christine mercer-vernon.

Welcome 2012 and a feature...

2012-01-04T14:23:00.002-05:00

I can't tell you how excited I am for this year.

In my 5.5 years of being a mother, it's all finally getting a little bit more organized.

Next week I return to my studio.

I've been finishing off a few to-do's around the house this week and this weekend we'll finish the last of our de-cluttering and organizing tasks.

I've got some art goals to reach but my goal is to keep them flexible.

My main goal is to sketch or draw every day, even if it's for 15 minutes.

My focus will be on skull and bone studies.

Secondary to that, I have a short term goal of 2 painting sessions weekly. Which doesn't sound like much, but considering how slammed I've been with graphics work, that has consumed every minute of my day, evening and even the wee hours of the morning, it's an improvement.

As I have slowdowns in work, I will increase when possible.

So my return will be slow but hopefully methodical.

To kick off the year, I'm happy to link to a lovely Artist Feature written about my work, with a focus on my brush use by Dynasty Brush (follow this link to read the article).

It was so kind of them, and quite honestly, made me feel pretty good considering I was somewhat unproductive in 2011.

Happy Holidays - An Artist's 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-21T11:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone!

Yes I'm still here. I've been cleaning and reorganizing my studio. I'm looking forward to 2012. It's been a crazy 5 years since I had my daughter and I greatly underestimated how difficult it would be to paint once I had her.

But it's all good. I've raised an adorable and personable little girl that is now in kindergarten and doing so well.

It's taken me months to catch up on everything that fell behind in the past five years! But I'm finally reaching the end. I'm looking forward to a slow but triumphant return to painting after the holidays.

I will love every minute I get to spend at the easel.

I've spent 5 years filling my head and notebook with painting ideas and I can't wait to finally put them on canvas.

:]

And since I had 5 minutes to myself last night while everyone was sleeping I took the one Christmas song I can't stand and turned it into one I could, because that's the silly things I do at 1:00 AM…. enjoy!

An Artist's 12 Days of Christmas

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

12 charcoal pencils

11 tubes of schminke

10 rolls of viva

9 sable filberts

8 cups of coffee

7 sheets of canson

6 H-frame easels

5 Gessobords

4 pints of Gamsol

3 mahl sticks

2 bristle flats

and a new kneaded eraser

Today's my Birthday

2011-09-02T13:46:00.000-04:00

I owe you a recap of the Carlo Russo Workshop…

I know…

Busy, Busy.

The jelly bean has started school, in a few weeks when I get my graphics workload caught up I get to return to painting! Yay!

But today, today is my birthday.

You can read how I am taking it in stride… HERE.

:]

Workshop day 3

2011-06-22T20:13:00.001-04:00

Went in early today and stayed late. I painted from 8:30 am to 5:15 pm.

I am exhausted. But in a good way.

I work similar to Carlo which is cool because my insides aren't freaking out. :)

But also different enough that I'm getting some great pointers and insight from him.

It feels great to be in a workshop where my head isn't spinning because the instructors method and style is so drastic from my own, and where I can focus more on improving my skills and learning some new techniques.

tomorrow I'll go in early again in hopes of making some serious headway.

This photo shows my color wash in and the start of my final layer.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Workshop day two

2011-06-21T19:38:00.001-04:00

day two down. My final drawing, although this has been traced over with pen. can't figure out how to turn the pic on my phone.

finalized my drawing and toned my canvas and then I had a few setbacks.

Nothing I couldn't handle but still frustrating.

I ordered a claessans Belgian linen panel that turned out to be a nightmare. Considering what I paid for it I was a little disappointed.

Carlo works on CBL and wanted us to try it but the panel I ordered had a oddly slick and smooth surface. It wouldn't hold paint. I toned it, it dried and I could wipe it right off. Grrrr.

Even transferred my drawing and painted the lines and it wiped off.

Lucky it was end of day so I decided to head to the downtown Philly Dick Blick to pick up a Gessobord panel.

one of the other participants was nice enough to drop me off near the store (really no parking). So I picked up a few things and walked 20 minutes back to my car in the heat. Lucky for me I passed a Starbucks and took the walk in stride with an iced coffee in hand.

so tonight I'm doing a little homework to get back on track and one of the girls is going to meet me in a little early tomorrow so I can get an early start on my color block in. Hoping to have that done mid-morning to lunch so I can can start in with thicker paint after lunch.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carlo Russo workshop: day 1

2011-06-20T18:33:00.001-04:00

day one is done and I'm glad. I always have such anxiety the first day of a workshop, compound that with a 50 minute traffic packed, merging after merging fastpaced highway drive into the city, and I'm wiped.

I was happy with my drawing progress and hope that I should be ready to transfer by lunch tomorrow.

I had a funny moment when I arrived to find the elevator out of service. Funny because I had just joked to some friends about packing so much and being grateful I could take the elevator.

not so funny this morning, but lucky someone did direct me to another one. by the time I found it and rode what was the longest elevator ride ever and wandered the halls aimlessly (all while carrying 50lbs of gear) I finally found my destination.

At least I got my workout in. looking forward to day two.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

overpacked, but happy...

2011-06-18T22:02:00.000-04:00

I've spent the past two days sorting and packing supplies to head out to Studio Incamminati for the Carlo Russo workshop.

If you've never seen his work, definitely check it out.

Finally I've got the list of supplies checked off, and I've packed a few other items I'm sure I can't live without. The ratio of art supplies to clothes packed is definitely skewed.

I only wish I could have spent some time painting/drawing beforehand but my graphics workload has been a little crazy with me taking off for a week. (only to be followed by two more weekends away) Nothing I could do about it.

This will be my second workshop at Studio Incamminati. I'm looking forward to spending time there again in the space as well as with the people.

Will anyone else out there be attending any of the other workshops going on this week at SI?

If so, come find me!

I'm going to try posting from my phone, no guarantee's.

I'll be staying in NJ with my Mom, who gets the added bonus of caring for my daughter while I'm off painting. I think both are equally excited about this!

I can relax knowing she is in good hands. I'll be commuting into Philly daily, it's quite easy and a nice ride where I can drink my coffee and clear my head.

Off to finish packing...

Happy Earth Day

2011-04-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Day... Earth

what is it about brushes, and paint, and stuff like that?

2011-04-02T11:50:00.003-04:00

i am slowly getting my graphics workload caught up. spring work surge 2011 was just as crazy as 2010.

which is good because i treated myself to a new plein air setup...

i'm hoping to get out this summer but... most of it's use may come in the fall when my daughter starts FULL TIME KINDERGARTEN. [sorry i got excited]

what is it about brushes, and paint, and stuff like that?

i know it's killing me not to be painting. this little painting is still right where i left it...

...still waiting to be completed. As well as this one.

i think whether you are a stay at home mother, or father, it's difficult. it's hard to do everything and then find those painting hours. it helps to have a great support group of people willing to babysit to give you an hour here and there. but we don't have many options.

please. no pity party. we knew that going into it. we're thrilled to have an amazing little girl.

so a little sacrifice is ok. even 5 years of putting my art on the back burner and going back to full graphics workload is ok. at least i'm home with my little girl.

idea after idea for paintings racing through my mind, quickly jotted into a sketchbook for some random future day that it will become realized... is ok.

seeing new brushes waiting week after week to glide through paint... is ok.

well dried paint still on palettes waiting to be scraped... is ok.

my lonely painting apron hanging on the back of my easel... is ok.

completely unsolicited 'i love you mommy' or 'your the best mommy ever' followed by hugs and kisses from a cutie pie little girl that is mine oh mine makes it all... ok.

thank goodness nuts don't wilt...

2011-02-21T11:22:00.000-05:00

about halfway done now...

i'm glad nuts don't wilt, this one still has a bit of posing to do.

i will most definitely be painting something much smoother for my next one.

saturday morning was spent remixing my palette while my little one, mixed one of her own.

there was no way she was going to let ME paint, so i sealed mine up for a late night painting session. but... she painted this unusually expressive piece.

untitled | tempera on primed canvas | shelby vernon

generally, she usually mixes more earthtone colors and will paint very tonally with a small splash of complementary color. but saturday she was very excited for our plans to go out to dinner with her bff and then bowling (which i completely suck at).

so she obviously put in paint.

:]

small work in progress...

2011-02-11T16:45:00.000-05:00

i've been ignoring things like brushing my hair... and vacuuming, just so i can squeeze in short little painting sessions the past few days.

before i jump back into this larger painting i wanted to warm back up with a few smaller works.

plus my etsy shoppe could use some fresh paint.

yesterday i resisted the temptation to throw this painting across the room, frisbee style.

then stomp on it.

i'm glad i did. today i entered the 'i think i might pull this off stage'.

it's going to take me a few sessions to finish the final layer, i've just started refining details (upper right quarter of walnut). but it feels good to be painting.

i could have picked a smoother nut though. :][

my palette thus far...

Time keeps on slipping....

2011-01-27T15:20:00.000-05:00

doesn't my front yard look pretty all decorated with snow? it took me all night.

i'm exhausted.

i despise leaving my blog so neglected. this year has started off with less than a bang.

Worst Cold Ever has finally subsided, but left behind a lovely dry cough as a parting gift.

[annoying]

i've not painted once this year.

[depressing]

but it's looking up.

i've got 5 more dental illustrations (yep...dental) to do to complete a big client project.

[i'm currently procrastinating by writing this post]

then i can dust off my easel and get down to business on this painting.

this year is going to be exciting. come fall, my daughter will be entering kindergarten.

full time.

and i am excited. hey, don't get me wrong. i have LOVED every minute home with her. but i'm also excited to have some free time back. day time that is. to get my freelance graphics work done, and spend time painting.

lots of time painting. in normal daylight hours. not those crazy late vampire hours.

i will have dedicated 5 years home with her, putting aside my artistic goals. no guilt, no resentment. but now i'm ready to get back to it. and i've got a lot of time to make up.

of course, that won't be until september. but as time allows i will be working on building my new body of work. checking one painting off at a time from my gigantic to do list.

:]

is it 2011?

2011-01-07T11:20:00.001-05:00

is it 2011?

really?

i hadn't noticed.

i've been down with what seems to be the Worst Cold Ever since the last few days of 2010.*

Worst Cold Ever (adj) defined as a variety of cold like symptoms, that stubbornly refuse to respond to any OTC, herbal, or homeopathic remedies, providing the infected victim with no relief or suspension of symptoms for any said time. continues to progress and morph into even more miserable symptoms, leaving victim feeling as though beating with a 2x4 would certainly be more enjoyable.

hope to see you on the other side soon.**

* pathetic sketch provided for your enjoyment.
** please use hand sanitizer after reading this post.

