Let It Snow!!

I am hoping your holidays were lovely!  I always think of the week between December 25 and New Year's as a bonus week; not quite the old year (everything completed for 2014) and a hiatus before starting a new one.  I like to review, re-live, evaluate and imagine new projects or adventures.  It's a quiet time for cocooning,  nesting, or whatever you like to do when your engines are idle and you want to recuperate, refuel and recharge.

So let it snow! ...figuratively or literally. We are hunkered down before a fire reading and sipping and making notes while listening to music.  My husband thinks he loves snow but as his blood gets thinner what he really loves is the idea of snow.  It forces him to slow down, move with care, play a little and enjoy a hot drink.

Along those lines, look what I came across while re-organizing:

I painted this landscape in 1964....exactly 50 years ago.  I believe it is painted in what they called casein paint which predates acrylic.  It was probably from a postcard my art teacher, Barbara Bassett, had as reference.  I was 11 years old and while I may have seen a mountain on vacation once or twice, I know for a fact that I had never seen, touched, tasted or walked in snow.  I wonder why either of us would suggest I paint such a thing?  These days I believe that the more engaged one is with the subject at hand the more authentic the rendering will be.  JMO (just my opinion as they say.)

Fast forward to another snow painting, this time rendered in pastel and now from the vantage of having experienced snow many times.  I loved this afternoon, we went out driving to see how the country side looked in its chilly, white coat and I wandered across this bridge with the sun at my back.  I took many photos of the light sparkling on the river filled with chunks of ice and it wasn't until I downloaded the pics that I noticed my shadow in the water.  This was equally fun to paint but I definitely had a sense of what I was trying to capture.

There was a huge gap in my childhood painting and when I resumed the craft many years later.  But there are  lessons from those early years that come back to me even now.  I was fortunate to have had those classes for they taught me to see.  Maybe painting snow made me want to see it, to travel, to experience things I saw on postcards?  Who knows?  But those lessons did introduce me to a lifetime of pleasurable pursuit.

Thanks Mom and Dad, and thank you Barbara Bassett!

Happy New Adventures,

Cindy

Pieces & Parts

My two favorite parts of any painting are the beginning and the end.  The exhilaration of the start, replete with all the wonderful ideas I see so clearly in my mind, and the satisfaction of the end, when I can finally say that the work is done, are two great feelings.  Unfortunately, it is really the middle portion: the labor, the endless decisions, the edits and the re-dos that mean the most.  Time consuming and less thrilling, this is the work that determines the nature of the piece.

I explain this because I am currently in this middle section on several paintings that have sat around during my recovery and are now whimpering for attention.  I have pulled them out because they are small enough to work on with my hand and don't need extreme use of my right arm.

Here is a pencil drawing I did on a 10 x 8 canvas from a photo taken in Florence.  It's a rather common shot so I need to think of an uncommon way to finish it up.  I could go to strictly black and white, letting it resemble an old photo or maybe do it in tones of blue, like night?  Or what if everything but the lamp post is merely suggested and not detailed?  I'm just not sure....and I've forgotten why I started it, seems ages ago and I really hate to put it back into the TBF (to be finished) pile.

Here is a pastel that I am not satisfied with.  I remember why I started this one however.  I was standing on the bridge on a very cold day after a snow and was just mesmerized by all the color this "white" scene offered.  I was most amused by my own shadow in the water from the bridge where I was standing taking photos.  None of the photos captured the range of colors I could see with my eye.  The earth beneath the not fully frozen stream, the clouds reflected behind me and the sun beaming off the snow.  So its back to the drawing board for more work.

From the Bridge

pastel, 8" x 8" on paper

matted in white to 14" x 14"

(available here soon)

I think this works a little better and feels a little colder than it did before.  

I am sharing this because when I tell people I am an artist, they usually get a moon-y look on their face, sigh or swoon and then say, "oh, that must be sooo relaxing."  And I just smile.  

So this is my answer: not always!

Relaxing is when you wash up and step back and like what you see.  Work is everything before that.

Now, excuse me, I have to get back to work.

