Monday, January 28, 2013

The Anatomy of a Painting

I've been quiet for a while. The show at Voltage over the summer was one of the best experiences ever, and being in Flux Boston's Elsewhere exhibition was awesome. Over the fall, I participated in Open Studios at my new live/work space in the Distillery, and some of my Tree Dudes found their way to two shows in Brooklyn at new gallery Calico. So while I've been terrible at blogging, I've had a few things going on here and there.

My newest adventure is my bi-annual attempt at "Making A Painting". Every other year or so, I bust out a panel, roll up my sleeves, and attempt to get serious. It inevitably always fails, because like I've said, painting is not like riding the proverbial bicycle. This year, I'm convinced it will be different as I've discovered Flashe paint. I've long searched for the large-scale equivalent of gouache and have never found anything that works until now. Flashe is a vinyl-based, matte, opaque paint that functions like gouache when wet, but is indelible when dry. It's not quite as dense as my preferred Windsor & Newton gouache, but it layers beautifully without the rubbery texture of regular acrylics. 

Here are some images from the studio from my first "Big Kid Painting" in a while. Click for larger images.

Getting Started. I did the initial sketch with walnut ink, and then started blocking out colors.

Fixed some of the proportions by bringing the eyes down lower, shortening the nose and elongating the forehead.

 Adding in some reflective color- blues and greens

And some hair.


And some more hair.

Who are some of your favorite portraitists? What's good, internets?

Monday, June 11, 2012

100 Drawings Show up at VOLTAGE!

ON VIEW NOW:

I've so much to tell you...
100 Drawings by Aimee Belanger
@ Voltage
295 3rd Street
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Reception Friday June 15, 7-10pm
On view through July 28, 2012





Wednesday, April 18, 2012

UPCOMING SHOWS!

Gallery 263 Art Auction
263 Pearl Street Cambridge
Saturday April 21, 7-10pm
Gallery preview April 19-20, 1-6pm
Auction Preview Here


Spring Open Studios
@ Distillery Boston
Studio 210W
Sunday, June 3, 2012
12-6pm
Free and open to the public
More Information Here

I've so much to tell you...
100 Drawings by Aimee Belanger
@ Voltage
295 3rd Street
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Opens June 11
Reception June 15, 7pm

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

47/100

I've slowed down a bit, and missed my initial deadline of 100 drawings by January 1. There are currently 47 drawings in the new series, which I plan to finish by mid-February. Here are some shots from the studio and scans of the three most recent drawings.





Here are drawings 045-047. They are mud dauber wasp nests. I've been meaning to do some drawings of these for a while. Google them. They're these weird little clay sculptures, and aside from the fact that they are filled with vicious wasps, they are pretty beautiful.







Sunday, December 4, 2011

100 Drawings: 30/100

In the studio with the first 30:






Wednesday, November 23, 2011

100 Drawings Update

I started 100 Drawings two weeks ago and since then, I have made 30 drawings. When I started I wasn't sure what form this project was going to take. I have mailed away many of my first 20 drawings, and this week, I started working on a standard 9"x12" watercolor paper. I bought a stack of 100 sheets, and am going to fill all of them. I have made 10 drawings this week. Here are a few and the remaining 10 are on my website: http://aimeebelanger.com/section/271082_100_Drawings.html

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Ira Glass: This is really important

Someone posted this on Facebook today and I had to share it. It's a wonderful quote by Ira Glass (a personal hero of mine) about being a young artist.

READ:



This is very real for me- I wonder why the things that I like are so much better-more interesting, engaging, dynamic- than the things I make. If I wasn't me and I saw my work would I even like it? Would I even care to look? There have been times when I have stopped making things altogether because I didn't think that what I was doing was intelligent or beautiful or original enough.

That is what 100 drawings is about. Just making stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. Thanks, Ira.




Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Flux Feature

The curatorial crew at Flux has decided to feature my studio and me on their blog! Check out my studio, recent work, and Distillery friends here: http://flux-boston.com/?p=3418

Cheers to Liz for the nod!

Monday, November 7, 2011

100

100 drawings by December 31, 2011
Buildings and people and landscapes.
People as landscapes.
Buildings as portraits.
Time. Starts. Now.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Richard Serra

Richard Serra, walnut ink and pen on paper, 7"x10", 10/31/2011

Monday, October 31, 2011

people i love

i've been thinking about:

dan flavin
charles ray
richard serra
rachel whiteread
erwin wurm
simon starling
james turrell

none of these people make pictures

Oh Charley, Charley, Charley!


pen on paper, 7"x10", October 29, 2011

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Dan Flavin

Dan Flavin, walnut ink on paper, 6"x6", 10/24/2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011

I made you a drawing


1. Mt. Hood, Pen on paper, 11"x8.5", October 11, 2011
2. Glasgow, Pen and pencil on paper, 10"x7", October 12, 2011

Friday, June 3, 2011

Great Grandmother


Recently I visited Asbury Park, NJ with my roller derby team (you read that right). I was excited for this trip in particular, because it brought me back to where my dad's family lives and where my great-grandmother was once famous. You can read her story here.

I decided to follow up on this trip with a series of drawings, and since I broke my wrist and was unable to finish some of the paintings I had been working on previously, it seemed like the perfect time to make some sloppy, opposite/broken hand drawings.

The Great Cedora at age 16 on the boardwalk with her bicycle.

Another classic

Eleanore, ink on paper, 50"x"36", 2011

(detail)

(detail)

Cedora, ink and gouache on paper, 40"x24", 2011

(detail)