Why I Work in A Series…
I used to make art in my spare time. After my full time job and on weekends when I could find some time. Back then, I had so little creative time that I was thrilled if I could make one piece every couple of months. But, as time moved forward and the kids grew up and moved out, I had more time. I got more serious with my creative endeavors and I had several pieces of art in the works at one time.
Now, I spend time in my studio several days a week. Because I love it and I have a place to exhibit it, as well as a website, I realized that I could work more prolifically in a series. Here’s the main reasons why it works for me.
It saves time because I am using the same color palette whether it is textiles or paint.
It allows me to explore what happens when certain colors are next to each other in a variety of pieces.
I learn a lot about color mixing and relativity - Bright red looks really bright when it’s next to dull green.
It allows me to create a body of work that can exhibit together and shows well in multiples.
When I am not sure what to do with a particular piece as I work, I don’t get stuck - I move on to the next piece.
Creating the limitations of color palette keeps me from over analyzing a situation and I can choose according to what materials I have laid out for myself. This keeps each piece relating to the others.
There’s less pressure to create one masterpiece because there are so many and you never know how each one is going to turn out, so the uncertainty makes each one less precious.
It really keeps me in a flow state. I get moving and everything is at my fingertips. I don’t need to think and the work comes together intuitively.
Here are some examples of pieces of work that are all in the same color palette. Cerulean blue, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold, Titan Buff, Black and White. They are in process, which is a nice way to say right now - They stink. But with each paint session some get better and some get worse. One by one they get finished and TADA! a body of work.
I love so many techniques. Mark making, painting, stitching, dyeing fabrics, monoprinting, the list goes on. But each time I work in a series, I try something. Maybe I like it. Maybe I don’t. If I like it, how can I change it so it looks different or repeats but with variety. If I don’t like it, how can I change it? What did I learn when things didn’t go well? I can then immediately apply what I learned to another piece. The rate of improvement is dramatic when you are working in a series. That’s what I’m working toward. Getting better with each and every series.
Do you work in a series? I’d love to hear what you like about it. I’d also like to know what you learn through the process. Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question here. I’ll get back to you after I clean my brushes and get out of the studio.
Happy Creating!
Claude
How to Make Art While Traveling
Collage Study
Hello Fellow Artists and Art Lovers!
I am happy to report that as this blog posts publishes, I am traveling. It’s something I haven’t gotten to do a lot of in recent time but, I’m finally packed and going places. It’s not anything crazy and not international - but it’s warmer and very different from where I live in Northwestern New Jersey.
Because we are driving, I was able to pack a few art supplies so I could play during the restful hours and evenings. I decided to make myself a 100 piece project based on a well known story. It goes something like this. There was a professor of ceramics who divided his class in half. To one half he said “I want you to make one pot. It must be perfect and the best pot you’ve ever made. A perfect pot will get you an A.” And to the other half of the class he said “I want you to make 100 pots. They can be any size, shape or design you want. If you make 100 pots, you will get an A. If you make 90 pots, you will get a B. Eighty pots equals a C and so on.” Guess who made the best pot? Yup. The students who made 100 pots. They weren’t paralyzed by the thought of perfection or of having to be perfect on the first try.
With this story in mind, I decided that I would do a 100 piece project. I won’t get bogged down with any one piece. What am I trying to accomplish? I am working on composition. How one piece affects every other piece of a composition. Here’s what I packed. What am I avoiding? The pressure to make them in 100 days. Why stop myself if I’m on a roll? Why work myself if I’m on the road - just make 100 and I know I will understand composition better. You can follow me on Instagram @claudeblarson if you want to see my progress.
A collection of collage papers, 100 pieces of Bristol paper cut square and painted various colors (you can use white too), scissors, glue stick, matte medium, brushes, credit cards for scraping them into place and some art guard for my hands.
I don’t know about you but, there is an abundance of shipping boxes at my house. So I picked one that fit everything easily. And…
Just for good measure and because I had the space, I added water soluble crayons, various pencils and my Stabilo Woody pencils. I can fix the water soluble marks with matte medium if necessary.
I haven’t given my clothes as much thought or effort as this, but then which is more important? I’ll be seeing you from the road. Wherever you are, I wish you a creative day!
Claude
Collage Study
It doesn’t take a lot to make something interesting. In fact, I love negative space and highlighting the few shapes rather than visual overwhelm.
