Living and Learning

Oregano with Pool Towel: A Tenderfoot's Attempt

8x8, oil on panel

$85 - email for info

Have a personal humor about things. You will never know your calibre until you have tried yourself. Avoid idle industry. Be venturesome. Try new things that appeal to you.

Examine others. Have a pioneer spirit. ~Robert Henri, The Art Spirit

(OK, here's where I sound like Sharkboy and Lavagirl, my teenagers) "Everybody's starting a plein air painting class this week but me," she whined. Laurel Daniel is teaching a plein air class and many of my still life classmates have moved outdoors. It's not the perfect time in my life to peel off a new project but, truth be told, I am envious. I think I miss the people as much as the process.

Anyway, taking the advise of a superhero - Robert Henri - I dusted off my pioneer spirit and ceremoniously traipsed the painting supplies outside. Loaded like a sherpa, I got all the way out the studio door and about 10 feet onto the terrace where I painted a safe and familiar backyard scene. After two-ish hours, I proudly marched inside with my painting only to find it 4 shades darker than intended. Hmmmm. Low-key, indeed. Have I read somewhere that, when painting en plein air, one really shouldn't stand in direct sun?

Just Time for a Sketch: Woman's Best Friend

Twofer

oil on panel, 11x14

Surprise - a bonus! Our models in yesterday's open studio were a beautiful woman and her guide dog - both consumate professionals and such a pleasure to work with. The time just flew by. Then it was off to a birthday celebration for a beloved group of my twisted sisters (sans one - we missed you!). The evening temperature was so perfect as was sitting under the stars together with a beautiful view of the city, great conversation... how lucky am I?

And Now For Something Completely Different

Playing With Knives

8x8, oil on canvas

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Confession: I occasionally paint with palette knives rather than brushes but I've never posted the results. I love how loose it feels to paint with a knife and the rich impasto texture. Knife painting is a great exercise in values and colors, reminding me to be deliberate with each and every stroke. There are two contemporary artists I especially admire who paint exclusively with knives and I just had a very enjoyable cup of coffee this morning while perusing their blogs. Check out Ann Gorbett and Leslie Saeta. As a result, I am emboldened to post this redhead I painted a few weeks ago. Have a great weekend!

Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates

Forgotten Earrings

6x6 oil on panel

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I meant to give her an earring - a small hoop or perhaps a diamond "stub," as Lavagirl calls them. But I forgot until this minute. Ah well, I got a title out of it which I sorely needed. In the Forrest Gump School of Painting, I sketch these women first, taking a favorite face from here, an outfit from there, hairstyle and color from yonder, smooshing it all together and looking for the light that informs the whole. This results in surprise models showing up on my easel. So fun. Once this woman appeared I immediately knew: darker lipstick and more navy in the blouse - she would never wear a garish turquoise. The working title for this painting was Joan Crawford's Cranky Cousin.

DSFDF: Now I Can't Get This Song Out Of My Head

Up On The Roof

8x16 oil on canvas

$165 - email for info

This is my submission for Karin Jurick's latest DSFDF challenge. Click here to follow along as she posts the works of other artists and here to read about her project and my previous entries. I never thought I'd paint rooftops (thank you, Karin!) and struggled with color choices. Karin had advised to treat the shapes abstractly. Then I remembered receiving Pantone's Spring 2010 Fashion Color Report -- click here to read more about that. These colors have such great names: Fusion Coral, Eucalyptus, Pink Champagne, Dried Herb, Tuscany, Aurora. I chickened out before adding Tomato Puree and Lilac to the painting... and now I wish I had. I have a twisted sister who always says, "in hesitation all is lost." I might go back and add them. Thanks for looking!

Little Women

Goth Chic

6x6 oil on panel

sold

White blouses with frothy organza collars. So named by Lava Girl who is a faithful America's Next Top Model watcher and believes Goth Chic could be a legitimate fashion trend.

Art Imitating Life – No Surprise There

The New Girl

6x6 oil on panel

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John Singer Sargent said, “Every time I paint a portrait I lose a friend.” Several in the Little Women series (so named for their diminutive size – usually 6x6 ) are leaving home. She is already gone. And these two – click here and here – are going together this week. All to wonderful collectors and – if I may say so myself – framed in wide, silver frames they just look smashing. But, it feels like saying goodbye to friends – these women I know so well, who watch me paint every day and listen in on my phone calls. So I feel the need to paint some new pals. It’s the circle of life.

