April M. Rimpo Art: June 2017

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

"Free Living" 20"X16" Fluid Acrylic

“A part of New Orleans’ beauty is that she is a place where many people, stifled elsewhere, feel safe to be themselves:
just safe to be."

Quo Vadis Gex Breaux, New Orleans What Can’t Be Lost, 2010

Free Living by April M Rimpo

Free Living

Fluid Acrylic

20" X 16" with brushed silver frame

$875

Available at Touchstone Gallery

Free Living is a bit of the parade held in the French Quarter for the opening of Jazz Fest 2017. I've always been intrigued by pointillist paintings from the time of the Impressionists, although I never expected to create one. Painting thousands of dots didn't seem like something I'd ever want to do.

Well I didn't paint thousands of dots but I did use masking liquid to create all these dots. My process was to mask some dots before painting, do a light wash, mask some more dots, paint some more, mask some more, paint a bunch of darks to see where I stood, remove the masking, then paint many more layers to push the other people in the parade into the background while painting my focal point woman to completion.

I love the final look and now appreciate even more what the pointillists did. I still can't imagine painting an entire painting with dots, but can say they were really onto an amazing something. The energy in this painting is really captivating for me and I hope for you too.

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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.

Friday, June 23, 2017

"Time at the Bus Stop" fluid acrylic 12" X 12"

Time at the Bus Stop by April M Rimpo

Time at the Bus Stop

Fluid Acrylic

12" X 12" in brushed silver frame

Available for Purchase Here

Time at the Bus Stop portrays a family having a few moments to talk and catch up while waiting for their ride. The morning light causes wonderful highlights and long shadows that caught my eye. As I was painting the family I couldn't help but wonder where they were headed. Are the boys on their way to school? Is this a family outing? I decided your context heavily influences how each of us perceives the scene. Perhaps they are really headed to the fields to work.

But in reality their destination doesn't matter. What inspired me to paint this family is the interactions between them. The young mother seemed to be listening closely to her youngest son, while the older boy looked on while eating some breakfast. I suspect the oldest woman may have been the grandmother who appears to be a bit lost in thought. It was catching that happy moment in time that compelled me to paint. I hope my painting makes you smile.

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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 2016 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

"Worth the Price?" Fluid Acrylic Triptych 2' X 6'

Worth the Price? (Mississippi River) by April M Rimpo (Click on the image to see it larger)

Worth the Price? (Mississippi River)
Fluid Acrylic Triptych
24" X 72"

$3800

On exhibit at the Pocono Arts Center April 6 - 28, 2018

Recipient of the
"Ka6 & Girard Lichty Climate Crisis Award"

I remember as a young teen being aware of how badly our environment was suffering from various pollutants: in the water, on the ground, in the air. Our family had a small power boat and would occasionally go on the Connecticut River and my father would pull my brother and I with the boat, while standing on a wide board designed for "surfing". It was great fun, but I remember how badly the water smelled and how I couldn't wait to get home to shower afterwards.

It was not many years later when new laws required major cleanup of our waterways and reductions of the pollutants spewed into the air. When I was in my late teens the problem of DDT impacting the strength of eagle eggs was in the news along with worries about the fate of our National Bird. DDT was a commonly-used pesticide for insect control in the United States until it was banned in 1972 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Now we see so many EPA regulations being canceled and I worry about the fate of our planet.

A recent trip to New Orleans was a subject of great inspiration. The music, the food, the art were all so beautiful and such a joy to experience. However, we also took a ferry boat cruise on the Mississippi and when it neared the delta we began to see huge refineries along the river. The shift in sceneries from the beauty of the region to these refineries was startling. I had been thinking about doing a painting about protecting our environment for an upcoming juried exhibit, titled Art of Engagement.

When I saw the refineries I knew what I wanted to paint. For me it brought to mind the question of whether our country was abandoning alternate fuel initiatives and ignoring the problems of too much carbon monoxide emissions. How much will the corporations and states decide to honor our planet and do their best to continue to reduce emissions? So far many States have stood up for the Paris Agreement, so time will tell.

I found this quote by Edward Abbey and decided it was time for me to create this painting. These words may have been written about 50 years ago, but maybe even more true today.

“It is no longer sufficient to describe the world of nature. The point is to defend it.”

See more about the creation of this painting here.

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

American Glass Now: 2017 at the Washington National Cathedral

On Saturday, June 17th, I visited the American Glass Guild's exhibit titled, American Glass Now: 2017 held at the Washington National Cathedral. I attended with my husband and a long-time friend who is a fellow glass enthusiast.

I haven't created many fused glass pieces in the last couple years, so I was surprised to learn how popular painted glass currently is in the American Glass Guild. Several pieces were painted glass and few combined fused glass and painted glass techniques. The assortment of pieces both in subject and technique were fun to see.

