April M. Rimpo Art: 2015

Thursday, December 17, 2015

"Catching Up" 10" X 24" acrylic gallery wrapped

Catching Up by April M Rimpo

In Catching Up the cyclists pop from a landscape of geometric shapes. The trees, grass, and street were each simplified to an elongated rhombus. The masses of leaves became simple circles and even the texture in the grass is based on tiny hexagons. This abstracted background acts as a foil to the cyclists who speed by during a bicycle race.

Catching Up

Fluid Acrylic

$575 - SOLD

#HoCoArt

#aprilmrimpoart

#Maryland

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

The Reception at Ranazul

It has already been over a week since the reception at Ranazul. That means means there are less than two more weeks to enjoy the show. I wanted to share some photographs from the reception. It was so great to see everyone who arrived to enjoy my art, discuss my gallery wrapped presentation, and share stories behind the paintings. Visiting with old friends and meeting some new ones was a joy.

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo 2015 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution, but all other uses are prohibited.

Saturday, November 14, 2015

"Sitting Pretty" 8" X 8" fluid acrylic - Variations

Sitting Pretty (c) April M Rimpo

One of the sunflowers we had planted last year must have seeded itself because two new plants popped up this year in the same large pot. A few weeks ago the first plant had hit its prime, the seeds were full and it dipped its flower head like it was bowing to Mother Nature.

While eating lunch and watching the birds in our backyard a little finch got the brilliant idea to partake of the sunflower seeds. I always have my camera ready so I took pictures of the finch in a variety of positions:

Sitting on top, as in "Sitting Pretty"
Bending over the edge and nibbling from the bottom

Sitting Pretty

Fluid Acrylic

8" X 8" X 1.5" gallery wrapped image*

$350

Available for Purchase Here

I'm sure more finch paintings will follow.
#HoCoArt #ShopSmall #SmallBizSat
Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo 2015 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution, but all other uses are prohibited.

#HoCoArt
#aprilmrimpoart

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

An Exhibit in an Alternative Space

Winter (Part I)

Typically I exhibit in national watermedia exhibits, commercial galleries, artist owned galleries, and local art centers that hold monthly exhibits. On rare occasion I have also exhibited in alternative spaces, such as doctor's offices, restaurants, and small business stores. It so happens that I arranged an exhibit in a local restaurant a couple months before the discussion in a weekly art business forum turned to the topic of alternative spaces.

Winter (Part II)

A synopsis of the forum discussion is that you never know when someone will see your artwork, fall in love with it, and want to make a purchase. So displaying in alternate spaces, although somewhat of a long-short in terms of sales, is worth the risk. Several examples were given by artists who had successfully made sales through alternative venues. These alternative venues may not be the primary places where you want to attempt to make sales, but there is no reason to ignore the possibility.

Summer (Part I)

When I first shifted from part time to full time art, I displayed prints of my artwork in my dentist's office. She invited me to do so and posted images of my work in her office on Facebook. When asked, her receptionist provided my contact information to their patients and I did receive some calls. Although I did not make any sales as a result, I know there was some increased awareness of my artwork as a result of that venture.

Summery (Part II)

This month my artwork is on display at Ranazul tapas wine bistro in Fulton, Maryland. A few people had suggested this venue to me, so I decide to learn more about it. It turns out the owner's brother is an artist, so when putting together the plans for the building she included a gallery room as part of the layout. Her goal is to support local artists with exhibits each month. What better way to foster a partnership between the artists and the restaurant? I loved the idea, submitted my artwork, and was accepted for a show. Ranazul provides the space, tapas and beverages for the reception, and takes a very reasonable commission on sales. The artist is responsible to install the exhibit, advertise the reception, and take-down the exhibit at the end of the show. A very equitable relationship.

Summer (Part III)

If you decide to look into alternative venues, be sure to find out the responsibilities of each party so there are no surprises.

Included here are images of my exhibit, Summer and Winter. The reception is on November 8th at 4PM. Come check it out!

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo 2015 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution, but all other uses are prohibited.

