End of the Hot Press Book and Sara Was Right Again

 Looking out the window at the cottage. That yellowish stuff represents the curtains  If done again, I’d omit them  

Sara said put a blue wash on background buildings…. No good and too distracting…now Mars pops. Flowers in a bag ho hum. 

Greco-Roman church, Aiud, Romania - on hot pressed paper (I ran out of cold pressed 😔)

St Ita at Dawn, on Broadway - embracing the dark side

Pears and people…

Here are the pears. The top one is done. I like those rough outlines around the pears. This one might go in my kitchen pear gallery…the second one still a WIP. Not sure why I chose this composition…

Still working on these two. They need to be darker as they’re in the shade. I need more contrast between them and the very sunny day.

I didn’t realize I had done them twice before. But it’s a good way to learn about your subject…

Mars Memorial

 Second thought, I would omit buildings.  He lived in Brooklyn so I was going for urban  

A Quiet Date Monthly Mani and Pedi

On exhibit at Bridgeport 3rd Floor Gallery, 1200 W 35th St., Chicago, IL 60609 Starting November 14. 2026 under Chicago Alliance of Visual Artist

October 17, 2026 — Elaine O.

Coming along, slowly but surely.

10" x 14"

Class Photo — Fall 1 2026

Time flies, doesn't it? Another term over. We've added some really fine new artists (and, of course, we still have some really fine old artists).

Caliraya Lake 55 years apart! SS10.17

This painting was inspired by 2 photos(1) The first is the picnic photo of my future husband and myself with other people at Caliraya Lake, Luzon, Philippines. At that time the Lake was not fully developed and people visited the area for its lovely water scenery. It was free to the general public. In the 1971 photo, it showed T & S eating picnic food together on top of a table like rock near the water edge. During that picnic, I realized that our relationship would have a chance to advance since we solved a cross word puzzle together that day (plus the spark).We enjoyed solving puzzles during our 52 years of marital bliss. The second inspiration photo was a July 2026 short visit to the same Caliraya lake by my Philippine extended family 3 months after T's passing; to fulfill my arrival wish! The day after my granddaughter's graduation, my extended family & I made a trip of pilgrimage to honor our visit 55 years ago. Upon reaching the site, outside the now fully developed resort with entrance fees, our family prayed loving remembrances for dear T. We also took some recuerdo photos of the Lake, the trees, the boats and fellow tourists. The composite painting is the 2026 photos of the lake, the boat and the sky plus the 1971 figures of T & S positioned on a huge boulder or rock while eating picnic food. I never would have imagined that I would be creating a Watercolor painting of a happy memory when T & S visited Caliraya, on the same day, October 17, 55 years ago. Am grateful for small blessings!

Question: Date of first class - Next Session??

 Coming to the end of the hot press sketchbook. This is over edited… in the real image the people are not so obvious. 

Nature painting…

 

I’ve been working on all four of these at one time. They’re pretty small - 8x10 or under. Trying to focus on color mixing on the page, painting shapes not things, and letting things dry. Hard lessons to learn…

from the 9 towers project

Alan Fall 1 2026

 OK!   I gave up on this one. Here’s the reference photo that intrigued me. 

And this is what I did to it.  I started out drawing with a grey tombow that I thought would diffuse but it didn’t. I never recovered from that error, especially in the center. I just couldn’t control it. Believe me I tried but I finally decided to quit. 

Back to normal stuff. Here’s a 10 X 8 coldpress watercolor painting of a view from the side of our cottage looking towards the lake. It was just a view that changes with the time of day and the sun. I thought that I might do a series using the same basic structure. Losing my muse. But I liked a lot of things in this painting. 

The next one is an 11 X 14 Yupo version of a flowering desert cactus. I’m trying to do more non-representative versions of things. 

You can tell it’s a cactus plant because of the spikes. I might not be done with this yet. 

The Artist and the Artist Ss10.10

The painting session at the Millennium Park Summer Fest during a preCovid era is about a young portrait painter who for a minimal fee painted another artist, Me!This artwork with a previously muddy background waited several years for its second session.Am glad, that I returned to it on October 10 & with maturity and discernment, I was able to focus on the sketch and showed the 2 painter and the model as minor characters. Happy Painting to All!

Last Year’s Garden

 Overdone,  chaotic….it is really kinda that way. 

Doctor’s office has art books. Turns out it’s not that easy to paint like Rothko 🙄.

This is in hot press sketchbook. This composition appeals to me. The people on the left are “in” the painting and the bench connects to the person on the right. 

October 10, 2026 — Elaine O.

Isn't this the cutest baby? I absolutely love that big happy smile. The small size really suits the subject—and this is painted on a coated panel so it can be displayed without framing. At any rate, I'm happy with it.

6" x 6"

I also made a small start on another painting, although you'll probably have to come back next week to actually see what's going on.

10" x 14"

second of 9 - Shoemakers Tower

the first of a set of 9 towers - Clock Tower, Sighișoara

Alone in Andersonville Ss10/03

This wet scenery reflects my lonely walk in an Andersonville Parade of happy people.Life goes on while one's heart is filled with loss and sorrow. This painting is an unfinished project where the background, middle ground and foreground were not defined before almost 5 years ago..Once I defined the walking person to the right as the focus I felt I have captured a feeling of connection to my personal transition. Old paintings when given new perspectives and different emotions could give the viewer a diary of surprises.Life is good one day at a time!

Uncertain Smile Ss926

My convention photo selfie is still on hiatus.

Cranking out the masterpieces.

I was lying in burned out basement

The enchanted forest

Who can find the upside down goose?

At last something that looks like something

Okay the thing is when you are driving across your landscape with your smallest dagger brush it just leaves a white path because it is pretty wet and everything washes out, but the further you go the drier the brush becomes and it begins bulldozing the paint debris in front of it, and because it is kind of sticky the hairs splay out so that each hair is separated and dragging its paint in behind it and the brush is leaving parallel lines behind it so you get a lacy pattern.  And I have always wondered if I could use that phenomena in my paintings someway where it came together.  I'll be in the lab probably until Halloween.

Here is a closeup because it doesn't show up well in the whole painting.

And look here another Renaissance Art Fair.  October 22, 10 to 4.  Discounts for old and new masters who drop by.

 

October 3, 2026 — Elaine O.

It's finished (with apologies to any architects out there)! Sure, the buildings feel a bit wobbly, but in my defense, it was early morning and I was barely awake. Plus, I was really interested in the sky and the light out back. And I'm happy with that.

10" x 14"

third time's a charm - though this is only my second try

hot pressed paper - still not used to it