Creative Endeavors and Inspiring Thoughts

Done With These...slowly moving forward....

2012-02-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

Journey of An Artist.....

2012-02-07T20:34:00.000-08:00

Wow...it's been a long time since I've written a post. I guess I'd have to blame it on "life". The daughter got married...we then made a trip to Prague, New Orleans, Tampa, Richmond, Maryland and Kentucky to help my daughter out after being in a car accident. Then I bought a dog (GoldenDoodle) since my husband got a promotion...Like I said..."LIFE"!

But I started the New Year thinking..."why do I have these paintings I don't like?" So I decided to re-do some of them..finish what I was working on and do more of the things I enjoy...like just painting from my head....instead of doing these up tight paintings that have to be so precise. See...that's the rebel in me.

In the photo..the paintins on the floor...are ones I've finished..some I'm working on and tonight I started the exotic one. I started painting from my head...so we'll see where it goes.

This year I am NOT focused on entering a bunch of shows...my focus is "produce"! And just enjoy the process.

Update on Italian flower girls

2011-11-15T21:29:00.000-08:00

oops! I thought I'd posted this update already....I painted more on this...but it's still NOT done...taking a break from it!

Organic Abstract

2011-11-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

I had to put down my three Italian girls for awhile...It get's just too tight for me...so I started something with no rules....(there really are lots if done properly) an abstract. It seems every time I try an abstract it turns organic.

It's evolved over time and it's still evolving....

Slowly adding color

2011-10-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

Here's an update on my three flower girls in Italy...I'm slowly adding color. I thought I could just glaze over it, but am having to re-paint over it...Not sure what I want to do if anything with the background....I'll figure it out as I go. Intuit....isn't that what you call it? Feeling my way through this....

Up-Date on my Little Italian Girls

2011-10-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

It's 10:18 pm, and I've been painting most of the day. I'm sure my arm will be screaming at me tomorrow....Hope you can notice a difference...

Flower Girls in Italy

2011-09-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been awhile since I could immerse myself with painting. The wedding the adjustments, etc..

I took a plein air class that set me back..mentally (I took it after the wedding and hadn't rebounded yet)....but I got up..brushed myself off and came back to the studio to start once again another laborious painting. This one was taken by my good friends in Italy that attended a very traditional Italian wedding and sent this along to me in the event I could make a painting of it. Years later....here I am starting that painting.

For me this painting was about the color in the ribbons and the baskets...and then the personalities of the little girls...the one on the left passively looks down at the one in the middle..the one in the middle is in the middle of it, actively doing something...and the one on the right...being contrary and stepping on the ribbon of her basket. You may remember that little girl with the pig tails. She is the one I did years ago that was accepted at the Salon Show.

I started off with just umber...then umber and black...then I introduced white....just working on the values ,drawing and details. For me it's about finding shapes in the folds the hair, etc...once I find these things...then I can soften them. I know there's a better way to do this...but I never seem to follow rules....as I guess I am a rebel at heart. When I'm done getting the drawing and details and values right I'll glaze in the colors. I did this on my painting of Makenzie when I was taking a portrait class in Chicago.

Just a note...I have a new appreciation for plein air painters. The sun...shadows keep moving constantly and you have to keep readjusting your painting....I think I'll stick to a photograph that doesn't move!

Franklin Goose

2011-09-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

I just had to take a moment and post about a shop I have encountered that I absolutely love!

Franklin Goose. It's a baby-children's store and on-line store that features very cool products that have been researched to be the best in the industry for baby/children and the environment. Safe and green! I have ordered several times with this company and have been totally delighted. I love that they have done their research to protect our children from hazards of toxic paints, varnishes that may be harmful, etc. I was able to go to the store in Richmond while there this past summer and it's adorable on the inside! They have painted murals around and all their displays are recycled items which is good for the environment! Very, very cool products. I love it!! Check it out...http://www.franklingoose.com/retail/richmond.php

Theresa Bayer

2011-09-21T10:28:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share my latest purchase by Theresa Bayer...an artist who lives in Texas. I found her on Daily Painters of which I subscribe.

Check out her website....She is also a very interesting person.

2011-09-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

National Academy Reopens - artnet Magazine

2011-09-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

National Academy Reopens - artnet Magazine

Walking among the Giants

2011-06-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

So Wednesday I drove into Chicago to meet two other fellow artist friends to gallery hop. We met at the new CAC (Chicago Artist Coalition) in their new location which turns out is in quite an industrial type area. It was hard to park as close by were a lot of movie trailers getting ready for some production of something. I know Oprahs studio is close by. It was a windy day and we had several strikes against us when we found several galleries were gone! We gave up the endeavor and went to the Loop area and went throug the Columbia Univ. Photo Gallery and walked in Grant Park among Magdalena Abakanowicz forest of headless giants made of iron. It was awesome. Now I know how tiny children feel walking downtown with a bunch of adults.

The best part of the trip was sharing ideas and thoughts from each other. Exchanging ideas and learning a different perspective is always refreshing.

Madness on Canvas

2011-06-23T08:47:00.001-07:00

You know that desert landscape I started...and just never really liked? Well, this is what it turned into...after the need to slap paint like a kid without intention...so I call it my madness on canvas. No doubt I'll work on it again. But doing this helps me to want to do something structured again. I am like a pendulum. If I swing too far one way I want to swing back. It's like purging a need. Self discovery.

Struggle

2011-06-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for awhile. It's partly due to planning my daughters wedding and taking advantage of the sun when it decides to appear...and lots of yard work along with a lot of travel.

But part of it is that I started working on something I haven't done before and is a little foreign to me...and on top of that I am searching for something...that something being a new style, or whatever. I usually know when it's "right" or suites me, and I haven't gotten there yet. I guess I'm somewhat of an intuitive painter. I'll post what I started out with. I got tired of what I had and just smeared color all over it...now mind you...I am not abandoning the painting....I am just abandoning the approach. Part of this is that I feel the need to play!!!!

When I smeared color all over it ,I went to Home Depot and bought a drumel tool and different attachments. I started doing all kinds of crazy things to the canvas...just to see what would happen. So I learned what worked, and what didn't. I use the canvas like a piece of drawing paper...I just paint out a glob and see how I feel...

I almost never do landscapes...so don't really know how to approach it. I have learned to take it in sections or shapes...etc....but when do you break the rules....when do you forge a new path? The path less taken?

This is my yearning to break away from detail and tightness...eventually I'll get there.

This will probably wind up in the trash can...but it won't be a total waste, because it allows me the time to "play"...and discover.....and release....then...I'll start on another up tight piece again!

Life Drawing Study

2011-05-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

Things are slowing down a bit.....

Went to Life Drawing at the Art Barn..here's a study....with the weather getting a bit better I have been taking advantage of the sunshine and working in the yard. This also is good for my soul...along with painting. There are so many things I want to do....if I could only cut myself up in tiny pieces and spread myself around.....to accomplish all that I want to!

I'm getting ready to go scuba diving with my sons in Key West and hopefully get some photos that may inspire me for a painting. There is a lot of craziness in the Keys to take advantage of!

2011-05-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities. ~Theodore Geisel

Best of Show for Reflections of Copenhagen

2011-05-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

Went to the reception for a show I hung "Kool Heat" in at the Southern Shores Art Gallery and found they chose my painting to grace their window. That was a compliment for me.

The reception was great. A major turn out! Lots of interesting people...and several other galleries were having receptions (First Friday). Michigan City has declaredd the area an official art district and I see great things happening there.

Saturday went to the reception at the Art Barn. I love the Art Barn. I'm going to post some pictures for you. I'd love to paint it some day. Anyway, I discovered I won Best of Show for "Reflections of Copenhagen"!

I always feel funny winning an award....because there are always other paintings that are worthy of the award as well. Not to say I really, really needed the lift. Sometimes you can work so hard on a painting and it goes no where...and some times you work so hard and it's just nice to get the recognition. I paint...because it's a part of my being. I have to paint. It's like breathing for me. A language I am still trying to cultivate.

Parisian Puppet Master Update after Saba Dive Trip

2011-04-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

I absolutely have not had enough time to paint lately. Why does life get in the way???

