SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE: VARIATIONS ON ONE THEME

I am so excited about the challenge that I have prepared for September that I decided to start a day early in presenting it!
Here is the idea:
We are all going to be working with the same image. In this way we will have maximum variety for one image. Here is our guy. You might remember him from a previous drawing challenge. I picked him because I can see the potential. If you would like me to send you by e-mail a higher resolution image, let me know. From here on "we" means myself and any others out there that want to play along. "We" are going to create as many paintings based on this image as we can by working with the 7 elements of design. The elements are:

LINE...SIZE...SHAPE...DIRECTION...COLOR...VALUE...TEXTURE

Each month I will select an element which will be THE DOMINANT ELEMENT in the painting. LINE WILL BE THE DOMINANT ELEMENT FOR SEPTEMBER. I have found by creating restrictions I am MUCH MORE CREATIVE and FOCUSED forcing my thoughts and ideas to fit within the limitations. For WEEK ONE of September, the first limitation is that LINE will be the most dominant element of the painting. The second limitation is that it be not only line but THINKING OF LINE IN TERMS OF SIZE. I am not going to define what I mean by that because I want you to interpret what that means to you and then work with it. The third limitation will be color: You can only use 5 tubes of paint. You can decide what color scheme you want to work with, i.e. triad, split compliment, analogous, etc.





I have posted a few examples of line from my series Nick with Guitar to get you started. You might want to search the internet, look at competition show catalogues, go to the bookstore and look at the art magazines, think of famous painters who used line as a strong element, etc. to get some ideas. You might want to start a notebook where you file these ideas and images according to these elements for future reference.

A few thoughts on LINE and then we are off and running!
"Line is a dot who went for a walk" (I think this is a quote by Matisse...please correct me if wrong)
A line can be jagged or smooth, disconnected or continual, delicate or bold, tentative or assertive, implied, smudged, fading in and out and so much more. Each of these characteristics suggest mood or meaning. Thinking about all the possibilities with just line alone boggles the mind!

I can't wait to see what you come up with. I have already written down 3 or 4 ideas. Work any size you want. I personally think quarter sheet is the smallest I will work if pressed for time. Be sure and send me what you come up with.

JACK RED CLOUD ON YUPO!

I finally have the small room off the living room in our house called "the library" (because it has book shelves) set up to paint in. With winter coming, the garage studio is very cold and drafty. It took quite a bit of cleaning out but I think it will work out nicely. I purchased an Ott Light for the room. Now I have the "natural light" even at night.

This is my first painting in my new work space. It is still a work in progress. My order for Yupo came in, so I thought I would try to work on it for a change of pace. The first pass was a very wet mingled wash using New Gamboge, Indian Red, and Ultramarine Blue. I wanted the colors more muted for this subject, so I picked a dull red. I also love the rich darks this color helps create. While the wash was wet, I drew 2 faces onto the paper with a blue watercolor crayon. The crayon pushes the paint away from it and it also starts to dissolve, creating a very interesting effect. The pushing of the paint only happens the first time. Subsequent marks into a wet wash don't have the same chemistry. I let the painting dry.

Second pass I started to build the structure of the face using the same three colors with the addition of Payne's Gray. Notice the watercolor crayon marks in the hair. This is how the crayon works on this paper after there is paint on the page. Nice but quite different from the first.

I have worked some more on this painting today but haven't photographed it yet. They came to clean the carpets today so the dinning room furniture is in the breakfast room and the living room furniture is in my new "studio/library" and the carpet has to dry 24 hours before the furniture goes back....so I can't get back to my painting for awhile. Anyway, I feel like I am putting paint on and then taking it off, then putting more on then taking it off, yada, yada, yada. Yupo can be frustrating but I am having fun. I want to make sure to capture the hauntingly proud and resentful expression in this face.

