Plein air at 'A Novel Experience'

Eleanor Stecker...one of my paint buddies

Dear Friends,

     The artists whose work graces our walls for May are assembling on the Courthouse Square lawn tomorrow, Wednesday, May 18th in the morning. Brrrrrr! We hope the weather will cooperate so we can watch the creative process happen in downtown Zebulon! 

     The Fall Line Painters have a wonderful joie de vivre that carries them to many on-site "Paint Outs" across the state. We welcome them to a mini-paint-out sans the prizes, jurors, and massive crowds (maybe next year). Come and see! They will set up on the lawn and will be in residence for the morning.  

     This is also the same day as our Brown Bag Book Group meeting at noon--we are reading "The Kitchen House"--consider stopping by with your lunch and getting in on the discussion. Our group is open to all and welcomes new members--besides this month's title, we are going to choose titles for the next six months.  

     The Pimento Fest is this Saturday--it's a small town celebration, laid-back, great fair food, crafts and local talent. Join us 10 - 3. Store specials for the day! 

 All of us at A Novel Experience 

...and now for the results

The Fall Line Plein Air Painters: Peter Potter, Bambi Rogers, Pat Burns & Eleanor Dixon Stecker

 

Four of us were able to paint that morning, zeroing in on different views of the courthouse on the square... a great day with great friends!

Playing Dress-Up

"Playing Dress-Up"            18x24 acrylic on canvas

I am happy to give kudos and thanks to Bobby Jackson for allowing me to use his photograph of these precious little girls as reference for this painting.  I took a few WIP shots and will include them below after a close up of their delightfully expressive faces.

Those faces!

WIP 1

I started this painting with a canvas toned fairly heavily in M.Graham's transparent anthraquinone red, which is a brighter, more magenta color than the alizarin crimson that I sometimes use.  This peeks through all over the painting to help unify it.  Then I drew in the main shapes and shadows with thin alizarin and indanthrene blue by Winsor-Newton, also transparent colors.  I scumbled in some of the lighter areas to get a feel for the value ranges. I rarely use black... none in this painting.

WIP 2

Here I've added just enough patterning to the dresses to get the feel of the material without getting bogged down in details.  While their attire is important to the storyline, I don't want excess detail to distract from their faces and attitude.  I painted in the taller girl's hand over the shoulder, then decided to remove it for a cleaner composition.  That toned canvas glows through transparent layers in the shadows and skin tones... something that doesn't show up well in photos.

WIP 3

 Working on the second face now. The mouth on the little girl in shadow needs relaxing a bit and the eyes need detailing. I see some adjustments I need to make in the slant of the shoulders under the shawl... can you see the correction marks I've made with chalk?  This will also affect the attitude of the hand slightly. A tricky thing to add is the lettering on the Bible... very important to the painting but it can't be too bright... it needs to look aged.  I let it rest for a while so that I can see it with new eyes before making final adjustments.

Indian Springs Paint Out Upcoming!

Decisions...decisions...what to paint?  There are so many interesting images in this state park that it's really hard to decide.  Generations Gallery has put up some great prize money to encourage painters to give it their best shot!  I really look forward to seeing fellow artists that I haven't seen since this event last year.  I sold all three of my efforts off of my easel and had nothing to put in the competition but the smile on my face.  Any day like that is certainly worth a repeat!  Enlarge the poster for all the details or click on the gallery's link to get even more info.

Upcoming Writers Conference at Indian Springs

Just want you guys to know about the WRITERS CONFERENCE May 20-21st   It is the 4th Annual conference - back by popular demand.   WRITERS  AND POETS - great chance to meet published authors, learn how to get published, even an editor will talk about polishing your manuscript. It is two days of fun; cottages in The Village are available; and if you can't come both days, we have an "open to the public" OPEN MIC Event Friday evening - under the stars at the antebellum mansion. RSVP, but no admission. Georgia Poetry Society will host and everyone is invited to read their work. Or just listen. Call 770-227-4002 to register for conference or RSVP for Friday evening's event. Meet most of the speakers that evening - Haywood Smith, two time NY Times best seller list, will be there......
Anne Jones is a personal friend of mine and has a new book, "Tides of Fear", that she will be happy to sign for you.  It's a can't-put-down murder mystery set on St. Simons Island.

