Barely There

Barely There,  10 x 8" Oil on canvas 

©2009, Helen Read 

 

Good bye November ... and here is December!   This fall has been great ~ so much warmer than usual right into the late fall.  Now, though, the cold weather is upon us. 
Most of the trees look just as this one - only a couple leaves still clinging to the tree branches. 

 

Candy!

There's a theme here.... it is soon becoming the time of year that my high school drawing students will do a still life and I usually choose the subject matter of  -  candy!   There aren't many protests to why they have to draw that... although there are plenty of challenges!   Here are a few of the examples I show them.  These are all done in colored pencil on black paper.  They get to work with ideas of composition, they learn how to portray the candies and mix colors as if they were doing a painting.  They also learn the value of shadows in a composition.   All in all, its a lot of fun - and I enjoy the challenge as well - teaching them to see what's really there!

November Tree

November Tree, 8 x 6" Oil pastel on paper 

©2010, Helen Read 

 

I love pastel.  The layering and the colors are always so intriguing! Here I've given a "feel" for the season.  Can you hear the rattling of the dried leavesin the wind?  Maybe you can hear the swish of the tall and dried grass as well. As things dry out and the weather turns cool, this is what we see in November!

Abstract ~ untitled

untitled abstract, 30 x 22" Acrylic on Paper 

©2010, Helen Read 

The work is finally finished on this abstract.  I made my last dots and circles tonight! 

 Because of its size, I wondered if I would ever finish the multiple layers of color and circles. 

My thoughts on this go back to the book of Genesis. 

One of the first verses speaks of the Spirit of God hovering over the earth which was dark, unformed, and void. I wonder, what would that beautiful, dancing Spirit look like, if in fact it could be depicted? 

It seems to me it would be full of light and color.  Full of energy and dynamic movement. 

Perhaps quite playful and whimsical.  Certainly full of beauty, dispelling the darkness ~
filling the void with breath, life, and even joy. 

What you cannot see readily from my photo is that I've used metallics and perlescent and interference paints along with the other colors.  I wanted to achieve a luminescence in what I painted. 

I wanted to give a sense of lyricism and poetry to this work.  Even in trying to portray these abstract thoughts, I'm quite sure I haven't come close!  Nevertheless - these are my thoughts behind the painting.

Fruits of the Spirit Note Cards

Set of 8 (4 designs) note cards with envelopes

©Helen Read 
___________________ 
A Great Gift Idea!

These cards measure 5.5 x 4.25" and feature the
Fruits of the Spirit from Scripture with the
message: A Tree is Known by its Fruit.
The fruit paintings are Helen's original art work.

 

 

  

The work continues......

My work has continued on this abstract.   It is nearing it finish, but not yet quite there.  This is a larger painting - approximately 32 x 22 -  so taking a photo of it to see it a little more clearly is a help.  As you can see, it is painted entirely with small dots in Golden acrylics.   The effect is interesting, I think.    Stay posted for more to come!  

Happy November!

November Gathering,  8x8" Oil on canvas

©2007, Helen Read 

Happy November!  Its hard to believe we are at this point in autumn!