WIP: 'sticks and stones' & supplies

2010-12-10T23:03:00.002-05:00

work in progress: 'sticks and stones'

moving along on this painting. blocking in some color. that ghastly green glow in the center is not there... camera picked up something weird.

just finished mixing up some paint to start the skull. finishing off my coffee then getting started.

here's my palette to this point.. i haven't scraped it off because i'm using it to make sure i mix my new little piles of paint to match what i mixed previously. i've added a third one. yikes.

so... as free time allows, my husband and i have been on a mission to de-clutter and get rid of everything that we do not use.

my old studio has been turned into a much needed storage room but i still house some art supplies in it since i don't have a closet in my new studio.

slowly i've been going through my supplies and cleaning out what i will most likely not be using trying to simplify and de-clutter since i know we will be moving sometime in the next few years.

i have a listing posted on craigslist for rolls of unprimed canvas and some large stretchers and a bunch of smaller ones too plus a brand new gallon of Golden gesso. i switched over to gessobord and with my return to realism i am working much much smaller.

i will not ship these items. they are for pick up only.

details are in my listing: click here to view

new painting... my palette

2010-12-06T11:50:00.002-05:00

due to how i lit this still life, this painting is going to have some really tough values. they fall in two very tight clusters at both ends of the value scale.

normally, I start with a thin raw umber underpainting (open grisaille), but this time i decided to go with a more controlled value based underpainting (closed grisalle). while i did stay a little loose i kept my edges a little harder, i'll soften them more in the next layer.

mixed up a slamming grayscale.

and no, i do not drink champagne while i paint... i like to use this glass for my OMS.

right now, i'm working on a very thin color block in of my new painting. i spent almost two hours this weekend mixing up color and determining exactly what my palette would be. here's a peek...

my palette from L to R (SM-Schmincke Mussini, G-Gamblin):

SM Titanium White
SM Attish light ochre
SM Raw Sienna
SM Carmine
G Ultramarine Blue
G Portland Grey Deep
SM Ivory Black

i made a lot of notes and decided on 5 neutral colors to base the entire painting off of (top left palette). since my work time is so stretched out and the majority of the paint i use is Schmincke Mussini (resin-oil paints which dry a bit faster) i made some swatches and notes so I can accurately remix new paint for each session.

back to work.

new painting-prep drawings WIP

2010-11-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

transferring this drawing today.

took about 8 hours to get everything precise in this drawing. composition is very critical to me and i have a strong love for negative spaces.

i ended up drawing it larger than life so that i could work everything out. drawing larger is sometimes easier for me.

then i scanned and reduced the drawing in photoshop and printed it out. cheating. whatever. i don't have a lot of free time.

usually this time of year all my freelance work dries up, especially with the way the economy has been. but this year is not usual. i've got work well into next year. so painting has been slow.

but i'm more concerned with quality than quantity.

gobble gobble

2010-11-24T11:35:00.001-05:00

yeah he looks harmless. until he pecked my finger.

finishing up the last few chapters in a very large textbook art program i've been hunkered down on.

just one or two more days of work then i'll be back at the easel.

i'm still debating whether or not i want to show the painting i am working on.

i'll think about.

over turkey. but no stuffing. :[ it's not gluten free.

but today is all about cooking and baking.

have a happy thanksgiving. :]

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T16:49:00.002-04:00

shelby approved scary pumpkin.

watch for little ghosts, goblins, princesses and transformers if you are out driving tonight and tomorrow night.

oh... and if you see a mini t-rex. no worries. it's mine.

i'm stocked with quarters and healthier treats with which i will be trading/buying/bargaining with said t-rex for the way-too-bad-for-you treats she will most likely acquire tonight.

i will then, without shame, deposit them on the counter at the gym next to a poster for the high intensity interval classes that i teach.

happy halloween.

things i got...

2010-10-26T13:47:00.000-04:00

i got these in the mail yesterday...

but i haven't got the brushes i ordered yet.

i also got this on october tenth... but i didn't want to overshadow my auction for Caiden so i kind of kept it to myself.

although... i'm not quite sure why every time i enter my paintings somewhere, they always capitalize the titles... i specifically do not capitalize my titles.

anyway...it was quite unexpected. but very encouraging. it also came with a cash prize. [refer to photo one] here is the painting...

bone | 16x20 oil on panel mounted to birchwood | $750

it is also entered in the Boldbrush Painting Competition. You can vote for it in the Popular Vote portion HERE if you like, or not... it's cool. [the whole popular vote gives me shudders of high school memories when i was completely not popular]

happenings & thank you's...

2010-10-25T10:53:00.003-04:00

lots of things happening around here.

first off, i'm was thrilled and humbled by the outpouring of bidding and auction promoting by friends, family as well as those i don't even know. the painting i auctioned off for Caiden should be arriving sometime today to the winning bidder.

and to that special person, i say thank you.

it's been an exciting process but also sad and there is huge reality check as I read daily posts from Caiden's mother as to his progress. chemo is a nasty, nasty thing. please keep him and his family in your thoughts.

i also want to give some shout outs to some amazing artists who used the power of social media and graciously passed the word on to their friends, family and collectors about my auction (please take a moment to click on each of their names and visit their sites):

Jennifer Hoffman Gessler

Maria Janosko

Brian Kliewer

Irene Rencsi

Eric Armusik

Jennifer Thermes

Kim Vanderhoek

Linda Billet

Scott Meier

Wendy Wright

Ethan Cranke

Samantha Gallagher

Jennifer Meyer

Nancy Medina

John Sumrow

if i missed anyone, i'm sorry... it was crazy trying to keep up with twitter, facebook and emails that were flying around like crazy.

and i also thank my family and friends who also took a lot of time to pass on news of this auction.

and secondly, i have more news, but that is for another post.

WHEN I GROW UP... auction for Caiden Hammond

2010-10-07T13:18:00.008-04:00

when i grow up | 20x16 inch | watercolor on clayboard

Click Here to Bid

(this auction ends at 9pm EST Thursday October 14th)

I am auctioning this painting with ALL proceeds (minus the fees that ebay and paypal will deduct) to benefit Caiden Hammond. I will ship this painting for free to the winning bidder , or deliver in person if you are local. (*please see notes below).

Caiden is the adorable 16 month old brother of one of my daughter Shelby's pre-k classmates. On September 16th, he suffered a major seizure shortly after midnight. He was airlifted from our local hospital to Hershey Medical Center Children's Hospital where an MRI revealed a plum sized tumor. The next day emergency surgery was performed and a peach sized area was removed.

The tumor was diagnosed to be a very nasty malignancy known as atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor or AT-RT. While the statistics do not look good for Caiden, everyone remains hopeful. He is a strong, healthy little boy and the surgeons were able to remove all of the tumor during the surgery.

Caiden re-entered the hospital on October 4th to begin a 4 month cycle of chemo, to be followed by 2 months of stem-cell therapy, then proton therapy.

To assist with the massive medical expenses, travel expenses and care for Caiden's three older siblings, an assistance fund has been set up at Wachovia Bank. I will not post that information here, but if you are interested in donating to the fund privately, please message me and I will email you the information.

This is my daughter's second year at this preschool. I've seen Caiden at every drop off and pick up. Watched him go from a little baby to a toddler. This breaks my heart.

I thought this painting was a perfect fit. The starting bid is only $25, I decided to start it very low so that anyone could bid. The auction will run for 7 days, ending next Thursday, October 14th at 9pm.

If any other bloggers, twitterfolk, or facebookers care to pass this on, I would greatly appreciate it. I hope to raise at least my selling price for this painting, if not a little more. Thank you so much to all of you!

When you hear of stories like this, it makes you pause and think and cherish a little more. When it's someone you know, well, I think everything kind of stops. It's always sad to me when I hear of someone fighting cancer, but when it's a child, i look at my own daughter and just think how difficult it must be for that family, and even still, I don't think I can really imagine what it must be like.

:[ christine

good news / bad news

2010-10-06T13:10:00.001-04:00

GOOD NEWS

my painting bone was accepted in the YAA 40th Annual Juried Event.

hoping to make it back from my weekend trip to attend the reception and awards ceremony on sunday. anyone wishing to send 'no traffic' vibes on sunday morning, please do so.

BAD NEWS

friday we learned that the 16 month old brother of Shelby's pre-k classmate and friend suffered a serious seizure, was diagnosed with an AT-RT brain tumor (cancer), had emergency surgery to remove a plum sized tumor (occupying a peach sized area of his brain), and is now hospitalized undergoing chemo, to be followed by stem cell therapy and then proton therapy. and while the statistics are not in his favor, everyone is remaining hopeful.

a fund has been set up at Wachovia bank to assist the family with the massive medical expenses as well as travel and additional child care for his 3 older siblings.

i will be auctioning off a painting on ebay with all proceeds (minus ebay and paypal fees) to benefit this little boy. details will be posted as soon as i have everything together.

he is the sweetest little boy. this breaks my heart.

bone | 16x20 inch | oil

2010-10-04T10:24:00.002-04:00

bone | 16x20 inch oil on panel

well it's done. finished in a mad dash the night before i dropped it off at the York Art Association.

it's now being scrutinized to determine it's worthiness for entry into their 40th Annual Open Juried Event.

it seemed so small and insignificant when i delivered it and their gallery was bursting at the seams with tons and tons of entries.

aside from that i feel victorious.

i am celebrating the return of my artistic moxie. {insert coy laughter}

four years of floundering stylistically as well as with subject matter was exhausting and almost defeating. (i had a baby, i like to blame it on hormones)

random note: i love old wooden crates. my husband and i collect them. will be using them a lot.

my next still life is set up. it will be another mad dash painting as my time is all but up with a skull i have on loan. and of course, i couldn't make it easy. have had this painting in my head for a year.

hoping i can pull it off.

a few detail pics i meant to post earlier.

preparing for the next one...

2010-10-01T10:26:00.000-04:00

there is no time dawdling today.

my painting 'bone' is complete. i'm sanding and staining the wood cradle, then i have to hustle it down to the York Art Association by tomorrow 2pm for judging of their annual open juried exhibition.

talk about cutting it close. after all this i hope it is accepted.

but where is the final photo? i haven't taken it yet... but you can view a sneak peek on my FB page.

since i know my next painting, and i've already got the supplies out, i'm finishing that cradle too.

i'm under pressure. my year is about up with the human skull i have on loan, I have one at least, maybe two paintings I'd like to complete with it before i return it.

which means... i need to get my ass to work. (also have a ton of graphics work as well).

sometimes... i just change my mind.

2010-09-23T23:42:00.000-04:00

bone | work in progress

suddenly and randomly while i was playing on twitter last night, it occurred to me that i was completely nauseated by the background color of this painting.

because i tend to be impulsive, i thought about it all day today.

and between many, many stressful bathroom moments with my 4 year old, i remixed my entire palette to work on the bone tonight.

at 10 pm i sat down to work.

i picked up my brush, looked at my painting and stared at it for 5 minutes.

then i swore (it makes me feel better), hung a new sheet of colored paper behind my set up, and mixed up a new background.

that color was competing with my bone too much.

oh well. it's fixed now.

skull: quail - 6x6 inch oil on gessobord

2010-09-21T12:02:00.002-04:00

skull: quail

6x6 inch oil on gessobord panel, unframed | SOLD

such a delicate little skull. so tiny.

only 1-1/4" in length. i feel like a clutz handling it, after all i do excel at dropping things.

for example... this painting*.

i recall my father hunting these when i was young and how tiny and soft they were. beautiful feathers, especially the tail. there aren't many around anymore. dramatically decreasing populations across the country.

i imagine due to encroachment, farming chemicals. all the terrible stuff we humans do.

we buy organic fruits and vegetables, as much locally as possible. and free-ranged eggs, poultry and meat.

* reflects a discounted price due to a small chip out of the bottom right corner. repaired, but there none-the-less.

i'm a clutz...grrr

2010-09-16T10:55:00.000-04:00

skull: quail | oil on panel, detail

hands down, there is one thing i excel at.... dropping things.

i dropped this painting.

chipped off a small piece on a bottom corner.

i swore.

a lot... a huge string of incredibly offensive profanities.

then i looked around to be sure my daughter was not in ear shot, luckily no.

easily covered by a frame, but still.

grrrr....

working on a small repair. once varnished. will put up an official post. looks like i'll be selling this one at a discount. :[

wip: '...bone' - opaque color layer moving along

2010-09-14T11:10:00.000-04:00

bone | work in progress

it only takes me an hour and a half to mix paint each time i work on this.
[that was meant to be sarcastic]

but... despite that, i am making good progress on that bone.

my little quail skull painting is almost complete... just a little glazing to do today.

i have some graphics work to finish off today then I hope to be back to work on this later this afternoon.

would love to have it done before the weekend, but i'm trying to be realistic and think probably next week.

this is my sealed up palette.. not that it helps.. i'll probably still need to remix.

for tomorrow...

2010-09-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

for tomorrow i've got this little quail skull sketched out and ready to start.

quick charcoal sketch on a gray toned panel.

figure i'd try and work some smaller paintings alongside my larger one. i can jump on this during the day between my graphics work.

i need a larger block of time for my bone painting... this weekend.

WIP: '...bone' - opaque color layer

2010-09-07T06:00:00.002-04:00

bone | work in progress

this is where i ended going into the weekend. unfortunately i never got to paint, too much other stuff going on.

this week i start up some graphics projects that will slow my progress on this painting some. but i have carved out small work periods to keep plugging away at it.

spent a few hours on the upper part of the bone, i'll glaze over the shadow areas to deepen them towards the end. this photo is more washed out than it is in person. oh well.

my palette for this few hour session...

choose wisely... 6x6 oil on gessobord

2010-09-04T10:15:00.006-04:00

choose wisely

6x6 inch oil on gessobord, 3/4" birchwood cradle $60

a painting from a few months ago i've finally taken the time to stain and seal the birchwood cradle.

love wishbones. i have a ton of them. looking forward to using them in more paintings.

enjoy your holiday weekend. i'm going to clean my house. yay.

a new decade...

