ROAD MAP SERIES

mixed media on paper
30 x 22

Here is my one of my Road Map series paintings I started my second week at Vermont Studio Center.  This starts with old road maps collaged on 300 lb cold press paper then painted with watercolors.  Today this series will be professionally photographed.  Tomorrow I can show the transition of this work.  Allowing time for transitions was one of the benefits of VSC.... having the luxury to just work.  One can paint, study, push further, study, paint, push further and leave it for awhile and then paint (repeating the process).  I am not sure I would have arrived at this painting if working on it at home.   But I am happy to have pushed it to where I am content with the results. 

VSC CIRCLE

Gesso & India Ink on Brown Paper

My circle finished on the day before I left Vermont Studio Center.   I thought I had photographed my circle each day.  But looks like I was not so diligent.  

Here it is on my VSC studio wall ready for the last open studio that evening on Wednesday, November 21st. 

ROAD MAPS

My first week at Vermont Studio Center I worked on these paintings.  Each square is handmade paper I get from Taos, New Mexico.  It is a dream to work with.  My new series has to do with memory.  I am still in the exploring stages of this subject. 

For this series of 12 paintings, each about 9 x 9 inches and mixed media, I collaged pieces of old road maps and then applied watercolors and acrylics.  Some areas of a map are clear like the focused recall  of a past event while other areas are obscured like those vague recollections that might haunt one by their elusive nature.  The road is what binds them, linking them like photographs and journals help us to remember.

This image I took with my small digital camera.  Better images will be taken.  I did not continue to work in this size but I did used the road map in some larger works still exploring memory.  These will posted this week.

PAINTING A MEANINGFUL SERIES

Cutting the Strings
watercolor, India ink, graphite

I am happy to announce that "back by popular demand," I will be teaching a six week class again at Concord Art Association! My class is on creating a meaningful series in watermedia.  It will start March 8th, 2013 and run for six weeks.  The title is Working it Out: Painting A Meaningful Series and the class description is below.

Cutting through the Fog
watercolor

"Develop your graphic language by creating a series. In this class you will learn how to create a comprehensive body of work that explores an idea, form, visual sensation or feeling. The goal is to explore and expand on a concept through variation on a theme allowing you to develop a more personal expression and signature style. Students will do painting exercises to support the process of creating a series. The class will also study examples of series painted by the great artists. Each session will end with a critique and class discussion. To see Martha’s work go to www.marthawakefield.com."

Oliveira's Scissors II
acrylic 

Details: 6 Week Class
Starting Friday, March 8 – April 19, 2013
(no class on April 5)
10:00AM – 2:00PM with time for lunch!

Costs: $250 Members  $300 Non-members

To register please call 978 369 2578, or email education@concordart.org, or online at www.concordart.org.  And if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at marthawake@aol.com .  I hope you will join me!

VSC CIRCLE

Gesso on brown paper  - Monday, November 12th, 2012

While I was out with friends last night talking about art, I told them about my daily circle painting done at Vermont Studio Center.  What I hadn't made clear on my blog was the size.  This measures 5 ft x 5 ft 9 inches.  Each day I would alternate using black or white gesso.  I stand in the middle of the painting and either dripped, splashed or painted a circle moving clockwise.  It was then hung on the wall, still wet.  This was a daily ritual for fun and about experimenting to see what would develop.  By the end of my month at VSC I had a unique record of my studio time.

Gesso on brown paper - Wednesday, November 14th, 2012

DAILY RITUAL

Everyday in my VSC studio I did warm up paintings.  I divide a full sheet of 300 lb cold press paper into 9 sections with tape.  With watercolors and my 1 inch Skipper brush I play with shapes and colors.  After painting a few sections the house image emerged so I explored that theme further. 

When this sheet of paper is finished I cut the 9 images and pin those I like to one of my studio walls.

By the end of the month my wall looked like this. 

This is a exercise I do daily.  Sometimes it maybe the only painting I accomplish in the studio, but it is rewarding in many ways.  This allows me to experiment freely with colors, shapes, line and composition.  In the end I always discover something I want to explore further.

I use American Journey Watercolors from Cheap Joe's.  This is a high quality paint available in 15 & 37 ml tubes. My painting style uses a lot of paint so I love the fact this brand offers large tubes. I promote this brand only because I like it - there is no monetary reward.   

CIRCLE DAY 4

My Circle, day 4.  I alternated white gesso with black gesso or India ink each day.  This is on 2 sheets of heavy brown paper taped together.  Painting this was one of my two daily studio rituals at Vermont Studio Center.  I hung it on the wall by my studio door in the Wolf Kahn building as some of the other artists were interested in seeing this circle on their way to their studios. Warm-up painting exercises are great way for me to get working in my studio.  I will show you my other practice tomorrow.