Deb Strong Napple

Open Studio and Art Exhibit

2010-08-11T11:49:00.000-04:00

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Plein air, with limited palette

2010-06-04T14:01:00.000-04:00

Resurrection Church Tower, oil on canvas on board, 9" x 12"

It seems like everywhere I turn the past few weeks I have seen articles about the benefits of painting with a limited palette. As an exercise, it can have great benefits in helping a painter learn to see values and tones, and to focus on temperature changes more accurately. Anyone who has seen my paintings knows that I don't just love color, I need it. Lots of intense, full-power color. This limited palette thing is a strange language for me.

So this morning I set out to find a composition in my home town. I settled down in the side yard of my church, Resurrection Community Church here in Glenside, PA. I squeezed out permanent white, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, and alizarine crimson. It was a struggle, as I kept looking for the lemon yellow and cadmium red. How else can I capture the intense, bright summer sun hitting that church tower? But I did enjoy the challenge, and will return to this exercise, even though the result is a less Deb-like painting.

Ink Wash Drawings

2010-05-28T09:43:00.027-04:00

Flower Study, pen and ink with washes and gouache touches, 16" x 12"

Flower Study, ink washes with pen, 16" x 12"

Flower Study, pen and ink with washes, 40" x 30"

More drawing exercises. Flowers are great forms to study drawing with; the shapes are complex and organic, and the arrangement moves in a gestural way, as if it were alive. In my first study of the day I drew with a dip pen, then went in with some washes. In the second study I reversed the order, and started with washes which I then accented with lines. In the third, I began with very light lines to place the composition on the page, then washes, then went back with the lines. I also worked larger on this last one, which gave me a greater freedom to move my brush and pens across the drawing. My goal with these studies is to keep the drawings alive and gestural, and to become bolder in my mark making.

Drawing--Monotypes

2010-05-25T12:00:00.031-04:00

Susan with Flowers, monotype, 16" x 20"

Susan with Feathers, monotype, 20" x 16"

My drawing needs improvement.
That seems to be a common cry among all artists, and one that I hear in my head lately. So I will spend the next few months working primarily on drawing, but I won't abandon painting and printmaking.
One of my teachers, Murray Dessner, gave me a list of five qualities to work on in my drawings. They are:

Size. Control the accuracy and scale of the drawings so that I can fit as many, or as few, items on the page as I want to.
Composition. Make the composition interesting; something that the eye travels and wanders through. I have to control the way the viewer looks at this piece.
Lines and marks. Definitely a weakness for me, my mark-making needs to become more varied and interesting.
Tonal range. Not every piece uses every scale in the tonal value range (from light to dark), but a good practice is to find every subtle nuance between light, middle, and dark.
Life. This was the one Murray had the hardest time describing. Each work of art needs to have an energy, momentum, and excitement that is unique to the artist and brings the work to life.

With these things in mind, I am setting out on my summer of drawing. I started today with bringing a model into the studio and making monotypes. These are made by rolling an even film of ink (or in this case oil paint) onto a plate (in this case plexiglass), and then drawing by wiping out the lights with brushes, cloth, pieces of paper, sponges, or anything else that will leave a mark. I then go back and brush more ink into some areas. Above are two monotypes from today.

2010 Annual Student Exhibition at PAFA

2010-05-16T09:31:00.000-04:00

Deb's wall at the 2010 ASE
Photo by Suzanne Fitzpatrick

Friday, May 14 was the public opening for the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art's 2010 Annual Student Exhibition. This was my first year as an exhibitor in this show, which is open to 3rd and 4th year certificate/BFA students, as well as graduation MFA students. The student body put together a strong show with great variety in the works.
The ASE is open until June 6. Please drop by to visit before it closes.

More Colograph and Viscosity

2010-04-12T19:54:00.002-04:00

Still Life, colograph with viscosity inking, 12" x 12"
As promised, here is more from that colograph plate. After many color experiments, I settled on an intaglio wipe with pthalo green, then rolling on yellow and red in varying viscosities. Printed in an edition of 11.

Colograph with Viscosity

2010-02-14T14:55:00.000-05:00

Untitled, colograph w/viscosity printing, 12" x 12"
I have begun a new series of intaglio prints that explore the technique of viscosity printing. This is a way of printing an intaglio plate with multiple colors in one pass through the press. My research has shown me that it is more complex than I imagined. The process begins with a plate that is etched to multiple depths. Then printing is done with inks that have been modified with various amounts of oil, and rolled onto the surface of the plate. Based on the principle that oilier inks will resist stiffer inks, the colors will repel one another or merge on the plate to form new colors.

This colograph is an experimental plate that I made to begin exploring viscosity printing. You will see more from it in the near future.

Monotype

2010-02-10T10:58:00.001-05:00

Field, monotype, 11.5" x 23.5"
Very late in the fall, before all this snow hit, I went to check out a local park that I had never visited. It was beautiful, with lots of trails that passed from wooded areas to wide, open fields. I photographed this field as the sun bounced around on the grasses, and then made some sketches from the photos.

Back in the print shop I started this print with a rainbow roll—a wide roller inked up with colors that blend from one into another. In this case, a blue-violet blended into an ochrey-orange. After that dried I painted the landscape features onto the clean plate and printed that over the first impression.

Monotype Studies

2010-02-08T13:14:00.000-05:00

Grid, monotype, 16" x 28"
Monotype is an exciting form of printmaking that straddles the line between painting and printmaking. It is printmaking because we build the image on a support (in this case, plexiglass), and then transfer it to a sheet of paper. It is like painting because each image us unique (mono), and the images are built more directly than other printmaking processes. But the exciting part happens after the image is built on the plate—when it is run through the press surprises always happen. A smoosh here, a hickup there, more ink where I didn't expect it...all of these things make pulling the print from the press almost like opening a Christmas present.

This print is loosely based on a study that I made this summer of a wheat field in the sun. Rather than physically describe the field, here I wanted to share what it felt like to stand before that field.

Reduction Woodcut

2010-02-01T10:53:00.000-05:00

Sunset on the Rocks, reduction woodcut, 20" x 30.75"
Perhaps my favorite method of relief printing is the reduction block. Some people call it the suicide block, and that might tell you what I love about it.

The reduction block is a way of printing an endless number of colors from one block. The advantages are that the image develops slowly, one color at a time, as the artist works the board. And registration is simpler: since only one board is used there are fewer variables in the layering of the colors. But the disadvantage is what gives the medium its nickname: once the printing gets started, any errors in cutting are very difficult to undo. That mean that I tend to follow the print as it develops, rather than to push it in a predetermined direction.

To begin a reduction print I start with a fresh board and ink it, uncut, with the first color that I plan to use. Then I pull a quantity large enough to allow for the edition I plan to print (plus the errors that are sure to come). Next I clean the board, cut away the areas of the board where I want the first color to show, and print all the sheets in the following color. The print develops as I cut and print, cut and print, changing the color each time.
My favorite way of printing the reduction block is with transparent inks. It is almost like glazing a painting, with the underlying colors mingling with the colors that will follow.

Here is one reduction block whose composition is based on a plein-air sketch that I made in Cypress. (The original study is here).

Plein Air, back in the 'Burbs

2009-09-19T13:37:00.000-04:00

Morning, Curtis Arboretum, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

Now that I am back home from the Carlson Landscape Residency, I have to work a little bit harder to find a piece of the landscape that is open enough for the natural elements to catch and reflect the sunlight bouncing around. My home is in a suburb, and although we are far enough away from the city to have lots of trees and grass, it is well broken up by trees and pavement. Fortunately, I live near the Curtis Arboretum in Jenkintown, PA. This is an expansive, open piece of land with a pond, lots of trees, a small garden, and lots grass. Perfect, right?