2010-09-02T09:07:00.000-04:00

no painting today. taking the day off. something about turning 40 makes me need a day off.

taking my baby girl to the North Museum of Natural History and Science today.

then i'm going to hit up Starbucks. after that who knows, maybe i'll assemble my walker.

our super awesome friends surprised my husband and i with a joint surprise 40th birthday party last weekend. they made me pose for pictures.

WIP: '...bone' - starting the opaque color layer

2010-08-31T10:40:00.000-04:00

starting the opaque color layer

after 6+ hours, the cow and i are somewhat content with each other.

background is in and some glazing on the wood crate.

my palette is cleaned off and ready to start mixing for the part i'm most excited to paint... that big ass bone.

WIP: bone - color block in

2010-08-26T11:04:00.001-04:00

color block in from last week is dry and i'm working on that cow.

i like to start with the areas i dread the most.

that damn cow is driving me nuts. i worked on it for 3 hours last night. and will probably spend several more on it today.

the good thing is... it's standing very still.

the beach at assateague | 5x7 in. oil on panel

2010-08-24T13:50:00.007-04:00

the beach at assateague

5x7 inch | oil on panel | SOLD

in june we had girls weekend at the beach.

i hate the sun. instead i painted (under my umbrella) while my girlfriends baked themselves to a crisp.

we also did other artful things... like this...

and this...

these are not all mine, but the damage seven of us did at the outlets

new painting WIP

2010-08-19T10:22:00.000-04:00

i've started a new painting.

this is where i ended tuesday night. last night i began the color block in, which is still in progress.

it's the stage i hate the most.

notice the super cool pvc structure my hubby built me so i can control the lighting around my still life set up. i love it. it took less than 15 minutes and cost less than $20.

by the way...my daughter wants her cow back...now. talk about pressure.

skull: horse

2010-08-17T18:02:00.002-04:00

skull: horse | 19x25 inch | charcoal on mounted paper

done. finally.

it took over seven months and sixty plus hours to complete.

not because i work that slow but due to massive amounts of graphics work. no complaints.

this skull is now OUT of my still life setup and i already have a new painting in the works.

prelim drawing is done, transferred and i am starting the open grisaille once i post this.

coolness.

more progress...

2010-07-10T14:04:00.002-04:00

it feels as though i am never going to get this drawing done. but...i am closing in.

those teeth, my goodness, took forever, but last night i managed to bear down and finish them off. i have a lot of skulls (terrible blurry photo of my collection below), and none have teeth as intricate (or big) as a horse.

even though it was late and i was tired, i held in there long in enough to do a light block in on the lower jaw and indicate some major shapes. a few hours of work should finish it off completely.

as much as i love working on this drawing, i will be glad to get it off the easel. it's currently set up in what i use as a still life 'box' (actually a bookcase). once it's out i can set up some paintings and i'll move my smaller skulls i wish to draw over to a large cardboard box i have set up for smaller still lifes.

been a strange year so far. i've been freelancing as a graphic artist for almost 8 years and I have never been as busy as this year. good news yes. but really leaving me little time to work on my art. bummer.

but i'm still looking at building a new body of work this year and hope to exhibit again at some point next year.

not all but the majority of my skulls. :] recently acquired a few more, but let's just say they need some time to 'air out'. yuck.

More progress...

2010-06-16T12:29:00.000-04:00

a little more progress this weekend. the upper row of teeth are almost completed, just some refining details. once i can power through the teeth the rest of the drawing will finish off quickly. horses have some crazy stuff going on with their teeth.

crappy shot from my phone, sorry, my camera has finally died.

back to work...

2010-06-06T22:24:00.000-04:00

it's been an exhausting five month graphics work-a-thon that has kept me from drawing and painting. up until about two weeks ago i was working seven days a week, i had soooo much work. now i'm wrapping up the final tidbits of a few last projects and have begun working on this drawing again. yay!!

in the past two weeks i also managed to completely reorganize and thoroughly spring clean every square inch of our house and garage, cleaning out much stuff and making everything sparkle.

what a huge relief to feel like everything is back in control and all i have to focus on is my family, my art, and any graphics work that comes in. nothing else looming. well. except the never-ending laundry. ugh.

oh well, at least the laundry room is right next to my studio. :]

while i don't expect that my progress will be fast and furious this year. i am at least headed back in a solid direction with my work and methodically working through the pile of drawing and painting ideas i've been keeping during all the chaos.

happy earth day

2010-04-22T11:36:00.002-04:00

study: cherry tree | colored chalk on newsprint | 2010

happy earth day.

just a quick study of one of the cherry trees in my yard.

hope you find some time to be outside and enjoy our beautiful planet today.

really bogged down with graphics work..

2010-04-19T01:10:00.000-04:00

i'm still around.

really bogged down with freelance graphics work right now. each time i see some light at the end of the tunnel, more arrives. i have seriously worked every day since february 1st, usually until 1-2 am. no joke.

no complaints. economy has been rough so this only means i can continue to work from home.

my main goal this year was to build an entirely new body of work so no pressure to exhibit.

in the meantime, i have a small sketchbook i keep filling up with my painting ideas so when all this graphics work gets back to a manageable amount i can get right to work. plus, i've added a bunch of new skulls to my collection that i cannot wait to use for new drawings and paintings.

this is kind of where i left off on my latest skull drawing, i have the front teeth in and was starting the molars when freelance went crazy. it sits over to my left begging me to leave the computer and come work on it. :[

soon.

it won't be long now...

2010-01-22T14:55:00.001-05:00

it won't be long now.

the first palette of paint has been mixed.

the first painting in my new studio has been blocked in.

several layers to go, but i am in motion.

the first skull drawing is well underway too.

hello 2010.

serves me right...

2010-01-20T15:44:00.000-05:00

grrrrrr...

dirty brushes + procrastination = restorative measures

this will happen more than once this year.

i despise washing brushes.

i also despise spending $$ to have to replace favorite brushes, which usually are never the same.

back to work...

2010-01-19T18:55:00.000-05:00

before i moved my studio i began this new skull drawing. now it is set up and tomorrow sometime i will be getting back to work on it. so far i have just over 2 hours of work in refining the contour and lightly massing in some shadows to double check my proportions.

but now, several weeks into 2010, it's time to really get back to work. i have my new studio set up and ready to work in. been tied down with freelance graphics work the past two weeks but i found time in between to sort through [almost] everything in my old studio and move what i wanted into my new space.

sooooo roomy. my lights will go up this weekend. once up i should be able to photograph work on my easel enough to post without the harse spot on it. other than that it's good enough to work in. still more i want to do but i need to get back to work... will dress it up over the next few months as i find the miscellaneous items i am looking for.

here is a peek at my new work space. still working out where i want everything but for now this is the arrangement. drawing station on the right, oil on the left (still need to put together something to set my still life's up in). i have 2 rolling carts i pull out that i put my supplies on while i am working. when not in use i store them against the wall for lots of room.

yeah, i'm happy. so excited to start putting some new works out there...

the new studio...

2010-01-06T10:02:00.000-05:00

well 2010 is here and i am not off to a very productive start. but i'm ok with it. i keep reminding myself of all the great work i am going to do in my new studio space.

these horrendously orange photos were taken after we tore up the carpet and padding. we've since pried up all the tack strips, scraped up glue and put down the new laminate flooring. i would have loved hardwood, but moisture varies too much down in this room so we opted for an easier to care for option.

right now we need to install mouldings around the edges, make decisions on lighting, and i need to pick up some rugs for mine and shelby's painting areas.

my new space is so big and wonderful... at almost 15'x24' it's huge compared to my current studio.

my goals with this space were to create a work environment that i could have my daughter not only in, but occupied as well. since i am not only an artist but also a graphic designer i needed to be able to move freely from easel to computer. currently my computer is upstairs in the dining room. which means the table becomes my desk and needs cleared before every meal. ugh.

with so much space i can now have plenty of room for all three of my art stations.... easel for oils, easel for drawing and drawing table for watercolor work. and i won't trip over anything to move from one to the next!

you have no idea how many times i trip or stub my poor little toes in my current studio.

in addition to my work areas, there will be a art area for shelby, which will mean no more art supplies scattered all over the house staining my carpets. yay! and a small tv area so she can watch movies, shows or just rest when she feels like it.

the bonus part of this move is that my old studio will be used as a storage room, which anyone knows living in a split level you have no attic and no basements, which translates to no storage.

it will probably be another 1-2 weeks before i am moved in and back to work. i'm looking forward to starting all the new paintings and skull drawings i have planned!!!

see you next year...

2009-12-30T09:51:00.001-05:00

cheyenne | 10x20 inch oil on canvas | 2009

just a quick note to say 'see you next year'. yeah... that doesn't get old, does it? ha ha good funny right?

anyway...

above is one of the pet portraits i painted this year. my brother's xmas gift. his favorite snake, which sadly died this year. :[ was a lovely snake, really, handled well, never bit anyone, very docile and beautifully marked and colored.

cheyenne was a red tailed boa and ironically turned out to be a boy not a girl as we had thought all these years. it happens.

i'll be back shortly after the holiday. don't get nervous if you don't see me right away, i may still be in the process of getting my NEW STUDIO SPACE ready.

yeah, you heard me... NEW STUDIO SPACE. i'm excited. i'm moving a whole six feet from my current location in a lower level bedroom to our big rec room. but first we've got to tear out carpet this weekend and lay down new flooring. more on the new space later.

*** have a safe and happy new years ***

Etsy Excavations Interview with Diahn...

2009-12-04T09:11:00.000-05:00

just a quick note today...

yesterday, lovely diahn ott, whose blog is just as lovely (i adore her fish drawings ), has a feature called Etsy Excavations... where she digs up artisans and artists on Etsy.com.

i'm so blushing that she dug me up and has posted a lovely Q&A interview . Thanks Diahn!! You can also see her work HERE in her own Etsy Shop .

Free Shipping on Watercolor Paintings December 10-24

2009-12-02T22:13:00.001-05:00

•°•°• HOLIDAY OFFER •°•°•

Free Shipping on Watercolor paintings

to Continental U.S. addresses in my Etsy Shoppe

DECEMBER 10-24, 2009

Orders paid for after 12/17 not guaranteed for Christmas delivery.

Shipping to Canada & Mexico 50% off,

max $15 (excess will be credited)

color charts, swatches and wheels... oh my!

2009-11-27T14:58:00.003-05:00

last week i wrapped up the huge project of creating color charts. in previous posts i had mentioned that i had chosen to go with 11 colors in my new palette. two sets of primaries, a cool and warm, and additional colors, mostly earthtones, to speed up mixing.

as a stay at home mom, artist, graphic designer, fitness instructor, and art group/therapy leader i don't have time to spend playing with color mixes, i need to get down to business, and fast. here's my complete palette, one color chart for each, plus one chart with just each color right, from the tube:

1st image: left to right then down:
yellow ochre, burnt sienna, mineral brown, burnt umber, ivory black, (last chart is entire palette from the tube)

2nd image: right, left to right then down:
cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow middle, alizarin madder lake, cadmium red light, cerulean blue, ultramarine blue

in addition, i also made a color swatch from the second value down in each string. why? well, i'm pretty obsessive about color in my paintings, i like to work out the entire scheme prior to painting, this way, i can save time, instead of painting multiple color studies or creating color comps in photoshop i can simply lay out my swatches and quickly explore the palette i wish to use.

and then, i quickly mixed up these little color wheels just for reference. the one on the left is cadmium yellow middle, cadmium red light, and ultramarine blue. the one on the right is cadmium yellow light, alizarin madder lake, and cerulean blue. the center bottom wheel is yellow ochre, mineral brown, and paynes grey.

i didn't include payne's grey in my palette because i can quickly mix a close substitute, although for plein air painting i like to simplify what paints i carry to as few as possible, and i am thinking ahead to some outdoor work i hope to get in this winter.

so there you have it... a huge undertaking yes, but very beneficial and what a huge time saver this will be moving forward. i am working on putting all of these charts into a book for ease of use.

in the meantime, i've got a new skull drawing underway and have five, yes five, pet portraits (gifts not commissions) to complete in the next few weeks.

and ...

i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and i extend warm and gracious thank you's out to you all for the friendships and support and all of the lovely and gracious comments i have received over the past year.

color charts - the primaries...

