Live Performance Video-"The Creation of Relic"-Acrylic Painting

Another live performance: I had a great time! The video documents the creation of the acrylic painting entitled, "Relic". To see more of my work, visit my portfolio website, www.princessrashid.com

Why Artists Should Sign or Burn

I came across the video, "Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock",  recently. I encourage you to take a look regardless of you are a fan of Jackson Pollock or not.  I warn you that the video is about an hour however so let me give you the gist.

The video is very illustrative of the hypocrisy of the upper echelon of the fine art world especially with regard with auction prices and what works are valuable and thus worth the million dollar price tag and what works are not. It seems that it is all a game.

  

 Those of you who know me well have heard me say, that I believe Jackson freed us. By us, I mean American painters. His work and style made it possible for American artists to break from the art conventions of the Europeans and the home grown Traditional Realist set in order to come up with something that spoke uniquely with a modern American sentiment.

I recommend the film : Pollock by Ed Harris. And artists, Don't forget to sign your paintings or burn them.

Putting On The Finish.....Once And For All

It is always good to sell. When one of my museum clients contacted me recently to purchase four small science paintings based on the periodic table, I was over the moon. Then I started scrutinizing each painting looking for some imperfection. Before I send my work to a collector I want to make sure it is in the best possible condition.

So I touched up any scratches and any passages of color, design, or paint film application that had  bothered me over the years. Then, I coated each painting with two coats of a Golden Artist Colors product called GAC 500. I love, love, love this stuff. It serves as a very strong top coat  and gives a hard finish. Really, after the second coat the paintings looked really spectacular. No kidding!

It amazes me that when I first created the pieces back in 2007, I thought they were complete and I went on to exhibit them all over the country in various shows. But as I have matured as an artist, my standards of presentation have also matured. That is why, I went to such lengths to prepare these paintings for their new home.

After I fixed any scratches and general wear and tear due to exhibiting the paintings over the years, I took to painting the sides of the gallery wrapped. Painting the sides gives a more polished look. In regards to gallery wrapped canvas, I think it especially looks nice when I am able to extend the design of the painting over to the sides and not just paint them black or gray.  What do you think?


Signing "properly"

When I first exhibited these paintings, I had signed them in pencil on the front. At the time ( five years ago), I was having trouble coming up with a "signature" in paint that I liked. There was even a question of whether I should sign the small abstract paintings at all on the front. In some of the more academic circles, that is a no-no. But I felt the signature was important and if I could do it right and non-obtrusively, it would be overall enhance the painting. So , I erred on the side of caution and signed in pencil.
 Followed with a coat of medium to protect the signature from being erased. It worked with the overall design of the paintings but it always bugged me a little over the years.  So now using a  no. 5/0 Simply Simmons synthetic brush with an excellent little point, I was able to get the signature "P.Rashid" just right.

Signing the back

I also added a signature and pertinent information on the back of the canvases written in permanent marker. Why? The information include the title and medium of the work as well as my name. I think adding the signature on the front and/or back adds a final endorsement and legitimacy to the the work. It let's the world know that the work is "Aproved by the Artist".  

Stay tuned for  a future post about what can wrong when an artist doesn't do this.



Reframing

Unfortunately, time had not been kind to my frames. Moving cross country a few times and sending the paintings to various exhibits took it's toll on the floater frames. I had to have several of the paintings re-framed by a local framer.


Packing them up

I used cardboard backing for protection and  wrapped them all in brown paper.  I believe this process protects during the packing process at the UPS as well requires the painting to be unwrapped by the recipient. This makes for a special feeling and anticipation on the part of the client.

I am all about helping my clients feel special because they are!

"Prism"-Acrylic on Canvas

"Prism" was created exclusively using Fluid Acrylics and Tar Gel Medium by Golden Artist Colors. I used a staining style which yields a pretty smooth paint finish. For me, with this type of application, leaving areas of the canvas visible (white) is just as important as the paint to get the desired effect. It is very similar to how a watercolorist would use the watercolor paper to maintain a type of "freshness" in the work.