So I packed up one morning to find the early morning light, the warm pinky-gold kind that comes not too long after sunrise. Well, it hadn't occurred to me that the Arboretum is in an area that is sort of shaped like a bowl, with most of the land inside the bowl. And the rim (and most of the sides) is lined with tall trees. Naturally, that early light takes a while to make it down to the grass. By then the sun is quite high in the sky, and the colors have faded somewhat.

So my early morning light painting became an early shadows painting. This is the exciting part of plein air work: every time I go out to paint with a predetermined idea of what I will make, I come back with a different painting. This time the surprise made me very happy.

My First Gallery Show!

2009-09-05T17:06:00.012-04:00

Friday night was the reception for my first gallery show.

In a previous post I talked about my upcoming show at the Red Raven Gallery in Lancaster, PA, and the big day was yesterday. For a small city, Lancaster really knows how to do a First Friday. They had a band playing in the square, lots of galleries open to show new art, and tons of people walking around having a good time.

Being at my first opening was a mixed bag. Of course, it was thrilling to walk into a gallery and see a wall of my paintings hanging there. It was exciting to see people filing past and stop to comment on pieces that they like and compliment me on what they found interesting in my work. And I had a chance to meet some other artists who were a lot of fun to spend time with. Two in particular are Regina Martin and Roberta Little.

But there was a harder side. For one, it meant 3-1/2 hours of standing near my art in the gallery with a smile, waiting for someone to ask me a question or respond when I greeted them. And there was the man asked me if I was one of the artists, then pointed to another wall and said "I like that stuff." And, of course, I heard some unkind comments (they came later, after the wine had been flowing a bit.)

So now I know why more experienced artists have told me that they often don't attend these openings.
They are hard.

New Studio, New Work

2009-09-05T07:59:00.004-04:00

Top: Seated Self Portrait, oil on canvas, 16 x 20, 2007
Above: Self Portrait, oil on canvas, 16 x 20, 2009

Finally! I am pretty much settled into my new studio. Honestly, that took about twice as long as I expected. Vinny helped me drag all the heavy stuff–flat files, drafting table, easel, boxes of books, etc–but I found the most time consuming part to be figuring out just how to organize and arrange the space so that I could comfortably work here. Took some rejiggering, but I think I have arrived at a good solution.

Since this was the first time I worked inside since my landscape residency this summer, I was very concerned about losing what I learned in the field and falling back on old studio habits. The discoveries that I didn't want to lose are:

A new way of seeing the subject. Rather than trying to accurately copy each object in my sight, I am looking to use what is in front of me to make an exciting composition. So rather than concentrating on the "thingness" of an object, I am interested in its shape and its relationship to everything around it.
A new way of starting the painting. Instead of drawing outlines and boundaries of objects, in the landscape I would start with large tonal masses, staying away from the edges. When I began this loosely, I was able to make a cohesive picture instead of painting a bunch of different objects.
A new way of applying the paint. My palette knives helped me to keep this looseness going. With knife or trowel, it is much more difficult to over-blend colors on the canvas. This is good. The knife also keeps me from going into too much detail and forgetting the "big picture."
A new way of seeing light and color. Outside I began to see the color of light instead of local colors. When the morning sun falls on a tree or a field of grass, the colors in the light pretty much overtake the color of the tree or grass. I am much more interested in the way the colors of the light play with the landscape.

So when coming back into the studio, my fear was of forgetting these things because I was in my old setting, and falling back on practices that I was accustomed to using in that setting. My solution was to set up a self portrait, and paint it as if it was a landscape. I focused on my body being a part of the "landscape" of the studio, and used the window as a backdrop to remind me of the sky that I was referring to when I was outside.

The solution is a self portrait that is radically different than any I have painted before. To demonstrate what I am talking about I am showing an older self portrait compared with the new one.

Student Studio Move-In

2009-09-04T06:29:00.005-04:00

One of my studio gangmates taking advantage
of the view from inside our studios.
The view looking into my studio.
A wall of works in progress in my studio.

The school that I chose to attend believes in teaching its students to be self motivated, practicing artists. Part of our training towards this goal is the use of private studios.

There is a huge shift in the teaching between the second and third years of schooling at PAFA. In the first two years as students, we attend 10–yes, you read right, 10–classes per week. Our time is spent learning the technical skills that will enable us to draw, paint, print and sculpt. (Of course, two years is only enough to begin to understand how little we understand. )

Then, when we make it to our third year, we are assigned private studios. The class load drops dramatically (as few as 2 classes per semester) and we are expected to spend our time in our studios, practicing what we have been taught and finding out what kind of art we will make. As I learned this summer alone painting the landscape, only those hours of private exploration will teach an artist what she has to say. So we take private studios.

My studio this year is in what is called a "gang" studio. Ten of us share this space, with each having a private part of it. The studios are lined up shotgun style, with locking doors at each end and a row of windows running the length. That means that we have natural light available (east facing in our case), and privacy when we want it. The space feels airy and open, and my gang-mates are all serious artists who make it a great place to work.

Latest, Greatest Plein Air Tool

2009-08-30T20:54:00.004-04:00

Spam and I with my newest painting tool

A plein air painter faces many challenges: changing light and weather, carrying around those wet paintings, wind blowing the easel over, etc. But this summer my time on the Carlson Landscape Residency showed me that the greatest challenge is finding a fascinating location to paint, and spending enough time there to get to know the place. Familiarity with an area's features and light makes it possible to attempt works that express what it feels like to experience being there. With the residency I had a temporary home that allowed me to freely study Lancaster County, PA.

But what about the rest of the time? Traveling and finding new locations is great, but that often means passing through with just a couple of hours to knock off a study before running along someplace new.

So I bought a camper van. This is small enough for me to set up wherever I find a great painting location, and has everything I need for my dog Spam and I to spend a few days getting to know the area. Here is why I love it:

It is easy to navigate. It is a little bit longer than the average car, but not much wider at all. That means I can pretty much set up wherever I find inspiration! For example, I recently drove by a wildlife refuge with some amazing eastern exposure in some beautiful marsh grasses. There was a parking lot nearby. I can park the van there, and have just a short walk to drag my painting materials to my location.
It has a kitchen. When I finish one study, I won't have to go search out lunch before getting to the afternoon study. I expect to be much more productive this way.
It has a bathroom. My favorite painting subject is nature. Being a woman artist, I have a harder time responding when she calls. Now, instead of leaving my painting and searching out relief, I can pop into the van and get right back to my painting.
It has a generator and utilities. Let's face it, I am NOT into roughing it. Music, air conditioning, refrigerator, toilet, even shower...oh, yes. It will be very nice to get clean and relax after my work is done.
There is enough room for Spam. My Australian Cattle Dog is a very good bodyguard! If I can bring her on these trips, I will feel safe enough to concentrate on my painting.

Now Vinny is getting me set up (inspections, stereo installation, etc), but it hopefully won't be long before you see a post from a long weekend painting somewhere. I already have several locations in mind, and I can't wait to share them here.

Blog Make-Over

2009-08-20T14:35:00.001-04:00

Now that the two month Carlson Residency is finished, it is great to be back in my studio and back to my blog. Anyone who visited recently knows that I have been focusing on my plein air painting, and posting those pieces to www.pleinairpa.blogspot.com. Now it is time to get back in the studio, and back to my main blog.

To my family, friends, and classmates, thanks for visiting here and encouraging me. I hope you will be as excited as I am about the change of direction here as I return to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for the last two years of my education there. I will be working more independently at school; approaching my work more as an emerging artist and less as an art student.

What does that mean for my blog? That I will still be able to post images and stories that the people who love me will be interested in (or at least fake it for me!) But I will be focusing more on my art rather than class assignments. I will be speaking to those of you who already own my works, and those who might want to begin collecting it. So far those collectors have been neighbors, or neighbors of the places referenced in my works.

So welcome to the rebirth of my blog.

