Legs 2

I'm really trying to move away from figure studies - so this Expressionism class may be my last one at the Montclair Art Museum, and I only took it because I was told students did work on still lifes in the class. I guess part of the class is supposed to be still lifes - but initially we are working with a live model again, grrrrrrr.

So I tried to just go for an abstract feel with this one, just sort of having fun with colors and shapes. I tried for a more stylized approach and from that standpoint I'm not unhappy with it. It did make it somewhere bearable at least.

The Wick House

Landscapes are way out of my comfort zone. I'd love to be able to do them, but have not had any instruction in them, and struggle on my own. Trees and leaves are a struggle, I have issues withe the grass, the ground, the plants - any growing thing.

But I was inspired to try one after my new teacher, Christina Debarry, said she is putting together a show this summer at the Bernardsville Public Library, and suggested that we students could put a painting into the show. She said it should be a landscape, and of something recognizable from around the Bernardsville/Basking Ridge area. I was out that way yesterday after my doctor's appointment - and decided to try a landscape from this photo I took of the Wick House at Morristown National Historical Park.

I'm not completely happy with this. Last year's PSNJ show was about 98% landscapes, and this looks so amaterish compared to the pictures in the show. I hope to work on this further and get it looking better, but figured I'd post what I've done now at about the 2-hour mark.

Flowering Quinces

Hey, I did it. I got signed up for another art class, and this one is for pastel still lifes and landscapes, taught by Christina Debarry. It will be a struggle since it starts at 6 PM on Wednesdays, and meets 40 minutes from my home, and I don't get home from work until about 5:30, and then have to walk the dogs and change clothes before I can leave. So I'll be missing class time every week.

But already I love the class and Christina, and the facilities are amazingly gorgeous too. We had a choice of two still life set-ups to work from. LOL, I was so used to getting a break every 20 minutes when the model would get up to stretch that for a brief moment I wondered why we were not being given any breaks, until it occurred to me that the flowers were not going anywhere, and I could just take a break whenever I wanted.

So it was fun, and totally different skills. Trying to do flowers, or a glass vase, is a completely different skill from trying to get fingers right, or the correct or intersting skin tones. Naturally now that I see the photo I see some problems with the vase and the way it is sitting on the table -things I didn't see last night. But I'm posting anyhow as this is a new venture for me. And I like it so far.

A Model Background

I'll say one thing about the art class last night. It took the instructor an *hour* to get the model set up in a pose. Now how crazy is that? We're paying for class time of 7:00-9:30 PM, and the instructor spends from 6:45 until 7:45 to set up a pose with the model. Everyone who knows me well knows I'm "Speedy Gonzales" in the art department. I would have had my model posed in 5 minutes tops!

So we students, who had all struggled to make sure we were early or on-time for the first day of class had to just hurry up and wait. But while the instructor and model conversed I figured I could take advantage of the situation. They had a very nice backdrop set up for the model to pose against - so while I waiting I did this "still life" of the backdrop - only about 30 minutes of work on 12x16 Canson, so just a warm-up reall. But at least I got part of my wish to be able to avoid doing the human figure.

Red Robe

I am so bummed. For three years now I've been taking life drawing classes - and I hate drawing people now as much as I did when I started, so was so excited that a new class was being offered called "Experimental Pastel" that was going to concentrate on still lifes and landscapes - taught by Christina Debarry, PSA, and former President of the PSA. I love her work. How cool is that?

And then last week I got a notice that the class had been *cancelled* due to LOW ENROLLMENT! Only two people signed up to take the class. So the museum suggested I could take either "Representational Painting and Drawing" or "Expressionism". I said the first is the one I'd taken for three years, and I loved the instructors - but I just HAD to get away from figure drawing and yearned to do still lifes. So I was told the Expressionism class allowed you to use any medium, and that students did still lifes there, so I took it!

And got to class last night and found a ........ LIVE MODEL! The instructor said they had done all still lifes last session, so she was mixing up and and now having live models. Grrrrr, I'm so bummed, and there is no refund once a class has started. So once again I'm stuck doing what I have come to hate more and more - so I did another one of my headless wonders last night. By cutting off their heads I can sort of treat the models as more of an abstraction, which makes it a bit more bearable for me. C&C always welcome - though I still hope to get completely away from painting people.

Panic mode

I finally decided I needed to try out the Pan pastels that I had bought at a 40% discount last fall, after seeing a demo at Jerry's. They seemed fun, but I was not sure how I would like them in actual practice.

And I'm still not sure! Well I mean I know I'm not crazy about them, but maybe they just need more "getting used to" time. I just used a sheet of Canson, and threw a couple colorful things onto the small round table topped with a wooden lazy susan that I have in my studio. The Pans do cover the surface admirably, with a nice creamy texture, but I found them hard to control. I didn't like using the little implements you use to apply the pastels.

So to finish this off I had to break out my sticks, so this picture is only about half Pans. I don't much like the picture - but I was not really going for composition. I just wanted something colorful to try with the Pans. And even in the less successful pictures there is usually something to like.

