She Reads To Her Flowers

Hello!

Actually, I've been experiencing new art mediums and just needed the time to play with art.
Doing this period of exploration I was working on small paper and lots of it. And it felt good and freeing, no expectations, just play. As I filled up books and pages of art journal exercises

(I highly recommend), I was ready to back to canvas and go big. I felt myself missing going large while creating art on paper. It was back to basic art exploration and it was good. There's just something about canvas that feels so primitive. As my arms and upper body to move across the large canvas, I feel greater options... there's room, there's space, there no limits. It feels... larger than life at times.

Getting back to larger canvases, I took what I gained experimenting and applied those markings on a canvas in a new style. So what happened, what took place?

This is it. 

I envisioned her sitting in her garden as she reads out loud, the flowers lean in listening so intently to every word. She looks up and sees them enjoying the sounds coming from her lips. She looks back down at her book and continues to read to her flowers and smiles. 

I hope you enjoy this painting.

Title: She Reads To Her Flowers

Medium: Mixed Media

Size: 40" x 30" Gallerywrapped Canvas

Purchase This Painting

Art Collectors: The Moment That Causes One to Pause

Have you ever had that moment when you looked up at the sky after a storm and saw an unexpected break in the clouds that caused you to pause, to stand in awe? This painting represents that moment with the leftover remnants of a storm's dark clouds, while the light of the sunset is beginning to peak through. 

Now about the actual making of this painting, I decided to used a warm and cool palette for contrast. I love to blend colors and here I did quite a bit of blending to create soft look against the striking sky. There is something very soothing about blending paint or dry brushing, it's definitely therapeutic.You might want to try it sometime. This painting is a very wide canvas (40") with intense colors of blues, reds, pink, oranges, olive green, and tan. It starts with soft warm colors and and you do down the painting you see the cool palette colors that lend that look of dark skies from a previous storm. 

Perhaps this painting would look lovely over a fireplace mantle, or in a dining room, or even an office? I have to admit this is one of my favorites I have done so far, due to it's dramatic value. Let me know if you are drawn to this painting. I appreciate the feedback!

    A Break In The Clouds

30"(tall) x 40"(wide) x 1" (deep)

Acrylic

(U. S. Shipping Only, due to width)

Close Up View 1

  Close Up View 2

Close Up View 3

                                                     

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Allison Reece is an abstract expressionist painter from Asheville, NC. She has been selling her bold paintings since 2004. She is an alumnus of Ringling College of Art & Design, in Sarasota, FL, where she studied Fine Arts. Currently, she is enrolled through Northwestern University’s Social Media Marketing Course, via the Coursera website. She enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, a good cup of coffee, kayaking in the southeastern intracoastal waterways, and long walks on the beach. Her favorite color is turquoise and she loves abstract art.

You can follow Allison on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Fine Art America, and Instagram.

 

Surfboard I

Hello again,
While working on my latest water series, one eventually has to come around to surfboards. Don't you just love the feelings that come up when you think about surfboards? That era of the old woodies covered up in cool, brightly colored surfboards has become an American Icon. The music, well oiled tanned surfers in swimming trunks and flip-flops, the smell of the ocean, beach cottages, all images when I think of the beloved surfboard. Here's my version of that worn, well-used, banged up surfboard hanging on the wall, waiting for it's time to be brought out and waxed to perfection for another summer season.

This abstract painting was created by layering process and removing paint to reveal hidden colors. This helps to achieve that worn, distressed look for all the years that have passed by, yet the memories still linger.

Oh, I've included a wonderful and inspirational video about surfing and photography.

"Surfboard I"

24" x  36" x  3/4" deep 

Acrylic

Sold!

Close Up View 1

Close Up View 2

Close Up View 3

Close Up View 4    

So what do you think about "Surfboard I"? 

Thanks for visiting my art blog and come back for more! Allison

Hope you enjoy the video!

Afternoon Sun on the Marsh

Hello All!
Hopefully you read my previous post and you saw the new color palette that I've created for my new water series. Here's another abstract landscape that was inspired inspired by my times at the coast while enjoying the simplicity of the marsh. This painting was painted by using my palette knife to create thick layers of paint. There is a slight subtle glow to this painting from gold paint.
Hope you enjoy the simplicity of this painting.

"Afternoon Sun On The Marsh"

16" x  20" x 1/2" deep

Acrylic

Sold

Close Up View 1

Close Up View 2

Hope you enjoy this painting, let me know what you think. More to come, stay tuned. 

Allison

Grand Funk, do you remember?

Another painting completed, would you be interested in seeing this one? "Grand Funk" is full of vibrant color, lines and texture. Don't you just love vivid  rich blues, purples, reds and little touch of warmth add from the yellows to the oranges? I do. This abstract painting has movement with a blue texture grid running through the painting. What does it make you think of, a railroad, perhaps? I gave the pleasure of naming this painting to my husband, Mike. Thus, the name "Grand Funk". Do you remember the The Grand Trunk Western? (And you thought I was referring to the band, right?) A former railroad line, and if he had the opportunity, he'd love to give you all the details. I did enjoy working on this one, I have to say...the vibrancy of the palette...just makes one feel alive.

Moving right along, here's the painting!

"The Grand Funk"

24" x 36"

Acrylic

Sold!

Close Up View

Another Close Up View

Hope you enjoyed seeing my latest addition from the art studio.