We took a dive trip to SABA...a Dutch Carribean island for a week and I've been running since we got back. I'll post some pictures of the island. It was really wonderful. The island has the shortest runway in the WORLD!!! It's not for the faint of heart. When we left the island they had to chase the mountain goats off the runway. The island only inhabits 1500 people. They live like mountain goats also as everything is straight up or down. They have a rainforest and cloud forest. We hiked the cloud forest. 2.5 hours and my knees couldn't go down without pain by the time we got to the resort...I could go up...just not down.

The diving was awesome!!! All the coral reefs were alive and beaming with life. It was like diving in an aquarium. Saw a giant reef baracuda that looked like a shark. We saw areas where the sulfer was coming up from the underground valcanoe and we could put our hands in the sand and feel it's warmth.

Enough of the trip. Still trying to figure out how to make the painting look more contemporary...I decided I wanted strings attached to his hands...like he also is a puppet...someone is always pulling our strings....I still have not addressed the fence seriously..still working on the man and puppet...since they are the main focus...I don't know why it takes me so long to work on these things. Some people pop out paintings like theres no tomorrow....I envy that...but I can't. My paintings are painstakingly done. Sometimes they become a burn out for me. I put so much time in these things that I feel like I should charge a billion dollars for them....no one understands why paintings are so expensive...because of the TIME that goes into them!!!!

Stress Release

2011-04-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you get all tense and tight from doing tense and tight paintings??? Let it Rip!!! That's what I do. Sometimes I want to NOT think...but just flow...fast, quickly and just enjoy being like a kid again...not worrying about how it's going to look. After I do this, I am ready to move forward on a planned ,tight piece.

This canvas was given to me by a friend that was moving. The canvas was warped and the canvas wasn't stretched properly and it had way too much slack on the stretchers....so I used it for my release piece.

I'm done with Reflections and had started The Puppeteer....yes, another controlled piece that has a LONG way to go.........(if my arm doesn't fall off first). The hazards of painting and over use of ones arm. What is NOT fun is the fence. I'll probably spend more time on that fence than anything else. It has to be just so correct or it'll be soooo noticable. Remember in drawing 101...when the professor let you pick something to draw... your shoe or a bottle, and the students thought drawing the bottle was so much easier...and then later realized that drawing the shoe was easy and the bottle...much harder....because it has to be just so right. WEll that's that crazy ornate fence! So when I get stressed on the fence, I'll take down my "release" canvas and slap some more paint on it....and just smile....like a kid....that's doing it for pure "JOY"!

Street Performers from Around the World

2011-03-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

Street performers from around the world...that will be the series I start on now.

I started a large canvas of a Pupeteer in Paris on a bridge over the Siene. His puppet which is a rocker is dressed like his master, and the Pupeteers hands are doing it's charm for his little friend.

I'll post what I've gotten done in a few days...when I can get the drawing and placement down.

Reflections of Coppenhagen-Update

2011-03-28T19:21:00.001-07:00

I thought I was done with this and then decided I didn't like the sign as dark as it was so I lightened it. I likeit better lighter, but am having a hard time covering it with a consistent color. Maybe this is the drawback of acrylics. Also the other sign shows through and it was hard portraying that and having it look right.

Like I said...I'm just never done with a painting...there will always be something...

Cawain of Paris

2011-03-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of one of his paintings that someone on Facebook posted. Now you can see the comparisons of what I acquired several years back and what he's doing now..

Cawain of Paris

2011-03-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

So here's an update to several older posts. Many people have been looking for Cawain of Paris and until now he had fallen off the earth.

On my Facebook Artist page someone notified me and sent me his site! I have posted it belowe.

I find it odd though...as though the artist went through something that changed him because his work for me has changed a bit. Post a comment and let me know if you feel the same way.

I am posting a picture of his that I acquired in Paris several years ago..

Mahmud Cawian

www.badzinski.de

http://www.badzinski.de/cawian

.htm

Mahmud Cawian

www.badzinski.de

Reflections of Coppenhagen-Update

2011-03-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

I haven't been able to paint as much as I'd like, due to my shoulder again. I'm certain it's repetitive stress syndrome...but anyway.....

This painting has been fun and a different challenge for me...as I keep finding different things that I didn't see before...such as...under the shelf up towards the top there is a scene of the countryside and the top of a building which is a reflection of the reflection of a building with windows reflecting the image. Also in the far left window someones light is lit and the shade is cockeyed. Also a reflection of another window above the man and a tree. Now the interesting thing is that there is also a door that is reflected on his head which I haven't painted yet.

So many little things in this painting....

Quotes for the Soul

2011-02-21T08:25:00.000-08:00

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. ~Henry Ward Beecher

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. ~Scott Adams

Another up-date on "Patriot"

2011-02-21T07:16:00.000-08:00

Softened some areas and lightened the background....

As I said...my paintings are never done...and I think that's because...I get too involved working and get sooo close that I stop being objective. When you put the painting away and relax and then walk upon the image fresh.....then....you see some problems.

In Progress "Reflections"

2011-02-21T07:12:00.001-08:00

Painted a little more over the week-end. Still in the mapping and refining stage.

An interesting observation while working on this...When I was working on some of the splotches on the window...I noticed that the reflection of the baby in the baby carriage on the bike had a reflection of a babies face in the window. Also the whole city block was reflected in the window.

What I am always amused with when working with photos is that when you really start looking, you find things you would have never ever noticed. That's what intrigued me to do this. I think the title "Reflections" is perfect. It reflects the time I was there and all the reflections in time and space.

Started A New Painting...

2011-02-15T13:10:00.000-08:00

I know....I'm doing it again....working on a painting non stop for hours on hours without eating lunch..staying up till 11:30 and painting....now the arm is killing me again! I just hope it holds out so I can go to Life Drawing tomorrow.

This will be and is a very difficult painting. I took this in Denmark at a Cafe Station in the middle of the square. You can see through the booth...see him and see from the reflections in front of him...and then my reflection also. It shows the Danes coming and going and all the hustle and bustle. I'm hoping to make it more about all the color. Right now I'm spending tedious time mapping this thing on the canvas. It's taking hours just figuring it all out.

The Patriot

2011-02-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

It's done... (I think)..I hope..unless something pops out at me later which usually happens.

I look at this and still wonder....A full colonel that went rouge or just a guy who likes military pins????

Maria Pace-Wynters

2011-02-07T08:49:00.000-08:00

This is my new acquisition. "Dream Me Up". I absolutely love it. I am an artist that loves to paint and I love to collect. I only buy if it speaks to my soul such as "Dream Me Up".

It's odd, but I find at most gallery openings the majority of people there are ususally artists. So I guess it winds up that artists support artists. Very few people off the street or people who are not connected to art come to these openings.

This artist is Maria Pace Wynters who resides in Canada. Check out her web site:

mariapacewynters.com

Patriot

2011-02-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

A little more each day. So much little stuff in this painting and my shoulders bothering me again. I painted from 10:30 till..well I just stopped and am no making this post. An up-date. I think I'm going to call him Patriot because he has some Full Colonel wings on with a pin above that has red white and blue.

Anyway...Still working on him...

Beginning A New Painting-Blue Eye

2011-02-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

Since We're still under a state of emergency due to the storm of the century and snow coming up the door with drifts in some areas of 5 ft., I thought it the proper time to start my new painting.

I ran into this fellow in Boulder, Colorado at the Boulder Fest. I was walking around with my brother and sister in law and found this fellow sitting working on some jewelry. My brother asked to take his picture and he agreed for $5.00! I was intrigued and scared of the man, but there was something about him that really captivated me.

He had all kinds of things on his hat (including the proper insignia for a full colonel) on his hat which I will put later. He also had a strange looking jewelers loop on his left eye which I am not putting in and I brought his hat down farther.

Amazing what being snowed in can do to you...gets you UNdestructed!

I'll post again when I'm done.

I'm Done.........I think..

2011-02-01T12:33:00.001-08:00

I'm calling it "Kool Heat". It's suppose to be about the heat of the pavement. I saw this while walking to see Ernest Hemmingways house in the Keys. I loved the shadows...and trust me..in July it was a HOT day!