Upcoming Shows in Lancaster County

2009-07-18T12:56:00.008-04:00

This summer working in Lancaster has been a tremendous opportunity for me. My painting has improved in ways that I never would have imagined, because I am learning to organize and edit information in order to make better pictures. Surely, time alone at the easel and miles on the brush is the only way this could happen.
But, there is even more good news. Yep, this cake has icing! I have two shows coming up; both are the result of meeting people through this residency.
For the month of September, I will be featured as the Emerging Artist at the Red Raven Art Company in Lancaster, PA. The reception will be First Friday, on September 4 from 5:00 pm to 8:oo pm.
Check back for more information about Bookplace, where in March I will be part of a 3 person show of farm paintings from the Oxford PA area.

Carlson Landscape Residency

2009-05-11T20:54:00.003-04:00

Got some excellent news...I am this year's winner of the Carlson Landscape Residency. This prize gives me 2 months' housing in the guest quarters of a generous couple in Lancaster County, PA. The residency is funded by the Carlson Cultural Trust, an organization founded by Louis X. Carlson before his death.

This means that my full time job will be to paint and draw the Lancaster County landscape. No class assignments, no errand running, no dinner cooking (my wonderful hosts will even feed me!) Nothing but uninterrupted research.

Check out my Plein air PA blog to see the work that I make.

The Pink Dogwood

2009-05-09T18:15:00.001-04:00

The Pink Dogwood, oil on panel, 12" x 16"

Finally, a warm, sunny day to paint outside. It feels as if we have had rain every day for weeks here in the Philly area. So this morning when we had a chance of a dry day I grabbed my paint box and painted this tree. It is just around the corner from my home, and I have been watching it starting to bloom on my daily runs. After a semester of working indoors, it felt great to be outdoors working again.

Still Life

2009-04-25T18:07:00.001-04:00

Still Life with Lillies, acrylic on panel, 48" x 48"

My painting classes this semester included a still life course with Michael Gallagher, a painter with a varied body of work. Michael's crits often went beyond technical issues of how to copy what we saw, and pushed into more conceptual topics of how to bring excitement and "mystery" into our paintings. Here is one of the pieces that I completed this semester with him.

Lithography with Ron Wyffels

2009-03-20T07:01:00.000-04:00

Still Life Landscape, lithograph, 8" x 10"

Wax Lips, lithograph, 8" x 12"

My printmaking classes this semester included another term with Ron Wyffels teaching Lithography. Ron is a master printer with technical expertise in stone and plate lithography, and his enthusiasm and passion for the medium is contagious. I have learned to love the process of drawing on the stones; the crayons move across the stone without any resistance, and the touche washes give beautiful textures. Here are two crayon-on-stone lithographs that I drew from a still life setup that I built in my studio.

Reading Terminal in Woodmere Museum Show

2009-03-15T14:26:00.001-04:00

I received some great news about the mixed media piece "Reading Terminal"–it was juried into the Woodmere Art Museum's 69th Annual Juried Exhibition Contemporary Voices. Sam Gilliam juried this show, and he really put together a varied, exciting exhibit of art. The range of styles and mediums makes for a great show, and I would encourage anyone in the Philadelphia area to visit. BTW, the museum is also showing a great display of woodcuts.

Reading Terminal Market

2009-01-15T09:22:00.004-05:00

Reading Terminal, charcoal and acrylic over screenprint, 30" x 40"

This was my final project for Jan Baltzell's drawing class. She took our class to the terminal for 3 drawing sessions. I used these sessions to sketch and "take notes" in a small sketch book. Then I returned to my studio, and spent a lot of time thinking about how to organize all of this information into one drawing. The Terminal is a chaotic, busy, collage of a place; filled with an assortment of shops, stalls and lunch counters. I chose to start this drawing by collaging screenprints together to capture the feeling of this space. Then I drew into and over this collage with charcoal and acrylic.

The Patio Door

2008-12-17T17:50:00.002-05:00

The Patio Door, acrylic on canvas, 40" x 17"

This was painted during my Figure Composition course with Douglas Martinson. He helped me a great deal by considering when is a painting finished, and how to bring a piece to the correction level of completion. This was the first time a teacher had addressed these things in relation to a specific work of mine, and it was invaluable. For the final project for his class I painted myself on my patio, looking into my family room. The patio door shows my reflection with the landscape behind me. Inside the family room this picture also shows a potted plant, a lamp, and a mirror that reflects another self portrait.

Drawing, Reclining Couple

2008-12-15T09:18:00.000-05:00

Reclining Couple, pastel over monotype, 14.5" x 18"

My drawings this semester have moved to a new place. I have begun mixing drawing with other mediums, in this case montyping. Here I drew a couple who posed for a class over a two color monotype that was made using stencils, scraping and dragging of ink. After it dried I added the drawing on top.

Lisa

2008-12-12T09:10:00.000-05:00

Lisa, pastel, 30" x 40"

Scott Noel, in his second year figure drawing class, has a way of pulling the very best out of his students. He demands that we don't just look and react to what we see, but that we THINK about how we plan to design the image on the page. By pushing us to organize lights and darks, shapes, and forms, he really helped me to develop a better picture on the page. Here is a portrait of Lisa, an especially beautiful model who posed for us.

Monotype

2008-12-11T10:10:00.000-05:00

Spires, oil monotype

The windows of the print shop at PAFA present some great view of the city, and sometimes we use them as subject matter for out prints. City Hall, the Masonic Temple and a beautiful stone church are some of the options. Here I made a monotype from spires of the church and the temple, which seem to merge together. This print found a home at PAFA'a annual print sale, last weekend.

Pennsylvania Farm

2008-12-10T10:05:00.002-05:00

Pennsylvania Farm, oil, 8" x 6"

During the summer Vinny and I took several long weekends trip with our travel trailer and our dog. One of them was to a state park in a farming part of Pennsylvania. One day we drove out of the park to see the open spaces, and we pulled over so that I could paint this farm.

Navy Yard painting

2008-12-09T06:51:00.001-05:00

Jersey, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

Over the summer I took a trip to check out the Navy Yard in South Philly. I saw very little Navy, and a lot of commerce on the base. At the very back of the base I set up my paint box next to the river, looking over to New Jersey at what seems to be oil storage tanks. Loved the way the summer light played on the white tanks.

Valley Green, summer sketch

2008-12-09T06:43:00.002-05:00

Valley Green, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

One of the reasons that my posting over the summer was so weak was that I spent as much time as possible outdoors painting. I love the summer landscape...the colors and the light are constantly changing, and every time that the sun moves there is a new painting in front of me. The challenge is just too much to resist.

One of my paint out trips was with Lora, a classmate of mine from PAFA. We went to the Valley Green, a part of Fairmont Park in Philadelphia. The local architecture is full of stone homes, churches and bridges, and this one looks like it is part of the landscape itself.

Hoop Skirt

2008-12-08T06:21:00.004-05:00

Hoop, oil on canvas, 30" x 40"

Last spring classes at PAFA ended when I was about 3/4 of the way finished with this still life painting. Jan Baltzell, my teacher, was very encouraging about finishing it anyway, and I was so excited about the energy of the composition that I really wanted to see this one through. Since I had six weeks without any classes over the summer I had the chance to finish this in my studio at home.

Hillside Cemetery, Glenside PA

2008-12-07T08:51:00.004-05:00

Hillside Cemetery, oil on board, 30" x 40"
Yes, I know, I have sadly neglected this blog. With my head hanging in shame I am here to redeem myself.

This semester at school has been a whirlwind...many hours spent in the print shop, at the drawing board and at the easel. So, to bring everyone up to date, I will begin a series of posts that show some of the work I have made in the past few months.

In the town of Glenside, PA, there is a beautiful cemetery. To some people it might seen kind of creepy that I enjoy spending time in cemeteries painting, but I really do enjoy the scenery and the spirituality that I find there. These places always have a quiet peacefulness to them, and the tributes on the markers are often filled with outpourings of love that we don't often hear. While painting in a cemetery I am reminded that our time hear is short, but our impact can be long lasting.

