There is a frenzy about the holiday season...

Filling In   watercolor   10 x 10

that has nothing at all to do with shopping or cookie-baking.  It has to do with a cleansing of our environment....both Rick and I become obsessed with pounding in those errant nails that we have lived with the entire year, ridding the shower curtain of that mildew smell and checking out the size of the dust bunnies behind the refrigerator.  I used to think it was because his parents came to visit.  Now I think of it more as a creating of more negative space in which to dwell in peace.  AND SO CAME THE CLEANING OF THE STUDIO.   For years I had been meaning to paint the antique jelly cupboard that houses my supplies.  The brown wood was depressing.  The paint job took several days, as I chose to do it in three colors (but of course!) and the cupboard is happier.  I am happier.  Then the cupboard led to cleaning out the files......there are always surprises involved.  For the most part, I find that earlier work is better than I remember....almost fresher when I knew less, perhaps relied more on instinct.  "Filling In" is such a work.  When our model did not show up one evening, a newcomer instantly declared her willingness to shed clothing and fill in.  None of us knew much about this girl.  She had no art supplies and painted with eye makeup on paper.  At the end of the session her husband came into the studio to pick her up. I never knew her name.  We never saw her again.  It was a bit of a Santa Claus experience and I was the benefactor.  I have always loved this painting and was surprised, in my reorganization, at its honesty.

...but not the hominy....

Stack of books and gourd...a sketch showing two-point perspective

The only vegetable I can remember totally refusing as a child was hominy.  It was a memorable experience as my mom chose to serve it on trick-or-treat night.  My mother finally relented and let me go out for the begging, only after she realized that I was so very serious about my hatred for this vegetable that I was willing to give up costume, treats and fun.  2-point perspective is much more palatable than that!  Our drawing class members stacked up books and boxes.  First we discussed the two vanishing points for each object which can only be seen when the objects are drawn from a big distance...i..e. on a drawing that is quite small on a fairly large sheet of paper.  When we understood what was happening, we drew our piles of objects that were placed in front of us on the table.  I chose a stack of three different kinds of books, each one with its own particular vanishing points along with its own particular degree of recession. (even though the horizon line at eye-level remains the same).   I placed a handmade gourd on top for patterning, and because I like organic line playing with all of the straights....the yin and the yang.

An astute artist pointed out the apparent faultiness of my bottom book.  This spiral-bound paperback, had a laminated cover that was not laying flat and had slipped down to the spiral area destroying the perfection of the receding form.  I liken it to clothing on a model.  The book's binding is still receding....it is just a bit disguised.  Another way to help with the perspective issue when drawing items that are close to us is to accurately judge and record angles of edges, and to pay close attention to the shapes of the negative or counter-spaces....i.e. the spaces between the objects.  We keep each other on our toes!

Ah, mom, do we have to eat our veggies?

One-point perspective drawing

I liken a lesson on perspective to eating our veggies when we are kids....do we really have to?  The artists in our Thursday drawing class are really very good....good at prioritizing the forms, good with shadowing, good with values and good with rhythms.  It was only when I realized that the lack of knowledge regarding one-point and two-point perspective was interfering with our success, that I decided to devote a couple of lessons to it.  In the past, I have done an entire 8-week class on these basics.  Last week we took on the one-point....objects placed directly in front of us that recede to vanishing point on the horizon which is at our eye level.  The vanishing point would then represent an imaginary spot (at least I hope so) directly between our eyes.  My subject was an enamelware pan.  As I prefer any composition with both organic and geometric shapes, I put two apples in the back of the pan.  The lighting in the classroom was overhead.  I tried to shift the focal area to the back of the pan.  Indicating the chips on the enamel was fun and, hopefully, helped to indicate the material from which the pan was constructed.

Broccoli really isn't so bad after all.

Concept or Technique?

Hidden Symmetry   oil/canvas   48 x 24 x 1.5

Making art can be approached in different ways.  A young painting major in university told me that he always starts by putting his ideas on paper, by crafting a concept that he wishes to explore.  I find that university programs are concept-oriented, getting students to think outside of the box, to intellectually explore new ways of thinking through art.  Excellent.  This way of thinking produces thought-provoking work.

Local and regional art organizations tend to revere technique, the drawing and redrawing, the painting and repainting in the hopes of getting it right, of improving draftspersonship and the ages-old methods of paint application.  Lighting is everything.  Painting what you see right down to the yellow drape behind the model.  Also excellent.  This way of working can produce art that is beautifully engaging, work that creates pause through its paint application and color use.

I cannot imagine beginning a work by making a list....my life is already too filled with lists.  I am trying to escape lists!  My own method is strictly intuitive, creating movement and rhythm through stroke and color.  In many instances, when the subject simply does not challenge my intellect or my sensibilities, the work is discarded.

It is my own belief that the best of all scenarios is the work that marries technique along with concept.  Work from each school of thought is sought out and admired.  Judges seem to favor one or the other and it is our aim in Kaleidoscope to provide an opportunity for all work to shine.

No answers.  Just more questions.

I

Hey, kids, let's have a show!...

