Knotted Maple with Fireflies - The Struggle is Real.

Knotted Maple with Fireflies, 24x36" oil on board

I struggled with this painting. While there are struggles with most all paintings, this one almost ended in destruction. I kept putting it on my easel, taking it off my easel, turning it upside-down, turning it to the wall, asking it what it wanted...on and on for about two years. I would have small success (like the light around the bark on the bottom right) and then days where every brush stroke lead me deeper down the path of dread. The ferns were not part of the initial composition. Neither were the fireflies. They came later as the tree sat there lacking context; bare, alone, and uninteresting. Now I think they are two the best parts of this piece.

Knotted Maple with Fireflies - Detail

Then came an email from The Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League with a show prospectus "Flora, Fauna, and Figure". Maybe this piece was waiting for the right time to flee the studio. Regardless, it was the final push I needed to finish it. This photo (as usual) does not do it justice. Come out and see it in person. Opening night is this Friday, February 14th 2020 at the Red House Gallery in Black Mountain, NC. Can't make it? Grab a friend and go see some art that is local to you.

Knotted Maple - Original Sketch

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The Magic of Corn

©Rachel Klecker Clegg, Stalks of Corn, 24x12", oil on canvas

Corn has been in the news a lot lately.  To be more specific, corn as a commodity has been making the news.  That's not what inspired me to paint this piece.  It was the magic of corn.

Inspiration came as the result of watching corn grow in our garden which we had planted off our back deck.  I had started to work from home in those days and was enjoying a break in the day under a bright sun on the back deck.  From there, I could look up at the corn blossoms.  That's when I noticed - bees.  They were dancing and gathering pollen from the flowers and as they did, some pollen would fall down and gather in the stalks.  Now, I grew up in central Ohio, a place blanketed by corn fields.  I have seen landscapes dominated by corn but, I had never seen it from this perspective.  This was more than seeing.  This was the first time I witnessed the alchemy of nature relative to stalks of corn.  This was a revealing of the magic that flows through all things.  It was beautiful.

Postcards of Portugal - 2

Postcards of Portugal No. 2  At the eastern edge of the Town of Alburferia is a Praia dos Olhos de Agua.  We had hiked atop the cliffs, down along the beach and came to a Pescadores (Fisherman's) Yard.  There are bright blue huts standing as a backdrop to an off-white limestone cobblestone courtyard.  Lines and colors coming together creating a unique sense of place.

"Fisherman Repairing Nets", 7x5", oil on board

Puppy Love

Leon - initial sketch

Leon - process

Leon - oil on board, 12x16"

This sweet pea came into our lives in January at just two months old.  I've been blinded by his adorable presence ever since.  This painting is what I can best describe as a love note.  It took me just three days to complete and I had the most fun painting this piece than I've had painting in a long time.  I think it had to do with the subject.  Pure joy.

Earth Tones: A Journey Toward Mixing My Own Paint

One of my great passions of exploration is on the subject of health: physical, cellular, ethereal, earthly.  I cannot get enough information.  A subject that has come to light for me in the past few years is electromagnetic fields (EMFs).  You can google yourself into a rabbit hole on this one, but I will say I have meet people who sincerely express and exhibit dis-ease as a result of electrical pollution exposure.  There is a LOT of information on the sources and negative aspects of man made electromagnetic fields, but like all things there are two sides.  In a dualistic world the best resource in the search for balance is nature.

This brings me to Ferric Oxide (Fe2O3).  My understanding from basic chemistry is that Fe2O3 is an oxidized iron or 'rust'.  It turns out, it is so much more than the rust of an old Schwinn that was left in the rain.  Fe2O3 is also called 'Jewelers Rouge' and is used to clean gold, silver, and other precious metals.  It is an inorganic compound found in the rocks in Sedona, Arizona and apparently, it helps protect or balance the electrical fields in and around people.  How exactly?  Well, here's another great google afternoon: Schumann Resonances and Scalar Energy.  I'm not sure the extent of it's efficacy, but it's not harmful and as it turns out, artists have been using it in paint for centuries.  So has begun my journey into mixing paints.  For me, it's a whole new exciting world of blending art and geology.

My first run - I didn't make a paint exactly, but a gesso ground for a painting.  This is what I used: Clear gesso and pure powder of Ferric Oxide (with a wee bit of water to dilute).

Clear Gesso mixed with Ferric Oxide onto three 8x8" canvas.

The resulting color was absolutely vibrant!  I could not accurately capture the radiant color for the screen (that's another push to get out and see art in person).  Next I will try mixing this with my medium of choice, linseed oil and see how it differs as a paint vs a gesso ground.  This experiment drives me to try other natural grounds and possibly trying tempera painting.  One material of particular interest is mica which is abundant here in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

Happy new year and all the new possibilities it brings to you.  Paint on!

"Hotel Pool with Jr."

5 x 5" 

oil on panel

Yep we're all guilty of it: taking a dip in the pool when there's a perfectly good ocean steps away.  None the less, the light and colors of the water are the same amount of delicious.

