Surf Inspired Art

2011-10-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

Aloha!

I wanted to let you know that my art studio will be open tomorrow and Sunday! I will be painting live on a surfboard and canvas, and will have many wonderful new things for sale. I have a line of new cards, which make great gifts. I have new mermaid surfboard prints and glicées, and I will be introducing the giclée of my "Beach Party" that took a full year to complete. It will be available in 25 x 25" size and in 18 x 18" only. My latest completed surfboard, "The Kiss," will be on display and for sale, it is truly amazing to see in person.

Come on down and sample some delicious Kelsey See Canyon Apple wine and appetizers, while you enjoy my latest creations.

Also, I'm holding a raffle to win a large 16x20" print of my latest release, "The Hobie."

Look for the red balloons and signs to 546 First st., in Avila Beach. Open 10 to 5 on Saturday and Sunday.

See you there!

Colleen Gnos

Web: http://www.colleengnos.com

Subscribe: http://colleenssurfart.blogspot.com/

Join me on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Colleen-Gnos-Surf-Inspired-Artworks/95689156361?ref=ts

"The Kiss" finished!

2011-09-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

The finished surfboard is currently at the glasser getting its final gloss polish, but you can see it in person at one of my upcoming events!

October 8 & 9: Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo in Del Mar Faigrounds

Oct. 15-16 & 29-30: Open Studios Tour, 546 first st., Avila Beach, CA

Love Conquers All

2011-09-12T19:57:00.001-07:00

Here I am adding the finishing touches to "The Kiss." Is it a statement on interracial relationships, an example of forbidden love? Or is she luring him to his death? You decide. Pretty soon, you will be able to drink a bottle of Kelsey Wine that this image will adorn, and contemplate it further...

It goes off to the glasser this week, and then I will be able to display her!

"The Kiss" is about halfway done...

2011-09-01T09:07:00.001-07:00

Here's an update on the progress of my latest surfboard. I plan to be done by the end of next week, have it photographed, then off to the glasser for the final coat of gloss resin, so it could actually be surfed (don't know anyone who would want to, though).

"The Kiss"

2011-08-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest surfboard I am working on. It's about halfway done and is a somewhat modern take on the ancient stories of fishermen being lured and seduced by sirens. I've painted a weathered old-growth redwood finish on the top and bottom.

It's titled "The Kiss," and will eventually be the wine label for a pink bubbly at Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards. This awesome 70's singlefin shape was created and glassed by Greg Webster.

Make sure to swing by Open Studios in October to see the finished product in person!

2011-06-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

After almost a year of work (off and on), here is the finished painting. It is based off of a photo taken by Joe Quigg back in 1949. I was initially attracted to this image because the woman in yellow resembles my mother. When my mother was a teenager, she and her sisters worked on the beach every day, renting surfboards and canvas mats for my Grandfather's surfrider rental stand under the pier in Avila Beach. My mother told me many stories about this era and this painting is my interpretation of these times.

I will have giclées, prints and cards available very soon.

2011-06-08T09:58:00.001-07:00

It's funny how I have been painting this scene off and on for a year, and I just noticed that there is a guy playing washtub bass. I keep finding new things in this painting...one could look at it for quite a long time and find something different each time.

2011-05-26T08:27:00.001-07:00

Arrrgh!

2011-05-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

More detail added...

Beach Party San Onofre

2011-05-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

This painting I am currently working on is from a photo taken in the late 40's. There are so many things going on in this image, that the more I look at it, the more I see. Will it take me forever to complete? Quite possibly.

A bit of Blasphemy, a lot of Awesome

2011-03-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

Here is the completed hand-painted surfboard "The Creation of the Surf Bum"

It's a 5'4 hand shaped board by Jeff Malmen with a gloss polish over the artwork. It can be surfed or hung on the wall.

Jeff and I art donating this board to Surfrider Foundation, which works so hard to keep our water clean; a very worthy cause.

2011-03-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of photo's of the board being raffled off for Surfrider Foundation

Check back for more as the board is completed

2011-02-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

She's done! I will be making prints and giclées of this image. Next stop is the glasser.

2011-02-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of the Abalone Mermaid as almost done. I actually finished her yesterday, but didn't take a photo. She is currently with Peter, who photographs all of my art, and I will pick her up next week, take her to the glasser down in Ventura and she will recieve her final coat of gloss polish. I always have my boards photographed before the coat of final varnish since it will be so shiny that it will cause too much glare for a picture.

She may take more than one coat of resin since my paint application can be thick at times. I applied a lot of gold leaf and then distressed it by sanding it back and mottling and stippling paint over it, giving an aged and abstract background. I will have a photo of the finished product soon!

