Little Abstracts on Paper.

Happy Monday!! It's hard to believe that Spring is only 53 days away, while the eastern seaboard is experiencing a nor'easter. I feel bad for friends in NYC as they're expecting a ton of snow. Keep safe.

Today I'm sharing some very 'spring like' little abstract paintings. They are all acrylic on paper and I painted them with my publisher in mind last summer. I really enjoy working with Canadian Art Prints as I get to play and explore a variety of different subject matter and techniques. I certainly don't get bored in my line of work. I paint many pieces and out of dozens, only a few will get chosen to be published. If you wish you can see my new releases here.

 Pink Abstract No.2  

acrylic on paper  8x8

 Pink Abstract No.1  

acrylic on paper 8x8

 Citrus No.1

acrylic on paper  8x8

 Citrus No.2

acrylic on paper  8x8

 Rhythm No.1

acrylic on paper  8x8

Rhythm No.2

acrylic on paper  8x8

 Circles No.1

acrylic on paper  8x8

 Circles No.2

acrylic on paper  8x8

 At the Shore No.2

acrylic on paper  16x20

At the Shore

acrylic on paper  16x20

Coffee Talk with I.C.

I recently had a long, very emotional conversation with I.C. about being an artist. We spoke about what it's like making art for a living.  About being true to yourself, moments of self doubt, handling rejection, speaking to future clients and gallery owners about your art, and all that's involved with getting your work 'out there' via all the different social media platforms. Here is just a small sampling of our conversation.

Me: I had such a great morning. I painted a whole bunch of small practice pieces to warm up before I start on that large canvas painting. You know, one of the cityscapes I'm doing for my November show.

I.C.:  You mean those dark and gloomy city scenes you've been painting?

Me:  Yes, and they're not dark and gloomy. They're dramatic. And people like them. I've sold so many through my galleries, and besides, they've been on TV and in a magazine! I feel I'm sort of known for them now.

I.C.  Did you take any photos while you were painting? The practice pieces I mean, let me see.

Me:  I have a couple on my phone. Here. What do you think?

I.C.:  OMG! These are SOOOOOO gorgeous!! You should be selling THESE!

Me:  Really?? But these are just for practice, just to warm myself up. Confession. I absolutely love them! They are beautiful. But they're just little abstracts. Little color practice pieces. (big long sigh) I DO love painting these though. They're so much fun and the colors are so bright and cheery. I just can't be in a bad mood painting these and I totally lose all sense of time when I work on these. I'm so in the moment. But I can't show these. Seriously? It's so different from what I usually paint.

I.C. Yeah, your right. Forget I said anything. I've seen alot of this kind of art 'out there' anyway. But it seems to me if this is the kind of painting that makes you happy and feeds your soul, this is what you should be painting.

And that ended my conversation with I.C. I went back to my paints and continued painting the little practice paintings I was doing. And when I was done warming up, I began painting a large canvas with splashes of bright color. This is happening. Who is I.C. you ask? My Inner Critic. And this conversation ended on a happy note :-)

Floor Art

I've been thinking about carpets a lot lately. Thinking how great it would be to make custom carpets with my paintings on them. This can be done now days. Isn't technology wonderful??  Back in the day I made a few floor cloths but they had no soft coziness to them. I've chosen a few of my paintings that I thought would look great as carpets. Now on to research the process and see if it's indeed in my future.

 Untitled 7553  40x40x2  acrylic on canvas

$2500.

 Ocean View  48x60x2

$4000.

 Horizons  48x60x2  acrylic on canvas

$4000.

 Untitled 7558  40x40x2  acrylic on canvas

$2500.

 Global Traveller  16x20  acrylic on paper

$350

 Desert Evening  30x40x2  acrylic on canvas
$2000.

Coastal  12x36x2  acrylic on canvas
$750.

Paintings Available in Studio.

