More pears...

Still enjoying painting with pastels! Here's another painting...of pears!!

And that's it for now!

Apples...

I've been really enjoying working with soft pastels lately!! Here's something I made a couple of days ago while watching Alain Picard's new "Still Life" video.

I'm still getting the "feel" of working with soft pastels...and I seem to have a very heavy handed touch. So, I'll be working on softening my approach!! I'm hoping to branch out and try my hand at some portraits of the grandkids one day soon. Fortunately, my good friend Elizabeth Salim (who is brilliantly talented at pastel portraiture) has agreed to teach me this summer!! Can't wait!! Until then I'll keep working with the medium so I can build my confidence and improve my technique!!

Pastel Pears

I've been busy making Christmas cards...and NOT working on my Language of Drawing "Creative Project"...and NOT working on my second "Form Box" exercise. Just needed a break...and decided to try my hand at some pastels. Soooooo...I thought pears would be fun to paint!! I'm working small! Here's my first painting...

And my second...using a more "painterly" approach. Both paintings are roughly 6"x6".

I must say, I really like working with pastels...even though I really don't know what I'm doing!! But I'm sure having fun!! And I am definitely going to keep working with this medium...and learn as much as I can! Later....

Ani Academy - Oct. 12-17, 2014

I just spent the most amazing - and productive - week at the Ani Academy-Waichulis in Wilkes-Barre, PA!! Here's a pic of the gorgeous foliage...looking out from the Ani Studio property. I struggled to keep my eyes on the road driving up from Richmond, VA! The golds and oranges were stunning...and the reds, beyond spectacular!!

I worked with Rodney O'Dell Davis all week...with additional guidance from Anthony Waichulis, Phil Kidd, Jason Brady...as well as a number of other artists!! I started on my "Creative Project"...(even though I haven't yet completed my second "Form Box" drawing). Rodney will be leaving sometime in the near future to open a new Ani Academy Studio in Thailand...so I wanted him to help me with composition, photos, block-in, etc. before he leaves! Here's a quick peek...

It wasn't ALL work, though...we took a break to have a Fall "Festival" dinner with Anthony and his beautiful (and talented) wife, Leah. Here's a pic of Anthony carving the Tur-duck-en...under the watchful eyes of Lady!!

And here's a pic of my progress...

Block-In Detail

Beginning "modeling"

Working on "tree" (in center)

The finished work will be 15" x 12.7"...and will be primarily charcoal & white pastel...with red, orange, & green pastel "crayons"! I'm nervous...and excited all at the same time!! Will post more pics of my progress soon.

I DID IT!!!! 9/6/14

I finally finished my first form box!! What an incredible learning experience. I would never have completed it - certainly not to this high degree of finish - without all the help, guidance, encouragement, and "needling" from Rodney O'Dell Davis!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

Now it's on to Form Box # 2...and then my first "creative project"!! Wheet whooooo!!

September 1st...already?!

I have no idea where this year has gone!! I've been busy these past few weeks...here's what I've been up to...

First and foremost...I am nearly done with my first form box! Actually, I plan on finishing it today! Hopefully Rodney (my teacher) will agree and give me the "thumbs up"...I can't wait to sign and frame this sucker!! I know it's no great piece of art...but I am beyond proud of it...and myself for "hanging in there" with this very time-consuming but verrrrrry worthwhile exercise!!

I'm still working on learning "Indirect" oil painting. Here are a couple of portraits I'm working on ... I hope to get some color on them this week in class!!

After W.A. Bouguereau

After David Gray

Here's a little watercolor I did...I started with Ultramarine Blue in the shadows! It's loose...but was such fun to do! I'm planning on packing my watercolor supplies so I can play with them while I'm on vacay in the Caribbean!! So...more watercolors to post here soon!!

And here's another David Gray copy. This one was sketched freehand (rather than with a grid)...and is painted with oils using the "direct" method. The first pic is the drawing...and the second is my underpainting. Note to self...graphite is hard to cover!! We'll see if I can get it covered sufficiently when I do the overpainting!! I must admit...I really love painting like this!!!

First glaze with "wipe out"

After David Gray
Underpainting

And that's it for now!

Here's what I've been up to...

It's been a while since I've updated my art blog...but I definitely have been making art...or, at least working on it!! Here are a couple of works...

Recently, my drawing class made a little trip to the Virginia Museum of Fine Art (VMFA) and I decided to sketch one of my favorite works by Berthe Morisot...

