Saturday, November 10, 2018

Robert Kushner: Artist


Flowers Inspired By Kushner



Last weekend I took a workshop all about Kushner flowers.

Robert Kushner is an American contemporary painter 
who is known especially for his involvement in Pattern and Decoration. 
He has been called "a founder" of that artistic movement.

I didn't know about Kushner before this workshop 
and was happy to learn about him and his style...it speaks to me!
Patterns + Paper + Paint
what's not to love?




I especially love the way his flowers are a simple outline,
usually done over printed paper or fabrics, 
often using paint to negatively block in colors.


I thought I'd give it a go and see what I'd come up with...
starting with a canvas from another painting done long ago.
I covered it with papers, sheet music, wallpaper, receipts and...
bits and pieces of a vintage love letter I bought in a bundle.
I then washed the complete canvas with a red glaze.

There is a show in February all about love...so I thought of this as the perfect warm up.



I negatively painted in blocks of color to create the shape of roses in a vase, 
then went back in and created interest within those shapes using 
stencils, scratch marks, woody pencils.


  The intended WOW factor in this piece is not the roses,
but the odd blue outlined flower that doesn't seem to go with the rest...
though fits in perfectly and holds the rest all together.


And I'm beginning to think it wouldn't be a painting of mine
without my signature lemons...
I love painting quick, fun, little lemons!

In the end...I suggest looking closely into someone eleses style.  
See what interests you...colors, shapes, technique.
Play around with it, explore how you can take 
bits and pieces into your own work...
learn from masters!

Above all else...
ENJOY!






6 comments:

  1. INSANELY GREAT work! It looks like you spent days on this. I love your modified You at the bottom, too. You're an art machine!

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    1. I love those little irresistable lemons! Thanks Carole...I loved painting this one, start to end! Today...I cleaned my studio!

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  2. Love your latest inspired by Kushner!! Hope the workshop has some of this!

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    1. Hey LV...thank you so much! And yes...there will be a touch of this process in the class!👩🏻‍🎨

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  3. This is so beautiful Denise. I love the process of papers first then finding shapes. Have you done a video with this technique?

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    1. Thank you so much Kelly, I love, love, love negative painting! I've not done a video on it...but I need to do a video this week...so thanks for the subject suggestion! I'll shot for it to be next Saturdays blog post. Happy Monday!

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