TrIal and error can lead to something special

My latest painting, and a bit on how it came to be. It is the first of my artworks done as part of the ART FIX In-House Residency Challenge. Let's see what comes of this week, shall we?

The Art of 2010 and 2011's Goals

A review of the art I did last year and a list of my art-related goals for 2011. Some of you have seen these before, I guess... As always, your comments are appreciated.

Progress is...well, it is progress. Because of the collaborative nature of this piece, I feel that this piece is a prayer for Haiti, from everyone who took part in its creation. It is a prayer for their strength in the face of such a disaster and in the face of the extreme level of poverty that exists there...



What stories do you see?

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Continued from here, you can clearly see the areas I've worked with a lot...and where I still need to go.



Now, this painting seems to have a clear direction, if not a clear title or story...or maybe it does have a clear story, and I just cannot see it yet?

What story do you see?




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Remember this?

You want to see the progress I've made since then?



Well, not quite all the progress, since I worked on it a little more since the second photo was taken...

One of the primary characteristics of watercolor is building it up in layers. This is just the beginning, painting in flat areas of color that are given depth and dimension by building them up with other colors.

What do you think?

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After an extended hiatus, I've returned to my Art for Haiti relief project. Several months ago, I collected input from everyone about objects--a plant, animal, other object, mythic or historic figure--I should add to the composition of this 12"x18" painting...and I got an amazing number of responses. There was nowhere to put everything! Additionally, there were some who donated money--about $20.00 in total, which was donated to UNICEF--to this project. I am grateful for all of you, and that we can do this--together--for people in a country that so desperately needs the help, six months after the earthquake that so badly shook up Haiti this past January.

After some difficulties with PayPal and other issues that limited the time I had to paint, I wish to continue where I left off.


A major compositional element I added was a tent city, from a photo I recently saw in a magazine about how in spite of the fact that many people donated lots of money, there are still people living in makeshift tent cities, there is still debris everywhere; the rebuilding has not begun. There is still so much help needed.

Many thanks to ysabetwordsmith for pointing me to this video.

The painting will be sold at auction and the proceeds (minus shipping and administrative costs) will be donated to Haiti relief. All those who donate will receive an ACEO sized (2.5"x3.5", about the size of a playing card) print of the painting.

Again, many thanks to my previous donors jenny_evergreen, ysabetwordsmith, stonetalker, and someone else whose LJ username I do not know.

Please spread the word, and, if you can, tip the artist:

What else should I put in the cup?

This painting began with the image of the iris, which reminds me of open spaces: an open mouth, an open wound. Here, it is both, revealing one of the most internal of organs, the heart. To dream, to speak, to look beyond one's current circumstances...this is the freedom all should seek. I'm not foolish or conceited enough to say that I (or anyone) has fully obtained it, but I feel that to stop trying is to stop living.

Prints currently available for purchase via my RedBubble page.

I asked my friend and fellow artist Omenihu Amachi a few questions about himself and his art; he answers them here...

When people tell me about a visceral response they've had to something I've created, I feel a cycle is complete somehow. We have exchanged something so...so...so basic and so wonderous that words cannot even begin to describe it. We have communicated at the most elemental of levels, and I am grateful for these exchanges. I always learn from them; they sustain me.

I also crave critique.

What can I do differently?

What new techniques are there that I could employ?

If there is no story for you within the brushstrokes you see before you, no tales between the lines and in the midst of the colors, tell me why? If it scares you, thrills you, or makes you smile, I'd like to know.

Tell me why.