Dancers II " 9" X 12" mixed media

Dancers II, 9" X 12" X 1.5", $250

Dancers II

Mixed Media

9" X 12" on a 1.5" deep Wood Cradle

$325

Available for Purchase Here

Click here to Contact April

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.

New Series: How do you feel?

Bubbling with Joy by April M Rimpo

Bubbling with Joy

Watercolor on Yupo

Varnished

12" X 12" Brushed Silver Frame

$375

Effervescent by April M Rimpo

Available for Purchase

Effervescent

Watercolor on Yupo

Varnished

12" X 12" Brushed Silver Frame

$375

Available for Purchase

United (diptych)

Watercolor on Yupo

Two 18" X 12" paintings in

24" X 18" Gold Metal Frames

$1125 for diptych

Available for Purchase Now

Contact April if you are interested in purchasing separately ($625 each)

Click here to Contact April

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.

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:

• Going Larger with Gallery Wraps
• How to create Gallery Wrapped Watercolours... a step by step guide

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.

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 and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

"Fashion" 18" X 12" acrylic

Fashion

Fluid Acrylic 

18" X 12" image

Gallery Wrapped and Varnished

$520

Options:

Original 18 X 12 $520.00 USD

Fashion is the beginning of a series. I never know when I'll get an inspiration for a painting or a series of paintings. I've just started a new series call "Tapestry at the Mall." This is the result of gallery sitting at a cooperative gallery I belong to that is located in a Mall. It was a slow day in the gallery, but a very busy day in the Mall. People were walking by constantly, but few ventured in. I had a few visitors toward the beginning of my shift, but it seemed everyone at the mall was quite busy shopping at the bulk food, clothing, and "you name it" store that is near the gallery. 

After spending quite some time watching people walk by, smiling and trying to entice someone to come in, I started to notice it was really fascinating see the interactions between the people. Some were clearly best friends having a great day together.  Others were families with young children who were often getting a ride on their Dad's shoulders. The children who appeared to be in the 4 or 5 year old bracket were fascinated with their surroundings, staring in every shop, while their parent was busy using their smart phone. 

I was also mesmerized by the clothing people were wearing.  I should mention I was at the mall on a Tuesday between 4 and 8 PM and started paying attention to the people around 6 PM, so some people had clearly come from work without stopping at home first. As a result some were very dressed up, others were wearing their traditional apparel from their native land, the young male-teens were casual but carried things like skate boards. A few passed the gallery eating ice cream, while others looked at them enviously.  In case you hadn't already guessed, I was quite entertained and enjoyed wondering about their stories. So here you go, the first of the "Tapestry at the Mall" series, titled Fashion.  Enjoy!

I'd love to hear what you think about this series concept.


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.

Dove - Day 24 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Dove by April M Rimpo

Finding images in the abstract underpainting has been great fun. In this case I knew I wanted to paint a dove and looked through various abstract underpaintings I had created until I saw the dove in the white spaces. I wrapped this paper over a stretcher bar and, when dry, I added blues, yellows and white to the primarily violet, gray, and white paper.  I loved seeing this dove emerge and fly off into the beautiful sky.

Dove

Fluid Acrylic on Varnished Gallery Wrapped Paper

6" X 6" X 1.5"

SOLD

#jan30in30

Awakening - Day 23 of the #jan30in30 Challenge

Awakening IV an 8" X 8" Fluid Acrylic by April M Rimpo

Here we are at the last day of my last yoga series. I hope you have enjoyed this series as much as I have. On to different things tomorrow.

In addition to creating a montage of yoga poses, I have enjoyed this opportunity to explore abstract painting as well as working on my skill at drawing figures from different (foreshortened) angles. It has been a rewarding challenge.  I'm sure I'll be able to stretch my style in my more typical paintings by incorporating what I learned from this adventure.

Awakening quadriptych

The final quadriptych, Awakening, is shown at left. My favorite part of seeing the paintings brought together is to see how the figure appears, whether hidden and mystical or standing out boldly on a sea of stars. 