I intentionally tilted the sign towards the bike. I guess I'm odd, but I don't like things tooooo perfect...it's not reality for me. I don't mind following rules...but after awhile I just have to break them.

I called it" Kool Heat" because there is the COOL blue sky meeting the HOT pavement..and you can't have hot without the cool....plus...the jazzy red bike with the Key Lime Green fenders is "Pretty Cool"!

"EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP"

2011-01-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

OMG!!! I watched "Exit Through the Gift Shop" yesterday and found it quite amusing! I have to say for all my artist friends this you will find interesting.

Its a TRUE documentary about this man who was from France and ran a vintage clothing store in Los Angeles. He started filming everything out of an obsession. He had tons of tapes and never did anything with them...but then he started filming Street Artists doing their thing at night in hiding. I was intrigued by the devotion of these Street Artists and how talented and famous some of them were. And I can summize that some had very comfortable means. Anyway he's filming =the street artists and befriends the famous BANKSY and Thierry (later known as Mr. Brainwash) tells them he's going to do a documentary on them, which he never did.

So when one of the Street Artists found out all the footage he did of them was just sitting around he told Mr. Brainwash to start doing Street Art and do a show. He had no idea.

Mr. Brainwash was NOT an artist of paint..and yet he produced (like Andy Wharhol) type art, put on a BIG show and became FAMOUS overnight. He sold MILLIONS of dollars ; in my opinion NON ART.

I think the things here to discuss is this. He was either stupid or brilliant enough to attempt it and limitations NEVER got in his way. What is ART???? Are most of these famous people only famous because of the media hype that has been given to them. In other words were they,are we all brainwashed into thinking they were all that?

I have been to a LOT of galleries as the rest of you and I'm sure you've said the same thing to yourself....hugh???? Why??? Am I missing something here? Some works are fabulous and you know there is skill or a very brilliant thought involved...and some you just think....???????

I have always believed that there are a lot of people who are like ants...just going along with the flow of other ants. Never really thinking for themselves. I am horrified at the thought of being an art, and yet I guess I am to some extent. I think the ant mentality runs through politics, religion, and most aspects of life. If someone tells us something is great....it's easier to believe them to really THINK and question it for ourselves.

Which leads me to this. A lot of people think it's bad to have an opinion...because we've been taught not to question. Well, I LIKE people who can think for themselves and have an opinion. In fact I like people who have different opinions than myself, because then I can talk to them and maybe learn something from a different perspective than I would have otherwise...and visa versa.

Mr. Brainwash...picked out his name correctly... check out the movie! It's TRUE!

picture from Rotten Tomotoes by Flixster

2011-01-28T09:09:00.001-08:00

Up-Date on The bicycle Painting

2011-01-26T15:26:00.000-08:00

I'm still working on it. Added the sign...but had no real sign to look at so I am having a hard time getting this thing to look like a real sign...need to research some photo's and see if I can see a sign and get ideas....

Looks a little different from the bright colors I started out with doesn't it? I want you to have a feeling of HOT pavement....it's summer in the Keys....and it's hot....but I also wanted the cool to meet the hot...I like a little friction...

Claude Monet

2011-01-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

I am relating to this quote right now:

"Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment."

Why am I relating to this quote right now? Because I am an artist but mostly because I just repainted my dining room. It only took 5 gallons of wasted paint and then I got smart and started ordering the small trial cans...I just had to match the silk curtains that shimmer only aqua, blue violet, red orange and cranberry red. You only see those colors when it shimmers...I was insane to get into this project!! The walls looked like a coat of many colors. I didn't give up...and after a month found a color I could live with that was pretty good. Color is SCARY!! It changes all the time with light and it changes when it get's close to another color. I have always had a great respect for color.

On the photo I'm showing you there are 5 colors!!

Yes, Monet....I understand the Joy and TORMENT!

At least the guys at Sherwin Williams know I'm their best customer.

Back to Life Drawing

2011-01-26T14:53:00.000-08:00

Back in the saddle again as they say....yes, last week I finally made it back to Life Drawing at the Art Barn. It felt good...I felt a little rusty.

Tonight was Life Drawing but our model came down with the flu...but that gives me the time to blog...work on my painting of the bike which I'll post soon....

My Crazy Red Head as I mentioned earlier will be hanging at Studio 659 in Whiting for the month of February.

New Years Resolutions

2011-01-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

A new year...new hopes. I once again make the same resolutions as I usually do....paint more and get things done. I'll try not to let life get in the way.

I bought the Artists Way on cultivating your creative being which now lays next to my bedside and it seems I can only get 3 pages read at a time because my eyes feel so heavy every time I read.

I started working on things that bothered me about my house. Much needed up-dating and re-doing. I am a creative being and it doesn't stop with just paint. My house, my life is a canvas and I work on every aspect of my creative life. However I struggle with those as I do with my paintings. Just yesterday I found a color I LOVED and started painting in my dining room to discover it cheapened the room and just wasn't right. Color is a very complicated thing. Some days I feel like I just can't do anything right. That's why I ride high when things are flowing! We all have to take advantage of the good energy flow because they don't last forever!!!

I worked more on my fish...never feeling satisfied with it....got to the point I said "screw it" and just started mindlessly painting. It's now laying on the floor in the studio to be reckoned with another time. I'll post a picture of my mindless ramblings on it. That fish has NEVER been right. This picture just feels wrong. See I post my failures too...I'm not proud...

I also started a painting of a bike I saw in Key West. Trying to keep with my feeling of a warm hot day I decided to keep it warm and tropical looking...so this is my new project. I have no idea how it will end up. I always say I'm not going to get into detail and I always wind up getting head long deep into it. I must succumb to the fact that it's my nature. We are always wanting to be something we are not I guess.

Studio 659 in Whiting was looking for Mardi- Gras material for their recent show and was interested in "Crazy Red Head", so that will be hanging there for I assume the month of February. I take that over January 27th. I have never seen this gallery before so it'll be a new adventure.

Next week I plan to drive to Fort Wayne to see "Jazz Lady" hanging at the FWMoa (Fort Wayne Museum of Art) as the show comes down in February and I haven't seen it hung yet! Bad me.

Went to the Brauer Museum of Art in Valparaiso at the University. There hung a collection of Robert Lovings pieces which I very much enjoyed. Do check out his recent works! Loved, loved his work. I'll try and post some of his images if I can.

The image with the birds nest is a painting titled "In a Budding Grove, 2008" oil on canvas, collection of the Artist (Richard Loving) which is hanging at the Brauer Museum of Art.

FORT WAYNE MUSEUM OF ART

2010-11-30T08:27:00.000-08:00

Fort Wayne Museum of Art

ARTISTS MEMBER'S EXHIBITION

December 4, 2010 through February 27, 2011

Opening Reception is Friday, December 3, 2010 from 6:30-8:30pm

RSVP to Justin at 26-422-6467, ext. 313

Reception Will be catered by Mad Anthony Brewing Company.

Hanging will be "Jazz Lady" by Dawn Fetty

Despite the Arm!

2010-11-19T07:37:00.000-08:00

O.K. , I've been told to take it easy...not over use the arm. But asking me not to paint is like asking me not to breathe! We artists have to create. It's the process of creating that gives us air!

So I started this Koi painting. It needs to be tweaked, but it's pretty close to being done.

Hazards of an Artist

2010-11-11T07:04:00.001-08:00

While on our trip to Denmark and Sweden my right arm that had been bothering me became much worse. Seems I have overused my arm and neglected it (from painting and computer) and now I'm in a full blown frozen shoulder AGAIN! If your arm starts to bother you...stop and listen...slow down and work with a break every hour or so.

I would stand in front of an easel for hours. You know how it is...when you are working you are transcended to another place where time does not exist. Many times I have started in my studio and been SHOCKED to see that I had been in there from morning to sunset and totally unaware of time.

It started at the beginning of the year. First the elbow felt bruised...no big deal...

several months later...the shoulder...I noticed that when I elevated the arm to draw or paint I had a pain like in the bicep muscle.

