Out of shape

Today I went into the studio with every intention of creating a masterpiece. Armed with all my new skills and props I spent at least an hour trying to set up a still life. When I finally found one I liked I panicked since I'm out of practice from my holiday break. I decided to take one element of the still life and do some ten minute studies. I almost gave up in despair after the first two tries but I saw a glimmer of hope after the third and after the last one I felt a bit better. I think I'll exercise again tomorrow.

I'm Back!

6x6 oil on panel click here to bid

I can't believe it's only been 2 weeks since the workshop, it seems like months ago. I haven't painted since I returned although I was aching to go into my studio and lock the door and paint and just ignore all the holiday commotion. But then I read a post by fellow artist Raymond Logan, who takes time off from painting during the holidays, and doesn't feel a bit bad about it. Artists need vacations too, and since the holidays are the only time when all my almost grown up kids are together, I think I will make it a yearly tradition and shut the studio door until the festivities are over. Less stress that way. I spent the better part of today cleaning my studio and trying to make some semblence of organization. When I was about 90 percent done, I couldn't take it anymore, the unfinished rubber ducky painting was shouting at me to be finished. Here it is in all its glory, It was only half done at the workshop, and I knew it would be tough to pick up where I left off, but it's the one thing I wanted complete from my time there. The cup originally had a handle that I just couldn't figure out, so I just eliminated it all together. tee hee. When I set up this composition, I just loved the way it looked like the mama duck was coming in from the side to chastise her baby for his little antics....the photo is a bit washed out since I used my phone, it's a terrible habit I need to quickly break.....

Get found, kid!

One of my favorite authors of all time is Robert Fulghum who wrote All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. His books are a collection of stories and anecdotes written in a very comical and thoughtful way. One of the stories in his book was about watching the neighborhood kids play hide and seek, and he reflected on the one kid that hid too well. After awhile, the rest of the kids "seeking" grew tired, and stopped looking for him. They weren't having any fun.

At the workshop this week I had a small epiphany as I was standing at my easel (which is surprising since I was weak with laughter every other minute from some of the antics of the other artists)....I spent the first 40 something years of my life "hiding" from who I really was, putting on pretend faces not just in my personality but in my art as well. I painted things that were boring and safe, composed in a lackluster way. My personality was not coming through in the choices in my art, I was "hiding" too well....... I didn't understand until now why there wasn't any "seekers". When giving the lesson on creating a composition in class today, Carol emphasized that our art and composition should be something we are really excited about, or why bother? I realized that the particular items I set up were the safe ones, but what I really wanted to paint was the rubber ducky. So I did. While it certainly isn't my best painting I've ever done, I can say for certain it is the one I am most excited about. Get Found Kid!

Day 2 Carol Marine Workshop

For some reason my blog posts didn't post when I was at the workshop so here's one from day 2.

Even though it's only the second day of the workshop i feel like I've learned more in two days than in two years.....Carol uses a limited palette and I've been using only the same colors and I have found that her methods and palette make for much cleaner paintings and simpler decisions when painting.....after the 5th ten minute challenge today, I had my "ah ha" moment.....and finally saw what she was trying to teach us.....An added bonus is the great group of women and 2 men in our group, I've made some lifelong friends already...Lauri,Pamalonngabingbong, Trish the Dish, and Calamity Jane to name a few......

The above is from the 10 minute challenge she had us do....we did 5 in all of the same object and this one is my 5th and my best. I have to admit I was frustrated with the first 3 and didn't feel like I was making progress, but by the 4th and 5th time I was a believer.

Carol Marine Workshop!

My first daily painting January 1, 2011

nfs

Just arrived in Aurora, Illinois for the Carol Marine workshop I signed up for months ago! What a perfect conclusion to my first year of "Daily Painting". Last New Years Eve when my family did our annual "bucket list" of things to try to do over the course of the year, I decided I wanted to give glass fusing a break and give painting a whirl, and do it daily (as much as is humanly possible) Carol's blog and her and her husbands creation of the Daily Paintworks Challenges were pivitol in keeping me on task through the year, and the gift of this workshop from my ever-supportive fiance is priceless.....stay tuned in the coming year for lots of improvement in my art!!

Since I've been on the road and crazy busy the last few weeks not painting, It seems appropriate to post my first painting, painted on New Years this year.....I did not have proper materials or money to purchase them, but bought 3 canvases at walmart and acrylic paint with my last $10....not enough for brushes, so believe it or not, this is a "finger painting" For all of you that want to paint, trust me, everyone must start somewhere, and for me, it was to go back to my youth where I remembered painting for the first time ever in kindergarten with chocolate pudding! What fun!

Hmmm

Can't think of a crafty title for this post, I'm out of practice on blogging as of late.....I was sick for a week, then spent several weeks on a fundraiser (separate post necessary for that one), Thanksgiving, holiday shopping, etc etc.....so I've been completely off any kind of regimen for painting and it's making me anxious to say the least. I have found I am happiest when I am creating and when other things get in the way of that, I tend to get crabby. Hopefully I can re-focus and get back in the groove! I did manage to squeek out this little guy for my step-dad's 69th birthday. (sorry, poor pic from my phone and I sent it to him before taking a proper pic) He works for the Audobon society and this is one of the injured eagles that permanently resides there. I understand he hung it in his office :)