The ants go marching four by four

 Now they have a tablecloth. or at any rate a compositional element

And for those who thought the earlier ants got overwhelmed by the table cloth here is one big lone ant.

Elaine O. — September 18, 2021

I've begun this painting of a jewel of a neighborhood school that has since been taken over by a charter school... and the change is not for the better. This may be a bit of nostalgia...or it may be the start of a whole new series, Before They Were Gone. At any rate, I've got a ways to go, so I'll keep painting while humming "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone..."

11" x 14"

 

Alan on Alan

I still love the composition of the Cosmo at the lake. I’m still working on certain little things but I’m basically done. Watercolor on 140 lbs Arches cold press. 

Back to Yupo. Love the way it moves. 

I painted this lily on cold press but the colors on Yupo are so vibrant. The glow is good. 

I deepened the colors for this guy and I like the painting better. 

There were things I loved about the cold press version but I’m curious about the Yupo version.  I’ll  keep working on it but I’m liking the brightness. I almost feel like I should quit now so that I don’t screw it up……but I won’t  

Sara’s stuff

A forest of birch trees and two guys….so great to see everyone and their Art   in the flesh, so to speak….

The ants go marching three by three

 This is the beginning of what I am thinking of as a picnic tablecloth, though basically it is just a compositional element.  Some of the class feared that this might obscure the ants, but I think it may even enhance them.  There is no way to find out without forging forward.

Elaine O. — September 11, 2021

I have to admit that I was a little nervous about the first day of in-person school. But it was great to be back...in fact, it was like we never left. I couldn't decide on my next project/series, so I decided to grab a magazine cover and do a quick portrait. Here it is. While he's recognizable (I think), I've made him a little chubby, and for that I apologize. Lesson of the day? Measure before rushing in with the paint!

12" x 9"

We're back...and we welcome Beth and Christian!

It was great to be back today and see all the old familiar faces...okay half of the old familiar faces, since we all wore our masks. We'll continue to post individually so you can experience the artist and the art without a filter. Meanwhile, we have two new members we'd like to introduce you to. First is returning artist Beth. You may remember her from back in 2017-18 or so. She's been keeping busy with some plein air sketching.

And today, she began this view from her front porch. We love her loose, painterly style and are glad her new job frees up her Saturday mornings again. 

We're also glad to welcome Christian. As you can see, he's no rank beginner! Here, for instance, are his color wheel and experiments with value ranges.

From there, he launched right into some "extra credit" work with this landscape. See what we mean about prior experience? His gradient  sky and color blending around the sun are quite advanced.

And this beginning of a floral is a testament to his graphic sensibilities and love for complementary colors.

Welcome, Beth and Christian! You're in the right place!

The ants go marching two by two

 The blue spikes are meant to represent vaguely petals around those yellow headed flowers. 

elaine t / Sept 4

I'm really looking forward to in-person classes next week!

I finished the pond. It does give me the peaceful feeling of being there

I started on a deep sea anglerfish. More darkness will go into the background, and probably a cyan highlight around the body. I may do some lifting on thr body to bring out the 3D feel. It's OK, but not quite the menace I'd like it to convey. I think a redo is in order. My son suggested I try doing it in Joan Cho's technique, which is to do a simple waterproof ink drawing, saturate sections of the paper with water, then touch a charged brush to the water and see what happens.

Weely Inspirations - the last

We're going back to school, Sept. 11!

66a)  Tuong Lan Nguyen, Behind the Lotus, Watercolor on paper, 61 x 34,5 cm

66b)  Odilon Redon (1840-1916), Still Life

66c)  Morris Graves, Vessel in a Drift of Diamond Light in the Sky of the Mind, 1944

67a)  Paul Cezanne, watercolor sketch

67b) Diego Rivera, Portrait of Lupe Marin

67c)  Mary Beth McKenzie, 1946

68a) Maurice Brazil Prendergast, Children at the Beach, watercolor and pencil on paper, circa 1896-1897

68b) Winslow Homer, Paddling at Dusk, watercolor, 1892

68c)  Peter Doig, Figures in Red Boat, circa 2005 - 2007.

69a)  George Grosz, Central Park at Night, 1936

69b) Ben Shahn, The Bridge, watercolor and pencil on paper, 14 x 10 in.

69c)  Suzanne Siegel, After Dinner Walk

70a)  Wayne Thiebaud, Drink, 1999

70b)  Lucian Freud, Still Life with lemon, 1945

70c)  Chelsea B. James, Large Bread, 24 x 24 in., Oil on masonite

71a)  Carol Rabe, oil painting

71b)  Tom Hughes

71c)  Alice Neel, Thanksgiving, 1965, Oil on canvas, 36 x 24 in

72a)  Salustiano Garcia Cruz, Spain

72b)  The quilt portraits of Bisa Butler

72c)  Guim Tió Zarraluki (b.1987, Barcelona, Spain)

73a) Georgia O'Keeffe. Train at Night in the Desert. 1916. Watercolor and pencil on paper.

73b) Andrew Wyeth, Dock Lights, 2003, Watercolor on paper

73c) Marsden Hartley, Winter Wind, Maine Coast,1941