Come Join Us at Marietta's First Friday Art Walk

Come enjoy some awesome art at tomorrow night's First Friday Art Walk on the Square in Marietta! The Square's dynamic art scene now draws people from all over the metro area for these Walks, held from 5 to 9 p.m. If you're among them, be sure to stop by 2 Rules Fine Art. At 2 Rules you can browse paintings, pottery, jewelry, artful decor items and more by 30+ artists, including myself.
 
As a special treat, from 6 to 8 p.m. at 2 Rules, artist Stanford Ashcroft will demonstrate how he creates paintings using razor blades.

This is a demo that's not to be missed. Some of the most interesting works I've ever seen were painted solely with unconventional tools: kitchen implements, hair picks, rubber bands, kid's foam toys, and cotton twine, for example. The results are often unexpected, which is what draws so many of us to this method. It's the unpredictable nature of it that's so irresistible.

There's a certain sense of freedom that comes from applying paint with tools other than a brush. The process is usually looser, more spontaneous and somehow more personal. Actually, it's just downright fun. When I visit galleries I seek out paintings created this way because I find them to be incredibly engaging. And I really enjoy painting in this manner myself. Thorny Issue, shown below, is a piece I did sans brushes. It was painted in acrylic using only my hands. I've never tried painting with razor blades, though, so I'm curious to see how Stanford does it. I'm sure it will be extremely interesting. I hope you'll join us!

2 Rules is located at 85 Church St. in Marietta. For more information call 404-355-6897.

"Thorny Issue," an acrylic painting on paper. The paint was applied using only  my hands.

Text and image ©2014 Lynn Edwards

Finger Painting

Sometimes it's good to revisit a painting you've done even though it's now gone on to a new home. I try to photograph or scan every painting I do before it leaves my studio. This helps me in several ways: first, it's a visual record for my files and second, it comes in very handy for remembering what pieces looked like. After you've made countless paintings over the years, you find you can't possibly recall them all with any degree of accuracy. Photographing or scanning each piece solves that problem nicely.

It was especially helpful today. I had decided to lay aside my jewelry making - temporarily- to do some painting. Specifically, I wanted to paint an ethereal landscape in the same manner as this piece. I had painted Thorny Issues, below, with my fingers only. It has been a couple of years since I had used this method. Even though you'd think any 5 year old could handle that assignment, I was feeling kind of "rusty." Sometimes it's hard for us grownups to pretend we're kids!

 Anyway, today I hauled out a good sized wood panel (I think it was 24x36"), my heavy body acrylics,and started in. Unlike Thorny Issues, this piece will be much more colorful. I got a little carried away and soon had paint practically up to my elbows. I smeared and dabbed and pulled paint using my fingers and the palms of my hands. I confess I did use a brush at one point but mostly it was using just my fingers and hands. I had almost forgotten how good it feels to squish and smush paint....practically trance-inducing. I was still in an altered state of consciousness when reality intruded and I had to stop before I could finish it.

That's the problem with having so much fun. It always has to end. But I know my half-finished painting isn't going anywhere. It will be waiting for me when I head out to the studio tomorrow. I think Carly Simon recorded a song about this once. It was called "Anticipation!!!"

Text and image ©2014 Lynn Edwards