Of course, I continue to work on my Language of Drawing Program exercises. Here's an update on my "Form Box" exercise...I'm nearly done...I think!! But Rodney (my teacher/mentor) might think otherwise!

I also continue with my Oil Painting class...and am learning the "Indirect" method of oil painting...

Here's my "Master Copy"... work in progress! I've lost track of how many layers of glaze I have applied to this work. My next step is to work on the background. Then I'll start adding some flesh tones to her face & neck!

After A. William Bougeaureau

And a copy of one of my favorite contemporary artists...

After David Gray

This one is a work in progress as well. I've just started working on the highlights. I need to work on diminishing the look of those lines in her face. Arrggh!! Next time my transfer will definitely be much lighter!! Anyway...it's a learning process for sure!!

And that's what I've been up to!! Oh...that, plus another David Gray copy as well as a Morgan Weistling copy. More on those later!!

Language of Drawing...Challenge #1

The folks at Ani Waichulis just posted the first "Sketch Challenge" for students working on the Language of Drawing program. The first challenge theme is "Botanicals"...with a one hour time limit! So...here's what I've sketched:

A "Leaf" from www.paintmyphoto.com

I used an HB graphite pencil for the majority of the sketch...with a little 2B graphite for darker values. Let me just say...that was the fastest hour ever!! But then I could play with this for hours and hours, I suspect. So a time limit is actually a pretty smart idea!! I wonder what next week's theme will be!

After Susie Pryor...

I've been working on a little 5"x7" painting for the past several days. I painted the background first...let it dry...then added the figure.

after Susie Pryor

This work was painted with palette knives. I think it's sweet...looking forward to seeing it matted and framed!! And that's it for now...working on a couple of other pieces...will post when I'm done!

Another Sorolla...

Oil painting class today. Added another layer to my fruit painting...and completed this little color mixing exercise...

After Sorolla

More to come...

Classes...

Today was a busy "art" day!! I had my Classical Drawing class in the morning...and a "make up" painting class this afternoon! Here's a still life (from life) in charcoal & white pastel...a work in progress....

Here's a "warm up" color mixing exercise I did...with a palette knife...after Sorolla...

After Sorolla

I added another glaze to my "fruit"...

Plus...I discovered a new artist...Susie Pryor! Her work reminds me of Sorolla's...and she has created some gorgeous paintings (with a palette knife) of children!! Very impressionistic!!

Susie Pryor

And that's it for me...another painting class on Thursday! Yay!!

Here's what I've been up to...

I'm still working on my Ani form box...

Ani Form Box Set-Up

My version of the "House" section

...and I've been adding glazes to my fruit still life...

Finally, here's a color mixing exercise I did today...applied with a palette knife...

After Caillebotte

That's it for now! Back soon....

Pastel landscape...

I spent a couple of hours this morning working on this little landscape. It's an exercise in "Overlap Theory"...

I loved playing with my pastels this morning...and am looking forward to learning so much more... experimenting with different papers and boards...not to mention adding to my growing pastel collection!

So...am off to work on my Language of Drawing "Form Box"...that's going to take me some time. It's a slowwwww process.

Henry & Isabella Gardner....

...just back from spending a fast and fun couple of days in Boston...meeting our newest grandbaby, Henry...and hanging out with his mom and dad!

Henry's morning bath

It's completely appropriate to take new parents and their 7 week-old baby to a local vineyard for wine-tasting, right?!! 'Cuz that's exactly what we did. Henry slept, so he totally missed out on the delicious wine!

On Sunday, my husband and I had the most amaaaazing day at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Much to my surprise (and delight), Isabella Gardner was good friends with John Singer Sargent! Needless to say, I was thrilled to see so many beautiful works by Sargent (both oil and watercolor) as well as works by Anders Zorn, Degas, Titian, and Rembrandt (to name a few)!!! Unfortunately, neither cameras nor cell phones were allowed in the galleries, so...no photos! (There were big burly security guards everywhere!) But here's a pic from the website....

Sargent's "Incensing the Veil" watercolor

And now I'm home...and back at work on the Ani "Language of Drawing Program" (I should have an updated pic of my "Form Box" progress tomorrow) and my drawing/pastel and oil painting classes! Here's a still life "study" (drawn from life). I've been working on it for a couple of weeks...and finally finished it yesterday! My very first pastel....

All I can say is that I have so much room for growth! And that I am loving pastels!! I started another still life today (also from life)....

And that's it for now.