Gumption

gump·tion  

/ˈgəmpSHən/

Noun Shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness.

Synonyms initiative

Do you have gumption?  I've been described as having it in years past - "That kid's got a lot of gumption!" but I don't really believe that it was gumption at all.  Instead, it was a concoction of naivety and hope.  It's easy to have gumption when you have ignorance as a dear friend.  I've taken unknown risks before and it was easy and exciting because it was just that - unknown.

But what about gumption when you are more aware of the risks?  When one is knowledgeable about the pursuit in front of them and is aware of the risks and decides to go for it, well, isn't that more what gumption really is?  After all, I would hope that there is a difference between bravery and foolishness, but then again, that judgement is all about point of view.

For instance, the more I learn about approaching galleries and dealers, the correct approach, the dos and don'ts, the more I have slumped away from it.  My posture has never been worse.

None the less, I am currently practicing gumption.  I used to have this down a bit better, but as time wears on all of us, sometimes we lose a bit of our feisty nature.  We can get comfortable or tired.  I've been both over the past year, but am not ready to give in just yet.  So courage and confidence are being worked on in preparation for things to come.  Small steps.

Through the Trees, 2013

Oil on panel, 16x12"

Krystal Booth

*Inspired by nature walk in Tualatin Hills Nature Park, and

my entry into the cover contest.

I have entered a cover contest for the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District Activities Guide for 2014.  They issue three of them per year.  While it is not as prestigious as winning the Turner Prize at the Tate, and I am sure that I will lose to a five year old's brilliant drawing of a sunshine landscape with smiling stick figures whose charm is irresistible, my work was submitted and I would love it to be one of the three selected images for the year.  It is definitely a step up from the Snoopy coloring contest won in the second grade.  

Surely, I did not send this paragraph along with my submission.

The submission was an attempt to get back some gumption.  Were there high risks?  Not especially - it was only a clicking of a button to submit it for their judging.  The risk is that it will not be selected and a kick to the ever-childish ego will ensue.  At this point though, who cares?  I'd rather fall on my face than not share my work.

I will be sending an initial Letter of Intent for a project grant this week.  The project is a great one for my local community and worthy of sharing.  Spoiler alert:  It is not cold fusion or time travel, but simply a series of paintings.

Hope you're enjoying the weekend and practicing the mastery of gumption in your lives too whether you know it or not.  Courage and Love to All - no form of these two are too small.

New Painting

A new drawing that served as a foundation for a new oil painting on paper today along with the finished piece.

Under Drawing of a Torso, 2013, Krystal Booth

Graphite on Paper, 18x24"

 

 

 

Condense and Disintegrate, 2013

Oil and graphite on paper, 18x24" 

Krystal Booth

 

100 Works: Measuring the Progress

Where am I in the 100 works goal?

Detail of a Painting in progress

Oil on paper 24x18", 2013

Krystal Booth

 

 

Right now I am to start on number 26.  A quarter of the goal has been reached.  This is good since a quarter of the year is over as well, though that doesn't even seem possible.  It was not to my advantage to think of this idea later than the new year on January 20th, but that's okay.  It won't be too much of a hindrance.

 

What has changed?  So far paint handling has loosened up a bit.  I don't feel as though I'm strangling my subject as much.  It will be interesting to compare and contrast the works from the beginning of this year to the end of the year.  It's difficult to predict, but it's an exciting prospect.

 

Have I felt rushed?  I really haven't.  I thought that I would feel a bit stressed out and frantic at times with balancing this goal with work and daily life stuff.  So far this feeling has not been felt, and I'm hoping that I don't feel that upon the finish in December.  That's the last way I would want to end this project.

 

What about materials?  The stash of 18x24" canvases has run dry, but I've solved that for the time being by working on paper.  The paper, being more fragile by its flexibility, seems to run along better with the concept behind the works anyway, so it's not such a loss.  I've had to change from Turpenoid to Turpenoid Natural due to painting more.  It's non-toxic, which is better for the workspace that is not always ventilated that great.  The dizzy spell that occurred one night was the wake up call to change products.  (oops! foolish mistake)

 

The Flake White Replacement is a sticky mess and I hate it.  I'm still using it, as the tube is practically full and I don't want to waste money or material.  It's just not as smooth or solid as the Flake White I had been using.  Maybe I'll get more used to it and change my mind, but for now, it's a disappointment and a source of mental cursing upon the palette.  Any suggestions?

 

All in all, there have been some blunders of some instantly failed works, but there have also been works that have made me even more curious in technique and concept.  This challenge has been a good one that has made me realize that I'm much happier if I've been in the studio.

 

Thank you for supporting me by reading and commenting!  It helps fuel the process, and thank you so much.  Love to all!