In this case I'm quite happy with how the lazy susan turned out. I usually get terribly wonky elipses when I'm drawing freehand, but in this case I think the ellipse looks quite good. :-)

Going to the Dogs

Our church had an auction where members were supposed to donate their "time and talents" to be purchased by others, as a scholarship fundraiser. I auctioned off a pet portrait, which a church member purchased as a Christmas gift for her daughter and son-in-law. I told them I needed a photo to work from, and it took them a year to choose a photo! But they finally did, and I finally got around to doing the portrait. So here it is, and I hope they'll like it. :-)

Lady in Waiting-near the end

Will this be my last nude? Possibly. My dear teacher Alex is returning for the spring semester, but will not be teaching the evening class, only two during the day. That means I can't take his class, but it leaves me free to take another wonderful new class being offered called "Experimental Pastel" -which will be taught by Christina Debarry, PSA. I'm really psyched.

But in the meantime we had our pregnant model make one last visit. Wow, hard to believe there is just one baby there, LOL. As usual the "regular" version can be seen at Wet Canvas

Lady in Waiting - Triptych

Well here she is with all three of the pictures placed in a row to create the "triptych". The head is a bit large, as you can see, when all the three are lined up. This was a fun project - not something I would have thought of on my own. So thanks, John, for the idea. :-)

As usual, you can see the original copy of the work at:
WetCanvas

Lady in Waiting - Feet

Well since I had already done the body and head I had to work on the feet in the last week we had this model in order to complete my "triptypch". It may not be the most amazing composition, LOL, but I had a lot of fun working on the pillows by her feet, especially the little round orange one that looks a bit like a clam shell. To be honest - pillows are more fun to work on than people. I don't even really *like* doing people - but the art museum really offers no other choices, which does make me sad sometimes.

Lady in Waiting - Head

Well part two of my triptych is the model's head. As previously mentioned, it's a tad too big to be an exact match for her body. However I hate doing heads anyway, and this didn't come out as badly as many, so I guess I'll live with it.

Lady in Waiting

Well after a month's "break" (I say with a bit of irony, since it was a wild and crazy season) it was back to art class this month, though my dear teacher Alex is still out ill, sadly. However John is filling in nicely for him even though pastels are not his thing.

Our first model was 7 months pregnant, LOL. That certainly made for some interesting shapes and curves. This was my first picture but at John's interesting suggestion I went on to create a "triptych" where, in later sessions, I did her head and then her feet. I'll show them all here, and then the completed project - although her head came out too large. I made the mistake of working on it without enough reference to the body, a mistake I didn't repeat with the feet. John wanted me to do the head over to be sized properly, but it's only a student piece so I probably won't bother. As with other works of this sort, the actual uncensored picture can be seen at: WetCanvas

African Queen Two

Hurray, finally Blogger let me upload. This is from last week's class, though more an open studio session since Alex was still out. Only a few students showed up. Because it was Halloween? I don't know, but got to move to an easel at the other side of the room for a different view.

I hope he'll be back tonight. We need to plan for the reception for the student art show opening this Sunday. Maybe that will console me for getting "juried out" of the PSNJ show which opens this Saturday.

African Queen

This is from art class tonight - the same model's pose as last week, but definitely a different viewpoint on my part. This one was fun tonight and I had a great time painting it. As usual done in class on 12x16 Canson, smooth side, so about 90 minutes worth of work. I always love it when I have fun colors to work with.

Potted Plant

Hurray! I finally made it to art class tonight! It's actually the 4th week of class, but the first week I had to work, the second week I had a stomach virus, the third week I was on vacation. But finally tonight I made it there. My sweet teacher Alex knew, from my grumblings, that I was sick of drawing the figure and wished we could do something else sometimes - so he added a plant to the composition just with me in mind. So what else could I do but try to do the plant, - though it sure did have a lot of leaves!

But he was so busy getting ready for an upcoming student show that it took forever for him to finally get the model in position so we could start, so I only had a tad over an hour to work on this!

Bran the Blessed

I just added a new member to my household this past weekend, a rescue collie I drove down to Virginia to get. I grew up with collies and was always a collie owner for many years. My last collie died in 1991, and I have had two shelties and a mixed breed since then - but decided I needed a new collie in my life to keep me and Willow (my remaining sheltie) company. So we began investigating collie rescue a few months ago.

And I ended up getting a guy from Virginia after the NJ rescue folks referred me there, as they had no suitable dogs available. His name there was 'Ben' which is a nice strong name, but just did not totally appeal to me, so I have renamed him 'Bran'. I've always liked names that have Scottish/Celtic/Arthurian connections - and Bran fits the bill without changing his name too drastically.

Bran means "raven" - a good name for a black dog. Bran was one of the dogs of legedary Irish hero Finn MacCool. Bran the Blessed was also a legendary hero of Welsh/Irish/early British tales, and part of the Arthurian legends too. Bran is also a character in Susan Cooper's wonderful "The Dark is Rising" series.

Though of course all I seem to get from people are quizzical looks, and jokes about bran muffins, bran flakes and oat bran! But I like the name, and I did this portrait of Bran, based on his photo from the Petfinder page, on this past Saturday, the day before I went down to adopt him.

