How do YOU look at art?

Recently I was contacted by Ute Kreplin, PhD candidate at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK, about using one of my images for his online survey researching how people look at, and react to seeing artistic images.

I took the survey, which involves looking at images, and grading your first response in several categories.  One of the images is a painting I created - you might recognize it.

I will be interested in the results of Ute's research.  Wouldn't it be great for an artist to know what aspects of a painting appeal to the broadest range of viewers?  This is especially valuable to beginning artists.

Of course, every viewer has their own interpretation of what makes a good painting.  I have found that my own appreciation of different artistic styles has vastly expanded by studying art and art history.
However, ultimately, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

When you participate in Ute's survey, you will have to think about what you feel when viewing the art and I think that alone is an important reason to take the survey.  Below is Ute's study:

Liverpool John Moores University Visual Aesthetic Interest Survey

Do you want to take part in an online study?
Are you aged over 18?
Do you want to give subjective ratings towards contemporary artworks?

You can complete the study in around 20 minutes. You will rate pictures for ‘interest’ and you can compare your most interesting picture to everybody else's most interesting picture.
You can also win Amazon vouchers (UK site only).

To take part in this study and for further details go to
 http://physiologicalcomputing.net/isurvey/

Many Thanks
Ute Kreplin, PhD student at Liverpool John Moores University, UK

"POPPY PIZAZZ" 11073 textured red orange poppy flower © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"Poppy Pizazz"

This is poppy essence.  The petals are sculpted with acrylic medium and the flower seems to leap off the canvas.  I've painted hundreds of poppies (I'm guessing), and I never tire of their beauty.

I'm giving a workshop on November 4-5, 2011 in Littleton, CO.  One of the things I will cover is how to make these little gem poppy paintings. (Think gifts - your Mom/Sis/Daughter would love one.) See workshops on my website for more info.

For more information about this painting, click here to go to my website.

"TRIBAL INFLUENCE" 11071, Southwest Indian mixed media contemporary abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"Tribal Influence"

 

This painting was a demo for my experimental acrylics class.  The design pattern is a Mondrian, the color palette is compliments, and the texture elements are foil, tyvek, patterned paper, and stenciled medium.

I floated the painting on a copper and purple colored board. It looks good in either a horizontal or vertical configuration.  For more information on this painting, click here to go to my website.

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As I write this, the first snow of the season is starting to fall here in Denver.  We're supposed to get up to 10 inches in the city by tomorrow afternoon.

  

Guess I'll be stuck at home PAINTING!!  Woo-Hoo!

I am very glad I got all my potted plants (ficus, bougainvillea, cactus, palms, etc.) that spend the summer outside, back in the solarium.  We also took down the patio umbrellas and covered the table and chairs. 

Time to fire up the hot tub.  Lows in the teens tonight.

"CALICO ORCHARD" 11067, impressionism tree orchard © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"Calico Orchard"

This painting has a lot of texture that, of course, does not photograph well.  This was a demo piece I did at a recent workshop.
It is covered with epoxy resin, so would be safe in any indoor environment.

Click here to go to my website for more information.

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Today I took my grand daughter shopping for her 14th birthday.  She found lots of duds and I found this pair of socks.  What's so great about these socks?

Look at the color palette - I love it!  To me it looks like red oxide, quin nickel azo gold, raw sienna, and paynes gray.

I think I'll have my experimental acrylics class do a painting using this sophisticated palette next session.

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This poster announces the Floral Invitational at AUM Gallery in Denver.  That my painting on the left.

"PUEBLO SUNSET" 11068, mixed media abstract desert landscape © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"Pueblo Sunset"

 

This is the second of two demos I did for my Park Hill art class.  If you look carefully, you will see that it has the SAME design pattern as the previous painting, Rip Tide (see below.)

The whole top level is golden foil which, unfortunately, does not photograph well to show it's luminosity.  The purple layer is some texture medium into which I scored some marks using a plastic fork.

Coming down from the hill is an area textured with crushed walnut shells.  The shells were given to me by a student at a previous workshop - they have a wonderful textural quality.

For more information, please click here to go to my website.

