September 28, 2019

Today we're all about art. We create art, of course; but we are also inspired by art of all kinds as you'll see below. What better way to begin than with Elaine T.'s painting of one of her palettes. This quintessentially watercolor painting pays tribute to the tools of our artistic trade. Look closely and you'll see this is the palette of bright colors she used in her Colorful Animals Postcard series.

Greeta finished her last painting in the Day With Manet series.... 

... but she was having far too much fun to stop. Here's a peek into Greeta's sketchbook to see her next studies and color swatches for this series. 

And here is Greeta's painting. Again, the modern viewer and Manet's sitter are coordinated, relying on soft textures to link them without overwhelming. The painting is not finished, but it's easy to see why Greeta isn't quite ready to end this series. We're happy to see this one continue, too!

Elaine O. finished her beach baby painting. We appreciate how the background is kept simple to keep the focus on the happy baby and her lovely sundress.

We mentioned how we were all about art this week. Here's an example of art inspiring art! Elaine O. borrowed one of Ken's black and white photos from Julia Cameron's photography book and painted the portrait below. So, this portrait was inspired by another type of art—a photograph, as well as by Ken's series of portraits. All three are very different, but they are connected by inspiration.

Susan's painting below was inspired by a concert featuring music by Beethoven. She wanted to convey the way the music made her feel and by the atmosphere surrounding the musicians. Notice the early autumn light streaming through the stained glass window and illuminating the subjects.

More inspiration from other fields of art. Alan's birdhouse series celebrates architecture, albeit on a small scale! This little gem is on Yupo and has been sealed with a gloss coat (sorry for the glare in the lower right corner!). Notice how the textures of the building materials describe the birdhouse and its surroundings.

This uniquely shaped birdhouse is perfectly framed on a tall, thin page. We also love the colors and applaud Alan's decision to change the color of the background shingles to better highlight his subject.

This is another series by Alan, also about architecture. Here we see the top of a building peeking out through the treeline. It's not finished, but you'll want to return to see how it comes out.

More architecture.... this time, of the urban variety. Ken is beginning a view down a Chicago alley. We already like the overhead metal roof and the buildings illuminated by garage lights below. You'll definitely want to return to see how this turns out. Based on the study, we're sure it'll be a wonderful series.

Masterpiece Series

And now, the latest installment in our new feature, Masterpiece Series. Each week, we focus on one artist, showing a series they have done.... either in a row or over time. Today's artist is Ken and this is his Stripes series.What's the backstory? Ken was painting a series to honor his two new cats, Buddy and Sweetie, and added stripes to one of the backgrounds. He had so much fun, he was inspired to do a whole series featuring stripes...

... and stripes in two dimensions, aka Plaids....

Some of them looked like dreamy landscapes....

...and some were explorations of particular colors like green....

... culminating in Ken's favorite of the series.

And, while we're at it, here are some of Ken's earliest works in watercolor, dating back 30 years! Isn't it interesting how you can see a distinct "Ken" style right from the beginning? It's in his choice of subjects, his use of color and the way he applies paint.

Moving Sale. There's still time if you're interested in a great moving sale. Steve will be selling lots of fine household and garden wares (and much more) over the weekends below, weather permitting. Hope to see you there!

September 21, 2019

It seems like those of us who were on vacation last week are back.... and last week's painters are vacationing. But we still have a lot of lovely watercolors for you, along with a new Masterpiece Series, updates and a moving sale announcement. It'll definitely be worth your while to read through to the end. We begin with a floral by Isa. For this lovely iris, she uses a carefully chosen, but minimal, palette and relies on texture to describe the petals and leaves. She's composed this judiciously and it feels soft and monumental at the same time. Read on for an update on Isa's paintings from the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab fundraiser.

Like the flowers of summer, the Manet exhibit is leaving the Art Institute. Greeta is working on another painting in her series of art-lovers viewing the exhibition. Interestingly, the exhibit focuses on his later work, which features fashionable women, florals and still life paintings. Greeta paints the Manet painting, as well as modern-day admirers looking at the painting. This is a great series, as you'll see if you read through. Yes, Greeta is the featured artist in today's Masterpiece Series.

In another last grasp at summer, Elaine O. begins the final painting (after a number of studies). This adorable baby is enjoying the beach, dressed  in a very fashionable sundress. Come back next time to see the final painting... or close to it!

Yes, that's a baby's onesie you see. It's the lastest in Alan's series of birdhouse paintings. It's a onesie sewn shut to serve as a clothespin holder and it's hanging below the actual birdhouse. The birds have bypassed the purpose-built birdhouse, though, to make their nest in the onesie...which explains the hairy-chested baby vibe you are getting.

From there, Alan moves on to another birdhouse, this time on Yupo. We love the texture he's managed to achieve on this slick, plastic paper.

Ken's moved on from portraits to what we hope will be a new cityscape series. This is a small study of a Chicago alley. Already, we're big fans of the atmosphere and the gritty urban textures. Come back to see more!

Susan's painting is all about movement and color and music. In the foreground, we see three sisters dancing at a church dance. We sense the color and excitement from the disco lights reflecting on the floor and dancers, the lights shining through the windows, and the joyous couples dancing in the background.

What's watercolor without color? In one of our most valuable exercises, Diana finished her color wheel. Look at the range she's gotten using tints, shades, tones and hues. 

