Outer Space and Under the Sea Creatures

I think Tim stays up at night dreaming of wierd challenges! It is really fun. As he says, he teaches 400 level classes and you will absorb what you are ready to absorb. I'm hangin' in there!

This was an exercise in complimentary colors and mark-making. Discussions were lively...about 'my kid could paint that' to 'I can't believe that stuff sells' to 'painting abstractly is harder than realism' to 'do you have to understand realism before you can abstract' and finally, 'realism painters can paint abstracts, but abstract painters can not always paint realism'.

BUT, it was fun. And I hope some of these marks start to show up in my 'real' art!

"Shooting Star" ©2009 Vicki Ross

9x12 oil on gessoed panel

"Sushi?" ©2009 Vicki Ross

11x14 oil on gessoed panel

AND, I'm about finished with the Flemish method "French Schoolgirls". Halfway through an evening dusk painting of the Charles Bridge in Prague. Also have spent some time devising a pastel painting illustration for an ad for the IAPS Program for La Bonne Etoile. Just because I took a few days off, does NOT mean I'm not painting!

Victory with Peony Flemish Method pastel and oil

Peony

©2009 Vicki Ross 9x12 oil on panel

I really slowed down with this painting. Very much enjoyed the process and learned alot. I was supposed to use more of the damar/oil/turp on each layer and it would have had more of a glow, I think. I will definitely use this method again...it satisfied my niggledly/anal/OCD tendencies.

Peony

©2009 Vicki Ross 12x16 pastel on paper

The oil painting looks richer. Might just be a fluke of photography...the slideshow for the oil version is below, the slideshow for the pastel version is here. The underpainting on the pastel was in acrylic and provided a great roadmap for complicated petals. Don't know if it was worth the effort or not, since pastel is opaque.

here is the slideshow for the oil: