July 28, 2014

And, just like that, school is out for summer! Yes, we'll be starting our summer vacation beginning next week. But we'll be back after labor day—and that's right around the corner. If you can't wait until then, keep reading. You're invited to join our summer Sketch Club.

Meanwhile, we finished up the term in our usual colorful way. Marva ushers in the vacation season at the same time as she salutes the sun setting on our class with this exquisite painting of sunset at Laguna Beach.

Susan's painting also features palms, water and sky, but the mood is much more industrious as Filipino carpenters make lumber to rebuild after the typhoon.

 

A little closer to home, Sara also features trees at dusk—except hers are magnolia trees in an urban setting. 

Hector has officially finished his last exercise. And what a finale! "Banana Boat" is a burst of color and whimsy. We're excited to welcome him to the ranks of the "old Masters."

Equally colorful and whimsical is Vivian's sewing machine cat. We can't decide if it's more surrealistic or acutely observed; we just know we can't wait to see how it progresses.

John's scene is progressing, too. Everywhere you look, there's something new to see. Feel free to linger over the details—you'll be happily surprised.

Ken is beginning two new paintings in his urban landscape series. These are as colorful and happy as the rest of the series... and also feature windows in a wonderful new style.

We do love our architecture, don't we? Elaine's new painting is the entry to a Chicago church. Basically only two colors (brick and stone), it seems simple enough, but we suspect this may take a while to finish.

Did you notice that we were about "place" more than "people" today? The closest thing we have to a portrait is Elaine's marble sculpture and it's closer to architecture than any person we know.

Artist(s) of the day. Once again, we had some amazing books on our library table. Pat brought in a thin volume about Cezanne (perhaps he inspired our expansive color palettes today) and Ken brought one about Whistler. We were deeply impressed by his landscapes and portraits and especially by the incredible effects he  achieved with his minimalistic use of color. And, in honor of sketch club, the book on Twentieth Century Drawing made a triumphant return.

You're invited! Yes, you read that correctly. Sketch Club is back. For the next few Saturdays, you're invited to join us as we casually reinstate Sketch Club. Meet us at Rosehill Cemetery (Ravenswood entrance) at 10am. We'll roam and sketch independently for the next hour-and-a-half or so, then meet again where we started and compare sketches. We may even continue on for lunch. There's something for everyone—so much to see and learn. It'll be fun. Hope you join us.