June 9, 2018

It's summer and we are back! To be honest, we got off to a bit of a wet start as we straggled in, wet and bedraggled. But for those of us who managed to brave the elements, we had a lot of fun. Ken's latest in the mosaic tomato series shows us what summer is all about. We all love the way the leaves glow against the sky, blossoms and pole. This is positively luminous.

 And then, Ken moves on to a closer view of the tomatoes. Here the blossoms will have turned into actual tomatoes. And notice the change to the mosaic style? Ken is modeling the leaves and stems before adding the "grout" lines. 

Bill is also celebrating the fruits of summer, although his are picked and ready for use in a wooden bowl. Bill is planning to revisit this still life, but we already see a lot we like in the soft highlights, the texture of the wood and the composition.

Many of us are doing doubles today. Here, Madeleine starts two paintings (keeping busy while one dries). Both share composition elements that draw us into the painting. That's because both of them are painted from the same place on the same boat. Only the lovely Mediterranean scenery changes.

Don't you love the view of sea and sky above? And the sun glinting on the wooden rail? Below, we are docked and looking at a village surrounded by lovely greenery. Come back to see them progress.

John is back and sketching two friends against the backdrop of a giant Buddha carved out of a cliff in Sichuan, China. The carving is huge and the site is a tourist attraction. John is planning to finish this in colored pencil and we're looking forward to seeing that.

Elaine has been experimenting with direct watercolor, in which you paint in watercolor without any underdrawing or sketch to guide you. Here, she's combined that technique with her "People I don't know" series. This is from a photo by noted street photographer Vivian Maier. While the painting doesn't look exactly like the subject, it's close enough that he could possibly be a relative.

Back to our "two" theme, Sara has added the final touches to her dual portrait of her son and his niece. Sara's not quite sure if she's finished, but we are blown away by the lovely colors and the story told by the wonderful hands.

Yes, it's time for Sara's annual birthday self-portrait. This is such a cool tradition, we think it should be mandatory for all artists. This time, Sara is smiling. And no wonder—she'll be adding her new granddaughter to this year's painting. Best prop ever!

Tony is also painting a self-portrait as part of his portrait series. He's using a water soluble marker that starts black and bleeds out to soft reds, greens and purples as he adds water. In the self-portrait below, Tony has added subtle bits of watercolor to the clothing.

And then, he worked on this portrait of a cousin. Notice how he's manipulated the color in the hair and face, while adding even more color with a background. We are especially intrigued by the contrast between the flat background and the very sculptural face planes.

We welcomed Alan back today. He's been on vacation, but he certainly hasn't been idle! Besides relaxing and enjoying the scenery, he took time to document the things he saw. And he even took an art class. Here is a performer he saw at a local bar. It's painted on Yupo, Alan's favorite support.

Even garbage bags look good on Yupo. Alan's added the colors but used Yupo to bring out the feel and texture of his subject. 

More Yupo! Alan is working on perspective... and succeeding! We especially like the tiles.

Moving back to watercolor paper, Alan painted this visitor center, complete with ornate metalwork and palm trees...

...and this building. Alan is bothered by a slight perspective flaw, but no one else noticed. We were too busy admiring the sunlight on the turret. More next week!

Meanwhile, if you're looking for something to do tomorrow, how about a concert... a free concert at that? Here are the details.

You're invited
 

You are cordially invited to a free concert by the DePaul Community Chorus (our very own Steve is a member). They are a 150-member chorus and present three free—yes, you read that right—concerts every year. Nuptial Bliss; Music for Weddings is on Sunday, June 10 at 3pm. This concert will be held at the DePaul Concert Hall (a lovely converted church) at Belden and Halsted. What better idea for a June concert?

Nuptial Bliss; Music for Weddings

Sunday, June 10, 2018, 3pm

DePaul Concert Hall
800 West Belden, Chicago

Click on the poster to learn more.