Still Teaching

This week has been invigorating for me and I think my students.  My curriculum emphasizes the basic skills including form-light and dark, value, and edges.  Their progress is amazing and I celebrate all that they are doing.  Here a pics of them hard at work.  You go girls!

As you can see, they are all working on individual skills depending on their level of ability.  One size does not fit all.  Check out the information for my upcoming workshop in October.  Would love to see you here.

Teaching, My Other Day Job

Good news.  My weekly classes have filed to capacity.  Bad news.  I'm getting less personal painting done.  It was the best of time and the worst of times.  So I grab time wherever to write and blog .  This morning came early for me and at 5 am, I began writing the second installment for my newsletter.  Teaching and learning will be the subject.  If you haven't signed up for the Newsletter, be sure to do so.
Some of my students are now ready for color and the challenges color brings.  Wish me luck.  I truly want them to understand more than just slapping color on the canvas and calling it pretty.  We will be doing color studies and thumbnail value studies.  It's critical to work these elements out before beginning the actual painting.  My students agree.  Here is Shanna who has never painted until six weeks ago.  Way to go girl!

I've scheduled the fall workshop for Oct. 22-26--click here for more information.  Besides five days of intense instruction on classical painting, including thumbnail sketches, color studies, color harmonies, compositional tools, we have a fantastic evening cruise on Spruce Creek with wine and cheese.  After the cruise, a catered dinner outdoors in the old Florida tradition, bond fire included.  I promise an experience you will be talking about for a long time.

Great Book

Great art books are few and far between so when I find one that is fantastic, I just can't help but share the news.  A student brought it into the studio and shared it with the class.  Juliette Aristides has written a concise book on classical drawing with so many examples and illustrations . The best part is the DVD.  Scenes from Florence and Venice make you want to grab your sketchbook, pencil, and buy a plane ticket for Italy.  Her demonstrations are extremely informative and doable. 

I've added this book to my list on the right side.  Just scroll down and you can order it directly.  It's affordable; less than $20 and the DVD is worth the price alone.

And The Winner Is . . .

As promised, I have given away a giclee print on canvas of one of my oil paintings.  Here is a video of the drawing and the announcement of the winner.  I apologize ahead of time for the amaturish quality of the presentation.  Hollywood IS NOT looking for me.

Our winner is Jo-Ellen Trecartin and she will receive a 12 x 16 (approx. size) print on canvas.  If you want to be included in the next drawing, please sign up on the newsletter link, the one with the Eiffel Tower symbol.  Again congratulations to Jo-Ellen.

Working in Flow

Today two pieces of information from two different sources came across my laptop that related to each other and were worth sharing.   The first was the newsletter from Robert Genn and the topic of happiness.  If you don't get his newsletters, contact me and I can forward it to you.   It seems certain regional areas and countries are more happy than others and it has to do with community and a tribal existence.  In my opinion, that is one kind of happiness that comes from relationships.  Does this state of mind foster greater creativity instead of being the lone painter creating in isolation? Personally, I don't think so.  The second piece of information that I came across today was a "Ted Talk" that began with the idea of happiness and how that state of mind related to flow and ecstasy.  I totally related to this information and found his charts eye-opening, especially the one that showed the relationship between challenge of the activity and the skill level of the person. This 19 minutes video from Ted Talks is well worth the watch and as most of us, as painters know, we enter into this state frequently when we are painting.  Please comment after watching and tell me what you think about tribal happiness vs. happiness created from flow.

Newsletter Finally Ready

We are ready to "go to press."  The newsletter is being reread and the final touches added.  So if you haven't signed up for your copy now is the time to do so.  On April 15th I will be announcing the results of our drawing for a freebee.  I am giving away a print on canvas of Florida Treasures.  This print can be stretched on stretcher strips or can be matted.

Besides writing the newsletter, this last week has been busy with creating color charts.  You know the kind written about in Richard Schmid's book Alla Prima.  Even after all these years of painting, I am learning so much about my colors and the beautiful combinations that I have never tried before.  With these twelve charts completed, I can match any color I see before me or use them to invent colors.

 I started them about ten years ago but wasn't willing to put in the effort in making the twelve boards required so I gave up.  Then about two years ago I found a new resource for making these valuable color charts.  I bought them but just kept putting off doing them.  After finishing the last big painting, I decided it was time. 

Check out their website from ColorFrontier.  Artists who are serious about mastering color, know the value of "doing the charts".  Now it's easier than ever and well worth the time.