"RIP TIDE" 11069, mixed media abstract waterscape © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"Rip Tide"

 

This painting was a demo for my Park Hill class.  Most of the artists had not worked with torched foil before.  I wanted the whole class to work on the same compositional pattern below:

You can see that there is a nice division of space in this  rectangular format.  Each artist was to base their color palette on the color of the foil they chose.  Torching the foil causes color changes that are unpredictable.  I started with green foil which goes through a blue stage as it is heated.

For more information on this painting, click here to go to my website.

Mixed Media Poppy Workshop

EXPERIMENTAL ACRYLICS - 2 day workshop $140.00 Workshop Dates: 11/4/2011 - 11/5/2011 Location: Judy Patti's Art Studio 5847 S. Broadway Littleton Colorado 80121 United States In this class, we will use some of the techniques demonstrated in previous mixed media workshops. We will be working with acrylic paints and a variety of other materials to create interesting paintings with vibrant colors and unusual textures. Carol will demonstrate sculpting large petal flowers, such as poppies with geometric patterned backgrounds. We will also make smaller poppy paintings that are excellent for gifting.             Contact Information: Judy Patti judithpatti@comcast.net 303-798-1345, 303-523-8897

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Carol Nelson, Colorado Artist
Carol Nelson Fine Art
www.carolnelsonfineart.blogspot.com
www.carolnelsonfineart.com

Two shows opening this Friday in Denver, CO

Lines and Circles

I like the clean lines of this triptych.  It's hanging on a wall in my studio and I walked right by it and forgot to take it to a contemporary show that's opening this Friday at Core Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive, in Denver.  The show features the work of three artists named "Nelson" - JoAnn, Susan, and me.  We're not even related.  Reception is this Friday from 6-9pm.

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My other opening Friday is at AUM Gallery, York and Colfax, in Denver.  It is an invitational floral show in which I will have two paintings - both poppy paintings, of course.

Oriental Red

Fifteen Poppies

The reception at AUM Gallery is from 5 to 8pm, so I'm going to be at this one for the first couple hours, and then go to the reception at Core Gallery.

For more information on any of these paintings, please click here to go to my website.

"ASIAN MEDLEY" 11070, mixed media abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"Asian Medley"

This is one of the demos I did at the Westminster workshop.  The goal was to layer several different types of texture material, one upon another, in a geometric pattern. There are many different materials including printed paper, painted aluminum foil, black sand, cedar bedding, and a strip of red metal.

Here, I am applying epoxy resin to the painting and the matching backing board.  This kind of presentation looks professional and contemporary, and eliminates the need for a frame.

The palette for this painting is Zorn's palette of yellow ochre, cadmium red, black and white.  It's amazing how such a limited palette can produce such colorful, interesting pieces.

For more information on this painting, please click here to go to my website.

"EVENTIDE" 11066, mixed media forest tree abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

This is another in my forest abstract series of mixed media paintings. The painting panel is floated over a support panel.  I like this presentation method because no matter what size my painting is, I can cut a support panel to size.

The painting itself is just what I was going for.  I'm very pleased with it.  I seem to be stuck in a color rut of gold, red, and purple, however.  You can see that this piece has a lot of collage and texture elements.

Please click here to go to my website for more information.

Dead computer

I have several paintings to share with you, but my computer died last week. Grrrrrrrr.

I get it back tomorrow with a new hard drive, so I'll be back in business soon!

Habitat for Humanity donation.

"Habitat for Birds"

I get myself in trouble by agreeing, or signing up to do things that seem far-off in the future.  Well, the future is now here and it all seems to be descending on my this month with 5 opening receptions at shows in which I have work on display.  I also have to teach a 2 day workshop, start teaching a 5 week class, and had this fundraiser piece due.

The above piece I kind of threw together, this time to benefit Habitat for Humanity.  The premise was that selected artists got to go to a Habitat store in Denver, select up to $100 in merchandise, and create a painting with it.

The show is called "Open Doors," so many artist picked up a door and painted on it.  I wanted to do something different.  After all, mixed media is right up my alley.  I wandered around the store, where all the merchandise is donated, trying to find stuff that would inspire a painting.

In keeping with my forest abstract series, I came up with this from the pieces of wood, MDF board, tile, marble trim, and stair banister spindles.  In retrospect, it would have been much easier to just paint something on a door.