Mixed Media Trees

Recently I taught a couple sessions of my workshop, "Fun with Fluid Acrylics." The focus was primarily acrylics that, as the name implies, come in liquid form. These paints can be used much like watercolor.  This workshop explored not only the watercolor-like properties but also how to incorporate mixed media techniques into your paintings. One of the mixed media techniques included the use of Masa rice paper.

The tree paintings shown here started with a loose dripping wash and later included rice paper for the trees and some of the foregrounds.

Family Trees by April M Rimpo

Family Trees

Mixed Media

8" X 10" in wood frame

$200

Available here for purchase

Southwest by April M Rimpo

Southwest

Mixed Media

12" X 12" mounted on 0.75in deep cradle

$375

Available at Touchstone Gallery in December

Southwest Cliffs by April M Rimpo

Southwest Cliffs

Mixed Media

14" X 11" mounted to a 0.75" deep primed board

$400

Available here for purchase

This technique can also be used to create an exciting finish across the entire painting, which you can see in Standing Tall II. 

Standing Tall II by April M Rimpo

Standing Tall II

Mixed Media

14" X 11" mounted to 1.5" deep wood cradled board

$425

Included in the 2018
Celebration of the Arts
Art Silent Auction

If you want to learn more and see how a master uses this approach you might want to check out the book,

The Watercolor World of Cheng-Khee Chee.

More Mixed Media paintings using rice paper:

• City and Country

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.

Featured Art - Looking Up

Looking Up, a 36" X 40" fluid acrylic by April M Rimpo

Here is a change of pace for my series of Featured Artwork on display at RE/MAX Advantage Realty. Looking up celebrates a beautiful day in Autumn after the leaves have changed their color by before they fall. This painting is a great way to bring a bit of the outdoors into your home. 

I enjoyed this painting while it was hanging in my living room over the fireplace. It looked great on the brick wall and really let me relax and be taking away, up through the trees to sore wherever my imagination took me.  

If you need a breath of fresh air in your home, perhaps Looking Up is just what you need.

Looking Up

36" X 40" fluid acrylic

varnished and framed in a brushed silver frame

$3175

Original:

36in x 40in Looking Up $3,175.00 USD

If you would like to see the painting, you can stop by RE/MAX Advantage Realty, 729 East Pratt Street, Suite 100, Baltimore MD 21202, and say you are there to see April Rimpo's artwork. All purchases are made through April, so contact her if you have questions or would like to meet at RE/MAX. 

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 2014 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution, but all other uses are prohibited.

"Springtime" watercolor 18" X 14"

Springtime by April M. Rimpo

Springtime

Watercolor

18"X14" image

Framed in brush silver frame

$875

Available at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery

Phone: 410-461- 4505
Email: info@HorseSpiritArtsGallery.com 
Open: Open 6 days a week, check their website for hours

Each spring Howard County Maryland, where I live, holds a number of events to support Blossoms of Hope. This cause supports the Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center at Howard County General Hospital. This painting was done for an exhibit called Haiku for Hope and will be presented with an associated haiku written by a local poet. The child in the foreground links back to the haiku written by Poppy Herrin. Springtime won an Honorable Mention Award at this exhibit.

This painting was one of those selected for banners that were displayed as part of a special ceremony held on National Arbor Day at Lake Kittamaqundi in Columbia, Maryland. The banners used for the ceremony have also been used at the Howard County Welcome Center in Ellicott City.  

Howard County has planted over 1600 Kwanzan cherry trees throughout the county.  The Kwanzan cherry trees bloom about two weeks later than the Sakura trees that surround the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC allowing you to enjoy the beautiful blossoms for a longer period of time.  You can read more about the Blossoms of Hope events at http://www.visithowardcounty.com/blossoms-of-hope, where you can also find a map where the trees have been planted.

Given the opportunity for a banner I wanted a painting that celebrated the cherry blossoms and had a strong graphic line that would lend itself well to the banners.  I use this style in some of my paintings and I like the simplification of shapes with the line work.  Of course a strong value pattern (darks and lights) is essential for a banner format which is perfect for the way I like to work in watercolor.  

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.