 

 



Sit Here for Three Days

"What are you going to do with three days off?"

"I don't know.  Probably paint, paint, and paint."

My boss thinks it's so strange that I could be so completely happy with painting or drawing so much.  He sees it as sitting inside the house in the same spot for a very long time.

I read a little blurb from an artist today that said that she believed that artists were a lot like cats.  We are pleased with being in one place for hours, narcissistic and have a shameless need to be loved and understood.  I would agree with a lot of that...not the narcissistic part of course, for I am lovely. haha

The truth is we have so much going on in our heads in reaction to what we are working on that we have no desire or need to go elsewhere.  We lose track of time.  We do not care that we are wearing two different socks, and our hair looks like a bad version of an Elvira 'do.  We do not realize that our leg is asleep...until we take a break and we finally acknowledge that we are still confined to these bodies of ours.  It is important to take walks inbetween sessions and be active...I haven't been exercising like I should lately.  I'm going to get back into that this weekend as its the perfect time for it.

Tonight I'll be layering gesso onto a couple of sheets of paper in preparation for painting over the next few days.  I may also pull out my last 18x24" canvas that I have on hand.  How fast it can be to go through them!  Because the canvas is ready, I will probably begin a work on that tonight.  I have decided on a composition that would be well suited for it and am curious to see how it will turn out.  It is another train image.

In the last few days, I've done some real flops.  One was a painting with oils and graphite, and the other was a graphite drawing.  Both lacked structure and energy.  I didn't stop when I should have on the painting.  These two will be great for the gallery setting of a dumpster.  Moving on!  :)

I hope you have a wonderful Friday and a fabulous weekend!  What fun things do you have in the works for the weekend?

Thanks for reading, and love to all of you!

An American Woman

The finished work -

An American Woman, 2013, Krystal Booth

Oil on paper, 18x24"

Etsy Listing:



http://www.etsy.com/listing/127026313/original-oil-painting-18x24-woman-at

(Detail)

 

 



(Detail)

For this piece, I wanted to bring back some narrative and share what I've been feeling and thinking lately.  I've tried to ignore my feelings of isolation in public places, and alienation in our culture in terms of my gender, but decided that it is worth sharing in this form.  I feel very revealed, but at the same time, I don't want it to be a concrete "this is the way you should read it" type of narrative.  I hope that it allows for the viewer's individual experiences to influence it's content.

Today I will be applying gesso on some more paper to get ready for oil painting.  I should have done this yesterday, but after waking up so early and working, I couldn't do much but sleep when I arrived back home.

As for the 100 works goal, I'm not too far behind.  I'm about to begin on #15 for the year.  I slipped a little over the past couple of weeks.  I have 286 more days to create 85 more works.  Looking at it in terms of days makes me realize that it is completely possible.

This is the first day of Spring - a rejuvenation after a long winter.  I'm ready for it, aren't you? 

Love to all, and thank you so very much for reading and allowing me to share my work with you.


 

Virgin No More

This is what I've been working on today - an experience that I've never had before:

Oil Painting on Paper!  I am no longer a virgin on paper...dun, dun, cha! (drum taps and cymbal in appreciation for my lame joke).

I really have been having fun with it.  I gave a good couple of layers of gesso, let it dry overnight and began this afternoon.  It's a work in progress that I'm planning to get done tomorrow.  At first it was a little weird trying to get the paint to spread around the way I'm used to, but I'm getting more used to the texture.

I just switched back to Turpenoid Natural again (was using regular Turpenoid) - that may have to do with it as well.  It has a lot more body to it than Turpenoid, so I'm acclimating to that again as well.  Turpenoid is just too toxic for my workspace, and for me!  I got a bit dizzy last week while I was working - BIG wake up call to change products.

I dedicate this song to Painting on Paper.  Enjoy a little INXS, and recall the 80s with me.

And of course I don't own the rights to this, didn't create it, didn't film it, and blah, blah, blah.

:)

 

 

 

A Work in Progress

In the studio the other day - a work in progress for "The September Issue" series.

 



Coming Out of Hermit Blog Status

It has been quite awhile since I have posted.  I feel that this year has been one to be quiet and just do the work, so that is exactly what I have done.  I'm looking forward to begin sharing again on this blog, as well as on my facebook artist page.

"Drama at the Bus Stop" 2012

Krystal Booth

Oil and wallpaper on canvas

24x18"

 

 

This is a very recent work that was finished and placed upon Etsy.  I'm moving forward with this series - "The September Issue" - and have accumulated a notebook half full of the idea development so far in addition to laying down the prep work for the works to come.  This obsessive planning was done while completing a commission, and so when the time came, I was able to dive right in.  More will be on the way in addition to the quick sketches and drawings I have incorporated into my daily practice. 