More months it spread to the entire arm. So here I am. I can't post too much or it'll start killing me again. I've had the shots and now therapy.

Artists, beware...be careful, and listen to your body.

The image is from a painting I saw in Stockholm. You can faintly see the girl standing there...as if she were a ghost. She's there but not committed to the space. It's like the environment around her was more real than she. I thought it a little eerie.

Compilation of my artsy shots while in Denmark and Stockholm

2010-10-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

Susan Philipsz coming to Chicago in December

2010-10-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

While in Stockholm every morning we received the Global Edition of the New York Times. While sipping on coffee over looking a canal towards the Palace I noticed an article "An artist whose work 'sounds like stars'. Reading the article that enticed me I learn that Susan Philipsz who came from Glasgow will be coming to Chicago to the Contemporary Museum of Art in December.

The article reads as such" Human yet ethereal, soothing yet melancholy; invisible yet strangely physical". (written by Gemma Halsey) Susan is does environmental art. The article read that hauntingly beautiful music of her voice played under three bridges in Glasgow. I will be curious to see what she does in Chicago!

Another Study...

2010-10-20T14:53:00.001-07:00

This was a 3 hour study at Gerries studio. I am really loving painting from life. It just takes me away....like meditation. Now I'm working on a painting of my oldest son who is an avid hunter. I told myself after working on Makenzie so diligently that I would take a break from people...but...here I go again.

I really liked just starting out painting...so this is what I did with Scott -and of course the 3 hour study. With Scott I am just in the correction process...getting it down and correcting measurements...so I guess you could say this is the drawing stage.

Live Study

2010-09-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

My friend Gerri and I hired a model (which happens to also be an artist) to sit for us in Gerri's studio at her home.

This was new in the sense that I approached this totally differently than I normally do. I did not draw her on the canvas first-spending hours (exaggeration), but did a 2 minuet sketch and started the drawing process with the paint.

It was actually less up tight..more fun and liberating. I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it so much we are going to do this again tomorrow. This time I have this beautiful robe my husbands father brought back from Viet Namn...all silk..deep blue with embroidered designs all over. With her red hair and that blue robe....it should be good.

I just came back from Outer Banks...so I've been out of pocket. I did manage to get some pictures of possible paintings....

I deliver "Taos Roses" tomorrow for the "Women's Show" in Michigan City.

Gallery Hopping in Chicago

2010-09-08T19:35:00.001-07:00

Gerrie and Anke my artist friends and I went gallery hopping in the Bucktown/Wicker Park District.

Many galleries from our list out of Chicago Gallery News were not easily accessible so we didn't see them. Either there was no parking or the area was not safe.

One gallery that we did like a lot was the Jackson Junge Gallery. The work was imaginative and executed very, very well. It was a delight to be there.

We then walked down Milwaukee Avenue to the Flat Iron Arts Building where there are lots of studio rooms. It was a trip just walking through there as it felt like you were in a maze. It was fun especially with some of the windows being dressed to entertain such as this whimsy looking fellow above!

Out of frustration in inaccessible galleries we decided to go back to the user friendly River North art district where you can park and walk from gallery to gallery. Our all time favorite is the Ann Nathan Gallery which always handles top notch work, and the new Eche gallery which was the Habitat Gallery. They had several large Chihuly pieces and some paintings of his.

Every time we go we feel that we are re-energized to paint...have a better perspective on what's out there- and maybe what's selling and the current trends and galleries.

It was a good day!

Encaustic Class

2010-08-31T13:34:00.001-07:00

I have a new respect for Encaustic painting. As you can see I tried to control it. Which you cannot!

We did a burn technique on this. You put varnish on with a rag and then set it on fire. That's where you ge the shinny dark color.

There are about 6+ l ayers on this. The more layers the more you hide things underneath, so you have to be very careful.

It was a lot of fun and I'd like to try it again.

Red Cup Cafe' Show

2010-08-31T13:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday I spent the day in Chicago visiting an old friend. We walked to the Palette and Chisel since they were having an art show-small pieces for $250.00. I was sooo disappointed. It was like most (not all) but most were the artists rejects.

Sunday I got up and took an Encaustic class at the Chesterton ARt Gallery. It was a lot of fun. I'll post the picture of my first attempt. I have a new respect for Encaustics.

After the Encaustic class we attended an art opening for ART COMP and my friend Gerrie Govert won Best of Show. A lot of people asked why I didn't enter and my reply would be I need to work on new pieces so I'll have something to enter. I'm holding out on Forbidden Fruit for a show in Elk Hart next month.

AFer that we hung our show at the Red Cup Cafe with Gerrie and Mary Ann Pals. The show will be up through September during the Wizard of Oz Fest in Chesterton. I'm hoping it will be seen by a lot of people.

more changes on Makenzie

2010-08-26T18:45:00.001-07:00

I changed the background to green and a chair- and then I decided to add purple bees flying around her to make it a little surreal???

I took this right after painting so some areas have major highlights (glare) that will go away when it dries.

Makenzie in Progress

2010-08-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, after uploading this I can see numerous things I need to work on...but I thought I'd let you see how it's changing from black and white to color. With the color it becomes more complicated for me. After painting with color I can also see that my face should have been a little longer. This is my grand daughter at about 3.5 yrs. old.

I'm thinking the folds almost are as important as the face...so I guess I should do something about that as well...also the curve of the cheek on the left needs to be corrected, etc. etc...but ...you can see the transition.

Saatchi on line gallery contest

2010-08-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the corrected image of Forbidden Fruit. I just entered her into the Saatchi on line gallery compitition. People who go onto the site vote for the paintings of their liking. Here is the link:

www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/

It is just a shot for me since people from all around the world enter. Saatchi gallery is in the United Kingdom and is a very large museum. Check it out. I have a gallery on line with them. They have great information for artists of all types.

Latest Project...Portrait Class

2010-08-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

So Tuesdays I'm driving into Chicago for a Portrait class at River East Art Gallery with Rory Cohen. I took a Figure drawing class from Rory last year and I liked him because he does push you and actually shows you things. Unlike a lot of classes that instructors feel you pay a couple hundred dollars just to paint in their presence!

The drawing process was a little different but somewhat the same as my portrait class with William Schneider. They use the point system. I found Rory's point system a little easier than Bills because Rory's thinking is that as long as you have at least two points you can start and navigate which I also find to be true. So I marked the outside of an eye and then the outside of the nose and crossed the lines.

Then you were to finish the drawing and then put it on canvas with brown India ink, followed by a thin wash to get rid of the white of the canvas. I missed that class so had to do my drawing at home of which I didn't know a bout the India ink so I just painted it in brown and white, later adding ultramarine blue.

Next process after I'm done with this step is to add the color. This is actually an old technique, but a good value study lesson!

I'll post a picture of the finished picture.

Burnred Out!

2010-08-03T15:21:00.001-07:00

How do I get into these predicaments? I have another show in Michigan City and I need two NEW paintings. I just used my latest two new paintings in another show in Chesterton. One of those paintings I'm holding out to enter into the Elk Hart Show so that leaves me only bringing ONE new painting...Crazy Red Head which I'm not too crazy about.

I had no idea I would grow up to be a juggler!

So, I have for the last 4 days been painting non-stop TRYING to get a picture together. My daughter encouraged me to do something abstract and weird. I'm not sure it's working as I get soooo burned out after working on them. I'm concerned it may be a little hokey looking.

The eyes on the fish are human eyes, and there is a bee on the picture. On the lower left is an oriental photo of a wave that I outlined in red. There is also under the paint texture that isn't showing up in the pic..

I went to a seminar by this Scottsdale, Az. gallery owner which said "you need to be painting 20-30 paintings a month...well...I don't think I will ever be ever to do this unless I want to die young!! Unless...of course you crank them out like an assembly line....and then..where's the art in mass producing????

I'm not sure if this will make it to Michigan City...we'll see.....

IN PROGRESS

2010-07-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

This mural on canvas measures 6' 3" x 44" is a work I started a LONG time ago, and am just now starting to work on again..so it may look a little familiar.

