Davida Schulman: Almost Daily Painting

Which iPad App?

2012-01-25T18:48:00.003-06:00

Easy Chair

iPad Painting, Size Variable

This one the first iPad paintings I did with my iPad. I have been switching back and forth between two different apps. I still have not decided which app I like the best. Both have their advantages. It's easier to save and share images with one than the other. But it is not as easy to change brush attributes on the fly. So I am still making my assessment. I know I will gravitate to one or the other and use it exclusively. It's just too difficult switching once the software becomes familiar.

iPad Still Life

2012-01-22T22:49:00.000-06:00

Three Pieces of Fruit

iPad Painting, Size Variable

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Another iPad practice piece. It's back to basics in learning to use the iPad app. Spherical fruit fill the bill. I still have to use the layers more effectively. Right now they have elements that are spread out over several layers when they should be placed in a more discreet manner. Practice on!

iPad Practice

2012-01-20T15:41:00.002-06:00

View From My Window

iPad Painting, Size Variable

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After all my kvetching yesterday that the iPad still felt mediated to me and I needed more practice, here is more practice. Sometimes I do do stuff that requires deleting and starting again but I am getting more accustomed to the methods of working with layers.

Today is a good day for such things as we have a winter storm warning. Since I have no reason to go outside, it is best to stay indoors today. This is the view out my patio window onto my deck. A star of my summertime paintings with its now dead plants are enduring the winter until spring rolls around. Then a new batch of plants will take up residence for another summer. Hopes for spring are eternal.

Waiting with an iPad

2012-01-19T15:32:00.000-06:00

Waiting While iPad-ing

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 8.5x5"

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This lady was waiting in the same spot as the lady from the previous post. This is all I could catch before her car was ready and she left. The auto dealer's waiting room has free wi-fi so you can surf the internet while you are waiting for you car to be serviced. That's kind of nice! Though an iPad is a new toy for me and I can make sketches with it, I prefer to have my low-tech sketchbook with me and draw with more traditional materials.

All the high-tech stuff can be great when it works well. It seems that I am still more drawn to centuries-old means of recording images. The touch is not the same with the iPad. As flawless as the iPad is, I still have the sense my drawings are mediated by the technology. I have a stylus for drawing because my finger will obscure the exact position I want to touch. The stylus is not much finer but it allows me to see where a mark will go more easily. A ballpoint pen and paper just seems better. Of course there is no erasing with a pen but I think the ability to easily erase is a stumbling block to drawing. Better to make correction right on the paper so as not to inhibit the rhythm of the drawing process.

David Hockney has been making a big splash with iPad drawings. And they are beautiful. I guess I just need to practice more.

Taking Care of Business

2012-01-15T12:48:00.000-06:00

Protective mask

Ball Point Pen in Paper, 8.5x5"

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Since I have been on winter break, I have been taking care of things that need to be done. These are the things that get put off while I am busy teaching. I had to take me car in for an oil change and, as usual, while I waited, I made drawings of some of the people who were also waiting.

This lady came in all bundled up with her face covered by a surgical mask. I don't know why. She gave the impression she had a cold and she was covering herself to keep from spreading it. If so, I appreciate her conscientiousness. She may also be one of those people with a compromised immune system. Whatever the reason, she made a good model for my drawing.

The auto dealer had a television in the waiting room which she watched intently. That distraction kept her quite still for me. I was even able to draw her hands with interlaced fingers with some accuracy. I usually end up with twelve fingers when hands are posed that way. The complexity makes it very difficult to tease out all the relationships when the hands are interlaced and time is short.

In the Waiting Room

2012-01-12T20:46:00.000-06:00

Three Chairs

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 5x8.5"

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I know I have been singing the praises of my iPad drawing apps but it can't match the touch of a drawing tool on paper. I can't do massed line drawings like this on the iPad. The precision of a sharp pointed ball point pen is just not there. I know the iPad drawing mavens will jump on me for that statement but right now it's my truth of the matter. Maybe I just need more practice.

Once again I was in the dentist's office waiting for my mother to complete and emergency visit to repair a fractured filling. This helped pass the time. There is just something evocative about chairs. They are stand-ins for people. They have arms and legs, backs and seats. They can be as varied as people and as ubiquitous as people too. I have been drawing and painting chairs for years. Whenever I am at a loss for subject matter I go back to them. They always deliver.

More Play With My New Toy

2012-01-02T10:18:00.002-06:00

Invention From Experience

iPad Painting, Size Variable

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I am continuing my play with my iPad. I made this as I usually do with a watercolor. It comes directly out of all the visits to Door County to paint with a group from my college. This is a reflection of what I saw when I awoke every day and fell out of bed right onto the beach! Not hard to take is it? It's so ingrained in my memory, I can make all kinds of variation on this theme. It's a lot of fun.

A New Toy

2011-12-30T21:34:00.000-06:00

My Glasses

Digital Drawing, Size Variable

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I bought myself a new toy. I bought an iPad. I have been having serious iPad envy for some time now and I finally succumbed. I have been playing with the drawing functions. It's going to take some time to really learn the ins and outs of this. I am having trouble with the lack of precision of my finger tip. A stylus is not much better. But, I think I can master this. This one of my first keepers. I have had at least ten rejects preceding this modest success.

This app has layers. I need to make more effective use of them. I have such facility with painting that the layers and the constant adjustment to the "brushes" slow me down. I'm just used to laying down washes one after the other. Now I have to formulate a new strategy. It will be fun.

I Hate Waiting

2011-12-04T16:06:00.000-06:00

Reception Desk

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 5x8.5"

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The older I get the less patient I become. I don't know if it's because I am more aware that my time on this earth is finite or if it's because of the nature of our media. It's flashing edits and continuous interruptions have made my attention span that of a two year old. All I know is that I hate waiting.

When I have to wait I keep myself busy with sketching. It fills the time. The magazines in the reception area have become so inane that I don't want to bother with them. So drawing is a better way to occupy myself. Then I have something to share on by blog. This little drawing is the result of a recent visit to the dentist.

However, I have made it a rule that I will only wait for fifteen minutes and then I reschedule and leave. My time has some value too. My dentist is particularly delinquent. I know that he encounters complications that may require more time but to leave clients sitting in the waiting room without notifying them is inconsiderate and rude. So I refuse to wait anymore.

There is also the issue of forms. I hate filling out forms. I remember returning to a doctor within a week for a follow-up visit and the receptionist handing me the same epic novel-thick stack of forms that I had just filled out only a week before.

"It's policy." she said.

"My policy is I'm not filling them out again. Nothing has changed in the last week", I said. I felt very proud to have refused such nonsense and to have saved some trees.

Quick Draw

2011-11-23T21:11:00.000-06:00

Studying at Lunch

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.5x5"

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I did this very quick drawing of a young man studying over his lunch while I was grabbing lunch between classes. There are a lot of likely subjects during lunch time. It's all grist for my mill. It's amazing how picky I can be over the kind of ball point pen I use. I don't like roller ball pens with gel inks. They are just a little too fast. It seems some light resistance make for a better feel.

Some pens have excess ink gather around the tip. That makes for a messy looking drawing. I think the cheap stick pens are the best for me. I have more control over the heaviness of the line. It's all about personal preferences and the preferences are about very subtle differences.

