Sweets From My Sweetie

My sweetie often comes home after a music gig with a little gift - last week he brought a box of chocolates. My first reaction is that they are too pretty to eat, but would make a beautiful painting so I put them in the freezer till the time comes. Finally... time to indulge!

Sweets

Oil on Gessoboard 6x6"

Price on Request

Colorful Collection

Finally, I get to post a painting that is not a class demo. Hopefully this will now be the norm. I was inspired by having the new still life painting box set up, so now I can control the lighting and the angles to my liking. To get back in the swing of daily painting, I pulled out my trusty collection of decades old nail polishes, which got me to thinking... it's about time I treat myself to some new shades!

Colorful Collection

Oil on Board 6x6"

Price on Request

4 Apples (Demos)

Demos in "Color as Value"

Here are some quick demos I did for my class in NYC, showing various ways to interpret the same still life, using different value and color combinations. The point of the lesson is that there are many ways to interpret the values, you can try different combinations and see what you like the best.

4 Apples

12x12" Acrylic on Canvas

Corner Cafe

It's always challenging to make sense out of a crowd scene from a painting standpoint. All those little faces and figures, all that architecture. I chose this scene for exactly that reason, aiming to keep the lively quality but not get too caught up in small details. Waiter - another martini please!

Corner Cafe

Oil on Panel 5x7"

White Rose 4

A rose is a rose is a rose... I seem to have roses on the mind lately. They are a great shape to play with, endless opportunities to explore color and structure. This little study was done in a color-spot-by color-spot approach, a technique I was introduced to in the early 90's when I took a 5 day workshop with a colorist who studied with the late great Henry Henche. Since then I have noticed that my favorite painters were either Henche students at one time, or come from that tradition. The spot by spot approach requires that you constantly judge color relationships, by color temperature, value, and saturation or intensity. It also involves a lot of exacting color mixing, which in some ways is better suited to oils, since acrylics dry fast. I've been experimenting with Golden OPEN Acrylics and mediums lately, they dry up to 10 times slower than the regular Heavy Body Acrylics. I may paint more roses with oils just to compare. Regardless of the medium, painting a white rose against a white background is a great way to discover spots of lovely, neutral colors lurking everywhere.

White Rose 4

6x6 Acrylic on Canvas

Orange on Pink

Some workshops are better than others. The workshop I taught this weekend falls clearly in the better to best category. At the top of the list is the wonderful group of gals I worked with - ranging in experience level from total beginners to very advanced art teachers. The commraderie, sharing, humor, and personality mix made this a group from heaven. They were a joy to work with as well as a hoot to hang out with. Altho I'm a taskmaster with the pace and the exercises, there was a good balance between learning and laughing. Add to that perfect weather, stunning seaside location and roomy gallery/studio sponsored by the ultimate hostess with the mostess, it doesn't get much better than this.

Here is a still life painting I did, which demonstrated using a color scheme of dominant analagous warm colors with small hints of complementary cool color as accents. The painting took an hour and was done with one 2" brush - which I rarely (if at all) dipped into water because the colors were so related. There was a lively discussion that followed about how to make subjects glow, which translated into a series of exercises on color harmony and relationships.

I always hand out an evaluation form at the end of each class and one of my questions is "What would have made this workshop better?" No matter how long the class is, whether it be 3 hours or 3 days, the answer is always the same... "more time". That makes me feel good, I'm thinking about new lessons and exercises for a 5 day workshop. The icing on the cake, however, is always the great people I meet and get to know. Thanks gals, f0r such a great weekend.

Pink on Orange

9x12 Acrylic on Canvas

Peachy Rose

We are nearing a finale with the seemingly neverending book project, it has already gone thru its first set of major revisions, (way less text and bigger images) and I expect minor things like punctuation finessing from here on in. I see light at the end of the tunnel!

This weekend I'm teaching a two day workshop called "Fast and Fearless Fruit" on the North Fork of Long Island, way out there in a beautiful town called Greenport. The focus will be on technique and translating value to color, rather than on drawing, using very simple shapes. The best way for me to practice for demo-ing is to paint something with a complex form in 15 minute segments, using big brushes. Roses make a perfect subject for this exercise. I set up a white rose on a white background in my studio and did a slew of quick studies, using various color combinations...here's one.

