"NYC Subway": 16" x 20" Oil

My goal is to learn to paint fast, loose, and bold -- On that note, today, David Fox advised me to use bigger brushes, more paint, and 'just go for it'.

There's a lot of problems with this one -- proportions, values colors -- but it was good practice. Next week, I'll try again.

Study: "Mari": 16" x 20" Oil Portrait

Today's challenge: capture this lovely model in 2.5 hours. Re: composition, I wish that I placed her a little to the right, not dead center. I guess the key is to move things around early, when it's easy to make changes. But ultimately, the likeness was pretty good!

Two Day Drawing Marathon!

Here are a few drawings from David Fox's 2-day 'Drawing Marathon'.

Each day, we warmed up with 5-6 short poses, then did a series of exercises. The best part, for me, was working big and fast. It was a wonderful way to loosen up, and experiment.

Study: "Sandra, Two Ways" (16" x 20" Oil)

In Andrew Lattimore's life painting class, I got to paint our model Sandra twice.  I love her Mona Lisa smile:)

Over 4 weeks, I painted her portrait at right. In week 5,  I painted Sandra 'alla prima'. Here are both paintings, side by side.

3 Studies (16" x 20" Oil Portraits)

I'm in 2 different portrait classes, with very different approaches.

In one class, you have to work FAST ... one 2.5 hour session, and that's it! (examples above). I'm always rushing. In the other class, we have the same model pose for 5 weeks. That feels like too much time -- what I gain in accuracy, I lose in spontaneity!

Not too happy with these studies, but hopefully, with all this practice, eventually I'll improve.

"New York City After a Snowfall" - 12" x 12" Pastel

Here's a little scene I did, inspired by the winter weather, and my NYC friends posting online. There's something magical about NYC when it snows ... Even the slush is pretty (unless you have to walk to work in it!).

Oranges - 12" x 12" Pastel

I've talked about returning to daily practice for a while now. Today, I decided to just get going already.

I spent the first 2 hours looking for a subject!  Finally, out of desperation, I decided to paint oranges a la Carol Marine, because first -- I love her work -- and second, it's what I had handy in the kitchen!

After the painting was finished, I felt pretty good!

Study: Girl With A Red Scarf (16" x 20" Oil)

Back in Ismael Checo's class at the Rye Art Center, working in oils after a long holiday break. The devil, as they say, is in the skin tones!

Ismael rightly pointed out quite a bit of green in the cooler shadows. I really fight using green in skin, but damn, he's right ... there really is green in her skin tone!

Study: Seated Figure (16" x 20" Oil)

In my weekly oil painting class, we're encouraged to paint just the head. But today, I decided to paint the full pose. Instructor Ismael Checo warned me that 2 hours wasn't enough time ... but artists like Terry Miura (figurative work here ) paint the figure alla prima, so I went for it.

Turns out, that takes much more experience!

"Free Wifi": (9" x 12" Pastel)

This guy was waiting for a train the Graham Avenue subway station (the L subway line), in Brooklyn, NY.  Not so fond of the color palette, and clearly the hands and feet need work. Even though I'm not so happy with this one, it's all in the name of practice:)

In order to get better, it's essential to paint more frequently. These smaller studies can be done in 2-3 hours, so there's really no excuse!

"Monday Morning Hustle": (Pastel, 9" x 12")

After my recent frustration with oils, doing a quick small study using pastels -- where all of the colors are right there in front of you -- was lots of fun.  

My New Goal: Learning to Paint in Oils

I'm in the third week of a new portrait painting class, to learn oil painting. This has long been a goal of mine.

In weeks 1-2, instructor Ismael Checo had me use only 2 colors (burnt siena and ultramarine), plus white. Today, I got the OK to put out more color . Yikes! The model ended up looking like he has a bad sunburn:)

Figuring out proportions, mixing colors and using the brush is a huge challenge. Mega respect for artists who can paint in oils. Anyway, we'll see how it goes next time!

"Storm Coming" (Pastel, 12" x 16" )

This beach scene, with it's dark and dramatic sky, was a challenge. I actually painted it twice. Still not happy with it.

