ArtsFest 2015

I am really fortunate that I have had several opportunities to show my work over the last few years. About three years ago, I took my first painting class (more of an exploration of oils with a few tutorials). That fall, I attended the local art association's annual art show and realized that I should be showing my work! While I have had no formal training, and my "studio" sessions are sporadic, I am pretty proud of how far I have come.

Below is some underpainting I did in January of 2014. The final image is above and I only finished it this weekend! To be fair, I have completed several other paintings in between, but this one just kept taking a back seat.

That painting, "From the Beach" (8"x 10") and this one, "Nantucket 2" ( 11" x 14") will be shown this weekend at the 18th Annual ArtsFest in my city. This is my fifth show in two years and I am ready to sell some work!

The art association tends to be a little more traditional, so I have entered my landscapes. I'd really like an opportunity to show a couple of my more abstract works in the future. In fact, I have a handful of other ideas for abstract paintings, with a few completed sketches. It is just finding the time and energy to get them started! 

Renewal
 Oil on Canvas
22"x 28"
2015

Awakening
Mixed Media Collage
18"x 24"
2015

Thanks for dealing with iphone pictures! 

"Best of the Town" Painting Entry

Alright folks, I need your opinion.
I plan to enter a show hosted by our local Art Association. You can enter up to three pieces, each with a fee, in the juried show. You can also enter what I am calling here, the "Best of the Town" show, but the same painting can not be in both. Some of my favorite pieces of the last year deal with the subject matter of our town and I would like to enter one. But I can't decide! Help me out and leave a comment about which one I should enter.

Black's Creek, 5"x7" Oil on Canvas 

From Above, 5"x7" Oil on Canvas

Also worth noting, I am not married to the names. I almost can see these as companion pieces, but I don't have time to make them more harmonious. Plus I can only enter one.
Another note, I snapped these pics with my iPhone in the natural and artificial light of my new studio, aka our extra bedroom.

Your input is appreciated!

Today, I fell in love...

with Monet.
Again.

La Seine at Argenteuil

I can't stop looking at this painting.
I found myself staring at La Seine at Argenteuil in the "Impressionists on the Water" special exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum. I don't know how long I was in front of the painting. It wasn't until another patron walked up to my side, that I realized I had been staring (dead center, taking up prime space. terrible gallery etiquette!) I was in a trance, a smile stuck on my face and my heart swelling from the beautiful image before me.

When I was a freshman in high school, I was fortunate enough to see "Monet in the 20th Century" at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. As a fourteen year old, I didn't realize the significance of the show, (Boston being one of the first American cities to appreciate Monet and continue to do so during his career and after his death) but eventually I regarded the experience as life changing...

Here's the story:
When I started high school, my elective was Band. At that point in my arts "career," I had played piano for a couple of years then took up the flute in fifth grade. By the end of middle school I was playing the equivalent of first chair. I had friends in band and enjoyed the sense of community. The catch was, if you were in concert band, you had to also be in marching band. I spent the summer learning how to march, memorizing the music and the steps I had to take to complete the performance.

Then in October, my Mom and Nana planned to take me into the big city to the Museum of Fine Arts on a Friday night. It would be a girls' night, Nana traveling from Long Island the day before, and we would take the train and everything! But that meant I'd have to miss a football game. And as a marching band student, I'd have to sacrifice an entire letter grade if I missed the performance.

Iris 1914-17

I didn't want to do it. But I did.
Eventually we talked to my guidance counselor. And I switched into Art...

A print of Iris, complete with the date of the show, has hung in every bedroom I've lived in since 1998.

What I loved then about Iris was that Monet was painting abstractly, losing his sight and dealing with, most likely, post traumatic stress after going to war. I sympathized... I was battling the unexpected death of my father. And like Monet, had turned to art, and poetry, as a release.
What I love about it now, as its one of the first things I see when I wake up, is that there is always something new. Browns that I have never noticed, or pinks that only emerge in certain light. I have to remind myself of the title some days. I find the painting enchanting.
And, it holds a wonderful memory. One that has changed the course of my life.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Almost 16 years later, I have again been inspired by Monet. This time as a relatively new painter. I think, no matter how cliche, I've always wanted to paint like an Impressionist. I find myself getting caught up in clean brush strokes and blending though. Perhaps now I will find a way to let it go and get a little more gestural with my painting, more like my drawing. Either way, I now have a beautiful, matted print of La Seine at Argenteuil that I plan to hang next to Iris.

Side note, the Peabody Essex Museum is FREE for teacher's with MTA cards!

Practice Makes Perfect

I was on Nantucket for a painting class almost four months ago. If you click on "Nantucket Adventure" above, you can read all about it. My professor always said that he was "addicted" to painting. He spent his two weeks on the island teaching us, getting his show ready and painting. He would spend a few evenings a week with the easel set up in his makeshift living room, painting by whatever light he could get. I actually think that one of the paintings he completed in his apartment, went into the show. I enjoyed a couple of evenings painting in the aprtment too... the screen door open, the sound of the locus, some music and solitude... I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to paint on Nantucket.

I realized when I got back just how "addicting" oil painting is. I've managed to make some time for myself here and there to keep painting.

I started with this "exercise" in glazing. I went to the library in September and the Children's room was buzzing with energy from the 10th anniversary of The Dot by Peter Reynolds. I LOVE that book and thought to myself that I could start with dot, like Vashti, and see where it it takes me. I added another layer of dots tonight and plan to keep going until a get some more depth, like water on a windshield at night.

