27 May 2019

The Travails of being a retired person

As is usual, I started my day before 4 am dressing for a two plus mile walk with my three dogs. Camera at the ready, I took some photos of wonderful cloud formations - future work? Future like today? Then I came in and started to tidy up a bit laying hands on couch pillow covers in white and the twenty five rayon infinity scarves I bought in preparation for a silk screening frenzy. I think the pillow covers in nice heavy 100% cotton will get an indigo treatment during one of my workshops. The rayon scarves need a soda soak before silk screening. I also found an old sketch for a crow quilt I made years ago and want to remake. I had sellers remorse after letting that go too cheaply. I am also currently reading "How I Paint" by Thomas Buechner and I am finding it had to put the bookmark in and leave it. I currently have three sketchbooks going that I am working into at the same time. Can I turn my back on them? So the travail is about what to do first? I do have visions of those luscious soft rayon scarves in vibrant colors dancing before me like multicolored carrots......



23 May 2019

Pepper

This was my process for doing this pepper.


I took a photo of my pepper.


I made a sketch


I did a thin coat of pastel then wet it into a "paint" with alcohol on a bush as an underpainting.


A pear I did first


20 May 2019

An invitation and an announcement

The invitation is to take advantage of one or more of my workshops this summer. This summer I am having 10 workshops most of which require no artistic ability, experience or prerequisites. There is a huge array of work and loads of fun along the way.

The announcement is that this is my last year teaching workshops. I have had a lot of fun teaching and meeting people and bringing a huge variety of surface design techniques to a great bunch of lovely and fun women. Now I am moving on to other mediums although I am sure I can never give up my surface design work especially considering the massive amount of supplies I still have. (smile)

So if you have never taken a workshop here on the beautiful coast of Maine or want to squeeze in a few more please check out the workshop schedule.

Next up, is a silk screen workshop on May 30. Here are 25 rayon infinity scarves that I and perhaps you will be silk screening on the 30th.





Ready to go

  
One from last years Maine Event.

16 May 2019

Clouds


The next lesson in pastels is clouds. I am still in this section. Here are the first two of the four that I have completed.


The one above is on pastelmat and the one below is Uart 400. There is a huge difference in the way the pastels sit on these papers. I will use all the left over Uart to sample/flatten my pastels.



This (below) was the first things I did and I used Uart. It seems to have come out okay but I am now disenchanted with it.


13 May 2019

and on...


I don't remember if I mentioned that when I first started with Marla (teacher) I started with a Tree course. None of the other courses really appealed to me. I did get a $100. coupon for joining the Facebook group and subscribing to the YouTube channel and inviting three friends to check out her classes so when Marla's 26 week course went on sale for a brief time I took advantage of it and was able to use the $100. coupon as well. I have been taking my time with this course and learning a lot. I had bought a package of pastel paper sample and I am working my way through them to see how I like the papers. Some I love and some not so much.  I tried a new paper called velour to paint this apple.



I really loved this paper and will probably buy more when I'm out. You can see how the particles of pigment are just dancing on the surface.


This was my second fruit done on pastelmat which is nicer than the painting (smile)

09 May 2019

moved upstairs


The back story:
We moved downstairs 3 years ago because I couldn't climb the stairs 70+ times a day. With three dogs and the kitchen downstairs plus, oops I forgot sometime, it was endless climbing. When my sister moved in, she took my fabulous studio which was great. My bed in the former living room was quite an obstacle with her and her two dogs climbing up and down all day so I moved my bed to Brian's old room on the second floor. Now with the easel and all the pastel supplies I have been squeezed so tightly that I have to move furniture to paint. Also the downstairs is darker than Brian bright corner room. He gets sun all day so now I've moved ALL the pastel supplies, pastel box and easel to the bedroom. What a job. I also needed my Chromebook with speakers, a lamp, sketchbook and on and on.....Here is where I am now.


I know it looks austere and it is. I only go up to sleep at night but now........


I moved the easel and pastel box up with a 2 X 4 table to hold the pastel box.


Now a 6' table with light, Chromebook (online lessons) with speakers, sketchbook, pencils erasers and on


First lesson in her 26 week pastel paint course. I have been doing art since I was a kid but I want to approach this as a neophyte. No arrogance on my part. 


A bit wonky but I need to learn how to use these sticks. The periphery of the paper is where I test colors and flatten new stick. They are hand made and irregular so flattening is necessary.

06 May 2019

setting up my painting studio

I have been wanting to get back to painting, my first medium, for a few years. As a matter of fact my daughter gave me a gift certificate for Blick and I bought a raft of paints. I really didn't know where to start since I never had any formal art training when I was painting. I just painted what I saw. When I went back to college in '93, I minored in art like sketching with live models, photography - so long ago we processed our own film and made our own prints. I also took pottery for two semesters and "Aesthetics", the philosophy of art. Every time I saw a certain type of painting I longed to do THAT. I bought the pastel pencils (from previous posts) and went on to YouTube to learn how to use them. Then I stumbled on to a painting instructor and when I saw her work I yelled (to myself) THAT, THAT is what I want to do. I have scrap books filled with photos of painting that looked like THAT. So now I am taking pastel painting lessons and hope one day to approach painting like THAT.


The box for my pastels. I made this myself. You can see the goopy glue on it (smile)


Some of the pastels


Easel assembled and pastels to my right



My first study (not a painting). It's sort of like a sketch in color.

02 May 2019

My solo show


Here is my disclaimer: I took these photos to send to the woman who was printing the labels so she would know which label went with each piece. They are far from good pictures and a few just have partial shots. You have seen most if not all of these over the past few years. Three of the pieces have sold but I don't know which. They are in order so she could identify the piece which went with each label.









 




I know the one above on the left sold.