The friendship of other artists

No images with this brief post today. Just a thank you to my friends/peers who provide insight and encouragement as well as fresh perspectives. Arts organizations provide another type of support for artists, but it is the artist to artist connection that I value the most. Thank you for your comments and input, Ron Barsano, Dave Kuszinski and Larry Blovits as well as those artists who have made comments directly here following posts, I am grateful for the time you took to share your valuable thoughts. Gaining insight into one's own work is difficult. We can use a physical mirror to check it, but the eyes of others whose work you respect is the best mirror of all. Without reflection and hard work, little growth can be expected.
Now, to the studio!

Glades Song

I am not sure why, but painting the figure is so much fun for me. A local group of artists meet weekly to draw the figure from life. I am so happy to have this opportunity again. Hiring models is difficult on a tight budget, but being able to practice my craft with others not only keeps my skills honed, it is just plain fun. I believe artists need other artists. We have such a great informal group comprised of members of Jo-Ann Lizio's organization: Atlier Lizio
Occasionally, I hire a model or two just for myself. This painting: Glades Song is a result of such a session. I prefer not to do formal portraits, but to put people in natural settings and try to capture not only a likeness but the essence of the person/people in the picture. Here two friends/collegues are just visiting and enjoying a quiet song in a park like setting near the Everglades.

Whew

Balancing painting and real life can be interesting. I am coming up for "air" today. I just updated my website and added new paintings. Three are strictly about native Florida and one is about people enjoying natural beauty. I really enjoy figurative work the best, but nature comes in close second. Please visit my website and see the 4 newest pieces. Rabbit, Rabbit replaces Dancing Oak on the homepage. Old Spirit: Survivor is the painting of a gopher tortoise who has large scars on his shell as a result of being run over in traffic. A neighbor rescued him and brought him to his property. It isn't good to move critters (not sure if what he did was legal), however, this fellow would have been dead had he not been rescued. Development and roadways put animals like this amazing old fellow in grave jeopardy.

New related blogs

I took time yesterday to catch up with photographing my latest paintings and to create two new blogs!
Fun with Paint is all about having fun with paint or other material where the medium itself just takes over. It is about relaxing after working hard and playing with color and or images.

http://fun-with-paint.blogspot.com/
Check it out this is where I will be posting my experimental work.

The second blog is my Newsletter Blog. Trudy's ArtNewsLetter
http://trudybentleyrechs-artnews.blogspot.com/

While the plan is to update this site weekly, I will likely send out the link to my email subscribers only monthly. I do not want to become a spammer!

Lonestar

Met this fellow during a trip to Ft. Worth, Texas, last year. I took dozens of digital images of him and a few other cowboys who were there for a special event. I prefer working from life, but working out sketches for this painting could almost hear his charming laugh. I took many more images of the rodeo and some other interesting cowboys, and Indians.

To see more of my latest work, please visit my virtual gallery website.

Lost in painting

Well I hope that I can get a bit caught up this week. Been painting so much, that I haven't had time to post.
I will post a few new pieces here and of course on my home page.

This one is called Dancing Oak.

I have done so many still lifes that I needed to literally take a breath of fresh air. Check back again in a day and see another piece. I am also going to post some experimental works on another blog. Check for the link here later today.

Time

Where does it go? In case you didn't visit my home page this is the painting that "won" the front image.

Updated my website again

I have been working hard. Have two upcoming exhibitions that will add to exposure locally. More about these opportunities for you to see work in person as they approach.
I had a hard time deciding which of the paintings done in the last week or so to put on the front page of my site. I finally chose Eastern Influence, but wanted to showcase another painting as well. Do you think I made the right decision? The paintings are very different in mood.
This is the other contender:

It is a 16 x 20 inch oil on archival panel called (I'll take) Romance

Completed yesterday

I am using the working title, Patio Plants for this 16 x 20 oil on Masonite panel. I started it Friday and almost completed it in a short painting session. I was finally able to put finishing touches on it yesterday. The orchid is a cultivated variety with origins back to a native Florida orchid called the Butterfly Orchid. I have a Butterfly Orchid growing naturally in one of my trees but it took a hit from Wilma last fall and I don't think it will bloom this year. The blue flowers are plumbago and very intense in color. I got close to portraying the intensity of the hue, but I am not sure there is a pigment made to hit this color on the head. The other flower is a native wildflower which shows up in many states: common name...Blanket Flower.

New work: Feeling Sentimental

Feeling Sentimental is a painting of my favorite flowers...roses in a color my mother loved. I included her pearls in this 18 x24 " oil on archival Masonite.

Major website overhaul complete

As I get my business plan together, I am learning about how to reach out and share my work with the world. Following some excellent suggestions from collectors, friends, fellow artists and my husband, I made some major website changes. The new work is now shown first as thumbnails and can be enlarged by clicking. I am using only Contribute3 to edit and create pages. This software is excellent, but pretty limiting. One day I hope to be able to delegate my website maintenance to a real professional. For now, I have learned a lot and will continue to improve the site. Please take a moment to visit and send feedback via the links. An E-Newsletter will be forthcoming. You can sign up on the website or contact me via my profile here to subscribe. http://www.trudybentleyrech.com/

Newest painting

My newest painting is of a delightful woman who models part time. She is the first model I have hired for just myself.

I titled this painting “…brings her own light”




It is a 16x20 inch oil painting on archival panel. I am pleased with the result and plan on keeping it in my own “collection” for now.

Time to go plan the next painting!

Conte figure drawing

What I did to keep myself busy while the gesso on the new panels dried...a drawing on Bristol board (a type of stiff paper) treated with gesso. The gesso was applied as to create a random texture. This drawing is a study for a future painting.

Conte portrait

Had a nice opportunity to have a model sit for me. This is one of many images I will be working on in the future.

Tea and Roses

This is the painting in its almost completed state. I am ignoring it for about a week so I can look at it more objectively. Then, I can make any need adjustments and sign it.

Closer

The title is Tea and Roses.

Busy as a bee: underpainting

Been very busy painting. Thought you might like to see the latest one. Have a few minor things to do before I consider it complete. Depicted in this post is the underpainting. I had fun with Photoshop losing the background of my studio.

Another new painting

The three roses used in the other smaller paint were used again, but with a different perspective. When placed in a bleach and sugar solution, fresh flowers last a long time. This piece is a 24 x 24 oil on a masonite panel. I am using more panels now. Likely that I will be moving toward using Belgian linen in the near future.


The Key

New painting

The title is Three Roses.

Think of Roses

I have been so busy painting, that I haven't done any household chores...the garden is weedy, my hair needs cutting, but I am painting like a person possessed.
Hot off the easel, too wet to sign yet, this is one of the last three paintings I did. Working title: March Roses.