Anyway, in Hillside Cemetery I found a statue of a World War One-era soldier. He is atop a tall platform, facing into the sunrise as if he is walking into eternity. Some research showed that this sculpture was funded by the German-American Veterans and made in about 1918. It is made from bronze reclaimed from melted down ammunition. I love that something so beautiful can come from a material that, if used differently, could have been so destructive.

Still Life in White

2008-05-22T15:04:00.004-04:00

Still Life with White arrangement, oil on panel, 36" x 36"

In a previous post I spoke about the challenge of painting white objects, and finding all of the colors that come together to make a white form. This is an area that I need to, and want to, work more on. So I set up this still life that includes some almost-gone white tulips, 2 white platonic solids forms, and a piggy bank that I have from when I was very little. Funny how some of the things that are the hardest for me become some of my favorite things to explore–this white series will continue for a big longer.

White studies, part one

2008-05-12T21:15:00.000-04:00

Kitchenaid with brass cup, oil on panel, 18" x 24"

I am still working on a still life that I started at PAFA before the semester ended. It has brought to my attention that I have lots of trouble finding all the colors in a white object. So, to challenge myself, I am beginning a series of studies of white objects. Here is the first; a corner in my kitchen.

Color Theory

2008-05-06T09:03:00.004-04:00

Nude Model Back with Drape, oil on canvas, 24" x 24"

This semester's classes also included Basic Color Theory with Jill Rupinski. This class included lots of color mixing exercises, learning about different palettes, and using the figure as our subject while learning how to use these colors. Here is a pose using a limited earth palette. This painting was made in the middle of the semester. Since then I have spent more time in John Horn's anatomy class, and in just the few weeks since I painted this I see things that he has taught me that would have made this a better painting.

Homework

2008-05-02T21:11:00.004-04:00

The Tenth Floor, oil on canvas, 36" x 48"

For Carolyn Pyfrom's figure painting class, our outside assignment was to paint a figure in a specific place, and integrate the atmosphere of the space with the figure. In other words, to paint a picture instead of just a figure study. I posed Susan, a favorite model, in a corridor at school.

Pointilism

2008-05-01T09:17:00.002-04:00

Pointilism, acrylic on canvas board, 14" x 18"

Jill Rupinski ended our color theory class with an exercise that was frustrating at the beginning, but became fun as it came together. We challenged us to build color using a very limited palette, and applying the paint in small dots to blend optically on the canvas in a style called pointilism. This is not a style of painting that I have especially admired in the past, so I went into the exercise somewhat skeptical. But as the image started coming together in the painting, I started to flow with it. Still think that I will put this technique aside for now.

Life Drawing, pastels

2008-04-28T08:55:00.001-04:00

Amy in Shadows, pastel, 18" x 24"

The last pose of our life drawing class with Doug Martenson was a color exercise using pastels on toned paper. Doug instructed us to mix just 3 or 4 colors to represent flesh on the model. Here Amy is posed seated, backlit.

Cast Hall Drawing #2

2008-04-25T10:42:00.004-04:00

Cast Composition, charcoal and chalk on paper, 19" x 25"

One of the challenges of drawing in PAFA's cast hall is a need to look beyond just copying the individual cast in front of me, and move into creating a composition using them. These two casts, seen from just the right angle, echo one another in a fascinating way.

More Still Life work

2008-04-22T10:40:00.001-04:00

Still Life with Bust, oil on canvas, 22" x 30"

Another almost-forgotten project from the middle of the semester. How exciting to create so much work during the term that I have this pile of paintings to rediscover. Like meeting up with a friend who I haven't seen in a very long time.

Suzie, long pose

2008-04-21T08:38:00.000-04:00

Suzie, oil on canvas, 30" x 40"

My figure painting class with Carolyn Pyfrom (here is a link to some of her work at a Philly gallery) ended with a seven week pose. Carolyn really challenged us for this one by posing the model in a simple standing pose with no props in the middle of an evenly lit room with no strong lights and shadows on the model. The challenge for me was making the space around the figure integrate with the figure on the canvas. Seven weeks sounded like plenty of time to work on this, but as the time went on I found that I was constantly re-working each part of the painting. Correcting drawing problems, unifying shadow areas, and adjusting color meant that each week was more fine-tuning. At the end of the pose I was hoping for one more session, as things just seemed to be coming together for me.

Still Life Compositions

2008-04-19T10:37:00.000-04:00

Pepper and Leeks, oil on board, 12" x 27"

Here is a panel of three compositions using a pepper and a leek. This is a project from early in the semester that I just rediscovered while organizing the work from the term.

Heidi reclining

2008-04-18T21:06:00.000-04:00

Heidi, Foreshortened, oil on canvas board

Yep, another figure study. It's amazing how much today's model resembles a great friend of mine, KayDene (not from this angle, of course). Made me miss our friends in Reston, VA.

Tulips

2008-04-13T12:04:00.002-04:00

Tulips, acrylic on wood panel, 24" x 12"

One of the reason why there are fewer posts to this blog as the semester moves along is that our instructors at PAFA are giving us larger, more long-term projects that take several weeks to complete. Where I was once finishing several studies a week, I am now spending weeks on just one. So this weekend I really felt the need to sit down with a small painting and knock it out in one session. I love this implusive, fast, responsive way of making art. (Maybe it is because, anytime that I am given the chance to over thing something, I will.) So when I saw this bunch of pink tulips in the grocery, I knew that they would be my subject. In this painting I am working hard at using values to soften the edges between objects and the ground around them.

Life Painting, Carolyn

2008-04-08T17:48:00.001-04:00

Carolyn, oil on panel, 12" x 24"

Our Monday night life painting class is 5 weeks into a 7 week pose, and the model didn't show up. Carolyn Pyfrom, our teacher, is unflappable. She used the session to give us a chance to loosen up with a one-pose, quick painting. Sometimes these are the best–with nothing at risk, an artist can try new approaches and just go for it. Like I have said before on this blog, I just love the looseness and freshness that can come from these quick studies.

Oh, and by the way, that is Carolyn herself posing.

Eggplant with rose and mango

2008-02-27T08:21:00.001-05:00

Eggplant with Rose and Mango, oil on panel, 16" x 11.5"

Still Life is turning out to be my favorite class this semester. This painting is an example of why: there is lots of room to make the work my own. In the still life studio students have a huge range of choices to make when setting up a painting––what to paint, what to focus on, what viewpoint to see it from, how tightly or broadly to crop the composition, whether to use color to exactly reproduce what I see or to use it expressively. (Next week I will post a photograph of the still life studio to show just how endless our options are.) And in the homework the choices are even greater when we set up our own still lifes and work from them.

Today's painting is one of those quick, responsive homework paintings. By putting a two hour time limit on my work I force myself to make decisions that I do not have time to second guess, and there is surely no chance to "futz" with our pick at the painting. So I end up with a painting that is less refined, but fresher than some longer works. (by the way, that green thing is an accordian-fold book that I made a couple of years ago)

Cast Hall Drawing

2008-02-20T18:38:00.003-05:00

Winged Nike, charcoal, 18" x 24"
One of the great assets of PAFA is the Cast Hall. We have a beautiful collection of casts made from classical statues, and all first year students are required to spend time drawing and painting them. This semester I am studying with Peter VanDyke. His teaching is helping me to loosen up with my drawing, and make a gestural response to what I see. The results can be a very alive, graceful drawing that captures the real heart of the subject. At least that is my goal. Today's drawing is a step towards that goal.

Home Practice

2008-02-17T13:12:00.004-05:00

Oranges and Avacado, oil on canvas, 12" x 16"

Today's painting is a study exploring circles and the color orange. Jan Baltzell, my still life teacher, has our class studying Cezanne's still life paintings. This painting had to happen, right?

