New Paintings,oil

Turning Tide oil on canvas 16 x 20

Lily Pond oil on canvas 14 x 18

Low Tide Oil on Canvas 14 x 11

A most beautiful day, sunny, breezy, air full of butterflies and the sky light clouds and true blue. What could be better. Here are 3 paintings that I made last week down in South Bristol. It's been a while since I went out and painted. Looking back now it was fun but at the time all the lugging and setting up seemed to take forever. Spoiled by painitng in the studio all winter and spring with the one exception of painting in Ireland.

A Few Days near the Water

Last week my friend from the Boston area came for a week to South Bristol. She is a painter and we have been painting together in the summer over the past 25+ years. So we have the routine down pat. We make a wide sweep to see what is available, what speaks to us on a given morning, afternoon, or evening. Then if nothing right close by speaks loudly we hop into the car and go off in search of the perfect spot. And this is not easy as both cars have our gear in them so we need to find a spot to park 2 cars close by so we are not lugging tons of stuff. This summer has been a bit more tricky. We have become over the years more studio painters. We both love being outside and nature is still very important but some how the setting up and the veiws are not calling in ways they have done so in the past. We also have painted many paintings in this area and enjoy new vistas to keep us challenged.

The sea smoke facinated and drew us to the shore for a closer look. We spent a long while watching as it blew in from the river and over the islands close by. Utterly enchanting and we took time to make a few  photos  from the walkway, oohing and ahhing first on one side and then the other. Summer has hit Maine!

An online Class in Cloth Story Begins, Building A Base

Day One: What if I build a base and don't stop there? I could do some cloth weaving. Yes and then baste.

Then I thought what if I try to make a base and stop at the base?

What if I take 2 pieces of fabric and then make a weaving structure on top?

What if I try to put different fabrics on top of the backing?

And what if I add a moon to the first base?

What if that is all I manage to do for todays class? And tomorrow I find a sheer and make a cloth sandwich?

The biggest problem I am having is trying to look at the videos on dial up. Took over 2 hours yesterday to see the demo that was 6 + mintes long. This is not fun but the stitching is....

And tomorrow is the last drawing class at the Farnsworth. We'll have a model for half the class and then a crit and food. Sad to have the class end.

Class work "Steal That Painitng!"

This is my interpretation of a Paula Modersohn Becker Painting. I went back and forth a bit between Paula's features and my own. Finished it at home. This was a very fun class and all the work was so interesting. I did not have a camera so no pics of my class mates who were Freda Kahlo, Cezanne, Mogdalini, and so many more. Next week is our last and final class. The series was not long enough I feel as though I am just

getting comfortable in the different media we have been using.  Each has their own specialness to use in a self portrait.  Some I had not used before like powdered charcoal. Then also learning which papers held pigment best. Using both wet and dry in the same drawing all have added to the learning curve.  

Now I am off to do my home work which is a self portrait using things from the top of a counter, bureau or workspace.  

Warm, Cool, Dark and Briight

Well this looks a bit fuzzy but the assignment was about color choosing 3 colors and sticking to them.

This assignment also got me thinking about masks and how we all wear them even when we don't think about it. I am thinking about a series using the mask form maybe in shape of a fan where the holder holds the fan in front of her face. How does or will this change how we feel and think about ourselves?

For Friday's class we were to put oursleves in a painting.... I chose Paula Modersohn Becker who was alive and painting at the top of her form  in 1907 when she died suddenly at age 31 after giving birth to a daughter. She used to draw and paint herself in self portraits as well as nudes. Was a friend to Rilke who wrote "Requiem for a Friend" in 1908 in her memory. Paula went back and forth from Germany to Paris and wanted to make something of herself as an artist. I will finish up the 2 drawings I did in class and post soon.

Now for a change in images these are 2 cloth pieces I am working in anticipation of Jude Hill's Story Cloth Internet class That begins next week.

This is part of a story cloth I am working on now.

Pinned and getting ready to bast together. This will be a base on which I will add other thoughts and ideas.

Just previewed this port and realised the header is still in winter. Will have to take some photos of the pond in almost summer.

Last Week's Homework Plus Class work with model

charcoal and pastel

Last weeks home work: One in charcoal and one in ink.


Now for the class wher we had a model. It was a very rugged class we made more drawings than any other class and I for one was exhausted by the end of the 3 hours.

Model done with 3 colors. We had to make up a formula  using 3 colors. The key was choosing good colors to use.

I call this one Blue Man

Then the teacher Martha Miller had us take a partner and everytime she said swicth we worked on our partner's drawing. The only time I had done anything like this was a round robin where when the teacher said switch we moved to the next easle. That one was in oils.

2 person drawing

And the last one was a drawing where the teacher put herself in and had no idea the pose taken by the model.

And that is where I will leave it we did many more 3 minute, 5 minute drawings. Our homework for this week is to draw 4 drawings , self portraits one warm, one cool, one bright and one dark. all about color..