Getting out of the box -- and that's no bull

We all know that it's good to try a healthy dose of new things. Pushing out of our comfort zone is No. 3 of my 7 creative truths. Needless to say, when Core Group asked me to create some one-of-a-kind art pieces for their Oviedo office, I was excited. What they wanted was certainly a step out of my normal medium of traditionally styled watercolors on paper. Modern art on canvas ... what? I was flattered that these cool kids thought I could pull this gig off. That said, since I am generally up for creative challenges and because I love their eye for design, I took on the challenge.

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There were multiple projects that we brought to reality ...

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The first commission was art that utilized their signature brand identity colors of gray, white and orange. The piece was to compliment the modern feel of their conference room. After talking it over, we decided on a triptych of 3 equal-sized canvas panels. I was also asked to hide or hint at their logo in some creative way into to the artwork. 

I splattered/sprayed paint and water on the canvas until my heart was content. Hello Jackson Pollack! After I was happy with the background's misty moodiness, I made a stencil out of the door shape from their logo and repeated and rotated it horizontally throughout the piece. Below is the finished product in my home art studio.

And here it is in the conference room above their fabulous chunky. rustic table.

The next area that they had a vision for was the downstairs entryway of the office. They envisioned old Oviedo photographs on the wall to nod to our small-town roots. I was blessed to be able to meet with a member of Oviedo's historical society to look at what photos might be available. There were so many great choices to pull from and we decided on the fruit packaging plant, a bank and the old train station. 

While the quality of the originals we decided on, may have been a little rough, Photoshop allowed me to restore the photos to our liking. It was the Core Group's great idea to add the pops of orange to certain elements of the pictures.

They look amazing framed in the space, and I love the modern, yet historical, touches that the Core Group has infused throughout their office.

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Lastly, after a trip to Spain and seeing some inspiring artwork from an Israeli impressionistic oil painter, Justin Core challenged me to recreate a picture of a bull using the Core Group's signature oranges. After measuring his wall space, we decided that the piece should be about 40-inches wide! It is not often that I get to work on watercolor paper of this size. That day I was thanking God that my thoughtful husband bought me such an oversized desk in our dating years.

First I sketched the outline of the bull onto the paper with pencil. Then I made light arrows and notes on the different directions that the paint dabs should rotate and flow in. I mixed oranges and yellows from my various travel paint sets to get several of the brighter shades that I wanted. It took quite a bit of testing and experimenting on scrap paper to get colors that I was happy with.

Here he is finished. This impressionistic method of painting was seriously addicting! Don't be surprised if you see more work from me in this lively style. I've enjoyed collaborating with the Core Group every step of the way.

What ways have you moved yourself out of your professional comfort zone and been pleased with what you learned and explored?

I'd love to hear about it.