The Red Hat

An artist never really finishes his work, he merely abandons it.

Paul Valery


I have had these "hat drawings" sitting in my studio for several weeks now. The other night they caught my eye and I decided to give them a little pizzaz by coloring in the hats. Valery's comment is right on ~ in an artist's eye, the work is never finished. There's always one more thing to do. Or at least one more thing to try.

Sunflowers 7

A Bouquet

I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.
Henry David Thoreau

Tonight I visited these flowers ~ not sure where this one is going.

The Steward 4

Clothes and manners do not make the man; but, when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance.
Henry Ward Beecher

Today I worked on giving the jacket sleeves more dimension. Surprisingly, the photograph I'm working from makes the entire figure look flat ~ perhaps the steward was standing in direct sunlight. Anyway, I'm taking an artistic license and adding some deeper shadows to give the painting more depth. I also changed the hue of the red cuffs ~ was a little too purple for my taste. I like the idea of painting figures from the back and am on the lookout for some other occupations that would be good subjects.

The Lipstick

Is dishwater dull? Naturalists with microscopes have told me that it teems with quiet fun.
G. K. Chesterton


Today I organized my studio. What sounds like a dull job was actually very fun. I didn't organize my paints and brushes and my "hazardous chemicals" ~ but I did organize all the projects I've had sitting around for months. Now I know what needs framing, what needs, varnishing, what needs finishing, and, sadly, what just needs to be put down. Anyway, this little painting is going on a new page I hope to add to my web site. I'm going to be posting small (very small) paintings for sale. Duane Keiser a very well known artist from Virginia began a "painting a day" craze on the internet. I love following his works! At any rate, while I won't be able to produce a painting a day I am hoping to be disciplined enough to get a few new paintings up and on the web every week. Keep posted!

Evening Sunset

Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.
Oscar Wilde

This painting was originally going to be a ship in the middle of the ocean. It is now on its way to being a picture of the sun setting at the Wakodahatchee Preserve. A beautiful place to take an evening stroll, Wakodatchee is the home to herons, ducks, turtles, alligators and a whole assortment of other wildlife. A boardwalk winds its way among several lakes dotted with small islands. At dusk white herons come from far and wide to claim a sleeping spot for the night. Its one of my favorite places to visit and fortunately is very close to my home. Anyway, this painting has a long way to go ~ am debating about adding a few ducks or leaving it as a simple landscape. We'll see.

The Pear

He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.
Proverbs 15:15


After working on and off this pear for several months I finally decided to lighten the background and darken the bottom of the tablecloth. Using the same palette for both sections of the painting really pulls it all together. Unfortunately, the stem seems to disappear into the background so I'm going to have to go back and darken it considerably. I also think the perspective is off as there is too much of the table top visible and the ribbon on the right is coming out too high ~ adding a bit of abstract to the overall composition. Almost done!

The Bride and Groom

Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery


This is a drawing I recently completed of my daughter and son-in-law. I worked from a photograph they particularly like that was taken on their wedding day. At first I wasn't happy with this pose because their eyes are downcast. But now, after working on it for several weeks, I love it. The quote above captures their relationship perfectly. They are remarkably suited for each other and very much in love. I think this drawing captures that and also reflects how happy they are together.

Sunflowers 6

Exuberance is beauty.
William Blake

This painting will never be finished but I don't care. It's so fun to work on. Every time I look at it I see another place I want to fuss with.

The Steward 3

I have noticed that nothing I never said ever did me any harm.
Calvin Coolidge

Finally, a politician after my own heart! Am I the only one tired of all this politcal yakking? Anyway, here stands my silent steward who obviously thinks the same way as President Coolidge. I've worked a considerable amount of time on his hands and finally came to an interesting conclusion. Even though his left hand looks very much like the photograph I'm working from, it doesn't really have enough dimension. I need to darken the shadows, particularly on the side of the hand to give it more depth. Other than that, I think he's coming along nicely.

Quick Sketches

Man arrives as a novice at each age of his life.
Sebastien Chamfort

When I came across this quote I felt a divine sense of relief. Suddenly I realized it's okay not to know exactly what to do next or where to go with things. I've always felt as if each day was a new beginning but with that new beginning comes an uncertainty. Each day is a new path ~ a new adventure. Albeit unknown, just to be aware of one's future potential is a magnificent gift. In this sense we are all beginners. Anyway, above are two quick charcoal sketches I made ~ one a young girl just starting out, the other a woman who has been around the block a few times. Each one, though, is just stepping out again for the first time. I love doing these quick sketches, not just trying to capture movement but trying to capture a sense of anticipation and expectation in the figure.

