Day 30: Wednesday, February 9

Jill's resting.

But her friends are painting on and on. "The Conversation continues between Gail Storti and AnnMarie Thomas. I'm going to try to post all three photos horizontally across the blog, but I don't think I know how yet......Gail painted page one of the paints and brushes. AnnMarie picked up any lines on the right hand edge and continued those lines and colors onto her page of the child's fist and toys. Gail picked up those lines and painted the head of a child with braids....such clever work from two very, very talented painters.

Day 29: Tuesday, February 8

Jill's resting.

But since her friends know that she has a pretty whacked out sense of humor they send her strange things via email.  Here's was today's huge, huge burst of laughter.

Day 28: February 7, Monday

With a brief hiatus from the world, I got myself out of bed long enough today to paint my portion of  "The Conversation" that I am having with my painting friend Patty Smith.  As stated earlier, she painted the colored circles on the first page. I, using whatever lines spilled over onto the second page, created a second painting (or page), using the same colors, etc.  And now I'm going back to bed.

Tomorrow, she will have created a second page from the very complicated drawing I gave her of the coffee cup........She had a real challenge in that I had, I think, 9 different lines going on to the second page which had to be incorporated into the painting. Sorry Patty!

Day 27, February 6, Sunday

I feel like Lee Brown of a Day Not Wasted.  I went into the local hospital on Thursday a.m. for not-so minimal day surgery. Note that word: day.  And today, Sunday, 3? 4? days later? I emerged with a prescription for pain pills and an anxious husband.  I'll be a bit behind this coming week needless to say.

Day 26, February 3, Thursday

Whoopee!!  I got one painting into the Valley Watercolor Society Show that's going to take place Thursday, Feb. 17 starting at 2 p.m. until March 13. It will be held at the Gallery 800, 5108 Lankershim Blvd., Historic Lankershim Arts Center, No. Hollywood.  For those of you who so kindly commented on my paintings and voted? Your vote was the one that the judges liked. Whoopee!!

Day 25, Wednesday, February 2

In my watercolor class our teacher Peggy Reid brought in a book "The Conversation" by Milton Glaser.  An incredibly interesting art project: the two watercolor artists involved, Milton Glaser and Jean Michel Folon, neither of whom spoke the other man's language, decided to converse via paintings. One of the men drew the first page, kind of a watercolory sunset.

The next man took all the lines and shapes from the right hand edge of the sunset painting and started a second page/second painting. I wish I had photos of the pages. I found a copy, used, but it hasn't arrived yet.

Peggy decided to make this a class project. She painted a first page with a coffee cup and a bagel and the class drew numbers to see which page of the conversation we would be painting. The 2nd painter took the edge of the bagel and created a two wheel bicycle using the same colors of paint. The 3rd painter is now working off of the lines of the bicycle. We'll see her results next Tuesday in class.

Here is Peggy's starting painting:
 

Here is the 1st addition to Peggy's painting (the 2nd page of the book). The edge of the bagel had to be carried over onto the next page, ergo the wheel of the bicycle.

Some of us, since the project sounded so interesting, paired up on our own. I'm painting opposite a friend. We both painted a first/cover page and swapped it. This week I'm to paint a second page.  This is the cover page I painted for the swap.  The painting is supposed to have shapes and colors going off of the right edge so that the painting may be "continued" on the following page. So I tried to put a lot of shapes/colors/designs on that right edge.

I had painted 3 paintings so that my partner could choose and then the teacher, Peggy, came by and chose one and offered to paint a "conversation" with me. I was thrilled. This is what she chose to work from this first week:

Here is the painting I received from my partner:

I am supposed to attach my painting to any shapes, lines, etc on that right hand edge so my only connection will be the portion of that red ball that's missing.

I made a couple of sketches of possibilities last night. Been thinking all day about it. Possibility of a bottle of bubbles being blown? Or turning the whole thing into a caterpillar in a forest of grass could be possibility.



Day 24, Tuesday, February 1

Google Earth is into something wonderful. Yesterday Google unveiled the Google Art Project, a website that sllows visitors to see more than 1,000 works by 486 artists, take virtual 360-degree tours of galleries, and zoom in for extreme closeup views to inspect a great artist's brushwork.  The zoom in feature is fabulous. Get ready to waste some time!