Abalone Mermaid

2011-01-28T12:22:00.000-08:00

After having returned from a rejuvenating trip to Nicaragua, I am filled with energy, creativity and excitement. After surfing some of the heaviest waves of my life, I am tackling this intimidating project with with zest. With my limited time to work (only about 15 hours/week) I am making the most of those precious hours when my son in daycare.

I am also juggling a large commission and an insanely detailed painting of a 1940's beach party, not to mention the 50 paintings I'd like to start, so I have to prioritize the projects.

On this piece, once the figure is completed, I will texturize her with 23K gold leaf, roughing up some of the "cleanliness" of the woodgrain I painted, adding a warm, antique feel. Drawing upon all the deteriated wood, gold and metal I have seen in Italy and even in Nicaragua, I am creating a surfboard that bridges the past to the future.

6' Abalone mermaid

2010-12-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

I've started to block in more colors on the flesh, adding warm highlights and cool shadows. I've also started to "grain" in some 23K gold leaf, adding an antique look to the piece.

Recently, my friend Dave gave me a shortboard blank that he had rescued from a dumpster after a "Beach Blanket Bingo" theatre production! It was saturated with housepaint and had been sitting in a storage unit for 3 years. I gave it to shaper, Jeff Scardine (http://jscardine.blogspot.com/) and he was able to work his magic and create an amazing retro "pumpkin seed" shape from a shabby blank. It was almost impossible to resist the temptation to surf it, but I knew it was destined for art.

So far, I have painted a bird's eye maple stringer, heartwood rails and redwood center panels. An abalone mermaid is being painted on the bottom. I will be updating as she comes together.

Moe"Uhane is complete!

2010-10-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the completed photos, without the gloss coat.....she received her gloss polish today and I pick her up tomorrow, so come on down to see her at the second Open Studios this weekend, October 23-34 from 10-5pm, as well as other new paintings!

"Moe'uhane" Mermaid surfboard

2010-10-10T21:06:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest hand-painted surfboard, shaped by Jeff Malmen.. I have titled her, "Moe'uhane," which means "dream" in Hawaiian. She is still a work in progress, but I plan to have her finished by this weekend, October 16-17 in time for Open Studios. Please come by and see her, as well as my latest paintings. I'll have prints of my last mermaid surfboard, "Malia"(see below) and many other prints available for purchase.

On this piece, I hand painted the woodgrain as a faux bird's eye maple and walnut finish. On the bottom of the board I am painting a Hawaiian mermaid as I see her resting at the bottom of a Hawaiian reef, encircled with Butterfly fish, coral and abalone as she dreams of a handsome fisherman.

6 hot days in the making.....

2010-10-03T09:58:00.001-07:00

The Utility box is finally finished....

it was tough to paint in the 114 degree weather. On tuesday it was 104 degrees, but at 3:30 in the afternoon, I brushed some glazes on my treasure chest and the paint was still wet 10 seconds later! I looked up and saw that a bank of clouds had moved in and the temperature dropped 20 degrees in 20 minutes. At that point the paint could be blended, mixed and glazed. I could finally make some progress. I spent a total of 6 days on this project, feeling almost like a celebrity. I was painting on the busiest street in San Luis, and everybody saw me working. I was honked at, yelled at (all positive statements), people gave shakas, thumbs up, and thanked me profusely. It was very satisfying to see people grateful for the art the utility box artists were providing for the public. It didn't even bother me when an old lady came up and started shaking her cane at me when she found out that the paint was not going to wash off.

Utility Box Art project in San Luis Obispo

2010-09-27T10:48:00.001-07:00

I was honored to have been chosen to paint a large utility box in downtown San Luis Obispo along with 12 other artists. My rendering is of a 15 foot Pacific Octopus crawling out of a treaure chest, reaching for a deep sea diver helmet, in honor of hte 15 foot Octopus that my grandpa killed in 1946 after it terrorized all the divers out at Port San Luis.

The festival commenced on saturday, when the temperatures hit 104 degrees. Needless to say, the paint stopped blending, my brushes dried up pretty bad, so things are going a bit slower than planned. Here are some photos to see the progress:

It's supposed to be 106 today and 102 tomorrow. Needless to say, I will be working on an oil painting in my studio these days. The box must be completed by Oct. 9, when it will be sealed with Frog Juice sealer, so I have a little bit of time to wait for the marine layer to return so I can blend my paint!

"Malia" the Hawaiian mermaid is done!