"Prism" | 24 x24" | Acrylic on Canvas | c. 2013 Princess S. Rashid
AVAILABLE

Check out this video where we pour liquid nitrogen over the painting during my live painting performance at the Museum of Science and History (MOSH) in Jacksonville, FL. Pretty cool!-(Pun intended!)  I would love to hear from you about what you think of the painting. Can you see why I named it "Prism"?

"Banana Palm Surprise"-Oil Painting

For various reasons, I was only able to get one painting done during the 2012 Plein Air Bartow event. But I was determined to get me at least one more painting before the weekend was over.

"Banana Palm Surprise"| Oil on Board| 9 x 12"|
c. 2102 Princess Simpson Rashid
Contact me for purchase info

Across the street from the gallery where the reception and awards ceremony were being held, I saw this work site alley. I was looking for a red building. After all that green and brown back at the preserve, I was looking for some right angles and some a nice red building to stimulate me. I found it across the street. The trick once finding the right perspective and staying out of the direct line of the moving sun. Mosquitos were also a concern but minor due to my trusty can of Deep Woods OFF!

 The previous day, I had scoped it out and had intended to do the entire red building but by the time I was ready to paint , I couldn't get the sun to cooperate with me so I adjusted and found another scene. I knew I still wanted some of that red building but now I would focus on the banana tree.

It was just crazy looking to me and sort of out of place in that alley. I knew I didn't want to get caught up painting every leaf. My goal was to paint a few and suggest the rest. I wanted to convey the sense of the tree and how it was just sprawling to me. That was really the hook that attracted me to the scene.  I edited quite a bit in order to not get caught up in details that would distract from the star of the show.

I like the contrast between the hard edges of the building and the organic energy of the banana tree. I would love to hear you thoughts.

"The Path to Resurrection"-Original Oil Painting

"The Path to Resurrection"| Oil & Alkyd| 9 x 12"
c. Princess Simpson Rashid
AVAILABLE
 

This painting was done while I participated in 2012 Plein-Air Bartow Event. It won an Honorable Mention Award from juror, Adam Justice, Curator at the Polk County Museum of Art.

The first day we went to the Circle B Bar Preserve in Lakeland, FL. I had a chest cold and so not feeling that adventurous. Even though I surveyed most of the land, thanks to a volunteer tour guide, I didn't feel strong enough to hike or weather possible encounters with alligators or snakes like some of my fellow plein air companions.

I found a nice little spot under a gazebo near the visitor center. I had a lot of shade and protection from the sun and occasional drizzle. The only negatives were little hopping black spiders, flying ants and  a very gray scene. But I did find something that excited me enough to set up my new french easel and give it a try.

I am pretty pleased with the painting. It is called, "The Path to Resurrection" because of the distinct resurrection ferns I noticed on the branches that weave their way throughout the center of my painting. While touring the preserve and painting, a few people would stop and  tell me about the amazing fern and how after appearing dried out and dead they would suddenly come back to splendid life after only a light misting rain. They add most of the color punch to this gray/ green painting.

From the picture on the left,  you can see that the Spanish  moss is pretty dominant too.


On display at the Tay-cho/Caroline's Gallery until December 11, 2012. 395 E. Summerlin St, Bartow, FL. Contact me or the gallery for purchase information.

Platform Art in the Box Show This Saturday-Lakeland

Hey Everyone, there will be exciting show going on in Lakeland, FL that I am apart of. It's called Art in the Box. I have 5 small paintings available at great prices. If you are in the area stop by.

 http://www.platformart.org/

This Saturday begins Platform Art's 10th year of art parties that feature visual art, short film, fashion, sound and performance by local and regional emerging artist of all art forms and genres inside and outside of containers provided by "Go Minis" and "CSX."

And, the Art Party is the same night as downtown Lakeland's Zombiefest and The Socialite's Block Party. There is something for everyone in downtown Lakeland.

Visit http://www.platformart.org/ to learn more. Click "Tickets" to get tickets online.