At this stage I am just trying to find a language..waiting for the painting to tell me where it needs to go. I decided instead of a sun I made it a moon and threw in some stars to see how it would go. I throw things into a painting so I can see if I like the feel of the direction...after I know the language ,then I will continue to refine and clean it up, still continuing to make changes. So, this is a rough "in progress" photo.

I am adding the text "To the illuminated mind the whole world burns and sparkles with light" Emerson

I also would like to add but probably not is " Courage, strength and hope possess my sould...I will stand firmly and without fear".

2010-07-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note: I did change the painting of "Forbidden Fruit" which this photo does not reflect...but at least you get the idea. When I get it back from the show I'll post the up-dated image.

Summer

2010-07-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

Just to catch you up to date.

I went to pick up my pieces at the Chesterton Womens Show and found out Koi had SOLD. That was a nice surprise! That is the piece I won the BEST OF SHOW with.

So I hung a show at SOUTHSHORE ARTS GALLERY in Michigan City, Indiana for the SUMMER OF ART show that lasts for the month of July. It encompasses the entire county, so I hope I can sell some more pieces.

I also hung a show called "WHEN ATTITUDE BECOMES FORM" with 18 Artists at the CHESTERTON ART GALLERY in Chesterton, Indiana. This show will be for the month of July also. I will show you the two pieces I entered and what I had to say about these pieces.

The Forbidden Fruit

Dawn Fetty

Tension, conflict, chaos; as the young girl studies the forbidden fruit her attitude becomes form. Her feelings towards the forbidden fruit are conflicting in her pursuit of happiness. Her goal is one of peace, however she realizes there are different feelings that she needs to contend with.

Her eye is focused on the forbidden fruit…the golden ring…this ring becomes a part of her and almost enslaves her and yet she strives for peace within…she reaches out of this enslavement towards the oriental sign for “peace” as she struggles.

44x35 acrylic $999.00

Crazy Red Head

Dawn Fetty

Her attitude is cavalier….so she has flaming red hair, bright colored clothes and an attitude. She doesn’t even care if she’s a little on the eccentric side. Life is worth living and expressing the joy she holds within.

Life is a celebration for her and she is always living as if she’s in a Mardi Gras festival.

Her attitude creates the visual world she lives in.

Mixed Media on paper 33x26 $900.00

2010-07-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

Artist Quote

It is not the form that dictates the color, but the color that brings out the form!

~ Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)

The FEEL of Beale Street-Memphis, Tennessee

2010-06-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

Hi...I just came back from a trip to Memphis, Tennessee and had some shots of Beale Street I thought I'd share with you. The FEEL of Memphis! Southern-hot and humid!

Bragging Rights

2010-06-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

O.K.., I have to tell the world because I am one happy camper. I got a phone call the other day saying I had won an award at a show. They wouldn't tell me which one, but I instantly thought it was my "Jazz Lady". Well, I missed going to the Father/DAughter White Sox game with my usually absent husband and daughter and grandaughter , thinking"oh it'll probably be 5th place. So, I go and to my shock.....I won Best of Show!!!! I am a happy camper. Not sure anyone reads this blog...but I am getting it out.

I'll tell you....I totally didn't see that coming at all! I started that painting and thought it would never turn out. So I told myself....o.k., if it's not going to turn out...just have fun with it and go with the flow. And whoala!

There were paintings there that I would have thought would have taken Best of Show that didn't..and I am always perplexed...

I went to a seminar in Elk Grove, Illionois with the Xanadu Gallery from Scottsdale, Arizona. The gentleman spoke about a lot of very interesting points. One comment stuck in my head. The painting that you don't like that you think won't sell will be the one someone loves!

Well, enough of this. gotta go and just be happy...

Good News

2010-06-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

Just had a phone call yesterday that I won an award at a show. It's not a big show...but it's a show. It always feels good to get some recognition for your work. I had entered Jazz Lady and Koi.

I've been taking a break from being in the studio every day...as I felt I was just going backwards. I did sign up for another portrait class at RiverEast in Chicago which starts the end of July. I'm taking the class from Rory Cohen which I'd taken classes from before. I like him as an instructor because he pushed me and actually tried to help me. So I hope I get the same response this time. I also love his work. He's on the internet so check out his work!

Leaning Tree Museum in Boulder, Colorado

2010-06-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

Just came back from Boulder, Colorado. While there I visited the Leaning Tree Museum. Actually I'd been before but the art is so wonderful you could never tire of going. Famous artists are countless. In the front of the museum they have these most wonderful sculptures. These are just a few.

Class with Romel @ Palette and Chisel

2010-05-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

O.K...I told myself I would drive into Chicago early...get a parking spot close by and not be hurried and over anxious. I got there an hour and a half early! Then people started showing up...and a model came (which I thought this would possibly be still life?!!@#%) and she posed and everyone started painting. I was perplexed as Romel hadn't shown up yet and I was feeling a little lost. I started drawing the model on canvas. I thought I would just do her head to keep it simple..lol!!! Everyone there as I said is so good I can't believe they are taking classes...so I am as always intimidated...and I told myself I wouldn't get nervous...because when I'm nervous I just can't function at all. I got nervous...anyway Romel showed up 30minuets later and I begged for some direction as I wasn't even sure of what I was doing...(like I've never painted before!#$^&**) Talk about a mouse of a person and insecure...I have learned more about myself taking these classes then I have in a long time. When I left that night my painting looked so bad the next day I tried to remember seeing her and tried to fix it up. One thing I've learned is that not all canvas is created equally. The canvas I had kept repelling the paint..it took getting several layers on before it went down the way I wanted it to. Yes, it was primed...

The next class...same routine...model came and we did the same pose which was good for damage control...and Romel showed up 30 minuets late again. I think he must be coming from work . Once again I begged for help...and I feel like he thinks I am a total idiot. He did help me with the lightest highlights...apparently I'm not bold enough..and told me to soften my edges which I know I need to do but I need someone with a stick standing behind me reminding me to break my bad habits..yes...I hear you...we are not children anymore and we need to do these things on our own! Yes, I'm working on that.

This Monday is my last class as I have to fly to Denver for a week.I'm going up to our cabin in the mountains around Taos and spread my parents ashes around the cabin. The fun part of this trip will be going to the Boulder Fest in Boulder and spending time with two brothers and my sister in law.

Back to this class...I sometimes wonder why we pay to go paint somewhere with other people and get maybe 20 minuets worth of instruction. The 20 minuets is also questionable and your paying 1-$200.00+. Maybe it's me...because I'm so serious about it that I want a lot of direction on what I'm doing wrong...and I know it's wrong...but can't quite figure it out, and I'm feeling like nothing is being said. I get frustrated...I need to en joy the process and remember it's not life or death!

2010-05-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight I start my class at the Palette and Chisel on edges, color, etc. I don't look forward to getting home at 11 p.m., but I need the class. I hope I don't have any problems as I'm getting carpel tunnel from painting too much I guess...what else do I do??

I don't know what it is but I feel like I am losing progress instead of gaining it. I actually liked my drawings and thought they were much better about 20 years ago. At times I think I'll just throw in the towel.

But then I remind myself that this is my personal journey and I said I wouldn't give up. I won't be a quitter. I recently read a comment from an artist that I admire that she felt discouraged as well. If she can get through these moments of frustration and disappointment, then I can too.

The sketch is a sketch on a 30 minuet pose. yes, I see things here too that need to be worked on. I have no pride!

I must say....I'm not sure I'm a traditional artist...I'm starting to feel some rebellion from all the academics, or maybe it could be because I've always walked to a different beat than most people.

Just wait till you see what I've done with a painting I had. You will really understand the rebellion attitude when you see it. That'll be my next post.

See you then....

ART CHICAGO

2010-05-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

Monday was a good day to go through Art Chicago at the Mart. We bypassed the major crowds!

Started at 11:30a.m. and went till closing at 4p.m. and still didn't see it all!

My observation was that artists get on kicks too. Like a reoccurring theme was for the artist to take something old (like the Old Masters paintings) and make them new again..adding a twist. I like what most of them did...but some of it was so obvious it became redundant and I started thinking....did they all have the same art instructor that told them all the same thing or is it by word of mouth through the artist community that this is the thing to do?

