March 2015 Wrap Up Post-Libby Fife Fine Art

1. Coming and Going 
Image size 10" x 13" matted to 14" x 18" acrylic on paper

2. I'd Rather Be
Image size 10" x 13" matted to 14" x 18" acrylic on paper

3. Made of Stone
Image size 10" x 13" acrylic matted to 14" x 18"

4. Spiritus Deorum
Image size 10" x 13" acrylic matted to 14" x 18"

5. Where The Bees Live
Image size 10" x 13" acrylic matted to 14" x 18"

6. Near and Far
Image size 10" x 13" acrylic matted to 14" x 18"

Hard to believe that March is over and that April is upon us! It has been a productive painting month for me so here is the rundown:

1. Coming and Going: My trips into the Bay Area take me over the Altamont Pass. The hills and structures there provide a lot of inspiration. For this piece I sat in my car on the side of the road and observed the trucks coming and going across the overpass. I wanted to recognize how important the issue of transportation is for our economy.

2. I'd Rather Be: Lake Alpine continues to be a source of inspiration for me. The piece is based on my memories of having visited the lake several times last summer. The rock formations are impressive!

3. Made of Stone: We have a quarry here where I live. Industry in our county is sparse so this particular business is of interest to me. I chose to highlight (and exaggerate) the piles of rocks and the hillside. I also included our Calaveras river which runs next to the quarry.

4. Spiritus Deorum: Roughly translated from Latin, the title refers to the presence of God. We frequently get fog here during the Spring. On one of my many trips down highway 49, I  could see the fog weaving in and out of the hills and mountains. It was a short leap for me to then make this piece. 

5. Where The Bees Live: The town of Linden has been a source of inspiration for me since we moved here. It's many orchards off a wealth of ideas. For this piece I referenced the boxes of bees that are currently sitting in many of the orchards. Bees are just as important to the health of the orchards and ultimately to our economy as the trucks on the highway mentioned above in my first piece. 

6. Near and Far: Another piece based on my time at Lake Alpine. During this particular trip I sat on the shoreline to eat my lunch. The trees and hills across the water seemed to me to be both near and far. I chose to highlight this aspect of the scene.

What's New?:

Class: In the next month or so I will be developing a class that will be held in June at Town Hall Arts in Copperopolis. As artists we tend to collect supplies, including numerous tubes of paint. How can you get those tubes organized? Participants will sort tubes according to hue first. They will then make swatches and sort those according to temperature. Once identified, these swatches will be used to make a personal color wheel. Participants will also learn about the three main properties of color (hue, value, and chroma) and get some ideas for how to manipulate those variables in their work. Sign ups will happen closer to June and be done through Larry out at Town Hall Arts.

Question: Recently I was asked about the style of my current work. Where did I learn to do it? Was it from a book or from a kit? All of my pieces made so far in 2015 have been based on my sketches and photos and ideas from my imagination. The style itself is an extreme simplification of shapes of the things that I see: trees, hills, bushes and rocks, to name just a few. There is a long history during the twentieth century when there was a move away from realism in painting. Reductionism, abstraction, call it what you want but artists tended to move away from portraying something in a strict sense. My current way of painting seems to be a culmination of what I have learned so far, mainly the simplification and reordering of a scene. The question asked was a good one and really made me think!

As always, thank you for reading and supporting my art making efforts. All work shown is for sale via email. More work can be viewed at my website here. Please feel free to email me with questions or comments.

Thanks,

Libby