Day 23, Monday, January 31

Spent another hour or two and got the blog up and running again in a different format but at least the followers and my favorite blogs showed up again. Whew.

Had been looking for watercolor blogs that I liked and had come across two different listings of the best blogs to follow. So for your perusal at your leisure?

http://www.webdesignschoolsguide.com/library/50-best-blogs-for-watercolor-artists.html

And then from Donna Zagotta's blog where she asked for nominations, the best 29 blogs.

Day 22, January 28, Friday

Long slow day. Spent a bit of time working on the painting of Mike the model. Nothing to really show for today.  May I ask if you are a follower of this blog that you email me and also if I was following your blog would you email me. I'm so annoyed that those names and websites are missing. That was hours of enjoyment of other people's work and I have no idea how to go about recreating my list of favorites!

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27 !!!

I am really fed up and can only complain publicly here, on this blog.  I blog through Google's Blogger service, fantastic until tonight.  I wanted to add to my list of blogs I follow - that was ALL I wanted to do.  In trying to change the format of my blog ever so slightly, the d@@n thing rearranged, recolored, moved, realigned...........it's taken me almost 2 hours to get back to the original appearing blog that I had but I've lost all of the blogs I follow and  I now have 2 extra google boxes at the top.  And then I found out after another 15 minutes how to read html coding and I deleted the google news (which I didn't want) and the two "about me" boxes that I didn't want.  I'm fed up and I wish someone in charge of Google Blogging could/would see this and help us out. I've been on the discussion boards and everyone's really frustrated with the Big Brother aspect of this whole thing. You, Google, decided that we needed to change.  You didn't ask us. You didn't tell us to "back up our HTML" before clicking on anything..........Darn you!!!!!   So tomorrow, I'll spend some more time, finding my favorite friends and their websites so that I, too, can just click on the links to some wonderful artists!

Day 22, January 27, Thursday

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Women are angels...and when someone breaks our wings?   We simply continue to fly....on a broomstick.  We're flexible like that.

Another Thursday, another portrait drawing class, a really tough model to draw. If you weren't careful, it was a man. If you weren't careful it was a 20-year old girl, never the inbetween 50?ish interesting looking woman, a professional model named Zee. Have some not so good drawings that I'll post just to show that I did draw today. 

Day 21, January 26, Wednesday

One of the most wonderful of all the painters whose work I've followed since my journey began is Karin Jurick, a full time painter now that's she's closed down her Atlanta based frame shop.  She set herself the challenge of 100 portraits in 100 days. Life intervened only slightly and she's proceeding apace towards her goal of 100.  Very early on in the series, a collector offered to buy the whole output of the 100 portraits, so each fantabulous painting has been marked "sold" as soon as it was posted.  She says she's had so much fun doing this that she will be continuing the project well past the 100 mark.  She finds the faces by googling mug shots, so her blog is "100 faces busted"....aptly named. Take a look and enjoy the progressively more talented painting....and remember when you're looking at them?  They're oil paintings, 4" x 4".     http://100facesbusted.blogspot.com/    Here's just one of many.

Day 20, Tuesday, January 25 - Painting Challenges

I'm always looking for painting challenges and through Horst Hittenberger, Karin Jurick and several other artists, I've come across some fun and/or interesting and/or challenging sites. Take a look and do what you will?  Let me know if you decide to try any of them.

Lela Stankovic's  http://paintanddrawtogether.blogspot.com/

Lee Brown's http://adaynotwasted.com/2011/01/january-2011-adnw-painting-challenge/

Barb Benick's  http://studioatelier.blogspot.com/

http://painting.about.com/od/submissiongallery/tp/painting-projects.htm

http://paintingchallenge.wordpress.com/

recommended by Karin Jurick  http://www.rookiepainter.blogspot.com/

and one of the more interesting ones

http://virtualpaintout.blogspot.com/

where you paint from the google maps of the world

http://behindthescenes-ppasp.blogspot.com/2011/01/behind-scenes-january-challengechoose.html

and one that looked wonderful but doesn't exist any more...