#HoCoArt
#aprilmrimpoart

Friday, October 30, 2015

How to gallery wrapped paper (revisited)

Running Up by April M Rimpo

Running up is a triptych done using fluid acrylic on a gallery wrapped paper surface. A triptych is a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works of art; in this case a piece of art composed of three panels. You can see the color scheme used for this triptych is similar to the color scheme used for my Rhythm abstract discussed in my November 15th blog post. The same complementary triad color scheme of orange, green, and purple was used since these paintings are in the same home as Rhythm.

This was my first time creating gallery wrapped paper surfaces. I used 1.5" deep stretcher bars that measure 45" X 24" that were varnished with Liquitex Satin Varnish.

I initially used a process described by Ona Kingdon in her blog. After I had more experience I modified her approach with the text marked as an "UPDATE." YOu can read Ona's posts here:

UPDATE: As time has passed I have learned that starting with one or two coats of gloss varnish give the finished piece a nice sheen. There are two reasons for this: the glossy finish is more reflective, but more importantly if you use more than two coats of satin or mat varnish the varnish can become cloudy.

UPDATE: I have found using foam core and gallery wrapping has worked wonderfully for small paintings, but larger pieces can sometimes have problems with rippling in the corners after varnishing. For those I have started to attach the paper to Alumalite (a corrugated plastic board with a thin aluminum surface on both sides) using Acrylic Medium Gel. Since the paper is essentially glued to the board there will be no buckling. These can be framed watercolor or fluid acrylic pieces that are mounted, varnished and displayed without glazing. Those who know David Daniels' watercolors will be familiar with this approach. Unlike David, I often gallery wrap the paper around stretcher bars and paint around the edges so no frame is required.

To create the abstracts shown above, I placed a small amount of each fluid acrylic color in a small measuring cup, added some water to dilute the paint sufficiently for it to flow over the paper, while still being an intense color. The colors were allowed to mix on the paper as I painted. Only a few colors were premixed on a palette before applying to the paper. The spray bottle shown in the picture at right contains water, which was sprayed on the paper prior to applying paint to encourage the paint to run and flow freely. Below you can see the finished painting installed in its new home.

Running Up, installed in the living room, helps emphasize the vaulted ceiling, dark beams,
and expansive view from the adjacent wall of windows

For more details on the process of gallery wrapped paper, see Ona Kingdon's posts on her process.

UPDATE: Ona mentions two options for folding the corners. I've found the corners are too bulky if you do not cut the corners. Ona did not provide an image of how to cut them. Here is an image of how I cut the corners. First I remove the large triangular piece. If you were to fold the paper down the paper would extend about 1" from the corner of the stretcher bar corner. The small triangle is then removed so the point of that triangle is about 1" from the stretcher bar corner.

I fold one side so it is very tight against the stretcher bar and staple near the corner. Press and crease so the paper is snug all the way across from top to bottom of the corner and test that when the paper extending to the right is folder up (in the next step) that it will be parallel with the corner. I try to place the staple so it spans the corner with one leg in each piece of wood.

The last step is to fold the right side up and staple it to the back. Again be sure the edge is parallel to the corner. You don't want it to extend out past the corner of the stretcher bar.

I normally flip the painting over to dry and because I live in a humid area I have a fan blowing across the surface for a full day to help the paper dry and tighten.

One final addendum: One of my paintings that I had gallery wrapped and varnished went through the May 27, 2018 flood in Ellicott City. The bottom two inches of the painting were submerged briefly when the wave his the painting. Mud and debris was left on the painting when the water level fell back down. When I got the painting back I was able to easily wipe the mud and debris off the surface to see the painting surface was unaffected. The stretcher bars had gotten wet and I felt they could become a problem over time, since they are made of wood. I removed the mounted painting from the stretcher bars. Verified the painting was still well adhered to the Alumalite board and then framed it in a lovely Silver Wood Frame. A great testimonial to how well this mounting and varnishing process protects the painting from the environment.

