Wednesday, November 12, 2014

One Hundred Faces Project

i took the challenge
and so far, she's my pride and joy 
one hundred faces
so far so good
i'm trying to make them all as different as possible and using different mediums
most are frontal views since i am lousy at profiles 
it has taught me alot about myself and what i am capable of given a challenge
My favorite medium so far is the layering  of gesso and plain pencil for a scratchy look
which i used again in this painting of a simple vase
and then there are the inks
and the simplicity of sketching


more pencil



but here i am bragging about my faces when you should see some of the others my challengers are creating 
starting with my favorite by Robin Laws
Susan Buchanan
Jeanne Marie Webb
amazing huh?
60 more to go or so, yikes.

Friday, November 7, 2014

November


and that season begins
a time for gathering, for thankfullness, for 
warm toes and frosty noses, for hearty soups and sweet smelling pies, for fireside chats and poking logs, and finding hidden faces in the shadows. for coats and crispy cruchy leafs afoot, for cinnamon scented packages and garlands on the mantle

toasty scarf awaiting toasty leggings
one of my favorite seasons in spite of lesser daylight. 
the colors
the bounty
the rituals
jason, victoria, ollie and ozzie visiting from costa rica






Wednesday, October 15, 2014


i remember a great quote by cezanne my friend lynne hoppe posted one time about the fact that one could paint a hundred years and a hundred years after that and still feel like you were just beginning. i have felt exactly that these past few weeks as i continue experimenting with new colors and new mediums. thrilling! 
i especially like having discovered the stabilo pencil which comes in many colors. you sketch and then paintbrush over it for a watercolor effect. look at those mona lisa hands! just with one pencil.
i used it again in black for the above portraits.

something went wrong along the week when i started to feel a bit sick and headachey, maybe from exposure to my art supplies, maybe just a bug. so i soent the next few days just sketching.


thinking of future possible paintings such as this version of a menina.

halloween has certainly had an influence 
i am trying to find my own artistic voice
i see a pattern of britishness.....well, i grew up in england so the influence seems embedded in my subconscious i guess.
although i have discovered fresco painting through kate thompson and loving it.
above is a pencil drawing of my friend jeanne marie in orvieto
cathy cullis continues to be a great go to. 
as is misty
and then there are those random moments of silliness
i love art, can you tell?
but the other good news is that i finally hot around to tidying the studio a bit thanks to a pink filing cabinet richard gave up for me


i turned a closet into a library
with autumn here, many hours will be spent here
if not here



a time of gathering