Visionary   watercolor/mixed on paper   11 x 17

Those were my favorite lines on the Spanky and Our Gang television show when I was a kid!  Who can forget Alphafa singing, "I'm the Barber of Seville" in his screechy voice?  And, so, the four Akron area art groups come together once a year for a juried exhibition.  The postcard this year is my design.  The idea came to me in my sleep and I was simply unable to go anywhere else with the concept.  My friend with three young sons came over for a photo shoot on my patio where I posed and photographed the boys in various ways with a kaleidoscope.  I ended up using some shots of the youngest whose hands cupping his eyes seemed more naive and, in some ways, more interesting without a prop.  The figure was rendered in watercolor pencil.  The three circular motifs were done by reduction printing.  Watercolor washes were added to tie it altogether.  The color palette of an acid green, turquoise and ultramarine spun my fan, or, in this case, my wheel.  I call it "Visionary".

Seeing as a child.  Excited by the oh-so-many possibilities.  The joy of singing without caring about perfection.  I love you, Alphalfa!

Values...

Twelve Eagles   watercolor   27.5 x 17

provide a given artwork with a meaning all their own, I believe.  Works that are light-light-light on the value scale seem romantic and carefree.  Personally, I have a difficult time taking them seriously.  Sometimes they seem just too hap-hap-happy.  Works that utilize values in the mid-range, without strong lights or darks, seem quite moody.  Those on the dark end of the scale are just that...dark.  I prefer the high drama of works that utilize values from both ends, as well as those in-between.  We recently had a Native American model from the Cherokee Nation.  This whole problem was a bit difficult, as the resultant work darkened with each pass.  I wanted to give the work a serious treatment.  All too often, the Native American paintings seem a bit trite, a bit too dark in the eyes and rosy in the cheek.  And, conversely, those on display at The Butler Institute of American Art which were painted during the Westward Expansion seem almost scientific, as if these people were objectified and painted as if they were pinned butterflies.  I knew what I wanted but did not know how to achieve it.  The painting was critiqued by a couple of artist friends whose suggestions were valid.....originally, the feathers were much lighter.  They created a distraction and a problem that worked against the head area.  More washes.  More adjustments.  I have released the painting.  I do not yet know if I achieved my goal.  Ask me in a year.....maybe 10.  How does one paint honor, pride and wisdom that often seems outside of my grasp?  I do not know.

Communion...

Wednesday Night   charcoal/pastel   22.5 s 14

I have heard it said that musicians tend to work well together as being a part of a greater good, a greater sound, if you will, is in their nature. As for visual artists, well...they kind of have their own personal thing going on so the individuality sometimes gets in the way.  It seems to be true to some degree.  But there is nothing like the silent communion that fills the air on our model nights where artists of varying mediums and experience take to the easel to hone their skills and draw from a common model.  It really is wonderful to be in the company of so many fine artists who have no need for idle chatter and choose to spend that few hours doing what they love most.  Very satisfying.

As for me, I love these nights, as I usually set a playful goal for myself...one that may help me to solve problems on the canvas or paper later on down the line.  Last Wednesday evening, Jamie was our model....she is absolutely excellent!  Her professionalism and high regard for working time is to be admired.  I have painted Jamie many times in the past, and I have to say, that I really enjoyed working with her again.

It is always a delight to see so many individual takes on the model....just don't ask us to collaborate.

Odd Devil Out...

Devil in Disguise...a sketch

At the Halloween mask session, we had an uneven number of artists in class that evening.  Lucky for me, the mirrors on the side of the room provided a place for me to study my own portrait.  The devil mask of cloth was a relief compared to the other choices in my dress-up box which included several full-face rubber masks.  The cloth mask seemed less irritating to my head cold.  My goals were:  to describe the mask in such a way that viewers would be able to understand the material from which it was made; to bring up the likeness on the bottom half so that it would contrast with the mask on top; and to describe the eyes in such a way so we understand that they are in shadow and definitely on a plane behind the holes of the mask.

I found that the eye-cut-outs were askew and that tickled my fancy.  That added to the fun of it all.

In addition, I find that whole devil/angel notion of paired opposites to be interesting as well as intriguing.  Positively devilish.

Relationships...

That October Feeling   watercolor   12.75 x 9

can be tricky.  The more relationships one has, it seems to me, the more complex life becomes.  The same with paintings.  The more objects in the painting, the more complex the painting of it becomes.  We started out this week in class by piling a large number of organic autumn objects onto a well-lit table.  Gourds.  Pumpkins.  Grasses.  Branches.  Mums.  Squashes.  Even a Caramel Apple.  We are using our handmade cropping windows to find interesting compositions.  Everyone's is different.  In the beginning, we paint each object separately to the best of our abilities.  Then later, we need to contemplate the prioritizing of the elements, and, in turn, to consider the hard and soft edges that support this prioritization.  For me, the relationships of the forms become more important than the objects themselves.  I look for hidden rhythms to carry out my intentions.  Forms become alive, almost like persons who make up a crowd....persons at a party, persons at a meeting.  Persons having a conversation.

Animated objects.  Struggling in relationships.  Mirroring reality.

Halloween Parade

Kitty   watercolor   10 x 13.75

The highlight of all-childhood-Halloween-memories-that-meld-into-one was the Halloween Parade where all of the classes lined up and paraded the block around Windermere Elementary School in Akron where homeowners and eager parents  looked on.  They seemed to be amazed and delighted with our transformation from "just kids" into superheroes and monsters.  I, myself, was amazed and delighted.  And so, today, I present the Halloween parade of most of the paintings and drawings created last week in class.

