Gallery Juana blog

Portrait V, October 2024 I’ve been on this kick of drawing with a Sumi ink stick rather than pencil or other medium. Using a bit of water and this stone dish, I moisten the Sumi ink stick and then use the ink stick to draw on the paper. Figure I, November 2024 The lines and ink swatches vary in thickness and blackness verging on gray at times. There is a distinct visceral feeling using this method to draw on paper. The feedback from the friction of the stick to the paper comes forward in both sound and touch as I drag its rough edges across the paper translating my thoughts into lines. Portrait IV, October 2024 In the video below ( Figure   IV, October 2024 ),   you can see me mixing the Sumi ink. I scrape the ink stick against a stone block with a bit of water to soften the sumi stick. This creates a black paste. The thinness, thickness as well as the lightness or darkness of the ink is influenced by how much water I add.  “We do not lose freedom by submitt...

My latest painting is metallics and acrylic inks on 9x12 inch paper. Colors range from brown to grey to pink. Above is a detail of the painting and the video below shows how the colors change with the angle of light shifts and catches the metallics in the acrylic paint.  What I like about painting abstract figures is the definition of what we see is blurred and allows the viewer to experience what they see from their own perspective and experience. " In Euclidean rapture, every time a habit circuit breaks an angle gets its wings When a habit circuit breaks, the mind creates a new vector for thought. Like a shift in an angle’s geometry, a fresh pathway emerges, opening new possibilities. The “wings”—freedom from the constraint of automatic behavior. The break is a rupture, allowing awareness to expand beyond what was, reaching a more clarified state. Transcendence is but an evolution of mental form. It’s the mind restructuring, reclaiming agency, and reshaping the plane of experie...

small figurative ink painting by gallery juana I've been exploring drawing directly with a sumi stick onto the paper and have completed several new figure and portrait paintings this month and will continue to update my Gallery Juana on Etsy shop throughout September. sumi ink portrait, 9 x 12 inches on paper The portrait above and in the following video was done from my imagination and drawn directly with the sumi stick.  It's available here:  https://galleryjuana.etsy.com/listing/1796379543 The figure in the following video and detail photo below is available here: https://galleryjuana.etsy.com/listing/1796385669   detail of figure ink painting by gallery juana I love how the mark making remains even when I follow with watercolor and acrylic inks.  The result is a figurative nearly abstract painting of a body seemingly made of metal.  "Sumi ink etches the first movements—a skeletal whisper beneath the skin of acrylic reds, browns, and blacks. It’s a l...

  Gallery Juana figure painting I don't usually give single titles to paintings I complete but the words " the crossing" kept coming to mind as I was painting this figure. The look on the person's face evokes the moment of taking a deep breath as a new milestone is reached yet staying vigilant for what remains ahead of you. About this painting: The block figure has close set eyes, a long nose, salmon colored cheeks and a beard like olive shadow and is dressed in red, set against a yellow and green background. It's a mixed media painting on 9 x 12 paper with under layers of watercolor, pencil, sumi ink and top layers of acrylic inks and paints. It has two layers of satin varnish and is glossy. I have my art works available here: https://galleryjuana.etsy.com

Migration perzine series, translating my grief Migration, Issue No. 3 is my latest zine available in my Gallery Juana shop on Etsy.   This issue is the the final installment in my migration zine series.  This series started as a way to interpret my grief following my Mother’s death and began with the first issue in 2012 followed by a second issue in 2014, followed by the final issue No. 3 being completed in December 2021. Migration Issue No. 3 is a 30-page zine spanning from 2012 through December 2021 with art work and writings selected from my journals, mixed media art works, drawings and photography. I have my art works available here: https://galleryjuana.etsy.com

hiking April started out with lots of rainy and cloudy days.  Luckily, there was always a couple of hours each day where the rain stopped and I could go hiking in the local trails. golden crowned sparrow The Sparrows (house, fox, golden-crowned, white-crowned) discovered the seed I was putting out for them within a few days of my moving into this new place.   Soon after,  the Chickadees, Juncos, Towhees, Finches and Flickrs discovered the feeders too. male house finch I started reading Gloria Steinem's "My Life on the Road" and love this quote from her book.  The beginning of this year was full of uncertainty for me.  And I can see how that gave me the chance to establish a new beginning, to begin the next chapter in my life. Gloria Steinem, quote