"Transitions: A Self Portrait" Watercolor 16" X 16"

Transitions: A Self Portrait, a 16" X 16" watercolor

I've considered doing a self portrait for years. I wanted something that would represent my life from the early days through the present. Previously. I wasn't quite sure how to do that.  In this portrait, the ribbons represent phases of my story. I decided to use ribbons of history to capture memories about my life through the symbols on the ribbons, which you'll notice run over my head and make their way into me, depicted by the shapes on my face and neck.  

After finishing the painting, I decided one of the ribbons actually served a dual purpose since some of the shapes reminded me of hieroglyphics. I was always fascinated with the ancient Egyptians, doing a report on hieroglyphics in either the fifth or sixth grade. Later, I went on to study anthropology, including archaeology, ancient cultures and modern cultures, long before switching to a path in electrical engineering and semiconductor design, which was the original thought behind that ribbon. I won't share the meaning behind other ribbons so you can have your own interpretation.

Recently, I've created portraits where I want to capture more about the person than their image by using unusual colors and symbols to represent their life or how I interpret their inner being. Now I just need an opportunity for a photoshoot where I can capture a more dramatic shot than a typical family photo. 

Stay tuned for more of these portraits of life.

Interested in April's artwork or taking one of her classes? Consider becoming a Studio Friend by signing up for her twice-monthly email. April segments her newsletter so you can select topics you'd like to hear about when you sign up. For those who Select the General Interest topic you will receive emails about twice-monthly. If you are only interested in classes, then the emails will be much less frequent discussing upcoming classes and how to register. Select as many topics as sound of interest. Thank you for your support of April M Rimpo Art.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

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.

"Making Tortillas" fluid acrylic & watercolor 30" X 19"

Making Tortilla by April M Rimpo

Making Tortillas 

acrylic & watercolor

30" X 19" image
Mounted and varnished this painting arrives in a 33" X 22" frame

Available for Purchase on my Website

Provenance:

• One of 115 paintings selectd for the Missouri Watercolor Society's 2019 International Exhibition. - See Mike Bailey's Juror's Statement at the end of the post.
• One of 59 paintings selected for the Illinois Watercolor Society's 33rd National Exhibition 2017.
• Selected for the Laurel Art Guild Open 2016
• First Place Award in the Artist's Gallery of Columbia "Color Columbia" exhibition 2015

I have wanted to paint Making Tortillas ever since I returned from Guatemala in 2008. I have considered different color schemes; different focal points; different cropping of my source photographs, but none of the designs satisfied me. Recently I decided to try a different approach to the scene, cropped in closer and using a much more limited color palette.  It was the happiness of this woman and the gesture of her hands as she went about making her tortillas that I decided was the focus.  The beautiful reflected colors in the table top, which had been a distraction in earlier designs, were really not important.  It was the sense of joy she communicated with her expression that really mattered, so what more did I need?  Sometimes finding that quality that drew you to take the photograph is harder to find than you would expect.  Details that you may not have noticed when you took the photograph start to get in the way of that original inspiration.

For the artists in my audience, I started this painting by masking off much of the woman, the white areas, all the orange and red areas, and the light blue fabrics in the baskets. Then I poured on very wet washes of DaVinci fluid acrylic paint, tilted the paper to let the colors run and mix, added some granular light colored watercolor pigments to add interesting swirls and granular patterns, then let the paint dry.  I almost never use a heat gun or drier since I feel the colors are not as vibrant when I use these.

Most of the painting was done using fluid acrylic and small amounts of granular watercolors.  Exceptions were the red flower on her shirt and the orange/red corn in the basket.  I wanted these to be very vibrant.  I find when I use straight acrylic pigments for reds they seem a bit dull, while watercolor reds seem to almost glow. So after establishing some blues where the dark shadows would be, I applied an orange watercolor pigment to create the underlying color. When the watercolor was nearly dry I added some Alizarin crimson acrylic to create darker red passages.  A number of thin washes of Alizarin and some Quinacridone burnt orange were layered over the orange watercolor to create a variety of red shades. Blues and purples were used in the shadow areas and an Alizarin layer was added on top to add definition to the corn. Throughout the piece I repeated the same colors in different combinations and strengths so the painting holds together.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Making Tortillas and your experience with finding and expressing the essence of a photograph that seemed so right at the time, but continue to elude you when you want to express it in your art.

