A Career as an Artist?

Interesting article - I think she makes a lot of sense.

http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/02/06/how-to-build-a-career-as-an-artist/

Painting Saturday at the MAC - Abstract?

Finally made it to Saturday painting again. I'm just getting over the first cold I've had in years, so didn't have a lot of energy to paint, but gave it a shot. The group suggested we try to abstract our still life. It's difficult! I got started and changed things a few times, but was still headed towards a realistic painting. I quit for the day. We don't get much done in our short 2 hour time period. I may try to work on this, and again, try to abstract what I have. I like the color palette I have used so far.

Winter Wonderland....

A wonderland, only if I can stay inside!

Ice Day! Let's Paint!

I stayed home today. We had about 1/4" to 1/2" of freezing rain this morning, and we are expecting more this evening. My driveway is on a slight hill and I am not sure I could get back into the garage if I left, so I took a vacation day. Got my laundry caught up, watched alot of my DVR recordings and finally got into the studio!!

I decided to try painting with the new DPW Challenge Group. Since it is a very dreary day, I had a hard time taking a good photograph. 




"Imperial"  5 x 7, oil on mat board coated with mat medium

Painting Saturday at the MAC - Whiteware

The still life today had a set of white porcelain ware. How difficult! But I think it ended up pretty good.

"Whiteware", 8 x 10, oil on Yes! canvas panel

Back in the Saddle again....

Finally back to painting again. Yes, I had plenty of time to paint on my own, but just couldn't get motivated. The group met today for the first time in weeks. We painted a still life again. 

I bought myself an i-Pod touch recently and wanted to play around with the camera on it. The top photo shows the still life setup and my painting. I used an app on the i-Pod that simulates a HDR camera. It took two shots (one light and one dark) and merged the two to make the photo. You have to keep the camera still as it is taking the shots (which I find hard to do) and the people in the background moved - so there is a bit of blurriness. But compared to a standard shot I took, I think the app does improve the vibrancy of the photo.

The second photo is a bit farther in my painting process. This was taken with just a standard shot.

This isn't one of my best paintings, and I am bored with it, so won't be doing anything more with it. But it was a good exercise to get me painting again!

Saturday Painting - Clementines in Jar

Finally back to painting with the group on Saturday morning. It's been so long since I got the oil paints out, I wasn't sure if I could even paint anymore!

I put a couple clementines into a glass jar and put another beside it. I wanted to try my hand at painting through glass. In the photo of three below, the first image is the photo of my setup, the middle is what I painted while with the group, and the right is my final painting finished at home after trying to tweak things. I am fairly happy with this, even though I can see lots of things that need corrected when placed beside the photo. I did have trouble getting the ellipses of the jar correct.

"Clementines in Jar", 8 x 10, oil on canvas panel

MAC Birthday Party

Today, my group demo'd at the MAC birthday party from 2-5pm. They had birthday cake to celebrate the McConnell Arts Center being open one year. They had live music, potter demos, painting demos, and tonight there was a performance in the auditorium.

My group painted live models in two different galleries. I had a tough time again. I was a little too far away to be able to see the facial features well enough to get a good likeness. As usual, my portraits never look like the person....

These are pastel. The first one is on on Pastel Mat and the second one on suede mat board.

Painting Saturday - Male Model

We had a guy come in to sit as a model for my Saturday painting group. Since we only had 2 hours, I just used black, grey and white pastels on cream colored LeCarte pastel paper, instead of trying to use paint.

There sure isn't much resemblance between my sketch and the model though..... it's much easier seeing what is wrong after you take the photos and place them side by side...look at that huge head!! But its all about practice.

Demise of a Giant

I posted about one of my favorite trees, in a nearby park, back in March of this year. Recently, I found that it was finally cut down. I visited today at lunch and took some pics. Such a beautiful tree, but obviously, it had some rot inside.

 

Ohio Plein Air Exhibit

Come see the exhibit of my Saturday painting group's artwork. We paint each Saturday morning (year round). This is an exhibit of some of our favorite work. The exhibit will hang from November 14 thru January 13, 2011.

Painting Saturday - Small Pastels

Today we setup some stuff on the table in the middle to paint still lives.

I painted a couple small 5x7 pastels on suede mat board.

"Gala"  5x7  pastel on suede mat board

"Onion and Candle"  5x7  pastel on suede mat board

Painting Saturday at the MAC

Today was the first inside painting session for the season at the MAC. We are done painting outside for the year. Undoubtedly, there will be a few hardy souls who will paint outside all winter. But I need to start using my own studio to paint and will go to the MAC Saturday painting sessions occasionally.

I decided to just play around with pastels today. It seems like its been a long time since I used my pastels. I used a scrap of Pastelmat. I like this surface a lot and hope to do much more with it.

Here are my two sketches from today. Both used the same reference photo. The first shows the whole scene, and the second a closely cropped version. I like the second sketch quite a bit.

Sister Visit

No painting for me this weekend. My sister from Colorado flew in for two nights to visit me and see the new condo. I took her on a tour of the gallery where my winning painting was hanging, we had a nice little brunch at the french restaurant nearby, then a driving/walking tour of a couple of my favorite nature spots.

Saturday Painting - Inniswood Metro Park

Saturday we painted again at Inniswood Metro Park. I painted two small 6x8 inch oil sketches, in a hurry.  Then I took a walk around the park.

I had intentions on painting the lovely sun-lit scene below:

 But then this happened:

So that is how I decided to paint it! A whimsical painting, just for fun.

I think the first photo is a lovely view, so I may try painting that again, larger, without the VW!

Then I setup looking to the west. I have been intrigued by the light colored Japanese pines in the distance, each time I visit, so I did a quick sketch.

Here are more views of the park which show some fall color:

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st Place Award for 'Fall at Scioto Park'

I won 1st Place at the Worthington Area Art League Fall show at High Road Gallery. The award ceremony was this afternoon. I was presented with a blue ribbon and a nice check. The painting is "Fall at Scioto Park" which was painted at the end of August at Scioto Park, Dublin Ohio with my Saturday painting group. I had posted the painting in my blog at that time, but I will attach it here again. I am so pleased!!