Workshop day 2

Above is a photo of the Workshop Group, the teacher Michael Burban is in the middle, wearing the vest.  We had a great workshop, Michael gave each of us plenty of individualized help and critiquing.  I, for one, realized that even with my knowledge of anatomy from nursing, I have to do some serious refreshing and drawing.  I need to plot, map out, draw boxes, in other words start at the beginning and Draw.  There are no shortcuts!!  In all, I hope we are able to have him come again.   Happy New Years to All

Drawing Workshop

R. Henri " No work of art is ever finished.  They only stop at a good place."  This subject came up at the workshop and I wish I had memorized this quote.  I was so appropo to the discussion. I don't think I have ever spend a whole day drawing but it was worth it.  Our instructor was Michael Burban who was an instructor in drawing at the Art  Student League of New York for 20 + years.  He has written the book "Lessons form Michaelangelo".  Need I say more?  I learned  a lot and am looking forward to tomorrow.  His manner of teaching is supportive and instructive.  Our Art Guild acted wisely in arranging this workshop.  I might even do some more drawing tonight!!! Or shall I have a glass of vino??..... Oh dear, my goals are calling out to me??.... Happy New Year.

The Art of Understanding

Opps, Pushed the wrong button. I have not had time to photo my lastest but wanted to share another quote of R. Henri.  " Freedon can only be obtained through an understanding of basic order"  Continuing to define and refine my goals, I realized this applies to all areas of life.  I am feeling freer and freer as I continue to define my goals.  They allow me to focus on whats important to me and simplify or deemphasize the extraneous.  Tomorrow, I am off to a drawing workshop.  Part of my goal to improve my drawing.  Have a great day.

Wet Lands

Quote for the day, "The artist will open a book someone is trying to close to show there are still more pages possible." R. Henri 
  
    Wet Lands are part of the beauty of Florida. They have been painted many, many times.  I thought I would concentrate for a while on capturing my impression of their beauty.  They are such a fragile part of our environment and constantly threatened by builders.  For some reason ($$$) they seem to get around all the local and state restrictions.  Dare I hope this New Year, will see a greater effort to preserve our heritage.
     This was my first time using linen and it made a big difference.  I like the smoother texture as I tend to paint more like a watercolorist than a heavy impasto, although I am trying to put on more paint.  This was a small 5x7, 620 gram weight linen Centurion LX with wrapped edges. Don't remember where it came from but  I am serverly tempted to dip deeper into the $$ and use linen.
     I have started to use Office 2007 outlook to keep me on task with my goals.  Am visiting web sites, blogs, Etsy to get ideas.  Any one with ideas on Web site is welcomed to comment.  I am leaning toward just the blog and Etsy but if I do larger pictures then what  So much to learn and it takes away from the painting.  Where have I heard that before!!! 

Coming together!!!

Inspired by the bloggers, especially K Tyrell, Linda Blondhein and Marion Fortunati, sharing their goals.I have been furiously/driven to set goals for the coming year.   Feeling lost and overwhelmed (much like I have been for the past 12 months) as I went through all my the files.  I recognized I was trying to learn everything at once, examining different palettes, compositions, artist, blog, websites then it hit.... The memory of sitting at a card table in my apartment and doing a jigsaw.  As I dumped the pieces out and started turning them over, I had an AHA moment... At work( I was starting a new job as Quality Manager Director) I was gathering all sorts of information not knowing if it was helpful or not and after the period of gathering, I started to sort (turn over the pieces), then frame the puzzle ( all straight edges) and finally fit the pieces together.  As I sat here the past week going through all my files, weeding, sorting, I experienced the same feelings.  As I sorted my mind became able to focus, the pieces started to fall in place and I was able to create and prioritize my lists.  Naturally, it will be ongoing as I still have a lot to learn but I see a direction.
My Goals for my Art are relatively simple but incredibly hard.
- Paint every day
- focus on edges
- apply more paint
- loosen up
- increase my perception of value and color
- sketch/draw at least 5 x week.
I have made many more goals and have done a plan for each one.
- Improve my blog
- Increase my revenue from painting through a Web Site (need to do) Etsy ( need to tweak) and other marketing methods.

I am at ease as I know the direction I want to take.
The painting I posted was done on a 5by7 canvas board before I went to Denver.  I have wanted to paint marshes for quite a while and hopefully will do a series so I can improve.

Happy Holidays! Art Goals

Merry Christmas to all and may your New Year be filled with joy and peace. I am deep in the throes of making my New Years Resolutions especially for my art journey. I have seen goals on the blogs and am inspired by their courage to be vulnerable. This will be part of my goal.
This week I am going through files, sorting, gleaning ideas for next year. I am determined to do better blogging and deciding on a theme. Hopefully it will encourage me to be even more diligent in my quest to explore my creative self. Will keep you posted.

Painting is not work!!!

Here are some of the paintings I did from the instructional DVD set by Gayle Levee. I learned an enormous amount from her DVDs as they filled in the blanks for me. I guess I need to learn the how and why before I gain confidence. I am now excited to paint an original as I did in Mary Garrish's workshop and which Gayle also walked me through.