Acoma Fragment 1Original, oil on panel
10" x 4"
SOLD
Many thanks to those who encouraged me to pursue completing "Sitting on the Fence" --the painting I blogged about last Thursday. I worked on it this weekend. It's still "stuck in the middle" but I haven't given up on it yet!
In the meantime, I completed another small painting inspired by a piece of Acoma Indian pottery. Yes, I am still fascinated by the diverse combinations and intricacies that are formed out of basic patterns and colors. Even seemingly simple shapes like these have a particular rhythm dependent on the line, shape, and color used.
I first painted the background white, and it was just awful! After trying out several mixtures--some too red, some too yellow, some too brown--I finally got to this color which I am happy with.
Hope you have a good Monday. Thanks for taking a look. See you Thursday.
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Text and image ©Carol Adamec 2008. All rights reserved.
Carol Adamec
Acoma I
Original, mixed media
on gessoed panel
14" x 6" approx.
SOLD
Below:
Acoma pottery
Last Saturday I had hoped to paint outdoors. However, the day was a windy and rainy—great weather for desert dwellers, but not so great for plein air painters. Still determined to at least begin a painting, I looked around the house for subject matter.
On a shelf in the living room sits a wonderful piece of Acoma pottery. (Acoma, one of the pueblos to the west of Albuquerque, is also known as "Sky City, since it sits on a mesa. It has a very interesting history and is still occupied today. A must see when you visit New Mexico.)
For some time, I've admired the design made of crisp line work and dense blacks on a white ground. Rather than do a "portrait" of the pottery, I decided to "deconstruct" the design—that is, use the various elements to create an abstract composition.
First I laid out the composition and design on a gessoed panel in pencil using a ruler and compass. Since the Acoma artist painted the pottery piece freehand, I challenged myself to do the inking by hand...and it was a challenge! Although my design is more precise, the original Acoma pottery painting is done with ease and flow...a characteristic that I would like to develop in my own work.
So Saturday was a good art day, finding inspiration—and a challenge—on the shelf.
Many thanks for taking a moment to read today's post. See you Friday. ———————————————————————————————————————————
Image & text ©Carol Adamec 2008. All rights reserved.