Skills Maintenance

2011-11-15T17:00:00.000-06:00

Getting A Haircut

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 8.5x5"

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This is my 96-year old mother enveloped by the hair cutter's cape. I am my mother's chief go-for. I am her willing chauffeur, shopper, and errand runner. I am happy to do these things for her. She did so much for me, I can do her these favors in return. She wanted to have her haircut on this occasion so, I was happy to take her. She was fairly easy to sketch as she had to remain still while the very expert beautician did her well choreographed hair cutting and styling dance.

A side benefit is that I can do a quick sketch of her while she gets gorgeously coiffed. I take advantage of such situations whenever I can. It is always a good way for me to maintain my skills. I have made it a habit for many years to have a sketch book tucked into my handbag for just such moments. Whenever I have the opportunity, I just take out my sketch book and draw. It's how I learned to draw, how I learned to draw better, and how I maintain my drawing skills. It's just good practice.

Drawing is a skill which must be practiced like any other skill. Musicians practice their instruments. Athletes practice their sports. And visual artists practice their media. Mine happen to be drawing and painting. I'm not looking for perfect. I really don't know what that is. Better is a much more realistic expectation.

Ongoing No Hovering

2011-11-13T14:58:00.000-06:00

Classroom Activity

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.5x5"

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This was done last Wednesday during my afternoon basic drawing class. My class is in the midst of a three part drawing project. I make rounds at regular intervals to check on their progress but, I don't want to hover. So while they are working towards its conclusion, I have to keep myself busy. I'll check e-mail. Look to see what the news headlines are, or draw. Drawing is the best no hovering activity. Here is the result. These are two of my students working away at their drawing while I draw them.

Drawing Outside the Drawing Studio

2011-11-11T16:27:00.000-06:00

Drawing with Students

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.8x5.5"

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This is from last spring's life drawing class. Our model is on the right and the woman on left is one of my students. One can draw from the nude model consistently but it is difficult to take nude figure drawings out of the realm of study. The history of study is just too long and so thoroughly explored.

Eventually one must think about the figure outside the drawing studio and begin to consider the clothed figure. After all, in most situations, you are not just going to happen to come across someone who happens to be naked away from home. So the object of doing this was to begin to draw the clothed model and the context in which model and the people around her interact.

It was also an exercise in drawing quickly as the people around the model were to be included as well. Context can tell a great deal about the person or persons depicted

From My Sketch Book

2011-11-01T20:21:00.001-05:00

Sleep

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

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This sketch is in no way a likeness. But I think it captures the serenity of sleep which, to quote William S., knits up the raveled sleeve of care. This sleeper is my son's sweetheart. She is a lovely woman inwardly as outwardly. She is the lady who brought Winston, her bull dog, into our lives. He is a dog as serene as his mistress. If you follow the link you will see my sketch of him.

The Spiel

2011-10-25T17:51:00.002-05:00

The Sales Spiel

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

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I went to a sales spiel for a travel company that was supposedly no pressure. My hubby and I sat through their B.S. while I made this drawing. It so happens that the 'no pressure sales event' required that we make a decision that evening or the 'deal' being offered would be withdrawn with no recourse to consider it later. That in spite of the fact we had no idea who this outfit was and they did not make any attempt to inform us beforehand. So we could do our due diligence in informing ourselves in advance. This drawing was the only good thing to come out of that experience!

From My Sketch Book

2011-10-18T16:00:00.000-05:00

Grace, Drawing

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8x5.5"

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This another of my sketches during class from last spring's figure drawing class. I had everyone go out into the lunch room to draw our clothed model with the usual groups of people who moved in an out of the room or who lingered to do homework or surf the net. This is Grace, one of my students, drawing while I drew her.

All Spiffed Up

2011-10-15T18:30:00.000-05:00

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This is my studio all spiffed up for last weekend's studio tour. It will not look this neat and orderly until this time next year as I am a rather untidy creative person. I am a firm believer that is better to have a creative farfumel than an idle tidiness.

It's Here! I'm Ready!

2011-10-07T11:46:00.000-05:00

The Tenth Annual Northeast Wisconsin Artists' Studio will begin in twenty minutes and I am all ready. The snacks are ready to be put on the table. The artwork is displayed. My studio will probably not be this tidy again until next year's tour. I will keep all my followers posted with pictures as the weekend continues. But, if it's really busy it may have to wait until the event is over.

A Week to Go!

2011-09-29T15:18:00.000-05:00

In a week I will be putting the finishing touches on my studio before I greet visitors as part of a three day Open Studios Tour. Come and share treats, play with paint, and see some art. I'm looking forward to visitors. For more info follow this link: http://artstudiotour.wordpress.com/

Good Use of Time

2011-09-26T21:34:00.002-05:00

At the Dentist

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 5x8"

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I always keep a sketchbook in my handbag so I can take advantage of those time when I am waiting for whatever. I draw on the train, in a restaurant or in a dentist's office. It keeps my skills sharp. It's best way to learn to draw as well. This is a skill and like any skill requires practice. Talent goes no where without practice.

Remember my open studio event. You are invited!

Sketchbook Drawing

2011-09-20T22:49:00.002-05:00

Drawing in the Dining Hall

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8x5"

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This is another drawing from my sketchbook done last semester during a life drawing class. The figure that appears furthest away is one of my students drawing our model with the surroundings including other people in the dining hall. Most people were studying as the food service had closed down for the day.

Don't forget. My studio will be open for visitors. Follow this link for more information:

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Rediscovered From My Sketchbook

2011-09-17T22:49:00.000-05:00

Out of the Studio

Ball Point Pen on Paper. 8x5"

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I haven't posting on this blog very much lately. I have been having a hard time posting much at all. I have been very busy preparing for an open studio and teaching my community college classes.

I rediscovered some sketches in my sketch book and will be posting them over the next week. This was done last spring semester. I had my life drawing class go out into the lunchroom to draw the clothed model in an environment where people are moving about their in the course of a morning. The studio is a contrived space and people don't just happen to be naked in most public places. One has to learn how to draw people clothed as well as nude. Also, context begins to take the practice of figure drawing out the realm of study and closer to art.

This is one my students drawing in the lunch room. I draw too. It to keeps me out of their hair. There is a fine line between being helpful and just being a pain in the ass.

Anyone reading this blog who happens to be in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area is invited to my studio for a visit. Follow this link for more information: http://artstudiotour.wordpress.com/

A Glorious Concert

2011-06-06T11:13:00.001-05:00

Concert

Ball Point Pen, Marker on Paper, 8x6"

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My husband and I went with our younger son and his sweetheart to a concert. It was a Handel oratorio entitled Resurrection. The religious subject matter doesn't appeal to me, so, as not to be distracted by that with the libretto, I took out my sketch book and listened as I drew. I don't think you can go wrong with Handel. The music was glorious. The singers were extraordinarily good. I even heard phrases that he used for the Water Music or the Music for the Royal Fireworks.

The instruments were period and there were a few mishaps. The reeds for the wooden oboes and clarinets squeaked at a some crucial moments. My son's honey is a classically trained pianist and she was very critical at that. My son in his funny way said, "Let's go get 'em and slap 'em around a little!" I think that made her disappointment at a slightly less than perfect performance take on a more forgiving perspective.

The surroundings were also apt for the period of the music's creation and for the subject matter of the work. The architecture of the concert hall was neo-classical in style and beautifully maintained. I think it was a church at one time. The pew seating was the give away.

This is another music lover enjoying the concert in the very conducive surroundings.

