Saturday, August 29, 2015

A Thought for Sunday, August 30, 2015

"The work of art which I do not make, none other will ever make." -- Simone Weil

Friday, August 28, 2015

Cozying Up to a Triptych

Here's how to find out if your studio is too small: try painting large. Of course your studio is too small! Unless we're working out of a 40,000 square foot warehouse, we never feel like we have enough square footage in our studios.

This week, that idea hit home when I began working on a triptych -- a painting created on three separate canvases. This one is comprised of three canvas panels, each of which measures 12x36 inches. Placed side by side, the overall measurement is 36x36 inches. It's going to be a mixed media piece, featuring paint, collage, inks, possibly even fibers and clay embellishments.

Those dimensions may seem laughably small to some people (like the artist whose studio is a warehouse) but when you work in much closer quarters ...well, let's just say things get quite cozy when you tackle a work of any size. It can feel like you're working on and around something the size of a Smartcar! (I'm exaggerating a bit, but I swear that's how it feels.)

Anyway, this triptych and I have finally reached an understanding: if I don't fall flat on my face trying to navigate around it, it will be set free (in other words, finished and shipped to its new home) by the end of next week.

Meanwhile, here are some photos of this work in progress:

I've masked off parts of the canvases to protect completed areas across the top.   ©2015 Lynn Edwards

Another view  ©2015 Lynn Edwards

This is where the fun begins: "auditioning" painted and stamped collage papers   ©2015 Lynn Edwards
More possibilities   ©2015 Lynn Edwards
Some papers that made the cut.   ©2015 Lynn Edwards
Stay tuned...I'll be posting more pictures as work on this progresses. My next project, after this one, is a work on FOUR 12x36 inch canvases. For that one I'll need to rearrange the furniture!

Text and images ©2015 Lynn Edwards

Sunday, August 23, 2015

A Thought for Sunday, August 23, 2015

"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home." -- Twyla Tharp

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Traveling Light

Those who've been following this blog for a while know that my friend Kathy and I have a standing date to meet once a week to make art. One week she comes to my studio, the next week I go to hers. We've been doing this for 12 years, ever since our first painting class where we met and became friends.

My good friend and longtime painting buddy, Kathy Woodworth, in my studio.


When Kathy travels to my studio for a day of painting, she brings every supply she anticipates needing, and then some. She freely admits she over-packs, but says she'd rather do that than discover she has left an essential something behind. Kathy line dances about 20 times a week and can out-exercise Richard Simmons so hauling enough paint to stock an art supply store doesn't faze her.

Me? The very thought of all that exertion wears me out. I tend to travel as light as possible. When I'm heading to Kathy's studio I pack small, portable projects like artist trading cards, greeting cards and 6x6 canvases. These are almost always collages. Collage papers are feather light compared to paints! Everything fits nicely into a super sturdy canvas tote I bought on Harbor Freight's web site. (The best $14 I ever spent, BTW.)

This week, I challenged myself to pare down even more. I allowed myself just one piece of black card stock and a few painted and stamped papers. The latter had been painted in shades of Prussian Blue and Quinacridone Crimson, overstamped with Iridescent Pearl, Titanium White, and Titan Buff. My aim was to design a series of small abstracts using this limited color palette, just to see how far I could take it.

Here are the three pieces I completed while at Kathy's this week:

"True Friends" 6x6 collage on paper   ©2015 Lynn Edwards

"Growth"  6x6 collage on paper   ©2015 Lynn Edwards

"Balance" 6x6 collage on paper   ©2015 Lynn Edwards
Doing small pieces like this is a good way to experiment with colors and design concepts. Working on a small scale enables you to explore creative options and hone your skills at little if any expense. The resulting pieces can be stand alone works of art, or they can serve as inspirations for larger pieces. Either way, they're great fun to create -- and no heavy lifting is required!

Text and images ©2015 Lynn Edwards


Sunday, August 16, 2015

A Thought for Sunday, August 16, 2015

"Hospitality is one form of worship." -- The Talmud

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Check Out My Latest Domino Pendants!

If you're looking for a fun way to add pizazz to your wardrobe, check out my newest domino pendants, now available through 2Rules Fine Art Gallery in Marietta!


Each pendant features an original acrylic painting on a vintage wooden domino.  ©2015 Lynn Edwards
The vintage dominoes I use to make these tiny treasures are made from real wood, not plastic. I create the little paintings and permanently bond them to the dominoes. Then the entire pendant is sealed with multiple coats of clear sealer followed by varnish.

Each pendant is suspended by an elegant Aanraku bail on silky soft, luxurious black cording. For extra strength, double split rings secure the lobster clasp and extender chain. (The chain allows the wearer to adjust the length from 24 to 26 inches.) The bail, clasp, split rings and chain are extra heavy silver plate to ensure the jewelry will keep its good looks for years.