http://followingthemasters.blogspot.com/

Day 19, January 24, Monday

While it's still fresh, I have to tell a funny story. To do the Sketchbook Project I had bought 2 packs of cigarettes, the cheapest I could find and even then they were $4.50 a pack!! How does anyone afford to smoke?  I used up not quite a pack in deconstructing, cutting apart, shredding cigarettes for the project and thus had a pack and some loose cigarettes left over.  I put them in a ziploc bag in the car determined to just give them to one of the homeless guys who stand by the freeway exits....thought that better than throwing them away. So yesterday as I pull into a business' driveway, here comes a guy, drunk, dirty...I roll down the window and ask politely "Do you smoke?"  "Yes", comes the short answer. So I proffer the cigarettes out the car window and say "would you like these, a guest left them at my house".  He looks at the cigarettes for a long time and then says:

"I only smoke Menthol Lights"

and he walked on.  I started laughing out loud at the idiocy of the whole thing thinking, "I guess beggars are definitely allowed to be choosers"!

Day 18, January 21, Friday - Ted Nuttall

I'm bringing Ted Nuttall to Glendale, California in June, the 13-17 to be exact. It will be a week long watercolor portrait class held in the Brand Studio, a fabulous place to paint.  These classes fill quickly and I'm taking registrations now so if you're interested, get in touch.

Day 17, January 20, Thursday

Thursday morning has always been a portrait drawing class taught by April Foster at the Eagle Rock Senior Center. It's a wonderful class, well taught, well attended, with everything from a rank beginner to several incredibly accomplished oil/w/c/pastel/sanguine artists. Today we had Mike Lynch for our model. He does a wonderful job and has modeled for us at least once a year.

And then I drew him again on watercolor paper.  I was supposed to go to Scottsdale for 4 days next week to watercolor paint in a private class with Ted Nuttall. I was concentrating today on the bizarre shadows that were being cast on Mike's face as if I were going to paint ala Ted.

From long ago, when Mike had shaved his head, I have this photo of him that I paid for (he's a professional model). Thought you might like to see his angular face for "real".

Day 16, January 19, Wednesday

Working on a fabulous benefit here in Pasadena, CA, an exciting fund-raiser which will benefit the Pasadena Senior Center.  It's being held April 2, 2011, the 3rd Festival we will have held.  It's a book fest! We invite 4 women authors, local if possible, to present and discuss their newest book and their life as an author. It's always a sellout crowd of 250 people and we're fortunate enough to have Elizabeth Hailey ("A Woman of Independent Means") for our moderator.

Pasadena Festival of Women Authors

Among other "jobs" I'm in charge of table decor and I've had such fun doing something I'm not normally involved with.  I decided it would be fun to have books themselves as the centerpieces and they would be the stand for the featured flower arrangement. I had a wonderful carpenter friend drill out a 3-3/4" hole in the front of the book, through the book jacket and all. I'm buying the books off of the "final stand" table at the South Pasadena Library so I don't feel as if I'm truly desecrating  a book - it's getting a second life as a featured objet d'art.

Buy a ticket and come join us for a wonderful day, including lunch.

Day 15, January 18, Tuesday

Off to the watercolor class in Glendale which is taught by Peggy Reid. Learned about using the Cruciform when trying to design a painting. No finished work to show for it yet.

Day 13, January 16, Sunday

Actually went to a drawing class today. There's a model, Jennifer Lobos-Patton who runs drawing sessions, usually at odd times: 9 p.m. - 1 a.m. or somesuch, always in an interesting location. Well for once she ran a session right here in Pasadena, CA (imagine that!) at a new little gallery on Colorado Blvd.  A four hour session for $10. There were at least 10-11 of us crammed into a small space, but it felt so, so, so good to be drawing again. I haven't been in a figure/portrait class since the end of September, 2010. Whoopee! And I had such a wonderful time!

Day 14, January 17, Monday

I so want you to enjoy an email "movie" that was sent to me and to laugh just as hugely and as loudly as I did.  Instead of "I'll Cry Tomorrow" like the old, old movie, I'll paint tomorrow, promise!

And then my son, not to be outdone, promptly sent me this link.  But you know boys! Bang 'em up, crash 'em up, shoot off a few guns.   Enjoy.