 Masterpiece Series

Here's the latest installment in our new feature. Each week, we focus on one artist, showing a series they have done.... either in a row or over the course of years (like annual birthday self-portraits). Today's artist is Greeta and the series is called A Day With Manet. Greeta went to the Manet exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago and painted a number of art lovers interacting with the Manet paintings. Her inspiration was a painting she did of Michelle Obama's portrait in the Smithsonian and a young admirer. We present this series in the order Greeta painted them and we urge you to notice how much personality she's imbued in characters we only see from the back. Also, look at the frames, the Manet paintings and how she's shown a connection between each viewer and the painting on view.

 

And this is the latest in the series—the one Greeta is working on today.

Plus, each of the paintings above has a color/value study in Greeta's sketchbook.

This series is a great learning experience. It documents a memorable exhibition, but, more importantly, speaks to the enduring appeal of art and how it still engages people years later. And notice that these are actual, individual people. They have movement and life. We see them reaching, thinking and balancing. We feel we know them.

Updates and Announcements

Art Exhibit/Fundraiser Update. As you know, Isa was one of the featured artists at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab fundraiser. Here is a shot of her spread in the catalog, with all five of the paintings she had on show. We're very excited to announce that Isa sold all five of her paintings to local collectors. Congratulations, Isa!

 

 

Moving Sale. If you're interested in a great moving sale, we encourage you to attend this one. Steve will be selling lots of fine household and garden wares (and much more) over the weekends below, weather permitting. Hope to see you there!

 

See you next week!

September 14, 2019

Some of us were away, getting in the last bits of summer vacation. But for those of us in town, it was a delightful and productive day. Elaine T. finished her exquisite portrait of her mother, waiting until the very end to add the face (it was a nail-biter). Fortunately, the face was as perfect as the rest of the painting. Look closely and admire the lovely textures everywhere—the filmy curtains and flowered drapes, the lush carpet, plush damask chair and satin gown. Also notice how well Elaine describes atmosphere. You sense her regal serenity and know that this is a quintessential '40's scene. All in all, another masterpiece! Speaking of which.... keep reading to the end for our newest feature, Masterpiece Series.

Equally imposing is Ken's latest in his series of portraits based on Julia Cameron's photography. He's strengthened the background and worked on the dress. He's also worked on her eyes to better indicate that they are closed. Don't you love the rich deep colors?

Susan is also painting an atmospheric portrait. Here's she's framed the girl in the yellow scarf with the "angel" tree and its shadow. The girl is mourning the death of her mother and we feel the tree protecting her. Actually, it's the tree that is the subject of this painting and it's beautifully done.

And now for something completely different. Sara intended to paint this child on the beach with the same high contrast and bright colors as the paintings above—going for the feel of bright sun on a beach. Instead, she's done this sweet little painting. It feels like an impressionist painting with some of the loveliest, most delicate color blends. Zoom in and see for yourself.

Yes, it's another "baby on the beach." Elaine O. finished her study from last week and did three more quick ones to finalize color choices and to fine-tune the background. If you're wondering, she's going to start the actual painting using the skin colors and background in the small bottom study. The background is bluer, lighter and less contrasty, keeping the focus on the baby's face.

Diana crammed a lot of painting into one session. She begins with her official "plaid"...

...before doing some color matching (top below) and moving on to the basic color wheel (bottom below). She's done her wheel colors in a grid, but those are definitely the colors, all derived from the primary three.

And then Diana begins her big color wheel (with tints, tones and shades). Come back and see it finished. These are very valuable.

 Finally, we put on our magic glitter slippers to take us to our latest feature.  Actually, these are Pat's shoes, but they work beautifully to move us to....

 Masterpiece Series

We promised a new feature and this is it! We're going to feature one artist each week, showing a series they have done.... either in a row or over the course of years (like Sara's annual self-portraits). Today's artist is Elaine T. who spotlighted three subjects she has returned to over many years. Unfortunately, we have a slight problem—we forgot to take photos of the paintings we enjoyed. So we'll start with the ones we have and hope we can get photos later.

First up, the Kiddieland series. We don't have all of them here, but she's painted the carousel horses, the sign itself (the actual painting is much cooler than this. We'll post it, we promise!), bumper cars, rockets and more. These paintings are full of joyful color and exuberant brushwork and make us all smile when we see them. They capture the essence of the Kiddieland experience for those of us lucky enough to remember.

Elaine T. also keeps returning to nature. She's an avid camper and has spent many a day at the Kohler Andrae Park. She's drawn to trees and stumps, as you can see. These are particularly well observed and are distinct portraits of a particular stump over time, whether a monochromatic value study or a full painting. Over the years, you can watch them break down and decay.

In this series are also some beachfront paintings with waves washing ashore. We hope to present them too, in the future. And we'd also like to present the last series, featuring a painting of a Nazi Zombie from the movie Dead Snow. It's an intriguing portrait, painted with skill and humor. We don't know what to call the series, but it's also a theme Elaine T. returns to again and again—offbeat pop culture.

Over all the series, we notice a common thread. Elaine T. is an incredible painter, no doubt, but a signature feature is her ability to imbue even the most mundane subject with a sense of time, place and atmosphere. You know exactly where you are and you sense something is about to happen. You feel the atmosphere of the place. This is a rare and wonderful skill.

We'll alert you if/when we get more pictures. You'll want to see them, we promise!