45 YEARS!

Today is my 45th wedding anniversary. Tonight we were treated to a steak and king crab dinner prepared by two of my sons and my grandson. On Saturday we played tourist in San Francisco with our friends who share our anniversary week. Took the subway into the city, window shopped, went to a fabulous outdoor concert across from the Museum of Modern Art. Frieda Kahlo was just a breath away but we didn't take the time. Need to go back before the exhibit leaves. I took tons of great pictures of the musicians and the crowd dancing in the isles. I tried sketching but everybody was moving so much. It was good practice but nothing usable came from it. I need to spend more time developing the skills. Then we went to the farmers market in the Ferry building at the wharf. Took the ferry to Sausalito and back and had dinner at an overpriced restaurant next to the ferry building, then back home on the subway. It was a glorious day, the weather was perfect and I took so many photos I think my computer will explode when I download them.

I did get some drawing done but haven't photographed it yet. In the meantime, I thought I would post an image from the archives. This one used Utrect gesso (which is very thick) and I stamped into it while it was wet with an Indonesian batik stamp, then painted. I have been out of this type of gesso but recently ordered a large quantity. Can't wait to do this technique again.

I am hoping to get to a painting tomorrow. Life has been getting in the way lately and I am not getting much art done.

SKETCH BOOK DRAWINGS

This is all I had time for today in the way of art work. After hunting down the book of Indian portraits, I decided to start sketching some of them. I didn't realize that there were quite a number of photographers represented in this book. The difficulty of dragging such cumbersome photography equipment by wagon all over the West is staggering. How wonderful that these images have been preserved. Now we have digital cameras the size of credit cards!

I hope to do many more sketches. I was studying their features intently. The cheekbones on these proud faces are the most dramatic I think I have ever seen. Big big wide strong cheek bones, elongated noses, small intense eyes, rich skin tones. Magnificent faces!!!

CLAES OLDENBURG & LOUISE NEVELSON

Finally, home and trying to get back into a routine again. I didn't do any artwork while I was gone but besides the great exhibit at the Nelson Gallery Bloch Wing, I found two books I am very excited about. One is a book I saw In Jackson Hole, Wyoming which I regretted not buying. It is photographs of Indians , late 1800's. Not the ones by Curtis. Such magnificent faces, I decided I couldn't live without it. In the Denver airport during the 2 hour layover, I found a book published in 1985 with 150 photographic portraits of bald people! The photographer said he took the same photo over and over with different heads. Many are women. I am going to incorporate this book in my workshops somehow. I need to play around with it for awhile. All the faces are straight on with little or no expression. Totally fascinating. I can't wait to start using this book.

When I was going to San Francisco State, in one of my classes we made soft sculptures a la Claes Oldenburg. What Fun!!!!!! I have since seen any number of his large outdoor rigid sculptures but never any of the soft sculpture which made him famous. There were two at the gallery shown here. The first is a Saxaphone made from cloth and the other is a light switch from vinyl. Claes has been one of my favorite artists ever since I first learned about him.

The second artist who I share with you is Louise Nevelson. Her assemblage sculptures are exciting. The quote speaks for itself.

There was a wonderful piece of ceramic sculpture by Robert Arneson (another very favorite), 4 Wayne Theibauld paintings, a terrific Duane Hanson sculpture of a museum guard (so lifelike) and a group of bronze figures outside on the walkway by George Segal. Abstract Expressionism was well represented but the above mentioned artists are some of my very favorites. I relate to a sense of realism and humor. If you are not familiar with some of these artists, I hope you take the time to search them out.

ANDREW WYETH UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL!

I am in Kansas City for an extended weekend for a family event. The new Bloch addition (think Richard Bloch of H & R Bloch fame) to the Nelson Art Gallery was open late Friday night so we finally had a chance to see it. As you can see by the photos, it is magnificent and glows at night all lit up! Every major contemporary painter is represented in their collection and you can get verrry close to the art work without a guard threatening you. For my nearsighted eyes, this was heaven. Also, photography was allowed. Yes! Speaking of guards, there is a Duane Hanson sculpture of a guard that looks so life like, my sister talked to him! I had never seen an Andrew Wyeth painting in person. In case you haven't either, here is a very close up and personal view of his brush work. Amazing, indeed! Since I won't have time to do any art work while I am here ...too busy visiting with family and eating, eating, eating....I will post some of my other photos of a few favorite pieces tomorrow.

AMERICAN ARTIST SELF PORTRAIT COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

Click on the title and it will take you to the winner's page.