"SPLASH GIRLS" ROCK!!!

Here is the slide show of the first paintings from the workshop. These women are a close knit group of friends who paint together and call themselves "The Splash Girls". Love the name and love this group. The close friendships and support that they show each other made the week extra special. There is a wide range of experience in this group from a "ringer" who teaches portraiture to someone creating their first portrait.

I had requests to explain my gesso transfer process. I will give it a try. I use this method to cover old paintings. You need two paintings laid out next to each other on a protected table top. Cover one painting with heavy gesso (I think Utrecht is the best but a few other brands can be found that are THICK like frosting in a can) While the gesso is still wet, cover it with a sheet of waxed paper. Immediately lift up the wax paper and deposit the gesso that is on the waxed paper to the other painting by laying the gooey side down on the painting and running your hand across the back of the paper or using a brayer. I do this a number of times with the same piece of waxed paper until most of the painting is covered over with spotty gesso. I want part of the old painting to show through. I sometimes take a sheet of press and seal saran and texture the gesso, as well. it has a micro dot pattern that I love. Throw away the waxed paper and Press and Seal Saran. I have been tempted to try and college the waxed paper but haven't tried it yet. Let both paintings dry and then put a new painting on them. I hope this explanation is reasonably clear. You had to have been there!

I'M BACK!

I am back from a fabulous week in the Lubbock, Texas area called Ransom Canyon. I held a workshop there and made some great new friends. I will be posting a slide show of the first paintings tomorrow. It will take me a little while to adjust the photos and put a name with a painting, etc. I also have some great photos of Ransom Canyon to share later in the week, along with additional paintings from the workshop. I took my computer but was not able to get internet reception on it, so couldn't post to the blog during the week.

Texas hospitality was in full swing there. I was wined and dined and treated like royalty. My hostess, Joyce Runyan, was so gracious. She has this great house with an incredible view overlooking the lake in the canyon. We sat out on the deck, balmy weather and sipped wine and talked art and our life history each night as the sun set and the stars came out. No pollution, clear bright skies. Joyce has an extensive art book collection, of which I took full advantage! I am looking forward to a return visit.

This is the first demo I did for the workshop. I demonstrated my gesso transfer technique and that was the surface I painted on.
I am going to include a "how to" series of photos in my book as I think I created this process and it doesn't exist in any source material that I know of. I am never sure if I invented a process or idea. I read so much that I sometimes forget that I saw it somewhere and imagine I invented it. I believe in giving credit to the originator, so if you catch me making an honest mistake, be sure and set me straight.

FINAL DAY OF GERALD BROMMER WORKSHOP: MORE IS BETTER!

Gerry talked about the architect that created the phrase "less is more" then he quoted another architect who stated "Less is boooooooring" Mr. Brommer sides with the latter! Today's assignment was to have a "theme" and place your focal point in the top third of the vertically oriented page, then fill the bottom 2/3rds with lots of small drawings and words, much like a journal page. He likes to fill up all the space. This is a great idea for travel, especially. We started out with collage images, covered with washi paper then diluted gesso. After this dries, go back into it with drawing and painting.

I decided this was a good chance to see how my new photo transfer process would work. I ruined two sheets by printing on the wrong side. The ink just slides off and doesn't stick. What a mess! It was very difficult to see the coating on the side meant for printing, but I finally got it right and printed one page of drawings and one of colored paintings of my Frenchman. I made a contact sheet with nine on the sheet. It was lots of fun working with this idea. After I transferred the images, I used mostly tissue paper to collage over as I wanted a lot of the stuff to show through. Gerry suggests adding a border to unify the composition and contain all the small fragments. I still want to add some stronger ink lines and perhaps more words. Over all, I am pleased. It is very different from anything I have ever done before. I also want to try more of the transfer process on this surface. It has interesting possibilities.

I was too tired to unpack the car. Tomorrow I have to finish packing for my workshop in Ransom Canyon, Texas. I will need to switch hats and be the instructor instead of the student. I love both roles. Looking forward to renewing some friendships from my last Texas workshop and meeting some new friends.

