A Rare Portrait

A few months back I was asked if I would like to participate in a special art exhibit.  I would paint, and donate, a portrait of a child with a rare genetic disease.  As you might suspect, I got more than I gave.  When I dropped off the painting, the coordinator of the exhibit, Patricia, acknowledge the challenge of painting accurate portraits.  I then found out she had two children with genetic disorders.  The comparison of a lifetime of challenges vs. a few hours creating a portrait are such opposite extremes.  This will be the second exhibit and the number of artist who volunteered have tripled, some asking to do additional portraits.  The foundation is called the Rare Disease United Foundation, but Patricia's goal is to make the world know these disorders are not really rare.  There are over 7000 different genetic disorders affecting 30 million Americans; so there are lots of opportunities for future portraits.

Please check out my beautiful model Brenna's website, who has Harlequin Ichthyosis
 http://www.blessedbybrenna.com/
And the website for the first wonderful exhibit.
http://rarediseaseunited.org/programs/beyond-diagnosis-art-exhibit

Marathon Framing Session

Is there a record for the most paintings framed in 2 hours?  I might be a contender with 12 paintings framed up last night.  Still a few more frames left and then packing the car, but almost ready for the first art festival of the season - Narraganset Art Festival 6/27, 6/28.  A bit of rain predicted for Sunday morning, so the beach crowd will be sleeping in and the art lovers get the good parking spots!  The rest of the weekend looks perfect, so come on down!

Going Big

Who Jumps Next?

Having a very small studio space presents challenges when creating larger works.  I've sometimes found paint on my clothes from brushing by a work in progress.  Also, there aren't many exhibit opportunities for larger works.  Most juried exhibits set their largest size as 44 inches, including frame.

This painting, "Who Jumps Next,"  is my first 24 inch x 48 inch painting (and working on my second).  I thought the image needed a large format to give the viewer the sense of being there.  It has been 90% done since last fall since I thought I wouldn't have a place to hang it.

But the Art League of Rhode Island decided to have "The BIG Show," so I quickly re-engaged and finished the painting, just in the nick of time. The exhibit will be at the University of Rhode Island - Feinstein Providence campus and the show will run from April 1-30  (80 Washington Street, Providence RI  02903) 
The Artist's Reception will be on Thursday April 16 from 5-9pm

Now to get going on that second 24x48 painting.

Creating A Free and Easy Web Presence

Over the years, artist friends have asked me about creating a website of their own.  When potential collectors see a few of their creations, they are often asked if they have a website.  They would like to have a way of sharing their portfolio, but usually have two primary concerns: 1) they don't consider themselves as "technically savvy" and 2) they don't want to spend money.  I added a third criteria; the images are displayed in a format large enough to appreciate the artwork.

I found a few options that are both FREE and EASY and meet that criteria.  I will be doing a quick presentation on the four options below at South County Art Association on Saturday, 1/31/15, 9:00 - 10:30 am.  (http://southcountyart.org/class/683)

• Weebly: template-based website tool
• Blogger: text, images and video in a "post" format
• Flickr: image and video
• Fine Art America:  image and print website

In addition to the overview, I will also facilitate a hands-on workshop so participants can build one or more of these options.  This will be held at South County Art Association on 2/7/15 and 2/14/14. $70 SCAA members/$85 nonmember.(http://southcountyart.org/class/684)

Christmas Commissions

The commissions I've been asked to do for Christmas gifts both have a fun aspect.  The gift of the house portrait will be presented along with the history of the house.  An historian researched the home, the builder, original and subsequent occupants, along with the history of the neighborhood.  (This is a package offered by New England Farm and Artist in W. Greenwich RI)





The second commission, of two huskies, were to be set in a "castle."  The client is a fan of the King Arthur stories and wanted them to look "arthurian."  We played around with backgrounds from the internet and added their favorite toys.  More importantly, I decided that I would only use colors that might have been manufactured during that time period.  Yellow ochre, terra rosa and blue black.  Yes, only three colors, and white.  The limited palette and color selections help keep the painting looking as if from that era.  They were also a nice "kingly" size of 2 feet by 3 feet.

Setting the Bar Higher

This coming weekend I will be part of an outdoor art exhibit in which I'm honored to participate.  It may look like an "art festival" if you drive by and see the tents, but it is much more.  It is a small group of juried artists whose work is of a high caliber and who paint in the traditional representational/realistic style.

