Zen in red and gold

This is one I've been working on and finished this morning. I added a dusting of powdered metallic pigment for the glow it needed. Its 1 ft by 2 ft on birch wood.



This is still drying and the blog will be updated for sale availability. Contact me.

Zen gold on red

This is a wip because I'm missing the gold I need to make the gold really gold. I think this need a real metallic (another one that needs a metallic .... I see a pattern here).

Other than that I think I'm going to leave it be...

This is about a foot by two feet on a birch wood panel. The background had layers of reds, browns, oranges and yellows to achieve the layered deep reds.

Zen squares WIP

This painting was done on a 1 foot by 1 foot, half inch thick piece of birch wood. Besides the acrylic paint I used a mica medium and it added a nice texture - as well subtle changes in the paint color. It drabbed down the brights while not making them muddy.

The black shot of squiggle down the middle is black enamel interior house paint.

Playing with light....aceo and 5x7

I've always liked paintings that played with light. Not the Thomas Kinkaid light thing but real light...Misty light, foggy light...Low light...Unusual light.

I decided to try a bit of it this morning and see how it went.

This is a work in progress. It's little. 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches... I'm painting on itty-bitty canvases... Since I'm just starting out I don't know if that makes it harder or easier but I can tell you it sure saves on paint!


And speaking of light - whats up with photographing art? No matter what I do I can't seem to make the photos look like that art? In the case of the ACEO the painting looks more misty and gentle... And definitely not so GREEN. In the case of the 5 x 7 below I couldn't even get a reasonable shot without taking it way way far away... And even than it's much choppier looking. The picture seems more muted and subtle to me.

Heres another attempt but it's still not good... It's rough looking.

I'm still working on this...

Where are you going?

where are you going
Originally uploaded by popcornfeet

AVAILABLE

Going forward can be the most difficult thing in your life. Just putting one foot in front of the other and taking the next step... You know the direction your going... You can see your path clearly... But doing it, that's the tricky part.

It's scary because you never know if your doing the right thing... if you took the right road.. if you picked the right direction at that last cross-road. And you won't; until the end. The truth is you really do pick the right directions at the cross-roads in you life. You pick the best option available you had at each event in your life. You pick the very best thing to do based on all you knew at the time. If you knew more, or less, you might have done something different but...well, that wouldn't have been you.

Relish your wins and rethink your losses. Maybe they weren't losses. Maybe they brought you to the next cross-road smarter, better, more prepared for a more difficult decision. Maybe you needed to make the last mistake to not make the next two...

I've made some mistakes that saved me bigger ones... I'm thankful for those.

This card was done in standard ACEO format of 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inchs on heavy mat board. It started with a background collage with multiple art papers to enhance the main image. The photograph is one I took recently while driving near my home. I pulled out my camera, rested it on my steering wheel and shot. A good result, I think.

Cape May Sky in the abstract

This is a mixed media 6 inch by 6 inch piece I just finished! It's called Capy May Sky.

Even though it appears simple doing it was a time consuming process. First I applied mulberry paper to gessoed masonite and than painted the

background. The clouds came last.

I guess you could call it an acrylic mixed media painting on mulberry paper on masonite... although that is a mouthful.

The image was based on a photograph I took a few years ago. I kept drawing drawing it and each time kept simplifying the elements. At some point it didn't really look like a sky anymore and that is where I liked it best. From a distance it's 'sky'... up close its color and shape.

Cape May, NJ Fence

Sold

I was looking at my photographs the other day and realized I had a lot of shots of fences. At first I thought it was odd. Why would I have taken so many pictures of barriers? Things blocking my path? Objects that stopped me on my path?

I started to work with the pictures and realized that I loved the images and found them beautiful. If the fences hadn't been there I would have continued on my way - walked ahead and never noticed the scene beyond.

Fences - barriers in your life - can be blockades. Places that you stop and feel you can't go forward but maybe there is another way to see them.
The things that stop you give you a frame of reference. They show you where you are now... They show you what's in the future... They shift you.

Stopping to assess your life is never a bad thing. Knowing what could be a ahead is important... Figuring a way to get past a hurdle is growth. Maybe the fences in your life are as important and the open paths. Maybe stopping to see where you are and figuring out how to move ahead is a gift.