We were transformed.  Please pretend to be amazed.

Golden...

Five O'Clock Shadow   watercolor   20 x 13

It really is a great time to paint landscapes...what, with all the color and all.  Our weekly painting assignment was to capture a beautiful autumn landscape with our cameras.  We would be painting from our photos, as working outdoors is impossible during class.  ( I do believe, however, that those who paint out of doors on a regular basis are more able to translate these photos in a realistic and natural way).  I don't much enjoy landscapes.  I prefer including houses or people or some element of humanity.  My husband does not understand it.  That being said, I was fretting about the weekly assignment myself.  Our niece's wedding reception was being held at Hale Farm and Village.  Accompanying us were my husband's parents who had made the trip up from North Carolina.  As there was a bit of a gap between the wedding and the reception, we sat on picnic tables in the crisp autumn air, waiting for the the caterers to complete the set-up.  Voila.  Before me the sun was magical in its goldenness.  The time: 5 pm.  The memory:  wonderful.  "Five O'Clock Shadow" was the result.  My assignment:  complete.

Whew.

Goal Setting and Problem Solving...

What's Up Jack?  watercolor/gouache   11.75 x 7

are things we strive for in each class.  They vary from session to session.  At the first class, I try to establish a list of problems that artists would like to work on.  One of the suggestions was learning to paint things that are wet.....things that reflect into wetness.  Who among us has not greatly admired those night time street scenes where tail lights and street lights are reflected into the wet pavement?  Replicating such a problem in our classroom with overhead lighting is a bit tricky.  We brought in small vanity mirrors and placed objects on top in order to understand the object/reflected object relationship.  Very tricky.  In our particular situation, the reflected objects seemed just as solid as the objects themselves.  I chose a vertical format and also chose to elongate the reflection that I saw for aesthetic purposes.  My subject matter - "jacks" - was so simple that I added calligraphy words related to the game.

Great fun.  Memories of many childhood hours playing jacks on the sidewalk. 

Onesies.  Cherries in a basket.  Paintsies.

Paper Dolls? Surely you Jest........

Paper Linda  watercolor/mixed...a paper doll  11.5.x 7

Paper Linda (back)

One of our first creative problems to solve in watercolor class involved the making of paper dolls.  Needless to say, the project was met with skepticism.  My motivation was twofold:  to understand the moving of painting in three dimensions in the focal area (the face) to a more flatly rendered body and clothing; as well as to paint what is imagined, yet unseen (the back of the figure).

Artists brought picture of themselves as children.  One artist just painted a self-portrait that moved from detail into more of an abstract presentation at the bottom.  I ended up painting a front and a back, as well, stitched the edges on my sewing machine and stuffed it lightly with cotton balls.  All in all, the project was a bit of silly fun.  Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously.

I love technology...

Dappled   oil/canvas   30 x 40 x 1.5

when I am able to view an exhibit online.  "Dappled" was selected for inclusion in the Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional exhibition being held at Walls Gallery in Wilmington, North Carolina.

I feel honored to have my work shown in this good company!

Walls Gallery

The Drawing of the 10,000 Kernels...

Indian Corn...a sketch

began last evening....each artist was given an ear of dried Indian corn to draw.  The results were fabulous!  Each drawing was as individual as the artist him/herself.  The twisting leaves were a challenge, as well as the rendering of the rows of multi-colored kernels.  We re-learned that the form of the entire ear is more important, and should be more dominant, than the individual kernels.  Even the beginning artists turned out highly successful drawings.  Pleasant surprises......let the good times roll.

Last Chance...

Sunflower Head   watercolor   8 x 8

warnings always bring me back to reality.  As I spend a good deal of time in my imagination, I tend to overlook some important things until they become a crisis:  i.e.  last gas station for the next 200 miles, last chance to use the restroom until the plane lands, and last chance to visit Stuckey's pecan roll superstore.  The sunflowers came and went in my garden throughout the summer.  As they waned, we placed the heads near the bird feeder.  I thought the opportunity to paint them had passed me by.  Then early in September, I noticed two tender sunflowers that had sprouted from the bird droppings.  Having painted sunflowers many times before, I wanted this attempt to be different from all of the others.

It was, after all, my last chance.

Painting Challenges...

Bartlett Pear   watercolor and thread   5 x 8

are an excellent way to keep one's work fresh.  Most professional artists I know give themselves challenges on a regular basis.  Goal-setting is a related notion.  It keeps us from stagnation or becoming embedded in a comfort zone.  On the first night of watercolor class, we were each given a pear and selected a goal out of a hat.  My goal was to focus on value only by painting in one color.  Others were:  painting only with a flat brush; using an analogous color palette; using a power stroke; using both organic and straight line; and using a huge wash brush for the entire painting. 

"Bartlett Pear" is the result.  I used only a brown mix that was in the mixing well during class.  The yellow-green was added at home.