One Pear

When I was first asked  to join this group, I felt it was a significant milestone in my art career.  My fellow talented artists are an inspiration, set the bar higher and make me push myself to reach that bar.  After three years, it also feels like a reunion of friends.  Our host, the proprietors of the Sunapee Landing Trading Company, make sure we have fresh coffee and homemade pastries in the morning and refreshing drinks throughout the day, all set up in the shade of an enormous apple tree.

The show is a reunion in other ways, too.  I get to see some of my NH cousins and the wonderful woman who purchased "One Pear" my first year is now a friend and has been a fabulous host each year.

The 3rd Annual Fine Artists Exhibition is held in Sunapee, NH down the road from the famed League of NH Craftsmen's Fair.  Click the link below for more info.
http://sunapee-landing.com/Fine_Artists_Exhibition.php
https://www.nhcrafts.org/craftsmens-fair-overview.php

Painting to a Frame

Sunny Farm

Homestead

Farm Road

Earlier in July, I was at Wickford Art Festival as a shopper, not as an artist.  As I visited my fellow artists' booths, I was cognizant of my first  impression when I entered each booth.  As a result, I've decided to start framing my work with similar and consistent style frames, as this was common in the most visually appealing booths.

But, I could not help myself when I came across some bargain frames at Michael's.  (Note to Self:  Stay away from those Clearance Bins!)

I found three cute little frames that look as if they were made from old red barn board.  So I decide to paint some little red barn paintings to go with them.  Since they were only 5x7 inches, I challenged myself to paint loose fast (need to do this more often).

These three paintings will exhibited, and for sale, at Main Street Coffee in East Greenwich, RI.

Extra Special Portrait #1

I love doing portraits, despite the challenges, but some I enjoy more than others.  This is the first of two I've been working on with special meaning.

Mrs Douglas passed away last winter and left a gap in the lives of my cousin and his partner.  She loved to snuggle among the down pillows and comforter to watch the birds outside her window.  I only knew her for a short while, but she was an elegant little lady.

Mrs. Douglas

Her coloring was perfect for creating a charcoal sketch using a toned paper using black and white charcoal.  It is good practice in observing and translating values.

Special Portrait #2 will be completed soon (I hope).

Wet Paint

Fresh off the easel...  For now.  I say that because as I photographed this piece, I saw changes I needed to make.  So it will probably go back on the easel after a little bit more study.  This was a painting started last October and she has been staring at me wondering when she would be framed.  Sorry Dear, not quite yet.

Breast Stroke 18x24 Oil on canvas

I named this post "Wet Paint" because of a strange dream I had last night.  I was photographing this painting and kept bumping into furniture, brushing against the painting, etc.. I was getting paint all over the place and ruining the painting.  It may have been a premonition as just as I finished the painting, it tipped off the easel.  Luckily, there was just minimal damage.

I think the real reason for the dream is because I have four other paintings in progress.  Where I paint is only 8x8 so I've been careful about where I step.

Christmas Commissions Part 2

 
I almost didn't take this commission because of the initial hurdles, but I sometimes enjoy the challenge.  The original photo was a very small 3x3 and the subject was even smaller.  When looking at the original, there was no way I could use it as a reference, but I took it home and scanned it at a high resolution.  I was surprised how much detail was revealed.  When doing portraits, you can get a good likeness without showing details.  It is all about capturing the shapes of shadows and highlights to reveal the features of the face.  So I jumped in feet first and will be dropping it off to the new owner today.

Christmas Commissions Part 1

Holiday shopping has been a bit delayed this year.  I've been busy fulfilling other's Christmas lists - clients who are giving the gift of art.  Here is the first to be fresh off the easel.  This is Radar and those beige eyes and big ears were a joy to paint.  He will be getting ready for his new home later this week.

Next up for finishing touches is another portrait, and then a still life.

51st Wickford Art Festival

Art Festival Season is officially underway and just like postal workers, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night....   Well I hope I don't have to worry about snow.  It should be a bit cooler next weekend , but there could be some rain.  Just bring an umbrella and enjoy that it won't be as crowded

Artists from all over New England, and further, come every year to exhibit and sell their beautiful paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography, etchings, and more.  Artists and visitors both enjoy the festival, set on the streets of historic Wickford Village.  Quaint shops and beautiful homes line the streets as visitors stroll through the village seeking out great artwork to buy.  Wickford is a "walking friendly" community that makes it easy for families, elderly, handicapped persons, and dog lovers to enjoy visiting the festival. 