Day 12, January 14, Friday and now the weekend....

And then spending time on the internet checking out other peoples' Sketchbooks. You can upload photos of your pages, photos of your other work. A great way to spend valuable time!

A scotch and water is now in order as it's 6:48 p.m.

Happy weekend everyone

Day 11, January 13, Thursday

Cleaning up after my "arts and crafts" project otherwise known as the Sketchbook Project.  It's a really interesting site.  They not only had this huge nationwide (worldwide?) project where for a fee, you registered and received a moleskin sketchbook in the mail with a due date, but they also have monthly sketchbook challenges which would be fun to do with your children or friends...one was to empty your pockets at the end of every day, catalog the contents and send in all the collection envelopes. I thought kids (grandkids?) could have a heck of a time emptying Grandpa's pockets!

The next Sketchbook project? A Million Little Pictures.  You receive a disposable camera, you choose a theme, you shoot 27 photos (the number of negatives in the camera) and you return the camera by June 15. Signups for this project are over on March 31 so if you think you'd like to take part? Take a look.

Sketchbook is in tomorrow's mail, meeting the deadline.

Day 10, January 12, Wednesday

Worked off and on all day on the Sketchbook Project. Almost finished. Don't like what I've done as I got totally distracted.  The theme was to be "Coffee and Cigarettes" and I had in mind an ethereal set of photos, smoke drifting, coffee steam wafting....remembering moments in movies as the stars inhaled. Instead, when I got started, I came across a huge article on how the cigarette manufacturers have so manipulated the paper that the tobacco is wrapped in to control the amount and heat of smoke as it's inhaled, the filter has a series of very specific punches in it to allow only so much smoke, no more no less. The nicotine itself is no longer just tobacco. It's reprocessed, combined with paper goods, sprayed with chemicals......

I got so angry that the whole Sketchbook became a protest against cigarettes and what's being proferred by the cigarette companies.

The worst of all the items I came across:  The Marlboro Man, in 1992, dying of lung cancer, went to the Philip Morris shareholders meeting asking the company to voluntarily limit its advertising. The Chairman, Michael Miles, responded: "We're certainly sorry to hear about your medical problem. Without knowing your medical history, I don't think I can comment any further."  The Marlboro Man died of lung cancer three months later. Stunning in its absurdity.

Day 9, January 11, Tuesday

Uh, oh, I've already fallen behind by a couple of days. Been "swampo" busy with life in general and the Sketchbook Project which is to be postmarked Saturday. I submitted 2 paintings to the Valley Watercolor Society show.

Day 8: January 10, Monday

Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Today, again procrastinating on the Sketchbook Project.  Found out that I have two friends who also signed up to participate and who also haven't even started on their sketchbooks. The books are to be postmarked Saturday. We all three must be procrastinators!!  There are over 28,000 people signed up to submit Sketchbooks.

And then I started remembering a blog I loved but the woman got tired of blogging and feeding all of our souls with her wonderful choices in music and books. She was/is a watercolorist whose blog I found several years ago when I first started looking for on-line mentors.  I so looked forward to reading her blog every day: to see if the robin had built its nest yet this year, to listen to some of her favorite music.  Her book choices were always intriguing.  And so I put my cd of "Les Choristes" into my cd player in honor of Suzanne McDermott.  This one song is my most favorite.  Oh how I wish she still blogged all of her wonderful erudition.  The link will bring up Suzanne's actual page with her fascinating comments and links. She's a musician herself, songwriter, performer and also leads the "Big Draw" which in and of itself is a humongous project.  Here's a link to her painting blog just because.



Sunday - Please Vote

Have several paintings that I can't decide between in terms of entering two of them in a local watercolor show. Would anyone who looks at this please comment on 2 favorites? I have to put the cd in the mail this coming Saturday.
As you can tell, I don't have a "style" yet.  ;-))

 a fellow painter

 arroyo sumac

 the yellow chevy's bumper

new hampshire doctor

Day 7, January 7, Friday

And then a hiatus in posting until Monday comes again. Today I puttered in the painting room, otherwise known as my son's bedroom and while mentally settling into "work" a friend called to se if I wanted to see the "Black Swan". Oh me, oh my. Fantastic. Was it real? Was it an hallucination? Did she die? Unbelievably good. Violent, rated R for some "interesting" sex. I'd say go see it and stay through the ending. Painting took second place today.

