Christmas at the Akeman's 2015

Missour State Pen Painting

From the Begining  HOW I DID MISSOURI STATE PEN

My trip to the Nick Groff Paranormal Tour of Missouri State Pen was amazing to say the least

My experience in the gas chamber led me to this work

It felt very HEAVY in there let me tell you.  I plopped myself down in one of the seats there and I really didn't want to but it was something I wanted to do, just when I got there I was being set upon by something.  I didn't see any ghosts or hear anything but by God I felt it there and when I tumbled out I had to sit on the bench that was outside and hold my head in my hands.  My husband James watched me the whole time and he asked me if I was breathing ok.  I do have breathing issues but I was fine, just oh my god what the hell WAS that you know.  NOW I know what Ghost Adventures was talking about when being overwhelmed by Spiritual Energy.  Even felt like crying when I was in there.  Felt the dread of the last moments of death, heavyness in the pit of my stomache and I have never felt like that before.  Felt pressed in.  After that we went back to Gen Population but went up a few floors when I said I had to get out.  My husband took me out and I sat on the steps outside just trying to shake it off.  One of the Groff Tour guides was there and we told him what was going on with me.  Eventually I shook it off.  Was able to finish the night but I did feel like leaving but hell no.  A Hall was cold as hell, serioulsy I was shaking and that place was cold in the afternoon, but the thing was the cold would shift, perhaps that's normal there but some others thought it might be a spirit on me, don't know.

Here is the series of WIP on the Front Entrance of MISSOURI STATE PEN

Here on Gesso board I started with drawing it down in charcoal, then I would paint the ground in Titanium White which helps in covering mistakes and drawing problems, once I start painting things come together better.  I did a 'cartoon' and outline drawing based on the design on the shirt I got from there.

I didn't copy the design just used the shape as the 'bones' for the drawing.

I started painting in the windows first,  when I started this I didn't have a set plan, this was a work that evolved on it's own, and I listened to Nick Groff's Spiritual War CD though the work, really helps to stay focused on this.

I wanted texture to the blocks of stone for this so when I did the titanium White I laid it on thick and let it dry. this is why I took so long doing this, that and the fact I have a family with four kids to take care of.

At one point I saw that the windows on the top were too dark, they were hard to see even with the red around it so I added Zinc White which is transparent when dried and that added to it's ghostly look.  When I paint these kinds of places I am going for the sense of the spiritual energy of the place.  I wanted to do red around the bricks cause this place is known as the Bloodiest 47 acres.

To experiement I added a bit of magenta to the lower square windows and blended with the zinc white and that added to it's spookiness.

Yeah almost done here, was very excited about that.  this piece is 24 by 36 (inches) and I was ready to get it done.

And there it is, done, I am planning A Hall on an 11 by 14 but I have other artworks I am working on in my sketchbooks and my brain.  I'm busy, LOL so I hope you like this.

I think it's awesome how on the outline of the place it has like this spooky glow.  The pictures are good but to see it in person is sooo much better.  This is done in 3 point perspective, quite a challenge for me.  Here is the original photos of the place.

Yeah I really had a artist vision with this place.  

What I have learned

What I have learned from Loftus Hall

Oh dear god where do I start on this?  First of all I learned I can accomplish much by just jumping into it.
I have never done a staircase before but I very much believe in the vision of this project and decided to have a go at it.

Perfection doesn't happen in a single painting, the perfecting happens over time as you keep painting, from each painting I learn a bit about myself, my abilities and what my weaknesses are in painting.  Ok I admit perspective is a challenge for me, compare this painting to the photo I used and the stairs look off.
BUT the whole point of this painting was to paint the spookiness of the place, I have never been there, the owner said when you go upstairs it's like you're at a different level.  I made things in that painting to look foreboding.  It's a beautiful piece despite it's imperfections, however some on Twitter have said Loftus was really awesome or badass.

Things seem to come out in my paintings, it's really odd, and in working on this it creeped me out.  First of all the recessed area on the top there that holds the cross, above it you see an eye, I had shaded darkly with some charcoal for a shadow before I painted it with titanium white for the foundation of the painting, an eye jumped out at me, it wasn't my intention, when I stepped back and noticed it looking at me it gave me the shivers, I kept it, then when I did the upper wall more started coming out.

On the right is something that I say would look like a freakin demon skull, the left looks like a skull or a ghostly face, you be the judge for what you see.  In either case it was UNINTENTIONAL I was just dabbing a darker layer in, I started with Titanium white, next a layer of magenta which was really bright, toned it down with zinc white which is transparent and then I thought it needed darkening up, so I dabbed lightly with the purple I had and noticed what was going on at a certain point.  Yah got the chills again, which was good, it's supposed to be creepy.  I have painted before when other images seem to just crop up.  I go with it.  Trust your art instincts.  Let it flow, the painting will paint itself. I love reaching that point when I am working and not even feeling I am in this living world, I am at one with the painting which is another life altogether.  I am glad I found others thinking the same way on Art21's Twitter account, makes me less isolated knowing other artists are in this frame of mind.

Knowing when the painting is DONE I have had a time with this one, I kept seeing areas that needed to be fixed. Granted there are trouble areas with the perspective of the banisters, but if I would try to fix it I would really mess up the painting, I just have to leave it alone and just learn from it.  It is still great, and after working hard on this I had to take a break and do an 'easy' painting, a bit of an experiment in color.

This is Blazing Dawn, I nicknamed it Lollipop because the mane made me think of those swirly lollipops.
It is a smaller painting, which will be on Etsy as soon as I finish the edges, the painting itself is done.
I like working on these 11by8 sizes, I can be free to play more on a smaller canvas, I really do love large works but I get so much work done with the smaller canvases. I take my painting seriously, but I must PLAY that's the key to such fun and bright works, to really let myself play and discover interesting color combinations.  Some may look like kids stuff but hey Picasso said it took him a long time to be able to paint like a child again.

I have been working on Proveglia too but that's another blog entry.

Can't wait to be done!

I am out of Linseed oil at the moment, only a trickle leftover from last painting.  So NOW I will blog.

This has been one very LONG project for me.  It's not perfect, but I am capturing the essence of the place, just have trouble doing the stairs. Still, LOOK at it especially down here at the wall with the spooky images if you can see them.

It's better in person up close but there on this wall down here is something like a demonic skull and on the left it looks skull like too.  I am trying to paint the spiritual feeling of the place and though I was NOT planning out the skull and especially the eye over the cross it just came out that way and when I noticed it I just went with it.

My paintings often paint themselves. 

It's still an amazing piece of work, But I am ready for a new project.  This one still needs to be finished.

Proveglia will be next.  I would LOVE to know how Zack Bagins and the GAC would react to this.

When I do my art I really want a WOW from someone.  If I just get 'hmm nice painting'  or 'that's good' well obviously I haven't made it yet.

I still look at old and new art and see what WOWs me.  

I still have a little bit to go and I have done some work since the last photo was taken but I need fresh batteries as well as linseed oil.

I am hoping to sell this thing on my Etsy shop.

I think it would be really cool if  Zak Bagins bought it.  

A lovely dream.