No Illusions, Pulse of the Motherboard, In the Balance and Rising Green: New Digital Abstracts

I don't have much time to post this week, so I thought I would at least put up a few new digital works.  I love working with design and spatial relationships.  I think you could probably guess which title applies to which image, even if I didn't have them in consecutive order in the title of this post!
Is there one among the four that resonates with you more than the others?  If so, what do you think its appeal is for you?
Hope everyone is happy and healthy and taking some time for your favorite creative activity!

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary site at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/gallery if you would like to see my acrylic paintings and more of my photography and digital art. I hope you enjoyed your visit to my blog!

Circus Balls, Dream of Red, and Other Digital Paintings

Intrusion of Linear Elements

Dream of Red

Circus Balls

It's good to be back. My husband and I are always so busy with projects, being the do-it-yourself types. Doing construction and home renovation with your own hands, brings the freedom to pursue new options, but not without a cost. The cost is that the agenda is always intimidating, if not overwhelming. So be it...

I haven't been able to paint in months. My most recent art project was to size, print, mat, and bag about 200 prints for a local coffee shop.

I've finally had time to sit down at the computer. Smitten with the painting bug late in the evening, my only recourse was to turn to digital art instead of breaking out all the smelly, messy acrylics.

The nice thing about digital art is that you can do it almost anywhere that you can sit with a laptop or notebook computer, instead of requiring ample studio space and ventilation. And with iterative "saves,"one can easily squeeze multiple images from the same "mother" image. The possibilities are endless.

Here you see three images borne of the same original "source" image. I'm able to work with brilliant color which I so love, and texture, to create my visual experience.

I've heard some pigment painters object to digital painting because "you can't see the track" of the painter's hand and arm, the "touch" and physicality of it. But I don't think that's true. Surely it IS different, but not altogether. Using a touch-sensitive stylus with a graphics tablet can create many effects and communicate many nuances. Okay, so you won't have the richness and "presence" of impasto, but in my opinion, the effects done with the digital pen can be just as visually compelling.

I hope everyone had a happy and fulfilling Mother's Day, and I look forward to catching up with you!

All images and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Presentiment: A Fractal Composition

Presentiment - c 2009 Lynda Lehmann

This is an active and gestural fractal flame, begun in Apophysis and processed in Photoshop. I know nothing about Apophysis, and I don't know how much I'll actually learn in the coming months. But I do love experimenting with it.

Fractals are enigmatic. As organic, flowing, and spontaneous as they may look, they are based on mathematical formulae. It's the same kind of mathematical underpinning that gives our universe order and elegance. So indeed, looking deep into the heart of fractals is like a glimpse into the heart of the cosmos. I'm all for feeling mystical....

If anyone has suggestions for free fractal programs or shareware, I'm all ears. Apophysis is free, so you can download it if you want to try it out. I'm not sure what the newest version might be. I downloaded this one is about three years ago, and have experimented with it a handful of times.

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend. We're making our own sunshine here, because it's dreary and gray outside. Not to mention "raw." But spring is only a month away!

All images and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Blue Genesis, The Texture of Life, Damariscotta Dream

A few of my friends have asked me how I manage to paint when we are in Maine, working on the house. So I'll tell you that I paint at the top of the garage, where I have no running water. I have to carry it across the street and up a LONG flight of stairs in containers, and use it sparingly to rinse my brushes, seen here. Often I leave them soaking and keep my fingers crossed that they won't mold or rot before I can use them again. It's inconvenient. But hey, where there's a will, there's a way!

Here are a few of my recent paintings. I've done ten of them in the past few weeks. Which was a good thing--I had not touched brush and pigment for the past four months, as that big ole' train called "life" kept coming at me with other things!

Blue Genesis - Image c 2008 Lynda Lehmann

Damariscotta Dream - Image c 2008 Lynda Lehmann

The Texture of Life - Image c 20008 Lynda Lehmann

The Texture of Life has been loaded for the SAATCHI SHOWDOWN round that ends on September 29, so there are just two days left to vote. I meant to post this sooner, but it got away from me. http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/showdown/index.php?showpic=165621

A great big THANK YOU to my blogging friends for your comments, and for sharing your thoughts and interests on your blogs!

Images c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Mischief

Deep blue, violet, and turquoise hues comprise this abstract acrylic painting, 20 x 24 inches on gallery-wrapped canvas. The colors are bright but harmonious, and the painting has a slightly whimsical or surreal feel. Image c Lynda Lehmann. Available at Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography . Please visit if you would like to see more of my work, including paintings, photographs of a wide variety of subject matter, and digital art. Thanks for stopping by!