Commission

 

 

Commission 12" x 12" acrylic on canvas

My nieces grew up with this handsome young man and his mother is a good friend of my sister, Pam. She wanted to give him something special for his wedding.  What a vibrant couple they make!

Waiting Out the Rain

Waiting Out the Rain 20"x20" acrylic on canvas

My husband loves to feed the birds!  This winter we have accumulated a flock of about 36 Eurasian collared doves.... or ring-neck doves.  They are the most beautiful shades of lavender-grey with a blush of pink.  This pair was fluffed up and waiting out a cold rain after a hearty breakfast of cracked corn, oats and sunflower seeds.  I feel like these doves in the winter, just longing for spring and warmer, sunnier weather.

Email me if you would like to give this pair of doves a warm and cozy home.

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

'Tis the Season...

From Thanksgiving through New Year's day is crazy busy for all of us!  Most of my artwork during this time consists of commissions that cannot be posted, so I've been pretty quiet here on the blog. It's also a introspective time to appreciate family and friends, review the past year and make plans for next year.  I want to take this time to say how much I appreciate you and wish you a safe and happy holiday season......

 

 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  

See you in 2011!

Sue Flavinger's Smith's Secret

 I follow Sue's blog and could not have written this any better, so I share with you her enlightening post... and turn the doorknob into my studio.

The Secret of Happiness

Lately I've been feeling under-motivated - a form of year-end creation fatigue, no doubt.  I've taken to revisiting books that initially inspired me to take the artistic leap, just to see if I could recapture some enthusiasm.
I came across this quote from "Re-Inventing Yourself" by Steve Chandler: "What if everyone in America was doing everything they could to avoid effort - and yet the secret of happiness was, in fact, effort?"
Effort is one of those double edged swords.  We can put forth tremendous effort, rolling that rock up the hill, then realize that chance, or fate, or a random change in the weather can send us back to our starting place.  Why do it?  Why fight when the odds against us don't play fair?  We can throw in the towel, close the studio door and find something else we could be good at, something easier than this art thing.
It's a good question.  Why do it?  We can limit our understanding of effort in terms of cause and effect, that concentrated effort must result in expected success, and wander down a path toward something else, something easier.  And what do we find there?  "The biggest lie humankind has told itself in the past 50 years," Chandler says,  "is that happiness is available without effort."
I ventured into my studio after a week of having the door closed.  It was cold because there are two windows and only one heating vent, and with the door closed warm air from the rest of the house can't get in.  If we shut ourselves off from the effort of creating we become like this cold studio.  The longer the door is closed the emptier the space becomes, until there is nothing left of our desire to create.
It takes effort to leave that door open when the room is so cold.  Effort to pull out the canvas and squeeze out the paint.
But ask yourself one question: when am I the happiest?

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Sunset Tom"  ...  a 'Spirit in Stone'

Gobble!  Gobble!

Well, the bird is in the oven and I'm fixin' to go to the garden and pick some fresh turnips to go with the sweet potato casserole.  Can you tell that I am totally Southern?!  I am so thankful for family and friends.  I wish you all health and happiness and a few quiet moments to dwell on the simple pleasures.  May God bless!

Time well spent

"Out of Africa" .....  a 'Spirit in Stone'

The last two gorgeous afternoons have been spent under a tent outside Magnolia Gallery at Lake Oconee.  I met some great folks who were out enjoying the fine fall weather during the Art Ramble put together by nine galleries within a fifteen mile radius of Greensboro, GA.  Friday I did a demo with 'Spirits in Stone', showing folks the process of choosing, preparing and painting on stones.

Crab

  Today I made 'rusty doodles', which are sculptures made from one continuous piece of steel tie wire... my construction background coming through.  The 'rusty doodles' don't photograph well, as you can see through them, but I've posted two of the smaller ones here just for you to get

Black Widow

the idea. With not being able to cut the wire, they are indeed a puzzle to the brain.  Maybe they will prevent me from getting Alzheimer's!