The TITAS Went Shopping

 Today's painting is inspired by a photo about 6 cousins, 2 sets of sisters who went on a reunion outing  to a B&B for 3 days in a beach resort west of Manila. Due to the intense March tropical heat, the Titas were unable to go to the beach which is 20 minutes away by walking. They visited a nearby shrine and then shopped at the retail outlets. The painting showed the exhausted ladies in repose at the big bed while the huge windows air conditioned the bedroom with tropical breezes! The Titas grew up together & their relaxed abandoned positions signify their comfort levels and the love they shared with each other. Sidebar: the term "Tita" in the Philippines is a title of respect for middle aged women, no longer young to be called "Miss" & not old enough to be considered a "Grandma"!

Chubby new fish 2

The big fish, actually. the closest fish, is just about done.  I added his brothers and sisters in the distnce so I wouldn't have to paint so much damn water.

 

 

Hello everybody.  Trying to get our lives back.  Thought that this might be a part of the way back.

Continuing on with my drink series.  I decided that a gentleman should know how to make a good cocktail, so I've been making several different ones and painting some of them.

This is a Ruby Red Grapefruit Cosmo.  Watercolor on 140 paper.

Our neighbor in Michigan attached a slide to his raft.  I thought it was an interesting composition.  Watercolor on 140.

I painted this view of the lake in the early fall on stretched canvas after applying a coat of Gesso.

A friend of mine grows lilies in a pond in his backyard.  I thought that it would make a good Yupo painting.

I'll get some paintings from Greeta to sent on my next post.

We are loving all your work.

October 31, 2020—Elaine O.

Happy Halloween! I was planning to do a self-portrait in my Halloween mask (it's just a black Covid mask with an orange pumpkin on it), but I didn't get to that. Maybe I'll do it next week.... before I have to retire the mask for the season. Instead, I did a sketch of the view from my brother's window, experimenting with watercolor pencils...

3.5" x 5.5"

...before sketching and starting the actual painting in actual watercolor paints. This is really a much nicer view than appears here. We're looking over Lincoln Park toward downtown Chicago. To the left is the lake and a few boats in the boatyard.  While it's a view from a window like Sara's, I didn't include the frame as it's one of those modern Mies buildings with thin, unobtrusive frames around a window wall.

Chicago, View from Bobby's Window        9"x12"

Sara’s Slow Week

 I did one more window painting, a little different than the others. It’s 6 x9.

Then I took a page from Elaine’s book and tried copying Whistler’s wonderful watercolor portrait “Millie Finch.” My drawing does better justice than my painting but it is an interesting process to study another painting close enough to copy it. For example, I’m not sure what is happening to the right of Millie. While she’s busy posing is her friend struggling to get out of her tight corset? Or is she a bride engulfed by her lengthy veil and is Millie the maid of honor and supposed to be helping her instead of looking sultry for the artist? I had a great time inventing scenarios....these are 9 x 12, as is the original I think. 

Finally I got down to business and started this portrait of Quinn today. It’s 12 x 12.i like how it’s going, but need to resolve all those Phantom digits in the foreground....

Almost Famous: Quarantine Couple!

 Today's painting is a happy memory of a garden visit in Manila. Fast forward: my husband & I endured 3 days quarantine at Advocate 4 days after 6 hour layover at Incheon airport, South Korea on the way from Philippines to Chicago. While on treatment for his pneumonia, the ICU nurse teased us that Tony would be famous as patient #7 in Illinois  if found positive for the virus. We wailed we did not want to be famous! The quarantine stay was one of the traumatic moments of my life that in order to survive the stress I thought of recent memories that made me happy & safe. This garden visit in Manila with close friends is one of these lovely events pre pandemic, no morbid thoughts of dying, no distress in breathing! We survived the quarantine!!This too shall pass!!

Elaine O. — October 24, 2020

I finished the Alley Bouquet. Who knew morning glories could be so hard? Between the color matching and the blending, I spent an entire morning trying to get them right. I think it captures my intention. I was originally attracted by the sunlight and the glowing color on the one flower; then, the more I looked, the more I noticed the overall composition and the variety of all the different weeds.

Alley Bouquet    9"x12"

I was in an interesting Zoom walkthrough of the Monet exhibit this week. It was more of a runthrough, but they do give you links to their digital library, where you can zoom in and examine as closely as you want. The Zoom video is accessible on the Art Institute's You Tube channel. It's full of fascinating videos.... and as a bonus, you'll get recommendations for other exhibition walkthroughs for days to come. That and the rainy gray weather inspired this next painting.

Michigan Avenue, Looking South       9"x12"

Chubby new fish

 Just made the tiles of the water more defined.  

Just two days into this guy.  Expanding from the eye but otherwise no hard plans.

Sara’s Feelin’ Sketchy...

Here’s my last onsite Door County sketch, 6.5 x 9

Here’s my last view from the window sketch for a while, 6x9. I’ve lost interest in the format, plus  today’s wind is getting rid of a lot of leaves.

Here are today’s figs, 3.5 x 5.5.

Here’s a Quinn sketch on tracing paper, 12x12. I’m thinking of maybe a color pencil portrait...