Caught Unawares

2011-05-25T13:46:00.000-05:00

In the Waiting Area

Artist's Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

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I had to take my new-to-me minivan in for an oil change. While I waiting in the service waiting area, I drew this woman who was also waiting. She was quite still. There was a television on and she was watching pretty intently. I got her image very close to finished before her car was ready for her. You can see the lettering on the windows of the dealership on the upper left.

New Model

2011-05-10T16:50:00.000-05:00

First Time Modeling

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

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I substituted for a colleague a couple of weeks ago and this young man came to model for us the very first time. I mean the very first time for him. I gave him a few suggestions on what to do. Life drawing models have to have a lot moves in their repertoire. Beginners must do lots of quick gestures; at least 3 per minute. It's the only way for a student to get out of one's own way. By forcing fast work one cannot second guess her/his first perception and it shuts up the internal critic. It also emphasizes that when doing the human figure, the most important thing is what the model is doing not what the model looks like.

Re-Discovered

2011-05-07T17:39:00.000-05:00

Painting

Watercolor on Masa Paper, 15x10.5"

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I was looking through my digital images on my computer and discovered this from my trip to Florida. It's a fellow artist painting in the studio at the local art center. I got a charge out of the fact that her sandals had hot pink trim which matched her t-shirt.

Another Attempt

2011-05-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

Stage of the Lyric Opera

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 5.5x8.5"

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This is another drawing done at the Lyric Opera of Chicago from the lower upper balcony. The previous drawing was of the under curtain. This is the fire curtain. I think the proportions are more accurate than my first attempt. It also reflects my high position in the balcony. The place is rich with art deco pattern so for a pattern freak like me it's a delight.

Waiting for the Eye Doctor

2011-05-01T12:33:00.001-05:00

Waiting

Graphite on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

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Every year I have a nevus checked. That's a freckle behind my retina. I gets checked to see if it has changed. This drawing was done while I was waiting and after the dilation drops had been placed in each eye. I can't read so I draw. Here is another patient who is waiting. Waiting is such a bore! But drawing takes makes it go much faster.

Spring Break

2011-03-20T11:04:00.001-05:00

Island Palm
Watercolor on Rag Paper, 9x4"

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My husband and I went to Florida to visit some close friends during spring break. It's seems obligatory to paint pictures that evoke a sense of the place to which one is visiting. This spot seemed to do that. This is in an historic district of a coastal town on the Florida's northern Atlantic shore. It's a delight but unaffordable to most people. My friends live outside of town. There is also the threat of hurricanes during that season. It's a very artistic community with many active artists including my friend. You can see more art from my spring break by following the link to my other blog.

Places

2011-02-27T15:29:00.000-06:00

Stage of the Lyric Opera

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

My Hubby and I have season's tickets to the Lyric Opera of Chicago. It is our entire entertainment budget and we sit in the cheap seats. We are in the lower upper nosebleed section. That's the lower section of the upper balcony. This is the view of the stage as we waited for a recent performance of Lohengrin.

Waiting for a Minivan

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

My trusty minivan had become not so trusty. After some transmission rebuilds and a computer module replaced to the tune of many dollars (boohoo) we decided it was no longer reliable. The thought of breaking down on the road is not a happy one. So we traded it in on a 3-year old Honda Odyssey. This is the view from a cubicle at the dealer while waiting for financing and the final prep of a new-to-us used minivan.

Restaurant

Ball Point Pen on Paper, 8.5x5.5"

Yesterday we met the parental units of our older son's sweetheart on the occasion of her birthday. (This could be important!) I got there before anyone else because I was in the city for my Saturday painting session. I waited for an hour because rest of our party was stuck in traffic. (The city is so congested it makes getting around a nightmare.) This restaurant is in the Lincoln Park neighborhood which is very busy and parking is a real problem. As I waited, I kept myself busy by making this drawing.

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Illinois Biennial Watercolor and Drawing Exhibition

2011-02-03T15:47:00.002-06:00

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These are installation views of the Eighteenth Biennial Exhibition of Illinois Watercolors and Drawings. It's held at the Tarble Arts Center of Eastern Illinois University. It's juried from the actual work right at the arts center. My friends and I usually pool our deliveries to this show since it is a 4 hour drive from my location. I think we delivered 16 pieces of work for the jury. If you have work accepted you can wait for the reception to collect the unaccepted work. This year there was a blizzard which kept a lot of people from attending the reception so a lot of work will be waiting for collection at the the closing.

The watercolor in the middle picture is mine. The title is Ed. It is posted on this blog. Just follow the link for a larger view.

You can see its a massive space. My friend, Sigrid, took these pictures of my piece installed for documentation. Thank you Sigrid!

Spectacle Times Two

2011-01-13T16:20:00.001-06:00

At the Ready

Graphite on Paper, 8x5"

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My husband is a rabid hockey fan. It's all my fault. I bought him a family pack of tickets to the Chicago Wolves for his birthday three years ago. (The Blackhawk tickets are just too expensive.) He took our sons and a close friend to the game. They had such a great time, all of them are now incorrigible hockey fanatics. They worship at the shrine of the Holy Hockey Puck.

My hubby will come home from a game and then watch Hockey on the Fly which includes clips of the game he had just seen. He records games for review later. He goes into mourning when the season is over. Such is the extent of his hockey addiction, he watches old games multiple times during the summer. He counts the days until the season begins again.

Now for the paradox. He's also a committed opera fan. That came about, also, with a gifted ticket. He was given a ticket to see the final opera of Wagner's Ring Cycle: Gotterdammerung. (Translation: God Damn Ring.) He went on his own not knowing anything about the plot or having heard anything of what came before in the preceding three operas. Well, he was swept away. He had to look into the history and summary of the plot and see those other operas in the cycle.

What makes this so extraordinary is that previous to these events, he wouldn't have been caught dead in the same room with anything having to do with opera. He would say that he couldn't stand that "catterwalling". Now we have had season tickets to the Lyric Opera of Chicago for at least the last twelve seasons. We've even attended a complete Ring Cycle. (Four operas in five evenings) Go figure!

Our seats are in the lower upper nose bleed section but we enjoy it none the less. The following drawing was done before and between acts of the Mikado. The place is rich with art deco pattern. It has been recently restored. My hubby was part of the electrical team running the new electrical work and lighting.

View From the Upper Balcony, Lyric Opera Chicago

Graphite on Paper, 8x5"

How Not To Hover

2010-12-08T22:09:00.000-06:00

Seated Man

Conte Crayon on Paper

8x9"

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It's nearly the end of my semester teaching basic drawing. We have four sessions with a model to culminate the term. I do my demos and offer examples and advice and then to keep from hovering too much I draw with my students. I am too antsy to just hang back so I need to be doing something to keep myself in check. There is a fine line between being helpful and just being a pain in the ass.

I am always amazed at how much one can leave out and still have a well perceived drawing. The contour on the arm on the right is nearly completely absent. However the implied edge is quite unmissed.

Discovery

2010-10-23T19:39:00.001-05:00

On the Yellow Throw

Watercolor on Masa Paper

10.5x15"

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This is a watercolor that I just discovered and upon searching my record of images on this blog realized that I had never posted it. I haven't painted the figure on masa for some time. I have been focusing on water mixable oils. I use water mixable oils because of allergic reactions to solvents both from me and my husband. Enjoy!

