Pastel Figure Drawings Everywhere!

There are times in life where I don't get into my studio as often as I would like.  This is unavoidable, and sometimes, for a brief time, even a welcome time to step back and think about where I want to go next with my work.  But I am grateful for our figure drawing group that meets every week, so that these stretches away from my easel are not absolute.  It is so important to stay connected with that part of myself - the artist.  I love being a mom, relish my marriage, and delight in spending time with friends.  But I have come to realize, and accept, that I actually get depressed when I am away from my studio for too long, and therefor everything else tends to suffer.  So...as I embrace being 35, and really accepting who I am, I will be more determined to keep the balance between my work and my family.

This week the kids were both in school all day, and I got a much needed "fix" of painting and drawing!  I put some finishing touches on a lounging nude from a few weeks ago...(nupastel on colourfix, 20" x 27")

I was so happy with the way this profile drawing from the live model turned out that I didn't even touch it after our 90 minute drawing session (nupastel on colourfix paper, 13" x 20")

I also bought a pack of Sennelier Pastel Card that I have been having fun with.  I think the size is 9" x 12".  Love this bluish-green (that's an artistic name for this color) paper with the magenta in her skin tones.  Quick - about 15 minutes I think.

I just framed a couple of these new pieces for the last open house at the studio (mixed in with some other favorites!)  Can you tell I love that dark red color family?

Last night we had another wonderful model, and I tried to keep my work loose and fun (I am working on several portrait commissions right now, so I enjoy letting myself just play a little bit during figure drawing.  And often, I find that these little sketches come out quite nice!)  Horrible photo, but I promise to add some better shots later...

The top two are pastel on sennelier pastel card, the bottom two are watercolor on 200 lb paper.  

I also have a lot of portrait work in the middle of creation right now - I can't wait to share it with you!  That will happen after the clients get to see them....I promise!

I hope you are finding time to create :) 

Summer Reading

Summer reading...do you aim for light, romantic reading or thought provoking novels?  I am one of people who likes to read a little bit of everything, and managed to get thru a good pile of interesting books this summer.

(I know what you are thinking...it's AUGUST! Summer isn't over YET!  I'm basing this on my kids' school schedule...they head back to class next week, meaning our summer break is over!)

Some of my picks are random, meaning I found them for 50 cents at the SPCA thrift shop.  Joyce Carol Oates (who I have read before and really enjoyed) "We Were the Mulvaneys" was a great find, and a very thought-provoking novel on family dynamics and the predicament that some mother's may face, although maybe not in such dramatic fashion - stand by your children, or stand by your husband?

"Bee Season" by Myla Goldberg was also an interesting study of family, with each individuals quest to find their place - within their family, and within a religion.  The study of language was fascinating, and an excellent illustration of how studying one subject (an intense study of letters) can lead you to understand so much more.

A tragic romance has to show up every once in a while, in this case a story of teenage lovers who have know each other since birth.  "The Pact" by Jodi Picoult is an easy read, but one of frustration, and also one that brought a lot of fear to me, as a mother of a little girl.  We can hope that our daughters will always come to us in their time of need, but this is a tragic example of a young girl who felt so alone, even when surrounded by those who love her.

Ebay is also a great source for bargain books, and I scored three excellent reads for under $10 (this is one reason why I am very hesitant to buy an e-reader like the Nook or the Kindle...I love a great deal on a great book!)  

A friend had recommended "The Book Thief" by Zusak so my hunt started there.  This was a beautiful book, written by a unique perspective (one I do not want to spoil for you).  Like many other powerful books I have read, this is in the middle of the Nazi horror, and focuses on a young girl who marks significant moments in her life with stolen books.  The writing is inspirational, especially for me as an Artist who dreams in color.  The lines describing the sky, for example "the sun was the color of breakfast", were descriptive without sounding pretentious.  I highly recommend this book!

Of course once I started hunting for one book a couple others popped up who I had heard about but not yet read.   One was Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild", which was made into a movie (haven't seen it yet!)  The writer smartly used his own experiences and emotions to bring validity to his theories on the motivations and mindset of the main character, Christoper McCandless.  There were also wonderful quotes throughout the book from various authors, and several of these passages inspire me to read more by those quoted authors.  As an artist, too, many of the struggles presented of the main character rang true to me (not that he was an artist) including the desire for solitude and a need for personal space.  Of course, I was reading this in the middle of summer break, when I didn't even get time alone in the bathroom, let alone my studio...so you could see where I would also want to escape to Alaska...

Finally I cam across another familiar title, "The Namesake", by Jhumpa Lahiri.  I found this to be a very enjoyable read, but one that really left me wanting more.  More insight into the character's motivations, more resolution to conflict, more passion in their convictions.  That's the Italian in me speaking.  But I did love the way Lahiri shared so much about the culture and their traditions, and the struggle of finding your own way while still honoring the place you came from.  