Seeing the Universal in the Specific

Many years ago I was assigned, by the print company for which I worked, to paint a series of angels.  I worked so hard on those angels.  But the series was rejected for print because they looked too much like real people.  I have struggled with this notion.  I yearn to see universal humanity through an individual, not the reverse.  The market is flooded with images of generic people, done so because, supposedly, more people can relate when a particular visage is rendered in an undefinable way.  These images smack of mass marketing to me and seem somehow cheapened.  And so it goes.

So when I read the following quote about H. Craig Hanna on the website from Amelia Johnson Contemporary, my heart was lightened.....someone else feels the same as I do.

 He paints recognizable human beings as opposed to standard images of physically perfect or stereotypically imperfect 'types'.  They are not, however, portraits, and most have their identities effaced, faces obstructed, but their presence is the strongest and most captivating element in the painting.

 Affirmation.  Sweet.

Falling in Love

There is nothing like the feeling of falling in love....very very intense.  It doesn't happen that often.  During our recent visit to San Francisco, we visited a couple of galleries in St. Helena.  Although the galleries were spectacular in every way and there was an abundance of beautiful art objects to grace the home, the works on the walls were disappointing to me.  They were too slick, too impersonal;  i.e. an immense work in black and white of pounding horses' hooves.  Nothing that touched my soul.  The next day, I spotted a poster in a shop window on 24th Street in the city.  The painting pulled me across the street where I quickly jotted down the information.  Back at home on my computer I was able to pull up the wonderful wonderful work of H. Craig Hanna.

Another muse.............totally inspiring.  Hi art.

Mile High Sketch Club

Mile High Man...a sketch

I am a member of the mile high club.....sketching, that is.  Is there another?   One row up across the aisle is the perfect position for acquiring an unknowing model.  This gentleman was a fidgeter....tall and lanky.  He spent lots of time standing in the aisle where his legs could expand.  During the sitting intervals, he provided me with ample drawing opportunity.  The difficulty was in his slight lateral movements to the left and right, where the degree of eyeglasses and nose changed from time to time.  Therein lies the challenge.  Values were all midtones, so there were no extremes on which to build a stronger sense of patterning.  No strong light.  I was satisfied.

Have Sketchbook Will Travel...

Chicago O'Hare...a sketch

Life presents many wonderful opportunities for travel...most recently, it was the marriage of our son on the west coast.  My first thoughts in preparing for a trip always have to do with my art-making.  Painting provides my way of maneuvering through the difficulties that life presents.  Quite simply, it is an addiction.  It is difficult for me to do without the wonder that art-making provides.  Sketching fits the bill.  A small sketchbook and set of pencils is always at the ready in my bag.  An unexpected delay of 4 hours at Chicago O'Hare provided the opportunity to observe and sketch many weary travelers, myself included.  Although most of the sketches remain unfinished and unresolved in so many ways, the freedom of the mark-making and the resultant calming are ever-present.  When a book is filled with sketches, there is always a pleasure in returning to this visual diary.  For a visual person, there is nothing better.

Kathy Johnson is at it again!

Loves Me   oil/canvas   6 x 6

The owner of Hudson Fine Art & Framing is hosting an unusual "In The Pink" exhibit this year.  Over 50 small canvasses (6 x 6) will be raffled to support The Gathering Place, a support venue for cancer patients and their families.


A wine and cheese reception will be held this Friday, October 1 from 5:30 - 8:30 pm.  The exhibit will continue throughout the month. 

"Loves Me" is my offering.

Clarity...

Buddies   oil/canvas   20 x 10 x .5

results when the temperature drops a bit in September.  The humidity is lower.  The mornings are crisp and clear.  As a result, everything seems to come into focus...flowers, landscapes and feelings seem to be crisper.  We are lucky to live close to a large reservoir that is used year round recreationally for many folks who fish, boat and hike.  I believe that fishing is a tranquilizer for those who enjoy it just as painting is for me.  Peace.  Quiet.  Oneness.  Fresh Air.  The losing of the self in the activity.

I don't much enjoy the notion of painting a landscape.  Perhaps it all seems so far away.  My subjects tend to be pulled in more closely.  A  vertical "slice of landscape" seems to fit the aesthetic bill for me. I am able to hear the water lapping against the sides of the aluminum canoe.

Buddies is an observation.  Fishing with a friend.

The term "high art"

implies  a polar opposite which would likely be deemed "low art".  High. Low.  The image perceived is that of a ladder where concepts and individuals are in a position where some have a leg up, and others a leg down.  Verticality.  Yang thinking.  A paradigm construed of aggression, authority, words and left-brained thinking.  I guess then, that Hummers and McMansions would then be seen as higher up than Volkswagon Beetles and cottages.  And what is deemed high or low would be defined by our own position on the ladder....we humans are egocentric creatures.  I propose a change from "high art" to "hi art" (as in "hello", the greeting)....that which speaks to an individual, no matter what place that individual holds on the perceived totem.  A shift to the horizontal, the yin......respecting differences, respecting the vast spectrum of visual appeal.  Intuition.  Feeling.  And, yes, sentiment.  Tolerance.  Different art, different music, different tribes.  All cool.  I guess then that the work of Thomas Kinkaid could be considered "Hi Art" to lots of people.  The deciders of what is "hi art" could then be individuals themselves, rather than the "authority on high" deciding what is worthy and what is not.

Hi Art.

Question  Authority.

They're Playing Our Song...

