Gone fishing

Here are two paintings by the students in my class, "Beyond the Palette: Experimental Techniques in Acrylic." The assignment was to incorporate a number of the textural techniques we practiced in class into a painting of fish/an underwater scene. The top image is by Ed Hardy, and the bottom image is by Margaret Primack.

Don't these rock?! This class has gone so well that I've decided to offer a one-day workshop on the subject as well.

Fresh off the "drawing board"

Here are detail shots of two brand new paintings. The actual dimensions are 50" H x 30" W:

"Long Journey" exhibit

Here's an image from "Long Journey," a six-person show I'm in at the Art Space Gallery in Maynard, Massachusetts, curated by Catherine Evans. This installation shot was photographed and kindly sent to me by Jeanne Williamson who, along with Catherine, hung the exhibit today.



The theme of the exhibit is styles and/or techniques that the artists have been developing over a number of years. Two of my paintings are located in the center of this shot -- "Web 1" on the left, acrylic on canvas, 50" H x 30" H, and "Scribble 3," acrylic and paper on canvas, 50" H x 30" W.

The two works on either side are by Catherine Evans, who pours paint onto rubber shower mats (cool, huh?), then peels off and collages the interesting strips and circular pieces that form during the pouring process.

Other artists in the show are Virginia Fitzgerald, Jennifer Maestre, Ruth Rosner and Jeanne Williamson.

"Long Journey into a Series" opens on October 29 and remains on exhibit until November 21, at the Art Space Gallery, 63 Summer Street, Maynard, MA. The opening reception is Saturday, November 8 from 4 to 6 PM; the gallery's hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 to 3 PM. For more information, visit the gallery's website here.

Fingers in fashion

Yesterday my fashion illustration students practiced drawing hands and feet. "Fashion" hands and fingers are far longer and more graceful and elegant than the hands of your average human. Here is an example drawing I made to show as an example to my class.

I have always loved drawing hands. My very first job in the fashion industry came about when I drew some gloves for a freelance illustration gig. The designer liked my drawings so much that he hired me as a full-time assistant right on the spot.

Taking stock in the studio

I just spent a heavenly couple of hours throwing paint around in my studio (example of a monotype I made, above). And I was thinking as I was wrapping up the session: I need weeks and weeks of time completely free, no work or ANY distractions or responsibilities, just free time to develop even a FEW of the fantastic possible directions that presented themselves while I was working, never mind all of them.

My art supplies are running low, everything: paint in all colors, a roll of canvas, a box of paper … I need at least $1,000 to really replenish all that I need.

I also could use better furnishings in my studio. I need a big drop cloth to protect the floor, the lighting isn’t ideal, and I don’t have as much table space to work as big and freely as I want to.

However, that’s not reality. I am committed to working six days a week for the next 7 weeks, and after I use the money I’ve earned to pay my household expenses, I’ll probably only have a few hundred dollars available for new art supplies. (I’m also saving up for a new car and trying to put money aside for retirement.)

But then I thought … there’s no sense in worrying, there’s no sense in complaining. JUST DO THE WORK, as best you can, with the considerable artistic resources you have – talent, health, intelligence, experience and passion – and be thankful for those.

No, my setup isn’t perfect. Yes, I could use more time, materials and money. But the important thing is to find a way to paint. Don’t complain about what you don’t have; find a way to use what you do have and, as the wonderful Tim Gunn says, “MAKE IT WORK.”

So today I created a couple of really fun starts to paintings on canvas and a few monotypes on paper, plus I got 1,000 ideas for new directions my work could take. That’s exciting!

And, as I reread the description of my art needs, above, I realize I have the makings of a great grant proposal.

Playing with acrylic

The students in my graduate class on working with acrylic additives called "Beyond the Palette: Experimental Techniques in Acrylic" are making some impressive paintings!

For a project with the guidelines of a grid-based "record" of the various textures we have practiced so far, J Barr Kelly painted the work above, and Ed Hardy painted the work below.

Will Santa be in the mood to spend?

What will holiday sales bring, now that everyone (including, I assume, collectors) is holding on to their wallets for dear life?

