The sun is out. The Cubs have lost their first game of the season. Yes, we can feel spring in the air! But we're realists—there are winter snow warnings just to the north of us—so we're keeping things in perspective! Speaking of perspective (sorry... couldn't resist!), we continue to be fascinated by architecture and perspective, starting with a colorful urban scene...a view from Ken's window.
From there, we move to the sublime... Our Lady of Perpetual Help cathedral in the Philippines and Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Each of them is beautifully rendered with careful perspective. Notice, too, the techniques used to guide the viewer's eye. The foreground of the Dome of the Rock has been redrawn from last week. Now the vanishing point lines are even more prominent. For the cathedral, people serve the same function as they enter and leave in the distance.
As for the rest of us, we continue to try to perfect our drawing skills. Here's a famous exercise from the Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain workbook.
Meanwhile Steve masks his merman drawing to prepare for the first application of paint. Watch the sun and sea come alive next week!
But what we've all missed this winter is color. Here Sara floods a landscape with beautiful, vibrant, springlike color. Breathe deep and enjoy the scenery. Don't you feel instantly more peaceful and serene?
And you can't get more colorful than the infamous color plaid. Here's Hector's color plaid, followed by the equally notorious color wheel (can you believe it's done with just three colors? It's true!).
Here's the last of our beginning set of exercises....the fabric study with two or more fruits and vegetables. In a unique twist, the fabric receives the emphasis here while the produce takes a secondary role.
And while we're on the subject of roles, John's first illustration is nearly done. It's an illustration of a stage play, based on characters from the Commedia Dell'Arte. Stay tuned for more!
Some of the best works of art seem to have back stories. They make you stop and think about what's going on (behind Mona Lisa's smile, for instance). Don't you want to know who these feet belong to? And where they are going?
Or what this little cutie is thinking? And where he got that wonderful hat?
Artists of the Week. We had two wonderful books. One on Symbolism, chock full of paintings from different times and different countries. Fascinating! The other was American Horizons: The Photographs of Art Sinsabaugh. This is an artist Ken actually knew and he's incredible! This book features landscapes from various places, ordered by location. The composition was wonderful. Each photo was perfectly evocative of its place and time. I've never been to New Hampshire, but I feel I know it from having seen his photos. The Chicago section captures the hustle and strength of our city. And there's a section on the "midwest" (from his time in Champaign) that features long, low sweeping panoramic prairie shots that are the very essence of the midwest. True artistry!
Getting to know us—an artists' series. You may be wondering what happened here. We fully intended to feature one of the old masters each week as they discuss what inspires them, why they paint what they paint, and how they do it. Unfortunately, we've experienced some slight delays (Susan had to take a pass last week and Ken forgot his props this week). Rest assured we'll be doing this soon. Keep watching this space. It'll be worth the wait!
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