Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time.

                                                                    Albert Camus

Well, it is 2013 and a lot has been going on.  First of all the three paintings above are the ones I completed for my course at the Crealde Art School in Orlando.  While, of course, I think they could all three use a little tweaking it is almost time for another course to begin so I have been busy picking out subject matter for three more oils.  I like my paintings to have a bit of drama in them and I find strong contrasts help to bring that about.  One of the photos I have picked for the next session is mainly shades of brown so we will see how that works.

Another interesting project I have been working on is a drawing challenge started by Paul Foxton, an artist living outside of London.  I subscribe to Paul's emails which arrive sporadically with wonderful thoughts and lessons on the art of drawing.  Paul has managed to corral about 180 of his followers from around the world to join in a 30 day regular practice event.  We each are encouraged to draw every day and then post about how we are doing.  Today was day 10 and so far, so good.  I grab my sketch book every morning after I check the news and work on a few exercises.  It has been a lot of fun so far to keep up with people from places as far away as Australia, South Africa, and Scandinavia. 

Finally, I am working on a few pieces I hope to submit to the Orlando Museum of Art as a part of their First Thursday Member's Exhibit.  While strongly cautioned not to advertise that any work that is accepted is not to be misrepresented as work that is part of any other exhibit of the Orlando Museum of Art other than the Member's Exhibit, just to be accepted will be fine with me!

 

The flower is the poetry of reproduction.  It is the example of the eternal seductiveness of life.

                                                      Jean Giraudoux

      This painting has taken a long time to evolve.  I have a wonderful new teacher who suggested the shadow in the upper right hand corner.  What a nice dramatic touch!  I had a difficult time deciding on the value for the purple flowers in the front.  The photograph I was working from didn't have much depth at all and I really wanted the smaller flowers to really come out of the picture.  This may need a little more tweeking but for now I am setting it aside.

Courage is doing what you're afraid to do.  There can be no courage unless you're scared.

                    Eddie Rickenbacker


     Well, I finally got this bike on the ground.  Although it was my intent to have her be the main focus, the drawing just didn't look finished until she had some ground under her.  It was tempting to keep going and add some landscape but I think any more background would just detract from her.  I love her look of determination!  As far as technique within this drawing, smudging was a huge problem.  At a recent art show I saw a charcoal artist using some sort of contraption that allowed his arms and hands to rest on it yet allowed him to work easily.  I am on a hunt!

 As an artist grows older, he has to fight disillusionment and learn to establish the same relation to nature as an adult as he had when a child.

Charles Burchfield

Well, it is finally time on this one to add the flowers.  It is amazing to me to just contemplate one leaf ~ so intricate and so many different colors.  This is the fun part where I get to focus on the beauty of nature. 

                                              The Calm Before The Storm


The days come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from a distant friendly party, but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts they bring, they carry them as silently away.

                            Ralph Waldo Emerson 

 Although this painting needs a little more fine tuning it is already one of my favorites.  I love how the little church stands so proudly and so securely in spite of the terrible storm brewing behind it.  The trees and the wheat field also stand so serenely in the church's presence.  I will try to add a little more drama by putting some more shadows in the landscape but will try to hang on to that feeling of calmness.

                                                                       Morning Windowsill



No architecture can be truly noble which is not imperfect.

                                                                  John Ruskin


I have been working on this window and windowsill for quite awhile and haven't been happy with it.  This morning it was either do it or put it in the pile of "to be gessoed over" ~ maybe it was the art show I went to this weekend that inspired me but I am much happier with things now.  After letting this rest for awhile I will come back and put in the real focus of the painting ~ flowers!

 The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.

                                         Ralph Waldo Emerson


This is my latest drawing ~ although it needs some tweeking I have decided to leave her to ride her bike for awhile without me.