Suzanne Unrein which is represented by the Boltax Gallery in New York did a wonderful job with this idea. I applaud her creative approach. It was so well done at first I thought it was just an abstract with beautiful colors until things started forming before my eyes, and then...woo la! You saw the actual painting of an old master redone!

VICTOR WANG is one artist I totally fell in love with! He painted very large canvases with figures mostly of women that usually always incorporates sun flowers. He uses sun flowers because when he lived in Northeast China near the Russian border he grew up around sunflowers and then during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the sunflower became a political symbol. Because sunflowers follow the sun, they were used to symbolize Mao, expressing that the people must follow Mao. After High School he was sent to a farm to do hard labor for 2 years and 8 months. It was called Reeducation through labor and because of the cultural revolution everyone who graduated from school had to do it. So he worked in sunflower fields.

His paintings were done with very, very thick oil paint. He would let the oil pain sit on newspaper for several days to let the oil be absorbed into the paper making the paint less fluid.

The portrait is a portioin of a painting by Victor Wang and the other is a small portion of the painting from Suzanne Unreins painting.

Cawain of Paris

2010-05-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

To all those who have enquired about Cawain the artist I met in Paris awhile back on an older post, I must say that the post card he sent me with his e-mail or web site wasn't working...also I have googled him and have come up with nothing. For someone who is so talented he is not making himself available which is odd. He has such talent and could probably go farther than he's going if he would only make it easier for people to get a hold of him....

Well, I guess this means we'll have to take another trip to Paris!

2010-04-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

I lied! I said I was done with my eccentric red head and I lied. I am never done with a painting. I worked on it some more...the eyes, the dress. This obsession of mine will never end.

The girl standing with the head scarf...was an experimental piece...at the top I'd written:

Walking through this life, trying ever so hard to be strong and walk a path with strength of character and compassion-trying to find that perfect balance between being soft or too stubborn..to find my purpose....or determine my purpose...it's a walk down the unexpected..talking to myself with every step".

I actually worked on this some more also...making the colors a little bolder...but I'm not re-shooting that one again.

I'm not sure this piece will ever find itself out of my studio...but what I've been doing lately is painting for me. Just allowing myself to let it lead me and to allow myself no rules.

The other images are just studies from life drawing sessions...the guy with the pony tail was a 20 minuet pose in Punta Gorda, Fl. while visiting my friend...and the other I think a 30 minuet pose at the Art Barn. None are refined...but I post them to show that even though I'm not posting....I'm working.

May 10th I take another class at the Palette and Chisel. This class will be on edges, color, precise drawing, etc..

Done With the Red Head

2010-04-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Here it is...I finally finished I think. I actually love the craziness of this painting. Something I can relate to! It's actually acrylic and pastel. Now to get it off to the framers. That will be a little fortune!

Now that I'm looking at it, I think I need to add a bolder stroke in the corner at top...too much around her face... well, like I said in earlier posts...I'm NEVER DONE with a painting...

Finished Portrait

2010-04-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

After all this time and I finally finished the portrait I started in class. I was at least smart enough to bring the camera and ask the model if I could take her picture which she so graciously said "yes". I struggle with all my paintings..and this is no exception. My initial drawing was off so had several corrections. I think this is off a bit...but...I've spent enough time and am ready to move on.

I have to be honest. Lately I think I have regressed...and working on this portrait was proving something to myself. The perspective on this portrait was looking up at her from quite a ways below. She was on a large platform while I was low to the ground on a drawing horse. I struggled with what I saw and trying to make it work. Squinting is the best thing for an artist...so I guess I'll have to live with squint lines around my eyes!$%*

Long Pose Session at the Palette and Chisel

2010-04-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

Tuesday I got up at 5 a.m., met Gerrie at Starbucks and headed to Chicago for the Palette and Chisel. We thought we were being smart by getting there early and getting a good spot in the studio. Well, when we got there almost every spot was already taken! We weren't so tricky after all.

This was my first time painting the figure (or half) other than the portrait class I just took. I struggled. When I go to these things I realize what I need to work on.

Everyone there uses oils....and I of course I use acrylics. Using retarder with acrylics makes them work just like oils. I know...because I use to use oils. In fact I actually had the old problem of not being able to go over some areas because it wasn't drying and was still too slick. I need to use less retarder next time.

I was the worst one in the class. Everyone else looked like the old masters. They were all just beautiful!!!! I felt really embarrassed at first but then I thought..."If every ones paintings looked so beautiful and like the old masters, then at least mine was more original". That's the way to take a bad situation and make it positive! I will not be humiliated into giving up...I just won't!!!

The frustrating part of painting from a live model versus photographs is that every time the model took a break....I had to repaint the folds in her dress...repaint the arms or the profile. It was maddening to say the least.... They are live, breathing people...and yes...they move!

I cropped off the bottom of the posted picture because I didn't get a chance to paint them and it just looked too funky... Also her nose looks big as Gerrie put it...but...hey...it was big. I don't go for pretty...I go for what I see.

I plan to drive in tomorrow and do a 3 hour session.

A Study from My Portrait Class

2010-03-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

I thought I posted this. This is a study I did from the Portrait Class I took in Chicago with Bill Schneider. The original was done by Sargent.

I will write more about his method...and why I got lost in the dots but I just got back from being on vacation for a week in Belize Scuba diving.

The paintings from the actual models I have to finish. As soon as I do after getting re aclimated from everything I will post them.

My Portrait class at the Palette and Chisel

2010-03-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

I must say I had such a fantastic time at William Schniders portrait class at the Palette and Chisel. It was an intense 4 days but I learned so much! Now to put the principles in action. I had a terrible time trying to do the measuring system. Easy to do, but when I had to translate it...I got lost in the dots. I had to resist the temptation to just draw it. It was like doing math homework for me and math was never my subject!

The first 2 days we copied masters works and then the following two days we had to paint a live model. This was a total first as I usually paint from photographs that don't move and I am also a solitude painter meaning when I paint I don't want anyone around me and I want to be totally alone listening to music. I don't like painting around people I guess because I don't want to feel like I'm being judged. Let me do my thing at my own time with no rushing to get through.

I am my happiest when I am painting and I so much enjoyed this class. I am anxious to sign up for another class when I get back from Belize!

I'm going to post some pictures of class, Bill Schneider doing his demonstration on a live model and then the Palette and Chisel. I love that building with all it's history!!

I met some very nice wonderful people in class that I hope I run into again.

Oh! Also I bought the demo piece as a suvenier of the class.

Tomorrow I'll post what I did in class and what I didn't get to finish and I won't post the ones that didn't turn out at all!!!! LOL

Up-date on the Red Head

2010-03-09T20:09:00.000-08:00

My very good friend who lives in Richmond asked me today what I've been doing. I tell her "working on the red head". She wants to see progress so here it is Sheri. You probably won't see much of a difference..but I've moved the eyes and the nose and I've re-done her face more times than I can count, AND, I'm still working on it!

Palette and Chisel Academy of Arts

2010-03-05T12:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday before returning home from Chicago I went to the Palette and Chisel for the first time to take part in their 3 hour long pose study session. Everyone was very nice and the gentleman running that session was a cute older man with a jolly little smile. The other artists set up their easils to paint the subject and I set up a drawing horse to draw since I was there to get a feel how the sessions woud go.

The Palette and Chesil in Chicago was founded in 1895 and is the oldest art organization in the United States.

The founding members were principally evening students at the Art Institute of Chicago. Charles J. Mulligan, an assistant to sculptor Lorado Taft, was able to persuade Taft to rent the organization part of his seventh floor studio on Van Buren Street in Chicago.

The Palette & Chisel served as the artistic home of James Topping Walter Ufer, and Eugene Savage.In 1921, with the help of founding member, Fred Larson, who mortgaged his home for this purpose, the club purchased the mansion at 1012 N. Dearborn Street where it still resides. In 1933, the organization changed its name to the "Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art", as it became an educational, not-for-profit institution.