Happy Halloween

"Beach Side Pier", 10 x 9.5", oil on board

I painted this from a photo I had taken after hurricane Sandy & the 'frankenstorm' that hit NC Outer Banks two years ago.   I had drawn this onto a board then, but just got around to painting it this week - spooky.  I've started a series of small seaside themed paintings in preparation for a show this January in Asheville, NC.   More details on January's show in the coming weeks, in the mean time I'll be sharing some new work.... and painting on.

Seaside Pier

"Seaside Pier", 10.5x10.5", oil on board

Revisiting the pier as the light, movement and contrast continues to inspire me to paint.  Done on wood board with black gesso, which I think helps the color pop.

48 by 60 Sycamore: Completed

Completed commission piece

Here it is: 48 by 60 inch Sycamore is complete and I am scheduled to deliver it to it's new home this week.  I am celebrating by starting a new piece and will post what's on my easel before week's end.  Happy painting!

48 By 60 Sycamore Process: Layering Sky & Shadows

Layering the Sky with Ultramarine Blue, Ultramarine Violet and Titanium White

Process Detail 1

Process Detail 2

Process Detail 3

Layering the sky trying to capture a smooth value change of deep blue on top to pale blue below.  Also, I have started working in shadows among the branches using Cobalt Blue and Phthalo Green Blue, which I think is a nice push of color on top of the Van Dyke Brown wash.  My medium is not quite half & half linseed oil:stand oil as I have a little more linseed cut into the mix.  It's starting to come together and I am heading into my favorite part of the process; detailing.

Process for 48 by 60 inch Sycamore Painting

48x60 inch gallery wrapped canvas crafted by Gary Grubbs, Black Mountain, NC

1:50 scale drawing for 48x60 inch Sycamore painting

Using a grid; free hand graphite sketch onto canvas

 Currently on my easel is a 48 by 60 inch canvas, my largest piece to date.   I have fallen in love with the sketch, thrilled to be working large again and trucking along with this commissioned piece.  I will be posting more process images in the coming days, so stay tuned... 

I want to plug the work of craftsman and neighbor Gary Grubbs, maker of custom art canvasses.  He crafted this canvas and a few other sizes for me last week.  The frames are kiln dried to %5 (preventing warping), gallery wrapped fine tooth canvasses with a triple gesso application.  I found Gary going through the archives of Ursula Gullow's blog 'Art Seen Asheville' here.  Gary is kind, does quality work (at affordable prices) and is happy to share a bear story or two.  He can be reached at (828) 669-5562. 

Over the Dunes

Over the Dunes,  9x10.5", oil on wood panel

This was one of the small quick paintings from our week on Hatteras Island.   Our morning commute; a walk over the dunes to some serious surf fishing.  There is a very special feel to the Outer Banks; bare bones, vulnerable, raw nature...it's a stripped down version of life that is at the same time a very full life.

White Oak, Horizontal

White Oak, Horizontal 24x36", oil on canvas

I completed this second white oak painting a little more than a week ago.  I worked with a red under painting on the trunk and layered with blueish grays that I mixed from cobalt blue, indian red, burnt umber & siennia... and white.  Some areas I splashed with violet.  The greens in the leaves are a mix of viridian green, chromium oxide and a chartreuse hue I can't recall the name for with cadmium orange blended at the edges.

Vertical Oak

Development of "Vertical Oak"

Vertical Oak, 24x48" oil on canvas 

SOLD

This white oak piece is a commission I had been working on this past month.  I worked with a red under painting and layering with complimentary colors.  It has a stain glass mosaic look that developed on it's own.  That's the mystery of creativity.  It's wonderful when you can let go and learn from what flows through you.

Afternoon Nap

Afternoon Nap, 12x12" oil on wood panel

Looking back over some sketches I thought this would be fun to paint.  I wasn't anticipating the rug and all it's details, but ended up really enjoying and learning from this one.  The perspective is skewed and somewhat harsh about the angles which I think adds to the dreamy impression.  Plus I got to concentrate on two of my favorite subjects.

Morning with Magnolia

Morning Magnolia, 7x8" oil on panel

Inspiration for morning sketching is made easy with bright colors.  The deep brown of coffee encircled by turquoise glaze of the cup, complemented by the bright fuschia texture of a Big Leaf Magnolia seed pod.  It's like a sugar feast for the eyes.

Moonlight over the Outer Banks

14x32", oil on board

I had reworked this piece as I wasn't happy with the balance in the composition. I am happy with the results, which is not always the case.  You can see the earlier version posted, November 1, 2009.

Street Tree in the Fall - Norway Maple

24x24", oil on canvas

A norway maple stands juxtaposed with utility lines.
The bark twisted, splintered and limbs amputated. Still, the fall show was stopping traffic.

3 Beeches

24x24", oil on canvas

The final work from a previous post. I used a wash of yellow ocher as an under coat which was a fresh approach to this series. I don't have a set process of how I begin painting, except for sketching. I think this is an asset...it keeps me searching.

Sourwood

(cropped view) 24x24", oil on canvas