Hanson Workshop

 These paintings were completed in the Marc Hanson workshop that I attended this week. It was an amazing experience to really get down into art for five days straight and be surrounded by people who completely supported you and who wanted you to succeed. I met many great artists there and really enjoyed seeing them in the quiet moments of clarity. I think I had a few moments myself and I am quite happy with myself.

 

 

This painting is of a house in a park in Westerville. I created several studies and basically thought about this painting like it was my job for four days. 18 x 24

This second painting was created in the workshop but without as many studies. I really tried to keep it loose and free as I painted. Trying to control grass, dirt, and the forest in general has never worked out so well for me so I let it rip and really just focused on the light, texture, and depth. This landscapes location holds a very dear spot in my heart, actually I was there today, and this painting captures it perfectly. 18 x 24

Recent painting adventures

This is a portrait commission of Derrick the eagle scout. I really enjoyed painting him, his dark eyes and features. Although he is legally an adult, every time I look at those eyes I see a boy but the face is that of a mans.

5/7/12

Getting back in the saddle... I am basically starting a new mostly consecutive painting session with a focus on color theory and moments of clarity. Sky study completed in 50 minutes. I only note the time not because it is a race, but because it is in indication of its completion level... a study... not final.

March 23, 2012

Today I painted some boats from Greece. I really like boats so I may revisit this painting again perhaps in oil or larger on pastel.

March 14, 2012

Well this is kind of a mess. Nice day outside so I decide to paint in my new Florida room. Well, things were going fine until it started to get dark outside when I realized my Florida room doesnt have lighting. So I fudged it and made a "soft" flower. Will put up better lighting for more dramatic future plants.

March 11, 2012

Today I definitely wanted to do something different so contour drawing is what happened. I can get lost in these flowers with their twisting overlapping shapes.

March 10, 2012

I painted this today at a still life class. We were working from photographs and making things abstract. Well I didn't bring a photo so I used anothers. I like this painting, especially in person because your eye moves so fluidly throughout the painting. The texture in person is amazing.

March 5, 2012

I worked on a sketch today that is from a photo from the Arnold. Funny, I just remembered I actually made a drawing very similar to this in High School. Hopefully this will turn into a painting someday. I love the shadow reflections on the floor.

March 3, 2012

This is my competition piece for the Art at the Arnold event in Columbus, Ohio. I entered this in the contest and won second place! I love this painting, and the photo that it was taken from. I got to meet the girl on the right as well as her family so I really feel quite connected to this piece.

March 2, 2012

This is my first painting from the Art at the Arnold painting event in Columbus Ohio. The model is named Ashley and I worked on this for the morning session.

February 29, 2012

I went to a painting session that had a live model today in Worthington. It was great to get out and out of my element to work. Only one problem, I was in the back of the room, really far away, and I forgot my glasses. So I really couldnt see what was going on. Overall I like it for a two hour session.

February 28, 2012

I only allowed myself a few minutes to paint today, 22 in fact, and this is the result. No blending or softening, working with mistakes and moving forward. Keeping my mind fresh and open without constraints for whatever comes this weekend at the Art at the Arnold painting event. Soooooo excited!

February 27, 2012

The bluest bloom on my orchid from Dominic. Love the color, love the subtle form.

February 26, 2012

Green beans today. I have to admit, I really enjoyed painting these today. Kind of fun and loose. Not very intimidating, I mean, they are beans after all and there are only three of them. HA!

February 25, 2012

I painted with a still life group today (COPA), it was interesting to have to work with the subject that they picked. I didnt get it all finished in the hour and a half but this is what I got. I literally did the candle holder in 5 minutes to get it done for critique. Not to bad overall! I might have to go buy some vintage books to paint.

February 24, 2012

Carrots Carrots Carrots. We hung out tonight. They got to watch me drink some wine. Overall, we got along for an hour or so.

February 22, 2012

Finished the orchids today. Love them. My last orchid painting was swept away by the wind into an empty corn field. I will take proper precautions with this one!

February 21, 2012

Started painting an Orchid that my favorite little man bought me a while back. The rest of the petals are an electric purple blue that I can barely wait to use. I love orchids!Also to note, I have really been enjoying slowing down when I paint. A year ago I would have considered it preposterous for me to paint the same thing for more than one day. I knew it would come eventually on its own and im glad that my focus and patience for art is finally here. Art days are beginning to be cohesive- which means that the 90 days are working!

February 20 2012

Painted plein air in the short north again. I was working way to slow today and therefore froze into a popsicle before I could finish. I hope to revisit and finish the painting, and mostly to see if the same "homeless" people are there asking for change.

February 18 2012

Finished the fishermen today. I love the little boy looking into the bucket. Its so simple but has so much feeling to it.

February 17 2012

Worked on my fishing men today

February 16 2012

Hmmmmm, today I am kind of a mess. Life creeping into my art time. So instead of working on the people I started yesterday (and potentially ruining it) I went for something else. This sketch is from one of my all time favorite paintings La Vie by Pablo Picasso. I am not so much a Picasso fan, but for the past 12 years this paining has resonated with me (this is only an small portion of the painting, google it for full image). It is in the Cleveland Museum of Art and every time I visit the painting in Cleveland I say hello, like its a long lost friend. I think im due for a visit. I love the composition of these two figures, their skeletal forms hanging from one another, she seems to have given up, while he painfully watches. Part of me wants to know exactly the artists intent, and the better part of me... wants to keep the image, untainted, to myself.  