2010-07-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

I finished the final glazing of the woodgrain and added in 23 karat gold leaf to the areas where the sun reflects, such as the water, sarong, scales. Peter Mounier photographed her last week and here are the final shots.
Now it's all in the hands of the glasser now...she is getting her final coat of gloss polish resin today. the art should have a lot of depth and richness after the final buffing.

Hawaiian mermaid update

2010-06-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest photos of the Hawaiian mermaid on the faux wooden board. Due to the hot dry weather lately, it's been difficult to paint in acrylic glazes because they dry so fast, so it's taking quite a lot of work to get her looking how I want. I still probably have another week on her and will be posting weekly updates.

2010-05-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

I've been able to work more on the mermaid; developing colors for her skin tone. I have been using a wide variety of warm and cool reds as glazes, when normally I just stick with my warm red for fairer skin tones. Being a Hawaiian mermaid, she will have a sarong draped across her chest and a plumeria in her hair.

The artist with up-and-coming artist son, busy at at work in the studio.

2010-05-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

Here is an update of the woodgrained longboard I am currently working on. The Hawaiian mermaid is coming along, but still lots of glazing, detail, rocks and background info to be added. More updates next week.

Fiberglass to Wood

2010-05-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

I forgot to take a picture of this board when it was handed to me by Jeff Malmen--he shaped it especially for me to paint. It's a nice size of 8' and is an incredible shape. For now it is just hot coated, which I what I prefer to paint on. When I'm done painting it, I will deliver it to Jeff so he can put the final gorgeous coat of gloss resin on it. He will buff it out to a shine.

This board was solid white, with a 1/4" basswood stringer and a redwood glassed-on fin. Here is the work in progress:

Faux redwood and heartgrain wood with crossfire

You can see where I am going to paint a Hawaiian mermaid on the bottom of this board. She will be laying on lava rock, near the edge of the shore.

More updates to come as I work come closer to finishing it.....

From Doodle to Work of Art

2009-09-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

If you've ever wanted to see the various steps that go into completing a painting, now's your chance!

The Idea: It all starts with an idea, and I wanted to create a flowing composition with kelp, ocean critters local to the central coast, and a dynamic struggle between opposite colors: blue and orange. Of course I wanted to to all revolve around a beautiful mermaid.

The doodle: you sketch it out a few times on a really small scale, just to get ideas, make a small "rough." Hard to imagine a completed painting from this, right?

The Sketch: The next step is to finalize the sketch. As you can see, I don't do much detail in my final sketches. Most of the time I end up working out the elements directly on the canvas (which sometimes makes me want to kick myself for not working it out on paper first).

Blocking in color: Next, you lay it out on canvas with vine charcoal. This charcoal can be easily wiped off so if you make mistakes and change your mind a lot like I do, it's very helpful. After this step, I paint in the final lines, still correcting and changing as I go.

Mixing color: I spend quite a bit of time mixing up all my fleshtones and the neutrals for painting skin. Every element in the painting reflects its color on the skin of your subject.

Blocking in: Then it's time for the first coats of paint to be blocked in in large areas of flat color.

Glazing, Blending and half tones: Transitions between areas of shadow and light are very important. I try to not make mine too smooth, so to avoid an "airbrushed" look. I enjoy seeing thick areas of painted piled up to define space, and luminous tones that "emerge" from the background. Glazing really gives the water a 3 dimensional glass-like appearance. You have to wait for each layer to try, but it's worth it.

She's not done, but she's close! I have to wait for her to cure up so I can glaze a bunch more, put a fish shadow on her skin, and to spend a bit more time on the water and kelp. Final photo coming in a couple weeks!

Why do redheads make wonderful sirens?

2009-06-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of my latest figurative works, of a model posing on a jade rock. The photos are not great, mainly because I took them. I love painting human skin, with all of it's transparency and challenges.

The first one, as soon as it dries really well, will be gold leafed with 23K gold. Gold Leafing, or guilding, is a process that dates back at least 7,000 years, Egyptians being some of the first known to use gold leaf. They washed the sand from the Nile for gold, then melted it in a sealed kettle to get pure gold, then they and hammered out flat gold sheets.

Today the process is for making it is slightly different, but the result is the same: you take sheets of pure gold and burnish them into the areas where you have applied adhesive. The effect is resonant and beautiful, and the gold will never tarnish, unlike other metals.

First Blog

2009-06-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Thanks for looking at my blog. Here I will be posting my latest paintings; some finished and some unfinished. I'd love to hear your feedback on them as I go!

The first piece is called "The Beast at Velzyland." It's painted from a black and white photograph, and I couldn't find the name of the photographer who snapped it back in 1961. Does anybody know?

With the vintage treatment of colors, it captures the essence of what the surfing lifestyle was back then.