METAMORPHOSIS!

IDLE HANDS - FINISHED

 I am working on a new workshop which will be all texture in portraiture.  I am developing examples to accompany the lessons.  This is the finished result of my first exercise.  Of course it is nothing like what I had originally intended, so it will probably work for a different example or I may change my idea of how the course will start out.  Interesting how that brilliant idea you have in your head doesn't want to cooperate when you try to execute it.  

The painting started out as a string drawing on fresh watercolor paper.  I used permanent ink as I didn't want the lines to run.

IDLE HANDS STEP 1

I scraped gel medium onto the paper making sure to leave some of the original paper exposed.  I then stamped various textures into the gel.  I knew the gel would dry clear , leaving my original drawing visible.  I was happy enough with the drawing.  I practiced two or three times to make sure I would have something I wanted to work with.

When the gel dried, I painted the image with the new Golden High Flow liquid acrylics.  They are very transparent and look like glazes.  

IDLE HANDS STEP 2

Now the problems started.  I liked some of the textures, especially the lace in the face and hands but way too much texture and the color was to high key.  I was trying to avoid gluing any collage papers down but that was what I decided to do.  Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph the stage with the collage on top.  I used a commercial patterned tissue for the garment and solid colored tissue for the other areas.  It was commercially dyed which meant not light safe, but I figured I would be covering over it enough that it would be okay.  I like tissue because of it's transparent qualities.  After that dried, I glazed over the tissue to unify the piece and then scraped white full bodied white acrylic to re-establish my light pattern.  I was trying to use credit cards and coffee stirrers  along with a plastic palette knife to apply the paint because I like broken color and irregular marks rather than smooth blended passages.

IDLE HANDS STEP 5

                                      

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD!

CHRISTINA

I was able to attend a live model session at the Palo Alto Art Center for the first time in a very long time.  I usually go for the entire day,  but only managed to get to the afternoon session this time.  I lucked out because both of the models were great.  This sketch of Christina was my favorite for the day.  It was a 10 minute pose, the longest of the afternoon.  They started with one minute poses, then two minutes, five minutes, 10 minutes for a few then back down the scale.  Christina is my favorite model.  She has a tiny waist and very full hips which are easy to exaggerate, plus a charming face that reminds of the woman in the painting Madame X.  She creates very graceful, interestingly poses and can hold them without shifting.  Being a good model is a true talent in itself.  The other model had a longer, leaner body but also very graceful and immobile during the pose.  She reminded me of a Renaissance painting, or perhaps straight off the canvas of an Andrew Wyeth masterpiece.  

I took only a pad of newsprint and a new drawing material, the Art Graf tailor's chalk shape  black carbon.  You can dip it in water for even richer darker marks.  I know I could get more beautiful results with better paper, but I wanted to just try it out to see how it handled.  The beauty of this drawing tool is how you can get fine lines using the edge and wide marks by turning it in your hand plus a range of values.  It didn't take long to loose the sharp edge.  I will have to experiment to see how to get that back.  

Here is one of the one minute drawings when the carbon chalk still had the sharp edge.

1 minute study

The rest of the drawings are 5 and 10 minute studies.  I didn't feel the portraits captured them very well.  It was difficult to draw small precise shapes with the carbon.

10 minute study 

10 minute study

5 minute study

5 minute study

TOO DELICIOUS NOT TO SHARE!!!

Art comes in many forms.  Cake decorating at it's highest level is an unbelievable sculptural marvel!  One of my favorite websites is called Cake Wrecks.  During the week they expose in a hilarious way, the professional wreckage of inept cake decorators but on Sunday they showcase stunning masterpieces of edible sculpture.  I had to share today's entries because they are all based on famous paintings.  This creativity and artistic talent needs to be seen by as wide an audience as possible.   These creations were meant to be eaten but I can't imagine cutting into one.  It would feel like a desecration! Go to the link below to see some of the best.  It takes the Cake!

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2013/9/15/sunday-sweets-fine-art-cakes.html

THE ART AND TECHNIQUE OF PUSHING A STRING!

STRING DRAWING #1

STRING DRAWING #2

STRING DRAWING #3

Want to try something fun?  In my latest drawing book, there was this exercise to dip a strand of a rag mop into ink, hold it at the end and draw with it.  I loved the idea and the challenge.  I think the results have a wonderful quality to them I couldn't get any other way.  This is an excellent way to learn to simplify a subject.  It's not possible to put in little details.  The string won't behave!!!  This process builds your patience, concentration, ingenuity and on and on and on.  You will never get the same results twice.  I started this blog with a drawing I did from a tennis ball dipped in ink.  Hmmmm, what else will make an interesting mark?  

IT'S OFFICIAL!

AUGUST 25, 1963

Today we are officially married 50 years!  It seems to have gone by in a flash.  Lots of wonderful memories,  fantastic children and grandchildren, supportive families on both sides, special friends and a blessed life.  Through it all, Jerry has always been a constant encouragement and supporter of my art endeavors.  I couldn't have done it without him.  

SURPRISED AND HAPPY!

50 YEARS LATER

The National Watercolor Society published the names of the artists that have paintings to be included in their 2013 International Exhibition.  I was surprised and thrilled to have the above painting included!  I didn't make the cut that past two years, so it is wonderful news.  I like this painting a lot but wasn't sure how much others would take to it.  Trying to second guess the judges is an exercise in futility.  In the end, we have to be the final judge and jury.   I start with a concept or idea, do my best to carry it through, evaluate the outcome and go on to the next one.  I love when others find value in a painting or drawing, but ultimately, mine is the only vote that  counts.

This painting is a tribute to my husband, who has been an unwavering support and cheerleader of my artistic endeavors all these years.  Sunday will mark our 50th wedding anniversary.  

Jerry's Highschool Yearbook Picture 

Still handsome after all these years.

I SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST!

DEMO DAY 4 BROOKINGS WORKSHOP

DETAIL DEMO DAY 4 BROOKINGS WORKSHOP

This was my favorite demo from the workshop.  I love when happy surprises show up unexpectedly.  Pretty boring if you know exactly what you are going to get before you even start.  I start with an idea and have a mental picture of what I think it will be like.  Of course, that never happens, but I have a direction.  In this case, I have been working on putting gesso on part of an old painting, stamping into the gesso and transferring that gesso pattern onto the rest of the painting so that part of the old painting shows through the stamped pattern.  This time my idea was to gesso the general shape of the image I planned to paint and stamp the rest of the page, thus having more of the old painting showing through and having a total white space for my new image.  The old painting was on YUPPO from a George James workshop I took.  The surface was covered with watercolor and in some areas heavy concentration of watercolor.  Watercolor on YUPPO can be easily activated by moisture because it is just sitting on the surface, nothing has been absorbed into the plastic paper.  The old painting color scheme was complementary with Indigo and Brown Madder (a low intensity red orange).  My new color scheme was a different version of blue/orange compliments.  

Here is where the serendipity came in.  As I scraped the gesso over the old paint, it became activated and some of it mixed with the gesso.  Then, when I painted over the background, the old color activated and mingled with the new color  resulting in some beautiful color I will never be able to recreate again!  I drew the image with walnut ink, a water soluble material, because I wanted to be able to make corrections is necessary.  I love the edges that are created when painted over or next to.  

Now, where are those other cast aside paintings from the GJ workshop?  I want to do this again!