Painting workshop

A few weeks ago I enrolled in a six weeks painting workshop that takes place on friday afternoons and we have access to a live model (fixed pose) for 3 full hours. It is so much fun to get the paint under my nails again and painting from a live model is another experience altogether...you see a myriad of colors, form, values.....things you do not see from a flat picture or photograph. There are a dozen other students some painting, drawing, pastels...just playing with our mediums.

That's a pic of my painting and the model posing with me. Antonio is just the best model I have met....one -  because he doesn't move at all (and its pretty hard staying still for 23 mins at a time) and two because he brings us goodies every friday...last week was Foccachio with sun dried tomatoes, ham and cheese! seriously which model feeds the artists!!! we love him!!

Quotes

Via the Sacramento Street blog

Academy of Realist Art classroom

Academy of Realist Art - Bargue Room 

...and this is where I spend my week days...in the 'Bargue room' where we work on our Bargue assignments and live model drawing sessions. After completing 4 assignments we will graduate to the next room for charcoal drawing and final level of oil painting. We have soft classical music playing in the background and lots of natural light. Peers who's thoughts & words match my world. It is a dream come true studying here.

We have students travelling from the US, Australia and Hongkong to study here and I am so fortunate that this school is in my province....just a train ride away!

Bargue - Assignment II

Been working on my second Bargue assignment and learning so much more. This piece involves much more modelling on the lights and darks. Prof insists on us working the darks ONLY first before moving onto the lights. So right now I am softening the bed bug line and spreading the diffusion outwards. It's already been a month since I have been working on this....enjoying every moment.

Portrait of Chanel

Title: Chanel

Oil on canvas

10 x 10 inches

CLICK HERE TO BUY

Uploaded this painting in the shop recently. Really pleased with the softness in the face, loved the process of blending. 

Romaine Brooks

I have noticed my paintings are developing into a similar range of muted colors. I find I cannot use bright colors and end up graying my colors quite a bit. I also find my clothes and furniture are in a similar palette.  I guess this is what they mean by "Life imitates art or Art imitates life".......... Discovered this artist whose palette I can very much relate too, she is definitely bold in her choices for that period but I am loving the subdued palette and subject matter - ROMAINE BROOKS. Quite a life she led - read more here. 


Romaine Brooks (May 1, 1874 – December 7, 1970), born Beatrice Romaine Goddard, was an American painter who specialized in portraiture and used a subdued palette dominated by the color gray. Brooks ignored contemporary artistic trends such as Cubism and Fauvism, drawing instead on the Symbolist and Aesthetic movements of the 19th century, especially the works of James McNeill Whistler. Her subjects ranged from anonymous models to titled aristocrats, but she is best known for her images of women in androgynous or masculine dress, including her self-portrait of 1923, which is her most widely reproduced work.^[1]

Self Portrait (1923)

The Black Cap (1907)

Peter, a Young English Girl (1923–1924), a portrait of the artist Gluck

All images via the Little Augury Blog.

Painting featured in Etsy Treasury for the 14th Time

My painting titled 'Fall Days' was featured in an ETSY Treasury along with other items from the talented sellers on Etsy. Ms Melissa from Sahetah curated the treasury and she makes/sells beautiful handmade jewellery on Etsy. My favorites are her pink rose quartz earrings - please pop by her shop to check out more of her products. 

The treasury can be viewed here as well as many others.

Title: Fall Days

Oil on Canvas

Print 8 x 8 inches

Click here to buy Print

Click here to buy Original

A Romantic Loft In Paris With The Spirit Of The Eighteenth Century

Our living room is finally painted white and trimmed with crown molding, high baseboards and golden oak floorboards. The decor I want to keep a mix of French and Industrial. My inspiration is the beautiful loft featured below with just the right blend of both styles.............drooling right now...........

the limed closet doors look gorgeous............

lovely blend of the metal industrial corner table against the gilded framed painting........

my favorite room of all.......everr single piece of furniture is swoon worthy...

such nice wall art........

Via The Essence of the good life blog

..............need a tissue to mop up the drool!!!

Madame de Sévigné's Gallery

via Parisatelier.blogspot.com

I want to paint this so much.....I have half a mind to source the 19th century dress from ebay and enlist one of the models from my art school..................hmmmm maybe I just can. My fingers are just itching.........the set up below is so period............

I know now what they meant when they said "When you start painting from live models you just cannot go back to painting from photographs.......I know exactly what they mean".

Paul Reeves - Ice Dancer

Have you ever heard a piece of music where you felt like closing your eyes and imagine yourself floating, you want to hear it over and over again and you desperately wish it was more than 2 mins long.............


................this piece does that for me. I have played it around 30 times today alone, got the girls humming it, playing it in my head and D royally pissed off! 

ENJOY - Ice Dancer by Paul Reeves.

Painting featured in Etsy Treasury for the 13th time

My painting titled 'Ebba' was featured in an ETSY Treasury along with items from the talented sellers on Etsy. The treasury was named 'Still I rise - Strong Women' and features some very beautiful women along with my painting (yay!). Ms Brandy from Nomadic Notebook curated the treasury and she makes/sells beautiful stationary and jewelery. My  favorites are her personalized pendants - please pop by her shop to check out more of her products. 

The treasury can be viewed here as well as many others.

Title: Ebba

Oil on Canvas

12 x 12 inches

Click here to buy Original

Painting featured in Etsy Treasury for the 12th time

My painting titled 'Abigail' was featured in an ETSY Treasury along with other items from the talented sellers on Etsy. The treasury was themed 'Vintage Charm' and featured a wide range of charming items. Ms Anita from Bird Apparel Canada curated the treasury and she makes/sells unique clothing items. My favorites are her organic lingerie...clean, simple lines - please pop by her shop to check out more of her products. 


The treasury can be viewed here as well as many others.

Title: Abigail

Oil on Canvas

12 x 12

Click here to buy

Wow...it's 2 0 1 1 ...

My X'mas break went on for a little longer than I expected but I am backkkkk !!
Happy New Year everyone....do hope you had a wonderful start to this year...it feels promising and hopeful and new!! I hope you get to try out everything you wanted to...and more!

Just completed this portrait on hardboard using a stippling technique which allowed the blending of colors to have a smoother finish than if I was just brushing it on....don't ask me where or how I know this because I really do not know how I ended up doing it this way. I tried it.....it worked and so I continued stippling for the entire face. Ooh I do love painting portraits....such a challenge...so much detail yet so much form....I would be quite happy just doing portraits all my life.