Maybe fences are the picture frames of our lives. A pause, a still picture, a place to refect back on how far we've come and to see what's beyond...

ACEO 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch done on heavy mat board. The background collage uses several art papers and acrylic fixitives. The photograph was placed on top of the collage and the entire card was sealed with a glossy acrylic medium.

Chairs to infinity at sunrise

ACEO AVAILABLE

I took this photograph in Capy May, New Jersey. These were the chairs on the balcony at the Grand Hotel... There was something about this photograph I've always liked.

There is something beautiful in those chairs. I can imagine myself sitting there resting, gazing over the railing... and it's quiet. Even though there are so many balconys and so many chairs no one is outside. No one takes time to stop and sit anymore... to just look at what's there.

I think about my life and I don't take much time to stop and sit either. There is always a call to make... a phone to answer... a bill to pay.

I must have missed so many beautiful sunrises just sleeping when I wasn't really tired...

ACEO 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches on heavy mat board. The card was done in two steps. First a background collage was done to compliment the picture and than the photograph was attached. I used several acrylic mediums, the last one glossy.

Fences

ACEO AVAILABLE

I was looking at my photographs the other day and realized I had a lot of shots of fences. At first I thought it was odd. Why would I have taken so many pictures of barriers? Things blocking my path? Objects that stopped me on my path?

I started to work with the pictures and realized that I loved the images and found them beautiful. If the fences hadn't been there I would have continued on my way - walked ahead and never noticed the scene beyond.

Fences - barriers in your life - can be blockades. Places that you stop and feel you can't go forward but maybe there is another way to see them.

The things that stop you give you a frame of reference. They show you where you are now... They show you what's in the future... They shift you.

Stopping to assess your life is never a bad thing. Knowing what could be a ahead is important... Figuring a way to get past a hurdle is growth. Maybe the fences in your life are as important and the open paths. Maybe stopping to see where you are and figuring out how to move ahead is a gift.

Maybe fences are the picture frames of our lives. A pause, a still picture, a place to refect back on how far we've come and to see what's beyond...

ACEO 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch done on heavy mat board. The background collage uses several art papers and acrylic fixitives. The photograph was placed on top of the collage and the entire card was sealed with a glossy acrylic medium.

Always looking out

Sold

How many times do you sit behind the windows in your home and watch the world go by?

Sometimes I just don't go out ...No that's not right - I can't go out. Sometimes I just can't. The world is too big and too bright... too scary... too loud.

As gray as my life seems inside, it's safe. I'm safe.

Behind the windows I can watch the hoopla of life and not get hurt.

Aceo 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 on heavy mat board. The card was done in two step - there was a background collage put on first to accent the main image and than the photograph was added. All layers were put on with an acrylic sealer.

The card was taken at Drexel University.

Black sands

Not for sale
I'm happy with this painting. It's one of the first I'm really very happy with. The subject makes me happy and I'm also happy with how it came out.

What doesn't thrill me is my problems photographing the artwork. That is a work in progress....

6 " x 6" acrylic on masonite

A detail close up of the clouds












... and shore line....

I've been looking a lot at the daily painting sites. I think I may have to start listing in order to continue my own daily painting obsession. Perhaps the paintings aren't ready but I can always go back to selling photography and ACEO's

This morning's sky

The sky this morning was so full... of peace, of deep meaning... and a something that could only be described as promise.

Sometimes optimism is only a matter of physically looking up and seeing what is always there.

The sky over Bedminster, NJ April 29, 2008 6:30 a.m.

Night waves

Contact tracyreinhardt.art@gmail.com for purchase information

unframed $75.00

I have this thing for the beach. I'm sure it's noticable. This is a 6 " x 6 " acrylic painting on masonite.

The picture of it didn't get the purple glow at the top or the clouds the moon is hiding behind. I really need to work on photographing my artwork.

I'm not sure if this is done yet or a work in progress. I thought photographing it would help but frankly the photo is so poor it doesnt help much.

I guess I'll live with it and see.

Zen and the art of art...

There is art everywhere. I was shopping for new dishes and took this picture. This was one set I was considering.

Even though I didn't buy these, they will stick with me long after the set I did buy because these plates became art.