October 29, 2011

What a beautiful crisp fall day! A perfect time for "back-to-school," isn't it? Apparently so, as we have six new students you'll meet next week. Meanwhile, look at all the inspired fall paintings with trees, leaves and colorful foliage--although some of us take a last look back at summer with summer homes on the beach. Ken's painting of his cats got the class seal of approval. Look and see if you too don't feel compelled to say "Awww!" They're just too cute!

And if you're following our artist paint-alongs, click here to see Elaine O. paint pictures at a gallery.

October 22, 2011

It's a lovely fall day, the last day of our semester...and we had some problems! Nothing serious, but we were camera-less. While we managed to get video and photos on one of those new-fangled phones, only the still photos turned out. For some reason, we could only get audio from the video file. Since we know you don't tune in to hear us paint, we eliminated the video this time.

There's a good news side of the story. Class starts again next week, so you won't have to wait long for a video. But if you really need to see us in motion, here's the promised video of Susan painting an apple (part 2). And next week, we've been offered a new challenge/opportunity/theme by the teacher. Let's see who takes her up on it--and what part of the challenge we may accept! See you next week!

October 15, 2011

Another glorious fall day! We're all inspired to paint landscapes...even those of us painting abstracts, color wheels and interiors managed to capture the crispness of the season. So enjoy the paintings...and the weather....and we'll see you next week.

Oh, and we've heard you approve of the chance to see an actual artist at work. As promised, here's another video link, this one of Susan painting an apple. There's a part two to this, too. Keep watching this space--we'll add it soon!

October 8, 2011

Another incredibly beautiful day--80 degrees outside. You'd think it was summer if you didn't see the changing leaves, which are putting on a fine show. We suspect many of our members took the day to do some plein air painting amid the turning leaves. We'll see what they bring back next week!

Meanwhile, we had two apples, two "men in the lower left corner" (a well known composition style), and one "not sure." Actually, the "not sure" is an abstract in complementary colors.

We've heard good things about the opportunity to see artists at work, so we tried it again. This time, we filmed Susan painting an apple. Unfortunately, we got a bit carried away. Our video weighs in at 15-plus minutes and the upload limit is 10 minutes. So it looks like we'll continue to do this. We might either try again next week (but shorter) or split the existing video into two parts and post later in the week. Once again, we'll add a link so you can follow along if you're interested. Either way, I'm sure you're intrigued, so check back frequently!

October 1, 2011

What a beautiful day--crisp and sunny after a week of gray rainy days. Everyone showed up and we were in top form. Scroll down for some truly incredible paintings--and some interesting synergies. Today we looked at colors, the change of seasons, and the value of studies.

Elaine T's breathtaking nature paintings are as crisp and clean and alive as autumn itself. What says fall better than an apple? You can just see how much fun Isa had painting her giant apple. Marva's taking us to a lovely Greek villa. Vivian's road trip is coming to its end and Susan is taking a very colorful look at the end of summer.

Speaking of color, look at the amazing colors in Linda's color wheel and Ken's complementary color abstract. Elaine O's use of color is more subtle, but just as classic. And see what a difference color makes in Ellen's church studies.

Speaking of studies, Sara's "St. Andrew" series is a perfect example of the value of studies. What different moods she achieves by changing color and value. We're so impressed we've added a short video of all the thumbnails--you'll find it at the very end, beyond the photos. Interesting to note, too, that Elaine O's composition is eerily similar to Sara's. Different vibe and very different Saints, though!

If you're near the Daley Center in downtown Chicago, make time to take the Pedway west to City Hall. You'll see Susan Silvano's paintings in one of the glass showcases!

And, now for something rather different. We're offering a chance to watch Elaine T at work. It's just an 8 minute video of a work in progress, but you might pick up some tips on how to duplicate the magic that is Elaine. Here's a link to the video.

September 24, 2011

The rain must have scared off some of our less-hardy brethren, but those of us who showed up had a wonderful time, as you can see. We saw angry inchworms, angry words, and learned a new technique (wax resist) using "borrowed" children's crayons. See you next week!

Quote of the day:
Colors get all the glory, but values do all the work!
--Sara's yoga teacher

September 17, 2011

We're back! Actually, we've been back for a week already, but we didn't get all the photos last week (and none of the video), so we're starting fresh today. All your old favorites are here...and if you tune in next week, we'll have one of our famous spotlights. You'll love it, so see you then.

Meanwhile, you'll notice that we've added an artist's link, Recipes and Reflections. Check it out for some really fine writing...and equally fine recipes.

Also, there's still time to join or support Steve Meyer in a very worthwhile cause. He'll be walking in the AFSP Out of the Darkness Community Walk again this year with his team, Ed O'Brien's Crew. The walk will be at Busse Woods Forest Preserve, Area 4 in Elk Grove Village on Saturday, September 24,2011 @ 9:00 am. To be part of the team, search for the team name at outofthedarkness and register through the team page. To donate, please click on a team member's name at the bottom of the Ed O'Briens Crew Members team page.

See you next week!

July 30, 2011

We seem to have had two themes going today—color and forgetfulness. Susan forgot her brushes and Elaine forgot the video camera! So while we won't be seeing any video this week, we're glad to note that Susan had no problem finding brushes for a painting (or two).

Our paintings feature a range of colorful landscapes—from stormy cityscapes to lush desert islands, with a stop for morning coffee in between. Throw in some rich color studies (and color swatch kitties) and you're in our world of color. Check out the studies in grey too. Every grey uses a different combination of color. They're all grey, but very subtly colorful. Even our drawings crossed the line into painting—colorful brush portraits in india ink. And of course, it's the end of the term, so we got a painted grade from the teacher. (We're assuming she means our art is "peachy" and not "the pits!")

We're taking the summer off and will be back on September 10. If you need to get a jolt of art in the meantime, you can visit the Art Institute...or just click on one of our links at right. Have a wonderful summer.

July 23, 2011

Another semi-sparse showing—due entirely to last night's storm, we're sure. Look for an eerie depiction (or prediction) of the beginnings of the storm by our resident psychic (started nearly a month before it actually broke!).

But for those who made it in, we had a most productive time—not to mention well-balanced. Look how cleverly we balanced delicious In-n-Out burgers with a healthy and tasty Farmers' Market. Grant's house appears by night and day. Even the drawing class got into the act with a lovely pair of student/teacher portraits.

As always, there was color aplenty, from color swatches to villages to psychedelic, tie-dyed kittens. Even the grey stone carvings, eggs and light scales are colorful if you look closely enough. And in an ironic twist, we have an apple from the teacher!

Join us next week for the last class of the term. You'll want to be be here for our grand finale!

July 16, 2011

Tis the season...vacation season, that is! Seems like we're all either on a vacation, looking forward to one or painting one. Check out all the places we've been (or want to be). Look for the start of a new pet series! And see all the media—watercolor, pencils, even gouache. While you're looking, can you spot the fastest painting in the bunch? It's a 3 minute plein air scene in China. Speaking of fast, we've even painted our favorite vacation fast food....mmmmm, In-n-out burger....yum! Enjoy.