February 15 2012

Started a new painting today. Another fabulous photo from Bills Greece trip. Man fishing while the boy looks into the bucket.

February 13 2012

And I am officially done with this girl. Worked on the shirt, arms, and hair. Moving on!

February 12 2012

So today I worked on the skin tones and I think I have them about where I want them. Side note: Last year I tried to paint this photograph and I was disastrous. I only ended up posting a picture of her ear it was so bad. Feeling much better about this year! Tomorrow I will finish the shirt, arms, and hair, they are still the under painting.

February 11th 2012

Worked on a portrait today. I intentionally did not want to take it further than the underpainting or else I knew I would get sucked in. So I kept things more sketch like and limited myself to 45 minutes of work.

February 10th 2012

 

Feeling a bit better now so I worked on the boat again. It is really hard to photograph in my studio, I lose a lot of the colors but overall I like it. I plan on making up my missed 90 days at the end so that I wont feel guilty about missing.

February 7th 2012

Working on this boat again, well I attempted to. I am still sick so I coughed for about 10 minutes of painting and then I gave up and took a picture of my 10 minutes of water painting. Ridiculous!

February 5 2012

I worked on the rocks and the boat today. Still have not gotten around to the water really. I am loving this painting, and cant wait to meet it when its all done.

February 4th 2012

I started this painting this morning and only had 35 minutes to work so I did the underpainting. I am really excited about this pic because it is of a boat in Greece from Bill, a family friend. Greek lettering on the side, nice.

February 2nd 2012

getting better one day at a time. I think the best part about this painting is that it is huge so I lay it on the floor and sit on the ground to paint it. Super comfy considering how sickly I am.

February 1st 2012

I am sooooo sick. ugh. BUT..... I painted some today. Going to hit the couch like its my job.

January 31st 2012

Worked on a painting from last years 90 days that for some reason I never got around to finishing. Much to do but it is really fun painting this. Impossible to photograph because it is 4 ft x 4 ft and glossy.

January 29th 2012

Worked on another mason jar today. Not quite done with this one. Its in colored pencil because I really didnt feel like messing around with pastels. I wanted it tight.

January 28th 2012

I did a water study from a photograph that I took at Lakeside this past summer. Its kind of abstract I suppose but I really wanted to get into the subtleties of the water and shore.

January 27th 2012

Painting started late, plucked this photo from my wall of choices. I painted it last year and I have to say that I like this years much more. Day 27

January 26th 2012

A new leaf uncurled itself today on my rubber tree. A fine specimen to paint because of its bright warm colors. Maybe I can repaint it when it turns half green.

January 25th 2012

A mason jar today. Going for the feeling of the glass and transparency.

January 24th 2012

My roses that I painted the other day were really getting yucky but I wanted to get another painting out of them. So, I painted the back side of them. I like that the greenery is more important than the flower itself.

January 23rd 2012

A sky from SR 23. Again, no mixing allowed. Trying to keep my fingers from solving all of my problems with shading, which leaves me with more of a palette knife approach to pastels. And those poles are ticking me off, supposed to be phone poles not a tiny fence. Having the phone poles makes the sky seem so much bigger, which it was :) Day 23 check!

January 21st 2012

Today I planned on buying another new bonsai start to paint, but couldnt find what I wanted at the nursery, so I painted the trunk to a bonsai that a teacher gave me in the fall. Also to note, I did not do any blending of the pastels. I just layered them and kept my fingers out of the equation. Myself, and artists in general, get too tight and need to loosen up every now and then. Play with the medium and try new things, you might surprise yourself!  I love the immediacy of pastels without blending. I could make a completely smooth rendition of this tree and thought about doing that, but where is the beauty, the feeling in that?

January 20th 2012

Painted my hand today. I love drawing hands so I thought why not paint one!

January 19 2012

Obviously, its an eye, my eye. I was thinking today about one of my favorite paintings by Rene Magritte the kiss, which led me to think about painting my eye. Eyes are freaky if you stare at them for 40 minutes to paint them!

January 17th 2012

Orchid flower today, feeling exceptionally lazy therefore one flower and no background. I love the color of the orchid bloom but it was hard to paint because there was little variation in its tone. Daily painting, check!

January 16th 2012

A rose today, simple. I might crop it differently if I ever frame it.

January 15th 2012

Sunrise storm clouds today. There is some sort of battle within this painting, a pull from the black giant cloud and the gentle soft colors of the sunrise. It felt good to settle into this painting today, perhaps thats because it is the weekend and I did not have to rush to paint :) Day 15 complete.

January 14th 2012

Painted Plein Air today at High Banks Metro Park. Its a frozen creek bed. I wanted to keep working but my fingers got too cold. I need to work out a better glove situation so I can paint more. Unfinished but its worth posting anyways. brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

January 13th 2012

Today I went with painting bananas. I have never painted them before and I knew I would have to find very delicate transitions since it is a white fruit. Overall, its a good study. Hopefully some plein air work for tomorrow

January 12, 2012

Today I painted grapes. I thought about doing a whole bunch, but then realized I wanted to get down to the basics and just paint a few. I really wanted to play with the vine to connect things and I think I accomplished that. Day 12 complete