Stepping Into the Idea of Abstracted Landscapes
Agate 24” X 24” X 1.5”
This past fall I went on a mother-daughter trip to the American Southwest. We both love this part of the country and so we set off to do some hiking, adventuring and inspired retail therapy among the colors of Arizona and New Mexico.
I came home with the inspiration bubbling inside of me and the desire to paint landscapes was very strong. I don’t usually paint landscapes. In fact, I’ve never painted landscapes. The results are not exactly landscapes - I like to think of them as an artist’s response to experiencing a landscape.
The color palette was based on the colors of agate formed in the petrified wood of Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park.
Petrified trees are strewn everywhere and the colors range from red, yellow, green and blue to a beautiful deep black. Like nothing you’ve every seen before.
We also visited White Sands National Park in New Mexico and Saguaro National Park in Arizona- but those series will have to wait for another day. If you want to check out the series, you can click the button below.
Thanks for visiting the blog. With the great case being made for vitamin D - perhaps you will take the opportunity to get outside in one of our national parks. I highly recommend it.
Please feel free to comment or share your national park, park or outdoor experiences. Since I’ve only just begun to try using landscape as inspiration, I’d love to hear how it inspires you.
Blue Mesa Trail 13.25” X 13.25” X 2.5”
The Inspiration of Winter
Scattering Seeds 12”X12”
There’s no time like the cold, dark days of winter to go in your studio and create things. The pull to be outside is less than in the warmer months so it’s easier to spend time indoors. I find that once the holidays are over and I can get back to a normal-ish routine with my days, I can always carve out more time for creating.
It’s not the first time it’s happened to me, but recently I have been inspired to delve into the realm of black and white. The simplicity, the austerity and the reflection of the skies and landscape in the winter months come together as I create with this very limited palette.
You can check some works in process pictures on my Instagram by following here:
I also have a video that gives some details about how I finish my paintings. It’s true that when people see artwork they are looking at what is the tip of an iceberg. Most of the work and process doesn’t really show in the final piece. My finishing process takes about a week and is done by adding seven layers to the painting. Only once the seven layers are applied, dried, buffed and ready to present do I call them finished. I hope you’ll take a look at the video detailing the steps here.
Feel free to send me a question, comment or share your own finishing process with me. We can all learn from each other - in fact, I highly recommend it as a part of your creative process.
Thanks for stopping by the blog and I wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Eclipse 12“ X 12”
How to Make Your Holidays Happier
I used to give my friends and family pieces of my artwork on a pretty regular basis, particularly small art quilts. I was just starting out and I was working on sharpening my skills and just growing my creativity muscle. It felt good to give someone a piece of art that had come out better than I expected or better than anything I had previously made. And I was careful to give the work to someone who would appreciate it. I knew that when you are starting out, you can feel like a little kid giving someone your artwork. You just want it to be worthy of being pinned up on the fridge with a magnet. Anything more than that is a great boost to your motivation to continue. However, anything less is a crushing blow to your inner child and can really put a damper on your desire to keep creating.
When I decide to give my artwork as a holiday gift now, some 20+ years into my creative journey, I feel a lot more confident in what I present to the recipient. However, as an abstract painter and art quilter, I find that the only time I give my artwork to friends or family is when they express a sincere and specific interest in a particular piece. I understand that if they don’t like it or don’t connect with it, it can’t be secretly exchanged without hurting my feelings. They’re “stuck” with it.
When you look over your holiday list, consider a few things in order to preserve your creative mojo. First, did they express interest and specifically like something? Second, will they appreciate it and you will be as happy to give it as they are to receive it? If you don’t have a positive response to either of these questions, you should probably get them a sweater, small appliance or personal item that they would be happy to receive. This way you can feel just as happy giving them that item as they are to receive it. It’s the thought that counts. If you think (or know) they’ll like your work, give freely. If they’ve never expressed interest, then self-preservation tells us to give them something they know you selected with them in mind.
As the holiday deals and cyber shopping continue, I wish you peaceful moments of sipping hot chocolate, watching the winter season’s changes and stealing some time for yourself to just create because you want to.
Happy creating and stay tuned for more art inspiration in the coming months.
Warm regards,
Claude
PS. Coming soon - The Petrified Forest Series
Here’s a quick peek!
