A busy Thursday

The Fall Line Painters and Lamar Arts members have the opportunity to paint together this Thursday, Jan. 20th, at the old train depot gallery in downtown Barnesville, GA.  You do not need to be a member of either group to bring your brushes and join in the fellowship.  In fact, we have a knitter in our group, as well as porcelain painters.  Bring what ever you are presently working on, set up a still life or plein air paint outside or "inside-out" through the large windows.  We start around 10:00 in the morning and go well into the afternoon, breaking for lunch.

Tomorrow evening I will be giving a one-hour talk on "Composition" at the Fine Art Society of Middle Georgia in Centerville.  I'll be going over a list of  '21 Pointers for Better Composition' and hopefully have time to critique a few of the members' paintings.  The meeting is held at Centerville City Hall on Church St and the public is invited, starting at 7:00PM and will last until about 9:00. Further information about FASMG can be gathered through Dona at dona_fas@yahoo.com

Art Naturale Show

(click to enlarge)

This is a beautiful show in a beautiful setting!  The reception is this Sunday afternoon and the indoor gardens are a break from all the snow and ice we've had this past week.  Please come enjoy!

Snow Birds

"Snow Birds"   4" x 12" acrylic on canvas

Preston King, one of the Fall Line Painters, issued a challenge today.  Stay inside but paint a view out of one of your windows.  It is so icy and cold here!  The ground is blanketed in what looks like snow, but it is a hard layer of sleet and ice.  We have been steadily feeding the birds today.  These goldfinches in their rather drab winter plumage covered the table on the deck, so it was easy to see them up close through the french doors.  I was tempted to paint the cardinals, but this little constantly moving mass was so intriguing, even though they were less striking.

"Sun Spot" - Challenge 13

Sun Spot     8" x 10" acrylic

There are web sites out there that offer challenges which I do occasionally.  This one was of a small grove of aspens.  Since I have never seen aspens in person, I chose to make my trees a generic variety and concentrate my attention on the bright spot of sunshine filtering into the autumn grasses underneath.  After finishing this exercise in "realist abstraction",  I had the feeling that my best result was about 3/4's of the way into this painting.  In other words, I kept going when I should have stopped.  That is what these lessons to self are all about... learning.

Tree study

 

 

 tree study     6"x 6" acrylic

This little plein air study was a lesson I gave myself.  Time limit of 20 minutes and leave out all but the basic shapes and values.  It's nothing to write home about, but it did serve it's purpose... I was tense starting it and loose when I finished.  It warmed me up to work on the oil portrait that's on my easel in the studio.

Winter Comfort

Winter Comfort     8" x 8" acrylic

Muffin has found a comfy spot tucked into my favorite afghan on the sofa.  Our house has a bank of southeastern facing windows that lets the winter sun shine almost completely through the house.  She uses it to her advantage.  Isn't that what cats do best... use their environment and their owners to their best advantage?  I gotta admit that it's gonna be hard for me to sell this one, as Muffin is my favorite of our six cats and this is "her".  She sleeps beside me at night and curls up next to my computer keyboard in the studio.  She is now over fourteen years old and still acts like a kitten.  Her favorite toys are my white erasers.  I can't tell you how many I have rescued from the vacuum cleaner!  I've painted her many times and only kept one for myself.  H-m-m-m.... 

Peeping Tom

"Peeping Tom"       8"x8" acrylic

I see-e-e-e you!

Errant Feather

"Errant Feather" 8x10 acrylic

The first day of this new year was spent with family, food, the Rose Bowl Parade and football games.  I couldn't let the day go by without a little paint, so I did this one in my lap in the evening while yet another football game played in the background.  I call it "Errant Feather" because of that one whacky skewed feather in Rose's tail.  It was so comical looking that I took a photo of her this past summer while she sported it around for several days before it molted.  Now she looks much more dignified...that is, if a chicken can look dignified!

First Reception of the New Year

Lamar Arts has a fabulous gallery in the historic Old Train Depot in downtown Barnesville, Ga.  This is where the first 2011 reception that I'll be involved in will take place this Friday, Jan. 7th, 6-8PM.  I was pleasantly surprised that they used one of my paintings on the flier.  Lamar Arts is opening a large room for members' works called the Trackside Gallery, where several of my plein air group, the Fall Line Gang, will be showing work along with other association members.  Many of the Gang have decided to become members and we will be keeping the gallery open for on-site painting each Thursday starting January 13th.  We invite all to come see the shows, browse the gift shop and paint with us.  You do not have to be a member to pull out the brushes and join in the fun!  However, I would suggest that you email me (sidebar) one day prior to coming on a Thursday to confirm, since this is an all-volunteer kept day.

Last painting of 2010

Melinda's Dad  16" x 20" acrylic on canvas

This commissioned piece was the last painting of 2010.... #68 for the year. That's just the number of finished pieces.  It doesn't include the ones that are still facing the wall!  I also did 43 wire sculptures, two drafting jobs and a bunch of craftsy things for fun.  I have high hopes for 2011... don't we all?!  I'd like to tackle more sculpture and improve my figurative work and attempts at plein air painting.  My biggest challenge there is knowing what to leave out!   

Detail