The circle of life. Well, truth be told, our little family is living very close to that circle right now. Two of Mr. Right’s beloved family members – including his mom – are gravely ill. Our lives are in that strange, slow-motion limbo - filled with Hospice and vital signs and burning up the highways - times two. We are sad in a way words cannot describe, missing them already. At the same time, we have welcomed 3 (three!) new babies to our extended family in the last month. Can you imagine? Two girls and a boy - all healthy and strong and keeping three sets of bleary-eyed young parents up at night singing lullabies. Note to self: in the ‘blessings’ category, count babies twice.

A Lesson in Foreshortening

Cute Glasses

Reclining Nude in Mirror

11x14 oil sketch on canvas

Foreshortening is a technique used in drawing to make three dimensional objects appear to be realistically receding in space on a two dimensional surface. Thus, in the pose above, the model's left foot is actually a bit larger than her head.... or at least that's the theory. In practice, it's a whole 'nother story. Yesterday, I overheard a fellow warrior say that a teacher had once told him to forget learning to draw with correct perspective and just draw. Draw. Draw. Draw. Draw. Perspective will come in its own time. Luckily, I love to draw but, gee whiz. Not to put too fine a point on it but, could anyone get back to me with exactly when "its own time" is?

Step One: Tone Canvas the Color of Teacher’s New Sneakers

Wipe Out

12x12, oil on [pink!] canvas

A cosmic question directed to creatives: what “tricks” do you use to clear artistic hurdles? Thank the dear Lord for girl friends, teachers, and new shoes - that's all I'm saying.

Art class this week was a “wipe out” for me. Meaning, I just couldn’t get the composition onto the canvas; I would draw, then wipe out, draw - wipe out. Over and over. The still life set-up was lovely – an eggplant with a fetching stem, a few curly squash, a pretty blue plate. Yet even with my trusty viewfinder, moving the tableau up, down, left, right - there was no success. Naturally, the more I tried, the more daunted I became. As luck would have it, I had planned an early lunch right after class with two of my twisted sisters. And, proving what a small town Austin really is, two more appeared at the table next to us. Serendipity. And so, surrounded by BFFs, my bruised self-esteem was soothed and my resolve strengthened. (i.e. dog/bone)

I will tame this blasted composition, I determined. My favorite part of art class this week? Laurel’s new lipstick-pink Converse All-Star sneakers, definitely. Ahhhh, a virtual panacea. Inspiration: check.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly or What Happened To Your Shoulder, Dude?

Nude Study (unfinished)

oil on canvas

I miss blogging. As I reported last post, this fall has turned out to be more about learning than doing. Laurel told us during our first class that, though the title listed in the course catalog is Color, Value & Temperature in Still Life, the class really should be subtitled, "We're NOT Here to Make Pretty Paintings." Ditto for the open studio figure painting I'm enrolled in: it's all about process over product. I love this approach and I love learning. It is exactly what I want to be doing. But my attempts are not all attractive and I've hesitated to post them. I miss blogging. And if a blog (remember? web + log) is intended to chronicle a journey, then it's okay to have missteps. So... this is how the sausage is made.

Local Value Study

oil on panel

It's Raining, It's Pouring

watercolor in Moleskin

as always, click on image for larger view

The blessed rain keeps me from hauling anything new I've painted outdoors to photograph so it's back to the archives for something I can just pop down on the scanner. I sketched this during a family driving vacation to visit relatives. St. Louis is a terrific town, for kids and for tourists. Highly recommended! Fourth of July fireworks over the Mississippi River while sitting under the Gateway Arch is thrilling and not to be missed!

Bear with me if my posts for the next weeks are farther apart. I'm loving the two painting classes I'm taking this fall (!) but they take a chunk of time and neither are geared towards finished paintings. That coupled with ailing grands and greats, 2 schools, 2 sports... well, you get the idea. Please stay with me, gentle followers. You really can't imagine how much I value your support.

Another Really Great Thing About Painting

Paris, 1985

12x12 oil on canvas

SOLD

Painting will send you back into the archives of your life. Not long ago I found this photo from a fabulous trip to France. I knew, the moment I saw it, I had to paint the gentleman in the trench coat and the beret buying flowers.

That's the School Bell I Hear Ringing

Reclining Nude

(Mirror, Mirror On the Wall)

11x14 oil on canvas

The model in this sketch was lovely and I had a great vantage point for capturing both her image and her reflection in the mirror. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow as we begin again with Laurel Daniel's still life class. I have so enjoyed these before and, though I never feel I do my best work in a class, the lessons presented continue to reveal themselves long after school gets out. It's funny though... I'm kinda' nervous. Lavagirl reminds me to just be myself, be nice to my teacher and the other kids, and she bets I'll make a new friend very quickly. I love my kids.