If you know the Sun Salutation, then you know there are 12 steps to this salute to the sun, eight of the poses are unique with four repeated once.  I chose six of the poses that to me captured the primary transitions. My intent was that if all six were displayed together they would be a tribute to the salutation as a whole.

My goal in combining several different poses in a single composition is to create a large presentation that holds together as one, yet helps accentuate the individual poses as well. On Day 10 I presented the first three poses together; today I show you the last three poses at the bottom of this post.  

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the combined presentations.

Awakening quadiptych

Fluid Acrylic

Composed of four 8" X 8" gallery wrapped and varnished paper panels

Dimensions as laid out about 35" X 18"

$625 with shipping within the United States

Available to Purchase Now

Links to posts with each completed yoga pose:

• Inspiration - Acceptance, expression, trust, supernatural (Sun Salutation - Salute/Mountain)
• Stability - Survival, self-sufficiency, stability, lively, and confident (Sun Salutation - Forward Bend)
• Perception - Emotional and mental intelligence, intuition, psychic, and super-natural (Sun Salutation - Lunge)
• Energy - Warm, personal power, self esteem, willfulness, and energy (Sun Salutation - Cobra pose)
• Devotion - Clairvoyance, psychic senses, selflessness, devotion (Sun Salutation - Downward Facing Dog)
• Awakening - Awaken, love, compassion, acceptance, trust, growth, renewal, and peaceful with inner strength (Sun Salutation - first and last pose)

Below is a combined display using the last three poses. 

The overall size of this three figure composition, titled Rejuvenation, is about 35" X 35"

Rejuvination combines Devotion, Energy, and Awakening by April M Rimpo

The value of Rejuvination is $1580

Day 22 of the #jan30in30 Challenge

Here are a couple of quotes related to awakening and some of the ideas I was trying to accomplish in this challenge. Enjoy.

"Painting has helped me to become more attentive and attuned to the world around me. It is as if I have undergone an 'awakening." (Jil Ashton-Leigh)

Awakening III an 8" X 8" Fluid Acrylic by April M Rimpo

Art is the reordering of nature – the qualities of space and time – in new perceptual and material form. (Daniel Bell) 

You can't dig a new well by digging the same hole deeper. (Edward de Bono) 

Thanks to Leilie Saeta for sponsoring this challenge.

#jan30in30

Day 21 of the #jan30in30 Challenge

Awakening II 8" X 8" Fluid Acrylic by April M Rimpo

Here we are in our last third of the 30 day challenge. Time has flown. 

My drawing of the pose in this series is quite visible because the pastel-color palette is so pale. As a result I decided not to use any other linework in this painting. Instead I focused on color design to make an interesting abstract that had a consistent whole. 

Despite the number of colors in this painting I believe the green underpainting is still dominant, so let's learn some more about the psychology of green. Per the Empower Yourself with Color Psychology site :

• "The color green is the color of balance, harmony and growth"
• "it is the great balancer of the heart and the emotions, creating equilibrium between the head and the heart."
• "green is also the color of growth, the color of spring, of renewal and rebirth."
• "it (green) renews and restores depleted energy.  ...restoring us back to a sense of well being."
• "an emotionally positive color, giving us the ability to love and nurture ourselves and others unconditionally."

I love these interpretations and am intrigued by the parallels with the Heart chakra.  They give me a whole new meaning to the Sun Salutation and why it ends with this pose.

And thanks again to Leilie Saeta for sponsoring this challenge.  

#ShopSmall,  #jan30in30

Day 20 of the #jan30in30 Challenge - Awakening I

Awakening I 8" X 8" Fluid Acrylic by April M Rimpo

Awakening is the final series I have planned as part of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  It will be a 4 day series focusing on the Heart chakra.  This does not mean I plan to stop at painting 23, I'll simple move on to different subject matter. 

The Heart chakra is characterized by the color green. So like my other yoga pose series I started by painting a large sheet of paper with a variety of textures using primarily greens with some blue, yellow and violet. The image of the full sheet is shown here.