More Still Life

2008-02-16T09:50:00.003-05:00

Small Cast, oil on wood panel, 12" x 24"

Another three hour painting from this week's still life class. This is a wonderful, small plaster cast of a statue. Here I was drawn to the many colors reflected in the surface of the cast, and I tried to describe them in paint.

Relief Printing with Dan Miller

2008-02-12T09:08:00.002-05:00

Gargoyle #23, woodblock, 11.5" x 16"

My relief printing class is taught by Dan Miller, a printmaker with a true passion for cutting wood. He is inspiring me to really explore this medium and its hands-on, low-tech methods. One of the most beautiful qualities of this method of printmaking is the directness. Very little stands between the artist and the final print––the block is carved by hand with simple toods, and the print is hand rubbed.

This print is the first of a series of six prints of the gargoyles standing guard over the doors of the historic firehouse on Race Street in center city Philadelphia. Unfortunately, the city is destroying this beautiful old building (along with several blocks of old structures) to make room for an expansion of the convention center. The old, character-filled architecture is razed, probably to be replaced with a generic, bland, huge structure. To learn more about the firehouse:,

for photographs of the gargoyles click here.

Still Life, Back to Color

2008-02-07T08:59:00.004-05:00

Backlit Purple Drape, oil on canvas, 16" x 12"

Well, I have given the "restrained" palette a try. And it is not a good fit. On the advice of Jan Baltzell, my still life instructor this semester, I started this painting by squeezing out all of the prismatic colors. And just doing that made me feel like I was home again. Color is definitely the language I speak.

In this 3 hour painting my goal was to capture the way the light shone from behind the purple drape and made the fabric just glow. The warm reds in the light played so beautifully with the red-orange cup sitting in the composition, and I made this study of warm and cool reds.

Life Painting, Part one

2008-02-05T12:14:00.000-05:00

Karen, oil on panel, 24" x 18"

This semester I chose to study again with Carolyn Pyfrom for figure painting. Carolyn works with a very limited, traditional palette, using it to create beautiful subtle colors in her work. This is a very different approach than mine–I am simply in love with color, and have always begun a painting by squeezing out every color onto my palette. This sometime gives me an exciting effect, but often the color is simply out of control. By working with Carolyn I hope to learn to better manage my colors and use them in a more harmonious way. Here is my first work with her: a four week pose.

Still Life, part one

2008-02-01T12:08:00.000-05:00

Still Life 3 hour painting

This semester my still life teacher is Jan Baltzell. Jan is a non-representational painter, so her concern about our paintings is less about copying what we see, but more about using color and design to make an interesting painting. So far her approach with us has been to assign quick, one-shot paintings of the many still life setups available to us in the studios. The idea here is that we will have little to risk, so we are bolder, more experimental in our attempts at these paintings. I LOVE the rush and the pressure to work quickly, with only 3 hours to complete a painting.

Jan's crits are a flood of information; I always take at least 2 pages of notes as she spends Thursday mornings reviewing the paintings that we made the day before. She discusses with us the color, compositional and brushwork choices that we made, and always gives us tons of information to work with on the next studies.

Christmas Break practice

2008-02-01T12:01:00.000-05:00

Sketches of Susan, ink wash on arches hot pressed watercolor paper

One month away from school is a long time to spend without the practice that we get in the classroom. So I made the effort to spend some time with a model. Susan is a wonderful model–she is lithe with her gestural poses, and her peaceful presence makes the longer poses a wonderful experience. Here are some quick, sketchy drawings that I made with her on one of our sessions together in early January.

Semester One, Intaglio

2008-01-12T06:38:00.000-05:00

The Mosque of Hala Sultana, Nicosia, Cyprus, drypoint with chine collé, image 18" x 12"

Agios Paraskevi, etching with aquatint, open bite and drypoint, 12" x 18"

Branches, etching with crayon resist, open bite and drypoint, 12" x 24"

Intaglio Prints

This first term at PAFA also included a great course called Intro to Intaglio. We began with some monotypes and drypoints, then spent the rest of the term working on etchings. Under the encouragement and guidance of Lisa Hamilton, our teacher, we learned to experiment with a wide range of techniques. By combining several ways of mark making on one plate, etching allowed me to develop layers of imagery and atmosphere in my works. I especially love printmaking–it and painting are rivals for my artist's heart. Here are a few of the etchings that I made in this class.

Semester One, Part Seven

2008-01-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

Suzie on Purple, oil on canvas, 30" x 20"

Bonnie, Seated, oil on panel, 28" x 24"

Final Life Paintings

As the semester progressed, our time with the model in a single posed lengthened. This gave us more time to develop our paintings–to really explore the color values, correct drawing problems, and integrate the figure and the setting. Sometimes this extra time made for a much better painting, but sometimes I found that it just gave me more opportunities to screw up what might have been working in the piece. (Usually my best paintings are made quickly, directly and responsively). Here are two paintings that I worked, reworked, and refined. Looking at them together, it is very obvious that they were painted under the guidance of two different teachers, with very different approaches.

Plein Air Painting–Yeah!

2008-01-08T18:27:00.000-05:00

Woelpper's Angel, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

Today was unbelievable–65 degrees in Philly in January. Although I have about 835 studio projects going, there was nothing that could make me stay indoors today. I started the day with a nice, long run with my dog Spam, then packed up my paint box and drove to Laurel Hill Cemetery. This historic cemetery is full of old statuary, embellished mausoleums, and a great view of the river.

I set up next to this headstone, capped with a statue so old that the weather has eroded much of the details. These old sculptures gradually give in to the erosion, losing their smaller features but retaining their expressive gestures. This angel stands over the headstone of Adam Woelpper, whose tomb dates back to 1854. The grace in the pose and gesture grabbed my attention and held it, making it hard for me to leave after this sketch was finished.

Philadelphia Sketch Club Show

2008-01-07T08:48:00.002-05:00

Resurrection, intaglio with chine collé and monotype, 4.5" x 10.5"
Agios Paraskevi, etching, image size 18" x 12"

Sketch Club's 2008 Works on Paper Show

Today I received very good news–two of my prints were accepted into the Philadelphia Sketch Club's 2008 Works on Paper show. This is my first application to a juried show here in Philly, so it is exciting to be accepted by a club with such a pedigree.

Resurrection is an intaglio-wiped solarplate, printed with chine collé over a monotype. The image is made of two photographs; one of a statue in a cemetery, the other a photograph taken by the Hubble telescope. I worked them together in Photoshop (very satisfying to be able to use my graphic art experience to produce a fine art piece!), then made the Solarplate from a printout.

Agios Paraskevi is an etching made from a quick oil study that I made of a 9th Century church on the island of Cyprus. The original sketch can be seen here. The atmospheric quality of this etching was achieved using a 4-step aquatint along with open bite and drypoint. This plate was developed to be used as part of a multi-plate layered print (which will still happen), but I was so pleased with the results that I printed a small edition of it alone.

If you are in Philadelphia this weekend, please drop in Sunday January 13 between 2 and 5 pm for the reception for the Works on Paper show at the Sketch Club.

My wonderful, supportive family came for this show: my sister Daphne and her son Chris, my Mom and Dad, and I are in this photo, my niece Melanie and brother-in-law John and husband Vinny couldn't squeeze into the frame in time for this pic.

Semester One, Part Six

2008-01-06T08:54:00.000-05:00

Suzie Standing, oil on board, 18" x 24"

Portrait of Tim, oil on board, 9" x 12"

Self Portrait with Rollers, oil, 12" x 16"

(Even) More Life Painting

As all readers of this blog now know, the real backbone of the academic program at PAFA is figure painting. We study the figure with our teachers, we have uninstructed working sessions with the figure, we meet after class with models so that we can get more time working from the figure. Then, when we run out of model time, we go home and paint self portraits. So here are more figure studies that I made this first semester.