2009-11-17T10:24:00.001-05:00

i'm moving right along on my color charts. my new palette consists of eleven colors plus titanium white. these charts, as i like to refer to them as the top half of my palette are my primaries. i had decided on going with a warm and a cool for each.

they are:

ultramarine blue
cerulean blue
alizarin madder lake
cadmium red light
cadmium yellow light
cadmium yellow middle

new additions for me are cerulean blue and cad red light. i'm not sure in the long term if i will keep them but for now i want to see if they are useful to me.

the remaining color charts should be completed by the end of the week. i will post them when completed.

the amaryllis project paintings...

2009-11-15T11:52:00.001-05:00

almost a year ago i began this project. it was a great project. my intention was to complete about seven more paintings, but the fact is i am so far removed from this project that i decided it was time to bring it to completion.

this was a challenging and rewarding project. not only was this one vigorous growing flowering plant but it gave me some focus at a time when i really was struggling to find some.

i enjoyed the sequential nature to the serious and i'm constantly sketching ideas for more sequential series. my black swallowtail project is on hold as the chrysalis is currently wintering in my garage. once the butterfly emerges in the spring, i'll complete the series and also make it available.

i've spent the last few days varnishing, staining and sealing the birchwood cradles and getting the paintings up on my etsy shoppe. so now they are officially available for purchase!

the amaryllis project paintings will be available for purchase until March 12, 2010. all remaining unsold paintings will go into my private collection and no longer be available, no exceptions.

i have chosen to do this because of the nature of the sequential series, it doesn't seem prudent to me to have miscellaneous paintings hanging around for sale without the rest of the series for an extended period of time.

in addition, i am considering prints of some of the paintings and possibly a calendar with the images. if you care to note in the comments which paintings (by day is fine) you would love to see prints of, that will help me narrow it down.

in the studio i am moving right along on my color charts . i have four and half finished so far and hope that i can finish them all off in the next two weeks. i may even make a few color wheels specific to my palette of colors.

mounted a nice large sheet of paper the other day which means i'll be starting my next skull drawing as well. so there is a lot going on in my studio. i don't want to start any new oils until i complete my color charts so be patient with me.

defining my new palette...

2009-11-04T11:52:00.000-05:00

if there is one thing i know for sure, it's that when i have time to spend drawing or painting, there is no time for dawdling and contemplation. i need to get to work. my time will be limited and is usually based on the length of my daughter's nap or how late i think i can stay up and not suffer for it the next day.

with that in mind i've spent weeks now, streamlining my processes and setting my studio up to be as efficient as possible. i created multiple workstations so there is no cleaning up to work on something else and i can move from one to the next as needed.

one thing that has been looming over my head is my palette of oil colors. my previous style used many many glazed layers of translucent color. therefore my palette was made up of semi-transparent and translucent paints.

moving forward those paints just aren't going to work. and since i am not a wing it on the go type of artist. i like to know what i am doing, what i am using, and exactly how and what to do to get what i need out of my paints.

so i've spent the past two weeks mixing and testing everything from whites to color and narrowing down to a palette that i feel i can start with.

when deciding on colors my main priorities were selecting primaries i liked, and additional colors that would speed up my mixing process. i also took into consideration what my subject matter was going to be. in addition, alizarin crimson is a color i had in several brands so i tested them as well. i've used Schminke Mussini Alizarin Madder Lake for several years and wanted to see if for any reason i might prefer another brand. but nope, stuck with it. just love it. W&N was more pinkish to me and Grumbacher too, i liked the slightly toned down mixes i get with Mussini's AML.

here is my test swatches for whites. previously i used zinc white because i enjoyed it's crisp cool whiteness and translucent qualities. i was introduced to flake white in a workshop, which is similar but more semi-transparent, and titanium white, which is nice and opaque, although with a slight warmness to it.

i selected three primaries: cad yellow light, ultramarine blue and azilarin, plus mineral brown to see any differences when mixed with each of the three whites. i felt the colors did not vary much from each white, but the transparency was the key difference.

while i still prefer the coolness of zinc white, i had to go with titanium for the opacity and feel the warmness will complement the skulls and bones i will be painting. but... i think i will keep flake white on the side, for those moments when i want a little more transparency.

now that i have initial selections, i am making color charts for each color i have selected plus a few more just for color theory purposes.

cadmium yellow light color chart

i could go into the benefits of color charts with you but you can read that on tons of other blogs. my goal is to not only have the understanding of how this new palette of colors interacts but a fast reference to use until i am familiar with them to cut down on mixing time...which is huge when your painting time is limited.

i'm sure all stay at home mom artists can understand that. :)

studio sale ends tomorrow

2009-10-30T11:30:00.002-04:00

visit my etsy shoppe

my studio sale is coming to a close tomorrow. these are the last paintings that remain. at midnight i will remove these items from my shoppe and they will no longer be available for purchase. they've had a good run, time to retire them.

['this old tree' has sold direct from my studio and has been removed from my etsy shoppe]

and since it's halloween, i have to post a skull, in which this one seems to be most fitting...

happy halloween

this bird is brainless...

2009-10-27T17:30:00.000-04:00

skull: pheasant | 5x7 inch graphite on bristol mounted to board | 2009 | available

upon careful observation i am happy to report that there is no brain left in this skull. whew.

i love this little skull. it's very tiny and delicate. can't wait to use it in some paintings.

a skull of a different kind...

2009-10-25T11:19:00.004-04:00

skull: human | 10x8 inch graphite on bristol mounted to board | 2009

introducing my latest skull drawing, here it is... or should i say he... or she... i'm not sure which but i refer to it as a he. just seems like a guy to me.

overall, i figured between 25-30 hours to complete. i think if i could have sat and worked on it straight i could have done it in much less time, but when you have to stop and start as much as i do, it takes a bit to get back into 'the zone'.

this pic is a scan. my camera is becoming useless. ugh another electronic that needs replaced. unfortunately, my scanner really cast a shadow on the texture of the paper so it's grayed down the bright white of the paper some. but i think you get the idea.

i've included some detail shots this time. the key to keeping the gradations, especially the light values smooth and even is to work very slowly with a sharp point. i'm very precise with where i begin and end, no haphazard scribbling. the sharp point really gets down into the grain of the paper, whereas a dull point would skip over most of it

i prefer to use one of those mechanical pencils with the thick lead (not one of the writing kind). the majority of this drawing was completed with a 2B lead. then to really build up the background, which is about 8-9 slowly built up layers, i used 4B, 6B, and some 8B pencils.

little gourd - 6x6 inch oil on canvas

2009-10-21T13:51:00.003-04:00

little gourd | 6x6 inch oil on canvas | 2009 | available

turns out, after stepping away from this little painting for a day, i ended up not doing very much more to it. a little tweaking that's all. a nice warm up, helped me make some decisions to streamline and be sure my process is as efficient as possible.

working from home, with a very active 3 year old and no sitter requires efficiency.

my newest skull drawing is almost complete. I think 1-2 more good sessions should do it. hopefully, by end of week I will be posting that one.

now, on to some new paintings...

available in my etsy shoppe

WIP: gourd painting

2009-10-19T10:10:00.003-04:00

just a quick half blurry photo of a work in progress. it's a small little painting. 6x6 inches. a warm up really. just trying to iron out an efficient process that will work with my limited painting time.

still fighting the values on the left hand side. needs more work. but needs to dry for a day or two so i can readdress.

didn't get as far as i wanted over the weekend. my little jelly bean has caught her first bug of the season. 4 days of fever and belly aches so far. :(

working working working...

2009-10-14T10:35:00.004-04:00

the fact of the matter is i am a stay at home mom/artist/graphic designer/and 50 other things and that means everything takes me so long to do.

i had hoped to finish something to post by now but considering drawings take me about 30 hours of work time to complete and paintings about just as long and i get a whopping 1-3 hours a day in my studio i have nothing more than this sneak peek above.

yes it's a new skull drawing, and it's about half done. lots more little details to get to. i won't say what it is yet, but i am pretty sure i gave enough in this pic to give it away.

i should have a small oil to post by end of week. just a little gourd. before i jump into some bigger paintings i want to make sure i have my entire process ironed out. i learned so many different techniques and processes this summer i am trying to sort out what works for me and what doesn't.

i'm done with experimenting and need to get back to building a new body of work.

once i'm set on that i've got some larger paintings to get to with all of the pumpkins, gourds and skulls i have in my studio right now. :)

a very loud insect...

2009-09-30T22:22:00.004-04:00

cicada | 5x7 inch watercolor on clayboard | 2009

i must say these things are loud. living in the woods, we have our share of them each year as a different brood emerges. there was one on our front door a few weeks ago, and it wouldn't fly off. it was sooooo loud, my husband started beating on the door to try and make it fly away.

i found this guy while searching for acorns with shelby. he was pretty fresh still so i pinned his wings out and let him dry. unfortunately while painting i managed to break off two of his legs. oops.

i'd hate to bore you with rambling but i thought i'd do a quick recap of my summer goals and where i am headed now for the fall. so yeah, i know, everyone is really busy, and much reading is very annoying... so anyway...

most who have followed this blog know i have been in quite a funk since my daughter was born. directionless, without inspiration, stylistically challenged, frustrated. the end of last year led me to feel a bit more centered artistically and i spent this year working in watercolors when the mood would strike.

mostly completing small works and studies, very few larger works. but, my goal was mainly to spend time drawing, reading, taking workshops, improving my skills, and to wait for inspiration to find me, so i wasn't too worried about producing.

i took some great workshops and some not so great ones. settled back into realism... with surprising ease, it really felt good to put those shoes back on again. so now, i'm itching to paint again.

spent more time rearranging my studio to now have four work areas... computer, watercolor station, oil station and drawing station. so i can jump around with ease and not have to put away and pull things out so much. it's cramped but it will work (my new larger studio is looming on the horizon).

i'm continuing to work on my skull drawings... i have many, many more to do and look forward to them. but i'm eager and ready to get back to some oil painting. and of course, it's my favorite time of year with all my favorite gourds and pumpkins popping up everywhere.

did some shopping yesterday for some and while away a few weekends ago purchased some smaller vintage wood crates that i can use for painting, so i am looking forward to getting some small works under way and working up from there.

while overall, i haven't had a hugely productive year, i've made strides back to feeling like my old artistic self again... slightly improved. :)

Focus on Nature XI...

2009-09-25T13:11:00.005-04:00

cicada | work in progress

the Focus on Nature XI Natural History Illustration Exhibition deadline is soon approaching... October 1st is the last day to submit. From the site:

Since its inception in 1990, the exhibit series Focus on Nature has reflected the standards, materials, and skills of contemporary natural history illustrators. It promotes awareness of a type of art that, although widely used in scientific publications, is not often seen by the general public.

i'm considering several works to enter, need to make final decisions this weekend. one for sure, unless it turns out a total disaster will be the cicada above.

a few weeks ago, when they were really quite loud we were finding many dead cicadas in our yard. i managed to find this little guy quite recently after he dropped to the ground. he was still pliable, so i brought him into my studio pinned him up with his wings spread and let him 'dry out' some.

the drawing above is what i will work from. going to paint him up in watercolor this weekend.

the pennsylvania grand canyon...

2009-09-21T09:33:00.004-04:00

the pennsylvania grand canyon

well i am fresh back from a long weekend up in wellsboro, pa. had a lovely time, stayed at a wonderful B and B called 100 West Bed and Breakfast, enjoyed refreshing time outdoors, was a great trip.

too short, of course.

my chrysalis has not hatched so i believe it is safe to say that this one will be hibernating through the winter. we've moved it to the garage where it's nice and cold. guess i will set the black swallowtail project aside until spring. which is fine. i need to finish the amaryllis project. considering my bulb has begun to grow again, i should get on that.

starting a new skull drawing tomorrow, very excited, it's a skull i have on 'loan'.

so with that, off i go... art therapy groups today, gotta get on the road.

black swallowtail project...chrysalis

2009-09-16T23:37:00.003-04:00

black swallowtail: chrysalis | 6x6 inch watercolor on clayboard | 2009

i've finished the 2nd of four paintings in the black swallowtail project. now i am in a waiting game to see when and if the butterfly will emerge.

if i base it on information i have been able to find online. hatching should occur between days 9-11. that would put it sometime tomorrow through saturday. i leave friday for a long weekend trip with my husband to celebrate our 10th anniversary. hmmm.

now i am wondering do i bring it with me? what if i leave it here and it emerges... i miss the next two paintings. i guess nature doesn't have a pause button.

i've also got my next skull set up to begin drawing...

skull: baboon, semi-profile...

