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.

"Winter Warm-Up" Watercolor Finale

Winter Warm-Up

9”x8”

watercolor 

Trying to loosen up with the watercolor, yet keep a good balance of hard and soft edges...while trying to also keep a sense of reflection and shadow.  

Hurry Up and Wait (Grrrr.....) or Life in a Microwave Society

Took a while to get resettled back into my studio.  Now it is time to go do the afternoon Mom thing.  I wanted to push this farther yet keep the hard edges of my book, but when I stuck it under my fan table to dry, the wind really messed up the tonal value I like in the book.  So I have to do the old fashioned thing and wait...

Like I just heard from the Savvy Painter Podcast with watercolorist, Andy Evansen, we do live in a “microwave society”  everybody wants the reward right away.  I just didn’t think it applied to me, until just now. 

Quickie “Treat” in Oil

Winter Warm-up Treat

WSO (water soluble oils) on board

8”x8”

One of the reasons I am trying this “daily” painting (well really about 3 to 4 a week) is to force myself to work quicker and more loosely in oils.  As they say, I think I made "real progress" in that direction on this one...

That was probably because I did this quick exercise in color blending, playing around with hard edges and soft edges first.  Got the idea from Carol Marine’s Book, Daily Painting.  LOVE that book for so many reasons, one being she has these great exercises to loosen you up and a great section on overcoming creative blocks.

Guess that’s two reasons, isn’t it?

Oh well, time to go stay warm in this sub zero weather by imbibing in some of my still life.

Cheers!  Kathy

"Winter Warm Up Treat" in Acrylic

Winter Warm-Up Treat

6”x6”

acrylic paint on board

Feeling good with the way this one turned out.  Looking forward to tackling this subject matter again in oil and full color watercolor.

Still Alive and Back in the Groove

Winter Warm-Up Treat-in progress

6”x6”

Acrylic Paint

My board sub job all last week was fun but exhausting.  Having 75 middle schoolers work with xacto blades (for the first time for many of them) can really tire an art teacher out.  (Only one small nick, thank goodness and I think they are going to live;) 

Actually I think it was the material gathering, prepping and grading that really wore me out...so I did not make it to my studio or computer much in the last 10 days or so, obviously.

Anyway, back in the groove with this little one piece coming along.  Hope to finish him as my boys are finishing shoveling out our driveway from the snow storm that hit central Virginia last night.  I have a different version of a Winter warm up treat for them (since they are all well under 21)...homemade chicken noodle soup!