paintalong

                                8x8

Painted this on a paint along with Cynthia Armstrong online at Winslow Art Center.

The paint along was free, one of many generally 1-hour-long classes over 3 days; they're all free and introduce you to the WAC instructors. The classes are recorded, and remain free, if you want to check them out.

WAC has some great instructors and classes and they're very well produced, still, a lot of the prices are high for me. But you can buy 2 months of access to the recordings of some of the classes for only $40. 

studies

                               6x8

Well these are a mess but I had (some) fun. Leafed through a couple of books of JS Sargent paintings and tried to make little copies. All way too wet; I'll try to be more patient next time.

classwork

                            10x12

Trying to keep it loose but I wasn't able to pull anything special out of it.

Below are the small, 5x7, studies I did to try to get ready.

drawings

i really enjoy drawing with a Micron or Sharpie pen: I just start somewhere and keep going, even if there are mistakes. It's pretty relaxing!

classwork

                                 8x8

Homework for my interiors class.

I think I made it too small, got a little fussy. I like the subject to and may do it bigger.

classwork

                            8x11

Three of my cats. Probably watching a squirrel!

Painted wet in wet, with some details added when it dried.

classwork

.                             10x12

These are in reverse order. Below is my first sketch. The top one is my last try; it got very wet, but it is my favorite because it's the only one that shows a patch of light in the distance between the two shores.

.                            5x7

found still life

My friend Gina invited me to dinner and I loved the look of all the things on her counter.

The colors were great too. So I hope to paint this.

glass ornaments

                             7x11

Jo MacKenzie, who you can find on YouTube, does the most amazing paintings of glass Christmas tree balls.

It's been a few years since I even attempted them ... But I tried on last night.

It wouldn't be too bad-- though it's a far cry from Jo's!--if I hadn't kind of lost track of the drawing.

I saw a bird at my birdbath yesterday that I never saw before. He was heartstoppingly beautiful! I didn't know what he was, but I knew he was a warbler, probably. I consulted a couple of field guides and I'm almost certain he was a black throated blue warbler. 

I hope he comes back so I can get another look!

                              8x8

Another from my Molly Hashimoto class.

classwork

         8x12 moleskine, 2 page spread

.     7x11 stillman & birn, 2 page spread

.                             5x7

I signed up for a 3- hour sketchbook class with Molly Hashimoto at Winslow Art Center, where I take a lot of great classes.

Molly's sketches are really beautiful: fresh and colorful.

The reference photos she provided for us were of Yosemite and other places out west. I have to add Yosemite to my list of places I want to go to paint!

classwork

                               8x6

An exercise in the interiors class I took with Susan Greenstein. Tonight was our last class. There were only three sessions but I feel like I learned a lot; I enjoyed Susan's exercises and her demos.

One of the best things for me was realizing there are "interior" subjects everywhere! I used to think an interior had to be, idk, picturesque? Cozy chair, pretty lamp, Victorian wallpaper ... Not so. If I look around I can find something to paint.

classwork

                            8x10

A couple of flower paintings from my expressive watercolor class that I wish were more expressive.

It's weird how you can get caught up in trying to replicate what you're looking at even when that's not what you want.

In my case I wonder if it isn't because no matter how unhappy I may be the results, that's the process I'm comfortable with. 

If I were actually to get expressive I'd have to go somewhere I'd be uncertain.

plein air

in the order I painted them, small studies of the bay, late afternoon, low tide.

classwork

.                              9x16

Homework for one of my classes. I'm not sure I understood the assignment! And these probably aren't "done," but they were due ... Curious to find out what my teacher says!

still life

                                  7.5x11

I love these two little jugs I picked up at secondhand stores. 

Had to go back in several times to get the darks, but I think it's done now.

interiors

                                12x8

This week in my interiors class we worked on using complements.

This painting of two of my cats, Gilly and Sansa, was painted using blue and orange. And a touch of yellow and pink.

And below a yellow and purple painting from a photo I took in a restaurant.

Hoping to get a red and green painting done, but that is the pair I have the most trouble with.

                           8x14

interiors

                              7x11

Homework for my interiors class with Susan Greenstein.

Tried to keep it simple and painted fast.

And, below, a quick painting done in class, using cobalt blue and transparent orange. The drawing could be better.

And I cropped out the bookcases-- you didn't know they were bookcases, right?-- because they're not readable.

From where I was standing, I couldn't see the base of the shelves, but if I do this again, I'll be more careful to draw the"box" the books are in.

oyster shells

.                             10x14

I scattered some oyster shells, a mix from NJ and ME, and drew them where they landed. A good strategy for me as I often feel that when I arrange things, they are too arranged.

And, below, a quick drawing in my sketchbook of a street in Nairn, Scotland.
.  

sketches

An assortment of little, 5x7, sketches.

classwork

                                                                         10x14

Trying to get soft feathery edges painting wet in wet. Like the edge at the top of the mountain: amazingly difficult. Must have the right wetness on the paper and on the brush; the right amount of paint; the right timing. Maybe the weather matters.

Even if I practiced, and I will, and got better at it, could be possible, I have a feeling it's the kind of thing I'll never be able to replicate on demand; will always be a "happy accident."

Below are my first two attempts.