2009-09-12T18:23:00.005-04:00

skull: baboon, semi-profile | 11x14 inch charcoal on paper | 2009

and the skull is revealed.... baboon.

one of the most interesting characteristics of this skull [aside from the large teeth] are the front set eyes. very. human like. the deep eye sockets really cast a dark shadow inside and you really get the sense that this one is staring at you.

was i creeped out. no, of course not, but it was very surreal to be in the presence of this skull. i look forward to painting this one, a lot.

so from here i am on to my next skull drawing, a very special one indeed.. again hush hush. and sometime in the next few days i will be painting the more mature chrysalis in my black swallowtail project.

black swallowtail ACEO's...

2009-09-11T10:33:00.007-04:00

black swallowtail ACEO's

i had some time yesterday so i decided that i would definitely add ACEO's as an extension of my black swallowtail project. since the project itself will contain only four paintings, i carefully preselected what stages will be painted.

that left many many more subtle transitions that still lent themselves to beautiful little paintings, so i decided the ACEO's would be used to capture the process from caterpillar to butterfly in more intimate transitions..

black swallowtail: full grown | 3.5x2.5 inch watercolor on cold press paper | $15

black swallowtail: in preparation | 3.5x2.5 inch watercolor on cold press paper | $15

black swallowtail: camouflaged | 3.5x2.5 inch watercolor on cold press paper | $15

i will definitely be painting the chrysalis for the project, but wanted to wait for it to mature, when it will be a lovely shade of brown, similar to the twig it is attached to. this early stage of the chrysalis was within hours of forming and still had subtle shades of yellow and green which literally were fading as i painted it. fascinating!

black swallowtail project...

2009-09-09T22:23:00.006-04:00

black swallowtail: caterpillar | 6x6 inch watercolor on clayboard | 2009

i'm so close to finishing my latest skull, but got sidetracked by a project i have been looking forward to all summer.

i planted my garden full of plants to attract specific butterfly's to lay their eggs... but no takers...until this weekend. FINALLY, on my carrots we discovered about seven black swallowtail caterpillars, each at a different instar stage.

black swallowtail caterpillars change drastically from hatching out of their egg to forming of the chrysalis.

they hatch from the egg a black caterpillar with a white 'saddle', at each stage of growth, called an instar, they will molt, shedding their skin, and emerging larger and slightly different in coloring and markings. they go through five changes (instars) to arrive at the full grown caterpillar as i have painted.

while i would have liked to paint this entire process, the amaryllis project (still in progress) taught me a lot about sequential series. the main lesson, many many fewer paintings. i figured i could do about 11-12 paintings to document the entire process. but breaking them up to sell individually doesn't make sense, and the feasibility of selling 12 framed paintings as a set is, well, also not very feasible. so i decided in order to sell the series together as a set, i needed to cut that back to four paintings.

this first painting shows the full grown caterpillar. the next day after bringing him home and painting him, he attached himself to a stick and is currently in the pre-pupa stage. i'm so tempted to paint it... i may make some ACEO's if time allows.

i'm very excited to see the chrysalis, which is very unique. although... i'm not sure if it will hatch in 9-11 days or hibernate over the winter. hmm.... time will tell. once the series is complete (hopefully all goes as planned) then i will list the entire series for sale in my Etsy Shoppe.

latest skull drawing...work in progress

2009-09-03T17:27:00.004-04:00

so here it is... my latest skull drawing. a quick photo right on the easel which isn't the best but it's not hateful. can you guess what it is? i'll tell you when i'm done, although i think most people can probably figure it out at this point.

still working on it. all in all, i figure i will have about 30 hours in this drawing. the contour was a bugger on this one. but it's coming along nicely now.

i tend to bounce around when i draw, mostly so that i can balance my values.

this is far from done, more layering to put in everywhere yet, but it's at a point that i feel good enough to show. with the long holiday weekend ahead i hope to finish it off.

i have another exciting skull waiting for me...

getting ready to start...

2009-08-27T16:43:00.004-04:00

i'm getting ready to start a new skull drawing. i spent some time today playing around on several types of papers that i had purchased to see what one i wanted to use.

in the end Rives BFK (the one taped to my board) won out. while light stumping sends fibers scattering, the paper held up well and i was able to really get some good detail and smooth transitions, including sharp edges with little work.

i even played with colored conté just for giggles, although i will not be drawing in full color. this next skull will most likely be rendered in a combination of light and dark sepia chalk with some ivory conté for highlights. i'm still playing.

also, i really liked how easily vine charcoal wiped right off, leaving a lovely ghosted image behind for me to work with.

i spent time mounting paper to varying board sizes today. even mounted my bear skull without damaging the drawing. wish i would have mounted it in the first place. oh well.

the board needs to cure for 12-48 hours then i can begin. skull is set up and waiting...

my studio and i are fighting

2009-08-13T08:51:00.007-04:00

i seriously don't have the time to rearrange my studio, but yesterday when i wanted to mount paper for my next skull drawing and couldn't find a single surface to do it on, i almost lost it.

searching for a good layout has been difficult. it's a nice size room but i've got a ton of stuff in it. i tried the 'work area in the middle arrangement' and the 'everything on the perimeter arrangement' with no success.

just hasn't felt like it was flowing. so yesterday i started dragging stuff around...again (mental note, i seriously need to go buy caster wheels for my easels). i also swapped my lobo easel for the H-frame one i was using, i like the shelf under this one for extra storage, plus i can tilt it and slide it down to work like a drawing table, nice for watercolor work.

my drawing table has a dual purpose: as a watercolor station and also where i set up still life's. i set up my easel to the right and created a little 'nook' for oil painting and drawing. i like the feel of this, cozy.

i'm pretty happy with this... today i need to sort through and get all the rest of the stuff cleared off and put away so i can reclaim my work surfaces. i'm also still sorting and clearing out the ~~crap~~ stuff i don't use. (shhhhh... if you can keep a secret... it looks like the plan will be to convert our rec room to my studio, but it will be a while, it needs some remodeling to make it work).

i'm going to give this layout a go for a while. hopefully it feels better, does that make sense? i think a studio or workspace needs to feel good to really be productive, yes?

what a great workshop

2009-08-12T09:32:00.004-04:00

long pose: figure | charcoal & white chalk on paper

i know, i know, i need to take a better picture of these drawings, but it's been hot and humid and rainy and miserable here and i just haven't felt like dragging everything outside. but... i will post better pics as soon as i get the chance.

what can i say, it was a great workshop. Jon deMartin is really a great instructor and super nice guy. a lot of great people were in attendence too and i thoroughly enjoyed having an entire week to dedicate to improving my skill set.

the workshop was focused on classical figure/portrait drawing techniques and was nonstop right from the start. i spent the first two days completely feeling like i sucked at drawing. even had to spend some time looking at my own website to remind myself that i could actually draw to some degree.

it was very humbling to say the least. much different method of drawing than what i am used to.

studio incamminati

the principles sound simple enough (but are much more difficult to execute, especially during short 2-5 minute poses): establish the height of the drawing, establish the location and size of the head, determine the line of action, capture the gesture, indicate/identify the 'center' and use major bony points to mentally (or lightly mark) construct the framework of the figure, then using knowledge of skeletal and muscle placement draw the contour of the figure, and so on.

a lot of emphasis is placed on the line of action and gesture of the figure.

we rarely measured, but were encouraged instead to use our eye to judge relationships. many, many references, demos/lectures focused on old master drawings depicting figures in action poses that would be difficult for a model to hold and that having knowledge of how the body is constructed can be used to create poses from the imagination.

and jon demonstrated these points very well. incredibly well. he would quickly sketch an amazingly unique pose right out of his imagination so fast i was left saying 'no sh*t' for lack of any better creative language.

long pose: portrait | charcoal & white chalk on paper

the long pose: figure, carried over all five days, i struggled with capturing the pose for the first two and half days. seriously almost had a temper tantrum. but jon calmed me down and gave some great guidance and i was able to get back on track.

the long pose: portrait, carried over three days, and i was pretty happy with this one. i think i captured his likeness pretty well about 90% there. my charcoal was so embedded in the paper at this point it was hard to pull it back off to make corrections so i just focused on modeling the last day.

all in all, if you are very into realist art and interested in classical rendering methods, i would highly recommend this workshop with jon. i learned a lot, and as i had hoped, came out with a lot of knowledge to continue improving. i really, really like this method of drawing the portrait and figure and while it will take extensive practice and studying of anatomy i am looking forward to it.

and as a final note, i highly recommend studio incamminati for realist studies. i look forward to returning to attend more workshops and classes.

there is artwork hanging everywhere around the studio, very amazing work. as you pass one of the studios and take a left to head down a short hall there is a painting of a young woman's portrait by Nelson Shanks hanging there. pretty amazing.

workshop update...

2009-08-04T19:24:00.002-04:00

sorry no pics folks. i've got no wireless connection and am barely surviving using a dial up connection to check my email... LOL i'm so lost without my cable modem.

i've survived the first two days of the jon demartin workshop. barely. such a different way of drawing than i am used to but i like the approach and it will take some time for me to get it down.

a lot of great people attending the workshop, which is always a plus. and the models are really great. and jon himself, is really great. super nice. more softspoken than i expected.

we spent the first half of the morning yesterday on short poses and the second half we started a long pose that we will work on every morning the rest of the week. this long pose (standing) has given me fits. i have a really tough easel position, with the figure turned in that almost profile, very foreshortened turned view. i was so frustrated today i almost scribbled over the entire thing. but with a little guidance from jon i think i am headed back on track.

we spent the second half of today working on head poses. i know this is lame, but i hate my easel position. he said we would be changing easels for the 2nd part of the day tomorrow and i hope we do. imagine a clock, the model is at 12 and the easels are from 3 around to 9..... i'm at 4. bleck.

standing at an easel all day reminds me how old i am getting. oh my aching back!

heading to Studio Incamminati...

2009-07-30T14:21:00.004-04:00

well folks, i am excited to say i am outta here all next week! i'm heading to philadelphia (my old stompin' grounds) to take the weeklong workshop 'Intensive Classical Life Drawing for the Figurative Artist with Jon deMartin' at Studio Incamminati... and i'm very excited!

a full week of uninterrupted drawing and pure focus on my art. live models. awesome instructor. surrounded by other artists. pure heaven.

with a toddler, i don't get that very often. shelby will be traveling with me but spending the day with my mom while i travel into the city for the day. :) and what's my husband doing? he'll be at home, hopefully missing us... LOL.

i'm hoping to be able to post while out there, depends if i can 'find' a wireless connection where i am staying. hehehe

if not, i will surely post when i get home. so until then...

how i use art to help those in recovery...