"Movement I"

"Movement I" is a 6" x 8" mini abstract painting. The blending of acrylic paint and brushstrokes create the slow to medium movement seen here. There is some contrast of cool and warm colors, but the overall feeling is of a cool and tranquil flowing sensation. I still get excited when I seen the final blending effect of the paint. To take one paint color and add another and then see what happens when the two touch each other is still amazing to me every time I paint. Simple pleasures, right? I hope you enjoy this painting, please return to see future paintings. Feel free to post a comment.  Allison.

Title: "Movement"
Medium: Acrylic on canvas board 
Size: 6" x 8"

"Movement I"

Cost: $19.99 USD

Close Up

Even Closer

How can art help others? Can my art help someone?

I heard something the other night on TV, that actually got me thinking which TV usually doesn't. But anyway, it posed a question to me as to how art can help others. First of all, we know it can inspire, uplift someone's mood and giving them encouragement or hope. Or bring awareness to a particular social issue, and communicate in ways words can't. So that we all know, right? And yes, we've all heard of art therapy, where a troubled adult or child can use a creative medium to communicate when words aren't available. Expressing unsolved emotional pain via creative means can be very therapeutic.Yet, I wonder, can my art help someone? I mean, it's just a painting, an image; how is that going to help someone?
Good question to ponder, right? I thought so. Rather than using art to say, look at me as a artist and what I can do, but can my art help someone else? 

For example, take my latest invitation to a charity art event in Moss Norway. One fine artist from Norway, had an idea and shared his idea to a local public library. Now over 200 artists are involved and have painted postcard size paintings to be sold for $34 each. The proceeds of that event will fund the purchasing of children's books for the public library. The obvious goal is helping the library buy books for children. You see, this is a multi-fold win/win situation. The library has a new charity event that is exciting for everyone. The children get new books to read, that's pretty exciting in itself. The buyers get a good deal on an original painting to take home and enjoy, plus feel good about their participation in the event. Us, artists enjoy the gift of giving and the satisfaction of how our art made a difference.

So, to answer the beginning question, yes, art can help others. And, I for one, am pretty excited and amazed how we can all come together as artists and make a difference.
Here is my postcard painting sent to Moss Norway Library to raise funds to purchase children's books.
 
"Afterglow"
This abstract painting inspired by the beautiful sunsets over the Sarasota, Florida Gulf of Mexico waters.
Medium: Acrylic

 
Close Up of "Afterglow"
Final note, now how can your art make a difference?
Here is the link to this event's details:
http://tiny.cc/e24rq

Final notes: In these times of financial recession, I believe it's the creative workforce that moves us beyond our limited parameters. Possibly it's time to rethink our art. Instead of how I can sell another painting, perhaps look at it at from a different perspective. What can I do with my artwork? Please feel free to post your comments. I'd love to hear how your art has help make a difference. Hope to hear from you, Allison.

"Winter Reflections" from my abstract Season Reflections series

Thought you'd like to see the latest additions to my abstract Seasonal Reflections series. This is a reflective light and color study I did and here are the results from that study. I really enjoyed the painting process with this painting. As you see, colors choices are cooler, darker and some muted, yet some dramatic. To show the degree of colder temps setting in and shades become more muted, blended, and retracted even. Shadows are more apparent and tend to increase, therefore there is some drama to the shadows. The sun is low, the days are shorter, the sky is no longer as sunny. There is still color during the winter season, it's just a bit hidden and muted.  Hope you enjoy this painting, I know I did.
You can purchase this Winter Reflections painting here on Etsy. Thank you for stopping by! Allison

"Winter Reflections"

18" x 18" 

Acrylic

What's On My Easel?

This is it! My latest painting in progress. Presently, this canvas is in it's "blocking in" stage. Can you see anything familiar about it? Yes, it's one of our lovely and most popular cities of the South, Charleston, SC. The Low Country, love it! I have many wonderful memories in this city and it's wide, sunny beaches. My dear husband took this photo and I have to say, he did a really fine job! While on vacation we found every historical home, iron gate, and stone is photographer's dream.

In Progress

The Pink House

Charleston, SC

18" x 24"

Acrylic

"The Abyss Recreated"

"The Abyss Recreated"

Acrylic

Sold

Drastic Changes

"Drastic Changes"

Acrylic

NFS

Sarasota Sunset

"Sarasota Sunset"

Acrylic

Sold

I have fond memories of my days in Sarasota, FL. From the beginnings of moving to a different state, attending Ringling College of Art & Design, to taking in the city's beauty. Many of evenings were spent watching the golden sunset over the emerald gulf, what a way to end the day!

Welcome.........

If case you are wondering... Welcome to my new updated blog, out with the old and in with the new! Actually, the older blog started back in 2005 had too many bugs and we felt the best thing was to just start over! And why not! I'm winding down the year here and looking forward to 2010! Making decisions on ideas for a couple of abstract series. Don't you just love abstract art? If you couldn't tell, I love the color & movement! Also, you get to interpret what you see in front of you. At times I need not to be told the message, or view "in your face" art, but rather enjoying expressions of the brush that don't translate an exact idea or perspective, but many! Like when you area kid looking up at the puffy white clouds in the blue sky. You ask yourself or your childhood best friend, "What do you see?".

Keep a look out for my latest abstract paintings. Oh, and there is exciting news about upcoming art auctions on Twitter! How cool is that! Remember, art gives off any room or space great energy.

Thank you for stopping by!

Allison Reece