And this means they began the same way as the finished works from Round One:

1. Pulling print with acrylics on Gelli plate to create colors + texture for background

2. More acrylics and/or gouache sticks to paint over areas and start composing

The starting point for the five works in Round Two…

And now I get to explore finishing these guys differently! That’s what makes my heart sing - the stepping in and trying something new!

So to help me get going, I’m looking at those vellums of lines and shapes I got out of finishing Round One.

The inspiration to keep playing with lines…

Sooo here’s what I’m thinking…

What if I could create a monotype that ends up being ONLY background color/texture + lines?

What if this happens in Round Three?

And what if working on Round Two helps me transition to Round Three?

What’s this in-between stage I’m wanting to see come out of Round Two? Hmmm…

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You might be surprised to see that I ended up with 3 different-looking groupings within the first 13 works I started at the SAME time with the exact SAME parameters.

My project parameters are to have all these works be the same small size and on the same thick paper. They all begin with a background layer created with a Gelli plate. I’m using the same color palette with acrylics, gouache sticks, and Inktense pencils. And I’m creating abstract compositions.

These parameters are simply a container for me to explore within. It may sound limiting but it’s actually freeing. Too many choices create confusion. The container allows for focused play.

You can see that within my container, I’ve let myself obsess over some works and be loose on others. It’s in my nature to wanna do both. So check out the 3 works where I lost myself in the colors and started making circles everywhere. And see how the other 5 works morphed into map-like compositions.

What’s next?

I’m gonna let myself be loose on the 5 works that I started but didn’t make it into Round One. This is how I will begin Round Two. Yay!

Thanks for stopping by my virtual studio! Consider this an open invitation to come back and see where this art-making takes me. So stay tuned in and subscribe! Smile.

Thanks for stopping by my virtual studio! Consider this an open invitation to come back and see where this art-making takes me. So stay tuned in and subscribe! Smile.

You may recall that I’ll be making several rounds this year of small works on paper. And that I’m using the same parameters for all the works. That is to say, they are all the same small size and on the same thick paper. And I’m using the same color palette with acrylics, gouache sticks, and Inktense pencils.

My theory is that any work from any given round will go nicely with another.

So let’s test that theory, shall we?

Trying out different pairings…

So, do they all go nicely together? Yes and no, right?

Some pairings work better than others because of the movement that is catching our eye!

The colors, shapes, and lines are dancing this way and that. And when you place two or three works next to each other, your eye wants to connect that movement. Sometimes the movement feels fluid and sometimes it’s jumpy. The result is that some pairings feel more harmonious than others.

What do ya think? Which of these 5 make great dance partners?

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Whenever I’m creating art there are two remarkable parts, and the rest is pretty much a blur. The beginning is full of energy and sparks. Pure joy in action. The end feels like I’m in slow motion. And the middle gets lost in a blur of hyper-focused attention - where I’m obsessing and in flow.

Check out the 3 works where I lost myself in the colors and started making circles everywhere.

So what’s happening at the end? Well, I’m trying to get the damn thing done and AT THE SAME TIME there’s a part of me that wants to savor every millisecond. Every color touch-up. Every little smudge, drip, and flick of my brush. I don’t actually want to stop.

And honestly, the reason I work in series is because it forces me to stop in order to move on to the next one. Ha!

I always wonder about how any artist knows when to stop, right?

Listen to Calder’s answer in minute 1:40

So let me share with you my most favorite artist of all time ever and beyond, Alexander Calder, and what he answered when asked, How do you know when you’re finished?

Alexander Calder: “When it’s dinner time.”

Amen to that. Smile.

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When I began this project I went straight to some of my older sketchbooks. To those open loops of ideas in my toy box. Ideas that I keep coming back to because I wanna explore them in new ways.

I always go back to my little “doodle maps” with shapes and lines. It’s my visual language. It’s the shapes and symbols I’ve been using in my art for decades. Sometimes they show up as stamps, other times as cutouts in collages, and often in my doodles.

