"Relaxing on Top", 20" X 30" fluid acrylic on paper mounted

Relaxing on Top by April M Rimpo

Relaxation, ahhhhhhhhh. 

How do you define relaxation?

What is the image in your minds eye when you think of a favorite spot to relax?

What is it like? Quiet? Are you alone? Are you having a chat with a favorite friend? 

Is the location cool or warm? Is it remote without access to our high paced, electronics world? Or do you think watching a favorite movie to be that perfect place to relax?

I suspect that perfect spot for relaxation is different for everyone.

When visiting a National Park in the Southwest, I was intrigued to see this rock climber sitting on top of this spire, looking down on the world where visitors walked by below, while he appeared to be in quiet solitude in his remoteness.

I was on a higher path and with my telephoto lens was able to capture him, first when climbing the spire and later when he sat on top.  The primary sound was the cooing of doves and pigeons who had made their homes in crevices and nooks in the rock face. Most of the tourists were so mesmerized by the beautiful red rock formations that they too were generally silent or spoke softly to each other, like noise would somehow break the solemnity of their surrounds.

I am a city girl who grew up in a medium sized city on the eastern coast of America. I'm rather uncoordinated and would never consider climbing a spire, that must have risen 200 feet or more off the ground, to find a solemn spot to relax. However I can understand how someone could find that the perfect spot.

I guess I am a watcher of people and the many differences among us.  I find people fascinating and love to capture them in what appears to be a place of pleasure so I can share their joy with the world.  

This man found a quiet, yet hidden place, in this terrain. I intentionally made him blend in with his surroundings, with only his blue clothing and blue climbers rope to help you discover and focus on him. Although I used light and dark contrast to give shape to the rock forms along the cliff facing him on the other side of the spire, I muted the edges of the painting to portray the quiet of the environment and to help hold you inside. 

Some tenacious plants that clung to the cliff were included to help communicate the ruggedness of the environment where strength is need to survive. I felt this man too was another symbol of strength, even though he was in a relaxed pose, or maybe because he was in a relaxed pose. He portrays such confidence in his ability to climb and traverse the sheer rock faces.

Please share your thoughts on your favorite place to relax.

Relaxing on Top
Fluid Acrylic
20" X 30" varnished, mounted on 2.5" deep wood cradle
$1550

Prints Available

"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 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.

In Search of New Textures

What you likely know about my work is that I often like to include as much visual texture as I think fits with the piece.

Join the Crowd by April M Rimpo

Sometimes I drip or spray water on an area that has started to dry to force some small lighter areas, as I did on the background and in the feathers on Join the Crowd.

Join the Crowd

Watercolor

10" X 14" image

Framed in Brushed Silver Frame

$425

Available at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery

Poinsettia Tree WIP by April M Rimpo

Other times I apply paint and when it is mostly dry I spray it with water to remove the areas that are slightly wet leaving hard, yet organic, edges. You can see this in the leaves in the closeup of Poinsettia Tree, taken fairly early during the creation of this painting.  To see the completed painting click here.

The Apex by April M Rimpo

Drips are another favorite method of mine to create textures, as demonstrated in The Apex.  There is always a purpose when I use a texture since I feel the texture has to enhance the painting, not just be decorative.

Since I always an looking for new, interesting, and maybe faster ways to create textures I decided to take a mixed media class from Nancy Barch. First of all let me say that Nancy is a wonderful teacher, full of great ideas. The variety she uses in her work is fascinating. I knew from others who had taken her workshops how much she had inspired them to try new approaches in their art and I am so glad I took her workshop. 

Since I love the transparency of watercolor and fluid acrylic I was looking for techniques I could adopt and transform, as necessary, to enhance my work without being a major shift in style. 

Below are images of some of the work I produced in this workshop. You can see we used much thicker applications of paint on the first three pieces, but the variety of textures are magnificent.  My challenge over the next few months is to test methods to adopt Nancy's concepts and use them in a slightly more fluid manner to see if I can add more depth and nuance to my paintings.  I'm always striving to add visual interest and believe the new vocabulary of textures from Nancy's workshop will do the trick.

 

Abstract Flowers;  White on White;  7th & Carroll;  Lunar Blue; Destruction