the ‘works’ on paper begun in life study workshops.  though  the main subject of mo’s work are animals the artistic process was created through years of charcoal drawings and pastel works.  being a messy medium and needing protection even once they are finished . . . mo devised a way to make them permanent and a work of art like a canvas.  mo believes a frame should either be a part of the work or work with the space in which it is displayed.   the fact of being bad at hanging frames and keeping glass unbroken  also played its roll in the creation of the ‘works’.

“i have never been permanent in my roots and usually move myself and that includes my works . . . . no matter how many there are.” mo adds that ‘works’ on paper is a very nomadic collection which travels with ease.  great for show transportation as well.  some of her larger works like elle study and lion jovi  she visualizes as breaking up a space and perhaps between two pieces of plexiglass suspended from the ceiling. both have painted backsides . . .  which adds to the finished quality of the piece and adds strength.

mo feels she is a sketcher and just loves to draw as well as using her hands.  she tries to capture this love in each work by starting as a charcoal drawing.  it sometimes stops there or continues to evolve with pastels and  acrylic mediums . . .  the mediums a must for permanence.  next could be the addition of acrylic paints or glazes each and every piece is different but  the eyes as well as the back of each work are done with acrylic as well as the whites.

mo feels the ‘works’ reflect her best as an artist and they always seem to attract the most attention/questions at showings.

the ‘works’ on canvas are what they sound like . . . created from charcoal but on canvas.  awaiting only has white paint it is completely charcoal and pastels with matte medium and acrylic sprays . . . plus some tissue paper and additional stucco for texture.

the bird series are done in mostly charcoal and pastels.  the small peacock entitled ‘pea’ has ballpoint instead of charcoal for the black.  ‘blue’ was painted without a paintbrush. 

‘sunday prayer’ is representative of the way the meerkats looked when she rounded a bend . . .  they were basking in the setting sun.  it began as a workshop demo working with layering, drips, and textures. ‘jack-in-the-bowl’ is the same a class demo after the cat she lost.  focus there was charcoal and pastels on canvas and then demo’d a stainless steel bowl in acrylic.  every painting has a story and an adventure ... even those looking a little different than the collection . . . . everyday in one’s life is different ... variety is the spice of life.

new works on canvas

‘urban fingerprints’  is mo getting down and dirty with her art supplies.   drawing  with charcoal (as usual) but painting with her fingers, a spray bottle and everyday objects sitting around the studio.   mo had to spend some time away from the majority of her creative outlets especially the chalk festivals.   she was missing drawing on the pavement and traveling around.  so she recreated the emotion and feel in her little studio space .... actually this is how she would love to be running around and leaving little hidden treasures in the urban landscape.

‘hidden tig’  is smaller and combines the technique of the larger works and the sketchbooks series . . . ballpoint pen. 

mo’ are to come . . . . . . .

in the summer of 2013 mo created a skateboard for the carlsbad artsplash silent auction  and she decided to take the ballpoint pen to wood as her way of being different from the other artists.  this opened the door to working on wood panels and the creation of the collection called the ‘woods’. 

the ‘woods’ uses acrylic as stains and also incorporates color pencil on top of textures created by the pen on wood.

pen to canvas . . . pen to wood

for mo’ ballpoint pen work 

mo took a step back by revisiting the sketchbooks and gaining inspiration.  while there she found moments of enjoyment in a wider range of subjects.  sketching with a pen led to mo’s illustration technique which starts with a ballpoint pen.  and now . . .

in this series each painting/drawing begins with the trusted ballpoint pen.   some of mo’s sketches are black pen on the white page  but some in recent years are enhanced by the color of the a koh-i-noor multi-colored pencil.  that pencil inspired the colors found in this collection.  each sketch is from life or a snapshot the artist took while out and a bout or learning more about the animals she loves.

the behind the glass series is reflective of mo’s observations of animals in and out of the water . . . peering through glass using reflections, shadows, scratches, and smudges as well as the differences in behaviors and perceptions to tell the story.

for this piece mo starts with vine charcoal but proceeds with  layers of glazing . . .

some lifting off of layers and adding more again . . .

the glazing takes time . . . these paintings are worked on over a  period of months.  to date only two exist of the 6 planned  works the first created in 2009 and the second 2013.