Commissions

Wedding Morning, 30 x 15

Well, of course I agreed to do a painting for a friend to give as a wedding present.  The couple in question married last fall, and the family friend saw the photos online; she loved the shot of the wedding dress hanging in the window, with the landscape behind. I said, sure, that I would do this, from a tiny photo online.  Needless to say, I should have considered matters a bit more before agreeing to the project!  The photo above is the second entire painting done of this subject, and this one is better than the first, but ay yi yi!!  Hopefully, I have learned the lesson (once again) that people-pleasing and painting are not necessarily compatible.  

It is of course, impossible to read the minds of others, and creating a painting from nebulous source material in a fashion that may or may not appeal to the well-intentioned donor, nevermind the eventual recipient, is too crazy to even decipher.  So of course, I tried to do exactly that, and ended up spending WAY too much time and effort.  I truly believe that the next time such an "opportunity" arises, I will be able to graciously decline!

Workshop Fun

Great Group!  I'm on the end at the left; it was an uplifting and FUN weekend... 

16 painters joined me last weekend for a workshop in Atlanta, at the studio of Yvonne Mendez, which was sponsored by The Art School in Sandy Springs.  We just had a GREAT time, and I had a wonderful experience with these talented people.  Luckily, one of the participants, Denise Rose, sent me some photos of everything, the people, the set-ups, and me in action, which I share below.  Prior to teaching a workshop, I get anxious and worry about it all: i.e, " Can I paint?  What will I share?  YIKES! " Fortunately, as in the past, it went well, the attendees were SO open and sharing, and it was just a rewarding experience for me.  

Next workshops that I'm teaching are at Huff Harrington Fine Art in Atlanta, both of which are sold out, but one to two more will be scheduled in the fall.

Set-up of lenten roses in a shiny vase

My initial block- in (charcoal and then paint)

Refining

Another quick demo on rounding the form!

Off to the Beach

On Her Way, 20 x 16

Well, I am leaving today to visit with my friend at her home on the Georgia coast...yay! The painting above is a sketch of my granddaughter, Sarah, from a photo taken last year.  She was "on her way" to get more coloring supplies!  I thought it a timely title after teaching a great workshop over the weekend; the painters are "on the way" to a bit more freedom and expression and I'm "on the way" to Sea Island! Sixteen ladies (and two more for the demos) joined me each day to paint in a workshop sponsored by Donna Thomas, of the Art School in Sandy Springs, here in Atlanta.

What a great group!  And good work they did too...it was an uplifting experience for me to be with others on this quest to find our intuitive selves and to see what's before us a bit better.  I will post some group photos and other photos soon.  Meanwhile, I just received a blog post from participant Kathy Cousart (www.kathycousart.blogspot.com), featuring a nice painting she completed in class on Sunday.

More to follow on the workshop and dates for future workshops.  Bye for now!

Roses with Lemon, Kathy Cousart (from Athens, GA)