Sketch group

Found a nice group for a peer to peer life drawing experience. The group meets once a week in an art gallery filled with interesting and inspiring work. The space itself is just wonderful. Even the floors are white. Last night, despite a loud strong storm outside that made me wonder if the roof would stay on, I was so focused that I couldn't stop drawing. It was the second week of visiting with the group of local artists and drawing once again from a live model. I am rusty. The first week was ok, but my arm was sore. This week was better. My eye is coming back. Gesture, line and fluid likeness is back within my grasp. There is nothing quite like drawing from life. I have never particularily enjoyed plein aire painting because of bugs and limitations, but there is a freshness to working live and in the moment. The figure is especially inspiring to me. I will post some sketches from the sessions. I have to photograph them and make them websized first.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

A time to remember. A time to never forget. A time for prayer and learning to work together again.

Middle Age Mirror: portrait of the artist

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This painting is an acrylic and acrylic gouache on bristol board. Framed it it measures about 16 x 19 inches. The work was inspired by the seemingly inevitable momement many women fear; when we look into the mirror and see our mother.
I decided to embrace the moment versus fearing it. Age happens. My mother died at age 88 in 2002. She spent most of her life smiling. Painting her from memory and a few photo images, I caught her smile even in her last year.
I am at crossroads. I live in a beautiful area in a lovely home. As time passes, I am more than ever aware of our temporal existance.
Looking in the mirror, I hope to push beyond the surface and become more of my own person and a stronger artist.

Captured by news

I had planned on posting more about art and paintings. Lately my vision is filled with awful images from cable news. I did enter a painting in the National Portrait competition despite the feeling that any work I can do as a painter was dwarfed by the enormity of the loss of so many lives.
Then, today, the Artist's Magazine arrived.
In the October 2005 issue, there was a very nice article about an artist who also studied at the American Academy of Art. Her work is really beautiful.

It is difficult being a painter in isolation. This magazine and staying in touch with other artist friends helps with momentum. Naples is a community which has a lot of artists, especially during the winter months. There are some classes but they seem to cater to the people who want to just begin painting. The informal gathering of artists together to just sketch, chip in together to hire a model all seem to be absent from this area. Some groups do have get togethers and meetings, but the focus of these groups isn't what I had been so fortunate to have found in the Tampa area when I lived there.

So today, after reading about Susan Lyons and reminding myself people actually once paid money for my work, I am determined to think more positively. I need to find a way to start a sketch group and find some place to meet without huge fees.

I am also going to add the portrait I submitted to the national competition. I don't really think it will make it into the finalists, but I had to try. I do know I need to work more from life and must find a way to do this. I love nature and pieces about rhythm and pattern, but figurative work is always been where my heart is.