Of course the National Cathedral is a place of wonder as well. Wonderfully carved limestone, flying buttresses, and gothic spires galore. We also strolled through the Bishop's Garden to round out the day.

This exhibit runs through September 8, 2017.

The artists with work on display include: Alice Johnson, Troy Moody, Kathy Barnard, Linda Lichtman, Nancy Nicholson, Tim Carey, Ellen Mandelbam, Richard Prigg, Marie Foucalt-Phipps, Staphane Ruault, Mary Clerkin Higgins, Sean Merchant, and Amy Valuck.

To learn more about the American Glass Guild visit
www.americanglassguild.org.

Washington National Cathedral
visit www.cathedral.org for visiting hours.

In the image at right are the pieces by Tim Carey (upper left), Marie Foucault-Phipps (right), and Kathy Barnard (lower left.)

Friday, June 16, 2017

Great Watermedia Resources

In today's blog I thought I would share some art sites that I have found helpful and how they will be useful to you too. I've added a few new resources to the list.

50 Best Blogs for Watercolor - I've just discovered this one and am still reviewing it. I'm sure it will take a while to get through the contents and appears to contain a wealth of helpful information. Provided by Web Design Schools Guide.

10 links to watercolor demonstrations
20 links to watercolor artist's sites
10 links to art business sites
10 links to art news and reviews

There is one art business blog that I just have to add ArtsyShark. In addition to great art business advice they feature artists a few times each week.

One watercolor book that is published annually by North Light is Splash. I always look forward to seeing it and have purchased a copy the last few years. Splash 16: Exploring Textures has just been released and is sure to be as amazing as ever.

I also have to share a link to a new watercolor class by Deb Watson. Her new Pet Portraits in Watercolor class is available on Craftsy. Be sure to also check out Deb Watson's website.

Helpful tips to help protect your data, be it written material, visual art, or other forms of art, in Vimeo by Kathryn Goldman

Color Theory and Harmonies - Nice definitions of different color schemes
In the same vein, a site I like for exploring color schemes is Paletton.com's Color Scheme Designer, which is intended for web designers but works great for visual artists too.

You can read a summary evaluation of a wide variety of watercolor paint manufacturers in a blog on WonderStreet.com's blog, Which Brand of Watercolour Should You Use.

Updated: June 2017

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

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Let there be trees! A variety of mixed media: ink, fused glass and more

Standing Tall II by April M Rimpo

I'm not quite sure what got in me, but I suddenly did a flurry of tree paintings. All a bit different in style while I try out a variety of approaches. This first painting was done starting on rice paper that was crinkled then dipped lightly into a solution of water and India Ink with just a touch of oil. The goal is to pick up some of the ink on the creases in the rice paper. The rice paper is flattened and attached to watercolor paper. Once dry I went back with watercolor and fluid acrylic to add color variations.

Standing Tall II

Ink, Watercolor and Acrylic on Rice Paper

Mounted on 14" X 11" X2" deep cradle, Wood Panel
Protected with Acrylic Varnish
$425

Included in the 2018 Celebration of the Arts Silent Auction

Three Trees by April M Rimpo

Three Trees is a mixed media painting using Acrylic and fused glass elements that I created in my kiln. In this case my inspiration came from the glass pieces, which have a variety of colored stripes. The colors in the glass became the palette for the painting. The angles of the stripes were echoed in the painting as well.

Three Trees

Mixed Media with Fused Glass

Mounted on 5" X 7" X 1.5" deep cradled, wood panel

$90

Under the Canopy by April M Rimpo

In Under the Canopy I wanted the world under the tree canopy to be a bit indistinct and mystical. A few dragonflies are present, some created in fused glass and some created by building up an acrylic gel "painting" to add depth to the painted dragonflies. Several colors are layered to create the mystery of the woods. As in my earlier Standing Tall painting, the roots are visible penetrating the ground like we are looking at a cross section of the forest.

Under the Canopy

Mixed Media with Fused Glass

16" X 12" Mounted on 1/8" Aquabord

Varnished, Unframed
$375

I'd love to hear which of these you like best and why. Feedback is a wonderful thing.

Paddling 10" x 20" fluid acrylic

Paddling by April M Rimpo

Paddling

10" X 20" fluid acrylic

Varnished and Mounted on Board

Ready to Frame

$325

Available at Touchstone Gallery online and in the Canvas Bins

Cherry blossoms are so fleeting, it seems like they have barely arrived and then they are gone. I enjoy relishing in Spring even after the Cherry blossoms, tulips, irises, and rhododendron have lost their color.

We've had a lovely spring, rainy days interspersed with bright sunny ones. The leaves have unfurled, filling in the view around our home with the natural calm of green.

This painting celebrates those earlier days of Spring, when we first emerge from winter.

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Copyright April M Rimpo