"Koi Pond" 6"x6" fluid acrylic on Aquabord

Koi Pond by April M Rimpo just finished

Most of my paintings are much larger than 6" X 6", but recently I felt like painting while staffing the gallery. You can see I used mostly small brushes on this one.

Koi Pond was done on Aquabord which bubbles when you first apply water and wet paint to the surface, so the larger brushes you can see were used for that first layer or two when there was more water than paint and the goal was to eliminate the bubbles before I got too much pigment on the painting.

I used fluid acrylic but used many layers to build up the depth of color, just as you do with watercolor. This approach results in great variations in the greens of the lily pads and blues of the water.

Koi Pond 6"X6" by April M Rimpo
(The painting was varnished before this photograph
was taken, so the colors in the lily pads was lost
in reflections off the varnish.)

The same is true for the koi. In order to get a rich red or orange you need to start with a layer of yellow and then apply red over it once the yellow is dry. If you just use a red to begin with you won't have the same vibrance.

I think this small painting has strong enough color to support a wider frame than I generally use on painting of this size. If you want to see it in person, I'll have Koi Pond at my solo exhibit at Ranazul tapas wine bistro in November. You'll find Ranazul at 8171 Maple Lawn Blvd, Fulton, MD 20759. A reception with tapas will be held on November 8th from 4 - 5 PM.

This painting is SOLD.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

"Deco Rooster" 10"X8" acrylic

Deco Rooster by April M Rimpo

Deco Rooster

Fluid Acrylic

10" X 8"

$190

Original Available at Columbia Art Center Gallery Store
6100 Foreland Garth, Columbia, Maryland
410-730-0075

Giclee Prints also available

9.75" X 7.5" print on watercolor paper

fits 14" X 11" standard size mat

$95*

I also have a collection of merchandise with the Deco Rooster. You'll find a journal, apron, mugs, a teapot, coasters, glass cutting board, throw pillow, and tote bags. Prices range from $4.99 to $29.99

I never start a painting without a plan, until now. No intended color scheme, just a drawing of the rooster? Well it happened. Let me know what you think of the result.

I had sketched the Bantam rooster on an 11"X11" piece of watercolor paper in preparation of demos during Art Walk, but didn't get to it that day. So I sat down in my studio knowing rooster and size of the painting. Since this type of rooster is black and white, I wanted a bold background. I thought, well his comb and wattle are red, as is the eye ring and ear lobe, so I want red in some areas of the background. I selected one of the textures I like and was about to put down some red when I thought I should used some yellow first. Red always pops a bit more with yellow behind. Yellow and red were added to the paper in geometric shapes. I extended the yellow behind where the roosters comb and wattle would be located and ended up with an L-shape of yellow. It seemed right to start with the wattle, comb, and eye so I did those before I finished developing the background. They helped to establish the focal point and give me something to compare when deciding on the darkness of colors used elsewhere.

Next I thought I should add some black and gray to the background to help make the bright colors pop. I selected areas where I thought the black would accentuate lighter areas of the rooster and applied those first. Gray was used to surround some of the black, establishing middle value to dark areas that would not distract you from looking at the rooster. The patterns of color in the background started to look like deco so I ended up adding more to accentuate that appearance.

Next I added some light washes on the rooster's body, to give some shape. Once dry, I added just enough dark edges to the feathers to identify the rooster as a Bantam without fussing about every feather. I wanted him to pop out of the page. I felt that too many detailed feathers would just add confusion over where to look - the feathers or the rooster's head.

You may have noticed I started with an 11"X11" sheet of paper thinking this would be a 10"X10" painting when done. Even that changed! In the end I decided to mount the painting on an 8X10" deep cradled panel, which looks great. I enjoyed responding to one section of the painting to decide what to do next, but doing this on one of my larger paintings would have probably left me struggling with indecision.

#HoCoArt #ShopSmall #SmallBizSat

* Shipping cost included within the United States for the original painting and the giclee print.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Interacting with the Public - An Artist's View

Having completed a day of conducting demos of "Patterns in your Paintings" to the public, it seemed like a good idea to share what I learned. This is the first time I've taught in a public space. I was setup in Still Life Gallery during Ellicott City Arts Coalition's Art Walk.

