Adventures in Backdrop Painting!!

This summer I'm helping out with a children's musical theater camp... fun!! I'm doing the backdrop for the stage, and helping out wherever else needed.

Creating a backdrop is a completely new experience for me, and I'm learning a lot as I go! Mainly about materials - I'm using two 4'x8' foam insulating panels, latex paint, and spray paint. Normally in my line of work, I look for materials that will last a very long time. I'm concerned about how the painting will hold up and weather through the years. But here the goal is to make a big, colorful backdrop in a hurry and on a budget. 
Challenge accepted! 

The play is about kids growing up in the digital age, so I decided to paint a computer floating through cyber space.  There are bright neon colored "stars" (hubs?) on a black background, and I'll probably make them connected by thin lines lines to show how we're all connected in this virtual world.

I'm pleased with the way it's turned out so far, but it's not been without it's challenges. But, like I tell my students: we're artists, so we like to figure stuff out. 

Here are a few pics from today, more to come when it's done (which should be tomorrow).

Before

After (After today, that is. Still a work in progress..)

Future home of a giant keyboard.

 

 

 

 

Helpers!

Day 66, 100 Happy Days: Back to Business in Fresh New Studio

Me in front of one of my more recent paintings (still in progress).

Today was First Friday set-up day. Artists came and hung their work while I tore down my studio, and rearranged things. It was nice to get back to First Friday after a month long break. I've been doing First Fridays every month since June 2009, I believe. That is a lot of art openings!

Also, exciting to people hanging work in my freshly painted and slightly made-over studio.

It's looking great in there!

Day 54, 100 Happy Days: Fresh Studio Walls + Shrinking My Vocabulary

This is actually a "before" pic, but I love how empty it is.

My studio walls take a lot of abuse. I hang and rearrange my work on them (several times a month), paint of various colors gets splashed on them, and then there's First Friday... Every month I have up to ten other artists showing their work in my studio for the art walk. This means that once a month I take down all my work, and they put up theirs. And in the process they create dozens more holes in the walls. Later, I spackle the walls, which creates spots that don't quite look like the rest of the wall, and the cycle continues. Resulting in splotchy walls.

Today, my studio got painted for the first time in ages. And, it was done by a friend as a gift (sometimes you gotta take the donuts)!

My studio is absolutely sparkling now. Gorgeous white walls with not a spot on them. It's going to be difficult to nail into those things! I enjoyed looking at those flawless white walls today, because they represent potential. Just like a blank canvas.
Now to deal with those floors...

Day 54 Happy Bonus: Shrinking My Vocabulary
I realize that having a shrinking vocabulary doesn't sound like a happy thing, but if you take the right words out, it can make you much happier. Today I banned from my vocabulary a 9-letter word that starts with "ex" and ends in "ed". It means tired. And I have been tired for days. Today I realized that I've been saying that "ex" word a LOT lately, and that stuff gets in your head. So I immediately stopped saying it, and started saying that I had loads of energy. Yes, I knew it was a lie, but I told the lie so enthusiastically and I threw my arms in the air when I said it... well I may not have felt like I had loads of energy, but I definitely felt less tired.
Fake it til you make it, baby!!

Day 53, 100 Happy Days: Watching People Create

I have to admit that I took to Facebook to complain after tonight's class. But it wasn't about the class - the class was wonderful. I complained because I was exhausted and just stretched too thin right now. And then I had to walk a dog, which was the last thing I wanted to do. But, just like last night, I was able to focus on the present during the walk, and bring myself back to a good state.

Which made me think about how amazing it was to watch people create in my creative space tonight. People came in with little or no painting experience, and came up with the most amazing paintings! Using my painting for inspiration, I give them a bit of guidance and encourage them to do their own thing on the canvas. And the do. And that is a brave and bold thing to do, and a beautiful thing to witness.

My Happiness Project Day 11: Paint Club

Paint Club is a weekly open paint session that I host at my studio each Sunday. Everyone from beginners to professional artists come to hang out and work on their own projects in a safe and supportive environment. 

There is a small group of regulars and a larger group of people who rotate through. It's always nice to catch up with people I haven't seen in awhile. None of my "regulars" made it in today; there were five people who were new to Paint Club, and one who has been a few times. Everyone had a good time, and it's nice to watch people experiment with paint just for the fun of it. It makes me happy to be able to provide space for people to create.