The Little Boat and a Tree

There once was a boat and a tree.

Who became good friends, one could see.

But the tree always feared that one day,

the boat would just plain sail away. 

But he learned there's one thing that's a must,

To believe in his faith and his trust.

that although sometimes life brings dismay, 

All things will work out the right way.

This little poem just came out of nowhere, just like the painting did. I believe it, though, with all my heart. "Keep the Faith" is more than just a little saying. It's an anchor. It will get us all through the toughest times in life. And that's what I have to say about that...

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Alright. That Does It!

A friend moved to a farm a few years ago. She was nice enough to send me some pictures of her chickens. This started out (as the photo was), with two chickens. One was on the other side of  this one and behind a bit. No matter what I did, the second chicken was just getting in the way. So finally I made it vamoose. Now I was left with an image that clearly has a broken rule: the chicken is headed right off the page! Compositionally, that's not supposed to be good. BUT, here's where rules are made to be broken.....I liked it this way! Lots of glazes and layers here. And she is hopping mad about something! 

Brown Eyed Girl

I loved playing with glazes again here. So fun to use Indian Yellow especially. But also Burnt Sienna and Magenta. This nice girl is just chilling out in a nice cool field and reflecting on her life, and where she wants to be in five years......should she go back to school? Get a different job? Take up art? It all seems so cow-plicated right now.

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Class Creations!

Here are the birch trees (some didn't bring) from last week (mine included). Awesome job! And today we played musical chairs. We started out at with a drawing using Jessica Miller's portraits as our inspiration. They got the shape of the head and shadow shapes done. Then they blocked in the darks. Then the bossy teacher had them move to the next seat for 4 minutes.....and on and on for 4 minute intervals until a whole rotation was complete and they ended back at their original seat. BUT, they had to do it upside down! The picture each was given, had to be placed upside down, and the painting thusly was upside down. The bossy teacher didn't even let them turn it right side up even once. This is a VERY good exercise to do in that the brain can't get in the way by saying things like "hey this doesn't look like a face, hey this doesn't look right, etc"). They were only to concentrate on SHAPES and VALUES and colors. And lo and behold, they turned out great! A very fun class at the Birmingham Community House, as always.

The Little Pink Church That Could, and Luddie (the little dog that could)

This was from a photo my daughter took of a church out west. I totally went off track with how it looked in the photo, but kept the pink color of it. I love it that it's pink! I added the people, too. That's what they mean when they say photo "reference".  I can't seem to avoid going off  track. 

 

Also, Colonel Ludlow Mueller wanted me to update you on his cuteness status. 

Out of the Blue

This was a demo I did in class yesterday, where they painted right along with me. I like to have a list of objectives to cover when we do this, rather than just painting. I give them the list so they can remember what we talked about (I don't STOP talking) as they painted theirs. On this list are: (in no order) perspective, warm vs cool colors, values, composition, negative painting, tools to experiment with, glazing, scumbling, adjusting, light, etc. I had a box of things I use to create texture. For example, dragging in an arc direction, the darks on the shaded side of the tree with my old business cards, index cards, cardboard.Also talked about using q tips, brayer, sponges, etc. We cover a lot with one painting! When I got home, I finished mine, and I'll try to remember to take pictures of all of the class  paintings on Monday. I also talk alot about "breaking the rules".  For example, you probably wouldn't normally see turquoise "spots" in a scene like this, but the minute I added them I knew it was finished! It was suggested again after the class that I create a video of a demo (a great compliment). It is on my to do list! The class is phenomenal. I still can't believe that some of these people have never picked up a paintbrush, and are creating beautiful paintings! They are awesome, and I appreciate their open-ness and willingness to just dig right in and banish the fear.  Not to mention the friends I meet along the way by teaching. Oh...and the laughter. It's pretty cool when you spend a few hours totally forgetting about everything except right here, right now, and having fun.

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Lobby Lust

Well, this started out as a simple woman, in a provocative pose waiting in a lobby. She had no idea she would attract a business man in a crisp dark suit. He seemed to show up out of nowhere. But she was intrigued, and they soon found themselves ogling each other shamelessly. And I may be getting tired. The puppy has kept us up at night, and these are the kind of people who show up on my canvas when I'm bleary-eyed.

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"What's Up With Him?"

This is a mixed media painting, done with inks, watercolor, acrylics, and alcohol inks. It's hard in the photo to see all the layers,as there are lots and lots of colors. It is painted on a 10x8 canvas with 1 1/2 inch deep gallery wrapped sides that will be painted a rich dark color. There is no need for a frame. It will be varnished, which brings out the depth of the layers. I have painted pears for years but not enough lately, because I realize every time that I love painting them!
Oh, and the title? It came after the fact, as usual. When I look at a finished painting, it's usually easy to come up with a title, depending on the "personality" of whatever it is. In this case, there was no doubt: they were having a discussion.....

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"Gone Fishin"

This is one of those paintings that started out as something totally different! Lots and lots of layers of color and just fun to paint. 

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That's Not What You Said Yesterday

Birds! What a surprise. I started this as a demo for the class yesterday, and finished it at home. Just fun to do. That's all I can say! 

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"On the Move" and a new little soul!

I haven't painted much because of our new addition......except for a commission piece which I'll post once the recipients have it. I always hold my breath when I do a commission (especially one that has to capture an essence of an animal) until I show a picture of the painting and they love it. It happened, so ......good! No tweaking. 

Anyways, this is a "one mark at a time" exercise, 

just to get my hand moving on the canvas, and I like it.  

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And below is the newest member of our family, "Luddie". Short for Colonel Ludlow. He's a trip, and keeps us on our toes every minute. Like children, the early foundation is critical, so we're giving it our all. Wade is skeptical. That part will take a while, I'm afraid.