Welcome to summer in Chicago! Blistering heat, followed by torrential rain. You gotta love it! Fortunately, we're too busy painting and planning to be bothered. Yes, you heard us right! We are planning an actual exhibition for October. Scroll through all the beautiful paintings for the latest update on our upcoming show and how you can get involved. And keep coming back week after week! Consider this your official source for show news.
But first, the art (which is why we're all here, after all, isn't it?). Once again, we seem to be inspired by the same subjects. But watch how each artist has a unique personal take on the subject.
For instance, you know we love our trees and water. Today, we seem especially fascinated by weeping willows. Here Bill captures the graceful sweep of a grove of willows at the Chicago Botanical Garden. We love the depth he's achieved.
Madeleine has also used a weeping willow, but her single branch frames her Dutch landscape in the classic composition below. Her willow is sharper and crisper, too, as befits her lovely pen and wash style.
In a further exploration of the Netherlands, Madeleine finished the painting she started last week. All this practice has made her an expert in painting water, hasn't it? And don't these look like quintessential travel sketches? Maybe she should consider putting a book together documenting her trip.
More water; this time in Bruges. We absolutely love Bill's bridges, as viewed from the water. His painterly style makes this look like an impressionist oil painting. We are totally obsessed with the water, the brushwork and the masterful use of color.
Have you noticed our fascination with structure? Even Steve isn't immune to the lure of architecture. But he puts his personal spin on this street scene from Montevideo, Uruguay. The raked perspective draws our attention. The tropical colors and deep, warm shadows just make us happy.
John's Peruvian fantasy continues to evolve. The perspective on the building is classic and now he's adding even more of the detail he's known for. Look closely as the roadways begin to fill with people.
Perspective isn't just for buildings. Hector's Escher-like abstract has swirling perspective lines that pull us into a vortex. Then the cloudy color quadrants remind us of nothing so much as an inter-galactic game of Simon. What fun!
Ken uses the same strong look of tile lines in his painting of the mosaic on the front of the Ten Cat. Despite the natural flatness of the mosaic technique, isn't it interesting how 3D the billiard ball looks?
Mohammed's winter scene uses the same composition as Ken's (but flipped), and also features an animal, but there the similarity ends. His sponge technique gives his painting a soft texture and a depth that are quite different from Ken's hard glassy surface. Can't you smell the pine?
Same here! Marva is the master of foliage and texture and the landscape below is a prime example. The vast valley floor is full of all kinds and color of flora—and Marva has painstakingly detailed each one so ou can almost see what each tree or bush is.
We love our plants, don't we? From the vast vistas above, to the elegance of a single blossom (okay, there are actually two blossoms here). Isaac's white flower has all the delicacy and subtlety of a Japanese woodblock. The subtle background color is an inspired choice. And the branch adds the perfect touch of color and contrast.
Susan's miniature rose plant also features white blossoms, but what a different feel! Hers is an exuberant riot of color. Seems funny to say that about simple white roses, but look at the blossoms—and the leaves.
Abla's fireworks look like giant flowers exploding over the city. The bright neon colors are carefully placed in the reserved white. This just shouts summer nights in the city.
And what says summer better than baseball? We love Spring's action-packed painting of a baseball player as he slides home, saving his hot dog in the process. The colors perfectly convey the feel of the day and you can feel the movement in the clear summer sky.
Ah, summer! Elaine captures the feel of a picnic in the summer sun in this portrait. Like the painting above, there is a feel of movement and story to this. We sense the spontaneity of the subject's glance and can't help but wonder what's caught her attention.
What better time of year for the painting exercises than now, when there are so many beautiful summer fruits? Spring uses an orange for the famous 3-way fruit. Okay, she's only finished two of them, but we love the highlights and texture of the fruit and the rich variety of colors in the fruit and the shadows.
Lydia chose a nectarine for the giant fruit exercise. The colors and striations are spot on and we love the vantage point she's chosen, featuring the stem connection.
We will be off next week, but we'll be back the week after with more wonderful art. Meanwhile, here are some things for you to look forward to:
Art Exhibit. It's on! We'll be having an actual art exhibition! We don't have all the details yet, but we do know it will be in October and we know it will be at Truman College. As for the rest, we'll fill you in as we learn more. We have an incredible committee working on the show and things are moving fast. So watch this space. It's your official source for news.
How do you get involved?If you are interested in seeing fine art in person, mark your calendar and keep watching for details.
If you are interested in being part of the show or if you have questions, click here to email Hector. As head of our show committee, he'll be able to provide a prospectus and answer questions about details and scope. In your email, let him know:
- If you'd like to be part of the show. Include your name, spelled correctly.
- What you'd like to do to help. The committee can provide you with opportunities to be of service, or let us know what skills you have that we can use.
- Any questions you may have. Ask away about eligibility, timing.... anything!
