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It is so good to be home but I miss Lake Placid already! It was a great visit although not as art filled as I had hoped. But I do have one painting I am working on which I am happy about. Also, I have been thinking about the angel piece I want to do for my cousin. I am having a really tough time on that one. She likes the sketch which is a good first step :-)

My favorite little artist and I had a great visit. We did the rim walk at Ausable Chasm, had lunch at A&W, played miniature golf, went to Candyman and saw Toy Story 3...not all on the same day. The next time we do the chasm, we will bring a picnic lunch and I'll bring my sketch book since it is so beautiful.

Well that is all for now. Stay tuned for the soon to be finished painting.

Lake Placid

My favorite little artist and I had a lovely and uneventful drive up to Lake Placid. We are up visiting with my cousins. I am looking forward to a couple of art filled days. I packed my paints for the trip versus pastels. It was interesting deciding what paint colors to bring and then I decided to stick to the basics...red, yellow, blue, black, white...I ca make whatever color I want with them :-)

I also needed to pick out pieces to exhibit at my cousin's shop...The Sugar Shack...right on Main St in Lake Placid. If you are in the area you should stop on in, it will be opening in about a week! I am not sure I like the pieces I choose but since I will be painting while I am here I can always change it up, all that is needed is a screwdriver.

Well hopefully I'll be posting some new works soon.

Not One, but Two Paintings

What a great day in the studio! I finished two paintings today even though my favorite little artist needed to be picked up early from school. Nothing serious just bumps and bruises, nothing some kisses and a treat couldn't cure.

Anyway, the first painting is called "Pink Lady", acrylic on bristol, 6"x6". She was created from one of the sketches I did up in Garrison last week. It was a quick pose, I think the model held it for 5 minutes which usually means just as I am starting to make progress the pose is finished. Anyway, this is the piece I mentioned yesterday that I was struggling with on the color. I took a minimalist approach the colors used which was challenging but it actually turned out ok. There is one thing about this piece that really bugs but unless someone else picks up on it I am not going to say what it is. If you post a comment on what you think it is I will let you know if you are cold, warm or hot...LOL

The second piece is called "Oh!", acrylic on bristol, 9"x11". I actually used the same color pink as in "Pink Lady" for this piece. For some reason, I was just liking that color and I found it worked well on this piece. I am pretty happy with it.

On a different note, I received a packet today from a previous employer and I was appalled at the amount of paper they sent. I realize they are legally obligated to send these documents to me but what a colossal waste of resources. Oh and please know since I don't wok there anymore I didn't receive half the amount of paper an active employee was sent. So needless to say this pile of paper booklets is bugging me and I got to thinking what can I do with them besides dump them in my recycle bin? So I am going to attempt to use each booklet as a sketchbook. I hope it is not too annoying since there is text on every page (oh, small miracle they at least printed the pages double sided). But maybe in the end I will have something unique and beautiful. So I will keep you posted on how I make out with my first "green" art project.

Enjoy the pics and thanks for listening...well I hope someone is listening (really reading) this...

Later!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Hope you had a great day. My favorite little artist made sure her dad had a wonderful day.

We made him breakfast and a delicious dinner (if I do say so myself). She also gave him a great card she made at school...she is super talented. Ok, maybe I am partial since I am her mommy but you can't deny she does a good job. Here is her rendition of my angel sketch from the other day. We copied it onto bristol board for her and she used acrylic to paint it.

Even with all the festivities for Father's Day we got to spend sometime in the studio. I began a new painting based on one of my life drawing sketches from Monday. It is a small piece that I will finish up tomorrow...not sure I like how it is turning out I am fighting with the colors I picked. However, you learn more from mistakes then you do from perfection so I will work through it. If all goes well and I do finish it tomorrow I will post it here.

Oh, before I forget check out my friend's blog...http://bonniesfosterdogblog.blogspot.com. She is chronicling her adventures with her foster puppy.

Have a great evening!

June Woman II

Going up to the Garrison Art Center (GAC) so feeds my creativity. Not only do I have a number of great drawings from my time up there, I also have created two paintings based on the drawings. This painting is called "June Woman II", acrylic on bristol, 8"x10".

It will be a couple of weeks before I get up to GAC again for their life drawing class but since my favorite little artist and I are thinking of going to Lake Placid it will work out well. Lake Placid also feeds my creative side. It is in part the landscape which is breathtaking but it is also that we are so relaxed at my cousin's house. And I do owe her a painting or pastel in the worst way since she just let's us crash with her sometimes at a moment's notice and many times with no end date given!

She loves angels and I did a sketch of one that I then recreated in pastel but it feels forced. Partly because I think my sketch is so cliche. So I think I am going to create a tree for her but with a twist...it is a thought and I am not sure how it will work but it will be better than the poor excuse for a drawing I did. In fact, I was so underwhelmed by it that I didn't even post it here.

