"We Bloom Together"

"We Bloom Together."

In the book, "Life, Paint and Passion", Cassou and Cubley wrote: "The painting and the person are one- they bloom together."

This is an exercise for Pauline Agnew's e-course, "Flower Power." I used a Van Gogh painting as a reference and had fun seeing how I could capture the spirit of his painting. He painted with such movement and exuberance!

24" x 30" acrylic on canvas.

© Claudia Rose, Ph.D.

More Art from Early 2015

"Ancestral Home"

Mixed media painting of Castle Clun in Wales. Home to some of my Norman ancestors and now in ruin.

"Luminous Body"

Mixed media painting on board. Inspired by participation in Julie Prichard and Chris Cozen's online class, Collage Fusion. It was a great way to start remembering how to paint after a long time out of the studio!

"Story of Creation"

One of the ways I keep my hand moving. Very meditative pen and ink. I start with a dot, like an idea in the mind of God, and let it go from there!

© Claudia Rose, Ph.D.

Early 2015 Paintings

Durer-Inspired Self Portrait with Haiku

one job.

allow my good

to find me.

Mixed media painting on canvas. 24" x 30".

"Joy to Love"

Mixed media on Ampersand panel. 12" x 12".

Detail of Underpainting

Acrylic on watercolor paper.

© Claudia Rose, Ph.D.

New Painting-"Brief Bloom"

One morning we noticed a surprise bloom from a long-forgotten bulb. Beautiful. Perfect. It bloomed overnight and withered with a week. I rushed into the house to grab my phone so I could document its beauty.

Only when the painting was complete did I notice its resemblance to the work of Georgia O'Keefe. I love to think she was peeking over my shoulder as I painted! She is one of my favorite artists--such an individual, an independent woman with a love for the sensual forms and colors of nature.

16" x 20" Acrylic, oil and cold wax on canvas.

© Claudia Rose, Ph.D.

"To paint is to love again."

"Paint what you like and die happy," Henry Miller once wrote.

Recently, my beloved friend, Viki, reminded me that Henry Miller the writer was also a prolific painter of watercolors. In fact, he was painting years before he began writing. He completed over 3,000 paintings during his long life. One of his books was entitled: "To Paint is to Love Again." It is now out of print and available at some university libraries. You can hear Miller recite the book in a series of videos on YouTube.

How true! The above painting is "Paint Happy" done in acrylic, oil and cold wax on 16" x 20" canvas. I think of it as a self-portrait. It started with a dot, just one dot. I allowed my intuitive self to go from there--picking the colors, shapes and lines.

Miller said: "Painting is like stealing a glimpse of your beloved while she sleeps."

For me, painting is pure joy, meditation, adventure, trust and celebration. It is love incarnate.

© Claudia Rose, Ph.D.

Watercolor Fun

I rarely play with watercolor, yet we had a watercolor assignment in my Flower Power class. I made these monoprints from a Gelli plate. The top one was an "accident" on a paper towel, while the bottom image was printed on watercolor paper.

I added line work below:

 
In this exercise, I find the line work irrelevant. I like the fluid shapes of the top images best. What do you think?

© Claudia Rose, Ph.D.

Flower Power

This is my first exercise in Pauline Agnew's class, "Flower Power". Her assignments are deceptively challenging, and great fun! This is a line/contour drawing on 31" watercolor paper using my non-dominant hand. I often write and draw with my left hand, which uses a different side of the brain.

The class Facebook page is filled with dazzling artwork from students around the world. I'm doing my best to treat myself kindly leaving judgment outside the door! The class is turning out to be an opportunity to experience self-love (while learning new techniques).

© Claudia Rose, Ph.D.

"Blessings Bubble Up"-New Mixed-Media Painting with Haiku

Here's another mixed-media summer painting with one of my Haiku. I'm having so much fun exploring new materials and techniques. (So much has changed since art school in the early '70's!) "Blessings Bubble Up" is 16" x 20" on a cradled, wood panel. I used acrylic, graphite, stencils, collage, oil paint, cold wax and oil sticks.

© Claudia Rose, Ph.D.