Monday, March 30, 2009

monday class

More little value studies, which I'm finding are very useful--for making decisions about the composition, like what to leave in or take out, where to put the horizon, etc., but I also find that seeing the shapes in the value studies is helping me think shapes, not things, in the painting, which I hope will lead me to think more about color choices and paint and brush handling.
These two little paintings based on the drawings got a little too wet, especially the bottom one. But I'm learning to live with it!
(5x7)

(5x7)


Which brings me to one of my favorite poems from the collection What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop:


Learn to live
with yourself

most
never do

Then learn to live
with one another

even fewer
manage this

Then--if you ever
live long enough--

learn to live
with everything else.

-- by Cid Corman
Posted by Picasa

10 comments:

A Brush with Color said...

What wise words, Laura! And what fabulous paintings! You are so good at doing all the things one is supposed to do--the value studies/sketches, etc. I admire that so much about you. And you do it so successfully. I love these two--and I kind of like that wet second one! It's less "controlled," but so loose and wet and lovely.

Laura Trevey said...

Laura, your paintings are so fresh and inspiring! I am so flattered and honored that you would want one of my prints!

William Evertson said...

Your suggestions about tone studies are spot on. Plus I enjoyed the poem because I think it's so true that we we relate to others well only after we learn to live with our selves.

Teresa said...

Thanks for the reminder about tone studies.... I needed that!

Lindsay said...

Good words! And you have captured the returning light beautifully!

Sharon said...

Make value study first. Make value study first. I'm going to make that my mantra. It really does help. I particularly like the first painting.

Charlene Brown said...

The inner glow that wall in the second painting developed from being "a little too wet" looks (to me) like light reflected up from the sunlit grass. Hope you remember how you achieved that next time you want to bouce some light onto a shadow.

Deepa Gopal said...

Nicely said with a beautiful picture... :)

Anonymous said...

I particularly like the first one. As you say, you have managed to see shapes more than detail. The colors are more defined in the first painting, which gives it more vibrancy. Love the subject.
Jean

Marva Plummer-Bruno said...

Oh I love these! They just glow with light! Marva