Sunday, November 25, 2007

Posing

Ah the elegant lines of a cat. Here she is, my girl
waiting for another drip from the tub faucet.
I need to do some more paintings of her. She is
quite the poser (poseur?).

Friday, November 23, 2007

O Beauteous Moon

An artist's eye never rests. So last
night, after having a lovely T-Day
with friends, I went to bed. Got up
around 4, looked out the window and
there, through the newly bare branches,
was the moon shining its light on the
lake. You cannot see the lake in summer
as it is a tree-house effect here. So I
look forward to this sight.
I went back to bed, and then
started thinking about how it would
be to do a painting of such a scene with
beauty, but oh so little light in it. Hmmm,
where is my camera? I scanned the house
and low and behold I recalled it was just in
the next room, not in the far reaches. I
got it and propped it on the window sash
and there you have the best result I got.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Meow!

Posted by PicasaOK, so here is my caption for this photo of my
Lucy sitting on my studio desk. "I've already
read this one."
Isn't that the look of sheer boredom?

Sunday, November 18, 2007

The Art Show

Here was the view I had as I was
doing the demonstration in the post
from yesterday. These two lovely
girls had just greeted each other and
were catching up. You can see the
free-standing wall behind them that
makes it possible to show the work
of over 40 artists that participated
this time. We do this show twice a
year.
Check out The Art League
of Germantown for more information.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Demonstration

Today I did a demonstration for an art group I
started nearly 25 years ago. We hold our shows
at BlackRock Center for the Arts and it is a
gorgeous space. You can get a bit of the feel of
the large gallery and its light in this picture.
The art behind me and to my right are by fellow
members. It is always so enjoyable to talk to
people about what I love to do.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Banner #2

Here's the second banner for the school
I spoke of a few posts ago. Here you see
it in my workroom where it was drying.
I am doing these in acrylic and varnish
them with polyeurythane (sp?). I am
trusting that they will stand up to the
elements over the next few months as
they are being displayed on a structure
outside the school.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

My early work, VERY early

OK. Now this is to inspire anyone who is
just starting out. Persistence will pay off.
Just keep doing what you love and you
will get very good at it. Maybe I was 8
when I did this? It was part of a card I
sent my Grandmother. There are more
things to see in this card. I will post them
in the next few days, then I really have to
get back to being a grown-up artist....

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Color chart of my paints

I decided to make a new chart of all the oil paints
I own. I did this a few years ago but now have
a lot of new brands and colors, so I have begun
the task again. Here you see the beginning of
the new one. It is 18" x 24" and I am not yet
certain if all my paints will fit! I am applying the
colors with a small painting knife and blend them
into white so I can tell the subtle differences better.
With the raw full strength colors, it is not always
easy. This is especially true of the reds.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Banner!

I have had a soft spot in my heart for
many years for this small private
school in Springfield Virginia. Years
ago I actually taught art classes there.
Every year I donate artwork to their
fund-raising auction and with this being
their 30th year, I "cooked up" the banner
idea with a dear friend on the staff there.
So here is the first one. It will go on a
structure built by the parent of a student
there and I can't wait to see how all the
banners will look. There will be 7 in all,
one put up every month....

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Drawing from Life

Drawing from a live model is something
I haven't done for a long time. I'm not
counting portraits I have done over the
past few years. What I mean is going to
a session where there is a model and folks
like me work earnestly and quietly, hoping
not to embarrass ourselves with our quick
two minute sketches, then the longer ones,
and so on.
This was the last pose, the 40 minute one.
I decided to do just his head and marvelous
hat and was happy with the results. Yes, and
I know who he looks like....
Currently I am working on banners for a
private school that is celebrating its 30th
Anniversary. So the 'art' is on hold for the
moment.
Oh and good news! A gallery has invited me
to show! We're still in the talk-it-over stage,
but nevertheless, it is a happy thing for me!