My Studio

My Studio 2008

In 2006 at 70s, as a single, living in a tiny place, I embarked on an unexpected, journey, never thought to be available to me. With pounding emotion, I started a painting journey, revealing my feelings, sensitivity, and love for creating art. You know the start, but never know where such an undertake will lead you. I needed to verify if I have enough skill and creativity to keep my life busy and happy by it. Not having painting experience except for some Chinese ink painting during my studies in China, I started with what I new best: flowers, painting them realistically. A Florist Show, changing weekly their display helped me to dedicate each water color painting to a different arrangement. (Gallery 2006)

Can I try landscape? Is harder but majestic and impressive (2007). To paint a landscape, I need firsthand emotions and some camera images. For me painting is best done later, inside, in solitude. A realistic approach did not satisfy me. I was looking for subjects.

A visit on Jones Island in Puget Sound (2008), revealed along the shore, strange shapes stones, modeled by water. As I was in transit, I made photos to capture their beauty and use them in my paintings. I made small 20″ x 20″ acrylic paintings and one year later in 2009 joined them in a big painting 40”X 60”.

A book about Yukon Klondike Gold Rush, taught me about people, who risked their life to find gold on frozen slopes of Alaska. It inspired three paintings (2008) which reminded me of the struggles and tragedies described in the book.

My landscape depiction drifted from realism to an imaginary approach, like in Flying Worlds, Leftovers, Cosmic Dream (2008), anticipating another step, a further detachment from real or imaginary world, closer to abstractization, describing notions, states of mind like Tension, Worries, Aggression, Biopsy (2008) Vertigo (2011), Pirouette (2013), proving how tight is the relation between painted expression and the psychical, mental, emotional mood present at the moment of painting.

Because I wanted “My way” and my time is short, I decided to avoid classes and concentrate on developing my own skills by trial and error, a longer pass, but genuine. I tried to do to some improvisation, as a test to see if I can sustain a spontaneous composition. I was surprised to see my imagination at work, trying each time to solve the problems differently. After a while I understood that in order to grow and improve my technical skills I need to go back to some basic, solid, drawing. I enrolled in a Figure Drawing class at the Community Center, a new experience for me. It was a valuable idea which improved my drawing skills.

My improvisation experience in acrylics was amazing, but made me feel not yet ready for the next step. I decided to spend more time in a dialog with nature, to observe it and to absorb how many lessons I can about it’s logic, structure, texture, shapes, color, composition, etc. Hiking on trails in Issaquah, a trip to Mount Bachelor or to Mount Baker gave me multiple small pleasures and enough material to continue my paintings. I avoided landscape representation and concentrated on details, stumps, rocks, bark, trying to mobilize my imagination to see the essence of things. A special event was a trip in Puget Sound (John Island) to which I will dedicate another post.

Now, after five years of painting I am still considering myself a beginner with a lot to learn ahead. In one of the books, I read that only after 500 paintings you can consider yourself established as a painter. I am close to half of it, it means I need another at least 5 years. I am ready to go, enjoy the journey, search for myself and my way.