Another Year - hohum, depressing
King's English - phenomenally good
True Grit- fun remake
The Fighter - incredible casting, well done

Pick up my scanned paintings tomorrow and will try to decide which two, if any, I'm going to enter in the show.

Day 6: January 6, Thursday

Another dillydally day. Glued coffee grounds onto a coffee filter as potentially one of the pages in the National Sketchbook Project......and then went to see the movie "The Fighter".  Incredibly done true story starring Marky Mark (Mark Wahlberg who once was known for being an underwear model). He did a wonderful job and in spite of the boxing violence, it was very good. And that's the extent of my day.  Hope for more and better tomorrow or I'll be flat out of time. True confessions here.

Day 5: January 5, Wednesday

It's late and not much to show for today. Took 6 paintings to the camera store to be scanned onto a cd. Couldn't make up my mind as to which ones I would like to enter in the watercolor show. Gerald Brommer is the judge and I always wonder if judges like to see things that match their "style" of painting or if they just hopefully see some woozies of paintings and are thrilled that they were asked to judge. I think today was a dillydallying day.

Have been thinking for days about how to do my "Sketchbook Project" and finally this afternoon took all the stitching out of the Moleskin book that has to hold the project so that I could make some longer, wider pieces of paper. I need to get a'hustling on it.

And then when I went on the sketchbook site? They have monthly sketchbook projects some of which sounded so great that I had to email all the links to certain people. The easiest and what could be the most interesting was the "Pocket Project". Since i'm doing this post on my Ipad, here's the link to the big project with over 23,000 participants!!
Since my sketchbook theme is "coffee and cigarettes" I think I had better buy a pack or two of cigarettes to see if my idea will work. Stay tuned.

Day 4: January 4 Tuesday

Finally got my act together this afternoon and went into my lair. I'll again show the photos of what changed during this afternoon's session. Interesting experiment with my brother's portrait, the 4th of July boy. The one on the left looks awful here, but I tried a bit of a pointillist style and "in person" it's not all that bad.

And then there's the brother and my/his first cousin Swampy.  In person there's a heck of a resemblance.



Actually like one of the Carol Marine's out of all the many versions.

:



Am playing "Rigoletto" as I while away my time. Fantastic recording with Pavarotti in his prime and Kiri Te Kanawa just beginning.  Just saw it performed in my local movie theater as one of the Live at the Met HD Performances that are being presented.  In case you don't know about this, but love opera as I do, the Met is broadcasting a Saturday matinee, once a month, live in HD.  It's a fantastic presentation where, during the 30 minute intermissions at the opera house, you, as the audience, are treated to back stage interviews with the performers, to tours of the prop rooms, to watching the stage being set for the next act. Wonderful way to "be there".

Day 3: January 3, Monday

If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes.

The above quote is from a site "Inspirationz.com" which had an interesting video - came to me compliments of my watercolor teacher Peggy Reid who wanted to get us all "fired up" for the newest year.  

I worked this afternoon on the paintings of Carol Marine, hoping to have something finished in the next few days.  Can you see any difference in the paintings from when I photographed them two days ago and how they look tonight?  The fear is always that somehow we've wrecked it and will need to start again! Hope not.

Don't know what happened to the formatting but I can't seem to make this full column width tonight........

Day 2: January 2, 2011, Sunday

I did about 1/2 hour's worth of painting......Had to get all the equipment located, put in one room, set up the table, find the light, arrange the music....all those things we think we need to have in perfect order in order to be able to paint.  Went through all the portfolios looking for some very specific paintings that I have in progress hoping to finish two or three pieces in order to be able to enter the local watercolor show: due date January 15. With this piece of guilt in the background (this blog), I will paint and post every day.