Semester One, Part Five

2008-01-05T08:46:00.000-05:00

Still Life with Wax Lips, charcoal, 16.5" x 31.5"

Still Life with Self Portrait, oil, 20" x 30"

Cartwheel, oil, 20" x 8"

Still Life

In addition to life painting classes at PAFA, I also had a class in Still Life. I was fortunate to learn from Joshua Marsh, a very skilled still life painter whose works are a true investigation of his world. He pushed our class to really look at what we saw, and accurately describe what was in front of us–in this class, coming "close enough" was definitely not an option. Here are three pieces that I created for this class: a charcoal still life of a plaster cast and a stuffed monkey, a classroom setup that includes a self portrait reflected in a mirror, and a diptych called "Cartwheel", of spoons tumbling across a cloth.

Semester One, Part Four

2008-01-02T18:27:00.000-05:00

More Life Painting

My class schedule includes two life painting classes. I already mentioned my first teacher, Al Gury. I also study with Carolyn Pyfrom, a very accomplished artist. Her style–both in painting and teaching–is dramatically different from Al. This is sometimes frustrating, in that I am trying to learn two different palettes, preferences and techniques at the same time. But it is also a gift, because I am offered a wide variety of tools to work with. Here are three poses that Carolyn arranged for our class, and the studies that I made from them.

Semester One, Part Three

2008-01-02T18:16:00.001-05:00

Open Studio

One of the great advantages of being in a school where everyone is so serious about art is the extra-curricular opportunities. I especially enjoy the weekly open studio sessions, where students can work after class with a live model. We are uninstructed, and free to experiment with new methods or materials. Here are two studies that I made during two of these weekly sessions.

Semester One, Part Two

2007-12-29T16:57:00.000-05:00

More figure painting

After week or two of quick, sketchy croquis, our painting moved into set poses. We still kept to short poses (two or three sessions per pose), but had a bit more time to consider how we would interpret what we saw before us. Here are a couple of examples.

Semester One, Part One

2007-12-27T11:14:00.000-05:00

Figure Painting

The first semester at PAFA was so overwhelming (40 hours a week in the classroom, and then homework!) that I didn't have a chance to post any of the work in progress. So, now that it is over and I am recharging over Christmas break, I can share some of the paintings and prints that I made.

In Al Gury's Figure Painting class we began the semester with a series of quick croquis in oil paint. These proved to be the perfect way to warm up again, to get back into working from the model.

Cheltenham Arts Center Life Drawing

2007-06-01T14:54:00.000-04:00

Valerie, Foreshortened, oil on canvas board, 20" x 16"

With all of the settling-in, the painting sessions are still more sporadic than I had hoped. But I was able to find a life drawing session very near our home. This group is very small, and very focused on their weekly painting sessions. Last night one of the artists came with an idea for our model's pose—one that would give us a great deal of foreshortening to challenge us. As you can see we ended up with a somewhat difficult pose, and this made me very happy. But, during the first break I looked up to see the guy who came up with this pose painting from the side of the room. After setting us all up with hard painting, he chose a full-on silhouette for his painting! Sometimes a challenge just doesn't sound so good, I guess.

New Studio

2007-05-25T14:06:00.000-04:00

Seated Self Portrait, oil on canvas, 20" x 16"

After a month on the road, we have finally moved into our new home in the Philadelphia area. The painters, carpent installers and movers have all been here and done their job, leaving the unpacking and settling in for us. Although this will take a while, my studio is unpacked just barely enough to be functional. So here is my first painting in my new studio–a self portrait.

Marina at Lake Claytor

2007-04-25T09:24:00.000-04:00

Marine at Lake Claytor, Radford, VA, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

Radford Virginia was our last stop on the way back to Northern Virginia. A small college town on the edge of a mountain range, it has a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Our favorite part was the State Park at Claytor Lake where we camped for two nights. The lake is the result of a dam, and it draws many locals for the fishing. The elevation is high enough that the spring foliage has not yet burst out into that yellow-green color. I painted the marina in the morning while the haze still obscured the colors of the mountain foliage on the other side of the lake.

Reflections at Lake Powhatan

2007-04-20T11:06:00.000-04:00

Reflections Study, Lake Powhatan, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

Just downhill from our campsite is a small lake called Powhatan. Late in the afternoon the wind was still and these beautiful reflections from the tress floated across the surface of the water. The red clay at the bottom of the lake played with the green of the trees to make some dark, dramatic abstract shapes. I set up and started painting, and after one and a half hours I had created a perfect mess on my panel. Feeling very discouraged, I scraped and wiped it off, and got ready to pack up and do the "walk of shame" back to our trailer with a failed painting. But when I looked at the scraped-down painting, I saw something that I liked very much. The details that I had become caught up in were no longer distracting from the composition, and there was a looseness that I had lost in the overworking. 15 minutes of brushing in just a little detail, and I got a study that I am pleased with.

Once again, a lesson learned–less is more!

Chilhowee Overlook

2007-04-19T11:24:00.000-04:00

Chilhowee Overlook, oil on canvas, 16" x 12"

Near our campground is a road that takes one to the top of a mountain range nearby. Along the way are numerous overlooks where some people slow down to look out their car window, and a few actually get out to snap a photo. The view from this overlook captivated me, though. From it I saw where islands Ocoee River break up the Ocoee River into what looks like a series of small, connected lakes. Spring is coming later here than it was farther south, and the foliage on the islands and the mountains is a range of pinks, yellows and greens.

Our dog Spam was tied up next to me while I painted, and we were both surprised when a scorpion ran by. Fortunately for all of us he was just looking for a rock to hide in, and he found one.

Cherokee National Forrest, Tennessee

2007-04-17T19:10:00.000-04:00

Violas, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

After leaving Birmingham we headed North, so that we can make it to Pennsylvania in time for the closing on our new home.Our first stop was a campground in the Ocoee National Forrest in southeastern Tennessee. We found a spot that backed up to a stream that sang us to sleep every night. I found these violas growing next to a rock beside that stream.

I apologize for the quality of this image–I shot it just after painting, apparently too late in the day to have enough light for a good pic.

Reflections Study

2007-04-13T10:55:00.000-04:00

Reflections Study, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

On the day that we arrived at Georgia Veteran's State Park, the sun was heading low and the lake right outside of our campsite was alive with these beautiful reflections of the trees across the water. The wind was perfectly still, and the water became a perfect mirror. By the time we had our trailer set up and my paint box out, the sun had set and the scene was gone. So the next day I woke up, excited to paint the sunrise reflected on the same lake. To my horror, the day was a very clear, windy one, and as the bright sunlight washed out the colors, the wind on the surface of the water broke up any reflections that might have shown themselves. I waited and watched, but the conditions didn't return to what I had seen the day before.

The next morning we woke up early to get a head start on the longer drive to Birmingham, Alabama where we were planning to meet some dear friends.I almost broke into tears when I looked up as we started to pull away, and saw a repeat of the lake scene that I saw when we first arrived. To prove what a patient, supportive husband I have, when he saw the look on my face he turned off the truck, unlocked the trailer, and took the dog for a long walk while I made this sketch. Armed with this quick study and several reference photos, I will definitely return to this one in the studio.

Cordele, GA

2007-04-12T12:55:00.000-04:00

Sunset through the Clouds at a Georgia Lake, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

This campground was another amazingly beautiful find. We left Savannah on Wednesday morning and planned to drive to the Alabama border, but decided that we had enough driving. So we looked for a State Park in the area, and found Georgia Veteran's State Park. This is a stunningly beautiful park built in the woods around a lake formed by a dam. The swimming beach faces west, so I was able to capture the sunset in all of its color.

Savannah Camp

2007-04-10T12:54:00.000-04:00

Savannah Campsite, oil on canvas board, 12" x 16"

I thought it might be nice to show everyone the home that Vinny and I are living in while we are on the road. We found this beautiful place to park it on the Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah–this is perhaps the most beautiful campsite on any military installation. We were one of three RVs parked, and the live oaks formed this beautiful grove that sort of wrapped itself around us. It was like the trees were protecting and comforting us during our stay.