Mike Bailey's Juror's statement: 
Missouri Watercolor Society 2019 International Exhibition I offer greetings and congratulations to all the artists who entered this prestigious exhibition. It is indeed an honor to have been chosen to select and judge this show! I must say, however, that it was a daunting task to select the best pieces from such a large body of outstanding paintings. It truly was, at times, a ‘hair pulling’ decision making process! Most everyone asks about selection criteria and the reasoning behind the choices. I am a design “nerd !” Design is always the driving first thing which presses me to include or exclude any painting into, or out of, an exhibition. Content, or message, or story in a painting will set me thinking in ways that a simply “beautiful” painting would not. The message is very important. There is an overriding condition, which appears in a few paintings, which holds enormous power . . .and that is creativity. This aspect shows how the artist thinks and exposes the artist’s audacity, authenticity and freedom. It, therefore, carries a lot of weight. . . .at times as much, or more, than content. Lastly, expert technique counts for little. That is to say that a well designed painting that exhibits strong content and / or exemplary creativity will win out over poor technique. As an aside, I must admit to sometimes allowing personal taste to enter into the above reasons for judgment. While I try to prevent taste from entering the decision making, my humanness may, at times, unexplainably enter into the final reasoning. To those artists who did not make the cut, you have my sincere empathy while I encourage you to continue reaching for higher levels of artistic achievement. I know rejection can be painful. It can also be the stimulus needed to advance aesthetically. So, press onward and continue entering; it is very much worth your efforts! 

Sincerely, M.E. “Mike” Bailey, AWS / NWS

* Contact April regarding purchase outside the United States

More of my paintings of Guatemala can be found by clicking on the titles listed below:

• Antiguan Drummer
• Incense
• Guatemalan Girl
• Fruit Vendors
• Street in Sololá
• Poinsettia Tree
• Heading to Market - SOLD
• Messengers
• Woman with a Wrapped Hat
• Hammocks
• The Dugouts
• Wash Day
• His Dugout
• Stopped to Chat
• Basket Maker
• Flores - SOLD
• Back Strap Weaver
• Out of the Sun - SOLD
• Guatemalan Family

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.

"Dancers" 6" X 6" Mixed Media

Dancers by April M Rimpo

Dancers

Mixed Media

6" X 6" X 1.5" wood cradle

$100 shipped within U.S.

Available to Purchase Now

In Dancers I decided to create a mixed media painting starting from a sheet of watercolor I had prepared during the January 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. I hadn't included any of my fused glass in a painting in a long time but I was feeling a need for a change of pace, so I fired up my small kiln and created a few items that I thought I could used on some small mixed media paintings. 

The fused glass included here is of a woman dancing with a child. When I started the painting I wasn't sure where I was headed for a background, thinking some non-objected abstract should work well. However, toward the beginning of the painting I noticed I had unintentionally created the shape of the tall woman on the left and decided immediately that she too should be dancing with a little girl. I added some strokes to give the feel of motion and swirling skirts. 

The next day I decided I needed to emphasize the torsos and immediately thought to add some sheet music collage elements, similar to what I did in my "Rhythm" series. So the collage elements were added along with some darker strokes to continue to emphasize the flow and shape of the woman and child.

I always like to add some linear elements to a painting that has a lot of curves to break up the flow and introduce places to stop your eye from wandering aimlessly. Adding some dots I felt would beckon back to the sheet music.  Now that the painting is done it seems to me the woman might be playing an instrument with a bow. I'll let you decide.  

Enjoy this playful painting.

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.

"Galactic Light" an 8" x 8" fluid acrylic on gallery wrapped paper

Galactic Light by April M Rimpo

Galactic Light

Fluid Acrylic

8" X 8" gallery wrapped paper, varnished

SOLD

This painting started as an abstract I created by applying some tiny splashes a masking fluid on the paper. Once dry I sprayed the paper with water so form interesting nooks and crannies of water but leaving a some areas dry so there would be some white of the paper remaining. The next step was to apply a couple of very watered down paints using pipettes. I sprayed the paint to make it spread and tipped the paper to let it run and blend.  Once dry I removed the mask to reveal all the tiny dots of white left behind. 

My first thought was how much it reminded me of a very dark sky where you can see parts of the Milky Way. If you've ever been lucky enough to be in a dark sky area you will first be mesmerized by the sky; I find it nearly impossible to stop staring into space. But once you "come back to earth" you will notice how your surrounding glow from the incredible light coming from the unpolluted sky.

I decided to add the tall cliff with lit trees at the top to represent the glow. My goal was to increase the majesty of the sky by using the scale of the cliff to the trees to give the illusion that the cliffs were huge.

If this peeks your interest about dark skies you can read more about them at the International Dark Skies website.

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.

Movement Series

I have been painting bicycle and bicyclist for a while.  In my latest paintings my intent is to emphasize motion, speed, and energy. 

In both paintings I enjoyed letting the background flow into the image of the bicyclist.  In Movement I the background becomes part of the shirt and the race number attached just below his back.

Movement I by April M Rimpo

Movement I

Fluid Acrylic

25" X 18" Varnished Gallery Wrapped Paper

In Movement II the background shapes can be seen running into her flesh tones, helping to ground her in the scene.

Movement II by April M Rimpo

Movement II

Fluid Acrylic

25" X 18" Varnished Gallery Wrapped Paper

You can see both Movement and Movement II on my website under Art > Cyclists Gallery

For your favorite cyclist, consider this.

