Michelle, our model at the Hyter Group

Michelle was a great model. I love it when the model actually takes some time to think about what they are going to wear and to come up with a theme. Michelle is wearing some kind of African dress, a matching scarf and yes, even her earrings match. She is a beautiful and it was so much fun to paint her. She kept that smile going the entire time and it is the rare model who can bring such warmth to a pose.

SOLD

11" X 14"

Plein Air at the Waterville Arts Council First Annual Plein Air Event

Last Friday and Saturday I participated in a local plain air event. This was the first time the arts council in Waterville hosted an event like this and I give them a lot of credit. It's not an easy thing to plan and if the weather doesn't cooperate you are really in trouble. I especially liked the commemorative wine glass they included in the goody bag.

Friday was chilly, but Saturday was warmer and sunny.

I painted a street scene on Friday featuring a legendary diner called the Koral Hamburg & Diner and kept my friend Jim company when he wasn't teaching all the little kids in town how to paint.

Pretty Pink Petals, Painted Impressionistically :)

 

9"x12"

oil on linen

These roses were left on my desk last Friday in a plastic root bear bottle that someone cut the top from and used as a makeshift vase. When I got them they had obviously been in water for a few days already. I suppose they were a gift from a thoughtful co-worker who couldn't bear to throw them away while they still looked so pretty. And while they were absolutely gorgeous I could tell they wouldn't last the weekend so I took them home, found a nicer container and painted them that same evening. I knew they would not retain their good looks into Saturday.

So this is a typical alla prima painting painted very quickly and roses are hard to paint for me when I'm NOT in a hurry, so it is what it is. I was forced to keep the flowers loose and impressionistic, and didn't even try to render a lot of detail. It just felt good to paint after a week or more of dealing with my remodeling projects.

This week I am attending a Paintout sponsored by the Waterville Arts Council and the weather sounds like it will be perfect, so I'll get a bit more painting time in. Then it's back to the remodel project, which will require more priming and painting of walls! I expect the work to be complete by the end of June and then perhaps I can take a few breaths and relax awhile.

I have aqua colored glass in the bottom of the clear glass vase and that's what  gives this painting all the wonderful cool reflections, in addition to the fuchsia colored roses.

Lasting Memories

This is Mac, who lived to the ripe old age (for a dog), of 14 years. His owner, Ron, commissioned me to paint a picture of him after he passed away recently. Ron loved Mac very much and although he owned many other dogs, Mac was special. He thinks that might be because Mac was acquired after their children left the nest. I think we do spend more time with our pets when we're not busy raising children.  It's only natural that our animals might become like children too, especially if they are bright and energetic, as Border Collies tend to be. I own a Border-Collie mix and he is a sweet, yet determined boy who is fiercely loyal but too smart for his own good.

Ron did not have many good photos of Mac, so I used a combination of pictures to get the details right. He had one request that could only be accomplished by an artist-- remove the cataracts that clouded Mac's eyes in the last few years of his life. We know he's seeing clearly in Heaven so why not have those lovely bright eyes looking out at the world?

Mac 

11" x 14"

oil on canvas

Elizabeth

Elizabeth posed for my weekly portrait group and we had her do a slightly different type of pose than we normally might since she was only going to pose for one two hour session. (She'll return in June but doing a different pose). We have encouraged her to dress like Sargent's Lady Agnew but time will tell if that happens. I know we'll have a ton of people at the group if she does.

This is a challenging pose for the model and for the artist because the angles of her head is very tilted. It's important to draw the placement lines in right away in order to keep the face symmetrical. Still, it's not easy to KEEP it symmetrical, as I found out when I attempted this piece. As for the model, she had a difficult job. Her hand fell asleep and if she moved even slightly the lighting changed, poor thing.

I was happy with the final result, which shows a slightly sleepy yet beautiful young woman, but it was one of the more difficult alla prima pieces I have ever painted.

Elizabeth

11x 14