Some early members of note included:

Carl Brandner (1898-1961)
Benjamin Blessum (1877- 1954)
Walter Marshall Clute (1870-1915)
John Carl Doemling (1894-1955)
Frank Dudley (1868-1957)
J. Jeffrey Grant (1883-1960)
Oskar Gross (1871-1963)
Victor Higgins (1884-1949)
Frank Holme (?-1904)
Wilson Irvine (1869-1936)
Thomas A. O'Shaughnessy (1870-1956)
Karl Ouren (1882-1943)
Edgar Alwin Payne (1883–1947)
Emory Seidel (1881- )

Needless to say I plan to go back and eventually join the organization which will allow me to use the facility at will. they also have sculpting classes which interest me greatly!

Quote of the Day

2010-03-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation. Brian Tracy

Went on Facebook and a good friend of mine posted this. Somehow I think it fits! Things happen for a reason!! Thanks Michelle.

Days Off

2010-03-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

Since last post I started a new painting of an unusual, wild red head that I am still working on. I'd post the progress but I'm in Chicago at Zanzibars coffee house. And as I said "progress" because I keep finding things wrong with it, and every painting is a painting in progress even when it's all done. At least for me.

I took a break from Valpo to spend three days with my daughter who lives in Chicago. Now on the 3rd day I am having lunch waiting for the Palette and Chisel to open so I can try out their long pose studies. I'm hoping it will all be as wonderful as I hope and I'll want to come back again. The Palette and Chisel is an Art Academy in a wonderfully old stone building on Dearborn St. It was founded I believe in the 1800s and has a very long history of rich stories.

I resigned from 18 Artists which I felt was not taking me where I wanted to go. I am determined not to get lost in apathy and venture into Chicago for more workshops and connections.

My daughter and I watched a movie last night with Leonard DeCaprio called Revolutionary Road. It was a little scary because somehow I related to it. That's how I feel about where we live.

One of my favorite Art Supply stores closed so I ventured over to Dick Blick which surprised me. I had a bad attitude about Dick Blick...because I remember the show as a child. I was never totally impressed with him....however I will say this new store on Kingsbury was very large and carried almost everything you could think of. Art Stores are like candy shops for me. I go crazy! It's like... "I want new toys!"

The Beginning of Abstract Journey

2010-02-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

Well, we have a show coming up titled "When Attitudes Becomes Forms" in July. So we have to interpret that for ourselves. So I thought I would do my Attitude toward Abstraction. As you can see I've had a bad start...I've taped paper here and there to see what I like. nope..I've played around with texture in a small are...nope...so I am slowly coming to the idea of putting molding paste over the whole canvas and going totally free flow...pouring color over it...

So here I start out...lets see where the journey takes me. On this one...the painting will take me...I'm looking for a direction...and I don't think this is it. Too many circles...etc. etc...

Which by the way the term "When Attitudes Becomes Forms" was first made and coined by Harold Szeemann who died at the age of 71. He was a curator of his generation. He defined the curators role. He sought, he said, to create shows that were "poems in space".

"Live in Your Head; When Attitudes Become Form, the first major survey of Conceptual art to take place in Europe was due to Szeemann. He introduced Andy Warhol in his first show in Europe. With this show the artists were allowed to contribute any work that they felt would be releveant that was subtitled "Works, concepts, processes, situations, information" marked an important methodological shift for exhibition practice. Some artists such as Lawrence Weiner took out three square feet of wall space, and Michale Heizer demolished the sidewalk with a metal ball, etc.. As the title suggested, this was not an exhibition of artworks but of "attitudes," the implication being that the artists themselves, as creative subjects and eccentric personalities were as much on display as their works.

Information from The Free Library an article written by Daniel Birnbaum

2010-02-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

Artist Quote

"Where do you begin to find originality? By knowing yourself. I know that's not the answer people want to hear because that's not easy to do. But that is the answer."

- Gorden McKenzie This so fits me!!! I just had to share it!

My attempt at Abstract-Representational

2010-02-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

It's been fun just playing around with a paintings the last several cold winter months. I have found that I could just totally close off the world around me. I feel like I don't need food, friends or to even leave the house for any reason. Just staying in my studio listening to music and painting is all I need. Maybe it's my escape from the grey cold windy atmosphere that seems to be the norm. I wonder if I will emerge like a caterpillar in the spring when the sun shows itself once again.

I started this painting of Koi and just didn't like it. Then I just decided I needed to go beyond myself and just play with the piece and make an attempt at surreal. I must say I had fun with it.

I run downstairs and place it on the mantel...stand back in the kitchen...and study it... Normally most people do this in the studio...however my studio is the size of most peoples closet. This ritual goes on possibly 20 times a day. I guess that is one way to get your exercise!

So, as I post this....I will probably see something else that needs to be done. But......hey...that's normal for me. I once remembered a story of (I think it was Monet???) that Monet would sneak into the galleries that hung his paintings and would do minor changes.

Wow! Now I can see my marks are not straight...so as I said....back to the easel...at least another 20 more times...

A Day in the Studio

2010-02-08T18:17:00.000-08:00

It was good to have a day today to just paint. I decided I would experiment a little with the hard molding paste. I layered it on canvas board and then painted over that. I really liked the texture. The painting is from a photo I took while visiting the Biltmore in North Carolina in the fall.

Art Barn Drawing Session

2010-02-05T08:29:00.001-08:00

I'm posting the drawing from Wednesday night. I was an unhappy camper as it seems I get her back most of the time...so on the last pose I had to move and with all the face forwarding spots taken. I felt like I was a million miles away and couldn't see well (age!). So, it is what it is. Next time I'll get there earlier and grab a premo spot!

I'm still trying to come up with more designs for my commission piece. If there is one thing I've learned with commissions is COMMUNICATION-COMMUNICATION. We are all walking around this planet less than half the time actually connecting and communicating. It gets so frustrating...

Tuesday Gerrie ,Anke and I went gallery hopping in the River East section of Chicago. Most of the galleries were great and spent some time with us which is usually not the case. It was interesting.

I will say a lot of the galleries were carrying the same work they'd had almost a year ago.

I also don't understand why more galleries won't carry more traditional pieces. I say you can not find a classical figure painting (almost) anywhere. Most of it is contemporary or abstract. Don't get me wrong -I LOVE contemporary and abstract. It would all be more interesting if there were more of a mix.

My most favorite galleries in that area would be the Ann Nathan Gallery and Portals and also KH Galleries. They all offer something different though..It's all just opinion.

Paint When Your Emotions are Invested

2010-01-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

I'm going through a blue period....

I'm finding if you don't strike while the iron is hot and the emotions high then you become uninspired. I had a series in mind...but between life- the business of art-and having to research to figure out how to execute them...I've just totally lost it. Maybe it's the winter. After doing some preliminary sketches...I'm wondering if it's even going to work.

So...I guess I'll work on some unfinished pieces....gotta go start painting...maybe that'll inspire me.

Here are the drawings from Wednesdays session. I've been trying to use pastel...but need to keep practicing..

Just saying "Hi"

2010-01-29T11:58:00.001-08:00

This is so true! Several years back while in Belgium...I walked up to this like pond...and I swear this little guy came up and said "hi"!!! No really he didn't actually say "hi", but he came up and kept looking at me. I reached out to pet him but when I got close enough to actually pet him he went under...a second later he was right back. It was the cutest incounter I have ever had with a fish!!!

Just a little amazing story for this little amazing picture of my friend...

All true! Do fish really do that???

EXPERIMENTING WITH MIXED MEDIA

2010-01-20T10:02:00.000-08:00

Since I really don't know what I'm doing regardless of videos...I have to do the hands on approach and make the mistakes so next time I'll have a little more thought in the process. This is really just a play..don't worry piece...a learning piece. I'm showing it cropped..because I think I like it better that way. There's too much going on without cropping it.

I have.-watercolor-acrylic-oil sticks-pencil and metallics. Yeah...I know...I just had to try it all! Silly me.

Quote of the Day

2010-01-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

Christopher Schink about the danger of getting stuck in the skill development stage:

"Mistaking virtuosity for substance, they become better and better at saying less and less."

