Absentee artist posting once again

I've been neglecting this lonely artist blog & instead have posted regularly to my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GinaGrundemannArtist. I don't know about you, but I find that trying to keep up with all the assorted web postings is rather exhausting & distracting from my painting. I will try to do better :). It is so valuable to not only create but to also share the why and how of being an artist.

The ever changing rural landscapes of western Colorado and Northern New Mexico is still such an inspiration to me. This original oil painting, "Home on the Range" captures a slice of our country life and the ranching way of using the land and its bounty, living a simple and wholesome life.

Inspired inaction

"You cannot plough a field by 

             turning it over in your mind."

 I am in a dilemma, stuck between two art disciplines and as a result, my art making is frozen in place. I have ideas swirling in my head that are struggling to come out. They are contrary to my usual mode of working, so they sit there, impatient to arrive but imprisoned by my lack of action. It is so easy to continue to stay stuck whenever you are trying to embrace a new way of working that chafes at your comfort zone and forces a new direction. I could sit here in inaction, fearful that my new direction will be a poor route and that I may get lost on the way. I could forget about the new and continue stolidly along the path of what I've always done. Or I could boldly hit the ground running, embrace the new in excitement that good things come by way of experimentation, inventiveness and the willingness to forge my way through unknown territories.  Ok, let's get moving already!

Art Opening Draws a Crowd at Downtown Gallery

Art Opening Draws a Crowd at Downtown Gallery: "'Out of the West' features new works by artists Dan Deuter, Barbara Churchley and Gina Grundemann."

New Beginnings

I've left the small 6x6s for now and have been focusing on large paintings for a show at Around the Corner Gallery that opens the first Friday of March. Here's "San Juan Shimmer". It is a 24x26" original oil on panel and will be showcased in the Western Art Collector magazine coming out soon and will be viewable in person at the gallery. Was a joy to paint alla prima, meaning that I completed the painting in one furiously energetic act, sliding and scraping paint around, revealing hidden colors, mixing on the surface to create new colors, living in the moment. It truly was a being in the zone moment filled with flow. Now why can't all painting days be like this?

This thing called social media

It's winter and although not as cold here in Colorado as these winter hares huddled under the tree, with the short days and cold nights it's difficult some days to feel charged up and creative in my cold studio. So while not creating, I'm trying to wrap my non-technical mind around blogging, twitter, and all the many ways one can now share their art on the internet. How overwhealming is that?!

For those of you who discovered this blog and enjoy my paintings, I've added Subscribe options on the Upper Right of this blog. You can either receive an email when I add a new painting/posting or you can subscribe to an RSS Feed. I promise to never send you postings too frequently ... that might cut too much into my studio time! Hope to hear from you soon.
Best,
Gina

I've been a little quiet on the web lately while painting my little 6x6s for upcoming shows. Here's a glimpse of a few of my little originals. I will be posting more as I go along. These are promised for 3 holiday season events so I hope to complete a few each week. Each is painted on a "cradled panel" which is frameless and painted on a board that has 1 1/2 deep sides so they have contemporary look hanging on your wall. It's been a great project for me exploring the many exciting images I've been gathering to paint. I'm having alot of fun playing with the immediacy of quick and spontaneous brush strokes. My painting hand has become looser while I explore some palette knife work, thicker paint and the graphic qualities of painting the image directly to the edge. Painting to the edge of these panels breaks away from the traditional method of enclosing a painting within the frame and allows objects on the panel to push out from it's bounderies.

Let me know what you think, I'm a little bleary eyed from staring at them too long!

Twin Lakes View through a Pinon

Started this painting plein air (on location, outdoors) of a view where we were fishing in Twin Lakes, Colorado. I then finished up the painting in the studio. As is so easy to do, I found myself fussing over the colors, tightening up the painting, & spending too much time on it so that it lost some of its freshness and clear color that plein air paintings usually have. I still like the painting but will continue to strive for looseness and intuitive strokes in my paintings.

Ouray Paint Out

Last week I greatly enjoyed participating in the Ouray Paint Out that was part of the art goings on for the "Artist's Alpine Holiday" 50th Anniversary celebration of their annual juried art exhibition. Such an inspirational old mining town with most of it's historic buildings & charming victorian homes preserved. The day was cloudy with the threat of rain as we rushed to finish our paintings within 1 1/2 hours. I am not used to painting so quickly so it was a great exercise in focusing on quick and painterly strokes. I started with a red toned panel and my previously completed line drawings of my subject. I sketched in the composition with a mixter of burnt sienna, ultramarine blue & alizerin crimson, as I often do, to lay in the foundation. I then quickly blocked in the large shapes, simplifying the details down to the core lines and shapes that I wanted to emphasize. I had barely enough time to add some detail to the courthouse and surrounding vegetation. The red toned background was left to peek through the painting.

I was thrilled that the painting was successfully auctioned off that afternoon in spite of the rain that started just as the auction began and with the buyers that remained thinned out considerably once we relocated out of the rain.

Striations in Blue & Gold

This painting may be a finished one. Been staring at it & tweaking it. This scene was captured as we were riding the motorcycle between Gunnison & Crested Butte. What an incredible day it was with cloud filled majestic views as we skirted between the thunderstorms getting only a sprinkle along our journey.

As on this painting, I start out by laying on a quick ground of an orange or alizirin crimson wash. Then I sketch in the composition developing a monochromatic tonal layer that helps me define the darks, lights and hopefully lays the foundation for a dynamic composition. Once that foundation is laid, in the same painting session, I begin to layer on heavier paint and build in blocks of color. It is an intuitive process for me. I don't get analytical about it until the painting is nearly finished and I am adding the final touches.

I'm thrilled and honored that Public Art eXperience (PAX) has chosen my oil painting, “Last Light on Little Cimarron” for this year’s raffle fundraiser. Get your tickets now for a chance to win this large 24"x36" original oil painting and support public sculpture in Montrose! Tickets can be purchased at Around the Corner Art Gallery, Montrose City Hall, or the Montrose Act offices! To learn more call 240-1420, or visit PAX online at www.cityofmontrose.org/art.

I found the inspiration for this painting while traveling on highway 50 going east from Montrose, CO towards Gunnison, CO through part of the Uncompahgre National Forest. The light on the foothills was incredible and gave the sheep a golden glow. It was a challenge painting even a small herd of sheep and striving to give each sheep individual attention and charactor.