On My Deck Again

2010-09-19T23:10:00.003-05:00

Deck Chair

Watercolor on Masa Paper

15x10.5"

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Summer is waning but we are having some pleasant weather. The temperature is moderate and the humidity has fallen. This is our best weather of the year and my favorite time of the year. Summer's growth has come to fruition and now Mother Nature puts on what I think is her best show of the seasons: the blaze of fall color. I will be going to Door County in the next few weeks. There is an abundance of sugar maples all over the county and spectacular color to go with it. In the mean time I enjoy making watercolors on my deck.

Otherwise this weekend I attended the Illinois State University Alumni Spectacular. It's the Fortieth Anniversary of the College of Fine Art and celebrate the University Galleries has mounted an alumni show open to anyone who has ever attended the college. As long as the piece submitted was under 16x20" it was hung. Needless to say it was a massive show.

I visited the intaglio print shop to see the haunt of my printmaking professor Ray E. George. He was a marvelous teacher who has influenced more print makers in the mid-west than anyone else I know. If you showed a modicum of interest he would bend over backwards help you achieve what you wanted from your print making. My Master of Fine Art show consisted in part of prints done with his assistance while we wisecracked through the work. He was a joy to work with. I was grateful to see a plaque in his memory just outside the print shop door. All the print makers he taught remember him with great fondness as do I. No one could have been more devoted to his students than Ray.

Container Gardening Again

2010-08-28T18:36:00.002-05:00

Large Container

Watercolor on Masa Paper

15x10.5"

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The summer has only three weeks left astronomically. Mother Nature is putting on a grand finale with the vegetative lushness of a high order. My containers are insanely beautiful. I have nurtured them by feeding them regularly and by watering them twice a day on very hot days and daily on not so hot days. I have created my own subject a la Monet on a tiny scale. This pot is one of the insanely best. The sweet potato vine has ringed the pot, the salvia is in its third blooming (thanks to dead-heading the old blooms) and everything has cascaded down the side to obscure pot. I think my thumb is turning green.

A New Classroom

2010-08-28T18:20:00.001-05:00

Classes began at my college last Monday. This is a new classroom for the art department. This is my classroom every Monday and Wednesday morning. The room accommodates all the drawing and painting classes (on this campus) plus workshops for art organizations and any of the adult continuing education classes. It is a room of beauty and a joy to behold! At around 20% larger than our last room and 300% larger than our original classroom, to me, it is a palace! My furniture moving will hopefully be reduced by half. Yay! I even have a digital projector on the ceiling for showing examples of work for each assignment. No slides. No cumbersome equipment to be brought to the room. This is probably the last time I will see it this pristine, but I still think I'm in heaven.

Oy! Oy! Oy!

2010-08-24T16:44:00.002-05:00

Deck Rail Container

Watercolor on Masa Paper

15x10.5"

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I have been busy schlepping the entire contents of my studio to my future home and my hubby and I are nearly done—only the big paintings remain to be moved. I have left only a watercolor kit a small easel, a small portfolio for storing the watercolors I do here, and some water mixable oils with some archival panels. There is still more to move and we will continue to move stuff while there is no wintry weather to contend with. Then our moving trailer will be stored until spring. Besides all the moving, school has begun and I will be teaching during the week as well as seeing to my elderly mother and whatever else pops onto the horizon.

I hate not being able to devote time to painting. The day isn't right without it. I squeaked this one in on Sunday. It was a beautiful day with very pleasant temperatures and lower humidity. We have been gobsmacked with extraordinarily high dew points. I have never experienced such humid conditions in all the time I have lived in the Chicago area and that's all my life. (Humid summers are normal here but this has been extreme.) Since I am a geeza (that's the feminine form of geezer) that's a loooong time.

I think I can make one or two more paintings this week. It will sure make the week feel right if I do.

There is an alumni show coming up to celebrate the Fortieth Anniversary of the College of Art at Illinois State University and I will have this piece in the show. More on that later.

Container Gardening Again

2010-07-29T22:35:00.000-05:00

Sweet Potato Vine

Watercolor on Masa Paper

15x10.5"

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I love sweet potato vine. Its pale yellow green is such a nice counterpoint to dark green foliage. I love the cascade of its butterfly-like leaves as they tumble out my containers. Its yellow enough to make purple blooms jump with intensity and green enough to make red blooms do likewise. I have found that you can take a cutting and just push it into the soil and it will root if watered enough. This is just such a cutting. I guess I still have enough patience for this subject to continue with a few more.

Posts will be sporadic for the next few days. I am moving more studio stuff.

Persisting

2010-07-28T16:11:00.000-05:00

Deck Rail Container

Watercolor on Masa Paper

15x10.5"

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Here is another watercolor of one of my garden containers. I am still not satisfied with my efforts. I am testing the limits of my patience with these. I may have one or two or more of these left in me so be prepared for the fruits of my current obsession. I am probably going to doggedly do these until I get one I like immediately.

This piece I posted yesterday is starting to grow on me. It seems more acceptable to me now and I don't know why. It seems it happens pretty often. I make a piece I am dissatisfied with and then the next day I'll look at it and it doesn't seem as objectionable. I guess my internal art critic is less aware of the "mind's eye" image I had when actually working on it. Go figure!

Another Container

2010-07-27T23:39:00.002-05:00

Planter Box

Watercolor on Masa Paper

15x10.5"

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I am not sure I like this watercolor. The left side is out sync with the right side. However it's gone too far to make any changes. It's as good as it's going to get so I will just consider this a learning experience and just move on. Maybe I'll crop it. Sometimes the best way to resolve a problem painting is with an Xacto!

August 27, 2010

Actually this piece has grown on me. I swear I am my harshest critic. It seems I am dissatisfied at the moment of completion. I guess it's that at the time I am focusing on this or that little thing that needs work. Then a week later I'll look at the piece and realize that it's not so needy after all. I am now thinking that this is one of my better pieces using these materials.

It has the spontaneity to which I am attracted, the color I love, and a certain compositional completeness.

So I have changed my mind and this piece is really quite OK. Go figure!

Better Weather

2010-07-26T15:04:00.000-05:00

Three Containers

Watercolor on Masa Paper

15x10.5"

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The storms and the very hot, humid weather that created them, passed on Saturday and the weather yesterday was delightful. It was a welcome relief to have the heat and the storms pass. Some places in the area had 7" (17.8cm) of rain. It flooded major highways making travel impossible. Many residential neighborhoods were flooded or had no power or both. We were lucky to have gone through it all unscathed.

It was 82ºF, sunny, and much less humid yesterday and it is again today. Yesterday afternoon after the deck went into shade, I went out and made this painting of these three containers. Then when I was finished my husband and I went out to dinner with our older son and his sweetheart; a very pleasant day!

Hand Built Bowl

2010-07-24T17:06:00.001-05:00

Peaches with Bowl

Watercolor on Masa Paper

10.5x15"

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I bought this hand built bowl a few years ago in Prescott, Arizona at a cooperative gallery right on the town square. I am a believer that artists should be supportive of other artists by buying work. A sale is a practical expression of support as well as a morale booster.

People will tell me "Oh, I love watercolors and going to the art fairs!" Then I ask them if they ever buy any of the work they see. Do they realize that an art fair is not a museum but a venue for artists to make a living? The artist has to pay a hefty fee to be a part of the art fair. And s/he has to schlep, drag, carry, get sunburned, swelter in the heat, freeze if it's cold, deal with storms, theft, damage, etc. S/he needs sales to continue to make art and pay for art fairs.

