Dead Fly 82 Modern Art Fly

Dead Fly 82 - Modern Art Fly

acrylic on canvas 14" x 14"

     I bought some really cheap acrylic paints from our local art store, Michael's, to be exact. Big tubes, six colors - red, yellow, blue, green, black, and white.With the 50% off coupon I paid $16.00. I wanted to see what they would do. So I figured I would just start painting lines, shapes, colors slapped on quickly until the painting no longer disturbed me. Figured I might as well work a dead fly into the mix as well and make it a part of the series. This one still disturbs me, but at a point you just have to call it a day and let them go. I don't think artist's are ever completely satisfied with anything they turn out. Joslyn says this is why when you go to an artist's studio there are so many paintings turned against the wall. On the other hand Greg - my husband who gets to see all the works in progress and beyond - when he overheard a phone discussion where I said I might just destroy this one - said -" I like it this one." I guess there's something for everyone.

Dead Fly 81 - Chaos

Dead Fly 81 - Chaos

acrylic on canvas 14" x 14"

     Still at it with the drips. I had a rather disturbing week and needed to work stuff out. Started with red paint on canvas - heavy coat with extender - dropped on some black - tried to make flies out of some of the drips and splotches. That dint work out. Decided to destroy the painting but not the canvas so took it outside and ran it under the spigot. At a point of all the heavy paint getting washed away the images started to take form and at which point I shut off the water and brought what was left inside to dry flat. Then played with it for a couple of days here and there till it looked done. I feel better for having painted this one. Thank you.

Dead Fly 80 - Swarm

Dead Fly 80 - Swarm

acrylic on canvas 8" x 10"

     This is another experiment using that same paint but this is a wet on wet. Slather a heavy coat of white paint on the canvas this time adding some extender, drop on some black using the same, then go at it with a pointy object to draw out the flies. My daughter has refined this technique to a fine point. She uses a steak knife. After watching her do this for several days I just wanted to try one myself. Hers are much better. It's kind of like Jackson Pollock. He had total control over his drips. Anyways it was fun to try.

Dead Fly 79 - Tumult

Dead Fly 79 - Tumult

acrylic on canvas 8"x 10"

     I am trying out some new paint here and deiced to play fast and loose with it. A splotch of watered down black paint on the canvas, step back, see if I can see the fly - then a few quick strokes to bring it into focus. Key here was Work quickly! Paint dries fast!

Dead Fly 78 - Goth Fly

Dead Fly 78 - Goth Fly

hand-cut silhouette on paper in pewter frame

     Early in the beginning of this Dead Fly series I found this picture frame at the thrift shop. It's a beauty! I have tried my hand at cutting silhouette profiles of people and actually have some success with it. I had always envisioned a hand cut silhouette of the dead fly in this frame with a deep red velveteen mat. More than just the fly, the entire piece was to become the work itself. I did find what I was looking for as far a mat - it's actually a double mat - plain black is used to define the edges. The red is red suede. I had the mats cut at Brushstrokes in Lewisburg, PA, where the man has an oval cutter. I love the way this one came out! The double mat cost an arm and a leg but I wanted it to look really good. It matches what I had in my mind. Absolutely beautiful!

Dead Fly 77 - Dead Fly with Red Apple

Dead Fly 77 - Dead Fly with Red Apple

pastel on paper 9" x 12"

     I actually used those pastel pencils to create this work. I used them for the fine detail. I still like the sticks better, though. The chalk goes on more like paint. This sat on the easel for a while with me going back and forth on the shadows. I could stand to try it again at some point. The apple at on the table long enough to rot. Had it been summer, I'm sure it would have attracted flies. As it was, I tossed the apple outside for the chickens to peck at and used my tiny fly sculpture for the stand-in model.

Dead Fly 76 - Dead Fly with Green Apple

Dead Fly 76 - Dead Fly with Green Apple

Pastel on paper 9"x 12"

     Still going with the pastels! Now that I broke them out I'm having fun with them. Here I went to the grocery store to buy just the right apples - brought a red one the same day - to just have fun working from life. Of course the fly is already dead. I had to use a standing for this sketch. It's a small model I made of the original dead fly which I use upon occasion when I need a model.

Dead Fly 75 - Study in Purple

Dead Fly 75 - Study in Purple

pastel on paper 9" x 12"

     Back to pastels. I do like pastels because they allow me to work fast - just throw on the color with no drying time between layers. This is the way I like to draw in pastel - those pastel pencils (see 69) Dead Fly seems pretty restrictive to my style. If you notice, in the bottom right corner you'll see different strokes of color. When I work with pastel, I use an area of the paper that won't show when the painting is framed as a pallet - to test the color as well as the hardness or softness of the stick I'm using and how it strikes the paper. This is important.

Dead Fly 74 - Circles

Dead Fly 74 - Circles

acrylic on canvas 16' x 20"

     This one sat on the easel for a while just sketched out in charcoal. I drew the circles and wanted to see where it would go once color was applied as well as legs.

Dead Fly 73 - Santa Visits The Froggy's

Dead Fly 73 - Santa Visits The Froggy's

pencil on paper reproduced to create a Christmas card

     The previous year (2017) I made up a Dead Fly Christmas card for certain friends and family and figured they'd be expecting on this year as well (2018)  I only print 24. Then I mail them out.

Dead Fly 72 - Ornament

Dead Fly 72 - Ornament

mixed media 3" diameter 

     It's hard to see the full beauty of this little gem given the reflections in the acrylic ball that the Dead Fly resides in. Had an idea to make a Dead Fly Ornament - or even a set of a dozen! and create this. The idea was in my mind but the original attempt at it didn't work out. I had tried to make it out of pipe cleaners then stuff it into the ball which only has a half inch opening at the top. The pipe cleaners got all smashed up and being pipe cleaners didn't spring back into shape. I needed something soft and pliable that could be squished through a tiny hole and open back up. I found an old Halloween costume head band in a dresser drawer here at the house. It was a spider. Then I cut off tow legs, pulled out a bunch if the stuffing, made some wings out of Contact paper (the frosted stuff) and Voila! It worked. Kind of like a ship in a bottle. Maybe.

Dead Fly 71 - Splat!

Dead Fly 71 - Splat!

acrylic on canvas 8" x 10"

     Here's an experiment in color and paint - and painting fast! Well, anyways, that's how it started out. Then I took a look at it. Back in art school I had a teacher who said we must be willing to destroy works that don't quite work out. Paint over the canvas. Burn them. Smash them. Stick them up in the attic where no one will did them till after your're dead. This one got set aside for a while. Then I figured I'd add more to it so this is where it went. No great shakes but it kind of looks like an egg splatted on the sidewalk to me. Another one that is what it is.

Dead Fly 70 - study in charcoal

Dead Fly 70 - charcoal study

charcoal on paper 8" x 10"

     Back to the basics once again. After the failure of the pastel pencil study I thought I best get back to an exercise in just plain drawing so I worked on this sketch in charcoal. I want to do some major works and needed to study the intricacies of the fly's wings - just in case I decide to get that detailed.

Dead Fly 69 - New Pencils

Dead Fly 69

New Pencils

pastel on paper 8"x 10"

     This one will most likely go on the wall of failures. I include it in this project because it's a fine example of "just because you did it, doesn't mean it's a great work of art." It's a small sketch I did with a new set of pastel pencils that I bought. I pretty much just wanted to give them a trial run. These pencils show up again in later works where I combine them with sticks of pastels that I am more used to working with. It is what it is.