New On-line Art Venture

Just found out about a new on-line art venture for local artists and performers...in fact it is so new that this link will not work until May 15th...

Buy RVA Art

But here is the facebook page...which has some more information on it.

and the cool logo...

I have been intrigued by on-line galleries for a while and thinking this might be a good place to get my feet wet...thank you Jenni Kirby at CrossRoads Art Center for making this happen

Meow

Fat Cat in Art History 

Hope you enjoy this guilty pleasure as much as I did...Happy Friday

Speed Painting

Three Amigos, Acrylic

6"x6"

Acrylic on Board

Met one of my studio goals this year!

 I wanted to be able to paint more confidently and one way to prove that is happening is to paint fast, right? Well I decided to catch up on my self imposed "quota" and see how many studies I could do in about a three hour window today...

Three Amigos , Oil

8"x8"

Water Soluble Oil (WSO) on Board

Three Amigos Mono Study

8"x8"

Watercolor

Three Amigos in Color

8"x8"

Watercolor

Now these watercolors do feel a little rushed to me but I think I was able to give a better sense of space and visual weight to these guys than if I had not being doing my studio challenge.

So maybe practice is not making perfect (don't think I would want that to happen anyway) but it is moving me in the right direction, the self imposed time restraint forced me not to get fussy with my work.  

Love having one more strategy or "drill" in my toolbox to keep me painting, challenged and (hopefully) improving...

Do you have any drills or strategies that keep you challenged? How did you come to find or develop them?

On the Road College and Sketching Tour

Not able to work on my studio challenge this week since I will be nowhere near my studio.

My mobile studio is not an option either since I am constantly on-the-go looking for architectural schools for my oldest, pictured below...

He had just been running all around the East Village while I was regrouping with a late afternoon latte.

But (thankfully) I am still able to work!

  When I have the chance I am drawing on the fly in my traveling sketchbook.  Can't do this work "live" though.  Working from iPhone photos in the evening or on the train

A quick sentimental note that all you parents out there can relate to...saw this display on the way to the train station and it seems like just yesterday I was putting these little tiny
things on Mr. College Shopper...wow.

Quickie Cut-Up Apple

Cut-Up Apples

oil on board

6”x6”

Needed a quick “hit”  in more ways than one this morning.  Loving the copyist piece mentioned in the last post, but it is going to take a bit of time to finish. And since I will be college visiting all next week with my oldest, it is probably not going to be worked on. 

(Don’t want to schlep it all over the Northeast. Gonna take my watercolor and sketch book instead. ) 

So did this little guy in about 2 hours this morning. 

Would not have been able to do it however, without my “Quickie Hit part B" by my wonderful husband at 7 am this morning...

                            Coffee delivery to the studio!! 

 I have the best barista in town!  (and the most thoughtful)

Copy Cat! Copy Cat!!

So I was running out of steam on my studio challenge and decided to shake things up by doing something I have never done before (Well I taught something like this once, does that count?)

I am doing a copy of a Madonna and Child I saw in the Louvre a few years ago.  Madonna with the Green Cushion by Solario, c. 1507-1510.  Digging the digital component again.  Found that there are actually tree trunks behind Madonna’s head thanks to my exposure tool.  

May or may not put this into an auction.  Also this has been acrylics so far but I am going to switch over to oils for the figures and cushion.