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.

Delight...

Asparagus, Peaches and Cherry Tomatoes   watercolor   12.5 x 14

is a matter of personal preference, of course.  I feel lucky that my my delight threshold is so low....my brain is stimulated by marks on the sidewalk, stacks of books.....and going to the market.  Marketing has always been a pleasure for me even when in a hurry....which is just about always.  Summer's produce is a wave of textures and colors to spin my creative fan.  Who doesn't love the collection of peppers....all yellow, orange, red and green....stacked in baskets and boxes?  Pity the person who does not notice.

Delight in the seeing, the touching, the smelling and the eating.

And, I will confess to buying things I don't need just because they are beautiful.

To-tone-or-not-to-tone...

Quick Draw Painting - Hudson, Ohio dentist   8 x 8

is really a matter of individual preference.  But, despite the foresight and planning that is apparent, it is usually a good thing.  Toned canvasses provide a slicker surface, providing an ideal surface for the gliding of brushwork.  Untoned drags.  Think skating on ice versus trudging through snow.  For me, the surface dance is most important.

In addition, a particular color of toning can enliven a work from the get-go if pieces/parts of that preliminary color peek through.  Another fun thing to try is to tone with with the opposing color temperature of the anticipated temperature of the work.....i.e. cool underlying warm.  This is particularly effective in watercolor where the transparent layers are visible from beneath. (and, with watercolor, this preliminary toning can be done right on the spot when work is begun, rather than ahead of time)

Most often, however, my foresight is dim, and so I just use leftover paint from my palette all mixed together to tone random canvasses for future paintings.  One time I used the sludge from my turp jar to tone.....bad idea.....those canvasses took months to dry.

For plein-air work, toning is a real plus, as it provides color already there when speed is of the essence.  It is also terrific for vignetting.  Also for scratching through to a previous layer.

So, I guess, the answer for me is yes.  Think ahead.  Tone.  My small painting from the quick draw in Hudson of the dentist's office was toned well ahead of the event.

In retrospect....

Melon Sill   watercolor   6.75 x 12

things often appear differently.  Sometimes paintings that we adore don't seem so noteworthy.  And, just as often, the reverse is true...paintings that we feel ho-hum about take on a fresh look.  We may even say to ourselves, "hey, that isn't so bad after all".  It's true.  In viewing "Melon Sill", I feel that I really like this painting after all.  And I think I know why.  In most of my work, I strive for strong value contrasts....these provide drama and the ability to read a painting from a distance.  But what about those often understated and underused mid-values?  In the ever-present light of summer, aren't lighter values appropriate and appealing?  And....shouldn't we consider the use of value to be an important ingredient in the story we are telling?

Note to myself:  Always consider value to be maneuverable.....adjustable....to support the visual story.  And, don't neglect the mid-tones....they are beautiful in a different way.

Tis the season for plein air!

Breezeway   oil/canvas   14 x 11

where plein-air painters abound.  Lots of competitions and lots of outdoor painters.  I just received word that one of the artists in my watercolor class, Marian Steiner, took an honorable mention at The Cuyahoga Valley Art Center Plein-Air paint-out this past weekend.  Congratulations, Marian!

My own process for painting outdoors has become more solid over the years as I realize what will make for speedier and more productive work.

1) always, if possible, start with a toned canvas.  This allows the brushes to glide.  In addition, the entire canvas is already covered, which makes minimal painting in non-important areas more do-able

2) try to locate a scene that interests me personally, so that I will be invested in its success....perhaps an area of interest as far as gardening, or one that incorporates both organic and straight line.  I really like combining parts of buildings with the gardens.

3) hone in on a color temperature dominance...this will help determine the color of the frame, as well as keep me on track.  cool painting?  warm painting?  one or the other

4) determine a mother-color that will be dominant and help me to determine the colors on my limited palette......I like to tweak the palette in order to avoid the static that occurs by using an exclusively local palette

5) use my viewfinder to help compose the scene

6) paint!  Some outdoor painters seem to enjoy conversation with others.  Unfortunately, I am not one of them,  as I find the interruptions in my painting process to be confusing and disorienting.  I am still working on how to solve this problem.

7) one stroke says it all....I try to rely on the each stroke for power and try not to alter them, as this leads to a mushy painting that has to be resolved after drying in the studio.  In plein-air work, this simply isn't possible.  What I see is what I get.

All in all, painting outdoors is invigorating and provides opportunities for thinking outside the box, for changing habits that inhibit creativity.

Inspiration...

