Grace is Her Middle Name

Grace is Her Middle Name   Artgraf used as watercolor   13 x 10.5

Each Tuesday evening at Cuyahoga Valley Art Center we artists are treated to a live model session by the young dancers at Ballet Excel Ohio.  I use these sessions to play with my materials and to experiment.  On this particular evening, I used the ArtGraf Tailor Shape  by Viarco which are blocks of pressed pigment that can be used for drawing or painting, when a brush dipped in water is applied.  They are thick.  They are chunky.  They are opaque. And they are strong.  Hence, a chunkier work of art can be expected.  This work was done on 140# Fabriano Artistico hot press watercolor paper.

As the light on the model washed out subtler nuances of value, I chose to go with a simple 3-value work, with the white of the paper in a dominant role.....I honestly had a difficult time pushing the pigment around.  But I am satisfied, as this experiment resulted in a stronger work....stronger, albeit, than I am used to.

I admire these young dancers and look forward to their production of "Snow Queen" in March.

Personhood

She Dreams of Flight   oil/canvas   30 x 20 x 1.5 

She Dreams of Flight oil/canvas 30 x 20 x 1.5 This painting was accomplished with a photo reference, one of many I shot a few years ago at the University Circle parade in Cleveland, Ohio. The parade is unparalleled...a spectacle of joy! This little girl wore a pair of dollar store wings....Actually, a few years ago, I purchased a pair myself, as their magic awoke the aspiring little girl in me. Because I had only a rear view, I was able to paint an idea, without conforming to the notion of likeness. I saw the universal in her, the desires of each person to fly, to become, to attain, irregardless of cultural restrictions. I became that little girl. I wish her only happiness and joy.