My plan included:

Showing Off ©April M Rimpo

Techniques I wanted to show,
Paintings at various stages of completion on a variety of substrates (e.g., paper, Aquabord),
Drawings prepared,
Texturing materials,
Paint (tube acrylic and fluid acrylic) packed,
iPad setup with the browser open to my favorite color scheme website

I had eight completed paintings on display, some that included patterns and some that did not. It was important to stress that if patterns won't enhance a painting, then don't use them.

Feather Leg ©April M Rimpo

So I was ready.... but worried about what people might ask and whether I would really be ready.

Well I'm happy to report it went really well. It took me a while to get comfortable striking up a conversation as people came through the gallery. But they were friendly and asked great questions. Some were fascinated with the sense of depth in my paintings and enjoyed discovering the patterns hidden within some of them.

Morning Doves ©April M Rimpo

My favorite exchange was with a little girl who offered color choices for the painting I was working on. She was delightful to talk to and had really great ideas of what colors work together. I couldn't disagree with any of her suggestions. She went on her way with her parents before the painting was complete, but I think she would be pleased with the result. Her father whispered to me that she has already told him she plans to be an artist and I told him she had a good sense of color. See Morning Doves which includes her color choices.

"Copyright April M Rimpo 2015 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited."

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

#hocoart
#ellicottcityart
#aprilmrimpoart

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Patterns in Paintings - Come learn from April M Rimpo at #ECAC #artwalk

Dancers by April M Rimpo

I've found incorporating patterns into my paintings has added a lot of interest and depth to the artwork. As with all techniques I only use patterns when I think they will enhance the emotion I want to convey. Often I find patterns lend themselves to fun and happy paintings.

Here is a variety of paintings where I used patterns.

Dancers - uses collage and line work

King of the Roost by April M Rimpo

King of the Roost has an explosion of patterns using bold stamping and geometric shapes to catch the eye and pull you in

Fashion also uses stamps and geometric shapes but in more muted colors that push them to the background. They become secondary to the figure but are fun to explore once you notice them.

Fashion by April M Rimpo

Sitting Pretty by April M Rimpo

Sitting Pretty uses just a few pattern to add texture to the leaves and stronger patterns to create the sunflower

Come see April Rimpo's demos on Patterns in your Paintings from noon - 6 PM during Ellicott City Art Walk

Saturday October 10th at Still Life Gallery, 5173 Main Street, Ellicott City, MD

Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

#hocoart
#ellicottcityart
#aprilmrimpoart

Friday, September 25, 2015

ECAC Artwalk 2015 on October 10 from 12-6PM - Demos! Raffle!

Please join me at Ellicott City Artwalk 2015, the signature event of the Ellicott City Arts Coalition (ECAC). It is free and open to all. Now in its third year, Ellicott City ArtWalk 2015 has over 20 participating artists' studios, galleries, and retail venues.

Last year I enjoyed browsing the galleries and artisans of ECAC, who sponsor Ellicott City Art Walk. I was inspired to join ECAC, so this year....

I will be demonstrating various painting techniques!

You'll find me at

Still Life Gallery

8173 Main Street, Ellicott City

I donated an 11X14 print of my popular painting "Welcome Since 1772" to the raffle. You'll see a portion of this painting in the header of the Ellicott City Arts Coalition Facebook and Twitter pages.

Welcome Since 1772

So how does the raffle work?

ECAC Flag

When you arrive on Main Street Ellicott City, visit one of the participating sites with the ECAC flag. Still Life Gallery is an Art Walk site! Pick up a Passport Raffle Ticket that lists the participating venues. The venues are in three regions: West End, Upper Main, and Lower Main. Get a stamp on your passport from at least 2 locations in each region of Art Walk, drop your completed passport (don't forget to fill in your name and email address) at the last venue you visit and you are entered in the raffle drawing. It's easy and so much fun to see what is happening at each location.

Meet the Artists, Tour Studios and Galleries, View Live Art Demos, Shop & Support Local Art!

