Update: JOSH

Hair, skin tone, neck, jaw, water, ...oh, and what to put in the sky.
So much more to consider. I wonder if I have hit 200 hrs. yet?

Negative Drawing

Diane Wright was talking about negative drawing and so I took up a challenge to do a quick 3x5" RI that was being discussed in our Yahoo group Line to Life. I studied my process and realize that I do this naturally without even thinking about it. Is it something I was taught or something that is just the way I see shapes in general. I gather a bit of both, because I was taught contour drawing as a young teen. I always have been a student of shape, my eyes do not rest. Now I have added color to it, and I am afraid I am going to have a traffic accident due to distraction. Abstract shapes, color shapes, tonal shapes, light/shadow are all rushing at me. They seem to say, "Hey!! Look at me today!" I have been stopping to take notice.

My study of COLOR

The color key is based on the kind of light. Morning light is different than afternoon light. Different seasons, and weather also. Light is constantly changing, so you have to capture light key straight away, when painting plein air. Very hard as a beginner, so that is why we just work with bands of color or shapes. A color note, is when you look at a subject, tree, block, etc. and pull one color (note) from what you are experiencing. These color notes need to hold together in a painting. We are happy at this level if we get 2-3 color notes right. Some days it is suggested to push the color notes. If it is a warm day with warm notes, we push those color notes, and the same for cool. Verticals are darker than horizontal planes. The color of the light source, impacts the color in both lights and shadows.
Squinting help you see the value and color note by blocking out the details. Simplify.
I am under the impression, as with color blindness, that some of us see color with more intensity than others. Or is it the more we study color the more we see it. I am hopeful that it is the later.
I promise to see if my studies can be scanned tomorrow. It just isn't good for the glass to put wet oil paint on it.

A Confident Can-Do Attitude

You may experience an extra dose of self-assurance today, which could result in many opportunities for growth. A great way to enhance these possibilities is to consciously focus on letting your confidence shine today. You might want to start by mentally affirming to yourself the value of your talents and abilities, building up your inner confidence and courage, and then letting others see what you’re capable of accomplishing. If you can focus your attention on giving your best effort to every task, the universe will sense your enthusiasm and readiness and open more doors to opportunities for you. Your confidence and enthusiasm are like magnets drawing more of what you want into your life.

Approaching our work with a confident, can-do attitude invites the universe to offer us more opportunities for growth and success. Developing a strong belief in our abilities helps us devote more positive, powerful energy to our tasks. Not only does this help us feel more fulfilled and confident in our work, but we also attract the attention of others who may be in a position to help us. When we make an effort to consciously seek opportunities for bettering ourselves, we are telling the universe that we wish to grow, learn, and stretch beyond our limits. If you dare to allow your self-assurance to shine today, you may end up attracting the opportunities of your dreams.

First Plein-Aire and a Drawing

Recently I went out on my first plein-aire painting session with my color class. We are learning to find the color key of the area, and pick the individual color notes. We are instructed to use a palatte knife with oil, on prepared board. It was very exciting to be outside painting. It is difficult to be a beginner at something related to art, but Perserverance Pays. I look forward to tomorrows painting. I hope that it doesn't rain.

Abstract Revisited

I worked a bit on a new abstract I have in mind. It is based on my blind studies, where I think of a subject, place, memory etc. while moving my pencil across the canvas. In this piece I am thinking of hugging my son, David. I can't say a lot about this other than I have titled it, Hug I. I do believe some of his personality will show as I pull the picture from the canvas. One note *** I have never done an oil before. It is based on a watercolor (second picture),I did last November, in Mary Winterfield's abstract class, at ACCD.

March Sketch Crawl

I had a wonderful day!
It started at Heirloom, a new bakery, in So. Pasadena. Then I met Karen Winters at the Metro platform. We rode the Gold Line in to Union Station, where we met up with Danny Gregory and the others. Union Station is an Architectural gem, built in 1939. It is beautifully refurbished, and surprisingly clean. The grandure of it's day can be imagined. After sketching in the train station for a while, we moved along to Olvera Street. This was the first street in Los Angeles. I have been told stories that my grandfather helped plant the trees in the square. I think I will go back soon to draw those trees. After spending time in the market area, we all agreed that it was time for lunch. So we headed over to Phillippe's. We ate,and then enjoyed passing our sketchbooks/journals around to one another. Quite a talented group. I was honored to be amongst them. We made our way back to Union Station, were the group dispursed and three of us decided to spend a few more hours, chatting and sketching until our energy ran out. I happened to run into a digital illustration class from Art Center. They were also there sketching. However, most were plugged in to computers. We had a nice visit, and shared stories.

JOSH (update)

I needed to move away from the intense work on Josh's face, and I have begun the background. This is made up from my imagination (and a few reference shots from Josh's boat). I hope that I have captured the essence of Lake Travis. Unfortunately you are only seeing half of the portrait. Scanner size can present a problem. You can see a work in progress of this picture below and if you click on the Archives>February
2006 (in the right column of this page) Learn more about JOSH by going to Josh's Boat

Paradise is open to all kind hearts

It is our nature to be kind. And most of the time,
kindness comes easily to us, especially when we're on the
path and everything is going our way. The difficulty comes
when we encounter an obstacle - maybe a large, rude,
imposing obstacle! Those are the times we need to remind
ourselves to be kind. Those are the times that some may say
we are "tested." How kind are we really? How patient? How
loving? How understanding? Because we are human,
there may be times when we need to make a greater effort
to express kindness. But the more often we do so, and
see the far-reaching effects that kindness has, the easier it
gets.

-Lissa Coffey

Josh Memorial

I have received a great deal of insight from a new mentor. I know him as Reinhard. We have met through the great site WetCanvas! His incredible eye is guideing my hand on this first portrait. I owe him a debt of gratitude for his generosity.
You can view more of the work in progress below.