Sweet Dreams

Sweet Dreams, 12 x 9

Exciting times for me lately - I've been painting a LOT from life, some going easily, some taking (way) more time and thought.  I always prefer the ones I can catch "alla prima," or in one session, but not all of them cooperate!  Still, my intent remains to let it flow with ease.

Painting large work from life for an upcoming show has been honing my eye, so when I painted "Sweet Dreams" from a photo of Sarah today, things went well.  Yay!  Practice and experimentation are continuing; I am open to anything or any tools at this point.  (There are some nifty new paint pushing wedges, and spatula-like tools in the Catalyst line by Princeton Brush Company.  I've been waving them around at my workshops, though not actually using them that much in the studio yet).  

The fun continues; I have my first-ever Nashville workshop Thursday and Friday, and am tres excited to be heading for Paris in a week on a fun jaunt with Michael.  Yes, I am taking a tiny easel - the Art Box and Panel mini set-up from Jim Coulter (www.artboxandpanel.com).

Below are two quick demos from my workshop at Atlanta Artists Center on February 8th and 9th; I like the pears lined up on the 8 x 16 format...that is a cool shape for verticals, too.

Pears, 8 x 16

Lenten Roses, 12 x 10

Winter Possibilities

Lake Morning, 20 x 10

The painting above, truly summer remembered, was fun to do at this time of year.  Love painting the figure in all seasons - I try to keep it free, yet true, often a difficult line to dance.  Here the goal was to use chunks of paint to describe form -- still have a way to go on this, but experimenting is fun!  (Meanwhile, we love these cozy winter evenings in front of the fire, with soup and a bit of wine)...

A Touch of Lemon, 14 x 11

Also, I'm continuing my texture studies, including some scraping, thick paint re-application, and other "paint-moving" techniques to increase surface interest.  Familiar subjects and set-ups make the experiments easier for me, as above.  

Bottle and Fruit, 6 x 6, example of a workshop set-up

Tomorrow is opening day for the 2013 workshop season!  I'm teaching a 2-day alla prima workshop to a group of 14 painters at Atlanta Artists Center;  my new name for these workshops is "Ease and Flow."  Focus will be on painting simple things, so we can respond to the subject matter without freaking, letting it flow and letting it go!  We use big brushes, paper towels, sponges, whatever, to loosen up and to break the ice of winter - YAY.