The Steward 2

Silence is as full of potential wisdom and wit as the unhewn marble of great sculpture.
Aldous Huxley


After an unscheduled and lengthly break I am back at my easel! What a wonderful place to be. Anyway, I decided to get to work again on the steward so all day as I've been painting, I have been wondering what stewards, waiters, doormen, taxi cab drivers, hair stylists, manicurists, (you get the idea) actually think about as they go about their jobs. I can just imagine they hear and see all kinds of things but eventually aren't shocked by much. I do think they can't help but become wiser as they observe life close up. And yet, they're paid not to share their wisdom but to just comment on the weather. We used to live in a doorman building and I often thought how sick the poor fellow must be of passing the time of day with each one of us when he probably really wanted to tell us how he thought we should be solving our problems.

Anyway, I think this painting is starting to take shape. At first working with just shades of gray, it doesn't seem like it's going anywhere but then the folds and shadows start to appear. It's still got a long way to go but today's work provided lots of definition.

Hats 3

Gossip is when you hear something you like about someone you don't.
Earl Wilson


I'm not quite sure if this woman just said it or just heard it, but she's definitely in possession of some very juicy information. And with that hat it's all about to take wing!

The Steward

One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.
G. K. Chesterton

I have done this particular painting before on a 4" x 5" canvas (see it on my website). This time I'm doing a much larger version ~ 16" x 20". I love the colors and the composition. Recently, we saw a wonderful movie called Up the Yangtze. It was about one of the final voyages of a cruise ship up a part of the Yangtze that was going to become flooded after a new dam was built. Rather than a documentary about the building of the dam, or a simple cinematic recording of the river and surrounding countryside, the movie delved into the lives of the peasants that were going to be flooded out, contrasting them to the lives of the passengers on the cruise ship. What do people who are in service to others really think of those they serve? This unforgettable movie will open one's eyes in many ways ~ I highly recommend it.

As I made a quick sketch, it occurred to me that this figure clearly demonstrates how a painting is composed of a group of forms. Without the hands this is almost an abstract work. Only with shading and softening of edges will the figure begin to take on dimension.

On My Easel 2

Happiness is essentially a state of going somewhere, wholeheartedly, one-directionally, without regret or reservation.
William H. Sheldon

Venice! I followed Sheldon's advice and found he was right on. Right now I am spending all of my free time doing genealogy. No matter how hard I search I cannot find any Italian ancestors. This is very frustrating as I love all things Italian and am convinced that since my mother's maiden name was an Italian one, I must have a few drops of Italian blood in my veins. Anyway, I am enjoying working on this little painting of a canal in Venice. There's a lot more detail to go in but it's coming along.

At Sea

The fly ought to be used as the symbol of impertinence and audacity; for whilst all other animals shun man more than anything else, and run away even before he comes near them the fly lights upon his very nose.

Arthur Schopenhauer

I just finished watching the entire first season of Lost. In the final episode three men and a young boy take off from the island on a funky little raft they've built. When they set sail the beach is filled with desperate well-wishers waving them off. For several minutes there is no dialogue only rousing music and spectacular footage of the raft surmounting the incoming tide and setting out on the open sea. What unbelievable courage and yet, what unbelievable nerve. I've decided to paint a picture of a boat on the water, but first I painted just the water and the sky. Now, if you look again at the painting above you can appreciate the vastness of the ocean and the sky ~ there is no clear end of one or beginning of the other. And without the boat as a reference, it's impossible to tell how large an area you're actually looking at. That's creation ~ tiny, immense, unfathomable, and yet, man ventures out into it everyday. Wow.

On My Drawing Board 2

A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains.
Dutch proverb

Whoever came up with the above saying must have been an artist ~ particularly one who drew. After the initial sketch is made, the key to making a proper drawing is taking one's time. I always like to start at the top and work my way down in the beginning just so the back of my hand doesn't smear too much of my work. Of course, this is just the first of many shadings I'll do but it's good to get an idea of where the lights and darks are going to be in the final version. Slow and steady, she goes.

Hats 2

I have heard with admiring submission the experience of the lady who declared that the sense of being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquility, which religion is powerless to bestow.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here's another hat from the 1920's. This lady is so tranquil inside she looks like ice ~ such confidence!