My booth, #122a, is halfway down Brown Street in front of Wilson's of Wickford. 

Just Paint

I think I'm going to postpone art classes for a while.  I enjoy my fellow students and instructors and always find something that strengthens my painting, but I've reached a point where I just need to paint.   And paint.  And paint.  The classes and homework gives me the structure and discipline I often lack, so I'll need to work in that, too.

Interestingly, as I'm making this decision, I came across a great article from Robert Glenn.  He talks about the career paths and success of  two recent art school graduates. To quickly summarize, it was the person who cranked out 2000 paintings vs. 11 large paintings who is the success and represented by a number of galleries.

Also, not to long ago I read the book "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell.  In the book he talks about the 10,000 Hour Rule.  This is the number of hours you need to put into your craft to become a success. (20 hours of practice every week for 10 years.)  "The thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works. That's it. And what's more, the people at the very top don't work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder." 

Hmm... that's gonna mean a lot of painting to get in my 10,000 hours.

A Very Limited Palette

For a recent homework assignment, I had to create a painting using only two colors, Transparent Oxide Red and Ultramarine Blue Deep, and white.  We also created a color scale to understand the range of colors that could be created.

The results were rich "blacks", a broad range warm and cool greys, and some a nice skin tones.   I decided to see what I could do with these colors in a portrait.  I started with an imprimatura under painting using burnt umber.  (not one of the two colors, but it would be painted over)

Mid-point

Imprimatura

The blue robe, background and the darks of the hair were easy, but the skin tones were more of a challenge.  Because the photo had a strong light source, I first used warm darks in the shadows (neck and chest area) thinking the skin should have more of the Transparent Oxide Red.  The face had some reflected light from the blue robe, so I tried blue-greys in the shadows of the face.  I also found some other "cool" areas of the face. This made me realize how many blue-greys were in the neck/chest area, too.  As you can see from the "mid-point" version, it now looks too red.  So back to the easel, and below is the finished painting.

When to Sign a Painting?

 

                               

I've always loved the challenge of painting the human figure, but these paintings always seem to need more work.  With a still life or a landscape, the point at which I'm comfortable with adding a signature is often clear.       As I downloaded these photos from my camera, I could see so much that needed to be fixed.  For these two paintings, the deadline of an art festival next weekend is my only incentive to sign and frame.  If someone loves them and buys them as they are, I will be very happy, but next week they will probably be taken out of the frame and tweaked a bit.  I'm fortunately meeting with a group of fellow artists tonight for "critique night."  I'm sure my list of fixes will be enhanced after their insights

A Month of Firsts

They say things come in threes and that seems to be true lately.  Three wonderful events in my art career have happened over the past few weeks.

1) First Place at Wickford Art Association's "Still Life & Interior Spaces" juried exhibit.  My newest painting, fresh off the easel (framed this morning) was selected for First Place.  Open Reception: Sunday, February 5th from 1-3pm

One Pear
SOLD 

2) First article about my artwork  Erin Swanson from SO Rhode Island magazine wrote a wonderful article (I almost didn't recognize me in print) and Laurel Mulherin got a great shot in my studio (a.k.a. corner of my bedroom)

3) My first Solo show at Henry Carter Hull Library in Clinton CT.  A beautiful library designed to showcase art work with gallery rods throughout the building, beautiful lighting and patrons who really appreciate the artists who exhibit each month.

Life is Good!!

Getting Ready for My First Solo Show

Green Apples

9x12 Oil on Linen

$300

There is nothing like a deadline to make me stop procrastinating.  I have a number of paintings that still need some work and I want to have as many paintings as possible for a solo show in February.  Here are two that finally got a signature today.  Two others were touched up and reframed.  Now I need to decide what else I can realistically get finished and framed in time. One more tomorrow for sure - maybe two?

Zeke's Creek

9x12 Oil on Canvas Panel

SOLD

The show will be 2/2/12 - 2/29/12 at Henry Carter Hull Library in Clinton CT.