The first attempt didn't work, so I scraped it down and tried again. The second attempt wasn't much better. I may never frame it or hang this painting, but at least I didn't give up!

"Into the Woods" (Spring Landscape, Pastel on Sanded Paper)

After painting a few figures, I decided to work on a simple landscape. I cropped it digitally, since the original 18" x 24" landscape wasn't successful. That's the advantage of working on paper!

See below, to see another cropped image, and the original painting.

"Hold On Tight!" (12" x 12" Pastel): Westhampton Beach NY)

Working on this beach scene reminded me how much I love painting figures in the landscape. But photo references can be misleading. I guess that's why some artists paint en plein air. In real life, there's much more nuance.

About the scene: my friend Jill and grandson Max at the water's edge, on Westhampton beach, in the aftermath of a big storm. The waves were rough that day -- hold on tight, Max!

PS - My friend loves her new painting, which is the best feeling of all:)

Drawing From a Model

An unexpected opportunity to draw from life came my way.  

A wonderful artist -- Melanie Reim -- invited a group to draw from live models in her studio. Check out Melanie's work at http://sketchbookseduction.blogspot.com/  Her work is beautiful ... so full of life and energy. 

Some drawings were more successful than others. Hope to try this again soon!

"Walking the Dogs" - Brooklyn, NY (9" x 12" Pastel)

A quick sketch of a Brooklyn street. Downtown Williamsburg has certainly changed in 60 years, when my father-in-law had his store there. Brooklyn hipsters weren't a thing back then:)   

About the painting: I worked quickly, got the mood down, and Rae stopped me from overworking things. That's the value of a great teacher. Master pastelist Rae Smith makes a few precise suggestions, and stops me from going to far.  I'm so lucky to be in her class.

Happy with the looseness of it! Done:)

The "L Train" (15" x 18" Pastel)

Recently, I've been traveling by subway to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. That's the home of my daughter's accessory business, BOND Hardware.

Traveling by train, you can't beat the people-watching! You always see some interesting folks.

I always wonder if it's kosher to take pictures of people without their permission, to use as a subject. I do that all the time ... thoughts?

"Sam", the Rescue Dog: Pastel on Sanded Paper

Samantha is a 6 year old cocker spaniel/golden retriever mix we rescued a year ago. We have no idea what she was doing in a South Carolina shelter, but we got very lucky. She's incredibly sweet.

Anyway, Sam's portrait was today's project. I go to class each week with a very limited set, and it results in some odd color choices. And while she isn't this purple(!), I captured her essence and I'm happy with the result.

PS - If you know someone who'd love a pet portrait, I love doing them. Feel free to get in touch!

"Tempus Fugit (Scott)" - 18" x 24" Pastel Portrail

The last time I painted my son Scott, he was a lot younger. No mustache, with a dimpled smile that lit up a room.  Happily, he let me take his picture yesterday, and it became today's painting.

"Orange Flower": (20" x 24" Pastel)

She's back ...

After 8 years, 1 month and 5 days (and over 200 B2B business blog posts, but that's another story), I returned to the easel.  And to my great good fortune, master pastellist Rae Smith is still teaching at the Katonah Art Center.

I'm rusty, but art is a bit like riding a bike. You feel a bit wobbly, but the pleasure is just the same.

Two Pugs (Lulu and Chippy) - SOLD

I was wondering if I could do justice to these two pugs, which I painted for my dear friends Robin and Ted. All I can say is that rendering all their little nooks and crannies was lots of fun!

Censored (why were my images blocked?)!

I originally used Photobucket to host my most recent drawings (shown below), and for some reason they got blocked for violating their Terms of Service. Does anyone consider these figure studies obscene or in poor taste? I never thought that they crossed any kind of line...why were they censored? 

Drawing Again part two

Today I used a velvet gray Strathmore paper and I enjoyed using a mid-tone surface. I always start by massing darks and lights and sculpting the big shapes, but I'd love to see an artist like Mike Beeman
draw his figures...they express so much with just an elegant line and a little shading. More than a gesture drawing but still very minimalist. If you haven't seen them, check them out at his blog or on You Tube.