Set of giclee prints on watercolor of 

Movement I and Movement II 

Each print is 16" (h) X 12" (w)
$150 for the set, includes shipping within USA
Contact April if Interested in a print set.

Movement was selected by juror Carole Pickel for the 8th Annual International Society of Acrylic Painters Open International Online Show.  See the exhibit here.  It was one of 60 paintings selected from a field of 300.

It has also been selected for North Light Books' AcrylicWork5: Bold Values, to be released in 2018. 

Other paintings in April's Movement Series include:

• Race
• Cycling
• Movement III

April's Movement series shown at right 

in an Office Environment

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.

 #bicycles #hocoartist #hocoarts #bikerace #cyclists

"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

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.

#HoCoArt

#aprilmrimpoart

#Maryland

"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:

• Fashion
• Family Day
• Elegance
• Aren't You Coming?
• Happiness

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

"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.

"A Friendly Chat" acrylic on paper

A Friendly Chat by April M Rimpo

A Friendly Chat

Fluid Acrylic on Paper

It's interesting how the personality of a painting evolves from start to finish. When I finished the design I was thinking all about light and shadow and how I could really use this painting to show the influence of light on its surroundings. I started with a violet and yellow orange wash over the surface of most of the painting to separate the two sides.  

I liked how the figure on the right would be partially shaded and the other would be more subdued. I stuck to that part of the plan, but as I gradually worked through layers of the painting I let the result of the previous layer influence what I did next.

In between working on this painting I worked on a couple other paintings that were much more abstracted figures where the shapes were what was important and not the details, so the dichotomy of working a little on this and a little on those no doubt also influenced how this painting proceeded.

As time passed I decided it was the interaction between these figures "conversation" that was important; I wanted the gesture of their postures to communicate their intimacy and that the details would shift more to the flowers and their surrounding. My goal was to portray the beauty of this friendship through a lovely setting that captures their warmth. By the time I finished I wanted to know more about them and wondered what they are talking about. How did this painting make you feel?

White Crane - Day 29 of the #jan30in30 Challenge

White Crane by April M Rimpo

White Crane is a rework of an older painting, originally titled "White Egret", but given its make-over I decided the new title was more appropriate, pun intended. My Apple Clock painting was so fun I decided to take a similar direction. Adding the gears, pistons, and paper wings were not the only changes.  While I was at it I added more pastel shades in the shadows and improved the contours of the bird. I think this make-over resulted in a better painting than I had before. If you ever feel you need to do something to improve a painting, don't be afraid to go way out of the box.

The image above shows the cropped painting after it has been gallery wrapped. The final painting will be 14" X 11" with a 1" gallery wrap depth.

White Crane

Fluid Acrylic and Watercolor

14" X 11" gallery wrapped and varnished paper

$375

Available for Purchase Here

I have to thank Leslie Saeta again for holding this challenge since I might not have tried this had I not had 28 prior days of experimentation under my belt. Go to her blog to see the other paintings done by all the artists participating in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  #jan30in30

"Steep Terrain" a 30" X 22" Fluid Acrylic

Steep Terrain

Fluid Acrylic

24" X 18" mounted on 2" deep cradled wood panel
$1595

I recently joined Pinterest.  As part of setting up my boards I spent some time looking at art by others and realized a lot of the art I liked most was either abstract or semi-abstract.  The layers of color and textures in these pieces spoke to me.

I have always loved texture and use a variety of techniques to add texture to my watercolor and fluid acrylic paintings, but the pieces I saw by others had achieved so much more by including layers of opaque as well as transparent colors.

I had the beginnings of this painting sitting in my closet for about five years. All I had completed was a wash of three fluid acrylic colors applied at full strength. I set the painting aside because didn't know where to head next.  

This week it finally clicked.  I decided to use the original wash as a base for the steep cliffs.  The first thing I did was wet the paper and add a pale wash of transparent colors over the painting allowing the paint to drip toward the bottom. This created the soft glow of the sky and added some very subtle colors and texture to the the cliffs.  

Once dry I added some white and yellow opaque colors randomly over the cliffs, allowing them to drip from various heights of the cliffs.  After dry I repeated the process but added some pale tints to the white to add more texture and color over the base.  I used pale blue and coral washes along the edges which added some gray and lavender tints along the edges helping to keep my eye inside the painting.

I knew from the start that I wanted to add some abstracted trees to the tops of the cliffs.  When I started to add them I realized they needed to be quite small to help strengthen the height of the cliffs. I started by adding a few trunks and branches in masking fluid, adding color, added more mask branches, more color, repeating these steps as I added darker colors. Once I removed the mask I just had to add a couple lines here and there to finish the trees, but very little editing was needed.

I like the illusion of height and the textures of the cliffs in this semi-abstract painting.  What do you think about the result?  Do you see where this approach might solve problems in paintings you are stuck on?  I'd love to hear from you.