Day One of 2011: January 1, Saturday

It's been almost exactly a year since I started this blog. I started it because of the Karin Jurick Portrait Thank You Project which was so much fun. And then Karin just won the painting of the year award from Katherine Tyrell via the web site: Making a Mark - an excellent, if not the best, blog all about art. Karin's wonderful painting 'Hands of Time' was given the "Best Picture of the Year on an Art Blog" award. I figure that for an outstanding accomplishment.

If you haven't been following Karin's 100 daily faces project, each face painted from a mug shot, they're fantastic and the whole series of 100 was presold after the first 3 or 4 were displayed on her blog. These magnificent pieces are only 4" x 4" - unbelievable detail in such a small space.
My goal is to once again post daily on this blog. There's a national project looming over my head: The Sketchbook Project which has to be postmarked by January 15. I read on a blog this morning that procrastination is considered a big part of an art project, that thinking about the project counts. Ergo: I'm still procrastinating.  I did get my studio (my son's bedroom) cleaned up today with everything once again set up after a long hiatus (haven't painted since October 1 when we left for a long trip to France with our adult son and daughter).

There's also a separate watercolor show (Valley Watercolor Society in Los Angeles county) that I'm trying to enter using one or two of the portraits I've painted in the last six months. I asked Carol Marine for permission to use her photograph if I get the painting finished in time. I've always thought her photo on her blog shows a joyous face, one who loves to paint!  She's one of the most faithful of the Painting a Day Group.

Park city or "on the road" -

Just finished a week long Ted Nuttall seminar/workshop held in Glendale, Ca. The class was full, 14 fantastic women who worked together so well. They're asking if we can have just that same group next September and I said I'd work hard on making it happen. I'm also scheduling him in California in March and June so check Ted's website for updates.

I worked on a painting of Carol Marine in watercolor. I downloaded her photo years ago from her website since it was such a cute photo and only just recently did i find her again because of the painting a day blog. When I've finished the painting, I'll post it.

I'm on the road in Park City painting plain air with 4 painter friends and our "old"teacher Jeanne Hyland. She gives us hints as to how to paint those majestic mountains. Maybe I'll post some of my work this year.

Day 21: After a long hiatus

Been drawing and drawing and not painting all that much this summer. Am taking a plein air class from a local artist who teaches at the Art Center College of Design, Rob Sherrill.    That's been a fun experience and also a totally mystifying experience. I know how to draw faces. I don't know how to draw trees much less paint them while the wind and the sun are moving everything around. 

Came across a fun blog/website about two months ago and I signed up to receive emails from him.  Lee Brown, who lives in Colorado, posts one wonderful photo a month that he's taken on his travels and then encourages everyone who wants to paint from the photo and submit their version to his website before the end of each month.  The previous challenges were way too challenging for me, or so I thought, but then this month?

The August challenge is of a bright yellow taxi Lee photographed while visiting Santa Barbara, California. I couldn't resist doing something with that taxi, so I finally painted something "to order".  Hopefully by the time you read this my version of the taxi will have been posted. I had a great time working on it.......the idea came to me because Lee said if you looked at the bumper closely you could see him and his wife standing there taking the photo.  If you choose to look/see what other people have done, below the photo of the taxi it says "click here to see the submissions gallery".

Just another fun site for everyone to take a look at.

And here's my version of the Santa Barbara taxi:

I leave tomorrow for a three days of painting with Ted Nuttall in Colorado. Have been drawing on 300# paper for days now, trying to have drawings ready to paint. So looking forward to this special event at a private home.

And if you're interested, I'm bringing Charles Reid to Pasadena, CA in May of 2011. Check his website for further info.

Day 20; An interesting web site talking about Roosevelt Island's waste disposal system

Someone sent me the link to this interesting web site. Found the whole discussion fascinating: waste disposal on Roosevelt Island in NYC.  The system was so far ahead of its time when it was created and now? It's just interesting. Take a look if you have the time.

Day 19: Arlington Garden's 5th Anniversary

In an earlier post, I mentioned the Arlington Garden, a fabulous Mediterranean Garden that was founded and nourished by a couple, Betty and Charles McKenney, Pasadenans through and through. We celebrated the 5th Anniversary of the founding of the Garden last Saturday. I had invited all the plein air painters I knew to come paint in the Garden and then to submit their work for an outdoor exhibit.  I think we had about 20-25 painters and we sold 12 paintings!! Wonderful money for the Garden's Foundation Bank Account at a 25% commission.  I actually sold my very first painting ever, the one I did of Brenda Swenson painting in the Arlington Garden!! Whoopee, is 2010 wonderful or what?

