Thursday, December 29, 2011

new works in progress

peony petals, work in progress, coloured pencil on Stonehenge paper, 8" x 8"

I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday season. Things are great here. I am not a hustle and bustle kind of gal so the last place anyone would find me is out hitting the shops for after Christmas bargains. Instead, I have been spending delightful days in my studio.

The above image is of a piece that I started this week. It will become part of my 'petals' series. Once again I am working from my stash of peony pictures as a drawing reference. I wanted to work small for a change and this one is just 8 inches by 8 inches. I am also enjoying a return to Stonehenge paper after months of working on sanded pastel surfaces. It is fun to change things up now and again. 

While I normally don't have several pieces on the go at once, the drawing below is one that I am getting back to after a bit of an absence.
Solomon's Seal, work in progress, coloured pencil on Colourfix paper, 8" x 8"

This drawing of a Solomon's Seal plant is rather small as well. It has been shelved for a while as I had tried different approaches to the background and I wasn't satisfied. This morning I erased most of my funky background and decided to try going with something more simple. I have just started adding some replacement pigment and I plan on heating the wax to fill in the tooth of the paper. I shall keep you posted on how this progresses.

Finally here is a fun mixed media piece that I have been noodling with. I am working on a sheet of Colourfix pastel paper and the art itself will be cropped to 22 inches by 15.5 inches. Right now I have a base of watercolour paint down as well as some coloured pencil. Oh, and the image is my interpretation of the underside of a yellow mushroom - something for my abstracted realism series.


mushroom gills (abstracted) , work in progress, mixed media, 22" x 15.5"
So, there is much fun going on in the studio. Winter is my favourite time to log in hours working as I am unable to grow food or tend gardens and I am not distracted by the long lovely daylight hours. Having said that, I am now going to grab my snowshoes for a walk in the forest before we put the goats into the barn at dusk. We had a winter snowstorm yesterday and every branch is coated with snow and topped with sparkling crystals. I simply can't stay inside any longer. :-)

Happy New Year everyone. I wish you peace and many blessings in 2012!

9 comments:

Ester Roi said...

Nice to hear from you, Teresa! I wish I could spend my holidays with you since I'm always yearning for "peace" during this hectic time of the year. No, I'm not a "hitting the shops for after Christmas bargains" kind of girl either.
I really like the pieces you are working on right now and I relate to switching things around like paper or technique or even medium. It keeps things more fresh and fun to do.
I wish you and your family many blessings for a happy and peaceful new year.

Teresa Mallen said...

Hi Ester, it sure can be hard to keep the holidays peaceful. For 24 years I spent Christmas on the road traveling to visit family. We would cram in visits to one household after another, sleep in wretched beds and come home worn out. Since the death of my parents, new traditions have been established with my husband's family. As a result, we now get to spend a quiet, peaceful Christmas at home. Of course I wish my parents were still alive and if that were the case I would gladly hit the road again but as they are not, we savour instead the blessings of a simple Christmas here on our wee farm. All the best my friend in 2012!

Barb Goodsitt said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Barb Goodsitt said...

I hope you enjoy a very peaceful and Happy New Years. I especially love the start on the peony petals. I agree with Ester about changing things up with media and materials. I hope you keep posting and I am looking forward to seeing more of these pieces as they progress.

Teresa Mallen said...

Hi Barbara, Happy New Year to you too! I shall definitely post updates on these wips. Thanks for stopping by! :-)

Dianna Wallace Soisson said...

How wonderful to read your post Teresa! It's like a breath of fresh air to see that someone else enjoys the splendor of home for the holidays. Since our family is all over we tend to stay at home and communicate via e-mail or the phone. Snowshoeing in the forest sounds wonderful as does the snow covered trees. Have a blessed new year!

Teresa Mallen said...

Dianna, you don't travel at Christmas either?!! I thought I was the only one. :-) Yes, the snowshoeing is great these days! I hope you are enjoying this holiday season. May you also have a very blessed 2012!

Ann said...

Happy New Year Teresa! It looks like you already have a lot going on. They all have beautifully exciting starts. I'll be looking forward to seeing them progress!

Teresa Mallen said...

Hi Ann, yes busy days in the studio - the work part of my work that doesn't feel like work, (unlike framing, marketing, keeping accounts etc.):-) Yeah for studio time!