2009-07-28T15:32:00.006-04:00

crayon on construction paper

thinking back, i believe i may have mentioned that i work with eating disorder patients but i don't think i've ever elaborated much on it. i thought that since i have a jam packed week, i would tell you more about what i do.

first off i would like to point out the following:

*** I Am Not An Art Therapist, and Make No Claims to Be ***

ok, now that THAT is out of the way.

once a week i lead two art therapy groups at an eating disorder clinic. in one, i work with children up to ages 13/14, and in the second i work with adults usually 14/15 and older.

while they are termed art therapy, i like to refer to them as art groups. my group is considered an alternative therapy and all funding for it usually comes from grants and donations, of which we are much appreciative to receive. even our supplies come from many sources.

and they are simple, construction paper, glue, markers, crayons, oil pastels, and sometimes anything i can find around the house that can be recycled for use in my groups.

my entire philosophy when working with the patients is to teach them how to use art as a way to speak without using words.

projects vary from drawing to painting to sculpture (using whatever materials i can find, paper tubes, twist ties, containers, paper, etc), to collage. i try to come up with out of the box type projects. the creativity of the patients is astounding, they take what little supplies we have and turn them into amazing expressive works of art.

i've come up with several methods to help the patients relax and not be so overwhelmed by the process of creating.

some projects i will give them a theme... where we may work from an emotional point of view... how they are feeling, or something they'd like to express, to creating artwork that focuses on all the things that make them happy.

we recently finished a project that spanned several weeks we're we made books and created a collage storybook about themselves. i am always left in awe of some of the amazing final pieces.

these two drawings were done by me. sometimes i like to have relaxing, non-thinking days where we will do what is called a coping skill project. meaning something to busy your hands and your mind, to give you something to distract you or focus your thoughts elsewhere, to fill an empty moment, etc. basically to help you relax.

it's pretty simple but is very relaxing.... take a piece of paper, create lines, shapes, etc all over the page then color it in. after all, how many times do adults sit to color with a child and end up more into it than the child? :)

i have been leading these groups for almost 7 years. it is both rewarding and humbling. while sometimes sad because of the battles some of the patients are fighting, i find being able to help them find art as a way to express how they are feeling a rewarding way to give back.

i've received many thank you notes from patients over the years that have brought tears to my eyes. everytime i think i'm just the goofy art girl taking up an hour of their day, they remind me how much art has helped them.

oil pastel on construction paper

there is so much that art has to offer, it's free therapy, whether painting or doing something as simple as coloring. it's a shame that so many adults feel that you need to be a trained artist to create. so many people are stressed and struggling to deal, art would be such a great outlet.

i've often thought of taking my art group out of the therapy setting and offering public workshops or groups.... still trying to figure that one out.

deconstructed self-portrait attempt #1

2009-07-23T17:39:00.005-04:00

do i really look like this? ummmmm... well no, not quite. but it's close. the nose and mouth are dead on, the eyes. well... i think the left eye (one on the right) is pretty close, the other one (one on the left) is totally frightening. almost like i am waiting for you to whack me in the face with something.

so why did i show it to you? why not really. it is my first attempt. i will start over from scratch and do it again. i've reworked these all enough and want to keep them to see my progress.

the hardest thing about drawing each separately is not having any landmarks to line up with. which is part of the reason i wanted to do this, to really push my eyes to see shapes, angles, size relations, etc., without relying on surrounding landmarks.

so if you cover that creepy eye there on the left you can somewhat get a sense of what i look like.

it was fun to finally finish this up... will do again for sure. i'm determined to get it dead on accurate. in the meantime...

my next skull drawing is on hold until next week. wanted to mount my paper to board first and got the wrong mounting board, so i have to wait until i am up in hershey on monday to run to dickblick to exchange my board. bummer.

i did though play with a few 'poses' roughing them quick on a sheet of paper. maybe i'll post that later, it's not that exciting though, and i'm not sure i want to give clues to my next skull yet, because.... well.... it's really really cool.

i have a bear skull...

2009-07-18T11:08:00.003-04:00

'skull: bear, profile' 16x12 inch charcoal on paper, 2009

i'm slowly getting back into a more regular schedule. things were crazy for a while, but they are getting better. my niece has been coming over twice a week to occupy shelby so i can get some work done, which is such a huge help.

i would like to reassess the goals i set at the beginning of the year but i'll do them in another post. with that being said... one thing i wanted to do this summer was spend more time drawing in an effort to find some direction in my work.

but, as usual (this is how i've been since shelby was born) i've had trouble figuring out what i want to draw and losing interest in half done drawings.

it's been very frustrating.

so i just stopped.

i know that seems counterproductive but it was actually really helpful.

i just waited. ...and waited... until something came about that i just had to draw.

well it took a while, but then something caught my eye. skulls. creepy to some, but i have a huge fascination with skulls (and archeology). and well, since human skulls aren't exactly something you buy on ebay. i started looking at animal skulls. i bought a lovely little badger skull on ebay and started putting word out to friends that hunt that i'd be interested in any skull they stumbled across out in the woods.

one thing led to another and i met someone who is a taxidermist. :) skulls galore. so now i am building a steady collection and have begun a new series of charcoal drawings.

and i can honestly say i feel inspired again and i am loving every minute i get to work on them. it's very strange to hold the skull of an animal in your hand, very strange. i feel like i owe them my best effort in each drawing. weirdness, i know, but that's me.

anyway, this is the first one. a bear skull, most likely a juvenile based on the size.

'skull: bear, profile' detail

where has the time gone?

2009-06-26T11:41:00.006-04:00

'the amaryllis project: day 32 morning' 11x14 inch watercolor on clayboard panel

do you remember this project? this was the last painting i had posted for it, i still have about 6-7 more to do. my intentions were to have this completed a long time ago, but, well, it didn't work out that way.

as a matter of fact, i have a lot of unfinished and yet to be started paintings lying around. my poor blog has been neglected as well. i've just had a lot going on, and as we all know with this bad economy, if you've got work, no matter what it is, you get it done.

so i've been really super busy (and i am grateful) with freelance graphic design work. and since that is paying the bills, and i have no galleries beating down my door right now, that's where i've focused my attention.

plus, i really wanted to spend time this summer taking workshops, which i have been. i'm hoping to take a classical portrait/figure drawing workshop out in philadelphia in august if my arms cooperate. yeah, there is this whole other issue of me not feeling the best, lots of tests and blah blah stuff like that.

but it's ok, i'm in sound health, no worries.

so anyway, about this amaryllis project... i've spent a lot of time considering, thinking, rethinking, and i've come to the conclusion that i will definitely finish it, but my concerns have always been how will i sell this? i learned a lot in this sequential series.

one thing is that it was simply too long, too many paintings. it's hard to sell the paintings as a complete series because of the sheer number of paintings (16-18 by the time i'm done). at the same time, breaking it up leaves stragglers that will make no sense without the rest of them.

plus... since this series came about as a 'spur of the moment' idea, some of the paintings are on clayboard panels, some are on panels mounted to birchwood cradles. i think i will be breaking up the series and just selling the viable paintings, maybe some in small groups, some singly. gotta make that decision.

ultimately, i would like to do smaller sequential series of maybe 4-6 paintings and sell them together. that seems to make more sense to me. i'm knocking some ideas around, as well as working through some ideas for other new painting series that i hope to start working on this fall.

but for now, i'm working on meeting my freelance deadlines. damn economy.

2009-06-08T09:03:00.002-04:00

i'm still working on cleaning out the studio. so far i've cleared out a ton of stuff. yesterday i cleaned out two large boxes of stored artwork and graphic design portfolio samples dating back to college. it felt good to rip up and get rid of a lot of crappy work. LOL

recycling everything i can, giving away a lot, and selling off good supplies. interested in art supplies? check out my recent post... these items will be for sale on my blog until end of week then i will start listing them on ebay.

Cleaning Out the Studio... Supplies for sale

2009-06-04T10:27:00.013-04:00

for a number of reasons, i am working on a thorough purging of my studio, two of them being:

i'm sick of working in chaos
i am hoping to move my studio this summer

i worked for a few years at a local Dick Blick store after leaving my full time job, mostly to get out of the house and also for the yummy discount. i now have a studio brimming with supplies and equipment, some of which i never really used or found that it was something i just didn't enjoy using.

so i am donating some stuff, selling some stuff, and recycling the rest of it that i don't use. i thought i would list some of the items here first before i start going through the time consuming process of listing them on ebay. this is just a start, i still have tons of books and other stuff to go through. plus a few items, such as a ton of matboard i will never use, which will go on craigslist for local pick up only.

click on images for a larger view. if you are interested in something, send me an email at inquiries [at] mercer-vernon.com with your address so i can quote you a shipping price. i can invoice you through paypal, or set up an etsy listing.

7/11-These last few items are currently up for auction on ebay:

2 - 5x7 inch Antique White open back frames. One has never been removed from the originally wrapping, the second has been moved repeatedly around my studio and has suffered some small chips and slight cracks.. close ups shown in above photo.

3-6x12 inch Ampersand Pastelbord, 2-white, 1-gray. One white is opened, and is clean.

16 oz. Gamblin Yellow Ochre Pigment. Used a small amount, about 1-2 Tbsp at most.

12x16 inch Arches Hot Press 140 lb Watercolor Block: 19 sheets left, only used one sheet. There is a little paint on the top sheet along the edge where you insert a knife to separate the the sheet off. The block of paper separated off the rigid backer board. The bottom sheet could be sacrificed and it be glued back on if desired.

4-6x18 inch Ampersand Pastelbord. All are brand new and unopened. 2-white, 2-gray

$8.00

25 Calligraphy, Pen & Ink, Scratchboard nibs, plus three holders. some are well used, others look brand new. a few with corrosion on the end that goes into the pen.

Speedball Calligraphy Nib Sizes:

A-2,5

B-0,1,3,4,5

C-1,3,5

D-0,2

2-Hunt School Round Pointed #56

1-Spencerian Pen Co. N-Y School No. 5

2-Spencerian Pen Co. N-Y Congressional C No. 28

6-Vintage William Mitchell's Scroll Writer Nibs No. 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60

1-Hunt Scratch Knife 112

1-Hunt Scratch Knife 113

Sennelier 80 Assorted Half Pastels Set. Only used about 4-6 of the colors, mostly just to sample. Black is the most used color.

Stabilo CarbOthello Pastel Pencil Set of 60. Over half of the pencils have never been used.

FREE to a good home

I have a ton of these little glass vases, I use a bunch of them for brushes and drawing, these two are free to a good home, good for still life, they measure 5 inch high and 3 inch at the widest part. You pay shipping, contact me for quote.

3- Fredrix Watercolor Stretched Canvas, brand new, still in packaging. 2-9x12 inch, 1-12x12 inch

Colour Shapers Pastel Blender Set: fan brush & brush only, the two plastic shapers are missing. from the looks of it, i don't believe i used either one of these.

don't fear the title... how i title my paintings

2009-06-02T23:03:00.006-04:00

when it comes to titling paintings, i think it's safe to say that a lot of artists struggle or even despise the need to give names to their works. i am one of those odd artists that absolutely love it. no joke. really i do! titling a painting is pure poetry to me.

usually there are a few ways in which titles come to me:

sometimes it will just come to me in the development stages prior to painting

during the painting process i will just start talking/referring to the painting by titles i am tossing around and one will just feel right (yes i talk to my paintings)

or, at any point when i decide i know enough about the painting i will sit down and 'brainstorm' a title

brainstorming is my favorite because it lets me explore so much of what i am feeling and responding to within the painting. some of my best titles come out of brainstorming. before i share this process i wanted to share a few of my favorites (click here if you want to see the paintings in my archives gallery):

'ugliness: as control slips away'

'the bitterness between women: jealousy & loathing'

'twisted: always looking back'

'butterfly'

and this painting has one of my all time favorite titles, i've posted this painting a few times so you may know it, you may not. i'll give you the title at the end of this post...but first i'll let you look and formulate your own feelings and opinions (think of my previous poll post on titles).

when i completed this painting i did not yet have a title and could not immediately settle on one that i felt did it justice. i was fumbling around and everything was sounding pathetic and like i was trying too hard. does this happen to you?

well, when i have this trouble, i immediately go to my brainstorming process. i've become so efficient at it, i can usually have a title within a few minutes. sometimes i will work on it, set it aside and come back to it a few times, let it marinate to see what else comes to mind, then go at it again. the good news is, this process has never failed me.

it's basically a writing exercise. here's what i do and the actual brainstorming sheet i used to title the above painting...this is all done rapid-fire, i do not stop to think, just keep writing as fast as i can:

first i write a list of all the adjectives or descriptive words that immediately come to mind that represent how the painting makes me feel or what i am seeing/taking away from it, i do not edit at this point, whatever comes to mind is written down....even if it seems irrelevant or obscure

next, i go back through the list and edit, cross out words that don't accurately represent what i am trying to say, rewrite, add a few, change the tense, etc.

then, i immediately start putting them together, creating little phrases or snippets, i read them out loud over and over, editing, rewriting, changing words around, swapping words out with other ones. listing them one right after the other until one clicks.

you can see in the below sample i will draw arrows to indicate connections or words i like combined, circling groupings i particularly like. it took me maybe 5-7 minutes to complete this one. if you click on it i uploaded a large image so that you can try and read my terribly messy writing.

and there it is right there at the bottom, the title i just loved that totally described how i felt the day i stepped outside and the sky and air around me was this eerie yellow glow and inspired the above painting... 'tensed: fear as the sky unsettles'

so......now seeing the painting without a title, then learning what it was, and reading the titling poll i recently posted, do you have any thoughts you'd like to share on how learning this title affected how you felt about the painting?

i guess you could call this post part two of my titling poll research....

and of course, hopefully, my brainstorming process will help someone get over the fear and frustration of giving a title to a painting.

(p.s. and as an afterthought... i am a big user of the good old fashioned thesaurus. i try to avoid common words by using the thesaurus to identify an alternative, in which i will use my little arrows to start a new list of alternate words... which usually leads me to something more interesting and unique)

POLL RESULTS_Do Titles Affect How You Feel About a Painting?

