Joanie Springer, M.A.
Painting and making Art for me is the result of a lifelong marriage of my deepest passions: spirituality and creativity – the weaving of the material and the mystical, that which is, and that for which I long. Faces have it for me, for now…because it is the eyes that move me, where the soul peeks out and touches, pierces, teases and taunts. A sense of humor and whimsy play their role in many of my pieces. Life is quirky, so my art reflects that. Anything that expresses soul to me becomes my subject, be it a face, a flower or a humble salt and pepper shaker. Titles reveal themselves to me as I paint and often reveal a story line. My art is mercurial, like me, and what it will be tomorrow is not what it is today.
MY ART IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS AROUND THE WORLD
England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, Sweden, Germany and China. And always looking to add more countries to this list. : )
INSPIRATIONS
Everyone who boldly and fearlessly expresses themselves creatively. And the Three M’s which for me are Modigiliani, Matisse, and Milton Avery. : )
Also Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, and the list goes on….And most of all, the Divine Being, in whom we all live and move and have our Being.
SIZE & MEDIA
I have painted well over 200 5 x 7 paintings, and even a few smaller than that. They are more than studies, as each is a complete painting. There is so much learning that goes on in painting frequently and small. Small paintings are intimate. They lure you in for a closer look and they can hang many more places than a very large painting. Groupings of small paintings make for a creative and versatile expression, allowing one to redesign the collection at whim.
Gouache, an opaque watercolor, is pure joy and appeals to my fiery nature, it dries fast, is exceptionally versatile and lends itself to spontaneity, and I use it for my many small works, and often incorporate ink into it to satisfy my love of drawing. Of late, my wax-varnished gouache paintings are often mistaken for oil paintings – to my delight!
As for sensuous Oils, they enable me to work small or large, calm my fire (but not my spark!) and lead me into wondrous places that can only be explored at a slower pace. As well, I have been known to use whatever media I feel expresses the painting’s point of view. There are no rules in my art universe!
“GREEN” ART
I have learned to LOVE junk mail, yep, that’s right….the old fashioned snail mail junk mail! I take out my gesso, slop it on the front and pack of postcards and all sorts of stiffer junk, and then proceed to paint. (I also found a fab old 1970s dictionary at GoodWill which I love to pull pages from and paint. Even did some fun monotype printing on top of it.] Before I turned to junk mail, I had experimented on grocery bags, really love kraft paper, that brown yummy stuff. And then I graduated to cardboard, and cereal boxes. Now my front door often has “gifts” from kind neighbors who know I’m the eccentric artist in #17, who loves to paint on recycled supports.
Of late I have fallen in love with cardboard as my painting support. I’ve become quite the connossieur of cardboard…if you wish to try it yourself, i suggest finding some appliance cardboard as it’s far superior in strength, and “clean”ness – that is, it is not fuzzy and pulpy. And for smaller works, wine boxes are quite sturdy and clean. Enjoy!
Here are two posts I’ve written under my ART TIPS on selecting the “good” cardboard.
How to Paint on Cardboard the Archival Way
The Beauty of Painting on Cardboard
PROCESS for preparing cardboard to be painted on:
After an inspiring consultation with a technical expert at Golden Paint Company, I now prepare my heavy-duty cardboard (scored at a local furniture company) as follows:
- I cut to my sizes.
- Seal with gel medium, front, back and sides
- Coat with gesso, and add any texture at this time as well.
- Start painting!
- I have been assured that the prep I put into my favored cardboard will last a very very long time.
I also have removed cobalts and cadmiums from my palette, and check thoroughly that all my pigments are rated non-toxic before purchasing. May my art journey be gentle and healing to our beloved Earth home.
OTHER PLACES TO SEE MY ART
