I like to think that paintings don't have to be done when you think they're done (and certainly not when you want them to be done). This painting started last summer and I thought that it ended last summer but when I took it out recently, I knew it needed more.

...Going back to last summer, I started painting this at home and gave the underpainting some bright yellows and lots of graphite drawing. It went along with me to a 3-day art show with my friends where we were all working on pieces in progress throughout the long weekend.


At the point above, I felt like it was done. But it was nagging at me that it really wasn't finished. My friends kept telling me it was done, STOP. But I wasn't sure. I decided that I should let it dry and then decide, took it home and, a few days later, thought. Yep, that's good enough. Damn it, I should never think good enough is good enough. But it kept getting nice reactions from people, especially other artists, and I thought it might be ok. But when I took it out again to prep for the "Working Through" exhibit, I just couldn't leave it. I finally saw what I wanted to do to it and that was to simplify the colors and layer the drawing more.

"Getting Through", Oil and Graphite on board, 18" x 18"

So I took some more paint and some more scraping and graphite to it and I'm happy I did. The new tones of blue, the less black area, and a different use of the yellow. The yellow is still there and, even though it's just peeking through, I think it has more impact in its subtlety.

And who knows-- maybe if it sticks around I'll paint it again. Only time will tell!

---
Come see my first solo exhibit Working Through at Monkitree, 263 Water St, Gardiner, Maine
Opening Reception: Friday, April 4, 2014  5:30-9pm
Exhibit runs April 4 - June 7, 2014
Facebook Event page here

Spoiler alert

I'm going to go a little out of order here because I have a lot to say and a lot that I'm working on. So I'm just going to post about each thing as it pops into my mind. That's just how I roll right now.

For my solo exhibit, Working Through at Monkitree, I've been making new paintings and also reinventing some old paintings by completely painting over them. It's quite liberating and I highly recommend it! It all ties in with my artist statement and I'll get to that in the next post.

I dug through my cabinets of old paintings (yes, cabinets) and found four that I just wasn't feeling the love for anymore. Here they are in all of their non-glory:

Now, let's focus on the one on the bottom left. That was called "Green Apples" and I painted it a few years ago for a group show at Monkitree. It seemed fitting to start with that one since I feel I owe it to the gallery to make a nice painting out of that one.

Green Crapples-- I mean, Apples

At the time I painted it, I sort of liked it and thought it might grow on me. It didn't.

The original painting was casein & wax pastels on paper mounted on board. So I immediately thought of using some cadmium green sketching oil paint and my oil sticks on top of it. The color choice was a reminder to me of what was underneath. Moving forward is important but remembering how you got there is key.

first new layer

After covering it completely, I started drawing into it with my oil bars.

starting some marks

Then I kept drawing and painting, drawing and painting, and I guess I got caught up in the moment (that is the best part, isn't it?) because I didn't take any more photos of the steps in between. Well, like I said, how you get there is key...but enjoying the ride is the goal.

finished!

When I look at this I think about piles. Piles of crap: worry, exhaustion, feeling like a pile. In thinking of a new title, one that is nicer than Piles of Crap (but that would be fun, too) and references the old title, I think I'm settling on Compost Pile. It's gritty enough. It's also about how you can take a pile of crap and turn it into something useful.


Come see my first solo exhibit Working Through at Monkitree, 263 Water St, Gardiner, Maine
Opening Reception: Friday, April 4, 2014  5:30-9pm
Exhibit runs April 4 - June 7, 2014
Facebook Event page here

4th studio session of new painting

Sometimes it's hard to get into the studio. I don't mean like "I have too much to do" or "There's no inspiration" or "There's a truck in the way and it's on fire." But there are often other obstacles that I am not in control of.

If I have too much to do, I make time. It's important to let yourself have the time to do what you love, even if it's just a few minutes.

If there's no inspiration, that's the perfect time to paint! Your most creative moments may come out of working through it and not being tied to an idea-- YOU'RE FREE!! ENJOY IT! See what happens!

If there's a truck on fire, well, get an extinguisher and call the fire department. I mean, yeah, that's going to put a damper in the day but hopefully the fumes won't be too bad.  Ok, this one will sting a little but you'll bounce back.