The Garden has many orange trees, being Mediterranean. The oranges were prolific this year and the local Boy Scout troop was asked to pick the oranges as a project. Then Waldo's made marmalade, all of which was sold at the benefit. I think 100 cases of marmalade total! I had gathered lavender over many weeks at the Garden, drying it and stuffing lavender sachet sacks which sold for $5.00 and which were all snatched up.  It was a wonderful, sunny day with everyone in a generous mood.  Maybe next year we'll try again as it was such a wonderful affair.

Day 18 - Looking for Challenge Sites

Found an interesting site, Daily Painters International which is posting challenges on a monthly basis. Challenge starts on the 1st of the month, ends on the last day as the last painting will be uploaded. May's challenge is "FRINGE" in any form.............

There's also the absolutely fabulous Virtual Paintout.  It uses Google's map of the world and you choose what you'd like to paint. Take the time to read the page in order to understand the challenge that's being post and then go for it!!

Then there's A Day Not Wasted.  Lee, the owner of the site, posts gorgeous photographs to be used as source material for paintings. He also posts one photograph as a monthly challenge, submit your painting, etc etc.  The photographs have my appetite for landscape painting definitely whetted! Take a look.  Also look at this date on ADNW.

Then there's Windows to the Words. The owner of the blog writes poetry and then posts pictures to accompany his "corny" (his words) poetry and as a challenge you paint from his pictures.  He gives awards. I enjoyed reading the blog as it was positive and fun........again. Take a look.

And then a site that in order to participate you have to have made a blog so that there's a link to your work.  This month's painting challenge, as hosted by Alice Thompson, on the Calypso Artist Movement, was dedicated to bad food! and then all the artists were going to critique each other's work via their blogs. A blog sounds complicated but it's actually extremely easy to set one up via google's blogger startup site.

And then there's Katharine Cartwright with a great idea.  Sketch as if your developing skills as a painter depended on it, but for only 20 minutes. Set a timer, 20 minutes only. Then email her the drawing/painting/sketch.  Brenda Swenson, a local artist, is actually "licensing" painters who can present a sketchbook filled with 75 consecutive days of drawing - just for the practice.

And last but not least, or for today anyway, there's Dana Marie's  blog with a posted subject matter for your painting project.


I'll be looking for more interesting sites like this. When we have no ideas but want to paint, there are possibilities out there.

Keep painting!

Day 17 - many days later

Back to painting after a several weeks long hiatus. Came home from my wonderful Charles Reid class in northern California and promptly left for Vermont and my friend's wonderful old farm. 

Back to Pasadena where I've become involved with a public garden: The Arlington Garden .   At the bottom of this link is a map to the Garden. You won't believe how beautiful it is right now and probably for the next 3 or 4 weeks!

This Garden, a Mediterranean extravaganza which uses no water, is in bloom right now - absolutely spectacular.  Thursday a group of plein air painters met there to paint and they'll be there again next Thursday, the 22nd. Tuesday, the 20th,  a group of oil painters are assembling in the afternoon.  Any artist who paints in the Garden is welcome to submit their painting for sale at our 5th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, May 8. You need to contact me though so that I'll know how much hanging space we need to display these wonderful works.  The Garden will take 25% of the sale price to help fund its Foundation.  There will also be fabulous Orange Marmalade for sale which was made from the orange trees on the Garden's grounds by Waldo's Jam Company in Sierra Madre, CA   There will also be lavender sachets available, again, made by hand from the many varieties of lavender found in the Garden.  (Tooting the horn here, inviting everyone to come to the Celebration in the Garden on May 8.)

A friend alerted me this morning to a painting done in the Garden on Thursday by Marian Fortunati. Enjoy her  painting of bearded irises.     I'm hoping Marian's painting will be one of those for sale on May 8.

Have found some more fun challenges for all of us looking for "things to paint". I'll post those in my next post. 