Acrylic on Cradle Panel in solid maple floater frame 13” X 13”
Quilted Journal Online Workshop December 5, 2021 1 - 4 PM (Copy)
Materials List
This is a sample of the journal we will make. It is 5.5” X 8” in size.
Please have these collected and ready to go when the Zoom class begins. I will allow time for you to work. If you are searching for what you need you might feel rushed instead of relaxed.
one journal - hard cover any brand (for class purposes I recommend you begin with a smaller size such as 4X6 or 5.5X8. What you learn in class can be adapted to any size journal later, but in order to keep up with the sewing and assembly it's a good idea to start small. Possible brands: Canson, Art Alternatives, Daler Rowney, You can find these in box stores, art supply stores or Michaels. Here is a link as an example of what you are looking for.
sewing tape measure - flexible, not the kind used for construction
Scissors that cut fabric
paper and pen or pencil
straight pins
sewing machine that you are familiar with and know how to thread.
thread - all-purpose for construction and decorative for quilting (if you don't have decorative thread construction thread will work)
walking foot (optional but helpful for quilting)
Quilting ruler/rotary cutter or scissors and straight edge. If you have more than one quilting ruler, have them all handy.
Cutting mat or table surface if you are using a straight edge and scissors
fabrics of your choice I prefer 100% cotton because it is easy to work with. Polyester and blends can be challenging to work with when we get to the quilting, as they can slip or stretch in unexpected ways. (All together you will need about a quarter yard of fabric, a fat quarter or several different fabrics that you feel go well together.) The sample that I will demonstrate will have three different fabrics. That is a good number for you to start with. Again, once you know the process you can use as many fabrics as you like.
Thin batting - I use Warm and Natural or Warm and White. Fabrics stores often have similar batting in their own store brand. I find that cotton batting is easier to work with because it doesn’t slip against the fabric.
Have your device charged and in close proximity to where you will be working. If you can plug it in as you go, even better.
You will not to take any notes during the class, I will send you a PDF with all the instructions after class is over. Just come, follow along and create!
I’m looking forward to seeing you at the workshop!
Living Bigger
Maybe it’s the events of the past couple of years, or the realization that I have passed the halfway point of my life, but I want to live a bigger life. I’m not talking about money, power or material gain. The opportunities that excite me are the ones that push me to be better, to help others and to do the work required for personal and creative growth.
This year I had the opportunity to teach a cohort of young adults in a Youth Corps program. Using my own book, I focused on helping them grow personal habits that would support their success. It was rewarding, and it’s an example of living bigger. Extending beyond myself and impacting the lives of others in ways that are unique to my skillset. The ripples the students create from what they learned about themselves will be farther reaching than anything I may have helped them achieve. This blog post is not aimed at marketing the book. It’s just some of my thoughts about expanding my positive impact in ways that benefit others and feels fulfilling to me. If you are interested in helping teenagers and young adults experience more success, you can check out the book here.
Another opportunity was the decision to donate my artwork to an organization who’s mission is to help children living through traumatic situations. I’ve donated my artwork before. I pick a piece and then it becomes part of an auction and voila, the organization benefits. But this donation was more meaningful in its subject matter. Rather than just offering a piece of my art, I created this art for the sole purpose of donating it and the proceeds from the series to help others. I’m happy to say that the “Little Pink Houses” is finished, framed and ready for exhibit. It will be on display at The ARTery Gallery in Milford, PA later this week, as well as on my website. The proceeds will be given to Ginnie’s House. You can learn more about them here.
You can see the series here. John Mellencamp fans join me when I say Ain’t that America home of the free, yeah Little Pink Houses, for you and me.
Finally, for you fellow art quilters and makers, I have made a couple of videos about how I mount and prepare my art quilts for framing. If you make anything with some height that you want to frame, or if you have some heirloom pieces of quilts or textiles that you want to preserve and display, you may find these videos useful.
As always, thanks for joining me on the blog and feel free to leave a comment or ask a question. If you know someone who might find value in the information and videos I share here, please send them this link so they can sign up for my newsletters. Thanks and have a creative day!
Fear of Rejection
So often I want to enter shows that I think might be a good fit for my work. Then, every once in a great while, one prospectus comes along that is the perfect fit. Of course, getting selected from all of the submissions is always an unknown. I don’t know the curators preferences, the pool of other submissions or the vision they have in their heads of what they want to see in the exhibit. But, I put on my Kevlar jacket and send in my fee and fill out the application. After that I just hit send and let it go.