Large sheet I prepared
for the Awakening Series

I left windows of white that I could place strategically for the various parts of the pose. There were also tiny white dots all over the sheet which became star-like in these paintings. I actually love how much each painting ended up looking like staring out into space. While adding more colors and forming the people, I intentionally left the appearance of outer space since that is what made each small abstract work for me.

The full sheet was about 50" by 30", which I divided into 13" square segments and gallery wrapped 8" X 8" stretcher bars.  Having these as a starting point for my series ensured I would have more than four options to use for the paintings.

The meanings associated with the Heart chakra are love, compassion, acceptance, awakening, and trust.

Kadinsky's interpretation of green was not dissimilar; it was peaceful with inner strength. The musical tone he associated with green was the middle-position violin. I wish I knew more violin music and could name a piece that fits with this series.  Any suggestions?

And thanks again to Leilie Saeta for sponsoring this challenge.  

#jan30in30

Devotion - Day 19 of the #jan30in30 Challenge

Devotion IV, 8" X 8" fluid acrylic by April M Rimpo

Final day for the Devotion series. At left is the fourth panel. This panel was the only part of the figure that had none of the blue pants, so I made sure to add a variety of blues in other areas to make all four panels balanced and feel like one when brought together into the quadriptych.

I really enjoyed working with violet in this series.  Violet and yellow look great together, but can turn to ugly "mud" colors if you aren't careful to let them dry before applying them next to or on top of each other.

Below you can see the full four panel painting Devotion. This yoga pose, Downward Facing Dog, has always looked a bit like bowing down, so it really fit in with the overall color of the chakra and the many interpretations of violet and purple that I found (as discussed in the Day 16 blog post. 

Devotion Quadriptych, 20 X 17" fluid acrylic by April M Rimpo

Now that you see the whole pose you see what appeared in Day 16 and 17 to be a bit like the earth and outer space, was really her "bottom".  Many of the lines suddenly outline parts of her form and are not just random, but I must say I loved the interpretations that everyone had for the lines in previous posts. They made me feel like I was definitely succeeding in making each segment an interesting painting while still communicate the broader theme. Thank you for the positive feedback.

Devotion quadiptych

Fluid Acrylic

Composed of four 8" X 8" gallery wrapped and varnished paper panels

Dimensions as laid out about 20" X 17"

$625 with shipping within the United States

Available for Purchase Now

Links to posts with each completed yoga pose:

• Inspiration - Acceptance, expression, trust, supernatural (Sun Salutation - Salute/Mountain)
• Stability - Survival, self-sufficiency, stability, lively, and confident (Sun Salutation - Forward Bend)
• Perception - Emotional and mental intelligence, intuition, psychic, and super-natural (Sun Salutation - Lunge)
• Energy - Warm, personal power, self esteem, willfulness, and energy (Sun Salutation - Cobra pose)
• Devotion - Clairvoyance, psychic senses, selflessness, devotion (Sun Salutation - Downward Facing Dog)
• Awakening - Awaken, love, compassion, acceptance, trust, growth, renewal, and peaceful with inner strength (Sun Salutation - first and last pose)

And thanks again to Leilie Saeta for sponsoring this challenge.  

#ShopSmall,  #jan30in30

Day 18 of the #jan30in30 Challenge - Devotion III

Devotion III, 8" X 8" fluid acrylic by April M Rimpo

The line work is an important element in this series. I want the lines to form an interesting pattern on their own while tying together the other elements of the painting.  When the four paintings are compiled into a quadriptych these lines need to work together, so I spent some time designing them.

Since I am working in fluid acrylics you can't apply them then take them off and put them somewhere else.  I took a clear sheet of acetate and placed it over the paintings and tried out some different line patterns.  Since acetate is slick I could just wipe off what did not work until I was happy with the design. If you paint with transparent pigments and you don't own any clear acetate I highly encourage you get some. You can get these at a variety of sources, I believe I got mine from Cheap Joe's Art Stuff (Team Plastics Polyester Film). They are available in a variety of sizes.  I bought the largest size, 20" X 25" so they would cover a large area at once.