2009-05-30T15:04:00.007-04:00

The results are in..... Do titles affect how you feel about a painting?

click for larger view

i can honestly say when i posted this poll, i had no idea how the results would turn out. the early percentages changed drastically by the end. with only 91 votes, these results are in no way absolute, but it would be interesting to see this poll voted on a much large scale.

i received so much feedback, i've decided to post some of the comments and discussion i received and post my process for titling paintings in another post.

while there is no clear definite answer, the top three answers make this topic worthy of further study. i'm sure most of the votes came from artists, but i utilized twitter and facebook and know that a small percentage came from non-artists. even still, i feel it has to make you think a little more about how you title a painting.

while it can be a difficult task for some, i think that if your title choices are consistent in style across the scope of your work, it will make more sense to a viewer or potential buyer, and, it will have a more professional presentation than a group of paintings containing somewhat all over the place titling styles.

and yes, i do feel that as the painting style of each artist differs, so does the titling style in which they name their paintings. it is a preference of the artist and usually an expression of their artistic personality too.

whether poetic, blatant, mysterious, subtle, expressive, non-descriptive, or humorous, a title is an extension of the painting.

personally, i am always disappointed at 'untitled' paintings. i look to titles to not necessarily describe the painting, but to draw me in, make me think more about the subject, even entertain me, and in some ways connect me to the artist and what they were thinking, feeling or trying to express in a particular work. i connect emotionally to art. also, i am quite fond of tasteful, well written humorous titles, not cheesy, nothing will make walk away from a painting faster than a cheesy title.

while i can't say that i wouldn't purchase a painting with a poor title, i have and will definitely linger around to see if there is something else that better captures my attention.

of course, there are those artists out there that could name their paintings anything and it wouldn't matter, they would still sell.

so with that being said, i encourage you to share your thoughts as this is still a very open subject worthy of much discussion. here are a few of the comments i received:

"My favorite example of how a well-chosen title expands your understanding or interest in a painting is a Bob Kuhn painting of four dall sheep in snow. It's a lovely composition, the subtle colors are so beautifully orchestrated. And then you see the title: Five Dall Sheep. Suddenly you notice the tracks of the fifth animal, and that two of the animals appear to be looking at the fifth. It just enlarges the painting beyond its boundaries!" - jennifer hoffman gessler

"I can love a painting and then when I see the title I can be completely turned off. I always look at the painting before I read the title." - dody, non-artist commenter

"I like to see a good creative title but I know that coming up wit one isn't easy. The only time a title turns me off is when a painting is called "Untitled 3 or 4, etc.," it's just not memorable." - kim vanderhoek

"Yes, cheesy titles can turn me off to a painting too. I agree that a well thought out title can add a level of understanding to the piece. It would just not affect my choice in a purchase of a piece of art. If the painting needs the title to explain what is going on I feel that maybe the piece was not well executed in the first place. It is visual art. I also dont like when titles are translated. If I title a piece in English, it is because I like how it sounds in English. If I title a painting in Spanish I meant for it to be in Spanish. Lots of times a translation ruins the whole feeling. Somebody else's idea of what I meant to say might totally change the feeling of the viewer toward my painting. That is another curve to your original question. Language translation is not always as clear cut as "Haystack in sun"." - frank gardner

"I am of the opinion that I could care less if a piece even has a title let alone what that title says. I feel like titles are just another crutch for artists to explain to the viewer what they are looking at, or more specifically, how they want the viewer to see the piece. To me it's a form of control over the viewer. I would prefer that when someone looks at my artwork they form their own opinion about it's content and focus on how that visual content is translating in their mind." - maria janosko

"Personally, I don't care what the title of a painting is. Either I like it or I don't. But that's me. I try to wrack my brain to come up with decent titles for my own paintings because I know not everyone feels the way I do." - janelle goodwin

"I love the story (not sure if true) that Magritte would ask friends to send titles, not having seen the painting in mind. Once the painting was done, he would open a suggestion and that would be the title. Thus, a painting with a hat might be called "Pipe." That makes me so happy. I don't know why, but I love that. So in my case, an "appropriate" title is less interesting, but a "good" title might be one someone else would consider inappropriate." - ColorJoy LynnH

"I find 'good' titles helpful. I understand the thought processes about 'not controlling the viewers experience' - and I will almost always look at a painting to form my own opinion before looking at the title. BUT then if it is a clever or multi-layered/dualed meaning or otherwise descriptive title that *adds* to my viewing experience I am unreasonably happy. It has just deepened my whole interaction with the piece, and I have gotten another insight into what the artist was thinking when creating (which I always find fascinating). An unimaginative title adds little, but an inspired title can contribute hugely IMHO. (wish I was better at coming up with inspired titles!)" - tara l chang

"I think it matters if the painting or work of art is abstract, but for representational work the title doesn't typically affect the way I feel about a piece. Every once in a while I'll read a title and think, "Oh, that's clever", or "Oh, I didn't realize that was what it was about", but for the most part the title is just an identifier. Of course, I'm a landscape painter who gives my paintings the most boring titles EVER, so what I have to say should be take with a grain of salt." - stacey peterson

"I can be drawn in by an interesting title or very occasionally put off by something pretentious. This is a really interesting topic to explore. I felt about 4 of your suggestions resonated with me. I do like a picture to have a title if it doesn't, I wonder what it is." - elizabeth

"I am drawn to a painting first and foremost by the scene portrayed, but a clever title will make the experience of enjoying the painting even better. If the title doesn't seem connected to the painting, it might cause me a few moments of puzzling, but then it is a "whatever", and back to enjoying the piece." - joanne

"I had voted "I could care less" and that's true for me as a viewer. Either the visual of the work appeals to me on an emotional or intellectual level or it doesn't and very rarely do I learn more if the appeal is not there. However, a name can add something to my experience if I'm already drawn in. I often think I'm so disconnected to the titles of paintings because painting is such a non-conceptual, non-intellectual thing to me. It's just visual and actually very visceral when it comes down to it. I'm inspired by what I see more than what I think - does that make sense?" - julie gerleman

"I voted "change how I emotionally feel about a painting" because I am drawn in by some of the creative daily painting titles, especially ones I find humorous." - irene rencsi

"I did vote twice, each for a specific reason. What makes a 'good' title is VERY subjective, BUT, if I am looking at a thumbnail of a painting a 'good' title may be the thing that inspires me to click for the larger view that I may otherwise not have done. Having said that, regardless of the title, if I like it, I like it, if I don't, I don't." - ruth jamieson

** should any of the links in this post not work, please send me a message so i can fix them, blogger was behaving badly as i was putting this post together.

Figure Sketch from workshop

2009-05-25T22:59:00.005-04:00

'figure sketch' 12x9 inch oil on gessobord, 2009

i spent the past two sundays taking a figure painting workshop, streaming live online with lisa gloria. part of my month long, time off painting to take some workshops and draw and stuff like that.

it was nice to paint without interruption! i could add another layer refining this more but considering it was just for practice i am happy to leave it where it is. since it was streaming live over the internet we worked from a photo. i only had an 8x10 print and we were painting on a 9x12 panel which was really hard for me. i do not like working so small. i found it really difficult working on the facial features this tiny.

there's a lot i could improve upon in this, but again it was for practice so i will just let it go. i was pretty thrilled with that necklace though... and the nipples, i've always had a knack for painting them, what a skill to have, huh? wonder if i can put that on a business card.

this workshop left me feeling like i learned something and improved my skill, unlike the portrait drawing workshop i took a few weeks ago. blah.

i should have my post up in a day or two with the results and feedback i received on my poll. also working on my deconstructed self portrait too.

here is a detail, the color is much closer in this pic although i think it's a bit saturated.

figure sketch, detail

Research for Upcoming Blog Post - Poll Please Vote...

2009-05-10T10:35:00.005-04:00

Thank you everyone for voting and weighing in with your feedback. This poll is officially closed. Gotta sort through everything and will work on a post for next week.

Lots of great info was gathered, thank you all!

deconstructing my face

2009-05-08T09:19:00.007-04:00

my nose, charcoal on paper, 2009

i originally began these drawings as studies and practice, since i don't have a model hanging out in my house to sit for me at any random moment, a mirror and myself seem to do the trick. but now, i decided to make a challenge: i'm going to draw all of the parts of my face independently, as accurately as possible then collage them together in photoshop to see how accurate i was. in other words, does it look like me.

my mouth, charcoal on paper, 2009

so far my mouth is my favorite drawing, i even included the freckles on my bottom lip. genetics are amazing to me, shelby also has these same freckles on her lip too.

my right eye is my least favorite as i have determined the iris is too big, i have much beadier eyes...LOL. will revise that. when finished i will post my collage face.

my right eye, charcoal on paper, 2009

this weekend i am taking an all day portrait drawing workshop locally, so i am excited to have an entire day to draw with no interruptions. haven't had that since shelby was born, so this will be like a vacation for me. will post my drawings next week.

in the meantime i am collecting opinions on painting titles for an upcoming post. so if you don't mind taking a quick moment to vote, i'd like to know how important the title of a painting is to you. please feel free to leave additional comments as well.

i should note that if more than one answer applies, please feel free to vote more than once. really curious to see how the %'s play out. if you do vote more than once, and wish to comment on why, please do! thank you!

thank you

Can the title of a painting affect how you feel about it?(web poll)

Gala Recap

2009-05-04T09:20:00.005-04:00

'tensed: fear as the sky unsettles' 18x24 oil on canvas

i survived the gala! although this painting is a good representation of how i felt most of the night. i DESPISE social gatherings. it didn't help that i attended this one alone, as chad stayed home with shelby.

i twittered the event which was quite humorous. on my way there, the road was blocked off heading into the city due to a fire, they detoured everyone off. considering i don't know lancaster city i basically freaked out. but... somehow, i managed to find a shortcut to the gallery. i don't think i could retrace my steps but i had one of those, oh wow, it's really ok, moments.

of course i didn't know anyone upon arriving, but i found spotty polite conversation here in there with individual wanderers, though for the most part, i was on my own early on. there were artists demonstrating so i ended chatting with a nice young artist working on linocuts.

while talking with her i befriended a nice couple, with whom the woman was also a donating artist. shortly after dinner was called and everyone needed to find a table. they were kind enough to invite me to sit with them. needless to say it felt like high school all over again. every table we approached had all the seats 'saved'. ugh.

we did find a table. meal was very good, i was lucky to have a special plate that was kindly prepared for me due to my celiac. it was delicious!

the auction was fun and moved along right on time. there were about 34-35 donated items to be auctioned with all proceeds going to the Boys & Girls club. i felt prices were very low and that a lot of very good buys were made. there were several times the auctioneer didn't get a bid for a painting until he was down to $25, which was very nerve racking, although he was very good at quickly getting things moving once he got some bidders.

i am happy to say my painting started at $100 and had about 3-4 spirited bidders and quickly climbed and sold for $325. it was a small painting 24x12 inches, seen in this post. so i was pleased. the auction raised over $50,000 for the boys and girls club and it seemed like all 170 people in attendance had a good time.

i was also thrilled to finally meet the couple which purchased a large diptych of mine last year.

all in all it was a good night, but my opinion on social events is that i would gladly skip them if i could. :)

shelby's toes @3 months

2009-05-01T11:49:00.004-04:00

'wiggle toes' 6x8 inch pencil on paper

i've wanted to do this drawing since shelby was 3 months, but well you know, life happens and other things need done, and i never got around to. since i'm blocking out may to take some workshops and spend some time drawing and working on some studies, i can take the time to get around to all of these little things i've wanted to do.

it's cold and rainy here today so my fingers are stiff and cold, they didn't feel very graceful while drawing but i was ok with how it turned out.

been fascinated with her feet since she was born, they are very long and skinny and her toes are so different. she's always moving them, they're never still.

i have the KACC Gala saturday night. actually going out in public, i hate social events, i'm very socially impaired in these situations. maybe people will chalk my weirdness up to being an artist. LOL

watercolors & swimming toddlers don't mix

2009-04-28T18:53:00.004-04:00

'three at six' 9x6 inch watercolor on 140 lb cold press

life has managed to take over again, and didn't get much painting time last week. this week i'm trying to squeeze it in, alternating with cleaning my house, which is in utter disarray.

took shelby out for a late day cool off... did this little watercolor sketch while shelby played in her little blow up pool. but, the little stinker, thought it would be funny to throw an entire bucket of water on mommy (she IS only 2.5).

needless to say, she drenched me and my painting. but in the end i think i salvaged it. some watery areas i left because, well it was a sketch, with watercolor, and i kind of liked the effect.

i've got three workshops coming up in may that i am taking...a portrait drawing one (since i am hoping to spend some quality time on portraits this year), a figure painting workshop (again, hope to spend a significant time here too), and an art therapy workshop (i lead two art therapy groups where i work with eating disorder patients teaching them how to use art as a form of expression).

because of these i don't want to get into any large works, will mostly spend my time on smaller daily paintings, studies and sketches. want to spend some time drawing facial features independently.

now, since it's dinner time and shelby is already pulling her chair over to the counter to help, i best get to it...