BROMMMER WORKSHOP DAY 4: GESSO ADDED TO THE MIX!

Today we collaged the paper first, let it dry, covered it with diluted gesso...let that dry...then drew our image in and added paint. The entire week, line was to be the dominant element. I used lots of printed material from magazines and books underneath the Japanese rice papers. The gesso helps to obscure the collaged materials and creates an interesting surface to draw and paint on.

In the middle of the night I had this idea to do a collage starting with black gesso and then working towards lighter values. Here is my first go at this idea. I drew the image on the dry black gessoed surface with diluted white gesso in a needle nose bottle. It would be fun to try this idea with other gesso colors. I have red and gold. It comes in many other colors,

The ideas we have been working with this week are not in any of Gerald Brommer's published books but he has a new DVD through Cheap Joe's with this workshop material on it. Naturally, I bought a copy. It turns out the Gerald has seven different workshops he presents to groups around the country and is working on another. It is inspirational to see someone that is 82 so active, energetic, creative and dedicated as he is. I want to be like him when I grow up.

GERALD BROMMER WORKSHOP DAY 3: HEAVY TEXTURE PLUS LINE

Each day just gets better and better. I am very much attracted to this way of working. I hope to do a lot more in the future and have some greater insight into additional methods and ways of combining materials that I never thought of before. I have all the books but somehow they never sunk in. Probably sensory overload. There is only so much we can absorb at a time. I need to revisit lots of my books.

Today we built up the surface with collage paper, using brown bag or brown craft paper for the dark value. Covering the entire surface with layers of paper, then drawing and painting into the wet collage, especially adding white gouache which does amazing things on this surface. Then let it dry and then adding more line, paint, etc. Here are my two efforts for the day. I think this is the first workshop I have ever taken where I wanted to mat and sign anything I did. Amazing!

I am soaking up all of Gerald's wonderful stories and wisdom as well as his great techniques. He has traveled and taught for so many years that he has great little interesting adventures and experiences that he shares.

Tomorrow we will put gesso over the textural surface and paint on that. Gesso? I think I have died and gone to heaven!

BROMMER WORKSHOP DAY TWO: LINE PLUS COLLAGE

Today we worked with collage papers instead of painted shapes. The idea is that the shapes do not relate to the line. More like a double exposure thing where two separate things are merged into one painting. We did two different paintings, one where you start with the line and one where you start with the shapes of collage paper. It was more difficult that I thought. Once you have the line down, it is challenging to ignore the line and put the papers down. If you look carefully, you can see the line under the collage papers in the second image. I decided to photograph the process so there is a before and after. I did two different versions of the Frenchman so I could use them for the LINE chapter.

It was a very fun day and I like the slow progression of adding ideas to the mix one change at a time. Very easy to really absorb the information and put it into use. Gerry liked my first effort so much he said he would like to have it. I said I would trade and he agreed!!!!! Wow, I am very jazzed about that! Honored that he wanted one of my paintings and excited that I get to own one of his.

Tomorrow we work with brown paper, white textured collage papers and layers and layers. Yum!

BROMMER WORKSHOP DAY ONE: LINE & SHAPE

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This is going to be a FABULOUS week! Gerald Brommer is a masterful artist, an experienced teacher of teachers and students alike, and a humble and charming gentleman. His manner is low key, his discussions full of humor and I like his critiques. He always finds the good in the work but they are honest and instructive. Of course, I would expect as much. I have been in classes where the critiques were useless.

Today's lesson was about light colored shape washes unrelated and subordinate to the line. We worked with starting with line first and then starting with shape first. When you are done, you can't tell which came first. I can't wait to pre-paint my sketch book pages with this idea. The last half hour we painted washi papers for tomorrow's session.

Here are my efforts for the day. They are quarter sheets. I usually don't work this small but it is a good size for a workshop where there is limited space. I wish I had brought my Frenchman photo to work with. I plan to work with him for the rest of the workshop, along with some other faces.