This painting I have wanted to start since day one of my class on Nantucket. The first weekend we were there, before class officially started, a couple other girls and I went to the field station. We walked around the grounds in the fog and mist and tried to start something... anything. Before tracking the grass and mud in the field station, I took my sneakers off and left them on the front porch. Not knowing where to start with a painting, I was sitting in our little studio thinking, looking around. My sneakers caught my attention and I immediately went outside to photograph them.... Notice the name of my blog... I love my shoes. My students have come to know me as the teacher who wears Chucks. My photograph didn't really fit in to the theme of my work while on the island. Once I took the "plunge" getting back into painting with the dots, I figured now was as good as any time to try out my chucks painting. The original photo is on the right above. The straight lines and subtle value changes have proven to be a great and exciting challenge.

And finally, I have challenged myself to work teeny tiny compared to any other paintings I have done. The canvas above is only  5 x 7. All my other paintings have been at least 12 x 12. I have been working from the photo that is at the top of the second image. This inlet is called Black's Creek and on the other side of that sliver of land in the background is Quincy Bay. It's one of my favorite parts about living where I do; I am so close to the ocean that I can smell the tide... and see the Boston skyline.

Hopefully by Christmas I will finish!

P.s. the opening image is the view from my classroom window! How can I not be inspired when I get to look at that everyday!?

Painting at Home

So I live in an 800, maybe 900 square foot apartment. It's small. Our living room is long enough for a chair and a book case that acts as a tv stand and record player shelf/ storage. We opted to put our bed set in the smaller bedroom so that the second bedroom could be the "rumpus room," equip with guitars, amps, art supplies, desk and futon.
After having free reign of a field station (!) coming home from my Nantucket class was an adjustment as far as painting was concerned.
And it was a concern! I had another two weeks to complete my paintings. However, we had a lovely trip to the Philadelphia area, which I posted about previously, between my return and my due date. I had to figure out a way to paint in the short amount of time I had AND contend with the weather.

Pretty much as soon as I came home, I ordered an easel online. Jerrysartarama carried the one we had been using in class, and it was on sale! So I bought one for myself. In the mean time, I attempted working in the backyard. I set up the stool I bought for class, my Adirondack chair to hold brushes and a folding table for the canvas. It wasn't ideal, but it got the job done.

When we returned from Philly, it was rainy and humid, so I was forced to work indoors. This is a panoramic shot of our "rumpus room." I am standing in the doorway. To the left, there is another bookcase full of records that is also our bar. Followed by the amps and musical paraphernalia, window, desk, art stuff, bookcase and closet (the door is open). The futon has been covered in a black bed sheet as not to get paint on everything. I also have a 5' x 5' drop cloth on the floor. Since I am working with oils, I have both windows open and the one with the fan in it has the fan sucking out the air. There is another fan in the doorway. This helped with circulation. 

It was an intense couple of days.
The humidity made the paintings dry really slowly. I like to layer so this was an issue. Overall, I am happy with my four paintings, but want to work more on this first one... I wasn't happy with the layering and texture.

However, may I present to you, Elemental Nantucket:

Earth

Light

Water

Wind

Fortunately/Unfortunately, all of these images were captured on my iPhone in the corner of the rumpus room. The lighting is just ok. I hope to create a light box for my classroom this year, so this white corner was the best I could get for my own images.

My First Oil Paintings

From inspiration to almost complete, I am super proud of my first ever oil painting. Since this last image, I have added to the pathway, the trees in the background and the growth in the foreground. I love how I channeled van Gogh, was able to capture the haze of the fog and take suggestions from my professor about layering and glazing. 

 This is probably one of my favorite photos from my two week trip. No filters, no editing, Sankatay Light actually looked this painterly. To add to the beauty, my classmates are scattered throughout the landscape, wandering, conversing and taking photos of their own.
The lighthouse was actually moved from the spot in the middle of the shot, there is a person in navy blue, to the current location. On the other side of the black fence to the right is the bluff. The erosion continues to claim the land.

There are still a few strokes of paint I would like to add to this image. However, I am very happy with the perspective and color. I am flattered that based on this image alone, my mom's boyfriend has asked me to paint him something. Just in case I get famous!

I hate this painting! It has changed rather drastically from here, although I don't have a current photo. I think I tried to do too much between experimenting with color and palette knives. It was however good a good experience for a later painting. I hope to go back and add more.

My professor saw this sketch I did, during my mid-term meeting/ critique. He loved how sketchy yet detailed it is. He could tell that I start with a medium ground, add darks and pull out lights. His challenge for the second week was to become a more "sketchy" painter. For me, that makes sense. I was so caught up in traditional American landscape painting, a la the Hudson School, that I wanted to capture every shadow and every leaf and detail. That's hard! I have always worked abstractly, but my brain thought that realistic was how I had to paint.

Given my new challenge, I wanted to try "sketchy painting" out before I started my series.  Just like college, I started this painting after 11pm. I am pretty happy with the sketchy details of pebbles created in under an hour. 

 I think this one is done. Perhaps a few highlights to pull out, but I will wait to see how the others turn out. 

I have a few more layers of pebbles and sand to complete. See the erosion from earlier photos?

 

Adding the reeds in the foreground just today, has totally made a difference. I still need to add a shadow to the "window" and maybe a few highlights. I hated this painting until today and am finally excited to see where it goes.

 You need to turn your computer from here on out. Sorry. Not sure what happened.

There is still a lot to be done with this image. There will be leaves on the darker trees and a wind turbine in the "window." There will also be a shadow with the window. Like the lighthouse painting, the lighter trees are meant to be images of the future. Hopefully it works out. 

Light, Water, Earth and Wind of Nantucket.

in process... the final images are due on Friday the 26th!