In the Studio : New Paintings in Progress

In the studio:  Almost finished with this pair of paintings. Working on a new 

concept for a series called "Waterline" - happy with the direction these are heading.

Works in Progress - Studio View- www.heidicarlsenrogers.com 

Inspiration for the Waterline paintings - I could spend the whole day staring into 

the water - the rhythmic movement is so mesmerizing.  

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

About: Flower Portrait (Woman)

Flower Portrait (Woman), 2016
Acrylic, Gouache and Pencil on Canvas (Horizontal Diptych), 60" H x 72" W
www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

Flower Portrait (as a Woman)

Originally for the show, I was going to create a large painting that studied and explored the color pink, as this is a hue that is typically associated with women and being feminine.

But I shifted to thinking about the piece more in terms of the current series I am involved with called Flower Portraits, where I paint large abstracted drawings of flowers.

I decided explore both of those ideas together to represent what is to me a distinctly feminine symbol – a pink flower.

This flower is not a specific bloom, but one that is made-up - a compilation of the lines and shapes of flowers that I keep with me in my mind.

The shades of pink in the painting express the full life cycle of a flower in terms of color.

The colors speak to the grit and perseverance of the journey where a flower seeds, grows, buds, blossoms, then slowly starts to fade, eventually falling back to the ground where it began.

There is beauty throughout the changing stages of being a flower/woman – the colors tell that story as they fluctuate between vibrant and muted; fresh and withered; dewy and ashy; pale and deep.

The underlying surface is rough and gritty, representing where a flower comes from symbolically – dirt or soil.

Above the horizon line, the upper canvas focuses on the time in the life of a blossom when it is in the state of being exquisitely and most abundantly alive – fully beautiful.

The lower horizon tells of the fading, quieting, and greying that happens as the flower’s life cycle is winding down - when it will be brought back into the earth.

On the horizon line itself; the colors cross over into one another – swaying between youthfulness/blossoming and quieting/aging.

The piece was done in two parts because I thought one canvas could not express or hold the full story of the flower and her life cycle.

Even though this is technically a portrait, I wanted the painting to read in a landscape format with a firm horizon line because I consider the landscape to be extraordinary – something that feels monumental and expansive. I represent the “woman as flower” symbol as the same – powerful, beautiful, intricate, complex, with a presence that spills over the edges of this canvas.

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

Upcoming Art Show - WomanMade:NWA

I have had an opportunity this year to be part of a women's art show called WomanMade:NWA that opens April 18, 2016.

I've been working on two distinct sides - first as the one who proposed, crafted, and helped curate the show, but also on the artist end - participating as a painter and creating a piece that will be shown alongside the other women artists.

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We asked the artists to submit a piece that represented their “signature” creative work. Optionally, it could include or explore a topic, symbol, or idea that comes from a uniquely female perspective.

I chose the latter and created a painting called Flower Portrait (Woman) shown below.  More about the painting in the next post.

Getting this new painting photographed & ready for the upcoming WomanMade:NWA show that opens in a few weeks.
www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

New Series on Paper - Feather (Bluejay)

Feather (Bluejay) II - Acrylic, gouache & colored pencil on paper - 25.6"x19.7"
www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

Feather (Bluejay) I - Acrylic, gouache & colored pencil on paper - 25.6"x19.7"
www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

Inspiration = Feathers that I found on the ground outside of my studio.

Feather (Bluejay) II - Acrylic, gouache & colored pencil on paper - 25.6"x19.7"
www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

Feather (Bluejay) I - Acrylic, gouache & colored pencil on paper - 25.6"x19.7"
www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

New Collectors! :)

One last look at this painting before I start wrapping it with glassine paper - getting ready for shipment.

So grateful & honored to have this going to new collectors in Utah.

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

New Series on Paper - Feather (Bluebird)

Feathers (Bluebird) II - Acrylic, Gouache & Colored Pencil on Heavyweight Fine Art Paper, 19.7" x 25.6"
www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

Feathers (Bluebird) I - Acrylic, Gouache & Colored Pencil on Heavyweight Fine Art Paper, 19.7" x 25.6"
www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

New Painting in Progress

This is the under painting for a large piece that I started last week. I've been working on building up the surface layers and am drawing on it with conte crayon today to create an underlying structure...

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

Grateful

So grateful and excited that this group of Air Drawings found a new home in Portland, Oregon this week.

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

iPhone Sketches: Lines in the Snow

Hello snow!  I headed out to walk this morning and was distracted with the way the light was hitting the tire tracks in the snow and the way the lines interacted with each other.  Inspiring start to the day!

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

Color Inspiration: Purple Pansies & Orchids

A few of my iPhone "sketches".  I wanted to capture the vibrant colors & texture of these beautiful blooms.   The surfaces felt like sueded velvet.  I was really drawn to the delicate edges and their irregular yet perfect shape.   

These inspired the "Flower Portrait" painting below.

Flower Portrait (Pansy), 36"H x 48"W
Acrylic, Gouache and Pencil on Canvas
Heidi Carlsen-Rogers

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

In the Studio: Love Knot (Flamingo) - Stages of a Painting

I have flamingos on my mind after posting earlier this week.  Wanted to share a painting (& the stages) from this summer inspired by my pink feathered friends!  

Love Knot (Flamingo)
48"H x 36"W
Acrylic, Gouache & Pencil on Canvas
Heidi Carlsen-Rogers

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

iPhone Sketches: Wildflowers #1

I was drawn to these small wildflowers at the park today - really loved how delicate & intricately detailed they were.   

Back in the studio, I like to arrange then photograph the things that I collect.  Documenting and capturing live colors & textures are an important part of my artistic practice.

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com

iPhone Sketches: Curves + Shapes

I am always drawn to long meandering lines and the curves & shapes I see in everyday settings.  

Really loved how the walking path changed in my camera as I moved around it.

These are the kinds of shapes I look for in between the pencil lines of the drawings that are the catalyst for my Silhouette paintings, seen below.

Silhouette (Pink + Green) I

Acrylic, Gouache & Pencil on Fine Art Paper

25.625" H x 19.75" W

Heidi Carlsen-Rogers

Silhouette (Pink + Green) II

Acrylic, Gouache & Pencil on Fine Art Paper

25.625" H x 19.75" W

Heidi Carlsen-Rogers

Silhouette (Pink + Green) I

Acrylic, Gouache & Pencil on Fine Art Paper

25.625" H x 19.75" W

Heidi Carlsen-Rogers

Silhouette (Pink + Green) II

Acrylic, Gouache & Pencil on Fine Art Paper

25.625" H x 19.75" W

Heidi Carlsen-Rogers

www.heidicarlsenrogers.com