I had two small pieces (like the one shown above) accepted into a local juried holiday show, I'm placing four in the annual holiday sale that's being held at the museum where I teach, and I'm showing one an a holiday auction that I participate in every year. I'm wondering what the results will be, in these economic times of fear and belt-tightening.

Frankly, the optimist in me believes that, even if art buyers are feeling conservative now, human beings can't hold out for long without luxury and beauty, and eventually things will loosen up.

A comforting little ball of fur

For those of us who are stressing about the state of the economy, soaring health care costs, the upcoming election, and everything else there is to worry about (and that probably includes everyone reading this), here's a little photo to remind you that there are still good things in the world.

My niece's little old calico cat died last month after a long and happy life, and naturally my niece was devastated at losing her beloved companion. For her birthday last week, her parents brought her this little kitten, who promptly made herself right at home:

Wendy Soneson's watercolor portrait exhibit

Here is my dear friend, Wendy Soneson, in front of a poster on a kiosk in Coolidge Corner, which advertises her upcoming exhibit of watercolor portraits. (She cleverly morphed tiny closeups of the portraits into an image of the Mona Lisa!)

For Wendy's exhibit, titled "The Women of Brookline," she created more than 40 portraits of Brookline's most accomplished female citizens. Inspired by the soul-searching portraits of Alice Neel, her paintings are mini-biographies of the women as people, not mere renderings of their faces. Wendy received a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in support of her project. Some of these portraits can be viewed on her blog here.

"The Women of Brookline" opens at the Brookline Arts Center this Sunday, October 19, with an opening reception from 3 to 5 PM. For more information, visit the Brookline Arts Center's website here.

Enough work

Georgia O'Keeffe is supposed to have said that an artist needs to have enough work on hand for three simultaneous exhibits, just in case, and I am finding that her advice is quite accurate.

I had an art-making blitz last spring, and felt as though my painting storage racks were stuffed to the gills when I had finished. Now I have three shows scheduled for next spring, two in January into February and one in March. The curator for the March show picked work a few months ago, and the curator for the first January show selected work last week. This makes it easy to decide what to put in the second January show: the pieces that are not already committed!

Luckily, because I had that painting time to create work earlier this year, I will have enough work to pick from. But it could have been close, otherwise, and I am not one of those artists who can rush work into "production" -- my paintings have to come of their own accord. Phew!

The piece above is one of those selected for exhibit at "Opening Lines," curated by Susan Goldwitz, to be held at the New Art Center in Newton, MA. Titled "Saffron," it is 30 inches high by 20 inches wide.

Jerrell was robbed

If anyone out there watches Project Runway: Jerrell should have been one of the three to compete for the top spot at Bryant Park, by virtue of the fact that he won last week's challenge! His being eliminated this week was vastly unfair. And while I might be the only one in America who thinks so, to me his collection was the best of the four. Albeit with some fitting problems, his work is the most unique and impressive.

Another reason to love Golden's

What's not to love about Golden brand acrylics? Their paint colors are beautiful. They offer an amazing range of additives to create any surface you could possibly want. And I can name four artist friends (and myself as well) whose work has been greatly expanded by the availability of Golden's awesome new line of fluid acrylics.

Well, here's another reason that Golden's ROCKS. As I mentioned in an earlier blog entry, I'm teaching a class in working with acrylic additives, and I was having trouble working with a Golden's product called Clear Tar Gel. It has the consistency of honey, and is supposed to be drizzled from the end of a palette knife to create a marbleized sort of effect.

In a pre-class practice session at home, I tried using the tar gel, and I got either blobs or strings that were too thin, but nothing in between. My students tried it in the classroom, with pretty much the same result.

So I wrote to Golden's customer service email address, and they wrote back immediately with a number of great suggestions.

How many companies have a customer service department that actually SERVES you?! I was impressed, not only that they knew exactly what the problem was and had some good ideas on how to solve it, but that they cared enough to write back in the first place.

My more typical art supply shopping experiences are like this one: when I asked if they sold individual stretcher bars, and the employee didn't even know what these were.

Yay, Golden's!

Above is my initial attempt with tar gel -- blobs, mostly.