Coming round the bend

Most of the details are in but it has no pop.  Something I will have to work on.

July 25, 2020

Some of us braved the elements and the virus to get together (safely) and share our art in person. We met outdoors around a library where we had a ledge to prop paintings, shade from the sun, and 6 foot markers pre-taped to the ground.  And of course, we had masks and hand sanitizer. Here are the artists (we're missing Ken in the photo) who participated.

Here's Sara with some of what she worked on during the lockdown. We found it interesting to note that a lot of our paintings looked different in person than they did online—better in every case! Sara also had a sketchbook full of delicate, sinuous line drawings.

Here is Elaine O.'s body of work. As you can see, we were having a little trouble with the wind. Like Sara, she has been working in sketchbooks. Lower left is one she began to document her life indoors during the lockdown.

Elaine T. was busy. We noticed how well she handles the whole range of greens. Like the rest of us, her paintings look even better in person than online. Her documentation of the virus' progression seen only through her eyes is particularly striking.

Ken had his cat series mounted preparatory to hanging them at Ten Cat for a show. They looked great as a group... and the colors just glowed against the dark brick.

Ken is also hanging these painting in a show at Ten Cat Tavern. More news about an opening party will be coming. But meanwhile, you can walk by and safely view these paintings in the window.

It was great seeing each other.... and our art. We're planning to do it again sometime (maybe in September?). In the interim, we'll see you online!

Sara sits and thinks with a brush in her hand...

...finally I thought I have show something at Showtime, so I did this last night. It looks like yupo to me but it’s actually gouache on Bristol board. I bought this set of gouache maybe 10 years ago and I’ve never cracked them open. They were fine but I don’t really get how to mix them. It’s kind of my version of dry brush since I couldn’t use too much water on Bristol board. Using different materials was therapeutic I guess.

I started this today. I call it Sister Lockdown! It’s On watercolor paper with watercolors. I’m trying to do less detail in the sketches so I can sketch directly on the watercolor paper instead of sketching and transferring images. So much freshness is lost thru that process imo... but even sketching seems like too much work...actually everything seems like too much work except reading and eating peanuts...

July 18, 2020—Elaine O.

Not much to show this week. I've had two directions and spent some time sketching with my new-ish pencil. I haven't been able to get the sketches to photograph, though, so maybe next time....

This is the new pencil. It's mechanical, so I don't need a sharpener.

One of the things I've been atttempting is simplification, particularly in portraits. I tried to sketch faces, concentrating on values. Working very quickly, I'm trying to posterize the faces, using two (three at most) values—and then seeing if it still looks like a person. These are done in brush pens, fountain pens and bits of watercolor. Some work better than others, as you can see!

This one is in direct watercolor, again, relying on values more than color.

See you next week.

The Little Engine at the awkward age

In every painting I have ever done there is always a low point where I don't know what I am doing, and that's where this one is at.  It's been a struggle, but I'll keep my head down and continue.

elaine t., July 18

Another version of the Émile painting. I like my brushwork and sunny skin highlights in this one, but I made his face a little cockeyed.  😖  Maybe third time will be the charm?

I may also go for a fourth version; I've been wanting to try a more graphic, posterized style that focuses on color rather than realism.

elaine t., July 12

A quickie of Émile, who has stopped looking like a baby and mmore like a little boy. Not happy with it, but I don't hate it either. I think I'll try doing a couple more versions this week and see where they go.

Ken at the Krossroads

Didn't do much more on this from when you last saw it, mostly just darkened the background, but I think that made it look a lot better.

I thought I would set myself free from the tyranny of the image by flying wide and abstract, you know, just letting myself go, but I don't think this is going anywhere,

So I decided to go back to trains where I figured there were so many details that I could be kind of abstract. But now I am under the tyranny of the image, and trying to find just an opening where /I can get started, but I haven't found it so far.

Sara’s portraits

Here’s a portrait of Nora that I’ve been working on for a couple weeks. There’s a lot I like about this. I didn’t really capture her expression and I think my proportions are off as her head looks too big & I had trouble with her cookie hand.  But other than that....!

This is a study of my friend’s grandkids that I did this morning. It’s small, about 3 by 5. I like how he’s painted but I overworked his sister. She’s 7 — she looks about 17 here... Maybe I’ll try this again and see if I can get them at the same level. They do look like a young married couple instead of 7 and 10 yr old siblings....I think it’s that necklace....
Thanks Pat for putting up the inspiration paintings. It’s a great gallery of ideas. And I just want to say how much I appreciate everyone’s contribution to keeping the blog going. I was really sad when I got the notice about fall class being cancelled. ( I just kept thinking that art room is big enough for social distance painting...) It’s really nice to have this little lifeline of art as inspiration and community!

July 11, 2020—Elaine O.

This is done! Yes, it's Dave, reading. I'm pretty happy with most of it; there's a stillness to him that I'm not crazy about, though. Something to work on going forward.

And now, a glimpse into my sketchbook. A long time ago, I started a new sketchbook with a lockdown project to sketch out all my windows. Here are the last two windows... the pantry and the second bedroom. I guess that means lockdown is over...  or it's time for a new project.

 

I even returned to one window to document yesterday's project... a new air conditioner! It went in successfully, but with just enough cursing and blood (the insert circle is a bloody handprint) to make it an official home project. There is a dented edge on the outside—we have no idea how that happened, but the air conditioner works, so we're just never going to look at it from outside again!

Weekly Inspiration Pix

1 Angela Moulton, pink roses on the table, oil on canvas, 8 x 10 in., 2013, daily painting

2 Jeffrey T. Larson, 1962

3 Helen Frankenthaler, Nature Abhors a Vacuum, 1973, Acrylic on canvas, 103 1/2 x 112 1/2 in.

4 unknown source

5 unknown source

6 John Singer Sargent, c.1909; graphite & watercolor

7 Anselm Kiefer, The Evening of All Days, the Day of All Evenings, 2014, watercolor on paper, 33 × 24.5 in.

8 Alice Moloney, watercolor, 2014

9 mixed media, unknown source

10  Andy Warhol, by Marlene Dumas

11 Paul Klee, View from a Window (Island in the North Sea), 1923, Watercolor & gouache.

12  Barbara Walker, Attitude, 1998, oil on canvas, 122 x 213 cm

13  Lizzy Stewart, Jungle, illustration

14  Toyin Ojih Odutola, First Night at Boarding School, 2017

15  watercolor by Hua

16  mixed media by Linda Geary

July 4, 2020 — Elaine O.

Happy Fourth of July! I got a little more done on my portrait. I thought it best to get the dark background started (at least). Now, the face that seemed a bit garish looks a bit wan and pale. No matter, there is still a ways to go.

 

But the big news is documented in this rough sketchbook entry. There's been a lot of activity out my rear window. A lot of plants were pruned or torn out... including the lilac bush (okay, it's more of a tree) that used to beautifully frame the big blue dumpster. And now there is a big, bright, shiny new high fence.

Big Cat Eight

Got the background in anbd I'll make some minor adjustments to him and Big Cats are done,  I'm thinking maybe I will do a complete abstract. Should I put some green in his eye or would that be too cornball?