Have a "relaxing" weekend,

Cindy

Pink Dancers after Degas (Day #29)

Thinking about the Bath Series by Degas yesterday prompted me to get out my book of his pastels. Somehow it never mattered if his dancers had legs that were too long or unfinished arms...the viewers knew exactly the feeling and the mood he was trying to capture.  It has been a long time since I copied one of the masters so I decided that for day #29 I'd choose a Degas and see where it took me.  The "Pink Dancers" ( 33" high x 22.75" wide, pastel) looks like this:  (keep in mind that every repro changes the coloration slightly depending on where and how it is printed)

I elected to do it much smaller (5" x 5") and in a square format, not the one shown.  By this stage (1889-1900) Degas was no longer concerned about detail but about blurred forms and texture rich in color.  That huge dark "thing" chopping up a third of the painting bothers me...a lot.  The book I have calls it a "compositional audacity," a vertical dark that chops up the dancers and is presumed to be a tree.  My book also notes that at this age Degas was no longer attending live performances and was painting from memory.

preparation using pastels and pastel pencils

my version of "The Pink Dancers" after Degas

5 x 5 pastel on wallis paper

matted in white to a framable size of 12 x 9 BUY HERE

detail

Copying is an age-old teaching technique (one must acknowledge the original artist) and is not as easy as it sounds.  The beautiful affect of layering cool over warm has to be understood first to be able to be reproduced.  Some of the prep techniques are not even visible but critical to the end result.  And finally, this research assured me that if a huge technical error remains the critics can always refer to it as "compositional audacity." 

To see the work of others participating in the 30 in 30 day challenge click here. 

En Pointe: Day 26 of Colorful & Original Off Hand

I really wanted to try more ballet shoes...and mix it up a bit.  So, with a little help from Mr. Righty I managed to make some boards with this old sheet music on it.  (Actually it is amazing how much you can do without the help of the dominate hand when forced to...feet, elbows and available other objects do come into play!)

En Pointe

10 x 5 mixed media on board

$30.00 - frame and shipping additional

I started to leave it at pencil and well, you know me, more is more, so I just kept adding and in the end I had used acrylic, pencil, pen, pastel and collage.  Mixed Media.  It is all sealed up nice and tight and needs no glass.  Enjoy a few more pics....hubby home and wants a play date so I am off the computer!!

Send me an email if you know someone who would enjoy this small piece...no time to link to a sale spot yet!

Day is Done

Day is Done ... on Pearl Buck's Farm

5" x5" pastel

While visiting my brother in Bucks County PA I had the opportunity to take

a workshop from Richard McKinley (pastelists will appropriately sigh...) which

was held on the grounds of what used to be farmland owned and operated by

writer Pearl S. Buck.  (And no, the county name has no relation to her

family or notarity).

Anyway, it was a lovely experience in everyway possible and on the very last day, exhausted

and over-stimulated, we all sorta crashed on the lawn and tried to look like

we were busy on one last piece.  The sun was going down, the wine was chilling and

we were too tired...but the colors called and artists respond.

This was the view from my lawn chair...and I will admit that it has gone

thru several 'iterations' until I was finally satisfied.

But it is definitely a "place" and a time I recall fondly.

I have matted this in the usual 12 x 9 white mat but decided that with so much juicy color

it needed something a little more funky than a black frame.

Voila!  With the magic of spray paint I happily put this in a blue frame.

I think Pearl would approve, don't you?

Buy Now $100.00

I really wanted to share the blue frame but for some reason (because I dropped it?) the

camera would not focus...so squint and pretend you can see this...just

to enjoy the rush of pretty blue.

Enjoy your "day is done" time.





Basic Necessities

I love outdoor markets!  Regardless of what's being sold or where

it takes place I am intrigued and seduced by everything in the market.  People

watching is great sport and I love seeing what others are buying and how they go

about selecting it.  This lady was getting her produce in a small town in Provence,

France.  I could relate to her pause at the flower stall...I can imagine she

was lured in by the colors and vibracy and hesitant due to the

work involved in planting.  The sun was gracing the

blooms with all the promise of a spring that was yet to come...and while the

sundresses in the adjacent booth never caught her eye she took

a long time pondering her next purchase.

As part of my "Places" series this pastel (6 x 6) is matted in white, 12 x 9, and

comes in a black frame.

BUY NOW

Off Trail

I find myself painting versions of this scene often: a backlit mountain creek

running through the woods as it ripples over the stones.

I guess that's because such a scene is one of my favorite places to be and as

such I am never quite satisfied with my interpretation on paper. It's a lot to ask:

capturing the beauty of an area as well as all the wonderful

feelings and thoughts you held while there.

But I will keep trying.

Hope you don't tire of this scene...I can guarantee there are many more interpretations

waiting to be painted!

Pastel, 5 x 5

matted in white, 12 x 9

comes framed in black

$100.00

BUY NOW

Pisa

I had to resist titling this blog "A Piece of Pisa,"  but that's what it is!  Again in my "Places" series:

   size 5 x 5

white mat to size 12 x 9

Everyone hears about the Leaning Tower of Pisa and can't resist the allure of actually seeing it. 