Thanks to Leslie Saeta for sponsoring the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. Follow the link to see all the paintings created as part of this challenge.  It has certainly gotten my creating juices flowing.  #jan30in30

Day 17 of the #jan30in30 Challenge - Devotion II

Devotion II, 8" X 8" fluid acrylic by April M Rimpo

Yesterday I promised to reveal the meanings related to the chakra associated with violet. This chakra is stimulated in "the third eye" which is the center of the forehead.  I found various meanings, including clairvoyance, psychic senses, selflessness, and devotion.

Rather than sharing more of my thinking, I'd like to hear what you see and feel when looking at this painting.

Thanks to Leslie Saeta for sponsoring the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. Follow the link to see all the paintings created as part of this challenge.  It has certainly gotten my creating juices flowing.  #jan30in30

Day 16 of the #jan30in30 Challenge - Devotion I

Devotion I, 8" X 8" fluid acrylic by April M Rimpo

Ah, those calming colors are back with an emphasis on violet in this new Devotion series. These cool colors make me think of the atmosphere around the earth and I start to see stars.  As I was painting I thought a lot about that and I suspect some of that is communicated in the finished painting.

I had some fun researching the color violet and found these interesting ideas on the Empower Yourself with Color Psychology site about violet and purple

• Violet "stimulates the imagination and inspires high ideals"
• "It is an introspective color that allows us to get in touch with our deeper thoughts"
• As a blend of red and blue, purple and violet "contain the energy and strength of red with the spirituality and integrity of blue. This is the union of body and soul creating a balance between our physical and our spiritual energies."
• "Purple or violet assists those who seek the meaning of life and spiritual fulfillment - it expands our awareness, connecting us to a higher consciousness. For this reason it is associated with transformation of the soul"

Tomorrow I'll reveal the meanings related to the chakra associated with violet. It turns out the Kadinsky source I was using was silent on the colors violet and purple.

Thanks to Leslie Saeta for sponsoring the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. Follow the link to see all the paintings created as part of this challenge.  It has certainly gotten my creating juices flowing.  #jan30in30

Energy - Day 15 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Energy Part III by April M Rimpo

Half way through the challenge and here is the completion of my triptych Energy.

The composite painting is pose seven in Sun Salutation, the Cobra. I've learned the breathing exercise in this pose activates the sacral chakra (energy center) between the belly button and pelvis. Some sources associate this chakra with yellows and other with orange. I decided to focus on yellow and include some orange colors as well. The breathing exercise in this pose is said to radiate personal power, self esteem, willfulness, and energy. 

Energy Triptych by April M Rimpo

My goal was for my paintings to issue forth a sense of personal power and energy.

Energy

Fluid Acrylic

Composed of three 8" X 8" gallery wrapped and varnished paper panels

Dimensions as laid out about 17" X 17"

$450

Available for Purchase Now

Links to posts with each completed yoga pose:

• Inspiration - Acceptance, expression, trust, supernatural (Sun Salutation - Salute/Mountain)
• Stability - Survival, self-sufficiency, stability, lively, and confident (Sun Salutation - Forward Bend)
• Perception - Emotional and mental intelligence, intuition, psychic, and super-natural (Sun Salutation - Lunge)
• Energy - warm, personal power, self esteem, willfulness, and energy (Sun Salutation - Cobra pose)
• Devotion - Clairvoyance, psychic senses, selflessness, devotion (Sun Salutation - Downward Facing Dog)
• Awakening - Awaken, love, compassion, acceptance, trust, growth, renewal, and peaceful with inner strength (Sun Salutation - first and last pose)

And thanks again to Leilie Saeta for sponsoring this challenge.  