Peachy Rose

Acrylic on Canvas 6x6"

Blue Wall

OMG - it took me a few moments to dig into the crevices of my brain and remember how to post on my blog . Just thought I'd give it a go to remind myself that I WILL paint daily again, hopefully SOON. I'm finishing up the book, "Modern Acrylics" and its about 95% done. The deadline seems to be a tad looser than I was led to believe, isn't that always the case (the rule of thumb in advertising I learned many moons ago is, "never enough time to do it perfectly, unlimited time for revisions"). We are in the "refining" stage now. My publisher has requested a few more paintings to illustrate some of the points I've made in the text. Thankfully, we are in the home stretch now... the book is due to hit the art stores this fall.

Altho I should be in the studio creating those final paintings, in a weak moment I decided to get out the feather duster and start reviving my blog. My husband just handed me the world's most perfect rose from our garden. It's screaming "PLEASE PAINT ME". In a perfect world I will finish the book paintings and get to this rose while it is bursting with color, fragrance and life.

Blue Wall

8x8" Oil on Panel

St. Paddy's Blooms

I'm a little late for St. Paddy's day, but I did have this still life set up around that time, with the green backround, and I painted it but wasn't happy with it. There wasn't enough color with just the yellow tulips and the green. So even tho the flowers are long gone, I went in and added the cherry, which I think gives it a nice little pop of color, to contrast all the green. I basically ended up repainting most of it because its weird to just add one element that is a totally different color. Somehow it changes the game and I had revise most of the the colors so everything played nicely together. Its much better to get the still life elements right to begin with rather than recreate the wheel colorwise after the fact. Next time I'll slow down and analyze my setup better before jumping into the paint.

St. Paddy's Blooms

6x6" oil on canvas

Apple Slices

I taught an all day painting workshop yesterday at Pelham Art Center. There were 10 students, who ranged from very advanced to total beginner ( in other words, students who had never painted or drawn before). That is a typical mix and its challenging to teach so much in so little time. I am often very pleasantly surprised when working with the total beginners, their approach is so fresh. I hesitate to say "childlike" because that sounds derogatory, which is not the intention. But there is a pureness to the way they bravely apply paint to canvas - so direct, so uninhibited, such interesting color choices.

My painting demonstration took about 45 minutes. I talk the whole time I'm painting in order to explain everything from how to hold the brush to how to apply the paint, how to mix the colors, how to find and stay with the correct values, how to match colors to values, etc.

The workshop is called "How to paint Fast, Loose and Bold". After the demo its time for a lunch break and then time for the students to paint. My goal is to have them complete 3 paintings in about 4 hours, the first painting is done in 45 minutes, the second in 1/2 hr and the last one in 15 minutes. Its challenging! But I was very impressed with the outcome of the work, and took a picture of their paintings (not all the work is shown). Three paintings down, many more to go... Bravo, everyone!

Apple Slices

8x10" Acrylic on Canvas

Red Macs (Sold)

I'm in the process of writing a book about acrylic painting techniques, and my publisher has decreed a "drop dead" date of May 15 for completion of all text and images. Until then, daily painting/blogging will be taking a back seat. It's becoming clear why the deadline is described in those terms. Besides all the writing, I am creating about 50 paintings to illustrate the many unique and beautiful effects made possible through working with, and incorporating acrylic materials like gels, pastes, mediums and special grounds into your artwork. If you have ever been in an art supply store and seen that imposing wall of acrylic products and thought 'what do you do with that stuff?', you will soon know - assuming I survive the rapidly approaching drop dead date.

Red Macs (Sold)

9x12" Acrylic on Canvas

Pink Brigade (SOLD)

Pink Brigade (SOLD)

6x6 Oil on Gessoboard

Pretty Party

I finally had a little while to get into the studio yesterday. Since I have not had a chance to paint (traditionally) in several days, I noticed an interesting phenomenon, one that I'm quite familiar with. There is an apprehension that wells up when starting a new painting, if I have not been painting everyday. It goes something like this - 'how do you do this again?,' 'can I paint that?', 'it's so detailed, I'll never get those color/value/shapes to read right', 'i bet this one will be a flop', 'where do i begin?' and on and on.... Just putting that first stroke on the canvas is actually a feat of courage, knowing that all color relationships depend on whats around them, and there is nothing yet to judge by. It's very much like putting the first piece of a 1000 piece puzzle right smack in the middle without any point of reference and knowing that the journey ahead is somewhat daunting.