5th studio session of new painting where I really attacked it

The thing that's always getting in the way for me is my health. I'm often dizzy, have a migraine, in pain somewhere in my body. Most of my days I just work through it, set a goal of keeping up appearances, and relish the moment I get to sit on the couch with my pup and a warm blanket. But I've got to get in the studio-- again, it's making time to do what I love. And the frustration/anxiety/pain/bliss-getting-through-it is what feeds those pieces. This week, I've dealt with power outages that made the studio way too cold to work in and dizziness/migraines/sciatica that just seemed like that truck on fire, barricading me from the studio.  But I still got in there. It did take some time. It took energy to push myself to do something I did not feel like doing. But I kept thinking of that moment when it gets better. When the pile transforms from something I don't like and want to end, to something I'm happy living with. Then there's the painting. ;)

Departure, Oil and Graphite on panel, 18" x 18", July 2013

Don't Make Me Repeat Myself, Oil on cradled panel, 20" x 20", April 2013

Sometimes, All That is Left is the Anvil, Oil on cradled panel, 20" x 20", June 2013

Transpose, Oil on canvas, 20" x 20", June 2013

in progress

another in progress

Working in the studio again and the weather has been so nice that I'm able to open the windows and bust out the oil paint! This is making me immensely happy! I haven't used my oil paint for quite some time and have really been feeling the need to use them again. I've been using casein and some acrylic for the better part of 2 years now. I really love working with casein but wanted the luminosity and thickness of oil for the ideas I'm trying to work through. But I'm not abandoning casein, by any means. In fact, both of these painting have a casein underpainting. Technically, the green one has a casein underpainting and the gray one is an oil painting over a half finished casein painting that wasn't quite making the grade. But I used it as an underpainting of sorts.

new toys: old Grumbacher oil paint, giant tubes of Sennelier, and Shiva Paintstiks

The mark/drawing are made using Shiva Paintstiks, which are pigment compacted into a stick form with a minimal amount of linseed oil and wax.

I had been taking a break from the studio after a long productive time working on the CSA project. I needed to redirect my mind and figure out what's next. When I go through this process, I usually think back to things I know and how I studied art ... figure drawings, self portraits, still lives ... but I didn't necessarily want to take that route. So, instead, I thought OIL! Digging through my oil supplies, I found some really old tubes of Grumbacher paint that were given to me; the colors are not my typical color palette (there were mostly Thalo greens and blues) so I thought it would be the perfect way to open up and try something new. As you can see in the green painting above, I had fun using them and think I'll definitely add them into the normal rotation.

Barn Raising, Acrylic on Instant Film

 Here's a round-up of the final paintings that I created for the CSA exhibition-- enjoy!  View larger images and details on my website: jamieribisi.com

The Next Generation, Acrylic & Ink on Instant Film

First Frost, Casein & Wax Pastel, 18" x 18"

Wilted, Casein, Wax Pastel, & Graphite, 24" x 24"

Milk-fed, Casein & Graphite, 24" x 24"

Erasing the Land of the Arches, Casein & Wax Pastel, 18" x 18"

Our cabbage paintings side-by-side

I love how in-sync we were this month! Working on new paintings at our own homes without talking about them at all, we wound up using the same subject matter!  Kim and I had looked at the cabbage growing on the farm in October but hadn't painted them until this week.

Kim and I have been working non-stop on the CSA project-- we have our 3 final shows coming up in January!  With the addition of those new exhibits to the 2 already on display, we'll be showing in 5 places at the same time (!!!).  Hectic, but a nice problem to have as an artist.  It's really made me be very productive so that I have a fresh supply of new work not only to give to the venues, but to be excited about and share via the blog and Facebook.  It would be boring to me to ask people to come out to a new venue to see the same old work no matter how cool I think it is :)

So, here's the newest work so far-- they can be found at the following venues on the following dates -- think of it like an Easter egg hunt:
Savory Maine Dining and Provisions, Damariscotta, ME through February 5, 2013
Crosstrax Neighborhood Deli, Unity, ME through January 26, 2013Maine Farmland Trust, Belfast, ME January 4-February 27, 2013 (opening 1/4 5-8pm)
University of Maine Hutchinson Center, Fernald Gallery, Belfast, ME January 4-February 27, 2013 (opening 1/4 5-8pm)
Frontier, Brunswick, ME January 11-February 24, 2013 (opening 1/11 5-8pm)

