Accepting The Workshop Challenge

When was the last time your art brain hurt?

My Quick Value Study

I just finished a 3 Day workshop and it was exhaustively wonderful! My brain hurt from all the learning and concepts, each night I would go home tired (this was a good tired)!

Day One was all about value. I always need a value reminder. And, value is incredibly misunderstood. I found a teacher who not only has a firm understanding of value but who also can talk intelligently to students about value. While this workshop focused on portraits, it was clear that value could be applied to landscape and still life as well. Value I  need thee.

A View of Student work--red green challenge!

Day Two was the most exciting day, all about color! As artists we get set in our ways and set in our color palettes. What I really loved was how effective the instructor was at challenging our color  thinking. When the instructor put colored theater gels over the lights--this changed everything and yet when looking at Planes of the Face you could see how the color of the light impacted the face! Amazing! I was particularly struck by how when placing a hot pink paper under the face, the bright hot pink reflects back up into the face and under the chin, the light and color relationship is fascinating!

My Red Light Challenge

I especially loved the challenge to the workshop students. We were given an hour to paint a model who was under RED theater gel light. Her face glowed orange-red, and her cheek appeared grinch-green--a tough challenge! This really makes you think and look! The first 30 minutes I was unsuccessful! After a break, I went back to the easel and really looked and started to "get it". It is all about seeing light and color (and value)! I started to see the bright orange hair highlights and the purple shadows! WOW!

My "form" Unfinished Day 3...

Day three was putting it all together and focusing on finding form, finding a story and then incorporating fun and play. After watching a demo, a model posed for us under cool light. And the instructor gave us each challenges --determined for each student. My challenge was to "paint the form" (not features, not symbols). How amazing that after two days, the instructor could go student to student to work with each of us on our weaknesses! And it was tough as I like to place in features, just adding form and shape is a new and difficult way to start for me. While all of my works are unfinished, I could have used more time on this one. I would have liked to go back in and add darks to the hair, and to blur the left eye feature (I outlined it) and to blur a bit the bottom lip-the light side...

A great workshop, much needed to reinforce value, form, color and where I need to focus on my art.

A special Thank You to Vianna Szabo, a wonderful artist and instructor.

Learning & Exploring & Loving It!

I am really loving my art quick studies experience. I find that I am fearless with composition and color application with my mini one hour paintings!

Little Red Barn 4 x 6"

The Red Barn was toned red (lower half) where there would be a lot of green and orange (upper half) where there would be blue sky. The hardest part to paint was the pole in the middle as it was light and bright but very very narrow Also, it was hard to indicate the phone lines--I ended up using a palette knife as even my small brushes I could not get straight lines. Still, I like the result and am happy with what I was able to get done in an hour.

The hardest part of the quick study for me is finding reference photos to work from, I have many photos but it takes the right one for me to be inspired.

Once I decide to do a quick study, I set up my screen /image (to paint from), I layout my paints and brushes and then set the one hour timer. Ready or not I always stop at one hour.

I have learned that I love complementary color toning canvas. My last few paintings I have painted orange under blues and reds under green (light turp washes) and I love the results.

This quick study I liked so much that I used it as a reference to create a larger painting. Both canvases were toned orange before I painted on the whites and blues. I loved the thick layer of snow after the storm and the long blue tree shadows falling across the snow and house.

Snuggled - 4 x 6"

Nestled - 9 x 12"

Solo Show - Save The Date!

Prepping/Organizing/Framing/Marketing/WORK!

A pic of my Save The Dates for my Art Opening

I am thrilled to be having a solo show in February! And while it is exciting, it also will take quite a bit of organization. Right now, I am in the midst of prepping and planning, there is much to do and much to think about.

I just finished two works that I love and want to include in my show. This means that I need to sign and varnish the works and order frames for them.

As of now I know that I have enough completed works for the show ( a sense of accomplishment).
I figure that I will need to have 40 works that are framed and ready for the show. Currently I have 32 framed works with 8 works that need to be framed--(5 frames have been ordered, 3 I have at the house). I consider this a good place to be, ahead of the game!

I also had to come up with a title for the show--after much thought and deliberation I chose "Lighthearted". I chose this because my show is in February and my works are light, bright and lyrical. Now that I have a title, I can do PR. The venue will provide a bit of PR but I will share the show information on my website and with my art associations and with my art groups and friends via Social Media and printed cards.

I just ordered "Save the Date" cards for my Opening Reception. I ordered the cards on Vistaprint and included photos of my artwork. While this was an expense to me, I want people to attend the show opening --I have shared the cards with my art group,  neighbors and family.

Next steps include creating an art inventory just for this show - not all my works will be in this show and I need to give an art inventory to the venue soon. And I need to ensure that my business card and art information (title/price) are on the back of each artwork.