Deep Thoughts

There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.

Washington Irving

This is another painting that's been sitting in the corner for months and months waiting for attention. She's got a lot on her mind. Although she looks totally lost in thought, in my mind she looks like she could jump up and act on what's troubling her any second. Something's wrong ~ even if she doesn't have a solution yet though, she's capable of taking immediate action. She's open to be led by what her woman's intuition might tell her to do.

This is a very small painting so I'm going to have to spend a lot of time on the tiny details of her face. Her foot I'm leaving alone!

Mixed Bouquet

A work of art is a corner of creation seen through a temperament.
Emile Zola

My critic brought me a huge bouquet of flowers the other day ~ the inspiration for this painting. While I usually labor over each stroke I thought I would attempt a more impressionistic style this time. This initial painting certainly went much faster than starting with a detailed drawing. There's still much to be done here but I am enjoying the process very much ~ it's a nice alternative to the current work I'm doing in the Sunflowers. These flowers look nothing like the flowers sitting on my kitchen counter. As a matter of fact, I didn't even bring the bouquet into the studio. I just painted the beauty of the gift of them that was in my mind's eye. They made me happy.

Hats

Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess.
Edna Woolman Chase

While I may agree with the above statement, it's my opinion that certain fashion trends do lead to a greater presence of style. Take hats, for example. Hats always make one more stylish, or more mysterious, or more sexy, or more sophisticated, or more demure. How sad that they are no longer part of our everyday attire. I've, therefore, decided to do a series of drawings of hats from the 1920's just because I wish I had a closet full of them.

Simplicity

Most of us think ourselves as standing wearily and helplessly at the center of a circle bristling with tasks, burdens, problems, annoyances, and responsibilities which are rushing in upon us. At every moment we have a dozen different things to do, a dozen problems to solve, a dozen strains to endure. We see ourselves as overdriven, overburdened, overtired. This is a common mental picture and it is totally false. No one of us, however crowded his life, has such an existence. What is the true picture of your life? Imagine that there is an hour glass on your desk. Connecting the bowl at the top with the bowl at the bottom is a tube so thin that only one grain of sand can pass through it at a time. That is the true picture of your life, even on a super busy day. The crowded hours come to you always one moment at a time. That is the only way they can come. The day may bring many tasks, many problems, strains, but invariably they come in a single file. You want to gain emotional poise? Remember the hourglass, the grains of sand dropping one by one.
James Gordon Gilkey

At the beginning of the yoga classes I take, we are always reminded to live in the moment ~ to be aware of our breath. In other words, to keep it simple. That's what I try to do in some of my paintings. It's not that I'm tired of the sunflowers ~ really. This painting has been sitting in the corner of my studio for quite a while now ~ almost finished ~ and today just seemed like a good day to slow down and appreciate the simplicity and beauty of one small sugar bowl.

The Backward Glance 6

The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.
George Bernard Shaw


The above quote by George Bernard Shaw captures exactly the message I want this painting to convey. The man is obviously totally unaware that the woman's mind and heart are somewhere else. You can read it in his stance ~ this guy has got bigger fish to fry than to bother with her. And you can also read her dilemma in her stance. She's wrestling ~ should I stay or go?

Today I added more shadows to the clothing and drapes, tightened up some edges and worked a little more on her face. Next time I'll give more depth to the sky and more texture to the wall. And then there's that pesky floor!

An Italian Villa

No house should ever be on a hill, or on anything. It should be of the hill. Hill and house should live together, each the happier for the other.
Frank Lloyd Wright

I think Mr. Wright would have been very happy with how the architect worked with the builder in placing this house within nature. We were walking on the path on the left hand side of the painting when we turned the corner and saw this beautiful, old home. Anyway, I posted about this painting back in the end of April. The original house is stucco and actually resembles more of the right hand side of the painting. Even though it's a beautiful building I thought it needed a little more interest so I made the left side appear more rough. I had intended to come back and do the same to the right side but have decided that I like the contrast. Wonder who lives there.

Sunflowers7

The painting rises from the brushstrokes as a poem rises from the words. The meaning comes later.
Joan Miro


I'm not complaining about how long this painting is taking ~ I'm really not. There's just so much to see here and so many details to fuss over. There are a few places that I've barely begun to address and others that I've spent a lot of time on. I think it's really starting to pop now which is really fun to see. Slowly, slowly, brushstroke by brushstroke, it's coming to life. And, I'm enjoying it's company more and more.

