July 21, 2018

First of all, get well wishes to Isa and congratulations to John—we miss you both! Today is our last day before summer break and we're in that "schools out for summer" mood. We start with Greeta's turtle, Stormy, from her cottage sketchbook. We had a few laughs over some Stormy stories.... and it just went on from there.

Back in the city, Greeta began this lovely cityscape. No people are around as the restaurant is closed, but we may see this revisited at night, when it's just as scenic, but busier.

Susan continues to revisit paintings. Here, she's added buildings and palm trees to the Petronas Twin Towers to better set the scene.

Steve finished this lovely Hawaiian landscape. Wouldn't you love to have this as the view from your balcony?

More seascapes from Alan. Here, he's finished his painting of watersports on the lake.

Not completely satisfied with the above, Alan also did this peaceful scene of kayakers on the Chicago river. Look closely at the beautiful colors and dappled shadows.

And it wouldn't be Alan without some Yupo! Here's the start of a colorful scene from his garden.

Marva took some heat for rushing us into autumn prematurely. But seriously, isn't this lovely? You can actually feel the crispness in the air.

Even our portraits have elements of nature in them. Sara is nearly finished with her final dual portrait, having added the background. This is one of her most successful birthday portraits and Baby Nora portraits—all in one!

Notice a theme? We revisit paintings, do studies, and carry sketchbooks. We've made a point of showing the coils on the sketchbooks, like Tony's below. While he's not completely happy with how this started, we love the character and the skilled modeling of facial planes.

Here are two pages from Elaine's sketchbook, showing exactly what can happen within our pages.  Sometimes the magic works .... and sometimes you get a "learning experience."  The sketch at right is unsalvagable as the paper has been abused beyond redemption.... but there's always another page!

Ken's eager to finish his mosaic tomato series and get started on the next series. And what a way to end with this disco ball of a background! Come back in fall to see what the next series will be—and for an invitation to an exhibition featuring the Mosaic Tomatoes.

 

Rabia is doing the three-way fruit exercise. From left to right, her mango is wet, a combination of techniques and dry. The effects are subtle but distinct. And we love the shadows.

Here's Rabia's final complementary color exercise. The background is so rich and deep—it looks like something the Hubble telescope might have taken.

More from Rabia as she explores nebulae and other sky effects. Look closely at the tree in the lower left, silhouetted against the magnificent sky.

Douad did these lovely florals. We love the brushy, spring-like flowers, the elegant use of complementary colors and shadows, and the interior still life. These newbies have impressed us every step of the way.

 Save the date! We know it's early, but we also know how quickly your calendar fills up. In September, Ken will have a show opening at Ten Cat. The exhibit will probably open September 8 and will feature Mosaic Tomatoes.  There will be an opening reception and you'll all be invited. Watch this space for details!

Our class schedule. For those of you who wondered when the next classes begin (perhaps you want to join us?), here's our schedule.

• September 8 — October 20, 2018
• October 27 — December 15, 2018 (off November 24)

For registration information—come on, you know you want to join us—visit Truman College Continuing Education.

 

And with that, we say goodbye and see you in September!