January 26, 2013

Hello! It's Caturday...okay, you had to be there and to see Ken's t-shirt.

Anyway, we finally broke our snowless record. With 1.1" of snow yesterday, our string of freakishly mild winter weather is over. So we can all relax and get back to normal....like painting!

We had a fun class today, full of free advice and great paintings. Unfortunately, some of our newbies didn't stop to get still photos of their masterpieces. So you'll just have to view the video to see the plaids and color wheels. And doesn't it make a difference when you start with different triads?

As for the rest of us, we start with some incredibly rich abstracts and move on to a relaxing Sunday morning curled up with the cat. Beyond that, we're fascinated with people (kids, friends and ourselves in different ages and places). Not to mention that we're definitely ready for spring! Did you notice the tulips and wreath of roses? Oh, and don't worry—the swimmer emerging from the surf doesn't have jaundice or some strange skin disease. It's just masking fluid, a fluid rubber cement-like substance designed to reserve white paper. It'll come off next week...watch and see!

Put a note on your calendar to join us next week. We're having a guest speaker....the ever-popular Johannah Silva from Winsor & Newton's Artist Outreach Program. She was a huge hit last year when she discussed cochineal beetles, cow urine and so much more. Needless to say, we're really eager to see her again. You too...see you next week!

January 19, 2013

We're back!!!

Seems like forever, doesn't it? Well, maybe not; a number of us met up for our Changing-of-the-Seasons Sketching Party. This one may have been a little late and not quite as "plein air" as the other seasons, but there was no lack of subject matter or merriment.

Meanwhile, back to painting! We got off to a slow start, what with the requisite catching up and the room feeling like a sauna. But when we finally got down to business, we sure remembered how to work those brushes.

We start with our famous plaids (both Ken and the newbies) and seque into flowers, fruits, nuts and people. Ah, it's good to be back!

 



 

Wait, there's more—contests! We all buy art supplies (these masterpieces don't just paint themselves, after all LOL). And now, two of our favorite purveyors of fine supplies are running contests.

 

Please enter....or encourage your favorite artist to enter. They're both free. First, Blick in downtown Chicago is looking for art around the theme of "Dreams." The deadline is February 1, so there's not a lot of time to waste! See details in the flyer below.

 

And Daniel Smith is running their 11th Annual Customer Art Contest. This one runs continuously through May with weekly and monthly winners. So it's never too late to enter. Follow this link to enter (or vote). And even if you don't plan to do either, follow the link anyway—there's some fascinating reading there.

 

See you next week!