White Tulilps 7

Rembrandt painted about 700 pictures ~ of these, 3,000 are in existence.
Wilhelm Bode

Today I spent quite a bit of time on the White Tulips ~ deepening the shadows, tightening up the edges, and painting the red apple and ribbon. I am still nervous with watercolor. Oils are just so much more forgiving. Last week when I organized my studio, I gessoed over a couple of old oil paintings that just weren't going anywhere. Maybe that's where Rembrandt's 2,300 paintings are ~ under the ones hanging in museums around the world. Anyway, that's not an option with a watercolor. Once something is put down, it's there for good. At times, I find the process tedious, at other times, it's almost like meditating.

On My Drawing Board

It is dangerous to let the public behind the scenes. they are easily disillusioned and then they are angry with you, for it was the illusion they loved.
W. Somerset Maugham

Whenever I show my work to people inevitably I hear comments such as "Oh, how do you do that? I can't even draw a straight line." Or "you must have been born knowing how to draw." Or "I'd love to be able to draw but I just don't have any talent." Well, while I'm flattered that some people may think I have talent, it's my belief that everybody can draw. Maybe some can draw better than others ~ but everybody can draw. The problem is most people don't have the patience to do it. To get the basic proportions down for this new drawing of a sailor took me well over an hour. This is the critical part ~ getting the shape and form down on paper. There aren't that many lines involved. One has to spend the time carefully measuring distances and judging critically for correct placement Without this foundation the drawing won't be successful. But once done properly the rest of the drawing flows easily. Then it just becomes a matter of getting the right tones down to create depth. There's no secret to a good drawing ~ it just needs to be coddled.

On My Easel

Have a place for everything and keep the things somewheres else. That is not advice, it is merely custom.
Mark Twain

Since two of the five original projects I began for this blog are now finished, I have decided to start posting some of the other things I am working on. This is a small painting of a canal in Venice. I am (was) working from a photograph of an old etching. Last week I spent a couple of days cleaning out and organizing my studio ~ right down to sharpening every pencil. Today when I went to my source file the photograph I needed wasn't there. Oh well, since the etching was, of course, in black and white I was on my own for the color anyway. One of my art teachers told me that it's really important to get the basics on the canvas right off the bat so if you lose what you're working from it won't matter that much. I guess he read Mark Twain too.

The Backward Glance 6

When women go wrong, men go right after them.
Mae West


The above quote has little to do with the work I did today except maybe I think she's about to "go wrong." I started putting in the facial features and have decided to make it appear as if she's making eye contact with the viewer. As you stand looking at the painting the idea is to feel as if you are the one she's communicating with ~ you're the one that's in on the secret. To add to that feeling of mystery, I'm working on making the draperies even darker and heavier. I want the viewer to feel as if he's standing in the shadows having just arrived at the most awkward moment and yet unable to look away.

The painting of the bouquet is something I've been working off and on for awhile and have just finished. It's a small canvas ~ 8" x 10" ~ and was a nice change to work on when I would get tired of wrestling with the big canvas I'm using for The Backward Glance.

Sunflowers 6

In creating, the only hard thing's to begin; a grass -blade's no easier to make than an oak.
James Russell Lowell


I'm pretty sure there's a kazillion pedals in this painting and I'm happy with maybe two of them. That said, painting each one ~ teasing out its shape and form, giving it depth, mixing just the right color ~ brings me so much joy. Lowell's observation implies that a blade of grass is every bit as complicated and miraculous as an oak tree. He's got that right! I don't know how many more hours I will put into this painting ~ it's one of those that are really difficult to look at and say "Done!" ~ but, that's okay. The hard part's finished ~ I began it.

White Tulilps 6

Until I saw Chardin's painting, I never realized how much beauty lay around me in my parents' house, in the half-cleared table, in the corner of a tablecloth left awry, in the knife beside the empty oyster shell.
Marcel Proust

These pieces of fabric came out of my old quilting bin ~ the flowers are artificial bought at a craft store ~ and the vase is an old milk bottle we found in the attic of our old house in Baltimore. Nothing fancy or expensive here. But when I look at this painting, it reminds me of happy hours at my sewing machine, shopping trips with my sister, and the house where I raised my girls. To me it's one of the most beautiful paintings I've done so far even though there's still quite a bit left to do. That's what a piece of art should do ~ speak to your heart.

