In case you missed it, here's Ken's annual Christmas Card. It's in a new style he's been experimenting with—a stained glass/mosaic look. And during the break, he started a mosaic class. We saw (and loved) his first piece, but unfortunately, we don't have a photo.
Vivian is also painting a tree, but it's going to be very different than Ken's extravaganza of color and pattern. This is a lone red leaf clinging to a Japanese Maple in a snowstorm. It's going to be spare and minimal and beautiful. Come back to see how this progresses.
Rosemary is back in her first term as a newly advanced master and she too is painting trees in this sweet little landscape.
Elaine is painting buildings too, but hers is a far cry from the little cottage above. This is the Bahai Temple in Wilmette, Illinois. It's the only Bahai temple in North America and it's magnificent. And speaking of churches, keep reading for an invite to a sketching party.
Tony began painting a white building against a blue sky, too. But look at the difference! Feel the warmth of the summer sky, contrasted with the crisp fall sky above.
Besides trees and houses, we're drawn to portraiture. And not just single portraits—we're trending towards multiple subjects. Not just any subjects, though. These are people we know and love; they have to be done right! So here's how it's done: studies. Tony begins with a study of himself and his wife.
Moving to watercolor paper, he does another study. This time, the colors are more vibrant and the contrast is heightened.
Sara is also beginning a study of her husband and son. Even early on, she's skillfully modeling the faces and getting a definite likeness.
Another duet portrait from Ellen. These are flower girls in tulle skirts. She's using a limited palette on this difficult subject but it already looks incredible, doesn't it?
Not to be outdone, Ken one-ups everyone with three subjects. In this, his newest series, he is revisiting all his greatest hits from prior series. These are the famed "puddle girls." No, you can't see the puddle they are standing in, but we see that Pat has influenced the girls' fashions.
And who can forget the morning glories? These echo the color of the middle girl's dress and look good any way you look at them.
What's a Ken retrospective without a cat? Zoom in to see how richly textured she is!
Speaking of texture, we love the hair on this painting as Ken revisits his series of women, based on Julia Cameron photos.
One more portrait—this one is a self-portrait by Melissa, our newest student. This is a wonderfully expressive and very quickly done. Fast and good—here's someone to watch!
We mentioned how quickly Melissa did her self-portrait.... she also did one of the famous beginner plaids.
You're invited to the Winter Open Sketch at St. Gregory
It's the winter open sketch on Saturday, January 30. St. Gregory the Great Church will be open from noon–3pm for open sketching, painting and photography. This is a great opportunity to see an architectural treasure, so bring your cameras, sketch pads, pens and pencils. Joe, the event organizer, will be on hand to answer questions (and he really knows his stuff!).
Where:
St. Gregory the Great Church
5545 N. Paulina
Church entrance is on the corner of Gregory and Paulina;
one block west of Ashland and one block south of Bryn Mawr
When:
Saturday, January 30
12:00–3:00pm
No comments:
Post a Comment