I really enjoy making these wearable art pieces. The vintage dominoes are just like the dominoes I played with as a kid. (I guess that makes me vintage, too!) But instead of playing the game of dominoes, I used to build little structures with them.

To purchase, or for more information, contact 2Rules Fine Art at 404-355-6897.

A Thought for Sunday, August 9, 2015

"Love is the spirit that motivates the artist's journey. The love may be sublime, raw, obsessive, passionate, awful or thrilling, but whatever its quality, it's a powerful motive in the artist's life." --Eric Maisel

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Introducing More New Works

Another insanely busy week! Here are pics of some recent works for your enjoyment:

Sediment, 12 x 36 acrylic on canvas   ©2015 Lynn Edwards
Titled Sediment, this 12x36" painting is acrylic on a gallery wrapped 1 1/2 inch deep canvas. I've used a limited palette of colors and a variety of special techniques to suggest a dreamy, "floating downward" movement.

You can't see them in this photo but the dark band across the bottom also contains some interesting patterns.

This painting can be hung vertically or horizontally. It would look terrific on a narrow wall! Hung horizontally, it can be reversed directionally by changing the location of the hanging hardware on the back.

Sediment is now available for purchase through 2Rules Fine Art Gallery, 85 Church St., Marietta Ga 30060. The gallery may be contacted by phone at (404)355-6897, by email at
helen@2rulesfineart.com, or through its website.














The second painting, shown below, is Winter Lights, acrylic on a 24 x 24" gallery wrapped, 1 1/2 inch deep canvas.

Winter Lights, 24x24 acrylic on canvas   ©2015 Lynn Edwards
This painting features a very textural, tactile surface.

Something amazing happens to this painting when it's illuminated by a picture light or gallery style lighting. The silvery area at the bottom and the stars emit a beautiful soft glow! The effect is what you'd see while gazing at a frozen lake under the light of a full moon.

I did not use any gimmicky fluorescent paints to achieve this effect. In fact, I didn't discover it until I went to hang the finished painting on the gallery wall in my studio, which is lighted with halogens. This painting is lovely without any special illumination, but my jaw dropped when I saw it under the gallery lights. I also discovered that its appearance can be altered dramatically by dimming the light to varying degrees.

To learn more about this painting, contact me directly by clicking on Comments below, or by visiting my web site and clicking on Contact the Artist.

Have a good weekend!

Text and images ©2015 Lynn Edwards

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Bears -- Oh My!

This past weekend Hubs and I drove up to Asheville, NC to spend the weekend with our dear friend Gail. Gail lives on a mountain, surrounded by dense forest, with only a few neighbors within shouting distance. It's a gorgeous setting, wonderfully remote but with all the attractions of Asheville just a few minutes away. Because it's wilderness, Gail's place is frequently visited by bears, who enjoy lolling about under her crabapple trees and treating themselves to water from the little pond and waterfall just off her patio.

I have always loved bears, but have never been lucky enough to see one in the wild. So I was hoping I'd get a chance to spot one while we were there.

Friday came and went. No bears. Ditto for Saturday. But on Sunday morning, just as we were preparing to sit down to a lovely brunch, Gail's dog, who had been looking out her French doors, suddenly went crazy barking. Sure enough, ambling along the edge of Gail's flower garden was a magnificent black bear! I raced to the window just in time to catch a glimpse of the sun shining on his lustrous dark coat as he headed for the crabapple tree a few feet beyond the pond. There he proceeded to snack on apples, then laid down in the shade to take a nap, totally uninterested in anything but being indolent.

What a thrill for me! He was a beautiful creature, easily 200 pounds. Gail said he visits on a regular basis and has been doing so since he was a cub. Her only complaint was that she once found him sitting in the pond like a big hairy Buddha, which of course displaced a good bit of the water in it. So my instructions were to poke my head outside and blow as hard as I could on a whistle she keeps by the back door if it looked like he was going to wade into the pond again. Secretly I was hoping he would, just so I could get a better look at him.

But this time he wasn't so inclined. He stayed put in the shade until he heard Gail's daughter's car coming up the driveway. His big head turned in the direction of the noise, then he slowly got up and in just seconds he disappeared into the woods.

Those few minutes of observing a wild bear up close and personal were quite an experience for me. It was something I will never forget. How anyone could shoot or harm such a beautiful animal is totally beyond me. The heartbreaking case of Cecil the lion just brings home the urgent need to protect the amazing animals we share this planet with. If we don't, someday they will all be gone. And a vital part of our humanity will have gone with them. That's not a world I want to live in. Do you??

©2015 Lynn Edwards