The Backward Glance 5

Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Well, if the above quote has any truth to it, this young couple is in deep trouble. She obviously is not interested in what he's looking at, and he doesn't appear as if he's even noticed he's lost her. At any rate, I've started darkening up the curtains while still allowing the red tones to come through. I also darkened the top of the sky while keeping the bottom lighter to make it appear as if light is being reflected up from below. My critic suggested a dark green for the dress and while I'm happy with the bottom velvet skirt I'm thinking of making the top a much paler green the next time. And then, there's still the floor! I think it just needs one tiny adjustment to be in alignment but I'm not going to correct it until I'm absolutely sure. By the way, working on this huge canvas has turned into quite a challenge. Today I took it out on the porch and worked kneeling in front of it. I had all my tubes of paint spread around me and unfortunately knelt on an open tube of green. I didn't realize it until my toe slid into something squishy ~ a half of tube of paint smeared on my drop cloth. By the time I got what little I could save into a baggy I looked like a leprechaun. Maybe it's time for a bigger easel.

Sunflowers 5

Hasten slowly.
Augustus Caesar

My goodness there are a lot of pedals and leaves in this painting! I have gone over the entire painting twice now cleaning up lines, adding shadows and highlights. Each time I get close to finishing a "go-through" I start to speed up, resulting in work that I'm not happy with. It's going to take a lot of tightening up so each time I start again, I'm going to start in a new place. At the top is a detail of the corner that's gotten a little more attention than the rest ~ still a long, long way to go.

Russian Girl Finished

Do not show your wounded finger, for everything will knock up against it.
Baltasar Gracian


From the moment I saw this little girl's picture I knew she had seen things she wasn't meant to see. Although her clothes lead me to believe she was from a well-to-do family, living her early years in a war torn country clearly left its mark on her face. As I mentioned when I started this drawing, I have no idea who she is or where she is now. She just looks, though, that she learned early on to hide her wounded finger. Beneath the fancy dress and shiny ribbon, I think beat the heart of a strong and courageous little lady. I'm going to miss working on her.

Key West Rooster ~ Finished

Painting, n: the art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather and exposing them to the critic.

Ambrose Bierce



Here's the original photograph of the the Key West Rooster that I worked from. I really enjoyed working on this painting as it brought back memories of visiting my Grandmother's house on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. My Mom often spoke of being sent out into the backyard when she was a little girl to catch a chicken and kill it for dinner. Aren't we all thankful to Frank Purdue?

At any rate, I'm going to set this aside for about six months and then come back and give it a coat of varnish. Although the composition makes the painting appear rectangular it is actually 24" x 24". Hope you enjoyed seeing the progress. I'll be coming up with a new project to take its place.

White Tulips 5

The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure is occupation.
George Bernard Shaw


Today I was very happily occupied working on this watercolor. However, it will be a long time before I attempt another one like this. Usually not until the third or fourth session does it become necessary to really start tackling fine detail. Due to the unforgiving nature of watercolor, however, these miniature prints needed to be outlined pretty carefully the very first time.

I was getting a little concerned that the tulips were disappearing into the print, but now I've decided that that's exactly what I want to happen. When I set up the still-life in my studio they got lost in all the fabric and became part of the overall composition. The title of the painting is misleading ~ I should have called it something else. Well, let's be honest here. You've probably noticed the outline of the red (!) apple. Maybe I'll change the title to Adam's Downfall.

The Backward Glance 4

Today I decided to work on the soldier's uniform so I squeezed out some black, grey, and white paint. All I wanted to do was paint a dark outfit. Not as easy as one might think.

"One of the most difficult things to do is to paint darkness which nonetheless has light in it."
Vincent van Gogh

Anyway, I've made a start and am actually not that unhappy with it. I couldn't resist adding the red pom-pom to the hat. That's the red I'm hoping to sell it with ~ not the curtains which I intend to tone way down at a later point.

There's also the question of what color to make the dress since I'm working from a black and white picture ~ something to contrast nicely with the black uniform but also something that's not going to fade into the balcony wall. Right now not just the curtains but the sky and the white in the floor are way too bright. Hopefully, after they're all toned down a bit, a lighter color for the dress will work. This is definitely a special night and a special place so the dress has to be especially fancy even if she's not happy to be there. What is she looking at?

