Art: Mary M. Payne

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

series: Ecriture

I have always been attracted to the written word in fine art and in my journals. In certain of my mixed media series you will see script or individual numbers or letters.

This group of drawings was inspired by the gesture of hand writing. This collection was shown at Artemisia Gallery in Nice.

These pieces are done largely using oil pastels, pencil, and acrylics on 300 gr. watercolor paper. Sizes vary from: 50x65 cm, 45x60 cm, 50x70 cm.

Mixed media by Mary M Payne

Series: Cicatrice

This is a series called Cicatrice ( scar) I put had up in a group exhibition held at the castle inTourette sur Loup.

I am still amused that a famous artist of the area hounded me for the secrets of my techniques for this series.

The secret (which I didn't reveal at the time) starts with using a heavy medium or paint so that the paper, (that is stretched on a board with tape), tears the substrate and leaves a natural rip or "fente" in the paper.

That is the beginning step. "Scar" is related to the theme of several other series I did during this period. The pieces are now double framed in a passe-partout of 50x70 cm.

Cicatrice by Mary M Payne

Series: Fleurs

Art by Mary M Payne, sold

I have been looking through my archives realizing that some of the pieces I have done in the past are framed behind glass or plasticine envelopes. I did that before I took photos which was not a great idea for cataloging.

Here is a series I call " Fleur" done on watercolor paper with acrylics, ink, pastels, string and stamping. There are nine images 10x23cm before double mat. A few have gone out into the world. Some are in frames, double matted with a white and then a taupe "Passpartout" (mat) behind glass.

Most any piece in each of my series are up for grabs if you see anything that takes your fancy.

Art by Mary M Payne

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Mixed Media Techniques

After working on all new art last year, I have a few things to show you.
I am returning to techniques that I had abandoned while I got lost in the rigors and joys of printimaking. And I have found a lot of new materials.

A lot of new ways of working have been generated out of the "art" journaling craze in America. Some students at art schools said that their teachers liked what they were doing in their journals best of all their work. So a few of these graduates have become artists working for paint companies like Liquitex or Golden to promote new products and showcase new ways of working. A lot of these videos are now on YouTube and I have watched a few and even bought a couple.

From what I learned I did three art journals ..... some of them are a bit "hokey" but not entirely useless as I have learned what not to do with layering and stencils, choosing a journal, etc.

This year I have a new class at Ecole Municipal d'art Plastique in Nice. It is called "Practique Pictorial" and I will explain what that means in a later post.

I did the following pieces based on a photo I took in South Carolina. I believe it was Bluffton. I chose it as it is almost a silhouette and I liked the sculptural quality of it.

First is the original photo and following are pieces where I play with effects and distortion of the original to move from realism to the abstract. This work serves me as a sketchbook my serve another artist.

Original photo , photo by Mary M Payne

Pencil sketch on gray 125 gr. Canson textured paper

Image transfer on 300gr watercolor paper, photo by Mary M Payne

300r watercolor paper, gesso primer, inks, photo by Mary M Payne

300r watercolor paper, gesso, drawing gum, inks

300 gr watercolor paper, pastel gras, diluted india ink, scraper, white ink, photo by Mary M Payne

300r watercolor paper, ink jet printer, watercolor, drawing gum, inks, felt pens, white ink, Japanese paper collage pieces, photo by mary m payne

Drawing gum, candle wax, white ink, pastels, photo by Mary M Payne

200gr paper, watercolor, ink stamps, inks, candle wax, photo by Mary M Payne

125 gr paper, monotype in black ink, white ink ,photo by Mary M Payne

125 gr paper, Candle wax, monotype in black ink, white ink , photo by Mary M Payne

125 gr. paper, Black acrylic reduction monotype , carbon, Tombow felt pen, photo by Mary Payne

300r watercolor paper, transparent gesso, watercolor, ink, tombow pen, unipen felt pens, white molotow pen, collage with fiber paper and paper towels, photo by Mary M Payne

300 gr watercolor paper, interior house paint, monotype, inks, wax, graphite, photo by Mary M Payne

300gr. paper, collage from books, Japanese papers, inks , white acrylic, photo by Mary M Payne

125gr paper, black acrylic monotype, photo by Mary M Payne

300gr paper, foam print stamps, ink, modeling paste, photo by Mary M Payne

300 gr paper, "gelato" acrylics, collage, white ink, palate knife with white modeling paste, stencil, black ink, photo by Mary M Payne

300r paper, gold acrylic ink, pearlescent ink, 3 stencils, red ink script, collage pieces, yellow ink photo by Mary M Payne

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Paintings that live in San Francisco

Oy, I haven't posted in so long. There are only two classes left in my eight years of printmaking. That means, a few more hours to use the big press in the atelier at EMAP ( Ecole Municipale d'Art Plastique). That is just one of my excuses for being otherwise engaged.

But just as I showed you what I had painted in Ellen's house in South Carolina, I want to show you a couple of pictures I did for my friend and Monsieur's cousin Roge and his wife Isabel. They commissioned them many years ago and they hold a special place in their lovely San Francisco Apartment which overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge.

I also want to highlight the work of Monsieur's sister, Hope Silvera, who is a hugely talented painter. Hope's creativity shows itself in so many ways, she is a muse.

Painting by Hope Silvera.....photo by Mary M Payne

Close up of the work by Hope Silvera, photo by Marympayne

This original painting which is in the same apartment, holds a likeness of Hope herself, seated on the left in a living room. The man playing the cello is a good likeness of her father. The picture on the wall in the background is Mount Tamalpais in Marin where Hope now lives. Its quite a complex work and I never tire of seeing it again.

Reproduction by Marympayne, photo by Marympayne

Now here is the question of the hour....who originally painted this reproduction I did for Roge and Isabel? I have no idea although it looks expressionistic or fauvist. Maybe Isabel can tell me. I believe she chose it.

My other commissioned painting is in the living room. It is a copy of a work by the Dutch painter Kees van Dongen , a fauvist who worked for many years in France.

Since Roge loves music he opted for a musical theme and this is one of four or five musical/dancer paintings from van Dongen who mostly specialized in portraits of high society women. He once irreverently wisecracked, "The essential thing is to elongate women and especially to make them slim. After that it just remains to enlarge their jewels. They are ravished." He also later quipped "Painting is the most beautiful of lies".

It was really fun to paint Anita, The beautiful Fatima and her Troupe and I reproduced it exactly to size (100 x 81cm). I took the image from a a book of van Dongen by the museum in Rotterdam where van Dongen was born. The only other reproduction I have done of his work was sold when I lived in Milan...that of Fernande Olivier painted by the artist in 1905 at the same time as this painting.

Fernando Olivier
by Kees van Dongen

"Anita_ The Beautiful Fatima and her troupe" reproduction of Kees Van Dongen painting
done by MaryMPayne

If you are curious to see more paintings of Van Dongen here in Nice, the Musée des Beaux Arts in Nice has a whole room dedicated to Van Dongen. I am fond of him...he has a distinctive style.

Here's Roge enjoying a cigar on the terrace chez nous. If only I painted portraits.

Roge on a visit to Nice, photo by Marympayne