Drawing Again:)

Life has taken a different turn lately, but I am happy to be drawing again, from life no less, in an open studio from a model. No pressure of completed paintings, just these 20-30 minute studies. I love it!

Big News!!!

"...CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have been elected a Juried Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America..."
I worked a long time for this. Next goal, Signature status. We'll see how long that takes:) My reward is a trip to the IAPS convention in Albuquerque this May.

Tyler - 12" x 16" Pastel - SOLD

A beautiful chow/golden mix...it was my pleasure to paint him. This was a 60th birthday present for the client's Dad. Hope he loves it.

Short stocks, go long...peppers!

Painting usually takes my mind off such things, but I awoke like Rip Van Winkle last week to a much diminished stock market...very stressful. Well, we might not have as much money, but we can still enjoy a bottle of wine, some bread, and Italian peppers. Could be worse!

Weir Farm Apple Tree - Plein Air Study

I got alot out of today's workshop with Connecticut artist Alain Picard -- I focused on finding big shapes, using a range of values, unifying colors, and working out a composition that helps the eye move through the painting and defines a foreground/middle and background. There is so much information in an outdoor scene, it helped to have someone talk about how to simplify and make sense of it.
I don't know if it was due to the workshop or if I was just having a better day-- but there is a big difference between today's effort and last week's attempt at Tilly Foster Farm.

Plein Air - Tilly Foster Farm - 9" x 12" Pastel

This was done at a paint out sponsored by the Putnam County Arts Council. The weather was overcast all morning, then started to rain. Plein air is not my strong suit, although I'd like to get better at it. The good news is that I am taking a plein air workshop tomorrow...hopefully I'll learn something useful for my next outing.

Ablaze - Fall Leaves - 10.5" x 15.5" Pastel

Today I went for color and lots of it, which felt great! Just for fun I did a watercolor underpainting, then put pastel over it in places. It was a fun technique.

Mo - Great Pyrenees Pastel Pet Portrait - SOLD

A Great Pyrenees is the closest a dog comes to resembling a polar bear -- they are gentle giants, truly wonderful dogs. In my photo reference, Mo is in shadow, but I tried to create a light pattern to make him more interesting. Also, sometimes it is difficult to paint an all white or all black dog using interesting color without getting garish. In real life he is more creamy in color, but this still looks like Mo.

Scottie - 18" x 24" Pastel

Usually I think this size lends itself to more of a head and shoulders portrait. Doing the whole body in this format means the head is quite small. But this painting was about the cute pose and light falling on the figure, anyway. This is my son Scott years ago; he is now 14.

Lana No. 2 - Viszla - 9.5" x 12.5" Pastel - SOLD

Another painting of my friend's beautiful viszla, Lana. I took a bunch of pictures of her back in June, and this one in particular really showed her stunning coppery coat when lit by the sun.

No. 48 - WIP (Portrait of Scott)

Doing portraits of people as a business freaks me out a little, because getting a likeness with a person is a lot more challenging than nailing it with a dog or cat. In this case, I did get a good likeness -- what remains is to work a bit more on the face, the clothes, and the dreaded hand.

Summer Memories - Pastel 16" x 20"

I worked on this forever!!! I started it back in January, and it sat for a long time; with a recent purchase inquiry, I resolved to finish it. Believe it or not, I redid the foreground and background three or four times -- it almost got to the point where I thought I might have to scrap it, but I prevailed in the end.

A Fun Project

My niece Marisa is getting married next summer at the New York Botanical Gardens in Bronx, N.Y.  I did this little project for her.

Working in watercolors made it a special challenge. I never used that medium before ... gives me lots of respect for watercolor artists!

Now that I look at it, I wish I had made the cloud on the right less stark. Oh well, they love it and that's all that counts.

Gone Fishin" - NFS

I have been missing in action for six weeks, which makes this an apt painting for my return. Except I wasn't fishing. More like end of summer madness, with a new college freshman to move to school, a husband and a dog who needed surgery, etc. etc. Well, I'm back at my easel, and that's what counts.