people watching

"At the Convention" monotype, 6 x 10

While at a three day convention where my interest in the subject was only one day long, I found a way to keep myself amused. I sketched people. Lots of people. This monotype was inspired by some of the sketches.

Summer heat in the studio creates a difficult environment for printmaking. Temperatures nearing 100 degrees dries out inks in a hurry. This print happened in the cool of the morning before the day heated up. Subsequent prints, no matter how much medium I added to the sticky ink, were failures. The ink dried on the plate before I could manipulate it. Tacky ink fused itself to the paper and had to be soaked off.

The figures in my convention sketches may inspire more prints, but I will wait for cooler weather to experiment more with monotypes.

Mungo Jerry "In the Summertime."

acrylic like watercolor

I've been playing with my bonanza of acrylic paints and today used it like watercolor. For this trial, I used Cadmium Yellow Medium, Ultramarine Blue, and Cadmium Red Medium. Mixed with water. Painted on with a big watercolor brush.

Much of the country is experiencing drought conditions. It breaks my heart to hear about the distress and death of the live oak tree forests in Texas. The people look up into the sky, desperately hoping that the clouds will band together and create some moisture.

In the meantime, in the Pacific Northwest, it seems that we have only had a few minutes of summer and now we have rain. Oh, the rain. It greens up the wild grasses. It fills the rivers and reservoirs. I think it's going to rain today. And tomorrow, too. Sigh.

now 3

22 x 30, gouache and pastel on BFK

It figures, more from Dawn Emerson

Instructions:  break up the composition space first with a grid of not necessarily straight, not necessarily equivalent lines. At least five of them. Then, draw your figure. How is your drawing influenced by the grid? What happens when you add color?

Instructions: with as few marks as possible, indicate the figure. What did you include? What did you leave out? 

I love the uninhibited, almost primitive look of these drawings. It's all too easy to take a workshop, get excited while I am there, and then leave with a case of instant amnesia. I lose the breakthroughs I began. But I am retracing some of my steps, to find the hints and clues to another way.

Do you know Beth Hart? Her music and this song get at this turmoil.

She's worth knowing, especially if you can relate to this: I don't want to survive, I want to live!

Figures

Figures on newsprint with ink and charcoal and marker.

Walk!

"Walk!"
24 x 18, pastel

Inspired by my San Francisco trip last month. I'm still thinking about that beautiful Bay Area light and the tall buildings and all of the people out and about.

As I observed this couple, it seemed to me that the man was trying very hard to get the woman to respond to him. He held her in his arms, he leaned toward her, he took off his sunglasses to look into her eyes. She, on the other hand, held her arms at her sides, leaned back just a bit, and kept her sunglasses covering her eyes. When the light changed, I could help but think, "She's going to walk away from him and not come back."

No Ride!

No Ride!

24 x 18, pastel

This painting provided many challenges for me. The shape of the cable car, several figures relating to one another, and a desire to keep it loose and somewhat abstracted. I don't expect every painting to be a success (it would indicate I wasn't trying hard at challenging myself) but I can usually find something that went well even in the worst painting.

I will do better next time.

Caps for Sale!

Caps for Sale

18 X 24, pastel

Spring break and my chance to spend a few days at the beach with energetic college girls and other friends. It was great to share in their energy and witness their exuberant sense of play. The owner of the hat shop just smiled and looked away as the girls tried on most of his inventory while striking poses and making faces in the mirrors.

Lowell, the final version

Lowell, 24 x 24, pastel on Wallis paper

Lowell, part 2

A little pastel goes a long way when the values on the under painting are right.

The vest and jacket have only a little pastel on them. I like that.

I keep fighting off the sensation that, once again, I won't achieve what I want with this subject. Defeatism. I'm usually not prone to it. But, with this painting, I seem to get in my own way.

Sigh.

Lowell, part 1

June 2004 Santa Paula, CA
Annual Bucker Fly In

It was a great weekend of bi-planes, pilots, hangar exploring, and meeting interesting people. Many, many people.

I had just started taking art classes and had no idea that I had found a life passion. But, at the fly in I took many photos, including one of this dear man.

Lowell was in his late 80s when I met him that weekend, but his age did not stop him from being charming and flirtatious with me.

He agreed to let me paint from the photo, but if I earned money from his likeness, he expected a cut of the profit!

So far, I have painted this precious man four times. None has turned out the way I hoped. What you see here is the beginning of my fifth attempt. So far just my charcoal sketch and the under painting. Maybe this time I'll capture what I am after.

Lowell, 24 x 24, pigment under painting on Wallis paper

Jazzman

"Jazzman"
22 x 16
watercolor

Edward Hopper at Seattle Art Museum

"Hopper's Women" at the Seattle Art Museum is great! Next time I'll go on a weekday to avoid the crowds blocking my view of the artwork.

Hopper creates a sad and lonely view of humanity and it was a thrill to look at the many paintings in the exhibit.

Also at the SAM were landscapes by Bierstadt and Church, portraits by Sargent and Chase and Henri, and a Rothko and de Kooning. It's worth a second trip. I'll make one soon.

Chop Suey, Edward Hopper, oil, 1929

Mischief

Capturing expression is a real challenge in figure work. In my classes at Hipbone Studio, Jeff Burke holds emotional expressions for three to five minutes to give artists a chance to try to capture them. A lot happens to the proportions of a face with a smile, a scream, a pout, a laugh, a sneer. Look at your own face in a mirror and make a few faces. You will see exactly what I mean.

Katie is a young woman who can dish it out as well as she can take it. And she has a wonderful streak of mischief that I love to pieces. I tried to capture her sense of playfulness in this piece.

Mischief, 11 X 15, pastel