Canned Beauty   watercolor/gouache   10 x 6.5

can come from anywhere, even the oft overlooked, especially the oft overlooked.  A recent glossy home decor magazine featured an article where an editor picked her 10 favorite things.  The one that caught my eye was a vase, I believe of mercury glass, that resembled an aluminum can.  And, of course, it was for that reason that it was deemed beautiful.  My brain wondered:  "And why not the aluminum can itself"?  Aluminum cans teach a variety of lessons:  the ever-difficult ellipse as well as reflective qualities that are not contiguous, but ridged.  Oh boy....what an assignment.  We had also been discussing the use of black.  Instead of using black from a tube, which is a dead dark that creates visual holes in paintings, we discussed the formula of red + green + blue = black.  Using the particular red, green and blue hues already determined for a particular work will produce a dark that harmonizes with the rest of the painting.  And......one of my favorites.....using one or two of those in dominance will produce a black with a particular cast...i.e. reddish-black, bluish-black, etc.  (this aspect is easily seen in black garments)

"Canned Beauty" was done that class period.  I slanted my dark hues to produce a purplish-black to, hopefully, play off of the vibrant yellow flowers.  Despite its darkness, I like it very much.

Ready for the Sun...

Carl Yoke   watercolor   13.5 x 9.5

One of our recent class assignments was portrait painting.  We drew numbers and sat  in pairs across from each other to paint.  We were to be prepared with summertime regalia, including hats, sunglasses, etc.  I find that these additions often fool our "afraid to do portraits" mentality by covering the eyes and the hair....those parts that are often difficult to render.  Granted, the lighting in our downstairs classroom at the art center is not optimal....it is fluorescent overhead lighting...which is not really advantageous for describing the beautiful form of the human head.  However, it is what we have and I believe that beautiful art can be made under any conditions.

Carl Yoke was my subject.

Uyahi...

Jailhouse Rick   oil/canvas   10 x 30 x .5

is the Cherokee word for husband.  And, so, this day I pay tribute to my dear one with whom I have shared my life.  Everyone knows that being an artist is difficult.....the folks, like me,  who, for the most part, have chosen a life of "being" over a life of "having".  Being the partner of an artist is just as difficult.....and just as rewarding.  In a life full of crazy-makers, my partner is my calm and my best audience.  As we are both visually oriented, our language is often unspoken, but felt strongly.  He is also my most willing model.  We have been blessed with three wonderful sons who have loving partners, a magnificent garden, and loyal friends whose values mesh with our own. 

Gvgeyui, both a noun and a verb, is the Cherokee word for all that encompasses love.

Sleep...

Dean Hoover's Place   oil/canvas board   10 x 20

is welcome...especially after the 3-day plein air paint-out in Hudson!  The small paintings, done by about a dozen artists, are all hung in the gallery waiting for buyers.  The styles, energies and subject matters are varied and captivating.  It is really not that simple painting outdoors and my sun hat goes off to those who do this on a regular basis.  For a studio painter like me, the chances for little disasters are multiplied.

On day one my leg fell off....of the easel, that is.   Luckily my art cart was just the right height to make up the difference and my easel was easily repaired for the next session.

On day two, I hit a terrible rut in the parking lot while dragging my art cart along....in trying to catch the spillover, the painting that was being held pizza-fashion landed in my hair.  No problem.  Washing my hair with hand-soap did the trick, as well as a trip to the hardware store to replenish the spilled turp.  And, really, most folks enjoyed the paint and liquid all over my business cards....they say it added character.

Wow....I thought I was home-free on day three and, I must say, feeling quite smug....until I got out of the car to find paint all over the cloth seat....also all over my legs.  Where did this come from?  No problem.....some turp and some soapy water did the trick.  Oh yeah....also a towel on the seat for a while to prevent unsightly spots on my clothes.

Soaking up the environment is one of the advantages....beauty, nature and the talents of the many gardeners whose hard work was showcased.

Today....the studio...the calm...and, hopefully accident-free.

I agree with Leon...

 ardo da Vinci who said:
    

The painter must be solitary...For if you are alone you are completely yourself, but if you are accompanied by a single companion you are half yourself.

And, so, I must apologize for wanting to be completely me....for avoiding conversation during the process, and for avoiding eye contact with those who wish to converse, to make a connection.  I love the extreme focus, the tunnel vision that painting provides.  And when artists in class need to take a break, I completely understand, but hope that their meanderings do not disrupt the creative time of others.  Painting, for me, is sacred.

Michelangeo said:

Painters are not in any way unsociable through pride, but either because they find few pursuits equal to painting, or in order not to corrupt themselves with conversation and so debase the imaginings in which they are absorbed.

Again Olivia   watercolor/mixed on paper   20.5 x 13

"Again Olivia" was painted from a model in two separate sessions with my earphones on.  I do enjoy listening to my own brand of music, but also enjoy being absorbed in my own imaginings.