The public needs to buy the work to keep artists going. So that's what I did with this bowl. I bought it so the artist who made it can continue making beautiful things like this gorgeous bowl.

Container Gardening

2010-07-22T15:28:00.000-05:00

Salvia

Watercolor on Masa Paper

15x10.5"

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This is a closer view of the salvia planted in my container garden from the previous post. I am testing my patience with this. I don't know the name of the plant with the little needle like leaves on the lower right. Supposedly that plant puts out little coral colored blooms but not signs of them yet. There are few more paintings of this group yet to come. It's raining today so the watercolors stay in. I'm not happy about it in spite of the fact that we need the rain.

Salvia

2010-07-21T22:32:00.000-05:00

Container Garden

Watercolor on Masa Paper

15x10.5

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I am not a gardener. I have had vegetable gardens years ago when my children were little. My younger son would have a snack from my cucumbers whenever he got a little peckish. But now I too old and heavy to get on the ground easily to garden. So I garden in containers. I am very proud of my container plantings and I enjoy experimenting with different textures, colors and plant heights. This is one of my containers. I am going to continue with this theme as long as it interests me and to test my skills. I will have to tweak my painting strategies. This is not my usual subject. I am just too impatient. I am patient enough for figure painting but not for greenery.

Storm

2010-07-20T10:41:00.000-05:00

Impending/Passing

Watercolor on Masa Paper

10.5x15"

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One of the pleasures of driving north to my future home is viewing the countryside. This year has been particularly beautiful. With abundant rain we've had comes a lush greenery that has me catching my breath at its beauty. The grasses along the edge of the highway have been spectacular in their variations in color, texture and height.

The storms are in the same category of spectacle as they roll over the landscape. I don't know about you but I love watching storms. I love watching those dark blue/purple clouds as they threaten with lightening and thunder. Being in the middle of them is no fun but watching them as they approach and pass is thrilling.

This was done from memory after a 3 hour drive from Wisconsin to Illinois. I couldn't tell if the storm was approaching, receding, or moving parallel to us. Hence, the title.

Blue Spruce

2010-07-19T19:45:00.000-05:00

Looking South

Watercolor on Masa Paper

15x10.5"

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This is a view of my suburban front yard looking to the south. The blue spruce at the corner of the house has doubled in height since we moved in. I've had to cut the lower branches adjacent to the walk go to the back door in order to keep from getting hit in the face every time I pass by. It is a truly a beautiful tree which will get more attention as the summer passes. One can find art in one's mundane surroundings every day without resorting to piles of gravel or trash on the gallery floor. I have found the work of Doug Braithewaite and he finds art in the everyday beautifully.

Now I know the fans of installation art will take me to task and I have seen some brilliant installation art. However, I have seen much more installation art that is either deadly dull or unintelligent or just incomprehensible. I do not consider myself to be an unsophisticated viewer. I know my art history and theory but some of that stuff just leaves me cold or scratching my head.

Heat Wave

2010-07-17T16:23:00.000-05:00

Dog Days

Watercolor on Masa Paper

5x7"

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This another watercolor painted on the pool deck in Toronto. I don't know if it's officially the dog days of summer but, it was very hot and sure felt like it. Thank goodness for the shade. This couple took advantage of the pool deck for relief from the heat. I caught them on the sly and then they noticed what I was doing and they bought the painting! Thank you couple on the pool deck! I hope the wedding you were in Toronto to attend was as much fun as ours!

North Shore

2010-07-16T10:46:00.001-05:00

North Shore

Watercolor on Masa Paper

8x10.5"

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The wedding we went to was in Toronto and the hotel we stayed at was right on the north shore of Lake Ontario in the heart of the harbor district. I painted this while sitting on the pool deck (in the shade, of course). It was unusually hot in Toronto so the shade was mandatory. This island is one of the Toronto Islands near the lake airport.

Portrait #2

2010-07-15T08:23:00.000-05:00

Portrait

Watercolor on Rag Paper

7x5"

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This the cousin of the little boy of the last portrait. She was very shy and wouldn't speak a word. However by the time we left she was either overtired or she came out of her shell. The best man, the groom's brother managed to get her to over come her shyness with a vengeance! She was running around with all the other kids and playing with my nephew. I was an astonishing transformation.

Portrait

2010-07-13T22:45:00.000-05:00

Portrait

Watercolor on Rag Paper

7x5"

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This was done at the henna painting party. I did 5 portraits but only got pictures of two of them. Two were pencil studies and the rest were watercolor. This is an 8 year old who was very patient. His twin sister, however, was not. She wiggled around like crazy. He was the first to sit and then he decided that his function as brother was to torment his sister and not allow her to sit quietly. I gave the LOOK several times and he gave up. Both kids were really very cute and really pretty cooperative. Sitting for a portrait when you are 8 years old can be quite daunting.

Wedding

2010-07-12T23:56:00.000-05:00

I have just returned home from a wedding in Toronto. Actually it is the second wedding for the same couple. My nephew married a young lady from an Indian family. Since many members from each family could not travel, there were two weddings. The Toronto wedding was a traditional Hindu wedding. That included a henna painting party (mendhi). The painting of the hands and feet are for the bride and the women guests. The woman who did the painting was very quick. She painted this in just over 5 minutes. She painted the hands of at least two dozen women and the little girls. The henna paste is made of henna, eucalyptus oil, and tea water. The final image is a little paler than it appears here as this mixture is rubbed off after it has set for a few hours. It's darker if left over night. The resulting stain will last about two weeks. I did some portraits of some of the children at the party and will post them later in the week.

This was the most fun I have had in some time. There were three days of partying. The mendhi party lasted at least 8 hours. We arrived at 2pm and left at 10pm and the party was still going. There was music and singing and everyone was called up to dance in celebration. The hosts were welcoming and gratious and made us feel right at home. What a great experience!

Amazing! Another Painting

2010-07-01T21:17:00.000-05:00

Backyard Invention

Watercolor on Masa Paper

15x10.5"

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Here is a version of the scene from the last painting. It is partially from observation and partially an invention. Part of my problem is that I wait until later in the afternoon because then I can have some shade on my deck. I am so prone to sunburn that I have dubbed myself the Queen of Sunburn—Her Majesty, the Lobster. So I wimp out and wait for the shade.

The reason it's a problem is that the scene is back lighted. That's a tough situation for transparent watercolor and I think for other painting materials as well. Landscape is not my best subject matter. I always feel I am not up to its challenges. I am much more a figure painter. I can deal with the landscape as incidental to a figurative subject but, I can never edit quite well enough for a what I consider a really well executed landscape. I fuss too much. I even find I fuss too much with the wet masa paper. That's why I used it wet. So I have to exercise more discipline and just keep it simple.

Finally, a Painting!

2010-06-28T22:54:00.000-05:00

Backyard Neighbor

Watercolor on Masa Paper

15x10.5"

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I have finally been able to take some time make a watercolor. Things seem more right with the world! I am not particularly pleased with this effort, but when I am away from painting (watercolor or oil), I have to scrape off the rust and learn how to paint all over again. The point of daily painting is not just the discipline of getting to work every day but it's to maintain skills. It takes several of these watercolors just to be able to hit my stride and maintain the rhythm of doing. Just the act of painting stimulates not just skills, but ideas for new paintings. Churning out one painting after another is best way to work. Or have at least 3—5 paintings going at a time. Life always seems to intervene and break the rhythm. I wish I had a wife!

