For the past few years, I have been making collaborative mixed media paintings with another artist, Luna Lee Ray. Our process involves trading pieces back and forth continuously until we feel that the image is complete. The collaborative process is always an exciting one, especially when the layers of a piece begin to build and bring a piece to life!…
3 Pilates in Charcoal My favorite subject to draw is the human figure in motion. For example, dancers, people moving in natural ways, the figure at rest (leaning, slumping, or sleeping.) I begin drawing by focusing on my subject, catching the action of the pose quickly, while barely looking down at my paper. I then go on to add details later if there is…
Floral Triptych I MM on Paper My art life and previous life are coming together in a delightful way. I have been asked to teach classes on painting and collage through the OLLI program at Duke. Long before I picked up a paintbrush to make art, I trained and taught high school English (my first job was in Cary, a…
Pinxterbloom Azalea The Pinxterbloom Azalea, also known as Pink Azalea or Pinxter Flower, is a frothy pink and white species native to the Southeast. It's often found blooming near rivers or creeks, and a cluster of these shrubs grow wild at the edge of my pond. I must have checked the pond every day for a month this past spring,…
During the Renaissance, artistic ideals changed from a serious and formal way of depicting subjects, generally religious, to a much more realistic style incorporating scenes from common life. "Man is the measure of all things" was the motto of the time, and painters began to include details from daily life in their frescoes. With the invention of the perspective, paintings acquired a firm place…
As the Crow Flies Last summer, I began painting with an artist group at a friend’s studio. The tables we used were covered with white paper for protection of the surfaces, but by the end of two months the papers collected quite a mess of paint and marks. I didn’t see the beauty in those papers until I participated in…
Beginnings - Mixed Media 8 x 8 inches Every winter, my thoughts shift from the skies to what lurks underground. Dormant seeds and water channels were on my mind this past winter and I began a series of small pieces inspired by these thoughts. In this series, I focused on the idea of a seed, or a cell, and its…
I work in a variety of sketchbooks of varying sizes in my art making. A few years ago I realized that hundreds of books were headed for the landfill, so I began reclaiming some of them as sketchbooks to work in. In the first photo I have arranged a number of them on a table top along with my usual…
Marbled Silk Shawls and Scarves by Trudy Thomson Marbled patterns on silk can be simple: ripples, swirls and shapes, or scintillating: cross currents of different patterns and colors sweeping across the landscape of fabric. I remain fascinated by the many different forms I can create and continue to be informed by the patterns found in nature, as seen in water, in the…
Way More Than Infatuation People have always been curious to learn about the creative process. "Where do you get your ideas?... How long does it take?... Do you draw it first?"... etc. When I am asked these questions, here is what I have to say about my process: In the past, I have occasionally had a complete and preconceived idea, gone to…