Marci   oil/canvas   20 x 10 x .5

is currently showing at Weathervane Theater in Akron until September 26.  This play revolves around a songwriter and a lyricist whose creative quirks in their collaboration provide lots of laughs. And, to be quite truthful, I saw our own relationship being played out in several scenes.  Rick and I are showing work in the lobby, so we were treated to the production last evening........hilarious, touching and quick-tempoed.  What a great production to open the season!  Rick has sculptures and photographs.  Mine contribution is a collection of paintings celebrating both music and the harvest season that is upon us.  Our good friend Marci Paolucci is the curator for the gallery there and has been at if for over 25 years!  Her contribution to the local arts is an important one and she takes pride in touching the lives of the artists whose work she chooses to exhibit.  I had a very difficult time writing a collaborative bio for the two of us.  She took the information the whipped it into a wonderful few paragraphs.  Here's to Marci!  Here's to another stimulating theater season at Weathervane Playhouse!  Hope you all have time to take it in.

Things that Become Tangled...

Pepper Party   oil/canvas   6 x 6 x 1.5

should be a category on Jeopardy......strings, hair, thread, and, yes, vines.  I have painted many tangled vines before and find a special delight in it, actually.  It appeals to my sense of hidden rhythms and puzzle solving as far as prioritizing.  If all of the pieces/parts are equally described, the work becomes very difficult to read visually.  In "Pepper Party", I subdued the leaves and the vines, for the most part, even though they are oh-so-appealing in order to give dominance to the peppers themselves.  Still a tangle.  But then,  I also like frayed things, things marred by age and plants and bushes grown a bit out of control.  I like the wildness.  Wabi Sabi.

Quick Painting/Slow Painting

Tomato Tango   oil/canvas   8 x 8 x 1

I believe that, with a little planning, a good painting can result from a short session or several longer sessions that last months.  Goals need to be adjusted.  The open house at Cuyahoga Valley Art Center is a festive affair....lots of friendly people, great conversations, chatting with colleagues, sampling tasty hors d'oeuvres and very little focus.  It's the nature of the gathering.  And, so, I came armed with a small 6 x 6  canvas that was pre-toned in violet.  My attention was diverted every few minutes so each stroke had to count.  "Tomato Tango" is the result.  A bit wildly painted.  I'm afraid that, given another session, I may have been tempted to fine tune it a bit.  And I'm not sure that would have been a good thing.  My standards seem to be different from what they used to be.  Perhaps I am just happier with who I am.

Revisiting...

Baughman Barn  oil/canvas board   12 x 12

a dry work has both advantages and disadvantages.  Rhythms and brushwork, often determined by the current mood of the artist, will be invariably different.  I have to feel that my time will be well-spent in returning to the work.  These are not studio paintings.  These are plein-air works that were "finished" (but often not to my satisfaction) on the spot.  I am gradually learning how to paint in one session which requires a maximum amount of thought and a minimum amount of paint.  Otherwise, the colors all become murky, in a mid-value range.  Revisiting allows for corrections in color temperature and in value...reestablishing the darkest darks and the lightest lights.  If the draftsmanship is off, I won't even bother.  "Baughman Barn" was revisited yesterday to my satisfaction.  Although the yellow-golden quality is gone and the color temperature has shifted to cool, I believe that the work has been improved.

Seeing...

Sun Queen   oil/canvas   20 x 16 x .5

the smaller things around us is such a pleasure.  A bit of quiet time allows these heretofore background scenes to permeate our consciousness.  These days our children live elsewhere and, for the first time ever, (temporarily, anyways) there are no pets in our home.  The bird feeders outside have been full of activity all summer along.  We are attentive to the comings, the goings and the rhythms of the bird world.  Goldfinches are perched at the tops of the sunflower stalks where they enjoy pulling out the seeds.  Enthusiasm gone wild.  Terrific.  The ebb and flow of the seasons.  A delight to behold.

Tale of Two Betties...

Betty Crawford   oil/canvas   20 x 16 x .5

Betty Wolfe   oil/canvas   20 x 16 x .5

I have had the privilege this month of painting two women named Betty.  Both Betties are fixtures in the Akron area arts community.  Betty C. is a painter and frequent volunteer at Cuyahoga Valley Art Center....she is often the smiling face behind the desk.  Betty W. is also a painter whose work is often seen at regional exhibits.  These small works were created in my summer "Painting the Human Figure" class.  The canvasses were pre-toned.  That allows for a more finished presentation, even if the work remains somewhat unresolved due to the time constraints of the class.  Both works consisted of 2-2 hour in classes live sessions and 1-1 hour session using a photo at home.  This last session helps me to purify somewhat the flesh tones that have become muddied; to repair glaring drawing errors; and to consider rhythms utilizing hard or soft edges.  I am happy with each one.  And I also love the Betties.....

Dussel Farm...

Bi-Color   oil/canvas   11 x 14  

in Brimfield is where we shop for corn....the tastiest thing going in this harvest season.  The circular driveway is arranged so that you literally drive-through and just open your window.  Members of the Dussel family are ready to serve you a dozen or a half (with an extra one included).  These are hard-working people, local farmers, who depend on our support for their existence.  Sure, it is a bit out of the way.  Sure, it costs a fraction more.  But ever so much more delicious than the genetically engineered stuff that fills the bins at Marc's.  It seems to me that if we artists seriously value the notion of one-of-a-kind art, then it follows that we would be apt to support and sustain the farms and farmers of our locale and in our farmer's markets.  Amen.  Please pass the butter.