This past weekend I came across a very interesting website that claims, among other things, that every painting should tell a story. If you are a big fan of modern art don't go near this site ~ if you're not this one is for you ~ http://www.artrenewal.org

Sunflowers 4

I've always wanted to paint portraits. To me the human face is the most beautiful thing in the world. However, I've always been intimidated by the complexity involved ~ not just the physical form but the emotional component that's a part of every face. While I was working on the sunflowers today I came to realize that they are faces as well ~ each one with it's own unique personality, each manifesting it's individuality. Henry Ward Beecher says it better than I can ~ "Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men or animals. Some seem to smile, some have a sad expression, some are pensive and diffident, others again are plain honest and upright." I'm still a long way from getting all the facial expressions even close on these beautiful flowers but I do feel I'm getting to know each one a little better.

Russian Girl 4

If children grew up according to early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses.
Goethe




I spent the better part of today staring at this little girl's face. She has such depth to her eyes. This kid knows things! Anyway, while I think I'm just about finished with the ribbon, hair, and dress I want to come back and put some finishing touches on the face. It needs a little more modeling to give it more dimension. That's the problem I've found with drawing children ~ no wrinkles or facial hills and valleys to give the drawing depth. Of course it could be I'm just not ready to tell her good-bye.

Key West Rooster 4

Slow down. Take long looks at everything. Single many things out for grateful consideration.
Marcina Wiederkehr

If you could understand a single grain of wheat you would die of wonder.
Martin Luther

I have reached the point now with this painting where I am checking details. They are, of course, countless. But the more I fuss with it, the more little dabs I put here and there, the more alive not just the rooster, but the whole composition, becomes. Its why I love to paint ~ it makes me slow down and see. When I walked out of my first painting class, I literally stood in the parking lot and looked at the world around me like I had never seen it before. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was right on when he claimed "God is in the details." I will probably only visit this painting a couple of more times but it would be just as easy to come back to it a thousand times.
I like "seeing" that much.

White Tulips 4

Victor Martinez is one of my favorite watercolor artists. Born in Peru he now lives and works in Arizona. Whenever I get discouraged painting with watercolors, which is practically every time I attempt to work with them, I visit his website at http://www.victormartinez.com. His website alone is a work of art and well worth taking a look. Anyway, today I added the striped fabric and the small piece of maroon velvet. This is truly tedious work because of the intricacy of the prints. But maybe the prints are why I am so drawn to Martinez' s work ~ his work depicting Peruvian native costumes is magnificent. Look at his stuff today ~ not mine.

The Backward Glance 3

One of the many painting secrets Kevin Raines, my first painting instructor, shared with me is that if you want a painting to sell put some red in it. Ever since Kevin told me this I have looked for that dash of red in every painting I see. It's almost always there. Furthermore, to my amazement, even elephants are aware of this fact. If you don't believe me google You Tube and search for "elephant painting self-portrait" ~ sure enough, the big guy sells it with a red flower. He's got a pretty good handle on perspective as well which is more than I can say for myself. My critic says my floor adds a touch of surrealism to my painting. I say its still off. No matter, at this point, I'm just hoping to sell it with the red!

Sunflowers 3

In Thomas Moore's book The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life he
discusses cultivating the practice of trying to discern the "presence of an invisible personality" in order to bring enchantment to everyday places or things. Brush strokes visible on a canvas, according to Moore, provide a supreme model of the painter's imprint on his work. At a distance a painting is seen as one complete whole ~ only upon close examination do all the thousands of strokes made by the artist become apparent ~ the unique hand work of the artist becomes evident. Such thinking reminds me that although I am trying to become much more free with my painting that each time the brush hits the canvas both the color and the movement are important in conveying my interpretation of the composition.

The latest session with the Sunflowers was spent getting another transparent coat on the whole canvas with a little more attention paid to the upper left corner. While it is still fairly loose, I am also beginning to tighten up some edges. This painting is definitely going to take a lot of time but it is definitely one I am enjoying.

Russian Girl 3

Today I revisited the Russian Girl to finally give her some hair. The Strathmore charcoal paper I'm working on has some lovely grooves in it that work well for getting a realistic look. I also worked on her dress, particularly the elaborate collar. Charcoal drawing is one of my favorite mediums to work with. Once the basic lines are put down drawing becomes a song and dance of putting down and taking off color. I love that "aha moment" when lifting just a little color off the page produces dimension in the picture. That's why I've saved the best for last. The next time she and I meet again, I will hopefully give this little lady the cherub face she has in her photograph ~ little round pudgy cheeks, a button nose, and slightly pouty lips.