Gallery shots

Thanks to Marni and Becky for helping set the camera. Raw footage is much better to work with in photoshop.

Paintings are up in the Gallery

http://www.library.rochester.edu/artmusic/gallery

Harmony & Discord
Paintings by Amy Mirabella

April 12-16, 2010
University of Rochester
Art & Music Library, lower level

Family life is filled with deciphering children's
personalities, juggling play dates, and balancing the
dinner menu with demanding work schedules.
Babies are born, children get older, hormones hit
and priorities change. Finding a sense of order
alongside the never-ending flow and rhythm of a
household is what many of us parents long for. A
place where peace exists amidst the chaos. A place
where moments of harmony outshine the discord...

Six, Seven and Eight

Somewhere about 2 weeks from my deadline I became more confident about my theme for the show. The only concern became what to paint? I knew the focus was about family life, but how can you represent this idea with paintings. I decided to try and capture the idea of change. I remember my daughter going through a lot of changes; in particular when she was younger she used to love the color pink but one day she reminded me it was not her favorite color anymore. Not only was she growing up and able to make choices for herself, I realized I may not know what these changes would bring. A happy but sad time as a parent to realize.

I don't like Pink anymore, 18 x 24, acrylic on board

Single socks, 16 x 20, acrylic on board
For everyone who has wondered where the other match went

What's For Dinner, 36 x 24., acrylic on board

This is a major concern in my household.
Even the cat persistently asks when you walk in the door

The week before the show

In the midst of everything I checked back in with my to do list:

1. Ordered Postcards from UR Copy Center, they turned out great! and two day turn around!
2. Emailed the Art & Music Library my image and statement for their website.Also notified of my reception date and time.
3. Sent out postcards to everyone.
4. Sent out an email postcard with artist statement to faculty.
5. Order and pick up the wall vinyl
6. Ordered reception items

Now all that is left....set up in the gallery!

Painted the wall a camel color brown, put up the wall vinyl and hung the paintings. Voila, ready for the reception. It feels great to have it all done. There was a period of time in the last week where I wanted to discard everything I had finished and start a new idea. I contemplated how many babysitters it would take for me to work around the clock for 5 days. Could I get done?? Feeling a bit defeated or tired from the exhausted month. I decided to keep what I had. I followed Marni's advice and visited the gallery a few days after the show started. My opinion changed. I was now happy with what I completed. I felt pushed to get everything done...now excited about the results.






wow!! Its a great to be done.....

The Fifth Painting

The fifth painting "Dance Lessons" was the easiest one to complete. In mid stage (photo below) I took a picture for my postcard. After a few days, I corrected a few areas (neckline, face, hair, top of dress) and ended up with the final version.

Help with Portrait Painting

Since I haven't completed many portrait paintings. I found a few websites that had instruction, although most were about using oil paints, you can also use acrylic. YouTube is a great place to find an actual person using a brush

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a__n22dp2k&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4wAoTb9etk&feature=related

and last how to paint one of my favorite paintings. Vermeer's, The girl with the pearl earring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLh5b9CDNmg&feature=related

Acylic Paint Tips

1. The best paints to use are Golden for their coverage.
2. Scketch out the painting by diluting a color with water.
3. To thin use acrylic glazing medium, I prefer gloss. You can also use this to seal, cover the painting when you are finished. Since acrylic paints dry mostly flat, I like the results of the gloss glazing as a final coat. It helps the light to pick up and show the thicker strokes.
4.Usse modeling past or texture gel to thicken paints. I foudn the gel to be better, it disn't affect the color as much, I also used palett knives and lots more paint on the brush to achieve the effects I wanted.

The Fourth Painting

This painting went through a number of changes. I continued trying to layer the paint strokes to build up the surface. Midway through I took a picture and ended up sanding down some of the problem areas. After taking a break I ended up happy with the final result. I concentrated on the figures and came up with a suitable background of swirling paint. The only thing left was to give it a name. What is the title for a mother holding a baby, the word responsibility came to mind.

The Rush to Finish

I figured I should go back and record the events leading up to my final show.

Not necessarily is order.

Goal from last semester was to make representational work but have it more personal. I also wanted to figure out how to paint impasto style. Lots of research on the web about acrylic impasto. Additives to use to make acrylic paint thicker.

Excited about trying this new style of painting.

Started working, painting my 3 nieces at my wedding gathering shells on the beach, I love this picture. I finish the under painting and then decide the thick paint wasn't working. The painting is quite large, 48 x 36 and the tools (brushes, knives) I have are making small strokes that don't seem to be helping me to show nice heavy thick paint.





Back to the Art store to try other additives and purchase the larges size brushes they have. More research about trying to find something to make the paint thicker.

I started sanding off the painting I had done. This turned out to be a disaster, sanding wasn't level so it started to affect the other areas of the painting. Frustrated. I turned the piece over and gessoed the back.

While that piece was drying, I started another image of a mother holding a baby. I like the abstract style but still not getting the results I want with the paint. At this point I'm out of a number of tubes and find myself back at the Art Store in Henrietta to purchase more paint and gesso boards.

Finished versions of paintings #1, #2, #3

Catching up News

So I had my first painting in the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) Member's exhibit called "Summer Boats" It was on view December 5th through January 17th. Its not a big whoopla, all members can exhibit this one time during the year but I'm very proud for fitting it in the schedule and actually following through. The schedule meaning: pregant, work full time, taking 2 classes, a 3 year old and one in college.

So my first public gallery. I was so excited after dropping it off I went out an bought more canvases. An older woman standing in line behind me asked "Are you going to paint your way to having this baby" (I probably had 8 canvases) I laughed and said "Yes, I just might try."

Art & Fear

pages 1-23. The Art & Fear book has a bunch of topics about making art, the fun and exhilerating feeling to the trouble, frustration you discover. A few quotes from the book I want to remember.

"Artmaking involves skill than can be learned" I agree, art for some is not a gift, anyone can paint if they want to. "In large measure becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, which makes your work personal, an in following your own voice, which makes your work distinctive" Finding your own voice is a problem. Most everything I paint already has been done, or relates to a familiar style so it is hard to feel you are an individual, distinctive voice. This next sentence contradicts how I make a painting. I like to make a perfect piece and have it serve as my current direction. " The function of the overwhelming majority of your artwork is simply to teach you how to make the small fraction of your artwork that soars" and the statistics for graduates quiting after they finish school was sad so I need to remember, "Basically, those who continue - or more precisely, have learned how to not quit" and that Fatalism, a species of fear - the fear that your fate is in your own hands, but that your hands are weak.