Many kinds of art on will be on display, including fine oil and watercolor paintings, metal and wood sculpture, mixed media, artistic jewelry, ceramics, and photography. Meet and greet the artists, tour their working spaces, watch demonstrations, and purchase works large and small.

Stroll Historic Ellicott City, where charming shops, restaurants, and river views enhance the ArtWalk experience.

Easy park-and ride with the free circulating ArtWalk Bus!

More information on the Ellicott City Arts Coalition, ArtWalk artists and venues:
www.ellicottcityartscoalition.com/art ists

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

#HoCoArt
#AprilMRimpoArt
#ellicottcityart

Thursday, September 10, 2015

C Street Fest on September 19th in Laurel Maryland #CstSept19 #localartist

I and three other members of the Laurel Art Guild will be included in the artists participating in the C Street Fest and Block Party! Come sharing the festivities from 11AM to 3PM on Saturday, September 19th. We'll be outside C Street Gallery.

We'll have original paintings, giclee prints, cards, bookmarks all created from original artwork. I'll have several new cards for every day use and for the winter holidays. Come join the fun.

New Cards based on April M Rimpo's original art

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution, but all other uses are prohibited.

#livemusic

Thursday, August 27, 2015

"Happiness" 18" X 12" fluid acrylic

Happiness by April M Rimpo

Happiness

Fluid Acrylic

18" X 12"

$540

Available For Purchase HERE

This painting in the "Tapestry at the Mall" series is a celebration of the Happiness that can come with friendship. These women were chatting and laughing as they walked through the mall. I remember they made me smile as they passed. I do believe joy can be contagious if we pay attention to others' moods.

This is the first painting where I included some scribing in the background. It is intermixed with textural patterns so you will see it only if you are drawn in and spend some time looking at the details.

To emphasize the sense of happiness and good times I chose a primarily warm color scheme and used a large yellow circle in the background behind the women's heads. Other colored circles were added to balance the large one.

I'd love to hear about your reaction to this painting. Please provide a comment below.

Other paintings in the "Tapestry at the Mall" Series:

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution, but all other uses are prohibited.

#HoCoArt

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

"Reading and Learning" 18" X 12" acrylic

Reading And Learning by April M Rimpo

Reading and Learning is another contribution to my "Tapestry at the Mall" series. I had been looking at some paintings by Kadinsky and discovered some I had not seen before that were based on circular shapes. I really enjoyed these paintings and decided to take the circles into a new direction and use them as the backdrop for this painting. I felt they added a playful lift, which I wanted to have with this adorable little girl. She was totally absorbed as she walked through the mall with a man who I assume is her father. She appeared to be “taking it all in”, which inspired the title for this piece.

Reading and Learning

Fluid Acrylic on Paper

18" X 12" gallery wrapped painting
$520

Available through HorseSpirit Arts Gallery
410.461.3505
info@horsespiritartsgallery.com

Other paintings in the "Tapestry at the Mall" Series:

Shop my Online Store

Copyright April M Rimpo

Thursday, December 17, 2015

"Catching Up" 10" X 24" acrylic gallery wrapped

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

The Reception at Ranazul

Saturday, November 14, 2015

"Sitting Pretty" 8" X 8" fluid acrylic - Variations

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

An Exhibit in an Alternative Space

Friday, October 30, 2015

How to gallery wrapped paper (revisited)

"Koi Pond" 6"x6" fluid acrylic on Aquabord

Thursday, October 29, 2015

"Deco Rooster" 10"X8" acrylic

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Interacting with the Public - An Artist's View

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Patterns in Paintings - Come learn from April M Rimpo at #ECAC #artwalk

Friday, September 25, 2015

ECAC Artwalk 2015 on October 10 from 12-6PM - Demos! Raffle!

Thursday, September 10, 2015

C Street Fest on September 19th in Laurel Maryland #CstSept19 #localartist

Thursday, August 27, 2015

"Happiness" 18" X 12" fluid acrylic

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

"Reading and Learning" 18" X 12" acrylic

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