#ShopSmall,  #jan30in30

Day 13 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Energy Part II by April M Rimpo

Second painting of the triptych Energy. The primary color in this triptych is yellow. The only meaning I found associated with chakra (energy center) associated with yellow is energy.  Kadinsky, of course, had more to say about yellow. First of all he heard a fanfare of trumpets.  I find that analogy interesting.  I think of trumpets as announcing the day or starting a celebration, both energetic moments.  The meanings Kadinsky associated with yellow are warm, exciting, disturbing, or totally bonkers. My goal in portraying these "Sun Salutation" poses is certainly not intended to make anyone feel disturbed or totally bonkers, so I hope this painting makes you fee either warmth or excitement.

Tomorrow I'll share the final segment and full image of the triptych.  

To see all of my 30 Day Challenge paintings click here
#jan30in30 

Day 12 of the 30 Paintings in 30 days Challenge

Energy is the name of this new series.  I thought I would start with some quotes about energy from different perspectives.

Energy Part I by April M Rimpo

UNIVERSE - John Muir, "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”

PHILOSOPHY - Aristotle, "The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” 

ART -  Sir Kenneth Clark, "Energy is eternal delight; and from the earliest times human beings have tried to imprison it in some durable hieroglyphic. It is perhaps the first of all the subjects of art."

HEALTH - Ilchi Lee, "The energy of life entering and leaving your body flows evenly throughout the universe. With that current, the mind of the cosmos communicates with all things.” 

It always fun for me to look at my paintings with fresh eyes ignoring my original intent.  I find I can do this when looking at a photograph of the painting, but not when looking at the original.  Maybe this is like looking at a painting in the mirror; it helps me separate myself and be more objective.  In Energy Part I I see stormy clouds over a landscape of receding mountains. I guess the UNIVERSE quote fits best with what I am seeing. What do you see?

To see all of my 30 Day Challenge paintings click here
#jan30in30  

Day 10 of the 30 Day Challenge - Perception

 Perception IV finishes up the quadriptych, which is shown below  the image of the fourth panel.

Perception IV by April M Rimpo

When I first looked at Perception IV (above) I saw a triangle with a flag on top.  Not my goal, so like the Day 9 painting I added some "galaxy swirls" and the triangle seemed to receed into the background.  I am always fascinated how such a simple change can alter how some other part of the painting looks. I did nothing to actually mute or alter the triangular shape.  

I wonder how many other shapes people might see in these paintings. Taking another look at my own paintings, I now see musical notes on a staff in the middle bottom painting in the image below. What do you see?

Looking at the full composition below, you might notice that the panel above is oriented in a different direction compared to the complete Perception quadriptych. In fact the panel on the lower right was also rotated in the Day 9 post. I wanted to make the point that the individual abstracts can be hung in whatever orientation you like. You are not bound to hang them to form the figure in the forward lunge pose. I'm actually starting to think it might not be a bad idea to turn the panels in different directions when I paint them so I don't get too hung up on the figure.

Perception by April M Rimpo

Perception

Fluid Acrylic
composed of four 8" X 8" gallery wrapped and varnished paper panels

Dimensions as laid out above 17" X 25"

$625

Available for Purchase Now

_______________
In an earlier post I mentioned combining poses to create a larger composition. Here is one example how the first three poses could be combined. This montage is called Beginnings.

Beginnings combines
Inspiration, Stability, and Perception by April M Rimpo

  

Beginnings
34" X 38"
 $1580

Links to posts on each completed yoga pose:

• Inspiration - Acceptance, expression, trust, supernatural 
• Stability - Survival, self-sufficiency, stability, lively, and confident
• Perception - Emotional and mental intelligence, intuition, psychic, and super-natural (Sun Salutation - Lunge)
• Energy - Warm, personal power, self esteem, willfulness, and energy (Sun Salutation - Cobra pose)
• Devotion - Clairvoyance, psychic senses, selflessness, devotion (Sun Salutation - Downward Facing Dog)
• Awakening - Awaken, love, compassion, acceptance, trust, growth, renewal, and peaceful with inner strength (Sun Salutation - first and last pose)

#ShopSmall,  #jan30in30