 

I hope this post finds you and your families well in this holiday season, and thank you so much for reading.  I'll be posting on a consistent basis again, and am looking forward to hearing from you!

 

Love to all!

The Unanswered Nude

Last Saturday was a studio scurry that brought about a lot of firsts.  I found out about a juried group exhibition at one of my favorite galleries in downtown Portland late on Friday night.  The deadline was Saturday.  Did any of my existing works fit the theme?  Unfortunately they did not.  The theme is The Undressing Room.  The following is the top third of the 24x18" oil painting on canvas that I created and titled Object.

I thought about posting this work in its entirety, but thought better of it since it is such a personal work and I may have past students who happen upon my little blog.  Uncomfortable.  Awkward.  Not a great professional situation or decision at this current time.


I have painted other nudes, however I have never painted any of myself in this vulnerable manner.  It is only of my torso, but it is still extremely uncomfortable to be so entirely bare upon a canvas.  I could get into my intention and meaning of the piece, but I think that I can't answer those questions fully yet.  There's a lot of tensions in this work that perplex my mind, and I'm happy about that.  While this work puts me in an uncomfortable place mentally, it intrigues me enough to want to continue along this vein.  I have plans of creating another similar work this weekend.


This was also the first time that I had made myself finish a work of this size in a single day from start to finish.  It was a great exercise that forced me to prioritize the compositional features.  It made me omit the unnecessaries and be more bold and intentional.  I didn't have much time to second guess my marks under such a time restraint and it was a refreshing challenge.  It also allowed me to finish the thought in the moment instead of coming back to the canvas the next day and losing the train of thought, or muddying the expression with other thoughts.  I plan on executing the next work under the same time restraints - one day and no more.


The panel of jurors are making their decisions and I'll find out after the 10th.  Instead of worrying if I will be standing beside my boobs for the world to see in an amazing gallery or not, I will be busy following this unfinished thought.  I don't know if it will be a series or not, but for now the ideas are unanswered and so I will continue.  As with some ideas, they die before they make it upon the canvas, or after the first work.  This one is still alive for now, so I have some work to do.

(Details of Object, 2012 by Krystal Booth)

Oil on canvas, 24x18"

Ready To Go!

I finished the landscape painting and now looking forward to placing the two canvases in their new home at the Sherwin Williams at Orenco Station tomorrow. 

Out West, 2012

Oil on Canvas, 20x32" (Two 20x16")

Krystal Booth

 

(Left-hand side Canvas)

(Right-hand side Canvas)



Perhaps we will need sunglasses for this one.

hahahahaha!

Hope you have a great week, and thank you so much for reading!

Landscape in Progress

This is what I'm working on today - a landscape inspired by a photograph that Matthew and I took when we were traveling from Indiana to Oregon. 

The image spreads across two canvases.

The photograph was of an old abandoned mining facility in either Wyoming or Utah.  All of our traveling photos quickly got out of order, and now everytime we look at them, we get in a debate over what state goes with each photo.  We have learned our lesson for next time!



I loved the lines and land contours in this photograph.  The mining facility is a beautiful ruin, but I decided to omit it from my painting and focus upon the landscape instead.  I may paint this again with a focus more upon the mining facility in the future, because I really do like the structures.  What a story it tells!

I like to use my own photographs as a starting point for several of my works.  I use them as visual references but like to add more drama and exagerate them as much as possible.  I'll keep you posted on the results - I have a lot of work ahead today!  I love the exagerated color, but I need to subdue some areas a bit.  Also, the sky is a bit too smooth and lacking personality at the moment, but maybe my opinion will change...it's too early to tell. 

Cheers to giving your world some personality and I hope you are enjoying your weekend!  Love to all!

One Lump or Two?

The Time Traveler's Tea Party, 2011,

Oil on canvas. 24x36"

So happy to finish this!

A Hint!

Detail of my painting in progress:

The Dalai Lama wearing a Small Pink Cowboy Hat

This is a small portion of the painting I've been working on for the last couple of months.  It's still in "under construction" but I'm planning to have it done in the next few days.

I'm really excited about unveiling this one because it's a lot different from the "Huddleston Series" in that it is not such a serious and sobering image (some of that series can be seen in earlier blog entries and on www.krystalbooth.com).  Working through all of those paintings was an exercise of emotion and contemplation.  They became emotionally taxing to work on and I needed a release of laughter.  This current painting is that release.

Cheers to fulfilling the need to laugh, and balancing the heavy with the light-hearted.  Have a good weekend, friends!

#3 is Complete

"Be Compassionate, We are Fragile 3" 2010, Oil on masonite, 14x18"


For a better view of the work go to www.krystalbooth.com

Work in Progress