And here’s my pencil sketch and freehand watercolor portrait, both 9x12. I was working from a tiny wedding photo booth photo, thus the goofy hat. I find I approach the watercolor like I do the pencil sketch, getting the shape of the face and features in place and lined up, which gives it a stilted look, imo. I’m trying to see the shapes instead, but that is really hard with faces. I mean, an eye is an eye is an eye, if you know what I mean....

I’ve been lying low with a back spasm the last couple of days,  so here’s a couple of good Netflix movie suggestions: Dick Johnson Is Dead, a documentary, and Forty year old Version, an autobiopic. Both involve art and are funny and sad, just like life...

 

Elaine O. — October 17, 2020

I'm still working away on the Alley Bouquet. I wanted to focus on the details of  all the different kinds of weeds, along with the burst of color in the morning glory, but keep it all soft focus so it looks like a romantic bouquet at the same time. 

Alley Bouquet    9"x12"

I haven't done a lot in my sketchbook either, except for the finished front door (and address), seen below on a sunny afternoon...

...and this direct watercolor portrait (from a B&W magazine photo).

Four Chefs & One Dishwasher

 Today's painting is a Foursome of Women happily preparing for lunch in my friend's kitchen in Manila, one February morning after breakfast. My husband took the kitchen snapshot with a bonus of the mirror reflection of another husband quietly

washing the breakfast dishes. To immortalize early  presidential voting of pandemic 2020, I included the statement of "I voted" in 10 languages in the background as if the guy in the mirror voted already!The pencil sketch of this scenario was done on September 21,  2020. I hope this painting conveyed the warmth of women bonding at the kitchen & also a reminder to vote early!

new fish 2

 I think this fellow is almost done, maybe the water needs a bit more punch. 

A new fish

 I'm using a lot of watercolor pencil on this one to give it more texture,  

Sara’s Fall Journey

 Here’s a couple of screened-in porch studies from Door County, Wisconsin, where we are for a few days. But my colors pale next to the real deal. It is beautiful up here. 

Elaine O.—October 10, 2020

Not much to show today! I gessoed an old canvas or two. While I waited for them to dry, I sketched the morning glory weed patch from the alley and dropped a few background colors in. As you can see, not much to show.

9"x12"

Aside from that, I finally finished the address numbers on the front door, taking time to do a test run on the garage first...

...made some holiday masks....

...and a t-shirt.

And that's my week. See you soon.

Good Morning Feet in Color

 Good Morning Feet is the watercolor version of my prior pencil sketch. This is how my husband & I gr

eet the day to check for fluid retention in lower extremities! My background is a rising sun of a dark blue wavy sky with an additional foreground of a turquoise sea water, a more romantic accessory to red shorts, purple leggings & green dress. I enjoyed the emphasis on the negative shapes. By the way, this painting works on an Inverted Style! It was fun! I was done at Saturday 3 p.m. Happy Painting to all!

Three Faces of Sun

 Today, I painted 3 passages of my life at 3 different parts of my universe:

(first at left ) A 60 plus year old watercolor artist at an Art Exhibit at Chicago Cultural Center (center) A 17 year old accounting student in Manila (right) A 3 year old who enjoyed colorful bags & socks in my hometown! As background, I painted a night of starry night, a sky of blue & orange & a dawn of a new day to complement the ages of each figure.When my family commented " does not look like!", I felt relieved that I did not have to paint a realistic likeness. Since the inspiration is a yellow selfie of the artist Kupka or Kufka, I knew the 3 year old dress would be yellow! The original reference  photos of the 3 year old & teenager are in black & white!

Sara falls into Fall

 Before I forget, 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/01/arts/design/hockney-drawings-review-morgan-library.html?referringSource=articleShare

This is a link to a review of a David Hockney Portrait exhibition at the Morgan Library in NYC. The review has several Hockney images in it. I love the collage of him and also his line drawings. What he achieves with a few simple lines is amazing. Click on the Morgan link at the end to see a watercolor self portrait. You can also sign up for a zoom presentation of the exhibit for free — several dates are listed but the first few I tried are full. 

So I took everyone’s advice and worked on this one some, raising the vegetation line, strengthening the windows. It gave me hope, so I did a few more.

Th

I like all of these a lot better. Adding more context (furniture, drapes) helps. The middle one comes closest to my original intent, but the bottom one has a more abstract quality that I like. These are all 6x9 inches, except the last one is 9x12.

Here are my freehand drawing and watercolor Portraits for this week . These are 9x12. Both have proportion issues, but the watercolor has a better likeness. I like my drawing but it looks like a different friend...weird. Also what’s the secret to painting watercolor eyes that look at the viewer? 

Elaine O. — October 3, 2020

She's finished!  My original intent was to convey the moment between thought and motion; the sense that she's just on the verge of an action. I debated adding a darker strip of color at the very top to box her in more (and maybe make it feel like she's about to pounce), but I think I like it as it is. Plus, the paper won't take much more abuse, especially in the face area.

Ready for Action    12"x9"

And, as a bonus, here's a peek into my sketchbook with a food recommendation—cotton candy grapes. They are incredible and, yes, they do taste like cotton candy. 

Cotton Candy Grapes    5"x5" (approx.)

More fishies

It's kind of peculiar I know, but it's been siting around and I have become rather fond of it.

And this is the beginning of another mosaic fish.