THE BIG DARK..................

This past week I have had the privilege of taking a 5-day, Mixed-Media Water and Acrylic Painting workshop of Karen Rosasco's. Her website is: http://www.karenrosasco.com/
if you'd like to visit her site to get an idea of her art. She is a nationally reknowned artist whose art I so admire. I had the pleasure of attending an exhibit of hers in Cooperstown, NY and that is how I got "hooked". The workshop I attended was in Duanesburg, NY and, to my surprise, I discovered that Karen doesn't live that far from my area. She lives in Delanson, NY!! Twice a year, Karen rents out the fire hall in Duanesburg for local people to attend her 5-days workshops. I have to say it was the most intense, challenging and exhilarating art workshop I've ever taken. Starting today, and then throughout the upcoming week, I will share with you some of the projects that I created while attending the workshop. Please keep in mind, these are not finished pieces but what Karen refers to as "starts".

These pictures are a result of what Karen calls The Big Dark. We always worked on a large sheet of heavy-weight watercolor paper (140lb hot press, sometimes 300 lb weight). This, in itself, was a huge challenge for me. It's just a little larger than a 4 x 4 or an ATC :) The beginning "starts" were on 22 x 30" size watercolor paper. We could cut them down, eventually, but the beginning piece was always done on the large sheet. Wow! The large picture, here, is my first start and we used Golden's Fluid Acrylics, which now, I will use nothing else in my art; I'm hooked! We had to start with black, paint geometric shapes and fill in with lighter colors. Once we did that, we could add texture stamping with acrylics using rubber stamps, bubble wrap, screening, corrugated cardboard; you name it, we used it! We could scrape with razor blades, cut-up credit cards, Xacto knives, it was just so much fun.

Karen's main theme to try to get across to everyone, was having us paint in abstract all throughout the workshop which was very challenging and sometimes stressful for me as I am such a realist with my art. Plus, and this is a huge plus; I am not a painter. Karen really challenged me to think geometric shapes and once I got where I could see that, then I could stamp, scrape, texturize, add more painting, etc. The smaller pieces, here, are the result of The Big Dark and now I have a series of sorts to add more painting to and ultimately frame!

We did do some collage work but always after we painted. I will share more of that at a later time. I promise not to bore you with this but I am bursting with wanting to share the projects and my thoughts on attending the most exhilarating, yet, exhausting workshop ever that I have had the privilege to take. There were 16 students, I felt like I was among the elite; the room was filled with real painters who exhibit and sell all over the country! The first day I felt like running home, getting my "blankie" getting in the fetal position in my bedroom :) I did feel a bit out of my league. But; Karen is so calm and encouraging and she really made me feel confident that I can apply her techniques to my style and applications.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend. Love - Marilyn