And while the Tower is fascinating the area is what we Floridians would call

"a tourist trap."  I came, I saw and I was ready to leave.  So we wandered around a

bit, off the beaten path, to remove ourselves from the

hawkers, gawkers and buses, and this was one of

the resulting photos I captured.  Much more Italy-esque

than the other side!

The difficulty I had with this piece is the lack of a strong sense of sunlight.

We were there during some cloudy months and had to deal with low light for much of the time.

I remember this being near the end of the day and we did have an orangey-yellow glow

from the west as the sun began to set, but not much other contrast.

Hence, few dramatic shadows, cast or otherwise!

Who doesn't love Italy?

Even this small vignette makes me thing of wine and olive oil and

great food.

BUY NOW

The Profile

 The Profile

pastel 5 x5 matted to 12 x 9 black frame

Hiking in the mountains is a favorite summer past time, I'm a slow mover, drinking in

every sound and smell and stopping often just to gaze in wonder

at all that is around me.  Not the time for me to rush.

This is a view from a favorite trail of ours, appropriately named The Profile Trail.

I hope you can see why, way back in another century, it got its name.

just sold!

AVAILABLE HERE

Fighting Mad

It was one of those days: the subject fought, I got mad, the pastel

rebelled and the paper balked.

It was a 2x wiper til I cried "do or die" and nearly did.

For a tiny (5 x 5) piece it fought like the devil.  And while I probably learned more

from this one piece than I did all week, it just wasn't fun.

It's from  a visit to Rousillion, France where we saw the hills where they mine

pastels...just desserts, huh?

Ever have a piece that just refuses to cooperate?

Mountain Creek

 Painting the creek is almost, almost as good as being there, sitting beside it

and playing with the stones...almost.

pastel

painting is 10 x 8 but matted and framed to 12 x 9

frame matches inside wooden liner

"Mountain Creek"

The Golden (Red) Gate

 One of my favorite cities to visit: San Fransisco!

When my youngest left for college I decided to travel to the Golden Gate Bridge and

symbolically walk across it as I crossed into a new, hopefully golden, chapter

of my life.  What a great day that was!

I'd do it again...and again...

This special place is depicted in just 5 x 5 inches which precludes much detail and forces one to go for the important stuff right off the bat.  Lots of editing required. 

It is matted to a 12 x 9 size (height is always listed first).  Part of the fun of painting

these places is recalling the memories of when I was there and wondering if anyone

else has a unique story about the view?  Please share...

SOLDPurchase here.

Places Please!

I love to paint in series (more on that later) so I have to mention that

the piece above, Logan's Pass View, is part of a series I have titled

"Places."

It is small, only 5 x 5, done in pastel, but matted to 12 x 9

and framed in black.  (All of my Places will

be done likewise.)

Logan's Pass is located in the Glacier National Park where we

spent time this summer hiking.  The view was incredible as it took in not only the lovely

pass with stream (and view of going to the Sun Road) but also the distant

mountains, glaciers, and rock formations.

Some of the places pieces may be more impressionistic than  realistic rendering

but I'm looking forward to the chance to finally paint some of

the beautiful locales I've had the opportunity to visit.

Hope you enjoy the trip!

All of these are available to purchase.



Deckside

pastel, 10" x 10"

Sometimes I get so anxious to see a piece framed that I forget to take a photo of it before

it goes under glass!  Case in point: look closely and you will see my

image reflected in the glass of this painting...ooops!

This is another in a series of compositions I am doing of the view of

Grandfather Mountain from a friend's back deck in Seven Devils.

Wouldn't you love to greet the day here with coffee

and then close it from the same seat with a glass of wine?

Despite the lousey photo, this

piece is archival and will be around for the next 200-300 years!

Sobering, huh?

framed 16" x 16"



Two Medicine Creek

Remember to play this year.

I read a recent Richard McKinley article about starting a painting with a hard pastel sketch and then

covering it all with clear gesso which might cause it to smear a bit.

He then suggested going in with watercolors and splashing some color (and drips) around.

That was the play part!

Down to business was going back in with pastels and filling in some of the gaps.

This is Two Medicine Creek, a gorgeous little spot near Running Eagle Falls in Glacier

National Park.  It was nearing sunset and I remember

everything being pinky and orangish.

This is 16 x 20, mostly pastel on masonite....not framed (may never be)...this

one was for fun.

Have a wonderful, playful new year.

