valentine

A virtual valentine for you - peace and love!

Family Show

Yesterday I attended the opening reception for the Family Show at Oregon Society of Artists. This is my first show as a new member! I brought in two landscapes and a little figure by John. She's called "Little Egypt", if you remember the song about a dancer "wearing nothing but a button and a bow"....

The Family Show runs through March 4th. For more information, see www.oregonsocietyofartists.com.

Guy Stuff

At Hipbone Studio on Saturday we had a male model. Lucky for me, it was not too crowded because some people do not prefer male models. I like to draw guys, and women, old and young, all shapes and sizes! Scott, our model, had great energy and acting ability, and some nifty props like sunglasses and headphones.

Getting Loose

No, they're not loose women, I'm working on getting loose in terms of brushstroke techniques, based on "A Proven Strategy for Creating Great Art" by Dan McCaw. The idea is to soften edges, look for shapes of planes, suggest detail. I did a copy of a ballerina by McCaw with similar colors, then redid a painting based on Gustav Klimt and a sketch I made from a live model. It is tempting to render all the details in a portrait, but I like the softer look of getting loose.

A pair of squashes

I've been painting still lives while the cold outside is uninviting and discovered that any subject matter can teach you something when you really see. The first squash that I painted (there is a huge pile of them from last summer's garden) looked funny, so I carefully counted the lobes. I had painted nine and there were ten, five pairs radiating out from a central pentagon. Then I looked at the other squashes and they all had ten sections. Who knew? Sploches of color look random until you begin to see the pattern. I find veggies beautiful as well as good to eat, so expect more!

Sunflowers at Matthew's Galleries

"Summer Sensation" is the title of these sunflowers I painted last summer at Sauvie Island. It is a nice reminder of warmth, especially today, anticipating snow. This painting will be on display and for sale at Matthew's Galleries in Lake Oswego for "CompeteART 2011". If you go, you can vote for my painting. The opening is Saturday, January 22, 2:00-6:00. There are prizes for popularity, with $1,000 for first place! For more information, see www.matthewsgalleries.com.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I wish I could say that I spotted this pair of Canada Lynx kittens hidden in a tree during one of my walks, but it was a photo that I spotted, and could not resist. In fact, I find most cats hard to resist! Cats are hard to photograph, except when asleep, which is most of the time. So I'm thankful for the photographer who happened by at such an opportune time to capture these two! Expect more animal paintings in the future, along with still lives, human figures and landscapes.