Painting Collaboration (or how to paint with your teens!)

 

---  update: this post is originally from Feb 2014 - a snow day- like today so I thought it was a good day to repost it!  ---

 When my boys were little - we made art all the time.  Quickly of course, but still, it was always a part of our week and they were always eager.  Teenagers are a little harder to get involved in one of Mom's projects but it's not impossible!

 Finding myself with yet ANOTHER snow day, a wall that desperately needed something new and antsy teenagers hanging around - I decided to give a group art project a whirl.

 

So, out came the acrylics and the big inexpensive canvas from the craft store.  I set things up and said "Hey,  I need you guys to help me do an under-painting, I need it to be random colors, grafitti -ish, with drippy paint.  Go to town."  They took the bait...

 Naturally, agreeing to not show their faces was a requirement...  

And there may have been a little bribery involved.  Teen boys think of food as currency.  

Breakfast sandwich it is.

    Shooting from behind was allowed too. At least I think it was - I may have snuck this.

 The colors they used were suggested by me but how they used the paint was all up to them. The messier the better and printing, stamping,  painting over, splattering, and dripping was all encouraged!

 

   

A friend who showed up got in on the action too (Loving it! - my plan is working!!) 

 

 

When everyone had added what they wanted and they were happy with it, we set it aside to dry.

 Then it was Mama's turn.

 Inspired by drawings in my sketchbook, I used my new white Sharpie to draw on top. 

 

 Love how it turned out.

 Loved collaborating with my boys. 

 Proudly hung in the heart of our home. 

Summer. Abstract painting, Debbie Miller

Acrylic on panel 24x24"

People are my jam.  I mean I paint them and draw them ALL the time.  Can't get enough.  When I'm talking to someone I am preoccupied with how to paint them, what colors in their skin.  Painting people is my jam.

But lately in my studio I have been putting on music and painting like this.    Abstract. 
 Getting lost in the colors, the materials and the vibe.  Kinda loving it.  
Abstract summer is my new jam.

Swirl Girl - contemporary figurative oil painting,debbie miller

30x30" oil and oil crayon on canvas.
Its hot. 
In my ac-less studio working on a commission. 
Its not so fun today and I find myself drifting off and staring at my 'swirl-girl' dancing on the wall.
She looks cool and happy.
My middle son is ALWAYS strongly suggesting that I go more abstract.  He is right of course.
Dont know if I'll keep on experimenting with the crayon...and I HATE painting on canvas...BUT
more 'swirl girls' are in my future :)

Daisy - beach scene,contemporary

20x20 oil - below is a close up -
bought a bunch of 20x20 canvases today and painted 3 already - pushing things into a more abstract zone, thinking about the negative space and the thick vs thin paint and the drippy stuff too.
Normally the subject would be the thick paint and the background or the negative space...the "ocean" around the subject would be the thinner paint. Today I thought "what if I flipped it ?"

more exploring of this.... enjoying a more contemporary bent and the bigger size

Out of the Box - something different for Daily Painters Galllery

3ftx4ft oil on canvas. contact me for availability.
Out of the Box day tomorrow (april 1) over at www.dailypainters.com .

Which means that we were challenged to do something we wouldnt normally do and then post. Not sure how many of us with give it a go but should be interesting.

Since I normally paint small, sorta contemporary realism I decided to go BIG and abstract. So here it is. My boys love it and have put dibs on it. :)

dont worry...back to the beach tomorrow....

Something Fishy

8x8" oil on hardboard panel $140
And now for something completely different......