Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Reached the Max Limits

The neighbors
Bob
Trial images on Tyvek

Kathy Cartwright had an interesting post yesterday that reminded me that I have limits to stay mentally and physically strong. Mine are very broad, so it takes a while to reach them, always has. Last night I had to conclude that entering the first ever Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society juried show in July just isn't going to work. Undaunted by a workshop in late April, Silicon Valley Open Studios the first weekend of May, major trips conflicting with submission and take-in days, and weekly classes, I forged on to create a piece based on the theme Red, White, and Blue. However, yesterday we were asked to teach a national cycling seminar that must take precedence. I halted my work on my trial piece.

I show you here parts of my concept. I live in a multicultural area of the US and in a city where people of European descent are a minority, and I love that I can sit in the bagel shop and hear people from many countries buying bagels from the Cambodian family that runs the shop. You might recall that I painted Emy from Bernal Bagels. I decided to paint a piece with my neighbors who come from different parts of the world and had many thoughts on titles (important to me -- I guess I like limits!). "We the People," The Color of Freedom," "United We Stand," "This Land is Your Land," and I could go on.

I wanted to use Tyvek because of the interesting texture possibilities, learned from Myrna Wacknov. I painted with Dr. Martin's Hydrus Watercolors (liquid). I knew the first piece would be an experiment so I was working through issues of color, paint application, positioning of people, background, and how to make the piece speak for itself. Last night, though, the limit light came on and I halted my work. I had to conclude that I have too much on my plate and need to scale back. I am feeling very peaceful with my decision.

Thus, I leave you with some of the experimental folks. Back to Open Studio prep.

16 comments:

Unknown said...

You are one busy lady!! However, I like your experiments on Tyvek. Keep going ...

hw (hallie) farber said...

"Bob" is really interesting.

I have always stuck to the slow lane (except on the highway) and have followed your blog about your busy life with amazement.

Janice said...

Mary the texture is very interesting with Tyvek, especially on "Bob" which I like very much. Being busy is good but remember to take some quiet moments and rest :)

Christiane Kingsley said...

Mary, I am very happy for you that you have finally decided that due to many other commitments you had to temporarily scale back. I have been there quite a few times... ah! that great liberating feeling when you finally accept that you don't have to be superwoman:-)
I really like your experiments with the Tyvek - great textures!

Claire M said...

Glad I popped over here today to see these latest posts. These are very interesting!

As for the wise words - it is hard to pull back when there are so many things you want to do - but thumbs up for realizing a point where you need to.

P.S. Good luck on your cycling class! Miss you!

Peggy Stermer-Cox said...

Hi Mary, I'm always in awe when I read your blog! You're generous in spirit...and do so much! Great experiments!

Autumn Leaves said...

Always good to find a peace over decisions, Mary. That doesn't happen to me too often. These pieces are so wonderful, have a bit of an old world feel to them. Hopefully you will get back to your ideas here when moved. I am surprised to read that these pieces are on Tyvek. They look like they are on some sort of expensive rag bond to my eyes. Saundra Lane Galloway told me Tyvek was that plastic-y type of material that you see used on construction projects before the siding goes up. I'd not have guessed from seeing these pieces! Lovely and soft...

Mary Paquet said...

Friends, thanks so much for weighing in on my decision. It's a good one. Also, the Tyvek experiments are good and will lead to more Tyvek work in the future. Yup, Sherry -- it's the stuff they wrap houses in, though this Tyvek is used by printing shops, so it doesn't have the extra stuff added that they use on houses.

If anyone likes it and wants to try a small piece, get one of the envelopes made of Tyvek at the post office. Buying Tyvek means getting a quantity of it, so you need to know if you like to work on it first. Myrna always uses liquid watercolors. Fresh-squeezed tube colors work, as does acrylic thinned to watercolor consistency.

Mary Paquet said...

Responding to Hallie's comment about
"Bob" being interesting. I actually took the photo so he could help his barber remember how she cut his hair the next time he goes! He wasn't really posing, so it worked as a good source for this piece.

hw (hallie) farber said...

Hi Mary--I liked the texture on Bob's cheek and that dark area against his forehead. He wasn't thinking dark thoughts, was he?

Hey, there's a title!

Mary Paquet said...

Hi, Hallie. All he was thinking about was getting a good haircut! I wanted some color in there so I pushed it.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful work Mary!! You are an inspiration on many levels- and your ability to put on the brakes and make decisions that are healthy is one of the ways you inspire. I always enjoy seeing your art and hearing your spirit.
I think your paintings of Bob always look great. It's obvious he is a favorite subject. Wonderful!

Nina Jørgensen said...

very nice experiments!! And yes you do seem to be very busy!

Pepe444 said...

Otimo post!

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Arti said...

The second work looks so awesome..it looks so real to me...the experiment was sucessfull as per me!!!

My Yatra Diary...

sundownerin said...

i like your bob painting!

Wonderful work Mary!!

have a nice day!!