Gross Motor Skills...

Paint Dancer (detail)

allow for freedom of expression in a large format.  Using our shoulder muscles rather than our hand/wrists; while standing up; using large brushes and wide markers and pens; and holding the brush loosely at the very tip of the handle  produce marks that are bolder and freer.  We feel a bit out-of-control at first, but practicing simple line-work such as a natural curve can up the confidence level.  OUT OF CONTROL CONTROL.  Small motor mark-making includes:  sitting down; finely sharpened tools; small brushes; choking up on the brush at the ferrule....all of these add up to CONTROL.   In our expressive drawing workshop, we gradually inched our way up to the gross motor mark-making.  Wonderful!


Painters who drop their brushes during my painting class are rewarded with cheering.  This means that the brush is being held lightly and not being over-controlled.

We got skeels.

I have tried to love shadows.....,

Garden Bench   mixed/paper   20.5 x 27

those areas of soft transparency where cools and warms play together and the reality of the moment is defined by the arc of the sun.  In fact, I love paintings by other artists where the story being told is about the shadows themselves, the objects that cast them being forced into supporting roles.  I also love back-lit paintings by other artists.  I just don't love doing them.  For me, the transparency has a place at the center of interest, in the story I am telling.  For me, opacity must play a counter-movement.  And so, "Garden Bench" started out as a pure watercolor.  It remained in my studio unresolved for a year or more.  I wanted an overall feel of chalkiness, of layer upon layer.  I relish the unexpected play of paint on the surface....the spattering, the marring, the dribbling.  Further work in gouache helped, but the resolution was still out of reach.  The work was satisfactorily completed in pastel.

"Garden Bench" is a mixed media work.  It simply had to be done.

I think that I'm getting the hang of it!

Dappled 2   oil/canvas   40 x 30 x 1.5

....making slide shows, that is.  Painting will always be, I am hoping, a bit of mystery with unknowns to resolve in playful resolution.  My progression of "Dappled 2" can be seen at the right.  This painting was rather straightforward...8 frames.  8 sessions.  8 passes.  Some paintings are done pretty much on the spot, with perhaps some fine tuning when dry.  Other paintings morph and morph and morph over the months and represent quite a struggle....but I always learn something.  Dappled is a series that I will be dipping into over the next few years.  Wabi Sabi.  Imperfect.  The opposite of purebred, thoroughbred.  Inside/Outside.  Tattered.  Comfortable.  Unpressed.  Wrinkly.  Patinaed.  Scratched.  Me.

Click on "Some Paintings" to see a larger version of the finished work.

Opportunities...

Susan's Sunflowers   watercolor   13.75 x 10

present themselves constantly in our lives if and when we are paying attention.  Painting to the season is something I enjoy particularly.  Although I don't often paint flowers, and, in fact, don't really enjoy floral paintings, I am drawn to sunflowers and their majestic presence in mid-July.  We had a few this year and I had every intention of spending a day on them and had already toned a vertical canvas.  But obligations of other sorts consumed my time.  When I was ready, they were done.  Oh well.  There is always next year.  I painted "Susan's Sunflowers" in watercolor last year during a demonstration at Cuyahoga Valley Art Center.  My friend and colleague Susan Mencini had brought this beautiful bouquet.  My own set up was decidedly inferior, so I looked on at what she had brought.  Thank you, Susan.

My Hat...

Wendy Park   oil/canvas   20 x 16 x .5

goes off to plein-air painters everywhere.  Or should I say "blows off"?  My Sunday was spent at Wendy Park just off the flats in Cleveland painting in the Color Me Cleveland event.  Traditionally a studio painter where everything I need and want is at my fingertips, making the adjustment to outdoor painting is always a challenge and a bit of a surprise.  The wind gusts were unbelievable!  Even the duct tape gave way at one point as the painting sailed off and landed, of course, face down in the dry grass.  What's a bit of texture?  Then the final gust mid-afternoon tipped over my tray table holding the turp, the medium and the olive oil which were quickly absorbed into the hard ground.  The painting was left a bit unresolved, but I was finished for the day.

The Color Me Cleveland works will be on display at Artists Archives of the Western Reserve  from
August 16 - 20, then auctioned on August 21 from 5:30 - 9 pm.  Contact Artists Archives for more information, especially if you are looking for something with texture.

Portraits...

Barbara Krans Jenkins   charcoal and pastel on paper   12 x 17.5

are a sticky wick.  I have seen seasoned portrait artists put their materials away in defeat after an unsatisfying session.  Likeness is illusive.  Sometimes, it seems that all of the pieces/parts are in the right place yet the overall work is just not right.  True, true, true.  I love the human face and the spirit it offers to me.  For me, doing a portrait of Barbara Krans Jenkins was a daunting task.  In my mind, her spirit is most apparent in her smiling eyes.  All strokes lead to that.  Also an enduring softness.  The demonstration at St. Paul's was difficult, as all eyes lead to the work on the easel.  I prefer to work incognito.  Talking and drawing are polarized tasks for me.  Getting into my zone was impossible.  I worked in soft vine charcoal from the inside out.  Although the work was satisfactory at the end of the demo, the overall feel was missing to me.  The softness was missing.  I finished the work at home with the aid of a photography and many overlays.  Subsequent layers were done using harder vine charcoal that allowed for a softer lighter line.  Some pastel was added for a lighter value, as the paper was a toned blue-green-gray. 