Did you know you can arrange a studio visit? If you're in the Toronto area and are interested in purchasing directly from the artist (that would be me) you can arrange an appointment to come and view the paintings I have available for purchase in my home/studio.

 Coastal  12x36x2

acrylic on canvas  

$1500.

I've just updated the 'Available in Studio' page. Scroll down to see a select list of landscapes and abstracts that are available for purchase. 

I have many smaller works on canvas as well as works on paper. There are just too many to post. These will be available at the next studio sale, but if you just can't wait contact me to arrange a studio visit.

Still don't see quite what you're looking for? Customization is available and can be as simple as changing the size of the piece or color palette. I'm happy to create a completely custom commission just for you. Drop me an email to discuss.

3 Artists Studio Clearance Sale.

3 Artist's Studio Clearance Sale

401 Richmond St West

#216

Friday November 15

11am-7pm

Saturday November 16

11am-5pm

All art is original.

paintings in acrylic and oils

watercolours

silkscreens
etchings
monoprints

pastels

mixed media

some works are framed

With the holiday season quickly approaching, this is an excellent time to stock up on original art for gift giving. Or get a gift for yourself. Get a few! All the art is priced to move. Please feel free to tell your friends and share this post.

We look forward to seeing you

We are Having a Studio Clearance Sale.

The studio clearance sale is happening!!!! Friend and fellow artist Lynn Kelly is joining in and has graciously offered up her studio (at 401 Richmond). We will both be clearing out lots and lots of original work. Paintings in acrylic, watercolors, illustration, and mixed media. All works are original and one of a kind, created by Lynn Kelly and Rita Vindedzis (me). Our studio clearance sale is taking place mid November.  I'll post more details soon. This is just a teaser. Stay tuned.

On Being Published.

Vibrant 1 12x12

Canadian Art Prints

Last week Canadian Art Prints released their Summer 2013 supplement and I was thrilled to see that ten of my paintings are included in this new release. Working with Canadian Art Prints is a dream for me as I get to explore and paint a variety of different subject matter and expand on my painting style. Vibrant 1 is just one of the abstracts. There are eight in the 'ikat' theme which is so on trend right now. Also published 'OceanView' (from my previous post) and 'Whispering'.

I really enjoy being a versatile artist and I certainly don't get bored in the studio. 

New Releases Coming Soon.

I've been holding on to this news for so long now but the time has come to finally share it with all of you. I've been working very closely with my publisher Canadian Art Prints since last August and ....Drum roll please.....

Ocean View 

Part of the summer release

Canadian Art Prints and Winn Devon

Some new paintings have been included in the summer release in June. Yay!! Here's a sneak peek that Canadian Art Prints and Winn Devon Art Group posted on their Facebook page a little while ago. My entire portfolio with Canadian Art Prints can be viewed here.

Imagine.

image from MYSTIC MAMMA

Works In Progress.

March has been all about studio time and painting. I have 12 paintings in various stages of completion and 3 that have been finished and signed. They still need to be varnished but I'll devote a whole day or 2 to varnishing once all have been finished and signed.

Close to finished

I wanted to go larger with the mini (6x6) restaurant signs I did last year for the Festival of Smalls and so I'm working on 30x30 canvases. This size seems to be my sweet spot for now as it frees me up to paint a little looser. Something I've been striving for. Loose and painterly. There are a few abstracts on the go as well but I won't share those on the blog until I get a few done (at least 6) in the series.

Halfway done

I've been keeping some exciting news under wraps for quite awhile now. I can say that I've been working very closely with my publisher for the past year. Stay tuned...

Random Abstracts.

Sometimes the plastic I cover my worktable with becomes the art. 

Painting Away.

I am still in high painting mode these days. I actually took a count and I've finished 36 paintings of various sizes in the past month. 12 have been shipped off to an upcoming show and the others are for a special project that I'm unable to share here yet.