From Mastering Color and Design in Watercolor

2010-01-07T12:18:00.000-08:00

Mary Qian

2010-01-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

I received an e-mail from the Ann Nathan Gallery in Chicago. I signed up for their e-mails as I do go into their gallery from time to time. They were advertising for an art opening for one of their artists and while I was looking around at their "represented artists" list I came across and artist that stopped me in my tracks. Mary Qian. She does figure, landscape,still life and graphite. It looks as though she leans heavy on the figure which is what I love about her work.

She was written up in Southwest Art Magazine in 2000 and 2004. I've included her website for you. http://maryqian.blogspot.com/

I just found her and had to share her work with you...I know you will love her work as much as I do!

Starting out the New Year

2010-01-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

Here's to a good New Year for all of us!

Christmas was wonderful. We went to Columbia, Maryland for New Years and I came back with a terrible cold. I use to brag that I never got sick....welll, I can't brag any more!

So now that the holidays are over and I am feeling human again my mind is spinning with what I need to be working on. I need to do some last minuet work on a clients painting...and then discuss a possible new job for her. And, then there are always those on going projects.

I did a shoot to start my "Dividing a Life" piece which will be a part of a series of 3 paintings relating to loss. The other one I already have done in my mind as well...now I just need to start these pieces. They are in my mind saying..".paint and make me real!" These are not pieces that will sell because they are deeply personal. It will just be an interesting exhibit.

It's not always just picking up the brush and painting. There is always a lot of thinking on the best way to execute a piece. You have the idea...but you need to give it something different..something interesting to look at. Which is why I have to figure out on the dividing a life piece....if I take actual photos of my parents life and collage them on the canvas...fading it out in areas with medium or just paint the painting and then take a see through material-photo print on it and then seal it over the painting allowing both to show...And then there's the canvas. It has to be very sturdy and a 36x36. So...now I know I have to take a trip to Pearl in Chicago to gather my supplies

I strive for a productive year!

Up-Date on Messing Around

2009-12-22T15:39:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas - Happy Holiday

2009-12-21T19:04:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas
Happy Holiday
Happy Hanukkah
Happy everyday!

See you all next year! Here are some scenes of my pre-Christmas...

Down Time

2009-12-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

O.K.. I know....here I go ...messing around again...but I will say...not HAVING to do anything (now that I'm caught up for the holidays) has given me a chance to take one of my old life drawing sketches and play around with it. I've never taken a collage class, but have always wanted to learn, so I started playing with my water color sticks...then added some acrylic, then I started playing with some torn paper..I needed to hold the paper up to see if I liked it or not...then....POOF!!! It hit me...Eureka...(I think) . The tape I was using a good friend had given me years ago...and it reads "Smart women hold it together"...so I thought..why not just leave the tape on there since it's a figure of a woman...and I'm thinking I'll do some light something with pencil in the background that relates to that theme...just to add a little interest.

I may wind up throwing it out...but...it's fun to be like a kid to "play" and not worry if it turns out or not!! And, maybe in the process I'll learn something!

I pick my daughter and granddaughter up in Chicago Wednesday...and I'm going through withdrawals not being by a young little person that still believes in magic. I'm an adult....and I still like the magic!!!

Lucian Freud Quotes

2009-12-20T15:19:00.000-08:00

I want paint to work as flesh, I know my idea of portraiture came from dissatisfaction with portraits that resembled people. I would wish my portraits to be of the people, not like them. Not having to look at the sitter, being them. As far as I am concerned, the paint is the person. I want it to work for me just as the flesh does.

+ The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and, ironically, the more real.

German born British figurative painter Lucian Freud
born Lucian Michael Freud - Berlin, Germany - 8th of December, 1922 / Lives London, UK
Popular Lucian Freud works include figurative paintings and etchings of the nude and portraits. His paintings are worked and reworked over time, using the skills and methods of old masters to create contemporary works that comfortably exist in the present.

Playing with pastels

2009-12-20T15:08:00.001-08:00

Last Wednesday was the last Life drawing session before the holidays. I did a sketch of our model and because I was so busy with the holidays didn't really get a chance to really get into anything. I put the sketch up in the studio and just kept playing with it. Not having the model in front of me to figure out all the shadows or to make corrections...I just messed around... The leg looks off...but it is what it is. The face I'm not sure is in scale...but...it's art...which means I could put two heads on her if I wanted...and it would be "art"...so...here is my messing around creative endeavors until after the holidays.

Pastel

2009-12-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

Another week, another session on Life Drawing....
I attempted to use a medium I haven't used in years and a medium I never learned a lot about. In drawing everyone uses different mediums....paint, ink, graphite, watercolor..and me...well, I was just needing to get back in the saddle and needed desperately to practice so I used graphite ...but....last week I did try pastel. I attempted to block in as my friend Gerrie does and it came out absolutely horrible!!!! SHE...has perfected her style...Finally on the longer pose I drew her, then used pastel. I combination of method and it was a little better.

It's hard to do anything as this month consumes me trying to get all the necessary things done for the holidays. I can feel I am a whirlwind-just blowing around errands.

This drawing is surly not perfect...her torso-yes, is a little long towards her hips...but...that's why I keep going!

She looks like she was falling asleep...she was!

Wednesdays Life Drawing session

2009-11-27T07:08:00.000-08:00

Gerrie my friend who is also an artist is a blessing for me. To be able to have someone who understands and shares the same interest is a great treasure. Wednesday evenings from 6-9:30 we go together to the Art Barn to do our Life Drawing sessions with a few other serious artists. This is such a cute place. It's out in the middle of nowhere. An old farm converted to an artists haven which carries several art shows every year. The stools, easels, tables and floors are coated with layers and layers of paint while paintings hang along the walls. Big windows to look out over the sunflower and corn fields. Trees with small painted hanging bird houses throughout. It is totally adorable! I'll have to take a picture and post it so you'll know what I'm talking about.

I watched my friend Gerrie on our 30 minuets sketch since I was curious how she started her pastel sketches. Normally I just do graphite and my approach is very rigid. It was interesting as she just scribbled color down in a block and then her hand was in a rhythm, moving around until her marks created spaces that she kept refining. The finished product was loose and beautiful! So next week...I'll give it a try.
p.s. You can obviously tell this is my drawing since it isn't loose....I messed around with it later. I look forward to trying Gerrie's technique next week.

Chicago show

2009-11-22T08:45:00.000-08:00

An opportunity to show in Chicago came up quickly and I seized it. Someone in Chicago had an empty building they were willing to give us to show our work as long as we paid the utilities for the month. Not bad!

It was amazing the way we all descended on this empty quiet building on a 6 way intersection on Lincoln Avenue and transformed it into a decent looking Art Gallery in a matter of about 2-3 hours. My daughter who lives in Chicago god bless her helped out along with my grandaughter of 4 and several other artists. Assembling the folding screens and numerous other little duties was a learning experience for me.

Christmas Painting for contest

2009-11-20T11:46:00.001-08:00

I started this a couple days ago for a contest in Michigan City. I always wanted to do my own Christmas cards and always never did...so I thought this would motivate me. Last year I posted some pictures of the ornaments on my tree I just loved and Bill another artist from another blog encouraged me to paint one....so Bill....I did finally! Any way...it's hard to believe that Christmas is almost here....I still feel like I never got summer...and now the year is slowly closing on me.

Quote of the Day

2009-11-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

-Pablo Picasso

A shot from the show at Miller Beach at the Lakefront Gallery last month.

Vegetarian and Three Graces

Quote of the Day

2009-11-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

"When we discovered Cubism, we did not have the aim of discovering Cubism. We only wanted to express what was in us."
~ Pablo Picasso

Ode to Klimt

2009-11-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

Yes, Klimt is one of my favorite artists. So when I decided I wanted to just PLAY around with a little with collage I picked some of my old calendars I'd saved with his work, and intuitively worked on this piece. Sometimes It's fun to just "mess" around.

So here is my "just messing around" piece.

I wonder how someone would interpret this since It's done intuitively???? Maybe I don't want to know!?