It is through color changes that we go forward...all decisions come about as the picture is made and in response to painterly demands.  The descriptive and anecdotal come second.

                  Wolf Kahn

      This painting has been sitting in the corner of my studio for quite a while now.  I made the tablecloth green thinking it would give the whole painting a warm, exotic feel.  I hated it.  That's why it sat in the corner for so long.  Every once in a while I would rework the pot.  Then I would put it back in the corner and consider giving up painting.  Then the other day in a reckless mood I succumbed to the idea of change.  I painted over the green making the tablecloth a traditional white.  I blued down the flowers a bit and realized once again the power color has on what we find appealing and what we find jarring.  There are still a few touches this one needs but it won't sit in the corner any more.

Final Boot Drawing

All art is based on observation, and this, in its time, must be disciplined to be of any value.  Vague recollections are of no value to the artist.  Know what you are looking for and why, and then record it.  Then look again, for what you missed.

              Van Waldron

      Well, I will never look at a pair of old shoes the same way!  The more I worked on these the more I realized how much character they had.  There is something very meditative about concentrating on something for a long time and really seeing it.  This drawing took about 7 hours to complete from start to finish.  There were lots of small details and quite a bit of value changes to deal with.  A great exercise in observing!

Boots Update

Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates.  There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.

              H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

          Well, the boot drawing above is really taking shape.  I have about 6 hours into this and think maybe one more session will finish it off.  It is so easy for me to put things aside and start something new ~ so many pictures to draw and paintings to paint!  However, at this point it is important to finish each piece in order to practice the fine points of value.  Now it is time to really look at these boots in the photograph and really see all the different gradations from lightest light to darkest dark.  Sharp eyes and sharp pencils!

Values

Learn to look at shapes and values, not things... switch over to the right brain's understanding of spatial relationships, instead of depending on the left brain technical skills.

               Laurel Weathersbee

        This past Friday I attended an open studio at Crealde Art School in Orlando.  Nineteen people crammed into one small space to take advantage of a great opportunity to work with a lovely model.  It was fascinating to walk around the room and see the different styles of work and the various techniques being employed ~ amazing what one can learn by watching someone else.  It was also a  great chance to try some of the things about value that I have been reading about in Juliette Aristedes' book.  There is a long way to go in developing my technique but I am starting to get the idea.  The open studio was only three hours so I worked on this a bit more after I got it home.  This coming week I will go again but there will be a different model ~ am anxious to try again.  Maybe I will even be able to do that switch Ms. Weathersbee is talking about!