My favorite little artist worked in the studio with me today. She wanted me to draw "June Woman II" on her paper so she could paint it just like me. As open as I am to feeding her creativity I just wasn't comfortable with my almost five year old doing a life drawing. However, the sketch of the angel i did was the perfect piece for her to work on. So we set her up and she created a beautiful acrylic painting based on the angel. She gave it her own touches and now we are just waiting for her to dry so we can gloss her. How we love gloss medium!

Well, I hope you enjoy today's piece. Till next time, enjoy the beautiful spring day!

A New Work in Progress

I am trying to determine which I like better...the satisfaction of completing a piece or the excitement that comes from starting a new work?

Yesterday, I completed "June Woman" and felt so wonderful to see it completed. I love sharing it with all of you and telling you about it. Then today, I worked on fine tuning a sketch from my time at Garrison and then setting it up for painting. The underpainting is completed and I can't wait to begin to add the layers that will make it come alive. The creative process is powerful and exciting.

I could go on and on, back and forth, between the two all day but it would get redundant after awhile so I will stop here and just say...At the moment I complete a piece I think that is the best moment and at the moment I begin a new piece I think that is the best moment.

Have a great night and hopefully I will have a completed piece to share with you tomorrow.

June Woman

For your viewing pleasure here is "June Woman", acrylic on bristol, 6"x9".

This painting was done from one of the sketches I did yesterday while up in Garrison. This is a significant piece for me for one very simple reason...she has a head. Normally, my life drawings are headless but yesterday I did make a conscientious decision to include a head. Eventually, I may get to a point where I actually draw a face but for now a head is a huge breakthrough for me.

This piece was also an experiment in limiting the colors I used and really working contrasts. This piece is also rare for me since the background is two different colors.

Aside from today's painting I also worked on my artist statement. So long overdue here is the draft...

"My work is a celebration of nature and women, specifically woman as mother. The female figure is a powerful one and dominates most of my works. Even the pieces reflecting trees are a tribute to the power of women signifying Mother Nature. Both are strong and feed my creative energy.

The pieces are abstract in design with a focus on form, movement and color. This is infused into my work, no matter what medium is used. The favored mediums are acrylic, pastel and oil. Each gives a different outcome and dimension to the piece. Pastels give a soft feel while acrylics give a strong, vibrant feel and oils allow for texture and movement.

The creative process remains the same regardless of the medium used or the subject matter chosen. Each piece starts out as a sketch that has been inspired by nature or life. It is developed and fine tuned before it is recreated in color."

Any thoughts you have regarding it are greatly appreciated. I am getting to a point where I want to send out marketing packets to local galleries to see if they will show my work and an artist statement is needed.

Well, enjoy today's offering and hopefully tomorrow will continue the creative energies that the beginning of this week have shown.

Garrison

I finally made it back to the Garrison Art Center (GAC)! A lovely 3 hour life drawing class was the perfect way to kick off the week. The model was lovely, she made me think of a 1940's pinup girl. I struggled with many of the poses today, I am not sure why. It wasn't until I gave myself permission to just "draw" and not worry about perfection or realism that things started to come together. In the end I came away with a couple that I will turn into paintings.

In fact, I have already started working on the first painting. If all goes well I should be able to post here for your viewing pleasure tomorrow. I am experimenting with using a minimum amount of colors and still trying to stay away from my favorite color combinations.

Exhibit opportunities have seemed to slow down. Not as many listings or options on Craig's List as before. I am toying with the idea of contacting one of the galleries I showed in about their up coming July show but I am not sure if I want to drive out to Brooklyn. The Kent show will run through mid-July so that is pretty good but I doubt I will have any sales :-( I would love to exhibit locally but haven't found anything that works for me yet. Ideally, I'd like a non-gallery venue such as a cafe but there just really aren't any around here, at least not that I am aware of.

Well, I will keep painting away and eventually I will find the right spot and begin to sell.

Road Trip to Kent, CT

Since I paid to be a member, I am taking advantage of the member shows at the Kent Art Association (KAA). However, I think when my membership is up I will not renew. The reason for this is simple...my work doesn't fit with what they show (oh and it is like an hour and a half away). They stick out like a sore thumb, not really what you want. The preference is to have them sparkle as unique gems but they are so out of tune with what is shown by the KAA that it is just not good. Well, maybe I shouldn't say that since I put a piece in at another gallery for a charity art auction and thought my piece was out of place but someone bought it. So you never really know, now do ya?

Well, if you are up in that area stop on in and see the pieces I have submitted. Later!

Revelations

I came to some conclusions today...

1. It is not feasible for me to create a complete work of art every day. Well at least not one that is worth sharing with the world. So I am changing the parameters of the experiment and my expectations of myself to something more reasonable...a complete artwork each week.

2. I don't need to like everything I create. It would be great if I did but the reality is that sometimes it just doesn't work for me.

