All I Want to Do is Experiement-Part One

Blooming, Acrylic on Canvas, 36 x 36 inches.
Copyright 2013 Mary Rush Gravelle

My art is really in transition. It has been for over a year. I had committed to doing a series based on my phone art. I titled it "Phone Art to Canvas". I visualized the entire show of at least eight paintings. I painted two.

Life has been taking so many twists and turns which put that project on hold, along with my art. Ever since, I have only wanted to experiment with new techniques.

Sunny Disposition, Acrylic on Canvas, 36 x 36 inches.
Copyright 2013 Mary Rush Gravelle.

Actually, the phone art to canvas paintings were experiments as well. I was experimenting to see if I could translate art that had been created digitally on my phone to art that was painted with actual paint and canvas.

The challenge was to maintain the brightness of color, to transfer the effects of light.

Blog posts on the Blooming painting can be found in the April 2013 archives. Blog posts on the process of painting Sunny Disposition can be found in the June, July, and August 2013 archives.

Then, I wanted to do some plein-air painting. So, I did two of those. Refer to my blog post about the painting Sans RV for more info on that. I did no blog post for Light-filled Day in Cottonwood, Arizona.

Light-filled Day in Cottonwood, Arizona.
6 x 6 inches, Acrylic on Cardboard.
Copyright 2013 Mary Rush Gravelle.

Sans RV, Approx. 8 x 14 inches, Acrylic on Cardboard.
Copyright 2013 Mary Rush Gravelle.

The next painting I did after these was a self-portrait.

Self-Portrait, Acrylic on Canvas, 16 x 20 inches.
Copyright 2014 Mary Rush Gravelle.

I wanted to see if I could paint a self portrait. I am not a portrait painter and I never thought of myself as particularly talented with that genre. So, I challenged myself to see if I could do it. See and read more about my self-portrait painting in the January and February archives.

More next week. Any thoughts on experimenting with art?

Mary Rush Gravelle

Until Next Week 

• Create art

• Appreciate art

• Buy art

I would love to hear your comments on this article, please leave one if you feel inspired.

About the author: Mary Rush Gravelle is an artist who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty. 

Find her work and daily comments on her facebook page. Her art can be seen on her website, maryfineart.com. She can be contacted via email at: mary@maryfineart.com.

Sir Kitty