December 14, 2019

It's the last post of the year! Hasn't it gone quickly? We begin with our traditional "class photo," featuring those of us who were able to attend today.As you can see, we're all feeling festive (and not just because of the sweet table—thank you, Greeta and Sara!) and wishing you a very happy season.

Sara gets us off to a great start with her amaryllis. It's beautifully composed, with subtle colors framing the bright red flower.

But Sara's not finished with her series of views from her window. In contrast to the cool look above, this tree explodes with warm color.

In this painting reminiscent of a Christmas card, Alan framed his warm lakefront view with berries on branches.

He'll go back in to soften the berries and branches so they look more like this.

And, of course, since he's working on Yupo, Alan worked on this second landscape while waiting for the first to dry.

Greeta added this rainy fall Chicago scene to her "people" sketchbook...

... and added a few touches to this lovely portrait of her granddaughter. Don't you love her determined little personality? Now, she's all grown up and in college... but with the same determination.

Elaine T. is considering that as an object lesson as she paints her grandson. Before you know it, he'll be all grown up, too. But at least he'll have a collection of paintings documenting his growth, like this one... Baby's first leaf pile.

And lest you think we're only about the grandchildren, Elaine T. began this landscape from her recent vacation to Iceland. Again, the grey feel is very different than the bright leaves above.

Ken finished this moody alley, featuring garbage cans....

...before moving on to another alley. This time, Ken is particularly interested in the puddle at the bottom of the alley. 

Lots of us are into moody, atmospheric paintings today. Elaine O. added some final touches, blending out the texture in the background and, in the process, adding emphasis to the little figure.

Elaine O. began this sunny painting below. Yes, it's the member's lounge at the Art Institute and it's particularly relevant for us today. Read more at the end!

Susan painted this lovely painting of a couple at church. The sides are reminiscent of her tropical bamboo forests as well as stained glass. You'll notice it also features a parol (a Philippine Christmas lantern).... 

... and Susan brought in a sample of an actual Parol to show the group. Here, she's showing Santa and a classmate in a Christmas sweater.

Our newbies are on their graduation still life paintings. Isn't the background color incredibly rich on Veronica's? We also like the texture on the book.

For his still life, Habte set two fruits atop a patterned cloth. Yes, that is Thomas the Tank Engine. We love a contemporary bit of humor in our still lifes.

Habte also did this graphic still life...

... along with this portrait. Is there no genre these newbies can't handle?

Anna finished her "egg" exercise, carefully using negative painting to carve out her subject.

And here is Anna's still life, featuring a book and glass in complementary colors.

And Anna completed her hockey series, featuring her brothers. Here's a small vignetted version...

... a larger, action-packed version....

And a monochromatic version, where she's added herself to the painting (that's Anna on the lower left).

We'll be away until mid-January for the holiday break. We thank you for dropping by and supporting us all year and we look forward to a happy, healthy and colorful 2020.

 

Upcoming Events/Announcements

Improv Performance.  In the mood for some fun or a break from your Christmas shopping? Drop by Harold Washington in downtown Chicago for an Improv Show. It will feature our own Ken and Elaine O. and it's free! What more can you ask for?

      Where:
      Harold Washington Library

      Video Theater, Lower Level 

      400 S. State Street, Chicago, IL

     When:
     Tuesday, December 17, 1:00–2:00pm


Free City College Admission to Art Institute. Meanwhile, if you're in the mood for some art, drop by the Art Institute. You may see one of us there as the City Colleges of Chicago are partnering with the Art Institute of Chicago, and admission is now free for all City Colleges students. All you need to enter free of charge is a valid City College ID.

Watercolor Painting Class. Interested in joining us next term? You know you do! Our next classes start January 18 from 9am to 12 pm on Saturday mornings. Zoom in on the flyer for more information or, to register:

• Call 773-907-4440
• Come to Room 162
• E-mail lsmith3@ccc.edu 

December 7, 2019

Happy December! It's a great time to be indoors.... at the Art Institute, for instance. Greeta continues her series exploring Art Institute exhibitions and the visitors. This is the Andy Warhol exhibition and her painting is on gessoed canvas.

Greeta also continues her series of people with another retro view of this gent from Six Corners. You've seen him before waiting for a bus.

And  this lovely little floral is on Khadi paper, a handmade paper from India. We're enamored of the deckle edges and cropped this wide enough to show them to you.

With winter on the way, Sara painted this look at trees in warmer weather. This is part of a series where Sara looks out her window...

... and the paintings are especially sized to fit existing frames. Here's one she already finished and framed. It's got a wonderful vintage vibe—and she has 5 or 6 more frames to fill!

Alan is also reminiscing about summer in this painting of the purple martin village at Montrose Harbor.

In the same warm-weather mode, Alan began this painting of a view of the lake, seen through a veil of berry branches. Both of these are on Yupo, so he's painting the background and wiping away the parts he needs for the foreground berries.

Here's another Yupo painting of dancers at a street festival. It has a flat, modern look with vibrant blocks of color.

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Elaine T. is working on this colorful portrait of her grandson enjoying the autumn leaves. It really captures the feel of the season!

In contrast, Elaine T. is testing colors for paintings of her recent Iceland trip. It was autumn and overcast, so all the colors were subtly grayed (unlike the bright leaves above). Just looking at her color swatches gives us a feel of the scenery, doesn't it?

Elaine O. finished her moody painting of this little fireman, spotlighted as he returns from a fun night of trick-or-treating.

Ken also finished his moody painting of a Chicago alley on an autumn night.

This is one of four paintings he did from a single reference photo, with each being a quadrant. Here are Ken's four paintings. While we're showing them together, each is a stand-alone painting.

Not quite finished with his look at Chicago alleys, Ken began this painting, featuring perspective and garbage bins, highlighted in a dark alley.

You know we're looking forward to Christmas, as well as looking back at summer and fall. Susan finished her painting of a group of women making Parols (Philippine Christmas lanterns).

Our newbies are zipping through the exercises. Habte did not one, but two of the egg exercises. 

Also notice how he's done not one, but three eggs, and added a soft background.

Today's exercise is two fruits or vegetables. We love Habte's composition, shadows, and background.

Veronica painted this giant fruit, successfully capturing the color and striations of her apple.

This is Veronica's two fruits/vegetables. Her composition describes a relationship between the green fruits.

And this is Veronica's finished painting of her cute little bluebird, ready for winter. Notice the skilled use of complementary colors, both on the bird and the branches in the background.

Anand did this lovely vignette of an apple and some grapes—and we're showing the model as well as the actual painting.

Anna finished her painting of two fruits (yes, it's the apple and grapes from above, but seen from a different vantage point)...

...before doing a fabric study. The colors and shadows are beautiful and, even though the fabric color is the same as the apple, the feel of the objects is distinctly different.

Anna did one more version of the hockey players. This time, she's softened the edges for a dreamy look, suitable for a memory.

Upcoming Events

Improv Performance.  In the mood for some fun or a break from your Christmas shopping? Drop by Harold Washington in downtown Chicago for an Improv Show. It will feature our own Ken and Elaine O. and it's free! What more can you ask for?

      Where:
      Harold Washington Library

      Video Theater, Lower Level 

      400 S. State Street, Chicago, IL

     When:
     Tuesday, December 17, 1:00–2:00pm