I have packed all that I can pack in this stage of moving. I have run out of boxes. My husband and I will schlep our boxes up the stairs into a small trailer we bought for our move and haul it to our Wisconsin house. Then we unpack, break the boxes down, and take them home to fill again. (I've already done that twice with artwork.) In the mean time, I plan on another painting or two. Maybe. It's all up in the air. On top of the moving my nephew is getting married and I will be going out of town for that. Life intervenes again!

My Absence

2010-06-16T16:05:00.000-05:00

Before

After

I have been very busy in the last month. I visited friends in Florida and, after a few days home, went right on to my future home in Wisconsin where I supervised, with my husband, the creation of a new studio. My husband has been an electrician for the last 45+ years having worked outdoors with his tool belt on high rises during the worst winters as apprentice, journeyman, foreman, general foreman, and then as a project manager. He has consulted for and done lighting design for large facilities, designed and supervised the execution large capacity back-up generation and uninterrupted power sources for computer floors. He has finished his career with the complex requirements for hospital E.R.s and surgical suites.

Now he is working with the tools again, for me. He has completed all the electrical work for my new studio, his office/radio room including the lighting design and a new electrical panel for same. Together we decided on ceiling tile and flooring while friend, who is a carpenter, did the execution.

Both of our play spaces looked more like garages than actual living spaces. You can see the transformation in the pictures above. Both pictures were taken from roughly the same positions. Now we have to complete our move so we can put our other house up for sale and make the move full time and permanent.

We are moving to a rural area near Green Bay, Wisconsin and will be only a half hour ride to Sturgeon Bay and the Door Peninsula. A beautiful place to live with woods and open fields and no traffic! Not like Chicago traffic at all! The weather is similar and when we are tired of winter we'll pick up and go to the warm by visiting our Florida friends.

So painting has taken second place to moving but I hope to post a few pieces soon.

No Hovering, Continued

2010-05-11T17:14:00.002-05:00

Clothed, Seated Man

Graphite on Paper

8.5x5.5"

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This another drawing of the very silent man with a fresh, but still peculiar haircut. It's a monk's haircut. I am still trying to figure out why this man remains so remote. I know shyness from an artists' model who usually poses nude seems a little paradoxical but it could till be the answer. Even though he reveals himself physically, he can still retreat behind his stoical silence. No psychologist am I but that's my best guess. My husband says it's an E.W.A.G.: Education Wild Ass Guess.

Another Demo

2010-05-09T12:06:00.002-05:00

Demonstration Piece #2
Watercolor on Masa Paper
15x10.5"

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This is another demo piece done in just a few minutes. It has more of the space to the edge of the paper filled though it is in no means a finished piece. If one is practiced enough, a lot of information can be put down in just a few strokes let alone in a few minutes.

A Pleasant Surprise

2010-05-08T22:40:00.004-05:00

Self-Portrait with Goddesses
Watercolor on Rag Paper
29x21"

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I have just received news that this work has just received best in show at the 26th Annual Juried Watercolor Exhibition of the Illinois Watercolor Society.

Demonstration

2010-05-08T22:02:00.003-05:00

Demonstration Piece
Watercolor on Masa Paper
10.5x15"

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This is a demonstration piece done to acquaint my class with water media. I usually start with only one color so the complications of color can be left aside for a while. Then when a familiarity with the materials is established color is introduced gradually. The masa paper is so reasonably priced I can order it for my classes without blowing the budget. I can also tear it down to half, quarter, or eighth sizes so it's really economical. Besides the characteristics of masa paper can offer some very interesting effects. One can play without guilt over over the potential sacrifice of expensive paper. Play is so important when searching out a style or idea in one's work.

They Look Maavelous!, Continued

2010-05-04T08:28:00.001-05:00

Tatijana Jacenkiw
Self-Portrait
Pastel on Paper

They Look Maavelous!, Continued

2010-04-17T21:49:00.001-05:00

Joe Wirth
Self-Portrait
Conte Crayon on Paper
18x12"

Back to Watercolor

2010-04-10T16:08:00.004-05:00

Cecily

Watercolor on Masa Paper
10.5x7.5"

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I haven't made one of these in some time. I have been working mostly in oil. The stripes were the draw. I have said before that I am a sucker for pattern. The little head in the background is a ceramic bust a la the 18th century: the kind your gramma had in the 40s and 50s. I thought it was a nice contrast.

No Hovering, Continued

2010-04-09T21:17:00.002-05:00

Seated Man with Still Life Props
Graphite on Paper
8.5x5.5"

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This is a very lean but muscular man with a very peculiar haircut. I can't help but think of Moe of the Three Stooges. The haircut belies his rather humorless demeanor. He does not speak unless spoken to and then he answers with decided indifference. He will not do anything outside his 3-pose repertoire without being instructed with specificity. He is truly a marionette. I suppose it's a figure artist's dream to have a model so compliant but I sure would like to see some personality.

They Look Maavelous!, Continued

2010-04-09T16:11:00.002-05:00

Christina Wheeler
Charcoal on Paper
24x18"

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This is a very sensitive self-portrait which captures the determination of this young woman. She has been drawing for as long as she can remember. It shows. She has great desire and that is key. A little talent and a lot of desire can go a long way while a lot of talent and no desire goes nowhere.

They Look Maavelous!, Continued

2010-04-06T09:07:00.002-05:00

Larry Cohen
Conte Crayon on Paper
12x9"

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They Look Maavelous!, Continued

2010-04-04T11:05:00.002-05:00

Larry Cohen
Conte Crayon on Paper
12x9"

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Larry Cohen's fourth self-portrait.

They Look Maavelous!, Continued

2010-04-03T16:32:00.001-05:00

Larry Cohen
Conte Crayon on Paper
12x9"

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Larry the over achiever does it again!

Spring/Summer Preview

2010-04-02T10:33:00.005-05:00

Stone Wall, Independence Grove
Watercolor on Masa Paper
10x7.5"

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I found this watercolor done late last spring. Our weather has been warm and very much like late May than late March/early April. So I thought this would be an appropriate post as a reminder of what we can look towards.

I don't know how I misplaced it but, in going through my work and deciding which pieces I need to save, I find all kinds of stuff. The problem of storage for artists is perennial. We keep making art no matter what. It's a compulsion. If it's not sold what do you do with it? I have taken to spring cleaning and getting rid of anything I think is not up to my standards. Right now my house has been taken over by art. It's definitely not a bad thing, but the lack of order is making me feel ill at ease.

I will keep something if it has a meaningful resonance even if it is not the best of executions. What it might lead to is what is important about the piece for me. But I really have to get my act together and find some order. I also need to have a BIG garage sale.

For those who don't know about Masa paper it's an Oriental printmaking paper with two surfaces. One side is smooth and shiny, the other side is fuzzy. I work it wet on the fuzzy side. Hence, the soft edges. The fuzziness of the paper limits the spread of the watercolor so it is not as uncontrollable as on standard rag watercolor paper. As it dries the crispness of the edges increases so one can add detail. It's a situation that puts you where you need to be. One must work from general to specific refining the work as the paper dries.

No Hovering, Continued

2010-04-01T14:46:00.002-05:00

Leanna, Looking Away
Graphite on Paper
8.5x5.5"

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This was done yesterday during class while my students were working on a long pose in a much larger size than this. I am very pleased with this little sketch. It also has elements that are similar in character to my work with dolls. It's the mannequin parts at the lower part of the paper that make the relationship.

