Facing the White...warm up with small works...

Pumpkin Pie 1   oil/canvas   6 x 6 x 1.5

Pumpkin Pie 2   oil/canvas   6 x 6 x 1.5

Facing a white canvas or sheet of watercolor paper is a daunting task in the new year.  Our strokes are timid and insecure.  Our rhythms uncertain.  Our confidence waning.  I have faced this problem year after year when the holiday festivities pull us toward celebration and fun, which is certainly welcome, but away from the daily practice that makes for good art-making.  No athlete in any sport would be able to turn out a peak performance without the constant  and daily training demanded of him or her.  OK, then.  This year I decided to keep a few small canvases on hand for the couple of here-and-there hours that are freed up in just keep my brush moving.  In the past, my preference has been a total clean-up of the studio area in order to complement the activities in the other rooms of the house.  Not this year.  I was able to find some in-between time to paint when my guests had other things to do and other friends to visit.  As a result, the gap between the years was not so wide and so daunting.

The two pumpkin pie paintings were the result.

Milestone...

Jane Kovacic...a sketch

Today is a milestone - a big one. I am removing my small sketchbook from my bag and replacing it with a clean and untouched new one. This small book has recorded events and notations since March of 2006 when it was begun. This precious visual diary is now in dangerous condition.....the beautiful cover and binding are pulling away from its pages. It contains hundreds of drawings of family members in recreation and sickness; track and field athletes; and, of course, drawings of my artist friends. It even contains essential insurance information from a traffic accident several years ago when it was the only paper at hand. Despite the fact that I am never successful at multi-tasking, I have, for some strange reason, developed a tolerance for listening to speakers and drawing at the same time. In fact, it is an optimum experience and extremely pleasurable. I beg forgiveness from all speakers past and present as I work and listen simultaneously. One of the first drawings in the book is of fellow artist (and one of my heroines) Jane Kovacic as she uses binoculars at a critique. The drawing has been done in brown china marker and, I believe, captures her character. Many of the drawings are complete; many are faulty in one way or another; and most have been abandoned quite early on. These efforts reflect my life and these marks mirror both my searching and my successes and failures.

A beautiful new leather book has already been selected.....very exciting. Sometimes I leave the first page blank as the pressure of the FIRST PAGE is just too daunting. Time to move on.

A Painting a Day keeps Trepidation Away

Cored Apple   watercolor   10 x 7

No one would expect a champion diver to score a perfect 10 without warming up. No one would expect 3-point shots from a basketball player who didn't practice daily. So it is with painting. Each fresh white sheet of watercolor paper and each spanking clean canvas is a source of anxiety until an artist can get into his personal flow. It seems that beginning strokes are often awkward and either under-or-over-stated. That is what happens to me. We recently began a new watercolor class. Each artist was given an apple to cut in her own personal way......then the paintings began. For some who don't paint often, the task is daunting. It is even difficult for those who do. There is an entire world in an apple........millions of possibilities and millions of creative decisions to be made. I loved everyone's efforts. "Cored Apple" is mine.