Barbara is happy.  She says her forehead curl is three-dimensional.  Rick says that curl is a "Superman Curl".  I am happy.

The Finishing Touches...

Banquet   oil/canvas   20 x 60 x 1.5

for me are done lightly and sparsely.  I decided to smooth out the patchy background as I feel that the texture interfered with the business of the foreground.  Particular colors were pulled out using pure pigment, those on my original palette (selected in the pre-planning stage) that had become too subdued:  cadmium yellow; cadmium red and blue-violet.  More yellow-green was pulled out in all of the leafy areas.  Done.

With this work, a "project", I spent more time in the planning stage.  Fewer risks were taken.  Fewer changes were made.  I have a theory that the more "stuff" (forms) are in a painting, the less freedom can be expressed throughout.  Nothing outrageous was performed.  The destruction parts were very subtle.  I am satisfied.  Banquet.

The Fifth and Sixth Passes...

Banquet...fifth and sixth passes

were carried out with the intent of bringing the work up to my own personal sense of aesthetics.  Up to this point, I had been primarily concerned with reality....describing the individual elements as well as using hard and soft edges to initiate a flow.  The painting had been drying over the weekend.  Large transparent cad yellow pale and blue-violet strokes were added vertically and rhythmically, primarily to offset the horizontal nature of the work.  But also to bring the corners in....to stop the action somewhat at the ends of the canvas.  And, also to break up the tightened restraints of the reality painting.  I also decided that the background and foreground white cloth were too similar in value, so I stroked in a darker tint mix with terra rosa to the background, in a patchy way to emulate the look of plaster.  Now we are cooking, so to speak.

The Fourth Pass...

Banquet...fourth pass...one day...fine tuning

was spent in fine tuning that which had already been considered...only detail work.  More definition in places.  Reestablishing shapes that had run amuk.  This took one day.  I knew that bigger changes were in store down the road as larger more important concepts such as harmony, temperature, movement and overall feel had yet to be considered.  I was still playing it safe at this point....coloring in the lines, so to speak.

In looking at these last two small images, in fact, no changes are distinctly noticeable.

The Third Pass...

Banquet...third pass...five days...more description

took five days of work.  More description.  But not everywhere....by this point I had a fair idea of the horizontal flow and the rhythmic pattern that would, hopefully, lead the eye around the composition.  But we artists know that with every gain there is a loss.  Sometimes wonderful passages were edited, sacrificed, for the whole.  At this point, the loss for me was the dissipation into pieces-parts, almost too much reality for me.  Preparation for a bit of chaos, a bit of destruction that had to be done for the sake of simplicity.  Too many things.  Too much itty bitty.  Too many words in the story.

The Second Pass...

Banquet...second pass

required more description, more attention to values and more attention to color temperature.  The long horizontal format is a bit of a different animal.  In working from left to right, I found that I was losing energy toward the end.  Fatigue sets in.  Things must be harmonized.  After the first pass, there was an abundance of dark values on the left....much lighter on the right.  This must all be balanced, in addition to beginning to set up a rhythm between the forms.  At this point, I was also determining which edges needed to be hard, and which soft.  It is definitely more difficult to achieve an all-over harmony given this format.  Carry on.

The First Pass...

Banquet...first pass

was completed by striking in local color and getting a feel for just where forms are positioned as well as to begin to understand the complex relationships between the forms.  I decided to forgo the view from a particular vantage point, deciding, instead, to view all forms as if I were standing in front of each.  Perspective has lost its extreme influence.  I will have to use rhythm to move us around the picture plane.  The background was painted in a light tint of terra rosa to simulate textured plaster walls.  I did not cover it completely, choosing, instead, to let small patches of the cadmium yellow under-painting to shine through.  None of these decisions is resolute.  Some of my earlier choices will be negated as the work progresses.

The Block-In,

Banquet...block in

for me, consists of a minimum number of lines that form a rhythmic pattern across the canvas.  Some artists use vine charcoal.  I use a very small brush and a liquidy turpentine mixture of an earth tone.  Some artists spend a great deal of time on this step, being certain that each form is in the right place and that sizes and measurements are fairly correct.  I find that spending too much time on the block-in not only neutralizes my enthusiasm for the painting part, but also reduces the amount of freedom in painting that I have...which is optimum for me in the creative process.  And so, I forgo lots of measuring and exactitude which allows for the freedom I crave.  The bad news is that not everything is in the "right" place and not everything is the "right" size.  Adjustments will need to be made.  Things will stay more flexible, more fluid.  And that is all right by me.

Does it Match?