The Old Shed Wall

This is the last of my farm series from this summer, though I do have a few photos I may use to add to the series as I go. I had fun with the shed, and the wonderful lighting, and the history of all the old and odd things hung up on the walls from summers past.

The Farm - Front Porch in the Afternoon

Here is the fourth in my series of farm paintings from this summer. We had lovely weather just about the entire week, so lots of great light and shadows for trying to paint plein air. I loved the light and shadows on the porch here but, sadly, the mosquitoes were terribly fierce! I'm not sure I managed more than about 30 minutes on this one, and then I had to get inside because the itchies were just too bad.

The Sewing Table

My next farm picture was a still life attempt. Lots of things wrong with this one - the way the curtains drape, the ellipse on the teacup, but it was still fun to do, and I enjoyed the light and shadows.

Morning in the Shed

This is my second pastel from my farm vacation. I just loved how the light looked in the back shed at certain times of day, and thought it would be fun to capture. In fact you'll see the shed again later on! A bit of wonkiness here too, but I still had such fun with these.

Afternoon at the small barn

I'm just back from my annual Canadian vacation to my family's farm in New Brunswick, Canada. Last year I started a series of pastels done at the farm. It was such fun that I decided I had to continue again this year. Even though the trip was shorter than usual this year I managed to get some pastels done.

All were done from life, and done pretty quickly. That *does* lead to some wonky angles and ellipses. That's one disadvantage of working from life (at least for those like me, whose drawing skills always need work), and you also want to capture the beautiful light of a certain scene, but if you take too long the light shifts so much. So maybe 40 minutes max spent on any of these four, but I'll post them one-by-one in the order I did them.

Those that were done outdoors (two of the four) also had the disadvantage of much mosquito presence so were even more quickly done than the two interior scenes! But this was my first attempt, trying to capture a bit of our small barn behind the back edge of the farmhouse. I loved the long shadows of the afternoon sun.

New Beach Houses

"Beach Houses" was a picture I did back in early 2005 when I was brand-new to pastels, and had only been using them a couple weeks. I knew nothing about them! I had no clue about layering or blending or overlaying of colors. I used them the way a child uses crayons.

But these beach houses down in Atlantic Beach, NC always fascinated me with their gorgeous pastel colors. And early in my pastel life I decided to try to produce a picture of them from a reference photo I had taken. The photo was taken on a drear day in flat light, not the best reference, and the picture was clearly beyond my level of ability. But I struggled on to try to produce an image. I spent 5-6 hours on the picture which was about triple what I would normally spend, yet I still was not happy.

So I put the picture in a drawer and went on to learn more about pastels. But I always loved the Beach Houses. So today I pulled out that old picture and wondered if there was any way to add to it and improve it. The pastel was laid on lightly and sketchily, only a single layer of color really. But I had made the beginner's mistake of using the wrong paper, just standard drawing paper. It has little tooth and can't hold many layers of pastel. But it was what I had to work with short of starting from scratch, and I was not about to draw all those houses again!

I know the houses look rickety-rackety, with stairs and balconies leaning every which way. That's what I get for drawing freehand, but no way was I going to use a straight-edge or ruler. It's just so not "me". So rickety-rackety is what I get, but I still love the houses. This is now at a "sit back and think about it" stage, so I might tweak a bit more here or there. The tooth is almost all gone so not too much more I'll be able to add.

But just preliminarily I like it better than my maiden effort 2 1/2 years ago.

Crowded Classroom Nude

Between having pneumonia, and ongoing gallbladder problems, I missed the last few weeks of spring art class, and had no energy to even work at home. But Alex, my wonderful teacher, called and invited me to sit in on a few summer sessions to make up what I missed. This week I finally got to go.

It was a full class, and I had no easel to use, but had to balance a masonite board on the edge of a stool! This made it tough for getting proportions right. But I was just trying to get back into the swing of things after 6 dry weeks at least, and this is what I managed to produce.

The Man in Black

Our model tonight was actually another instructor at the museum and I have taken some classes with him. He works strictly in black and white. And he showed up for the class dressed entirely in black! . I am known as the class colorist. I use pastels and love to use bright and vibrant colors. He actually said he thought of me when he was getting dressed for the class, and thought of wearing something bright, but then decided to dress all in black and drive me crazy.

They all said they *knew* I would just do his torso too, and cut off his head, as I'm also known for doing that too. So I decided to fool everyone and did his head! I told him I was going to change the black and dress him in wild hot pink or something, but I decided to go with the black anyway, but as everyone said I managed to work some color in anyway, heh heh.

Hand on Knee

Finally back to work in art class! Two weeks ago we only did a series of 5-15 minute sketches and no time for a full drawing or painting. Last week I missed class for personal reasons. But finally this week I got to work with the model's long pose. The paper I usually work with in class is 12x16. I can't do the entire body on a sheet that small. Everything would have to be too small, and therefore too finicky for my tastes.

As a result I have to choose a crop of which part of the model to draw. It's always fun to make that choice, as well as the color choices.