working this spring on a series of landscape paintings, concentrating on my mark making with palette knives etc. They are not finished and will post about them when they are.

I like to work in different media at the same time. Clears my head, yet keeps me working—that accounted for the book project in the last post and as an extension of working with fiber and “slow stitching”* I’ve begun a new project involving bridges—combining fiber, photography, and painting—not all in the same piece.

I love bridges, how they connect different places and allow people to interact in ways they couldn’t before. Previously I’ve painted older bridges over the Wissahckon Creek and some will be included in this series. Recently I hiked in Deleware, along the C&D Canal and photographed several bridges that cross it. I’ve ridden over them on my way south to VA before but never walked slowly under them, photographing and sketching both the man made and nature’s response.

My plan currently is to print my images on rusty dyed fabric and combine them in slow stitched collages which also include stitches depicting the plant life under the bridge.

It’s a start.

The second part of this project is to create paintings of the bridges. Planing on studies of at least three bridges—love that number three! Should keep me busy and out of trouble this summer.

* Slow Stitching is a way of working, on this case stitching, that is slow and allows for contemplation and a release from the other wise busy things todays life so often demands. It is almost zen like and I find it complements my other work which tends to be more hurried and frantic.