Does this mental rambling sound familiar? Come to think of it, everytime I do something new in life, in general, some form of this fear raises its ugly head. The good thing about getting older is that it doesn't stop me in my tracks anymore. My favorite saying is "feel the fear and do it anyways" which is also the title of a book I read in the early 90's, which forever changed my relationship to fear. The big revelation from reading the book was ... drum roll... the fear never goes away. (Damn! Thats not what I was hoping) The other revelation was, since the fear never goes away, get comfortable with being uncomfortable - which means you are growing - which is why we are here (in my humble opinion). For me, the best way to deal with fear is to just dive in, head first. Starting a drawing, starting a painting, starting anything that requires you do dig inside and make hundreds of decisions and think on your feet, IS daunting. It is uncomfortable do a painting or drawing that turns out poorly. But the alternative, not doing anything for fear it won't turn out well - is stagnating (for me). So what if its a flop, so what if its hard, so what if I make hundreds of wrong decisions? No doubt I will learn something from the endeavor, but best of all I'll show my old pal fear, who's boss - again.

Pretty Party

6x6" Oil on Gessoboard

Click to Bid

Fashion Gal with Cool Pooch

My posting has been less than daily lately... I have been working diligently on commercial assignments. Since January I have been writing a book about Acrylic paints and painting techniques, to be published and distributed in stores in October 2011. It's a very time consuming endeavor - but quite enjoyable as well. Truth be known, I am a bit behind schedule, so the daily painting takes a hit till I get caught up.

I'm also producing a line of posters and prints for a large art publisher / distributor to mass market retail stores like Bed Bath Beyond, Target, Pier 1, etc. One of the series we are working on is "Pet Fashion". This is a digital illustration I completed yesterday, an entirely different style than the Fast, Loose, Bold style I normally paint in. It's art, and it's done daily - so I'm posting it! All in all, there are about 25 paintings, mostly acrylics, a few digital, included in the collection. To see the line of prints and posters, check your local "big box" store this summer...

Fashion Gal with Cool Pooch

Digital Illustration

Green Flash

These little tubes, jars and bottles of bright colors make such fun subjects to paint. We gals can end up with quite a wild and zany stock pile of purchases made on a whim. I love this iridescent green nail polish - but somehow it just doesn't look so appealing on my nails. Glad I never threw it out - somewhere along the line I knew I'd find the perfect use for it.

Green Flash

6x6" acrylic on Gessoboard

Click To Bid

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More Tulips (SOLD)

The nice thing about painting this tulip is that there are no angles where it's more lovely than other angles. Every position I turn it is a painting waiting to happen. One can see why artists sometimes take one subject and paint it the rest of their lives - to depict it in all its splendor, from every viewpoint. I could go that route. But... I've already got a new subject in mind for tomorrow's painting!

Pink Tulip in a Glass Bottle - 3

6x6" oil on gessoboard

Pink Tulip in Glass Bottle -2

Pink tulips are my all time favorite flower, I could paint them forever. There is something about that hot fuschia pink contrasting with the vibrant yellow- green of the stems. Those stems - so beautiful in their simple, graceful tubular way. It sure works for me.

Pink Tulip in a Glass Bottle - 2

6x6" Oil on Gessoboard
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Pink Tulip in a Glass Bottle

This has been a long, snowy winter, and suddenly it feels like spring is in the air, or is that just wishful thinking? The snow has melted, for the most part, time will tell if another barrage is in store for us northerners. Me and my tulip are willing the spring ...we're ready!

Pink Tulip in Glass Bottle

6x6 Oil on Gessoboarad

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Studio Bottles

A partial collection of bottles and jars in my studio...

Studio Bottles

Oil on Canvas 9x12"

Jazz n' Sketch

As some of you may know, my husband is a jazz musician, (acoustic and electric bass) so going to his gigs is a perfect way to practice fast sketching. I'm going to be putting together a "Jazz 'n Sketch" night on Wednesday nights - starting March 2, tomorrow - at a local tavern where the best musicians in NYC come together to jam. Click here for details if you or anyone you know wants to join us. Fabulous music, great atmo, hip people - what's not to love?

Jazz Cats

Pen/pencil on paper

Your comments are welcome! Please share them with the group via the comment link on the blog page (rather than by email, as my e-mailbox runneth over). How? Click on the link at the bottom of the email, which goes to my blog page, then click on the "comment" link below. Thanks!