October 13, 2012

Nearly half our class was awol today! Probably because it was gray and rainy—the downside to autumn. Still, it was warm and happy inside. Our paintings leaned towards things of nature and bright splashes of color. There were beach and camping scenes, trees and animals—and even a flash of skin as Janet and Vivian painted hands and feet.

We also missed Susan today. She took a nasty fall and had to call in sick. We all send best wishes for a speedy recovery and eagerly await her return. We're looking forward to her paintings of her accident and recuperation. Hurry back!

And now, scroll through and see what we've been up to. Then, read on for another cautionary tale about one of our techniques. Vote for Elaine O. in the Daniel Smith art contest! And see you next week.

And what is it with Masking? Seems like it should be the easiest of all the techniques, shouldn't it?  We've all done it. Yet two weeks ago, Ellen learned the hard way that masking fluid expires. Old gummy fluid won't lift. Today, Elaine O. had no trouble removing her mask—check the last painting above to see more. All the white spots are removed masking fluid. So far, so good. But as you'll see in the white blob near the top, it's wise to wait for the paint to dry before trying to remove the fluid. Otherwise, you'll wipe away the paint and smear over the reserved paper. The "Pier 23" hasn't been removed yet. Tune in next week for the grand reveal.

Vote for me!  Meanwhile, Elaine O. is still the only painter who has a painting in the Daniel Smith Customer Art Contest so far. Please continue to vote for her painting until we add more.

 

Here's how to do it. Click here to get to the voting site. Voting Gallery Link  Search for "elaine" or "osborne" or "lawyer" or "bob." The painting below (Lawyer Bob vacations in the North Woods) is the one you want to vote for—unless you see one you like better, of course. Vote daily. It's perfectly legal; this is Chicago! But remember, you only get one vote every 24 hours. We'll have other artists submitting works in the weeks to come, so watch for suggestions.

 

Lawyer Bob vacations in the North Woods

See you next week!