November 10, 2012

No question about the theme of the day—it was color, pure and simple! We must have been inspired by the colors of the season (either that or Pat's shoes!), but every painting was more exuberant and brilliant than the next. Even the softer, subtler paintings were full of color. Just look and see. The first two are reference photos (Pat's golden shoes and the golden leaves of the season), but the rest are all us!

And keep going for an interesting art question and an invitation to a not-to-be-missed concert.

Here's an interesting question. How do you know when a painting is finished? We're going to ask our artists this question in coming weeks, but for now, we'll look at Sara's painting of her aunt. It's finished! How did she know? Everyone told her. But how did we know? It's soft and colorful and much more exquisitely beautiful in person than this picture conveys. It captures the feeling of the reference photo and it evokes a feeling of nostalgia. We feel we actually know this woman. There's nothing that can be added with another brushstroke. It's finished...or it could be, anyway! Tune in next week to see what Sara decides.

Music for Peace concert. If you have some spare time next Sunday afternoon, you can't make better use of it than by attending the DePaul Community Chorus's concert Music for Peace. Here are the details:

What: Music for Peace concert
When: Sunday, November 18, 2012, at 3pm
Where: DePaul Concert Hall, 800 West Belden, Chicago

And if you need any more reason to attend, it's absolutely free and features our own Steve M! Can't ask for a better deal than that. See you there—but get there early. Seats fill up fast.

See you next week!

November 3, 2012

Gotta love watercolor—it's family fun for everyone! As today's newest student goes to show. We've had all kinds of family combos before—brother/sister, husband/wife—but today marks our first father/daughter pair. And judging by their work, this is a team to watch! We lead off with Janet's apple, followed closely by John's color wheel.

In fact, our entire crop of newbies are people you should watch. Not even two full classes under their belt and they're already producing sparkling plaids and exploding color wheels like Edyta's and rich, expressionistic trees like Robert's. Definitely raising the bar for the old masters!

Fortunately, if you follow along, the old masters still seem to be holding their own. Scroll down and see—from the jewel-like scenery, psychedelic colors, sparkling waters, personable animals and produce that's good enough to eat, to the peace and relaxation of a Sunday morning.

Don't stop there--keep going to see another take on a popular technique, brush painting. And did you remember to set your DVRs for 190 North? If you did, you'll have seen our very own Elaine T! Sure, she was disguised as a criminologist, but we all recognized her (she was the very first actor shown from the Rocky Horror cast). Yay!

 

 

 

A masterpiece doesn't just paint itself! To illustrate, look at the two images above. Vivian's researching and doing studies to best capture the lazy Sunday morning feeling she's aiming for. We love the relaxed foot and the sleeping cat, but she's looking for the right rug texture for balance. Notice how she's cut out the part she likes and is testing that against photos and sketches and paintings until she gets the perfect contrast. Follow along and see where the journey leads!

Brush sketching—You've seen brush sketching before. Susan does it; Mark does it; Robert does it, too. Usually, it results in vigorous, energetic, expressionistic paintings. But look at how Marva handles her brush. The birches are soft and dreamlike; we're seeing them through snowfall. Same technique, but what a different feeling!

Happy painting! See you next week.

October 27, 2012

It's the start of a new term and we welcome two new students. We're also excited to welcome back Steve and Greeta, who are definitely not fair-weather friends! You'll notice they pay a final tribute to summer with summer produce and sunsets.

As for the rest of us, we seemed to paint in themes once again. As you might have guessed, the crisp fall weather turned our thoughts to plaids. From newbie Robert to grand master Ken, the word of the day was "plaid." Even Pat's pants were a lovely plaid. Strangely enough, we also seem obsessed with shoes—see our paintings ranging from Susan's study of her "bad shoes" through Mark's work boots to Vivian, who's just kicked off her shoes and is oh-so-relaxed. From there, we move to nature and the animal kingdom (Sara's annual self-portrait, Robert's ever-evolving critters and Patricia's nod to current events in Aurora) before lifting our eyes to higher things, like Elaine O's church facade.

Don't forget to scroll all the way to the end. We have invitations to shows, a save-the-date for your DVR and a call to vote.

 

 

You're invited! Halloween is coming and what better way to celebrate than a viewing of a classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Join Elaine T and the cast of Midnight Madness for three late night shows at the Music Box Theater. They also have a midnight show on Friday, Nov. 2 at the Des Plaines Theater. They've been doing the show for 25 whole years so you know it's got to be good! In fact, the ABC program 190 North will be profiling the cast.

For more information about the shows, see the poster below or go to www.midnightmadness.org. For more information about the TV show, keep scrolling to the next section.



Save the date. Set your DVRs now! The ABC program 190 North will have a spot showing Elaine T and the cast of Midnight Madness. Tune in on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 11pm (Channel 7).

Vote!  Vote in the presidental elections, of course. We can't stress enough how important it is to exercise your right to vote. And while you're in the voting spirit, head on over to the Daniel Smith Customer Art Contest and vote for Elaine O. Click here—Voting Gallery Link  and search for "elaine" or "osborne" or "lawyer" or "bob." When you find the painting below (Lawyer Bob vacations in the North Woods), cast your vote. Vote daily—it's perfectly legal in Chicago!

Lawyer Bob vacations in the North Woods

Happy painting and see you next week!