We artists work with color on a regular basis.  It spins our collective fan.  Color engages.  Color energizes.  Color soothes.  Tyrone Geter once said that the more one learns about color, the more he/she realizes how much more there is to know.  True.  True.  True.  In a college sociology class, I read of a native tribe somewhere that had only 2 color words.  Seeing simply.  Dividing the spectrum into only 2 categories.  I have thought often of this knowledge bite, and guess that the words had to do with color temperature.  Maybe.  I am a lover of pures paired with neutrals, those colors that can hardly be described with words, i.e. bluish-brownish-purpleish.  Seeing colors is a subjective skill....who can really tell what another eye is seeing?  Fascinating.

This color IQ test was forwarded by my son and is quite an endeavor.  If you choose to attempt it, please do it when your time is open-ended, perhaps a half hour.  When you click on the site, there is a block about color iq.  Click on the part underneath that says..."learn more".  Fun.

Creative Schemes...

Queen Ann   watercolor   13 x 10

have been part of my m.o. for as long as I can remember.  The other day while walking along the roadside, I had a Marcel Proust moment when I spotted Queen Ann's Lace, a prolific wildflower often deemed a weed.  My childhood friend Tina and I spent a lovely summer afternoon clipping these beauties and putting them into jars with food coloring.  Within hours, they were infused with amazing colors.  We set up our roadside stand, prepared to rake in the cash.  Why wouldn't passers-by be drawn to these amazing flowers?  Needless to say, it was a very long afternoon.  No sales.  No cash.  No competition for the lemonade-makers.

Just an amazing memory of an afternoon well spent.

Farmers Markets...

Tomato Basket   oil/canvas  16 x 20 x 1.5

are in full swing now and need our support.  Since the 1950's, chemical farming has altered the way food is grown in our country.  High-tech farming has lessened the quality of the foods and depleted the soil causing lower nutrient crops as well as increasing erosion.  The yield per acre has tripled.  Labor has been cut by 2/3.  But energy use has quadrupled.  Not a good thing....all sponsored by the petrochemical industry.  According to Moore Lappe and Joseph Collins of the Institute for Food and Development Policy in San Francisco, the myth of world hunger has also been propagated by this same industrial outlook.  Rather, hunger is not the result of poor production, but the result of social and political policies that cause farmers to plant commercial one-crop products that are exported for monetary gain, leaving the local and regional communities with little to nothing.

I have spent the past three weeks painting fruits, vegetables and other food items.  I cannot paint without thinking of the subject and what this particular experience has to teach.

Water, water.....

West End (NC)   watercolor   25.5 x 15

is not really everywhere....we take it so for granted.  West End, North Carolina is a sleepy little town that we pass through often.  It is the kind of place where old guys in red caps hang around garages.  Antique shops line the street....the one street.  I love this town and I don't know why.  Last year for our "look up" painting challenge in class, I chose to paint the town water tower.  It was a hot, humid and cloudy day....very moody.   This painting is right on with its feel....my feel.  Gets one to thinking...

Wings...

Butterfly Wallpaper   watercolor

of butterflies, dragonflies and insects of all kinds are so very beautiful....patterny, colorful and sometimes iridescent.  On a day when painting something large is out of the question due to time restraints, small insect paintings can keep your brushes wet and in practice.  For me, even a day without painting seems to increase painting trepidation...the fear of white canvas or paper.  For these small works, I buy thrift store frames and design the paintings around the frame size.  Granted, this way of working is not really natural, due to size restrictions.  I liken it to illustration, where the size and dimensions of the work are predetermined.  Nevertheless, it is a fun and freeing exercise.....

take flight.

Preparation...

setting the mood with a toned canvas for the Loretta Paganini painting project

is a good thing and helps to propel us toward success no matter what the endeavor.  Sure, I enjoy the spontaneous painting that I often do, but in more complex projects, I like to ease my way into the project with planning and sketches.  Today I begin a large canvas of bountiful fruits and vegetables that is being done in collaboration with the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking and Culinary Arts.  The canvas was toned with a rich warm and buttery yellow that, hopefully, will peek through other layers.  I purchased all of my ingredients and combined them with items from my own kitchen to create a very long still life set up on my patio last week.  I photographed and re-photographed all of the items.  Painting from a live set up will not be possible due to the immensity of the painting as well as the organic nature of the items.  Here I go!

Now....all I need are some lemons.

I need more lemons!

Lemony   oil/canvas   6 x 6 x 1.25

Things are heating up here in northeast Ohio.....temperature predicted in the 90's all week with high humidity.  Our home is not air-conditioned.  Whew!  I find lemons to be a refreshing remedy to cool, to hydrate and to enjoy.....lemons in water, lemonade mixed with beer, lemon desserts and lemons to look at.  Beautiful!  It would make for good writing if I said that I am cooler already just thinking about lemons.  It's not true.

But it's the thought that counts.

Barbara Krans Jenkins

Barbara Krans Jenkins   charcoal and pastel on paper   12 x 17.5

is an amazing artist who does forest floor images beyond compare.  Her cut and decorated gourds appear to be fine ceramic objets d'art.  And her community spirit benefits all of our community artists.  She has established the gallery at her church, St. Paul's Episcopal, boasting an elaborate and high-tech hanging system as well as committees of folks to help unload and hang.  Not a small feat.  And she is often seen volunteering and demonstrating at Summit Artspace alongside her vast collection of prismacolor pencils.  And so, it is to her credit  that I will be showing paintings and drawings at St. Paul's from July 4 through August 26.

Chef Roger will be there.  Come on along.