#baerartcenter

[amytavern]

Blálilja/ Blue lily, Day 10: Basalt, pen on layers of vellum, 11 x 14 in., 2019. In addition to studying plants, I also spent a lot of time looking at rocks. Bær is situated near basalt cliffs that I loved to climb down and around and sketch.

Thanks for reading.

[amytavern]

Blálilja/ Blue lily, Day 5: This is what I found here: Hofsós, Iceland, 2019

Thanks for reading. 

[amytavern]

Blálilja/ Blue lily, Day 12: My studio, sketchbook, and work table, and what things become...

Thanks for reading.

[amytavern]

Blálilja/ Blue lily, Day 9: Low Plane (Lichen), watercolor, pen, 9 x 12 in., 2019

Thanks for reading. 

[amytavern]

Blálilja/ Blue lily, Day 14: The Lake, the Mountain, Oil pastels, gesso, and pencil on canvas, 36 x 54 in., 2019. 

Inspired by the mountain and the lake that were the backdrop for the residency, this drawing is the largest, most time consuming piece I made at Bær. I didn’t finish it there but had posted an early version toward the end of the residency. I’ve been working on it every Sunday since my return and it has changed--now the forms touch and blend into one another and there are more layers of material. 

This piece was (is) definitely a learning experience for me. I had never really worked with oil pastels before and I found them to be very challenging. I needed help so I watched YouTube videos for basic techniques and pointers. I also talked to the other residents and consulted with a friend in SF via text. Blending and muting tones with white and gray was a big thing for me. I used this technique along with turpentine and a wash of gesso thinned with water to blend each layer. Of all the techniques I touched on, this is the one I really loved and one that provided results that felt like me. It softened the colors, allowed for accumulation, and added that layer of translucency that I have used in many other pieces I have made. I plan to keep working with this material and I would love to go even bigger. I also feel like there is more work to do on this piece... 

This is my last Blálilja/ Blue lily post. It’s been great to share my residency with you and it’s been so helpful to me. I’ve gotten a chance to process what I worked during those two very special weeks and now feel like I have a list of departure points for forthcoming works. 

Thanks for reading. 

[amytavern]

Blálilja/ Blue lily, Day 6: Oil pastel sketches with vellum overlay, based on Forget Me Nots, tall grasses, and lichen.

Thanks for reading.

[amytavern]

Wreaths, watercolor and pen, 9 x 12 in., 2019

Thanks for reading.

[amytavern]

Blálilja/ Blue lily, Day 3: Thinking about the memory of color… Looking North-Northeast and Looking South, watercolor, 9 x 12 in. each. Also pictured: my watercolor kit.

I went to Bær to study color and brought a watercolor set to work with. This set had been the party favor from a bridal shower I had attended months before. To my absolute surprise and delight, it became indispensable during my residency. I loved blending those 18 pans to match the colors I had in my mind. The limited palatte made me really think about what the colors around me were actually made up of... sometimes I needed to add yellow or a touch of red to recreate what I had seen. I also loved that I could leave these custom colors and reuse them after they had dried on the plastic surface I was mixing on. That kit was the perfect starter and watercolor a new favorite material... 

Thanks for reading.