Sunset over Kerr Lake

2007-04-08T12:13:00.000-04:00

Sunset Over Lake Kerr,, acrylic on panel, 12" x 24"

It has been surprisingly cold here on Lake Kerr–and then we have a constant, strong breeze coming off of the lake. But from our trailer we have a beautiful view of the sunset over the lake, with the colors bouncing off of the water. Cold or not, I just had to get out and paint this scene.

Kerr Reservois, Virginia

2007-04-05T14:33:00.000-04:00

Kerr Reservoir in just north of the North Carolina/Virginia border. We traveled to the Army Corps of Engineers campsite on Wednesday, and explored Thursday and Friday. It is beautiful seeing all of the fresh, young green popping out on the trees. For these two sketches I tried something different–using acrylic paints on watercolor postcards. A huge challenge forme, using an unfamiliar medium and a much smaller size.

Neptune on Virginia Beach

2007-04-03T14:31:00.000-04:00

Neptune, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

I moved away from Virginia Beach in 1998, and each time I come back I see something new. This time I came down to the boardwalk on the oceanfront, and discovered that the city is revitalizing a section of the tourist area that has become a bit too well-worn. Part of the plan is a part at 31st Street that includes this huge statue of King Neptune. I wasn't here for the dedication, but I understand that it was treated like a celebrity sighting.

Blue Rust

2007-04-02T16:33:00.000-04:00

Blue Rust, oil on panel, 9 x 12

Our campsite is next to the communal picnic area here. The setup includes several grills, picnic tables, and this blue trailer that was once used to haul firewood. It has rusted out to the point of being pretty much unusable, but the rust has formed some beautiful patterns on the blue paint.

We have some great neighbors who are full-timers here in the RV park. Kate and Zack hosted us for a dinner last night–we really enjoyed getting to know them a little bit. And Josh is kind enough to let Vinny and I hitchhike on his satellite internet connection, enabling me to keep this blog going. Thank, Kate, Zack and Josh for making this stay in Virginia Beach a great one.

Sand dunes, Virginia Beach

2007-03-31T09:27:00.000-04:00

Trees on the Dunes, 9 x 12, oil on panel

Last night we arrived in Virginia Beach, and set up in a campground on the Dam Neck Naval Base. Our campsite is less than a block from the dunes, and we heard the waves crashing all night long. A very relaxing place to start our month long "after the move" vacation.

As I set up to paint this scene in the dunes, military personnel began test firing some kind of missiles over the ocean. The launch site was less than a quarter of a mile away from me, just over some dunes. As the drones launched behind me, each one let off a very loud, sudden "boom." Of course, that brought lots of the visitors running to see what was happening. So my painting session was a challenging one—lots of wind coming off the ocean, lots of people wandering by wanting to chat, and lots of startlingly loud explosions. I think that this painting of the pines in the dune captures what that felt like.

Farewell to Reston

2007-03-29T07:59:00.000-04:00

Our time in Reston, VA is just about over, for now, at least. The packers have boxed up everything in our home, and Vinny, Spam (the dog) and I are living in the RV that will be our home for the next month. The excitement is almost another person living with us. After today, my posts will be from on the road. First stop is Virginia Beach, where we lived for 13 years, and where we will catch up with some old friends.

Diptych in progress, part 3

2007-03-19T12:36:00.000-04:00

Here is what showed itself after another session of working in this, my first abstract project. I am beginning to see an energy in the piece that really pleases me. Unfortunately, the house move is taking its toll here. I find that with the packing, out-of-town trips for meetings with realtors and contractors, and the general chaos, my attention span is down to just about nothing! I just don't have the focus to keep on with a project like this, that requires more than 2 hours to finish. So these canvases will be aside to dry this week, then packed away until my new studio is ready to receive them. I am already excited about the day that I can unwrap them, look at them with fresh eyes, and dive back in!

Spring

2007-03-15T20:25:00.000-04:00

First Jonquils, 9" x 12", oil on panel
Today we had another 70+ degree day, so I went out walking the yard after my dog and I came back from our daily run. Just too beautiful to go back inside. I found these first jonquils peaking up through last fall's leaves between a few trees, so I set up there to paint. Sure enough, right after I had the painting blocked in the wind picked up and rain clouds moved in. I had just enough time to grab my paintbox, shoot a quick picture, and run inside with my equipment before the rain started. This is what makes us really appreciate the spring days, right? Never know how long that great weather will last.

Neighbors through the woods

2007-03-13T20:36:00.000-04:00

Today we had one of those incredibly beautiful days that pops up to surprise us before spring comes. Temps in the 70's, who wants to work indoors? I am blessed to have the choice, so I wandered around our yard looking for a scene to inspire me. We live in a pretty heavily wooded area, and I cannot see the homes of most of our neighbors for most of the year. This house behind us makes an appearance each winter, and our view of it is about to once again be hidden by foliage.

Friday reception, house hunting success!

2007-03-06T20:34:00.000-05:00

Friday evening's reception of the "Encore" show by the League of Reston Artists was a great success. The show includes work by about 20 artists, including a variety of photography, realistic and non-representational painting. Most of us hung many pieces, so the show pretty much consisted of many smaller shows-within-a-show. Lots of friends and visitors attended, making for a fun party. I am fortunate to have so many of my friends come to show me their support and encouragement.Of course, I forgot to bring my camera. I am SO not a photographer!

Anyone who missed the reception has until March 23 to visit the show at the University of Phoenix in Reston, at the Plaza America. See my previous post for directions.

Posting will continue to be sporadic, thanks to our house hunting trips to the Philadelphia area. Vinny and I finally have a contract on a home! We will have to make a few more trips up for inspections and paperwork, but the day trips are just about over. The travel time that has so badly eaten into my studio time is coming to an end, so the daily work can soon resume.

Life Drawing, McLean Virginia

2007-03-01T20:23:00.000-05:00

Drawing really is one of the most important skills for an artist to hone. We could spend a lifetime working on our drawing, and always find ways to improve. These open studio sessions are a great way to work on my drawing technique—a live model, and a group of other artists who are struggling with similar challenges. The page with the small figures is a sheet of gesture drawings; they were made during poses that the model held for one minute each. The other sheets are drawn from 20 minute poses. These poses are long enough to get plenty of information on the page, but short enough to make me work quickly and avoid getting bogged down in too much detail.

Our out-of-town move is really taking its toll on my painting—with the many trips out of town to find a home and the almost constant interruption of the telephone when I am at home, it is very difficult to keep to the daily painting sessions that I once maintained. Soon, though we will be settled and I can return to a daily blog entry.

Life Drawing/Painting, again

2007-02-27T18:50:00.000-05:00

Another work from an open figure drawing studio session. These sessions are great practice—it isn't often that an artist has access to a model in a relaxed, no-pressure setting. This time the model was Elena, a former ballerina who models at the Art League in Alexandria, VA. This time she posed for us in Rob vander Zee's gallery in Alexandria, surrounded by some of his beautiful landscape paintings. Check out Rob's work at http://www.vanderzeegallery.com.

Diptych in progress, part 2

2007-02-22T17:56:00.000-05:00

Here I am still working the layers of glazes on this abstract diptych, and beginning to bring in some semi-opaque passages. I am really enjoying my first abstract work. The thrilling part about the process here is that I seem to be following the painting as it grows. With a representational work I am making the painting look the way that I envision it; using paint to create a picture that says what I want it to say. But in this case the painting seems to be telling me where to go next. I see these abstracts more a journey than as paintings, and I am following instead of leading. This is a very exciting, but sometimes frightening process—for the first time as an artist I am giving up control of a work.