"Through the Trees" 8" X 10" acrylic on canvas

Through the Trees by April M. Rimpo

Through the Trees

Fluid Acrylic on Canvas

8" X 10"

$200

The leaves have fallen but I keep painting them because I hate to admit they are gone.  This year we had pretty good color in the trees here in Maryland. You would think that by now I would have figured out the pattern of when we will have good color in the trees and when they will just turn brown and fall quickly. But no matter how I try to second guess what will happen, I never guess correctly.

Now my husband and I believe we do know when there will be a good crop of acorns in the trees; dry years seem to have a large yield and wet years very few acorns.  But the color of the leaves?  Not so much luck.  I have a feeling it is a mixture of rainfall, temperature, and a few other variables that just allude us.

Being an artist I can just pretend every year is a great year for color and create paintings that celebrate the glory of the leaves.

If you know the answer to the puzzle of Fall's color, please do share.

"Winter Snow", 8.5" X 7.5" watercolor

We had our first snow flurry this week and I felt it was time for a painting of snow.

Winter Snow © April M. Rimpo

Winter Snow

Watercolor

8.5" X 7.5" image

20" X 16" standard size mat

$85 plus $12.50 shipping within the United States

"Rolling Hills", 44" X 58" Fluid Acrylic

Rolling Hills by April M Rimpo

When I started to paint Rolling Hills I was planning to do a very different version of this scene, but sometimes the painting evolves in different directions. I planned an abstracted piece but it became very serene.  Every time I look at this painting I want to be lying on the hillside by this lake watching the clouds drift by without a care in the world.  It feels so peaceful to me.

It was derived from a place on North Island, New Zealand but ended up more like the rolling hills in Matamata.  Matamata is the site on South Island where Peter Jackson chose to build Hobbiton for the Lord of the Ring movies.  When my husband looked at the painting he asked if Hobbiton was over the rise. Similar scenes can be seen across rural America.

Rolling Hills is the largest painting I have done to date.  It measures 44" X 58" and is done in Fluid Acrylic on gallery wrapped and varnished paper.  Framing is not required.

Rolling Hills

44" X 58" Fluid Acrylic
47" X 61" Frame 
 $4500

Available at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery

Phone: 410-461- 4505
Email: info@HorseSpiritArtsGallery.com 
Open: Open 6 days a week, check their website for hours

Monuments, 14" X 12" fluid acrylic on gallery wrapped, varnished paper

Monuments by April M Rimpo

I traveled with my family to New Zealand about ten years ago.  We traveled all over both the North and South Islands.  Everywhere we went was beautiful.  What amazed us what how these two little islands had nearly every ecosystem on the planet: volcanoes, glaciers, marshes, rain forests, and more. One area we visited along the northwest coast of North Island had beautiful beaches with black sand, caused by the volcanic area further inland.  This area is dotted with farms but in some spots the winds are so hard and constant that the trees grow bending toward the east.  Some, like those shown in Monuments, lose all their leaves, but many remain standing, like they won't let the wind win. I thought these wind and sand bleached trunks were beautiful additions to the landscape that deserved to be featured.

This image shows the front of a gallery wrapped painting done on watercolor paper and then varnished after it was wrapped.  The painting extends around the sides of the frame allowing the painting to be hung without a frame.  I use a satin finish varnish to avoid glare on the surface.

"Looking Up" 36" X 40" acrylic and watercolor

Looking Up by April M Rimpo

So you've seen several of my paintings looking down on city streets so now it's time to take some time and enjoy the beautiful scenes above our heads.  Almost 18 months ago I was headed to one of the local art centers and happened to park on the street.  While walking up the hill toward the center I happened to look up.  It was a gorgeous fall day, the leaves had changed and I happened to have my camera with me.  Since the stars had aligned I took a photograph, as I am likely to do when I see something that catches my eye.  I had decided I wanted this to be a large painting to help convey my feeling when I saw the trees.  They were this magnificent stand above my head saying hello as they swayed in the breeze.  So hello from the trees; I hope they make you smile too. 

Looking Up

Fluid Acrylic and Watercolor on Paper

Varnished and Framed

36" X 40"

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 2014 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution, but all other uses are prohibited.