Artfully yours,

Cindy

Therapeutic powers of art

My mother shared this story about the pastel painting above which I loaned her for the hallway of the place where she lives:

"There is a gentleman who lives in our building and I see him often coming and going

to eat.  He never speaks to anyone and appears to be very lonely and

in his own world...oblivious to most everything and everyone around him.

Your painting was leaning against the wall near the elevator when I approached and

noticed him looking at it closely, his head cocked to the side to see it

properly.  I smiled, picked it up, got on the elevator and he got

on with me, all the while looking at the large painting I had.

"Those girls are Mexican, aren't they?" he tentatively questioned.  When I replied yes, they

were, he smiled.  "My parents took me to Mexico," he said quietly, "when I was a little boy,

about 8 or 10 years old." 

For the next several floors he quietly told me about the trip...probably more conversation

than he had had with anyone since he moved in."  I was amazed....the

painting touched something in him and suddenly he wanted to share it...with a

stranger. Regardless of who else sees it, your painting has already

provided some "therapy" for this gentleman.  Thanks for letting

us hang it.   love, Mom"

Wow...this painting, beautifully framed, was in a closet at home.  It hadn't found a buyer and I had sentimental reasons for not destroying it.  Little did I know that it had a different purpose and just needed to get to the right location.  Sharing your art can provide some priceless benefits.

A New Morning

New Morning

5 x 7 original pastel matted to fit an 8 x 10 frame

Playing in a creek bed could amuse my sister and brother and I for hours...even WeekiWachi didn't hold a candle!  We'd build a dam, cool a watermelon, walk up the stream and freeze our tootsies.

Even today I can sit by a mountain stream for endless hours daydreaming, reading or collecting a pocketful of stones.  Truely de-stressing.

Next best thing is meditating on a painting done from this small portion of the Watauga River in western N.C.  The sun, just beginning to peek through the trees, reminds me that

every morning is a new one, a new opportunity, a clean slate.

Watauga (Wata gi) is a Cherokee Indian word meaning, loosely, beautiful waters, whispering waters, or village of many springs.  I like that.

BUY HERE

1 photo=3 versions

Newnan's Lake, just southeast of Gainesville, has a fascinating history.   A photo taken by Sarah Swanson caught my eye as she captured the reflections of the sky in the water.  Wanting to play I got her permission to work from the photo and came up with three versions of the scene.  Lots of artist-license employed.  One was done on neutral wallis sandpaper, the other two on a colored, smoother canson paper.   All three are 5 x 7 in size and done in pastel.

High horizon, lots of reflections:

Low horizon, lots of sky:

Last, a more mid-line horizon, no emphasis on either.

Hmmmm, the beauty of these photos is that I can now where I need to make a few additions, funny how that process makes it easier to see what is needed. 

Anyway, there is a link above to learn more about the lake.

thanks, Sarah!



Punching up 'Paradise'

Sometimes I fall in love with a composition in a photo and become very disappointed with the painted results.  Why?  It's a question artists must constantly ask themselves as they evaluate a painting in progress.  I'll try to explain one possible reason a carefully rendered photograph may fall short.

I loved this photo taken by Ruth Novak from her boat.  It had all kinds of neat vacation implications (is she skinny dipping? relaxing? napping down below....), it also said "Paradise Found," and made me feel hot and sticky and cool and wet all at the same time.  Believe it or not this 5 x 7 pastel is a fairly accurate rendition of her photo.  But I find it a bit boring.  Or put another way: it is NOT interesting; I do not want to linger in this piece and let my eyes and imagination wander.

My analysis says "put away the photo and have some fun." Exaggerate the light and shadow and get some vibrant dark water around that towel; let the colors vibrate.  Make the sun on that suit hot, hot, hot and don't be so worried about the outlines...everyone knows what it is.  My courage wains: what if I screw it up?  My brain answers: can't be worse than it is.  My practical side says: but the water isn't really purple.  My artist side answers: who cares?

It boils down to a choice: a photo-perfect reproduction or a creative, interesting piece of art.  Everyone choses differently but in this case I will vote for the latter.  Wish me luck...it's back to the easel!

I'd really, really welcome your suggestions!!

Lighthearted Limes Meet Laughing Lemons

Laughing Lemons and Lighthearted Limes are done in pastel in a 6 x 6 format and then matted in white to fit into your own 8 x 10 sized frame.  They come wrapped in a cello-envelope, and are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.        

Purchase here

Right now these are offered as a pair for $70.00 which includes shipping.  Click on the link above and scroll down to find the lemons with the great big grin.

You'll always be reminded to make lemonade!

Stay cool...Cindy