So 6 great reads for $11.50.  Not bad :)  My goal is to let my kids see me read actual books as much as possible.  I want something to be technology free!  I also love the process of going to a library or a shop and flipping thru the pages, reading the covers, checking out the feel, heftiness of a book. 

What are you reading this summer?  And are you reading it the old fashioned way or on a electronic reader of some kind?  Please share!  I'm always looking for my next great read!

Recent Portraits in Watercolor and Oil

The summer has been going by so quickly.  Somewhere among the days on the beach, the trips to visit family, and the never ending quest to achieve a clean home while the children follow behind me making it messy again, I managed to send out a few commissioned portraits.

Two brothers, created in watercolor on mounted watercolor paper, 16" x 20" each.

Both boys have long hair and sweet faces.  I decided to down-play the hairstyles and focus on their facial features.

Dark and sensuous portrait based on a photo at dinner...Oil on panel, 12" x 16.

 I love the setting, the moment where she looks across the table at her companion...

A studio tour and a portrait is home!

I feel very lucky to be featured on a couple of wonderful blogs today.

First off is a delightful photo essay on the arrival and presentation of the Boxer portrait.  I adore the pictures of the little boy and how big his dad's smile is!  Thank you so much Jackie...these photos are so special!  It means so much to me when a fellow artist (you can see Jackie's delightful art shop here) has such high praise for my work.

http://www.educatingjackie.com/2011/06/one-more-round.html

"One More Round"

Next is a studio tour that I put together as a series of short videos for a lovely friend, art collector, and talented glass artist, Jennifer Cameron from Glass Addictions.

She suggested a video tour, and I did my best to speak in my "sophisticated artist voice" and not my "mommy is really stressed out right now and if you don't stop torturing your sister I am going to throw you in the lake" voice.  Although, that would have been kind of funny...and angry studio tour....maybe next time :)

So please check out both blogs and comment and share - thank you so much to both of these wonderful talented women!!

Father's Day Portrait - The Boxer

I was so excited to work on this awesome Father's day gift for an athlete from his wife.  Inspired by a portrait I painted of a bodybuilder with a superman tattoo, she sent me several photos of her husband in and out of the boxing ring.  I combined a couple of the photos for the large oil portrait.

I wanted to create a strong, energetic, and powerful image of an athlete.

There are several of layers of color, and I built up a lot of texture on the surface as well.

This was one of my favorite parts - the small scene of him boxing in the ring.  I like the loose brushwork and the indication of the feet without defining everything.  The movement of the boxers is a great compliment to his stoic gaze above.

Sometimes I am diligent about taking process photos, and this was one of those paintings that inspired me to capture each stage.  I linked the photos together in this short video...

Creating custom portraits like this are truly rewarding.

Perspective.

OK I was a little bummed out during my last post, and I'm not normally like that.  I've been rejected before.  Trust me.  I should be used to it by now!

I was lucky to gain a little perspective the other night.  A good friend and fellow artist got two pieces in the show that I did not get into, and for one of the pieces, this was her third time entering the same piece, and it finally got accepted.

I really am excited for her, and it humbled me, too.  Every juror is different, and each show has a different look and feel, and maybe my work just wasn't right for this year's show.  I am inspired by her to keep trying, keep entering, keep creating, because she believes in her work - and I should, too.

I look forward to opening night so that I can support my fellow artists and their wonderful work!

Rejection.

It never gets old.  Rejection still stings.  OK rejection sucks.  As an artist it comes with the territory.  I have good days and bad days in the studio, I know that not every piece I make is perfect, good, or even salvageable.  Sometimes the need to create is just that - a need to create, and if nothing good comes out of it that's fine.

When I enter a juried show, it's a nerve racking experience.  What will the juror be LOOKING for? What will they WANT?  What if I submit this piece and they reject it, yet they would actually select that piece?  What if this slide doesn't show the piece well enough?  Urg.  It's a wonder I enter a show at all...

But it's part of the whole process! Art can not exist in a vacuum.  It needs to be seen.  It needs context.  It needs to hold up in a room full of other pieces, being part of the conversation.   I enter some shows because the group is prestigious, the juror is well known or the venue is beautiful.  Sometime I enter local shows because the entry fee will be supporting a good facility.

So why am I still upset about a rejection letter i got three days ago?!? Rejection.  I can handle it when 1000 people look at a piece of my work yet no one buys it, why can't I handle the fact that one juror decided not to include my work in a show?

I submitted, what I thought, were three of the strongest pieces I created this past year, excited about showing them locally, since they are so heavy, and I couldn't ship them to a show in California, for example.  Now I question those pieces - are they technically good, but emotionally stunted?  Are they too - pretty? all flash and no substance?

I guess at the end of the day I need to take the good with the bad, the praise along side the critique.  And keep creating, because the next opportunity - I am not going to pass it up!