February 10, 2018

We are in the midst of a "snow event"—we've either set or tied some record number of consecutive days with snow. Which would be fine, except that some of those days produced long and heavy snowfalls. This probably explains our sparse numbers this week. But those of us who braved the elements really came to paint. We tackled all the major genres, but perhaps the most appropriate for the day is Bill's cozy interior. Don't you love the warm, glowing light? Don't you want to curl up here with a good book and a hot beverage?

What is warmer and cozier than holding a brand new baby? Sara captures that feeling as she continues to create studies of her new granddaughter and her sons. Here's the baby meeting her uncle....

... and chilling with her dad.

How does Sara do it? As we may have mentioned in the past, she is a firm advocate for sketching. We're sharing some of her great sketches below. This is another Daddy/Daughter scene.

 
And here is baby Nora in a solo portrait. Look at her lovely eyes!

Madeleine is also a proponent of sketching.  Look closely and see that she's got her subject drawn before she begins to paint.

And here is the result. This was just a drawing last week and now we see the bridge and waterfall at the Botanic Garden.

More botanicals from Ken! This aerial view of a tomato plant against a pavement and flowerbeds has a warm summer feeling, doesn't it?

Crazie is also fascinated with flowers. She's finished the sweet lotus plant from last week. This is in gouache, which is basically watercolor with white body color added.

Then, Crazie begins a rose and some petals against a lock of hair. We are loving the color choices and the sky background and can't wait to see this finished. 

Moving from individual flowers to a full landscape, Crazie spotlights a tree against a vibrant sky. She's also testing a spray-on surface color to add texture.

Basma has been busy, too! As you may guess if you look closely at the following paintings, she has prior expertise in acrylics. She's trying for a more "watercolory" feel with these fruits.... 

... and this plant...

... before moving on to this majestic rooster.

To finish, Basma painted these beautiful landscapes.

Not a touch of snow on either of them!

Sarah's painting is our only concession to weather. This winter landscape features a deer and other wildlife silhouetted against a snowy background.

Lilith's koi would probably be hibernating on a day like today. Instead, this one is elegantly floating across the delicate background.

Did you miss the exercises? Lilith's soft, delicate take on complementary colors can be seen below. This is one of the most useful of the exercises, we've found.

Save the date

We're still planning a group show at the Ten Cat starting in mid- to late-February. We'll each have up to two paintings in the casual (no theme!) show. It's the perfect time to meet and greet us, see some good art and anticipate spring. We'll be hanging the show around February 18 and having our usual fun opening, so watch this space for further news—and an invitation to our opening reception!