OK, Now I'm Just Bragging: Listen to This

The Waitress at the Mount Fuji Cafe

12x12 oil on canvas

NFS

I am bursting with pride: my (incredibly talented) 15-year-old Goddaughter Haley recorded a demo CD this summer with five incredible songs and Grammy-winning musicians backing her up! Click the play button below to hear her sing Don’t Want It To Be You – a song she wrote last spring for a school assignment.

Her mother and I were college roommates and, born only 3 months apart, she and Sharkboy were cribmates. When they were toddlers, we often had tea parties or lunch in her play kitchen which was named the Mount Fuji Café. Her musical gifts have always been a joy – I’ve lost track of how many instruments she plays (including the piano on this song!) – and she never complains about practicing. Much. She is a stellar up-and-coming twisted sister, to be sure.

We knew she was getting the opportunity, via her voice coach, to make the demo but never expected it to be this amazing. Her parents hosted a CD release party and we all got a copy; yep, already on my iPod! Remember – you heard her here first.

02-Don't Want It To Be You.mp3

DSFDF: Do Calories Count If You Just Paint Them?

Mindy's Wonders

8x8 oil on panel

SOLD

This is Karin Jurick's latest Different Strokes from Different Folks challenge. Click here for the last one I did and here to see all the remarkable cupcake entries. I know an amazing woman who makes amazing cupcakes. She does chocolate, she does sprinkles - but my favorite is called Wedding Cake. White on white, no bling, they are gossamer clouds of sugary goodness - each bite to be savored. I understand she's left baking behind to follow her next calling. What a pity. It was Mindy's Wonders I dreamed about while I painted yesterday.

Could This Be My Closet?

Could This Be My Closet?

11x14 oil on canvas
SOLD

I wish. I think my stuff looks right at home here. There are my yellow purses, my perfume, and Lavagirl's new cardigan sweater. Yes, I hang art in my closet and that's my slipper chair -- it's pretty darling right now in leopard print with black ball-tasseled fringe but for this painting I reupholstered it in pink velvet. I included the burnt orange cowboy boots I secretly covet but know I'd probably never wear. In real life, the longest wall in my closet is painted lipstick red and I like it alot. The black and white harlequin floor used to be in my kitchen and I absolutely loved it though it was hard to keep. The high heels, the hat, and the Burberry bag? Not mine.

I'm Just Not Sure About the Hat

Topsy Turvy

6x6 oil on panel

So named because I painted her - start to finish - upside down. It's a common trick to teach you to draw or paint what you see rather than what you *think* you see. I'm posting her upside down because frankly, she could never survive our criticism right-side-up. A bit too full of face, Topsy is, and her eyes are just plain scary. But it was fun and I think I learned alot about the dialog that goes on in your head, "this shape is longer than that shape, the next one is lighter than the last one, this is a square, a triangle." The version in the Letterman sketchbook (not painted upside down) has great eyes but I didn't have much luck rendering the black dotted tulle in her hat with pencils and chalk.

Just (Barely) Time for a Sketch and a Promise

conte crayons on paper

I apologize, faithful readers, for my absence. We all hit those times in life and I look so forward to next week when I believe the dust will settle somewhat. In the meantime, a sketch aux trois crayon from my trusty Letterman sketchbook and a promise that I'm working my way back as quickly as possible.

Living in my Right Brain or Lost in Her Curls

Blue Dress

6x6 oil on panel

SOLD

I continue on my quest to draw or paint (at least) one face every day. I got lost in her curls the way I can get lost painting flower petals or books. Talk about your right brain. Artist Robert Genn writes a great newsletter twice a week -- The Painter's Key -- and the most recent was about the dreamy state artists go into while painting. Read it here. This happens to me frequently. Though it is a very happy place, at times it is unnerving to realize I've been elsewhere. Remember this?

Bosc Pears

Preaching to the Choir

12x12 oil on canvas

SOLD

In just a few short weeks I will have the good fortune to start classes with Laurel Daniel again. It will be a still life class focusing on value and temperature (thank heavens!) - none too soon - and I'm worried that I haven't painted from a still life set-up in a while. Standing in the produce section yesterday morning, these pears called to me from across the peaches, "pick 4 or 5 of us and call us preaching to the choir." What could I say? With both kids in school, I think I'm a bit giddy.

Aren't Scarves All the Rage This Year?