3. I think it would be fun to curate a show. So I am going to think on this some more.

So that is what has passed through my mind today. I did create a piece of work today but since I am not sure I like it I am not posting it here. Tomorrow my favorite little artist and I drive up to Kent, CT in order to drop off my works for their group show. So I continue to show and hope that someone will purchase my piece or approach me about a solo show. Fingers are crossed.

Interview

Three days of preparation in anticipation for my interview today. The legwork was all worth it. I felt poised and confident and best of all I became familiar with the company's product enough to speak to it w/out sounding like an idiot. I also learned lots of interesting tidbits about the company as well. If/when I am hired I will announce where I interviewed but for now mums the word. However, I will say that it is a creative environment although I will not be working on the creative end.

The sad part about today was it has turned out to be a no-art day. Although part of me is saying the day isn't over yet so go grab your sketchbook! I am thinking I might since there really is no good excuse not too. In fact, as I am typing I am thinking why wouldn't I spend some time sketching now that my girl is in bed? I can't come up with a good reason so once I finish here I am headed to my studio to find my pencil and favorite sketchbook.

As for the interview, it was promising. I liked the atmosphere, I liked the people I met in passing and I liked the woman I interviewed with. My favorite part was when she told me she was looking for a partner in crime! Hopefully, no one will read too much into that phrase since it is a bit out of context here so you will just have to believe me that it was a positive thing. I am a bit concerned about the location but I will be able to drive to there as long as I can line up parking. So in the end it should be all good.

Thanks to those of you who sent positive thoughts and energy my way this morning, they definitely came in handy. Well, more tomorrow since I can hear my sketchbook yelling for me.

Double Curve

I didn't make it to Garrison today :-( my car headed to the shop for a once over since the air conditioning is not working. Somedays if it is not one thing it is another. I did however get to spend sometime in the studio today. It was a good way to channel the anxiety I have over my upcoming interview. I always seem to get so nervous before an interview, hopefully, that is a good thing.

Well, back to the subject that is the real focus of this blog, my artwork. Today's piece is called "Double Curve", acrylic on bristol board, 8"x12". I've been trying to use different colors versus my favorites...red, blue, yellow, green.

The original sketch was done over the Memorial Day holiday while we were in the Catskills. Although there is a bit of artistic license taken the tree I was sketching really did curve that way. It is amazing what can occur in nature. It was too bad that we wound up with a thunderstorm or I am sure I would have wound up with a number of great sketches. As it turns out, my paranoia over leaving my sketchbook and pencils unattended is what saved this sketch and many more from being left out in the rain.

I am still very concerned about being able to continue pursuing my artwork once I return to work. I am excited (and nervous) about my interview tomorrow, however, to be perfectly honest...it is difficult enough trying to create with my day to day responsibilities that I don't know what will happen once I start working. My art has suffered for the last 15+ years while I worked a full-time desk job, I do not want that to happen again. Could it be that since I am so concerned about it and am putting it out there to all of you that it will help to keep me on course? I just don't know...

But anyway, I need to decide what pieces to submit to the Kent Member show that is taking place later this month. I am also on the fence about whether or not I want to submit a drawing or two to the Drawing Salon Show at the Greenpoint Gallery...I am tending toward the not since I prefer to show my paintings.

Well, I think that is enough ramblings for today. Until tomorrow my friends.

FINALLY...Quality Time in the Studio!

I am so happy to report that today I made it back into the studio. My favorite little artist and I spent a couple of hours just creating away. I have started a new acrylic painting and she did a pastel drawing. In fact, she took the tracing paper I had my latest image on and traced onto her paper. She then taped the edges so she would have crisp clean edges just like me! Although she opted for pastels over paints today it was still great to see her utilizing the techniques I use. I love how she is learning all of this just from being in the room with me.

We also took a trip to Brooklyn to pick up 5 of my pieces that were in a group show. I am disappointed that none of them sold but there is always next time. Coming up is the member show at the Kent Art Association so I need to decide what pieces to submit. Although I have to say my work fits so much better in Brooklyn then CT.

Tuesday I have an interview for a job in NYC. It is not art related but it is a creative company so that is always fun. Also, with so much of this week dedicated to my job search I have decided that Monday is going to be an art day. I am going to drive to Garrison after dropping my little artist at school and sit in on their life drawing class, then when I get home I am going to paint, YEAH!

Enjoy the weekend and hope this heat breaks soon!

It's Been Awhile...

Sorry to be out of touch for so long...it has been a slow art week. The Memorial Day holiday was wonderful, filled with lots of adventures. Then I wound up with a stomach bug which was not fun. Also, most of my time this week was dedicated to my job search. I attended a great networking event last night and was able to meet up with an individual who gave me valuable insight into interviewing and resume development.

In regard to art, I was able to get a couple of great sketches while in the Catskills and I am excited to turn them into paintings. However, tomorrow is another day wholly focused on my job search so hopefully come Saturday I'll make it back into the studio.

Happy Thursday and a happy birthday to a dear friend and congratulations on being promoted to "Sensei"!