Meet the Watermelons...some vintage watermelon lovers

                                                                                        

Madame Watermelon   oil on canvas   24 x 8 x 1.5

                     

Monsieur Watermelon   oil on canvas   24 x 8 x 1.5

The Crayola Girls..jazzing up some vintage photos

The Crayola Girls   oil/canvas   40 x 30 x 1.25

A year ago, six months ago even, I would never have guessed I would be using cad yellow deep as a major color shape in a painting.  But...I do pay attention to what catches my eye visually, those little glances that give me a minor thrill.  And, in this case, it was a magazine cover that sparked the excitement.  Originally I had planned to give each of the skirts a different patterned treatment.  But the simplicity of the skirt forms won me over and I decided to wait a while on that decision.  Another prospect was to paint a dark horizontal behind the shoulder blades in order to bring up the hands resting on the middle girl's shoulders.  That, too, was considered and sent to the possibilities file.  A month later, I was still happy with the simplicity of the work.  As every artist knows, changing just one thing in a work sets up a domino effect of changes that must be made in order to make the work consistent, appropriate and balanced.  And so, this is my final answer.  "The Crayola Girls" can be seen at Hudson Fine Art and Framing.   

P.S. My Grandma Daisy is the sister on the right.

The Drawing of the 10,000 Things...small drawing of a crushed Coke can

Coke can sketch

class ended last week.  Our goal was simple:  to draw as many small objects as possible.  And, by doing that, to be able to transfer our lessons learned to the understanding of drawing other things....or anything at all.  The problems we faced were:

* drawing things within transparent packaging or glass, and the resultant distortions

* considering 2 point perspective and the importance of eye level

* the importance of drawing what we see versus what we "think" we see....a carryover from our   L-brained " 6-year-old way of knowing" which is often in error

* holding off on the drawing of detail in order to first consider larger forms

* how to best represent various materials and their inherent qualities:  cloth (light vs. heavy); straw, plastic, iron, glass, cotton, etc.

* gestures...even toothbrushes have them

* forms spiraling and forms symmetrical

* line versus mass

* surface variation and texture

* and ellipses, ellipses, ellipses

The small slide show features the three favorite drawings by each artist.  I think we did a wonderful job!

Rockamelon....summer delight

Rockamelon   oil on canvas   8 x 16 x 1.5

Summer's lease hath all too short a date.

                                                                                             William Shakespeare

  
Aficionados of August revel in relinquishment.  When it's one hundred degrees in the shade, it's too hot to be anything but receptive and reflective.  Let a seasonally sanctioned sojourn of slow joys refill the authentic reservoir of creative energy.  This month on the Simple Abundance path we commit to discovering, acknowledging, appreciating, owning, and honoring our authentic gifts, transforming no only our own lives, but the lives of those we love.

                                                                                                        Sara Ban Breathnach

                                                                                                        Simple Abundance

Watermelons are fun.  They have fun colors, fun textures and funny shapes.  Biting into an ice cold slice is definitely one of my summer pleasures.  "Rockamelon" is my tribute to this simple, yet luxurious, fruit.

Sara Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance A Daybook of Comfort and Joy is a constant source of reference for me.  It's simple message of spirituality has gotten me through the worst of times.  And it's always there on the shelf during the best of times.