The KACC Gala May 2nd

2009-04-24T13:06:00.005-04:00

'following the light' 24x12 inch oil on canvas, 2009, up for auction

The Keystone Art & Culture Center Annual Gala is on Saturday May 2nd. It's a beautiful catered event with music and a live auction. But, you must have ticket to attend. Visit the site for information.

I donated the above painting for the auction. The gallery is open for pre-gala preview of all the paintings through Thursday, April 30th. Over 30 artists are participating. In addition, I have the following two paintings available for purchase (i know you you've seen them enough right?)

'when i grow up' 20x16 in watercolor on clayboard, $640

'guidance' 8x4 inch watercolor on clayboard, $80

Painting inquiries, please contact the Keystone Art & Culture Center 717-870-4869

WIP callas part 5- 'when i grow up' 20x16

2009-04-18T10:30:00.006-04:00

'when i grow up' 20x16 inch, watercolor on clayboard

mounted to 2" birchwood cradle, 2009

i must say, i was quite pleased with this painting upon completion. i think i spent all of last year beating myself up, so this one felt pretty good.

this watercolor, along with the one below, a previous daily painting, are going to the KACC gala, which will be May 2nd. Big event, must have ticket to attend. the preview sale begins, i think, now.

i will be taking these two, plus one oil, also of calla lily's. i have this theory, that when i am in a group show like these, which will have a lot of artist's, i like to have a theme so that it's apparent which paintings are mine.

yes, maybe that narrows the amount of people that may be interested in my work, but, i like to think that it helps my work from getting lost in the crowd. obviously, calla lily's were my theme.

the oil is all but dry, then i will get a better photo of it. for now if you want a sneak peek, you can see it on my facebook fanpage.

i'm in the process of staining and sealing the birchwood cradles on the watercolors. when done i will take a photo so you can see how they are mounted. very clean, contemporary presentation.

but in the meantime....it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

'guidance' 8x4 inch ,watercolor on clayboard

mounted to 3/4" birchwood cradle, 2009

work in progress, part 4 (callas)

2009-04-17T09:16:00.004-04:00

this painting will be completed today. i've been in crunch mode as the KACC gala is fast approaching and yesterday i was asked for my paintings asap so that they can hold a preview sale. yikes! no one mentioned the preview when i was invited and i thought i had another week yet.

i am putting together a grouping of calla lily paintings. i have an oil i finished last night, today i will assess any final changes to that, a small watercolor, and this one.

it was hard for me to take WIP pics at this stage, each leaf is pretty big and i must work continuously with the paint once i put it down, if i stop to take a photo it dries to fast (the clay is absorbent) and then i can't move the pigment around.

lots to do....

work in progress, part 3 (callas)

2009-04-08T09:28:00.006-04:00

making good progress on this painting now. here's a few more pictures to show my progress. i like to get a good likeness in on the blooms first building thin layer upon thin layer of paint.

until i have all three basically blocked in i only use the main colors of the flower. once i am sure i am happy with all three in comparison to each other, then i move on and start layering in the transition from bloom to stem.
these photos are a little off on color, i will correct that when i post the final. this is where i am at now. i hope to finish off the flowers and stems today and get started on the leaves. here is a detail of the two right blooms...

'...and what's the spoon for?' 6x8 oil on canvas

2009-04-06T08:51:00.008-04:00

'...and what's the spoon for?' 6x8 oil on canvas, 2009, $75 click here

if there is one thing i can give myself credit for, is really pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. all last year was spent experimenting and trying new directions, styles, and painting methods. sometimes with ok results, sometimes with disastrous results.

one thing i craved was to loosen up my style, i really, really tried, and i've come to the conclusion that maybe that just isn't my thing. my anal retentive, obsessive compulsive brain just can't handle it. but that's ok, i can deal with that. my brain feels much better living within the confines of realism.

i guess it's not that bad of a thing to be a realist painter. LOL

this weekend i was able to participate in a pilot virtual painting workshop with Lisa Gloria. it was pretty cool. much different experience than physically being present. i don't think it would be a good choice for a beginner because the instructor is not present to help you but really great for those with at least basic skills who can't get out to a workshop.

we simply logged in to a private chat and video room. we could communicate with lisa and others in the workshop via a chat room, and watch and hear lisa streaming live. everyone worked from a photo, and she worked right along with us from getting the sketch down to mixing paint to painting. she had a great method for everyone to check their drawings as well using a transparency.

each day we emailed her a photo of our painting for critique. i learned a few new things and produced this little painting, which i am happy to say i love. i received a great critique, with one suggestion to try blowing out my softer edges more (i'll try).

i was pretty stoked with that spoon. it felt really good not to fight myself. i uploaded a pretty big pic so you can click on it to see details. the color is a too saturated, i used way more muted tones, and i think it photographed a little harsh because it was still wet, it's very soft. all the little white spots are glare, sorry, wet paint.

and now that i've decided to let go of all these needs to be more expressive with my brushstrokes (i'll have to live through others). i'm looking forward to new paintings.

work in progress, part 2

2009-04-03T09:08:00.010-04:00

yesterday's painting session was full of interruptions and distractions... thank you to idiot motorcyle guys for speeding up and down my road, shelby was awake (cranky & crying) after only a 40 minute nap. but i did get her to lie back down on the couch and fall back to sleep.

i tried to photograph as i went, but it was hard to find breaking points because i work with the paint while it is just somewhat damp, pushing pigment around, wait too long and well, i've waited too long but i think these show a good progression. chad took the camera with him so i had to take these with my cell phone.... this was about 2-2.5 hours of work.

using a clean brush and water, i first pre-wet the area i was going to paint. while i waited for the water to soak into the clay i mixed up a pale pink to put down as a very translucent wash of color that i would build all subsequent layers on top of.

then i mix up the colors i will need while i wait for this layer to be dry to the touch, but not for the clay to be completely dry. if it dries out completely, i will coat it with a thin layer of clean water, being careful not to disturb the pigment, then wait for it to soak in.

**one difference between clayboard and w/c paper is that the clay appears darker when wet. when you apply glazes of color they aren't visible until everything dries. i test all my paint on white paper first so i am sure i have the right transparency and color prior to putting it on the clayboard.

after the water soaks in and the pigment is dry to the touch then i begin working in thin layers on top. i work in a dry brush method. i squeeze all water and paint into a paper towel, shape the bristles with my fingers then work carefully on top of the bottom layers so that i don't pull up damp pigments. i never dip my brush into my paint mixtures, but pick up the pigment that is just on the edge.

i was unhappy with the amount of pigment i had put down on the outer left of the petal so i rewet it and lifted it off with a stiff brush and paper towels then reworked the pigment that was remaining and began working on top again as it dried.

here i began using more opaque paint to add depth and started some refining details (on top of pigment that was very dry, otherwise it would pick up the damp pigment as i blended it).

here is where this one will stay until i complete the other two blooms and some of the stems/leaves. i will add more to the shadow areas and tighten detail, plus pull out some highlights, working the painting as a whole so that i can maintain balance throughout and call attention to areas i want to be more pronounced.

-------------

working in layers with watercolor requires a very light touch and well thought out brushstrokes. i gently coax pigment around to push it into place. this final photo shows the paint much darker than it really is because the clay was still wet. once all of the water evaporated out it was much lighter, as i had intended. it's best to let it dry to assess before going to dark. when working with subtle value changes like this you really have to trust your judgement and test your paint prior to putting it down.

20x16 work in progress

2009-04-02T09:38:00.004-04:00

i have this wonderful 4" pot of calla lillies that i purchased the other day. it looks to be about 6-7 bulbs. right now, there are 7 blooms with what looks like at least 3-5 more on the way. they are so pretty i thought they would make a great painting for the upcoming KACC gala, in which i've committed several paintings to.

since i am in the process of rebuilding my entire inventory of work, that means i have nothing existing and will need to get to work.

this drawing is ready to go. i like to work on tracing paper. with this drawing, i roughed each flower on separate pieces then arranged them how i liked and refined the drawings on another sheet, then i did the same with the leaves.

if you look carefully, i built this drawing around the small daily painting i did the other day, don't see it? look below. ..

i originally intended this to be the composition, but when i flipped the paper over to trace with my water soluble pencil for transferring, i found the top photo to be more aesthetically pleasing, and chad agreed (much to his amusement, i actually listened to him for a change).

so this morning i will transfer this onto a 20x16 inch clayboard panel that is mounted to a 2" birchwood cradle. i stain and seal the birchwood with a very pale warm stain, which gives the entire painting a very clean, contemporary look.

i'm also working on getting my quarterly mailing out, still waiting for my cards from the printer, they're in transit from CA, which takes forever to get all the way out here to PA. hopefully they will come tomorrow and I can have my mailing out on Monday.

off to work (for those who were april fooled by me on facebook last night...yes i am still an artist LOL).

guidance - 4x8 inch watercolor on clayboard

2009-03-31T18:20:00.004-04:00

'guidance' 8x4 inch watercolor on clayboard, 3/4" birchwood cradle, 2008, $80 click here

new daily painting! bought these calla lily's today and i am soooo loving them. thinking of doing a larger painting using these for the KACC gala. this is painted on a custom clayboard panel i had ordered that is mounted to a 3/4" birchwood cradle which i stain/seal. so pretty.

and now i have to go, shelby is trying to put my shoes on my feet so that we can go outside one more time today....

four for eighty & what's coming up

2009-03-30T09:09:00.004-04:00

'rooted pair' 10x8 inch oil on canvas panel, 2008, $20 click for more info

i was hoping to be at least transferring amaryllis drawings this weekend. but i find myself still drawing the last seven paintings. i've got about one and one half drawings to go. it seems that drawing dead flowers requires a lot more detail and planning than live flowers. go figure.

i'm really pleased though. i've also been invited to hang at the Keystone Art & Culture Center annual fundraising gala in May. i'll donate one painting, since this is one gallery that has been very good to me and bring an additional 2-3 paintings. which means, i need to get busy on some larger works. yikes. so the amaryllis project may be stretched out a little longer. i know, what gives right? you're waiting to see the last paintings.

but you see, since i know i am not offering that series for sale yet, it's not a priority, where an opportunity to hang at an exhibit that i have sold at in past kind of is. hey i gotta make a living right.

and with that...i'm off for my weekly very busy, heavy travel day, monday. since i've no new paintings to post yet, here are four, yes four daily oil paintings from last year i'm clearing out of my studio. four paintings for $80 ($20 each).

happy monday everyone.

'rooted pair' 10x8 inch oil on canvas panel, 2008, $20 click for more info

'bluer than blue' 8x10 inch oil on canvas panel, 2008, $20 click for more info

'blemished' 6x6 inch oil on canvas panel, 2008, $20 click for more info

'looking up' 6x6 inch watercolor on clayboard

2009-03-28T12:05:00.006-04:00

'looking up' 6x6 inch watercolor on clayboard, 2009 $60, available in my Etsy Shoppe

i'm getting so impatient waiting for my spring flowers to bloom. it's going to be a while, they are growing very very slowly. i'm really ready to say goodbye to winter and move on to some warmer weather and sunshine.

i finally broke down and went out to by some flowers the other day. shelby and i ventured out, for what i thought was going to be a fun trip...i was wrong. she was good in the store, but upon leaving went into an extended parking lot meltdown.

it was exhausting. so much so i had to drink a diet coke (i'm trying to quit), eat gluten free pizza for lunch (not as good as the real thing), and skip the gym (terribly naughty of me).

oh well, i was happy with my painting. i used strong natural lighting coming in from a window and stack the vase on top of a very high box to get this perspective. it all came from a humorous random thought about what ants see when they look up.

i know, i think strange things.