My newest paintings:

It Was Always Waiting There, Casein and Wax Pastel, 18" x 18", November 2012

Do Over, Casein and Sharpie, 18" x 18", November 2012

End of the Day, Acrylic, 18" x 24", October 2012

On Display, Casein and Graphite, 18" x 24", October 2012

Cabbage Patch, Casein and Wax Pastel, 18" x 18", December 2012

Cabbage in the Grass, Acrylic and Sharpie, 12" x 14"

Vegetables in the Barn, Watercolor and Graphite on Canvas, 11" x 14"

Barn House, Acrylic, 11" x 14"

SOLD! - Guard Dog, Acrylic and Wax Pastel, 6" x 6"

I went back to the farm on the 4th to see the progress of the clay pizza oven...it's coming right along!! Fully modeled and the opening has been carved out with some wooden supports to keep the shape while it completely dries.  It looks as though they've lit a few small fires in it to dry the inside at the same rate as the outside.  I can almost taste the pizza!!

Pizza Oven I, Acrylic & Ink on Instant Film, 3x3"

Apex, Acrylic & Ink on Instant Film, 3x3"

Continued with another painted instant film image of the barn.  After a great artist's meeting at the Harlow tonight, I've been inspired to attempt some larger versions of these pieces.  I love the intimate size of these current ones but think it would be nice to work in a slightly larger size, as well.

Kabobs

Also wanted to share these images of some of the meat I've been enjoying from Wholesome Holmstead.  I picked up a package of kabob meat and we had more than enough for 4 people.  SO tasty!!  We put onions and red peppers on for 3 of us and, for mine, I put granny smith apples and broccoli.  YUM!!

We've been barbecueing every night with meat and chicken from the farm (and the bacon...OH THE BACON!!)

Had another great night making monotypes.   I really loved the image of the big barn from the day before, but I wanted to flip the composition.  I loved the result and so I made one more (so far).  In the second one, I added red to give more dimension and a hint of the color in real life.

 ....

Read more about the project here: http://csaart.org/


If you have a few dollars you'd like to donate to this project, please visit our Indiegogo page-- the thank-you presents begin at the $10 level!  http://www.indiegogo.com/CSA-Community-Supporting-Arts

Finished another handwoven scarf!  I really love using my table loom. It's such a great therapy of sorts for me -- when I'm not feeling 100% to work on painting in my studio, I can sit in front of the tv and comfortably weave.

For this scarf, I wove in two threads at a time, mixing the thinner thread to create more depth of color in the stripes.  Experimenting with color blends was so much fun, it was like mixing paint on the palette!

This is the first that I'm listing for sale in my Etsy shop.  Visit the link for more images, info, and close ups of the colors and texture.

detail

Despite my camera's best effort to foil my documentation (I completely blame technology, not myself), here are some new paintings from last month...

Backstays; Acrylic, Casein, Graphite, Wax Pastel; 18" x 18"

Let It All Hang Out; Acrylic & Wax Pastel; 18" x 18"

This Is Where I Hide; Acrylic, Casein, & Wax Pastel; 18" x 18"

LOVING the colors of my newest scarf! This is only my third woven item and I'm ok with saying that I'm proud of myself! :)   After being shown by my friend how to weave on a loom and researching, reading tutorials and blogs, watching videos, etc, I wasn't sure if I could handle the complexities of weaving. But taking some step by step directions really helped me-- breaking it down into smaller parts and taking my time really made it seem doable.

I worked out some loom tension issues after my second weaving and this third one came out straight-- hooray!  And this is so darn soft!!!

Warp: 5/2 Egyptian Cotton- Chestnut Rose
Weft: Bulky Cotton Boucle- Moccasin & Light Worsted Cotton Boucle- Egypt-- all yarn from Yarntopia Treasures

90 threads, 10epi, multi-patterns

Made this one for myself and now I'm going to work on some to list in my Etsy shop.