Some examples of texture that I've been working on in between cityscapes and neon/restaurant sign paintings. I like to alternate between painting details with some pure abstract. It's good to mix things up a bit, keeps my perspective fresh and I get to 'play' with different materials and mixed media. That's it for now-back to painting.

One DIY Project Completed.

Last week my studio was a little crazy. While working on my summer DIY from my previous post, in a burst of creative energy I started on two more projects. I even grabbed my camera (yes, I was fearless!) and started filming my progress as I worked. I held the camera in my left hand as I painted with my right hand all the while describing my technique. I don't think any of it is good enough to share, at least not without a lot of editing, but with the right set up I could definitely get into it. Is Youtube in my future? Perhaps. Maybe a few segments on Cityline? now that would be fun. But enough daydreaming...

Here is the inspiration that started this whole project. These gorgeous carpets from Modern Weave. They are sooooo beautiful but not in my budget at the moment, so I decided to make my own.

I had an old abstract landscape painting that I painted a few years ago, on a stretched canvas. A good size for a carpet at 48" x 60". The idea was that I'd paint it and then remove it from the stretcher to use as a carpet.

The look/feel I was going for is from the Modern Vintage collection. I used my fave Benjamin Moore paints and instead of a brush I used my trusty brayer to apply all the paint. By using the brayer all the textures and even some of the original painting show through giving it that vintage look.

From the Benjamin Moore Colour Trends 2012, Earth & Sky I used Wythe Blue, Sharkskin, Fresh Olive, and Battenburg. I also used Crown Point Sand and Lemon Chiffon. There are only hints of the old colors (cobalt blue and unbleached titanium) of the painting showing through in spots. By using the Benjamin Moore paints it will hold up to the wear and tear that a carpet would get.

I could have started with a large piece of new canvas but it made more sense to me (and my wallet) to recycle and re-use the  painting that I didn't want anymore. In this detail you can see how painting with a brayer picks up on the texture from the previous painting on the canvas.

Here is the finished canvas. At this point I could remove it from the stretcher and fold the ends under and use it as a carpet as I had planned, but I decided to put a wire on it and hang it in the bedroom just to see how it looked.

Well, you guessed it. I think it looks great here and works well in the bedroom. I like it so much that I'm having second thoughts now about using it as a carpet at all.

I think I'll live with it for awhile and perhaps it will stay on the wall for good. Then I'm back to square one and will have to paint another canvas to use as a carpet in the living room. Stay tuned.

*Please note you can see the colors I used as well as all the colors in the many Benjamin Moore collections here in the color gallery.

For the Love of the Landscape.

When I put my brush to canvas I want to convey something beautiful. 

Dusk, Late Summer 36x48

sold

 No matter what subject matter I choose, I tend to zone right in on the peaceful and serene. 

 Evening, Late Summer 24x30

sold

 I have always loved to paint the landscape because I am so moved by what nature has to offer.

 Canadian Impression 24x30

sold

  When I need inspiration I almost always turn to the natural.

First Snow 36x48

sold

My landscapes are a combination of what I have seen and what I would like to see. 

Summer Fields 24x30

sold

 Some are area specific and some are purely my own creation.

 Trio 18x18

sold

I'm very moved by large open spaces. Big skies and open fields. A large expanse of empty beach.

 Sunset Path 36x48

sold

I am grateful that I live in an area that experiances the four seasons. Each season has something special to offer.

Storm Watch 36x60

sold

I now live in the heart of the city but within an hour or so, I can find myself on a country road with ample opportunity to find nature's beauty.

Cottage Road 48x60

sold 

Most of the landscapes that I've painted contain no people.

 Mountain Morning 48x60

sold

Some do contain signs of life. An old overgrown path, telephone poles, old fences.

Summer's Best 48x60

sold

I may paint different subject matter from time to time, cityscapes, still life, abstracts. And it's fun to dabble in mixed media and try new things. But the landscape will always be part of me as an artist. New landscapes are coming. Stay tuned.