Things that Made Me Smile this am and blogs that help us stay in touch

The weather is FINE in Northwest Arkansas this morning. My life is FINER. Sitting on my back deck listening to the birds and watching golfers...the waterfall in the pool is splashing...just wish I could paint a picture of how nice it feels. Durinda says you can't paint a feeling, but just maybe, babé! My view...the coffee tastes great.

My mom used to tell me that I never saw dirty windows because I focused on what was beyond the windows. Guess what, mom? I haven't changed. As I am training my artist's eye, I stare at people and look for that little triangle of light below their eye and think about how I would paint him/her. Sometimes when driving I have to force me to pay attention to the road and not stare at the sky and ponder what pigments would make that glorious color. I feel like a giant sponge soaking up all these techniques and studies...just ready to explode with the best art I've done yet. (of course, for the most part I think every piece of art is better than the ones before because I'm learning so much and practicing every day).

Got a new blog today from an artist I barely crossed paths with last year. I really wanted our paths to converge a bit longer because I learned much from her teaching. Theresa Rankin is so wise and has great quotes. She ain't a bad painter, neither!

Anyway, I'm off to the studio...check out Theresa's blog at http://www.theresarankinfineart.blogspot.com.

I added her to my favorite blogs and have subscribed so I don't miss a single one of hers.

Now, off to 'work' if you can call it that!

love,

vicki aka Red

Revisit an old friend...working on a 'good start'

I've not been very regular lately with the blog. Been working on the upcoming Ozark Pastel Society's annual show workshop with Leslie B. DeMille. Can't very well post any progress paintings if I have a notion of entering them into the show for his judging.

And I am working on a commission portrait for a surprise, and if I post much about that it won't be a surprise! So, this topic came up when seeing it rekindled my curiosity.

The wonders of a digital age...I have over 15,000 photos on my laptop. I never know what photo is going to catch my eye, some I've painted, some I've started. Each is a memory from France, Italy, Prague, Salzburg, CapeTown, Frankfurt, and my own backyard.

Sometimes a pattern of lights and darks jumps out at me from a photo that I've looked at a million times before. Some I have felt like saving until I had more mastery of my skills.

And the subject of today's post, my foray into my continual study of art techniques. This one intrigued me to the point that after receiving my materials I scurried into the studio and sponged some gold acrylic onto a gesso board. Not very well thought out, but at least I had the good sense to keep the acrylic out of the area of my subject.

The circumstances that yielded this photo were interesting, and just chance. While on my first workshop retreat with Kippy in France, we jumped in the car late one afternoon with Jeanette Martin and found a good en plein air spot. We set up in the shade next to an old building. While we were painting, a local resident came out and started talking with Kippy. From all I could understand, she might have been asking us to move on. Actually she was offering us entrance to the little building. Inside was a shrine of sorts, containing 2 exquisite sculptures. This is one of them. And if I could speak French, I might remember the name of the sculptor...a native son of this tiny village who donated these sculptures to honor the village.

The technique? Silverpoint. Yup. Leonardo, Rubens, Ross. Actually this drawing went so well (in 2006) that I scared me into putting it down. I'm kinda like Fanny Brice (remember Streisand in Funny Girl)? Jump in the deep end of the pool holding your nose. Visit www.silverpointweb.com for lots of info.

Even carried it with me when I went back to Kippy's in February 2007. Had it propped up in my kitchen and saw it every day. What scared me (other than fear of screwing it up) is the awareness that once you make a mark on the board, it is not removable. Permanent. No erasing. It is there to stay. Also, you learn quickly to do your darkest darks first, cause they are only about a 6 or 7 on the value scale. No black blacks. Cool thing is that the silver tarnishes with time. You can use gold and copper too, but silver was historic.

For some reason, maybe a sense of needing the control (OCD?) and tiny bitty-ittle marks, I picked it back up last week and took it to my day of shop-keeping at Poor Richard's Art, my local gallery. Bill (owner's husband and manager) about had a fit over it.

Anyway, I feel a bit more confident with it now. I may even have a customer for it. Just have to figure out how to complete the background...and the skirt. Oh, the other thing is that the silver does NOT photograph well.

EEOWW! That background will be muchly toned down!