A clip from the very first post I did about starting this project.

The other day I decided to lay some vellum over my new works and simply doodle all the shapes and lines with a fat marker. The idea was to see what each work looks like as a line drawing of sorts.

Once I did it, I realized I’ve been doodling maps all this time. Ha! Of course, I’ve been adding lines and colors to connect my shapes, but I wasn’t deliberately thinking about maps.

Now when I look at just the vellum overlays, I can see how I’ve come full circle to where I started, but I’ve got these beautiful map doodles on vellum I could use to start new works on paper! Wow.

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I’ve got 4 pics to show you how this one evolved. It’s fun for me to see what changed. And now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I know I can finish the rest. Yay!

I started this project with the intention of bringing you along for the ride.

I’ve let myself obsess over some works and be loose on others. It’s in my nature to wanna do both. And I’ve been thinking there should be a gradual shift from one to the other. I’ve been hoping I could show that to you. How I lost myself in the colors. How I started making circles everywhere. How sometimes I see maps and sometimes flowers. And how as much as I love obsessing, I also love being spontaneous.

The truth is that I cannot show you a neat progression. This is what it is. It’s a process and it’s my playground.

This is how Round 1 is coming together.

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I feel soooo much better now. Are they done? Nope. I just feel better about them. For now.

Go ahead and take a look! Can you tell what I did? Let’s play spot the difference. Haha!

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Here are two pics for you to see what I’m talking about - before I add lines (SECOND LAYER) and after (THIRD LAYER).

These works are not finished yet, but they are very very close. I need to step away from them and work on the others before I know exactly how I want to finish them.

I might add a line or two, lighten up an area, darken another, who knows. I’ll know when I see it done.

What I do know is that the next 4 or 5 works will be different. I can already see myself getting more and more spacious with each new piece… More on that next time!

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Watch the videos below to see what the printed backgrounds look like (LAYER 1). And then compare that to what those same backgrounds look like with a layer of acrylic paint and gouache sticks on top (SECOND LAYER). Yay!

Pulling print with acrylics on Gelli plate to create colors + texture for background

White acrylic and gouache sticks to paint over background and start composing

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For this first round of prints, I’m also using stamps to add ghost-like shapes to the mix.

And at the end, there’s another video where I quickly show all the different backgrounds I’ve made so far.

All this play has allowed me to set my project parameters. Yay!

So here’s how I’m layering to create my final monotypes:

1. Pulling print with acrylics on Gelli plate to create colors + texture for background

2. More acrylics and/or gouache sticks to paint over areas and start composing

3. Adding lines with wet Inktense pencils to finish

Thanks for stopping by my virtual studio! Consider this an open invitation to come back and see where this art-making takes me. So stay tuned in and subscribe! Smile.

Here are a few prints I’ve pulled (using my Gelli plate) to use as backgrounds to experiment with.

I’m still figuring out how to layer to get the results I want. But I’m loving using really thick paper for the print and then having that colored background to draw and paint over.

The pencils I’m using (Inktense by Derwent) have ink pigments so they are very beautiful.

It’s all just play right now. But I like where it’s going.

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There’s a back-and-forth process going on here - adding paint, pulling a print, adding more paint and pulling another print on top of the same paper. There are so many ways to go about this that I’m just trying to keep my head from exploding. So let me show you pics 1-6 in the order I did this experiment today.

In the last two pics I added white paint to an already dirty plate in a what-the-heck spur of the moment to play with doodling lines with q-tips.

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I’ve got three fun flip-throughs lined up for you, showcasing two older sketchbooks and my oversized zines that I’m eager to share. Plus a few pics below!

I’m kicking off this series of “In The Studio” videos to document my journey exploring the delightful connection between art and play. For myself because I’ve never done this before. But more importantly, to share with you.

Thanks for stopping by my virtual studio! Consider this an open invitation to come back and see where this art-making takes me. So stay tuned in and subscribe! Smile.