Tax Free Weekend

6x6 oil on panel

email for info

Truth be told, I'm more of a looker than a shopper. And so it suits me fine to tag along while others search and try on and compare and narrow down. I'm amazed by the sheer volume of products available for sale and facinated to watch people as they contemplate the goods. School shopping: check. Inspiration: check.

The Shape of Things to Come

Papa Smurf

8x8 oil on canvas

NFS

Lavagirl and her BFFs went through a Smurf phase some years back. I learned today that toys are about as fun to paint as fruit or faces. I think I'll try it again.

Playing Catch Up, As My Mother Would Say

Wigging Out

12x12 oil on canvas

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Did you ever arrive late to what you are sure is the party of the century? And you just kick yourself for dawdling and hesitating, missing out on even one minute?

That's the Different Strokes From Different Folks story. The artists who have participated from the beginning have forged true friendships and I admire (read envy... as green as the girl with the red hair above) that greatly. I hope I'm not too late - oh my gosh, it looks like fun!

This is another ancient DSFDF challenge - click here to see the original photo and submissions. Composition was a challenge - I ended up with 8 mannequins and I know even numbers are a no-no. Hmmm...

Letterman Sketch, Aux Trois Crayon

Conte crayons on paper

Reruns. Is it possible that I find even the Letterman reruns to be entertaining? Perhaps it's because I'm always drawing while watching. Yes, that's it. It actually takes me two times through the show to get it all. Makes perfect sense. I've been adding colors to my painting palette lately which I think has it's good and bad points. However, getting back to just the three used aux trois crayon is a "valuable" exercise, no pun intended. Click here for more on this traditional drawing method and my beloved Letterman sketch book.

Just Time for a Sketch: Painting in Fits and Starts

Walking the Dog

8x8 oil on canvas

Okay, granted, the week of/before school starts is probably not the best time for a mom to paint. Carpools and tryouts and shopping and such make opportunities spotty at best. Thus, I would have liked some of these edges to be a bit softer - the kind you get when working really-wet-into-really-wet. But it was basically a figure study - my goal was to work with the light and shadows. Check.

Another Woman

Pearl & Sterling Drops

6x6 oil on panel

SOLD

Here are the links I promised in the last post. Wow, that's alot of talent packed into one line. Grab a glass of iced tea and enjoy!
Milt Kobayashi, Malcolm Liepke, Linda K. Smith, Kim Roberti, Michael Carson

Little Women

Red Kimona

6x6 oil on panel

SOLD

Time to Paint but Not to Post

TTYL

6x6 oil on panel

I'm facinated by the number of uber-talented artists who paint, for lack of a better description, red-nosed women. And I'm totally bewitched by their subjects. There is Milt Kobayashi, Malcolm Liepke, Linda K. Smith, Kim Roberti, Michael Carson... sorry I don't have time right now to link their names to their websites but check back... I will. Or just 'google' them. All totally fabulous. What inspiration! So this week I'm trying my hand at a new (tiny but popular) canvas size - 6x6 - and red-nosed women.

I've gotten to paint every day... it's the photography and blog posting that hasn't bubbled up to the top of the list. We're all celebrating last night's glorious rain and Lavagirl's 13th birthday today. Her BFFs are coming for a slumber party and we've got an art project planned... hopefully I'll report success. She's such a blessing to my life. Mmwah, my darling daughter.

Pulling Your Own Weight

Venus v. Mars

2 8x8 oil on canvas

$165 - email here for info

This is another composition I've been playing with for some time - sketching, shading, generally trying to get each figure to pull his or her own weight. All part of the Must. Learn. To. Draw. effort. Each of these figures is handling the stress in a different way, throwing their weight onto one leg or the other, or transferring it to their ummm... posteriors (see #3 and #6). I understand this intellectually but describing it convincingly in paint is a great challenge for me. I don't know when I've ever had so much fun!!

You Did Mean a Portrait of the Cookies, Right?

Prijatno!
8x8 oil on canvas

NFS

I found out recently that one of my outlying twisted sisters (she’s married to a man who’s the brother of a man who is married to a twisted sister) is blogging. She lives in Houston, we don’t see each other as often as I’d like – I think the last time was by chance in the Denver airport – and I’ve always known she could cook. No, I mean really cook.

So we were trading emails and blog addresses this week - I said, wow those homemade chocolate-covered marshmallow cookies sure look good and she said, wow how about a simple portrait? And somehow, this morning early over coffee, those two worlds collided. Her blog is lovely – lots of great photos and recipes. She says she makes “an occasional foray to the utterly decadent.” Yep. Click here for a mouth-watering visit to Prijatno!