They Look Maavelous!, Continued

2010-04-01T08:25:00.003-05:00

Larry Cohen
Conte Crayon on Paper
12x9"

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Larry's second self-portrait.

They Look Maavelous!, Continued

2010-03-31T16:50:00.003-05:00

Larry Cohen
Conte Crayon on Paper
12x9"

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Larry is something of an 'over-achiever'. There will be more self-portraits from him in the next few days. I think, in the long run, production and repetition can be the best teachers. It's a practice and a patience game.

They Look Maavelous!, Continued

2010-03-30T15:10:00.003-05:00

Jennifer Marsh
Graphite on Paper
9x12"

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Here is another student self-portrait. Nicely done.

They Look Maavelous!, Continued

2010-03-28T21:37:00.002-05:00

E. N. Gonzalez
Graphite on Paper
24x18"

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This an ambitious self-portrait as it is a full length image. He is a very careful in his technique and a very close observer of detail. There are a few proportion problems but this is a fine drawing at the beginner level.

Beautiful

2010-03-27T17:15:00.004-05:00

A Willowy Young Woman
Oil on Panel, 20x16"
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This young woman had us all kvelling! That means something like beaming with joy. She was so gorgeous we couldn't get over it. Her hair was stunningly interesting to paint. Every position she took during breaks was paintable. You see, I'm still kvelling.

I don't know if I will be augmenting this painting with other imagery or not. I don't know if I can over-paint any part of her image. She's too beautiful.

They Look Maavelous!, Continued

2010-03-27T16:48:00.002-05:00

Jeremy Foy
Prismacolor on Paper, 24x18"

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This is another self-portrait by one of my beginning life drawing students. It's the concept that works well here. He is acknowledging the mirror and reproducing his own drawing twice. Look very closely and you can see a little joke he has included in one of them.

They Look Maavelous!

2010-03-26T11:58:00.005-05:00

Ramona Dahlen
Graphite on Paper, 9x12"

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The next few posts will consist of my life drawing students' self-portraits. Since teaching has been taking so much of my attention, I have decided to share their work with my blogging audience.

Most of these students are classified as beginners. However you will see that some are much more experienced than others. Ramona has been drawing for one semester. This is quite accomplished considering that fact.

If you are in the Chicago area, I will be teaching watercolor painting in my studio this summer. If you want to join the group, send me an e-mail. A fun time will be had by all!

Mid Tones

2010-03-14T10:48:00.003-05:00

Leanna on Gray
Conte Crayon, White Chalk on Gray Paper
18x12"

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This is a fairly quick drawing done in about 40 minutes. It's part of the 'No Hovering' series. It takes a little more thinking time to work against the middle-tone gray of the paper. There are three tones of conte crayon plus the white chalk so one must consider what tone will take what role in creating the drawing. The fine changes in tone come by hatching or massing lines of one tone over another. The white comes last and is not smudged into the other tones except in rare instances. I like to reserve the white for the brightest highlights. But I might change my mind on that if I do more of these.

I have not done very many of these drawings on gray paper because I use watercolor as my study medium rather than dry drawing materials. But I am becoming intrigued with it and it does keep me out of my students' hair.

Goalie, Again

2010-03-12T11:04:00.003-06:00

Goalie
Graphite on Paper
8.5x5.5"

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This is another drawing done at a Wolves hockey game. Once again, the other guys move too fast, so, I focus on the goalie or the fans. Sometime there's a good show in the audience. People watching is one of my past times. When the game is between periods, I draw the spectators.

No Hovering, Continued

2010-03-11T15:26:00.003-06:00

After Velasquez
Graphite on Paper
5.5x8.5"

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This is a pose very similar to a famous Velasquez located in London. It depicts a similarly reclining figure with a puto holding a small mirror as a stereotypical vanity pose. You know, the equation of vanity with woman. I love it. Women are pressured to be beautiful or hot in today's parlance and then they are ridiculed for worrying about their appearances. It's a no win. If you could only see and hear my raspberries!

No Hovering

2010-03-10T20:09:00.003-06:00

Seated Woman
Graphite on Paper
8.5x5.5"

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This is another prevent-me-from-hovering drawing of the same model. She is a wonderful model. We were all very happy to see her this morning. I have always maintained that a good model is a collaborator in the artwork. It's the je ne c'est quoi.

How Not To Hover

2010-03-09T16:48:00.004-06:00

Seated Figure
Graphite on Paper
8.5x5.5"

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When I am teaching a lot of the time is spent while students are working on drawing projects. I like to move about the room and peek over shoulders to see how they are doing and offer advice. However, there is a fine line between being helpful and just being a pain in the ass. If I am at loose ends it's sometimes hard not to hover. So, at times, I will draw too, just to keep me from being an irritant. This is one of those drawings.

Spectator

2010-03-06T22:09:00.003-06:00

Waiting for the Game to Begin
Graphite on Paper
8.5x5.5"

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This is another hockey game drawing. I try to make sketches of people who are the watchers of the game. This man was just in front of us and he was quite still so he made a good model. Sometimes I'm not so lucky. Mostly people are texting while waiting or in the middle of the game. As if the action in front of them isn't enough of a distraction. Go figure!

Distractions

2010-03-05T23:35:00.004-06:00

Goalie
Graphite on Paper
8.5x5.5"

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I have been so absorbed by my teaching and my elderly mother that I have not been able to make much art and post to this website in the way I would like. Teaching two different courses instead of two sections of the same course is a lot more time consuming than I had expected. I find that it takes a lot more creative energy. I have been doing some small sketches though.

The men in my family have become rabid hockey fans. And it's my fault. I bought a set of four tickets to a Chicago Wolves game for my husband's birthday a couple of years ago and he took our boys and a friend to the game. They had such a great time they have been hooked ever since. They now share season tickets and go whenever the team is in town.

Every once in a while I join them and I must admit it's beginning to grow on me but I don't think I will ever worship at the Shrine of the Holy Hockey Puck with the same devotion as my men. Here is a sketch of the home team goalie from a recent game. The other guys move too fast.

Reclining

2010-02-20T16:04:00.004-06:00

Letithia Reclining
Oil on Panel
16x20"

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This the lovely Letithia. I think I am going to change the background color. The pale blue violet in the left hand corner pleases me more than the orange tones. I will make it a little more saturated and darker but I'll keep it in the blue range because it is complementary to the skin tones of the model. Then it will undergo further alterations and end up on my other blog.

I take great pleasure in painting from a model but these are studies and I do not consider these paintings to be art. I am working on ideas that will layer other imagery over these for content. So, check my other blog to see how they work out.

A note to those who wish to comment:
I love having visitors to my blogs comment on my work. However since I am an English speaker, I will not be able to moderate the comments I cannot read. So please, if you comment, make it in English. I will not publish any comments I cannot read and understand. That's just the way it is.

A Work in Progress

2010-02-07T20:05:00.002-06:00

Reclining
Oil on Panel
16x20"

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This is not quite complete. In fact, this will undergoing a transformation and be re-posted on my other blog when I am done with it. I will be inserting other imagery onto this painting along the lines of the work there.

I have been doing these very foreshortened views lately. They are very challenging and now I will be giving a lesson in how to handle foreshortening in class this week. I am considering another blog that will be devoted to my students work. They need a brag space too. I may be a glutton for punishment. Keeping up with two blogs has been difficult I don't know if I can keep up with three blogs.

