Leanings

Lean on Me, 6 x 6

Back at the daily little warm ups, and loving it.  I was energized yesterday by some really good and eager painters at a one-day workshop I taught here in Atlanta -- it is just great to be with others on this quest to say more with less.  Tonight my husband and I were at dinner, and I told him how much I have come to appreciate the art life that I'm now experiencing, which has truly unfolded in a magical way!

French Radishes

Radish It, 10 x 10

I took this small study to the gallery (Huff Harrington Fine Art here in Atlanta) about 3 weeks ago, along with several others.  I have been selling some small studies lately -- often these loose little "warm-up" paintings have a bit of sketchy magic.

This particular one of radishes was whisked off to Paris (oui, unbeknownst to me) by Sam Jones, a gallerina who is also a wonderful interior designer.  She was joining Ann Huff to add some finishing touches to the newly-refurbished Paris apartment (see www.theartfullifestyle.blogspot.com for the captivating saga of this place).  Below is a photo of the new jewel-box kitchen, with my tres petite study visible over there on the stove hood.  Tres jolie, non?

And a bit of news - my friend, Ellen White, a skilled and dedicated oil painting instructor right here in Atlanta - is forming new weekly classes for beginning to advanced levels, starting on August 2nd.  See her website (www.ellenwhitedesign.com) for details.  

Summer Fun

Beach Girls, 14 x 14 

Sun Dress, 12  x 9

Yesterday, I taught a one-day workshop on painting studies of children from photographs.  It was just a great day, with 14 participants at Huff Harrington here in Atlanta, which is a fun place to hang out.   After a short demo, we talked a lot about how essential it is to catch the gesture and the proportions of our little subjects.  So, we spent LOTS of time on placement on the canvas with charcoal before commencing with paint, as shown below in a couple of mine:

Take a peek at the nice work done yesterday by the group, who remained upbeat and eager all day long (sorry that I missed a few, including my demo : )

All in all, a great way to spend the day -- painting, learning a bit, and then having a sip of wine at the end, as we patted ourselves on the back for great results!!

Necessary Roughness

Ponytail and Sand Pail, 20 x 16

Well, there is a tv show being filmed in Atlanta, called "Necessary Roughness"-- and the set designers have gathered paintings from around town, including several of mine. First they did the pilot, and a few of my small pieces were rented from Huff Harrington Fine Art...then the show was picked up by the USA network, and they recently "leased" 2 more for the set.  I don't know what the show is about, but I plan to watch it on June 29th -- mostly to check out the walls!

Speaking of "Necessary Roughness," I have been thinking that I NEED some roughness in my sometimes over-cooked paintings.  In fact, the painting above, "Ponytail," was painted entirely with the splayed brush pictured below as an exercise to stay loose, which was my only option!

Below are a few of the paintings that might make it on TV : )

Loganberry Farm

North Georgia Morning, 12 x 12

 ... and on my Easyl

I painted with some plein air artists at a great place two weeks ago... Loganberry Farm near Cleveland, Georgia;  poppies were blooming, along with many beautiful flowers.  It was just a great day, though the  summer in the South is almost upon us, and it's already really HOT.  I had so much fun chatting with the other painters that one study by me was the result of my day; the others created at least two!

The painting above is a take on the abandoned farm house, by Debra Nadelhoffer - and she did it on a canvas that was 20 x 24, no less!  I saw the finished piece at Burton Gallery last weekend, and it's really nice.

Below is a close-up of some poppies, done in watercolor by GeorgeAnn Moore:

Next is a shot of Cathy Ritch in action - she organized the day.  I used (for the first time) one of those in-ground umbrellas like Cathy's below -- my husband gave it to me for Christmas.  I love it, since it can cover me AND the entire paintbox and palette!

GeorgeAnn below -  creating her second painting (she has one of those nifty umbrellas too):

 And, finally, Dru Stowers, nicely ensconced in the shade - the picture of a plein-air painter!