Figure Session - Day 19 in the Challenge.

Figure Session

12x9' oil on gesso board 

NFS

Artist Note.

The water-media workshop was great and

it gave me a feeling of freedom

in my oils. I had an opportunity 

to paint the figure today and went

at  it with a very fluid paint quality.

No drawing, but found my angles 

and proportions first with a script brush 

using transparent brown oxide

with Gamsol to make it flow

.

My favorite area is where the chain rests

between her breasts. 

The glare of wet paint caught on the area

her hair 

 in the photo But it doesn't matter as the 

painting is unfinished and 

stands as a study.

The workshop had some good

non-representational artists. 

The collage method was extra powerful

in that and the abstract area.

Here is a photo from the workshop.

at group critique time.

Nancy Frost Begin is holding the

collage and the actual painting is the 

one on the easel.

With Susan Hanssen standing to the left.

It is not one of mine, but I watched 

the experienced artist work on it from 

start to finish and I can tell you 

a strong and beautiful design like this is not easy 

to achieve.

Decorative Nest - workshop. Day 18

Decorative Nest

15x11" gouache on paper

NFS

Day 2

Susan Hanssen 

Workshop.

Goal

 Paint something in a way we would 

never paint it. Reach outside our 

comfort zone.

Susan's example was an abstracted chicken 

with a blue top-not instead of red! 

If you think of the very organic way I 

painted the nest and feather just a 

couple of days ago then you know

how much I pushed myself out 

of my comfort zone with this one.

Polka dotted eggs and bright colored 

branches/twigs - plus a border!!!

Step one was to mark up the paper 

in a random way with dark watercolor.

Those marks can be clearly seen behind the nest.

2. Draw the subject with watercolor crayon..

3. use transparent washes.

4. Finish with gouache. 

5.Touch up with watercolor crayons.

The border happened quite naturally

to stop the very bright nest from

appearing to float.

Decorative art can be fun and relaxing

and I quite enjoyed painting this. 

Here is a wonderful sheep Susan did.

The patterns are painted the same

 as from the collage study..

See more listed under sheep on her website

HERE

I was asked why I was taking a watercolor 

workshop from two artists who work

so differently to me. 

Simply this... when the opportunity comes 

along to have the opportunity to learn from two

artists of Nancy Frost Began

and Susan Hanssen's

incredible talent and teaching skills...

any artist should jump at the chance.

17 of us are very glad we did!

It was AMAZING! It was BRILLIANT!

I am exhausted.

Scurrying Clouds

Scurrying Clouds, NM
6x8in oil on canvas panel $125. SOLD
To Purchase  click HERE

If you like lots of green trees then
this is not the view for you.
Personally, I find I love
the long view...
where trees do not block the view.

Artist Note.
I used an angle
brush to form my basic shapes
of color
moving into palette knife work
to add texture for an interesting
surface.

Watercolor - Pansy Study

Pansy Study

8x7in watercolor on Yupo paper NFS

Artist Note

I have been trying to figure out how to do '

the pansies on this slick Yupo paper. 

For those of you who do not know what it is like,  

visualize a thin sheet of smooth,

white, flexible plastic. 

The stuff is great for abstract and 

non-representational art because 

the paint floats on the surface. 

The mingling of colors happens beautifully.

Flat areas are quite doable and 

 neat edges are formed where a puddle ends, 

but try to do a more impressionistic style 

of layering and it looks pretty messy 

right off the bat because

the darn paint lifts off when you don't want it to.

BUT 

that is also exactly the beauty of using it

...to be able to lift the paint cleanly off 

to get back to the white.

Here I slightly stained everywhere but 

the main white pansy first and lifted off 

smaller white areas - trying make sure 

that nothing 

competed with the focal pansy.

Anyone with any hints out there?

VINCENT VAN GOGH'S PETS!

Vincent's Pets

8x8 gallery wrap SOLD

What could be more fun than to know that 

Vincent took his pets along to watch him 

paint Starry Night!

Artist Note

This is for a fundraiser to support the 

Humane Society here in Las Cruces, NM.

Lots of wonderful paintings will be sold

at Unsettled Gallery

Click on link to see the full exhibit.

Maybe you will see something you would 

enjoy owning at a very reasonable price.

Dryer Lint Nest.

Dryer Lint Nest

6x7" watercolor on Yupo
Sold

I was given this wonderful nest last week.
The eggs were still in there - never hatched.
Lots of dryer lint was attached by strands
of horse tail hair and stuffed between twigs.
Quite amazing how those birds are such
good engineers...
BUT
they do not know dryer lint is bad for
them if they use it.

Chemicals 
From the soap and dryer sheets.
Dust
Dry, loose lint causes respiratory problems.
Scent
Attracts predators right to a vulnerable nest

There are other serious problems too,
 but the thing I hope to pass on
 is not to put dryer lint out for
the birds during the nesting season.
I used to, but not anymore.

There had to be a reason these eggs
did not hatch.

Approaching Storm - New Mexico

Approaching Storm - New Mexico

8x8in Oil on canvas panel SOLD

Artist Note.

Mission:

Create a sense of place without detail

using simple abstract shapes, and color.

Both the previous post and this one 

were self-assigned 

exercises to help me explore the relationship

of warm color 

in both receding and frontal space.