Self Portrait with Small Monkey

2007-02-21T21:05:00.000-05:00

Self Portrait with Small Monkey, oil on panel, 12" x 9",

Another monkey from Melanie. This is one of the first monkeys that she gave me, and when you squeeze its chest it makes a kissing-smooching sound.

This monkey thing with my niece started a few years back when she and I were cabin-mates on a family cruise. The cabin attendants would fold our towels into animal shapes, and our favorite was the monkey that we found dangling from a hanger one day. He was our mascot for the rest of the cruise, and we still like to find surprising monkeys. So, Mel, here is a monkey for you.

Diptych in progress

2007-02-20T20:45:00.000-05:00

I have been working on an abstract diptych—a very big change for me. All of my painting has been in a representational style, so this is a huge shift. And I am enjoying it.

This piece is inspired by images taken by the Hubble Telescope. That device has sent back some incredibly beautiful pictures of space that have never before been seen. These photographs are graceful, energetic—sometimes violent—and surprisingly figurative at times. When looking at them I often think of flight or dance. Check them out at http://hubblesite.org/gallery.

The diptych that I am working on is an oil painting, built up in layers of glazes, so the development is slow coming. Here is an image of the piece in progress. I will hopefully have the finished piece up later this week.

Monkey Feet

2007-02-16T21:11:00.000-05:00

Monkey Feet, 12" x 9", oil on panel
Another gift from my niece Melanie. She gave me these slippers as one of our monkey presents to one another. I love keeping these monkeys around my studio (that's why there are more monkey paintings on the way); it feels like a little bit of her is here with me. These slippers are a lot like Melanie–cute, a lot of fun, and comforting when you need it.

Fly Monkey, Fly

2007-02-14T18:18:00.000-05:00

Fly Monkey, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

My niece Melanie and I have this little inside joke. We trade monkeys back and forth as gifts (it goes back a ways, a story I am sure that no one wants to hear), and always have fun surprising each other with a new monkey. This year at Christmas it was my turn to get a monkey, and here he is. The cool thing about this one is that he is attached to two heavy rubber bands. When they are stretched and released he flies across the room, his pink cape following him. Thanks, Mel!

The March Show and Reception

2007-02-13T19:03:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my friend Kim Poole and my husband Vinny, my paintings are now hanging at the League of Reston Artists' March show at the University of Phoenix here in Reston. Kim had some really good ideas about how to organize these images, and Vinny showed up to help us with the labor. It's good to have friends, right?

This show is an opportunity for LRA members who won awards in 2006 to display our work, and it has turned out to be quite a nice show. My fellow artists have each hung a wall full of works, so there is a wide variety of painting and photography to view. I chose to present all of the plein air sketches that I made in Cyprus, as well as the two studio paintings that I made based on two of those sketches. These pieces are available for sale at the show, with the small paintings priced at only $275.00 and the larger at $475.00.

On Friday, March 2, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm we will have a reception at the show, where visitors can meet the artists whos work is displayed. In the meantime, please visit and enjoy the work! The University of Phoenix is at Plaza America in Reston, behind Champs Restaurant. Enter the office building through the double doors near Beems Jewelers, and take the elevator to the second floor. Turn right, and you will see our show. I hope that you enjoy it!

Sunset on the Rocks

2007-02-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

Sunset on the Rocks, acrylic on raw linen, 30" x 30"

Here is the second studio painting based on a plein air sketch that I made in Cyprus (see Cyprus trip, part 8). Again, I took advantage of the opportunity to work in thin glazes and build up to the thicker layers used to "carve" the rocks out of the paint. My goal here was to show the viewer how the sun felt. When I was sketching this cliff my back was chilly from the breeze coming off the water behind me, but my face was warmed by the last of the heat coming off of those rocks. Here is my attempt to use a visual medium to describe the physical sensation of that day's heat being chased away by the cold.

Upcoming Show in Reston

2007-02-06T10:45:00.000-05:00

I am in the process of preparing the series of Cyprus paintings for a show that will hang through the month of March at the University of Phoenix here in Reston. My pieces will go up on Friday, Feb. 6 and come down on March 23. There will be a reception either late February or early March—I will post the dates here. Click here for directions to the show (Scroll down to the bottom map on the page)

Sunsetting on Agia Paraskevi

2007-02-05T16:19:00.000-05:00

Sunsetting on Agia Paraskevi, oil on canvas, 22" x 28"
Bottom:Sunsetting on Agia Paraskevi, detail

After returning from Cyprus and looking over the plein air works that I made there, I chose a few to make into larger easel paintings. This was a challenge because I am no longer in the atmosphere where the sketches were made. Such a big part of painting on location involves senses other than sight—hearing the sounds around me, smelling the plants nearby (or the meats cooking in the café next to the church), feeling the chill as the breeze picks up off the water—that working here in my studio felt somewhat sterilized. On the other hand I have the freedom of time and the luxury of a bigger canvas, and I use these advantages to explore techniques that wouldn't work on location. In this painting I began working in thin glazes and gradually build up the paint layers to these thick, globby passages that I used to describe the textures of the church and the sky. (Compare this easel painting to the plein air sketch in my post of Tuesday, January 16, 2007, Cyprus trip, part 10). The second photo here is a detail of the painting showing the thick/thin layers of the paint.

Revelation

2007-01-31T21:20:00.000-05:00

Revelation, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

Today this bulb fully opened its first bud, revealing the beauty that it held for me. It is just as glorious as I had expected while watching it to bloom. How exciting to wait and hope for something, to find it even better than promised!

"...you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his (Christ's) glory when it is revealed to all the world." 1 Peter 4:13

Promise

2007-01-30T21:04:00.000-05:00

Promise, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

Watching this flower change from a swelling bud to a full-on flower has me thinking of the different kinds of anticipation that I sometimes experience. Earlier I spoke about hope, where I anticipate and look forward to something that I would be happy to see come to pass. But as this amaryllis develops I see a promise of things to come. The future beauty of the blossom is not just my hopefulness, but a promise that is soon to be fulfilled.

"Now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant." 2 Samuel 7:28

Glory

2007-01-26T21:49:00.000-05:00

Glory, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

These daffodils were so very beautiful when I brought them home. So beautiful that I went back 3 days later and bought another bunch to paint. Then I was amazed at how quickly their beauty faded—what was once a bright, yellow burst of glory in the middle of winter had quickly turned to shrivelled, brownish clumps. It occurred to me that the glory that we seek out for ourselves is just as fleeting; that our beauty and blessings are often just for a little while.

"For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him." Psalm 49:17

House move

2007-01-23T21:03:00.000-05:00

My husband and I signed a contract to sell our house last week, and things are starting to happen in preparation for the sale. That, combined with the trips to Philadelphia to find a new house, will make my postings somewhat sporadic for the next couple of weeks. (Note the subtitle "Almost Daily" in my header. That gives me an easy out here!) But keep in touch—I am still painting and will post at least a couple of times a week until we settle in a bit again.

Hope

2007-01-22T21:32:00.000-05:00

Hope, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

Last night we had the year's first snow storm here in Northern Virginia. While I was listening to the traffic reports telling of the many accidents this morning, I looked up and saw this amaryllis plant. It sits next to a window. Outside the window the trees are coated with white, and the ice weighs down some of the branches to the point where some look ready to snap. Inside the window this bud is swelling, ready to break out into a bright red flower. On the wall the shadow shows us what we hope will come—colorful beauty in the middle of a gray winter.

"But those who wait for the Lord and hope in Him shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired."Isaiah 40:31

Life Drawing/Painting

2007-01-19T09:04:00.000-05:00

Mike in Cowboy Hat, oil on canvas, 20" x 16"

Mike is a popular model in the three open studios that I sometimes attend. He is easy going, and very flexible to the requests of the artists. He also travels with a variety of costumes/props, and for this session he brought a cowboy hat and a bandana. I don't know Mike personally, but cowboy is definitely NOT the way I would describe him. That made this session even more fun.