It’s taken me a while to realize that if one percent of people in the world liked my work, that would be a lot of people. And if less than one percent of people liked my work, that would also be a lot of people. The actual mindset I’ve adopted is “Do I like my work?” Because if the answer is yes, I’m fine with standing next to my artwork and saying, “I made this.” It can feel like a seven year old hoping that you’ll hang it on the fridge door with a magnet. And when people don’t want to hang it on their fridge, it can crush the inner artist child a bit. Except that I like it - and I can hang it on my fridge or wall or studio space and it makes me happy.
If your artwork makes you happy then you should put it up and enjoy the memory of how you felt when you made it, as well as be proud of where you were as an artist in that time.
All of this said, I’m happy to announce that my latest submission has been accepted to the ABSOLUTE ABSTRACTION show in Montclair, New Jersey at 127 Bloomfield Avenue. It will be on exhibit for the month of November. You can see the piece here.
If you’re at the point where you want to exhibit your artwork, I encourage you to do so. Find a local cafe, coffee shop or shop owner who will show off your creations. It takes someone who fits in the 1% category.
Thanks for checking out the blog and feel free to leave a comment or question. Have a creative day!
How I Use Sketchbooks…
It’s been all over the art blogs and Instagram. People are sharing their sketchbook practice and images of their sketchbooks. I used to never use sketchbooks because… well, I don’t really spend a lot of time sketching. I just paint or move textiles around and then something happens and honestly, it’s never something that I’ve planned. I have no idea where I’m going with a piece of artwork until it tells me where to go.
Recently though, I have created some sketchbooks for specific purposes. One to tape or glue in business and post cards from artists that I meet. Another to make swatches of colors that I might want to use to create a series of work. Just little things like that to help me organize my pile of post it notes and scraps of paper that I jot things down on. It’s a good studio practice and investing the time to do it actually does save me time later.
My latest sketchbook explores the concept is CONTRAST. Contrast is an important thing in artwork. It invites the unexpected and adds variety. If everything is the same in a piece, there’s no spark of interest. I often use the question “What don’t I have?” when I am painting to create variety and contrast.
In these images you can see the contrasting elements of art and my thoughts on how each element translate into a feeling in the artwork. I have about 25 pages altogether, but I’ve shared just a few here.
High Contrast vs Low contrast
Bold color shift vs subtle color shift
Density vs space
Balanced vs Unbalanced
Do you use sketchbooks? If so, how and what benefit do you get from making them? Leave a comment or ask a question.
Thanks for checking out the blog and I wish you a creative day!
Starting a new series...And you may already be a winner! (Read through to the end to see how.)
I have begun a new series that is linked to my limited and perhaps naive understanding of recent world events. I am generally apolitical but, I have been compelled to make some artwork based on my concern for children around the world who are facing hardship, family separation and total uncertainty about their future.
As I was pondering the situations while driving, the song “Little Pink Houses” by John Mellencamp came across my Pandora station. I realized that what I wanted was for everyone, everywhere to have a little pink house. A place where they would have a gentle life, kindness, safety and love. The color pink, in my opinion, represents all of these things.
And so I set out to create a series to express my concern. My progress is coming along well and my next step is to find an organization that would partner with me to use my art in a fundraising effort to help children have safe and gentle homes. It must be non-denominational - because I am struggling with this world-wide situation. I am open to suggestions. If you have some, feel free to share them with me.
For the time being, I am focused on making the art that will hopefully help fund some programs to help those who could benefit the most.
Hand dyed cottons, vintage linens, overdyed commercial fabrics and piecing and applique techniques. I still have some free motion and hand stitching to do.
Here are some goodies for you to check out from my website, YouTube channel and studio. Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a creative weekend.
If you would like to hold on to the last bits of summer, here is a new series that incorporates my beach finds.
Here is my latest You Tube Video with some ways to save money if you work with acrylic paint. Some of it relates to oils as well.
Last but not least, as a subscriber to my newsletter, you are currently entered to win a piece of my original artwork. It is part of my Gratitude Giveaway and I will draw the name of a winner on Thanksgiving Day and contact the winner via email. Stay tuned and watch for the email on Thanksgiving Day. Here’s a picture of the 10” X 10” piece of art. It’s ready to frame in whatever style frame suits your decor and I will be mailing it out right after Thanksgiving.