The Opening of My Show "Peripheral Vision"

On Saturday afternoon my solo painting show opened at the Alfred Van Loen Gallery at South Huntington Library on Long Island. The weather was overcast and chilly, but not especially wintry. We had a great turnout, and the show was beautifully curated by Deborah Katz. Of course my paintings look a whole lot better on the large and well-lit walls of a beautiful gallery than they do crowded onto my walls at home. My thanks to all my visitors and to my blogger friends who sent their best wishes!


One of my favorite moments was actually on Friday, when Deborah and I were hanging the show for Saturday's Opening. Two adorable kids came through the gallery with their mother, and I heard them utter "Oooh, Mommy!" in excited voices, as they pointed at one or another of my paintings with huge smiles on their faces. It seems they loved my colors! Now there's my most enthusiastic audience, I thought! Maybe I haven't lost the child in me, after all!


I had to wonder how such a tiny tot as this little boy could respond to a totally abstract work like "The Garden in Spring," seen here, with such apparent delight.

Whatever the reason, I enjoyed his reaction and it made me feel good that for this child at least, my work was fun to look at. In this photo, the two tots are checking out my painting "Oceano."

And here is Deborah Katz, hanging "Cerebration." I can't tell you how many times she was up and down that ladder, and I was exhausted, just watching her. (I did help her hold up and align the paintings, but stood back to get this shot.)

This is the Alfred Van Loen Gallery, a beautiful space with curved walls and attractive lighting. The wall to the right, not visible in this image, holds many of my paintings. The larger paintings are hung with more space around them, because of their bold and bright colors and active forms.

Here are a few of my guests. I knew many of them, and since there were quite a few faces I couldn't identify, I'd say that 85-100 people appeared at my Opening between 2:00 and 4:00. I had wanted to take more photos, but when the room became crowded, I found myself running around like a chicken without a head, greeting people and talking to friends. And naturally, every time I pointed my camera, someone walked in front of it. (Those are the times when I become aware that I'm a short person, lol...)

Many people approached me to tell me which work or works they liked the best, and that was gratifying. And at least five or six of them asked questions like "Did you take a class on how to name your paintings?" Although they were kidding about taking a course in title-making, there seemed to be a consensus that my titles were apt and well-chosen. Many folks told me they were amazed at how well they fit. To me this meant that the mood, emotion, season or natural phenomenon that the painting evoked for me, was also perceivable to them. It's interesting that abstraction can convey certain impressions or ideas this way, since it lacks literal or objective meaning and has a high level of ambiguity that leaves the mind free to find its own interpretation.

It didn't snow on the day of my reception and the food, catered by a local supermarket, was very good. By the time 4:00 rolled around, I was desperate for some of those bakery cookies, but they were all gone! I didn't get even one of them!

A good friend of mine whom I know since the seventh grade came from New Jersey with her husband, to have dinner with us. For me it was a happy day and although it was fun, I'm glad the Opening is over! (I didn't make my change-over to a "fly on the wall" in time...)

Thank you for sharing a bit of my show with me. I hope you've had a good week!

To view more of my art, please visit www.lyndalehmann.com

Rhythm in Blues

I've been working hard to get ready for a solo show of my new acrylic paintings. The Opening is on February 9. So I've had to write a new bio and artist's statement, design and order post cards, paint the sides of all my gallery-wrapped canvases, and more. Since I'm not in the habit of signing my work--it seems arbitrary to do so, but I guess it has to be done for marketing purposes--I've had to take my paintings down from the walls and sign them all, as well. And I still have some left that need to be wired. After all this I have to address post cards. I doubt I'll use the entire 1000, lol, which was the smallest print run available!

"Rhythm in Blues" is a bright geometric abstract in red, white, and blues, 30 x 40 inches on gallery-wrapped canvas. It's lively and rhythmic, with a musical feel. (I know it doesn't look very good against the green of my page...!) In case you just happen to be looking to purchase a painting today, it's available at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/. Or shall I say it WILL be available, after my show. Image c Lynda Lehmann.

Peacock Elegy

Of course, when you look at an abstract painting you can take whatever you want from it. The interpretation is yours to make. I think about our ailing planet a lot, and that's how this title probably surfaced in my mind. If you want to help preserve biodiversity like I do, and you know that the presence of squirrels and Blue Jays or Robins in your yard does not mean we are not losing precious species every day, why not check out the action alerts of some of the reliable environmental groups. I have some posted in the sidebar on this page. Let's all be part of the solution!

This flowing abstract expressionist painting is done in acrylic in shades of blue, mauve, purple, and orange, 36 x 48 inches on gallery-wrapped canvas, with an Oriental look. It reminds me of a tapestry. Image c 2007 Lynda Lehmann. "Peacock Elegy" is available at www.LyndaLehmann.com

Oceano

Colorful, bright abstract with lots of organic form in motion, with a nautical feel. Arylic on gallery-wrapped canvas, 40 x 40 inches. Does not require framing. Image c 2007 Lynda Lehmann. Available on www.LyndaLehmann.com .