Day Six: Front of Piano
This week is a busy one! Piano painting, First Friday Galley Walk, guests, meetings, deadlines – all fun stuff.
Day 6 back
Day Six of Piano Making
Category Archives: mixed media
Day Three of Piano Painting
Work in progress: Day 3
I think I’ve enjoyed chatting with people who stop by as I paint almost as much as I’ve enjoyed painting. Over the course of 3 days I’ve met folks from Canada, Chicago, Texas, Arkansas, California and who knows where else. My ears have had the joy of listening to incredible pianists and I’ve been lucky enough to have had a young apprentice named Mirabella do a little painting for me today. Two gentlemen sat and talked with me on day two for a long time and now I have new acquaintances! So far this experience has been pretty great!
My new acquaintances, Mike and David
Priming a Piano and Drawing on Walls
The next few weeks are going to be full of piano painting! The City of Fort Collins’ implements their Pianos About Town program to promote art and music around the city. They hire local artists to work on donated pianos for a two week chunk of time. The pianos are then placed around town for people to play.
Yesterday I was able to get my piano fully primed (the pink and mint green won’t stay) and ready to go. I must admit I felt a smidge guilty about painting over such lovely wood, but the brightly colored pianos really do liven up downtown.
On another note:
Before heading out to start on my piano yesterday, I made some art on the studio’s bathroom wall. I kept imaging a little man’s head in the black chalk bubble and so decided to draw the guy out.
I’ll call him my art for yesterday.
Reminiscing and Abstracting
11 x 14″ Ink and watercolor on paper
This weekend my mom gave me two postcards and a letter that I had written to my grandma while living in Poland my senior year of high school. Mom had found them while sorting through my grandma’s stuff after she passed away this past winter. The letters were nothing very exciting – pretty everyday even. In them I told her about plans I had and what I had been up to and let her know I missed her.
I think reading those old letters made me think about the painting I did for my grandma a long time ago, that I recently added ink to. I pulled the piece out again. While it wasn’t as bad as it started, it still wasn’t great and it definitely needed some more attention. I think I can safely say it is done now and I am very happy with it.
Trails
8 x 10″ ink, watercolor and acrylic on paper
I have some incredible folks in my life who are beyond supportive of my art making. As a way to thank them, I decided I would give away some small pieces of art. One of my friends really liked a larger piece I had done, called Paths, and so I told her I would make a smaller piece with a similar feel and send it her way. I’m hoping this little guy will do the trick!
Work in Progress: Circle Trail
8 x 10″ ink and watercolor on paper
Upon coming into the studio today, I had all intention of painting more of my last work in progress. When I arrived though, I realized my groggy self just wasn’t feeling it.
Instead I opted to begin another circle painting. Creating the circles allows me to fall into a sort of flow. I don’t quite zone out, but I do get absorbed into the repetition and pattern, which I think is good for the brain from time to time. I plan to build up both the color and the circles further before calling it done.
Work In Progress: Birds Flying Bike
18 x 30″ Acrylic and Ink on Canvas Work in Progress
Part of my 365 goal was to complete a piece of art each day. It didn’t have to be large, and if I was working on something larger scale, I could take more than one day to complete it, but I had to complete something smaller that day as well. This was great initially. It forced me to follow through on projects and helped me to stick to the arting. As the year moved along though, I realized this goal was less helpful and I was anxious for the day when I could simply post a work in progress. Today is the first of those days! Hooray.
Biking Bird
6.25 x 24.5″ Acrylic and ink on wood
They’d thought him slightly off his rocker and dubbed his antics a waste of time. What sort of bird rides around on such a wheeled contraption when nest building and worm catching should be one’s priority?
To and fro the carefree bird would pedal, scarf sailing in the wind. For hours he would sometimes ride and when he tired he’d stop, flutter his wings, and dismount smoothly – turning his attention to whatever it was birds of his sort do.
Elephant Editions
11 x 14, Block print on Magazine paper
Yesterday I began pulling out older work to hang on my studio walls, since many of my paintings are currently hanging out in Twin Falls, ID. As I sifted through the days upon days of art that had accumulated I came upon some elephant prints that I had done early on. I was reminded how fun a process carving the rubbery material was and how much I enjoyed the end result. I pulled out a bunch of paper and a canvas and decided I would create more editions. I collaged paper using an an old magazine for one edition, created a watercolor for another, cut up a work that I have never really been fond of, and lastly painted a canvas as a backdrop for the final print.
It was as much fun this round as it was the first!
Seed Clouds
4 x 5″ ink and watercolor on paper
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
They looked to the sky longingly, as the cloud made it’s way in. A food truck of sorts. Disaster relief for Mother Nature’s neglected children.
Micah Richardson 