Wintering Indoors

2010-01-31T14:58:00.004-06:00

Hibiscus in the House
Graphite on Paper
8.5x5.5"

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It has been pretty cold here but Friday we actually had some sunshine. In winter that usually means it will be colder. We get so few days with sunshine during the winter that any time the sun is out it is just fine with me in spite of the cold. I keep my patio doors with the blinds up all winter. The light is good for me as well as for my hibiscus plants. They are actually growing a bit now that they used to the lower light levels. With the end of January we now have only seven weeks left of winter. That's astronomically. The actuality is another story.

2010-01-23T15:53:00.003-06:00

Amber
Oil on Panel
10x8"

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This profile portrait is of a young woman whose attractiveness is similar to that of the of Sargent's portrait of Madame X. She has a similar nose and very languid blue eyes. It is an elusive look. One second I think I've got her and the next it's gone. It's the nature of portraiture. Sargent used to say, " A portrait is a painting in which something isn't quite right around the mouth."

That "isn't quite right" extends to all painting. It's never quite right. It's only as good as it is going to get. Recognizing that can save one a lot of grief.

Less Sick

2010-01-21T21:05:00.004-06:00

Draft Horse
Watercolor on Rag Paper
7x10"

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I spent a day on a farm with Belgian draft horses. The owner raises these mammoth horses. Their hooves measure around 12" in diameter. He said I could hang out at the farm to paint. He was grooming one of these extraordinary horses in a corral marked off by a single strand of knitting yarn. This very powerful animal willingly allowed himself to be confined by a fine thread.

This painting is of a mare in another corral who moved around a lot. Funny how animals won't sit still for a portrait! I had to paint fast before the next move. I painted her twice in the same painting. I am very pleased by the spatial depth in the background.

Fine Line

2010-01-15T19:29:00.003-06:00

North Branch
Watercolor on Rag Paper
6x4"

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This was in a sculpture park along the north branch of the Chicago River. I was conducting a watercolor class and I painted while my students painted. I did it to keep from hovering. If I don't find something to do while my classes are working I find that I interfere with too much advice. There is a fine line between being helpful and just being a pain in the ass.

Forest Preserve

2010-01-13T15:55:00.002-06:00

Urban Forest
Watercolor on Rag Paper
5x7"

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Although the Chicago area is beset by urban sprawl, there are pockets left untouched. These forest preserves have been left in place to help maintain viable flood plains along the rivers. All are well used in the summer for picnics and cyclers and ball players and walkers on the forest paths. There is always pressure to chip away at the land reserved for forest. But there is hope. There have been significant restoration to retore wetlands to prevent flooding and the results have been spectacular.

Another Botanic View

2010-01-12T21:55:00.002-06:00

Down the Path
Watercolor on Masa Paper
10x7.5"

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This is another image form the Botanic Gardens of the Chicago Horticultural Society. During the summer I like to visit often. I have even conducted painting classes there. This is a path along one of the lagoons in the gardens.

Botanic Garden

2010-01-10T11:14:00.002-06:00

Helping Garden
Watercolor on Masa Paper
10x7.5"

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This a view in the Helping Garden of the Chicago Botanic Gardens. It is designed for those people who have some physical handicap. The beds are raised for those in wheel chairs or the textures are very distinct for the visually impaired, etc. This has all been done to allow gardening to be enjoyed by all.

A trick every watercolorist knows: salt. The leaves of the tree were formed by sprinkling a little salt into the wet wash.

Foreshortened Again

2010-01-09T18:32:00.003-06:00

Letithia Again
Oil on Panel
20x16"

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This one of those difficult foreshortened views of our model. We moved our model stand out into the center of the room because we had a few members asking for a back. It really didn't work out that way. We ended up with this reclining pose. I think this is the most challenging view.

Painting Outdoors

2010-01-08T10:59:00.003-06:00

Painting in the Tailgate Shade
Watercolor on Rag Paper
12x9"

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This is a dear friend of mine. We love to out and paint together. This is a particularly nice spot along County Road A and Grand View Road in Door County Wisconsin. However I was more taken by my friend sitting on her cooler in the shade of my mini-van's tailgate than the view.

Another Interior

2010-01-07T11:18:00.002-06:00

Hungarian Interior
Watercolor on Rag Paper
12x9"

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This was painted in the hall of an 18th century house that was used a music school. It also had a much more sinister past as a police station during the communist era. It still has hints that it was once a very grand house overlooking Lake Balaton in Balatonfured. It has the french doors that open out onto a terrace in a much shrunken grassy yard with mature horse chestnut trees providing lots of shade. But that is all. All the rococo touches that must have once decorated the house have long been stripped away.

You can see the city hall and the red church through the windows.

Caffeine Fix

2010-01-06T20:07:00.003-06:00

Coffee
Graphite on Paper
8.5x5.5"

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I was having some work done in my kitchen and I had to take myself out of the way so I wouldn't become a hindrance to progress. I went to the local restaurant and had breakfast. I was taken by the reflections of the coffee carafe and drew this. I only drink coffee first thing in the morning and I relish that cup of coffee.

Dilated

2010-01-05T12:56:00.003-06:00

Eye Doctor's Waiting Area
Graphite on Paper
85.x5.5"

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I went to the eye doctor for an anuual check of the freckle behind my left retina. I have been doing this for a number of years. Nothing has changed. But, I have to get my eyes dilated so not much art making yesterday. That stuff lasts all day! So anyway, where do they put you after administering the drops? They put you in the brightest room in the office so you can be blinded by the light as comes through a south window. Go figure!

Conference Subject Matter

2010-01-02T20:33:00.003-06:00

Trophy
Ball Point Pen on Paper
5x3"

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I drew this at a humanities conference. I went for the networking and for some intellectual stimulation. I had the usual badge with my name and my title. Since I wasn't teaching at the time I had the title 'Independent Scholar'. As soon as anyone found out what that meant, he didn't want to talk to me anymore. Anyway I was sitting in a lecture that was heavily laced with post-modern jargon and I was getting bored because I couldn't figure out what was being said. (I have never been able to get a straight answer as to what post-modernism actually is.) So I started to sketch the people around me. This young woman was beaming lovingly at her not so young male companion. (He was the post-modern speaker.) I got the impression this was a trophy wife/girlfriend because of the age difference. Hence, the title.

Art While You Wait.

2010-01-02T00:21:00.003-06:00

Interior Scene
Graphite on Paper
6.5x5", $75.00

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I take a sketch book wherever I go. I got into the habit when my children were small. If I had to take them to the doctor or dentist or soccer game or swimming meet I would pas the time waiting by drawing. I would draw whatever presented itself in a given environment. It's the best way to build skills. Chairs are interesting subject matter. They have their own structural complexity that can be challenging and evocative. Here is one of my while-I-am-waiting sketches.

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T14:11:00.003-06:00

Philosopher
Watercolor on Rag Paper
10x7", $125.00

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This is a very fast watercolor (under ten minutes) of a PHD candidate in philosophy. He worked at night in a nursing home while he was doing his research for his dissertation. I thought a portrait of a philosopher would be appropriate at the threshold of the new year. We tend to make resolutions we will not keep so I think a little philosophical reflection might be in order at least for me. I need to make resolutions that are at least within reasonable expectations. I am not listing them. I am not going to share my mishigas.

I am cooking this evening for friends and I will take some pictures of my culinary creations and post them tomorrow. Happy New Year to all.