Constructed of hand dyed cottons, cross weaves and vintage buttons, this piece is part of my Simplify series. You can see a video about the series here at my You Tube channel.
Art and Ice Cream
For the past few weeks, I have had my show at The ARTery Gallery in Milford, PA. Once a year, I pull together my work and present it for public inspection and critique. It’s a daunting task. Not only because it requires a lot of work but, more so because it is an exercise in vulnerability. It’s as if I say to the gallery visitors, “Hi, this is my inner voice. My self-expression and the product of my recent efforts and skillset. What do you think?”
What the viewers don’t see is the whole picture of my artwork. They only see the finished product. Which is fine. That’s what I decided to show them. Because when I buy an ice cream cone, I know there was a cow, a farmer, a truck driver, an ice cream craftsman and a freezer builder involved. But in the end, I just want to enjoy my ice cream cone.
The dye stained fingernails and painted hair as I scratched my head is for my eyes only. The artwork that went in the trash bin or is sitting in a drawer, unresolved and unprepared for public display is not open to critique. They don’t need to see the dirty water and brushes that need cleaning. Or the mat cutting and tedious framing process. They don’t have to watch me as I ponder and stare at artwork that has yet to be resolved. The art should be like an ice cream cone. It’s just meant to enjoy.
That said, I hope you will come out this week and enjoy my work – it comes in many different flavors and I thoroughly enjoyed making it, both for me and for you.
“Artists’ Notes” Exhibit Dates: August 12th – September 6th 2021
The ARTery Gallery
210 Broad Street
Milford, PA 18337
Gallery Hours:
Monday and Thursday 10 – 5
Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10 – 6
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
Collage Pieces Newly Posted
As I continue to build the website gallery and shop, I am posting three pieces that are available in the Collage Section of the Shop. These are a combination of collage and acrylic painting. All of them are on 2” thick cradle boards.
My work is a series of decisions that are taken one at a time. I make one decision and add something (or edit out something) and then take a look at what happened to the overall piece. Only once I have seen how the piece has changed can I decide what it needs. It’s a bit like cooking at times. Does this need salt, spice or a bit of butter to make it yummy? Except it’s more like does this need collage, pattern or a line to make it balanced?
You can visit my shop by following this link:
https://www.claudelarsonart.com/shop/collage
Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question on this blog. I appreciate your visit and love to hear what you have to say. Thanks and have a great day!
Seeing Red 9” X 12” X2”
Seeing Red Side View
Circle Play 8” X 8” X2”
Circle Play Side View
What’s on the Inside? 6” X 6” X 2”
What’s on the Inside Side View
Never underestimate your ability
I wanted to build a website. That’s a really straightforward goal these days. Some people will go so far as to say that if you aren’t on the Internet, you don’t exist. I had a lot of companies offer to do it for me and the price range was wide! I decided instead to trust in my ability to problem solve and read and research and focus.
If you want to pay the nice people who will do it for you because you just don’t want to, then you should. But, I’m here to tell you that you can probably do a lot of it yourself. Sure, you’ll have to watch some video tutorials and you’ll click a bunch of stuff for a while before anything makes sense. But little by little, I build a website. It probably has some little typos or issues - but the beauty of that is now I know how to correct them. If someone else had done it for me, I’d be really lost. And possibly paying them to continue to help me.
I feel like building a website is a lot like creating my art. I start with the basics - fabric, paper, canvas, paint, tools and then I do stuff little by little until the artwork appears. It’s not an easy process but, as I go I learn stuff. I use what I’ve learned to help me solve problems later and I don’t get worked up over little things that need correcting later.
For today, apply this to your tasks. Before you ask anyone to help you do something, read up, watch a helpful video or just fiddle around until something works. You have great ability - and the more often you use it the greater it is. However, the more often you let someone else solve your problems, the less likely you will be to solve them yourself.
Thanks for joining me here on the newly located blog. Please leave a comment so I’ll know you’ve arrived!
Every ending is actually a beginning…
I’ve been blogging my art process and experiments for quite a while. Now, as I start my website, you can visit my older blog posts by clicking the button below. Going forward, I will be posting right here in one convenient place so you can find everything you want or need with just a couple clicks. Thanks for following along with me!