classwork

I signed up for a 2-session online class with Susan Greenstein at Winslow Art Center. I've taken a couple of other classes with Susan there and I like the way she teaches, and I love her own artwork, which you can see on Instagram 

This class is about drawing objects about the house with a brush pen.

I'm looking forward to expanding my mark+making vocabulary and to getting more practice with patterns.

ref photo

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Last summer, or maybe the one before, we took a tour of  abandoned lighthouses in the lower Delaware Bay. I forget which one this was;  here's not much left of it but it was covered in cormorants.

I was too impatient and my darks ran into my blues. I tried to fix it but it didn't work. 

The composition's not very good either ... I think I need to zoom in on the birds a bit more. And the horizon line is too hard so I'll just call this one practice. 

And more oyster shell practice.

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sketchbook

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Flipping through a sketchbook I came across two pages I'd splashed with some color--I forget why!

Thought they might make a good background for shorebirds.

So far have only done this one.

classwork

I've recently taken two great classes, online, with Frances Stansfield at London Drawing Group, Hockney Stripes in the Landscape, above, and Hockney Outside, below.

Now in addition to wanting to visit Margate because of Turner, I must see Yorkshire because of Hockney.

cards

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My mom died eight years ago and since then I have been corresponding with an old friend of hers. Mrs. K was married to my dad's best friend from college. When I was small, their family lived in the house behind us, and I was best friends with one of their daughters. We called her Bimmy.

My dad was a stroke victim and my mom took care of him. As he got older and weaker it became increasingly difficult but she did it.

One by one Mom's friends began passing away. Which is hard under any circumstances and I'm sure, even though I was here, Mom must have sometimes, often?, felt isolated.

Mrs. K never failed to write and call, and visit when Mom would allow it! She and Mrs. K hadn't been close before, but I joked that she wore Mom down with her unrelenting kindness.

Anyway, I bought some watercolor postcards for when I write to my penpal.

portree

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Not sure I should comment ... I feel it's kind of busy but, as usual, I am loath to tinker.

So I'll just stop here 

ref photo

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Another from Scotland.

I will go back in and refine some shapes, esp on the lower right, after I've had a little time to think about it.

This is a subject I wouldn't previously have felt comfortable with-- too many places where I'm not quite sure what I'm looking at.

I'm glad I'm more at ease with fudging it. That feels like progress.

ref photo

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Back to my Scotland photos.

Hadn't planned to but now I think I may go back and add the water behind the bumpers.

Want to get back to my one a day practice: this week I will try to paint a photo I take on my bike ride. That'll get me on my bike every day too.

Winsor & Newton put out some throwback colors. And I bought them-- of course I did!

The 6 colors are in the left column: mineral gray, otswald gray, ultramarine ash, tyrian purple, cinnabar green, and Field's orange.

The orange has the wonderful property of quickly diffusing into water--it spreads beautifully. The purple and green are also vibrant and transparent.

The otswald gray is a lovely cool brown.

The last two colors are lovely but I would characterize them as weak: it's hard to get a good concentration--I painted these right out of the tube!

Also, the first 3 colors are all mixed of three different colors, something I try to avoid.

more shells

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Not my best shell effort, but I'm glad to have finally done something.

The weather has been phenomenal here for August--breezy and cool--which should be stimulating but I've been terribly lethargic all week.

Probably because I had a big decision to make about getting some work done on my house....

Made my decision yesterday, and today I rode my bike and painted!

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Tried to capture the moon behind clouds on this little piece of scrap paper.

plus de contraste

Anonymous suggested this sketch needed more contrast, which I was also thinking. Let it sit for a day, then tried to bump it up. It could probably use more ... But I'm going to stop here. 

There's always a place to stop, whether you've achieved what you envisioned or not; a place where going further is probably not going to enhance what you have.

That place may be determined in the first brushstrokes.

oyster shells

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Thought these were done ... But now I'm thinking they need just a touch more.

intentions ...

Brought stuff to do art with friends in FL, but it's been too hot. So today, my last day, I painted along with a couple of Peter Ulrich videos. Peter is a teacher at the Art League in Alexandria, VA.

Great time to paint a snow scene!

visiting

...my friend Robin in beautiful Dunnellen, FL. It's been a whirlwind but we did a little sketching under the live oak last evening.

Listed the birds we heard and/ or saw.

shells

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Oyster shells and a mussel shell. I drew these loosely with a brush ... Hadn't planned: the shells and the paints were just there.

Never have thought about painting mussel shells before but they're actually interesting: more color than I at first thought-- blue, some underlying brown, a lovely silvery black-- and very pretty, delicate striations.

travel kit

Next week going to see my brother and my good friend of long standing; they live about 1 hour apart in FL. There'll be kayaking, swimming in the Gulf, eating and drinking. And of course some art making.

Here's my little selection of stuff: 6x8" waterproof packall pouch, clips, pencil sharpener, palette knife, water brush, white ink pen, water soluble black marker, permanent black marker, fude sailor pen, water soluble pencil, lead pencil, bamboo dip pen, wristband to dab brush on (thanks to John Muir Laws for this idea), kneaded eraser, little pans of sepia and Payne's gray paint, little piece of charcoal and wax crayon, black crayon, travel brushes, a fat soft Lyra pencil, water soluble walnut brown pencil, art toolkit palette and ziplock bag to keep it in.

This kit shows me how often, when I'm out, I sketch more than paint. I think it's a good development: in my case anyway maybe if helps me be more present with less anxiety about creating a painting.

Went to a pottery sale at a nearby art league yesterday.

These are only two of the eight pieces I bought, but they may be my favorites. I'm crazy for fluting.

Was hoping to buy pots for plants, but there wasn't a single one!

I may have to get back into pottery: I see a niche market.

classwork

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Painted these in an online class with Megan Swoyer.

Megan's classes always help me loosen up a little, and she's got a great group of students.

Overworked my marsh scene a bit, I think. So I quickly did another, smaller version, below.

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still life

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Fell off my reference-photo-day wagon. Not happy about it-- I hate to lose momentum: too much work to do, too much crap to take care of around the house ... Sometimes I wish I were back in an apartment and could call the super.

Met up with a friend for 2 hours of still life painting yesterday.

These aren't what I envisioned ... But oh well.

Used a paper recommended by an Urban Sketcher. 50% cotton, light, nice smooth surface. But you can't really push the paint around on it, not can you get a smooth wash. So good for sketching, but not for watercolor effects.

classwork

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A scene in Cornwall painted in an Artefacto class on seascapes with R. Thorn.

The lesson was in two parts, and it really was a process of adding layers to refine shapes and values. A lesson I need.

I didn't always let it dry enough between layers, which led to some muddiness.

But all in all. I enjoyed it. And now want to add Cornwall to my next Scotland trip.

Just give me that whole northwestern shoreline!

ref photo

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Another Scotland scene. I think I would enjoy painting Scotland every day.

But, for the sake of my challenge, I'll move on to another topic Sunday.

classwork

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Marsh scenes painted in a class with Megan Swoyer at Greenbush Media. I enjoy painting with Megan and her group; always relaxing and fun.

ref photo

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Back to Scotland. Water, rocks, grasses ... What could be better.

$2 bouquet

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Didn't get to my ref photo painting yesterday.

But I went out to get some heat-tolerant herbs at NoFrills farm, a family owned farm that's been here for generations.

Got some beautiful and delightful smelling lemon verbena and some delicious Jersey peaches.

And this $2 bouquet.