Come join us in the Garden!  Here's my painting from that day - actually Brenda Swenson was in front of me painting one of her wonderful paintings, so I painted her.  Enjoy.

Day 16: An interesting study of Van Gogh that's going on

A few days ago I came across an article in USA Today, I think. I'm not sure.  Notation of an interesting blogsite regarding the restoration of Van Gogh's "The Bedroom" painting.  Site looks fabulously interesting. Tells the history of the painting and what's happening on a daily/weekly basis as to the restoration of the painting. Take a look:  http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/blog/slaapkamergeheimen/en/

And I'm still working on the photos of the Charles Reid class so that I can finish off talking about that wonderful class.

Day 15: Back to Karin Jurick for a moment...

While I was off in Concord, California, trying to learn to paint like Charles Reid......but more on that later.

I came home to two emails from two more of Karin Jurick's phenomenal follower fans.  They asked if their portraits of Karin could be included in the  outpouring of "thank you to Karin" project..........so if you'll go to Day Three of my posts, you'll see that there's a new title. We're now up to 122 heads painted of Karin. New paintings are at the bottom of the Picasa link and were painted by Michael Boshart and Norine Kevolic.  Thank you to these two new people for wanting to be included even after the due date. My thought has always been "the more the merrier" in wanting to say thanks to Karin's largesse over the last year.  Again thank you Karin and we're all hoping that all of your wonderful paintings on view in the Morris & Whiteside Gallery http://www.morris-whiteside.com/Jurick.htm will sell.

Day 14: Not as enthusiastic as yesterday..... :'((

Yesterday with Charles Reid was so exciting. Very professional model who assumed exactly the same pose every time she returned to "the pose".  Everyone painted like an absolute whiz. We had a critique this morning and he was so complimentary to everyone, found the good spots, downplayed the bad..........we were all "champions of the world" as Roald Dahl said once in a book title.

And then we broke for the night, upbeat one and all.

This morning we had a very interesting live model, Haitian (she had been visiting family and was in Haiti during the earthquake), gorgeous pose, lots of good lighting.  Charles draws, talks about the drawing, talks about certain emphases and then begins to paint.  It all sounds and looks so simple.  (Again, pictures to be posted when I get home to my own computer.)  Charles even made a huge painting blob but then proceeded to rectify it.  You and I would have torn up our paintings and started over but since he was demonstrating, that isn't allowed.

And then we broke for lunch.

And then we broke down. 

The same morning model from this morning, different outfit, and then a second model of color with colorful hair and clothing (neither model would permit a photo even if money was offered..........don't understand that as it would be wonderful to have a reference photo to see what you were actually trying to paint!!)  We all tried to draw what we were seeing but we all agreed that today just wasn't our day.  My drawing was good, my painting I didn't like at all. I set it aside and quickly drew just the head and shoulders (we're supposed to be drawing full body/gestural poses) and started again to paint. Charles came by and gave me several suggestions as to the first painting and said that sometimes we discard paintings long before we should. So I picked it up and tried to work on it a bit more.  Still not satisfied with all the dripping colors!!

Tomorrow, another model, another demonstration, no critique....

I've made arrangements for Charles to come to Pasadena, CA in May 2011.  Hope to see some of you there.

Day 13: Charles Reid!!

I'm in Concord, California taking a class from Charles Reid! Whoopee!! Will have photos to post of the process when I get home and have access to my own computer, but I just wanted to say how excited I am to be taking a class from this "Master"!.  About 20 people, men and women, wonderful painters one and all. Today Charlie demonstrated all morning, painting from a model, talking all the while. Then in the afternoon, we painted from one of two models.............Tomorrow morning a critique.  Such fun.

I finally put together the photos from one session with Charles Reid. One young model in bib overalls. It's wonderful to watch the "start" of one of Charles' paintings to see how the face emerges.  Enjoy.   Charles Reid
I've heard from two more people who wanted in on the Karin Jurick Thank You Project so again, when I get home, I will upload their paintings to the Picasa site so that all of Karin's fans can view the latest works of art.

Signing off now.  Talk again later.  Jill.

Day 12: A painting challenge, a fun site...

Took a look at what Carol Marine was up to today - wonderful as always, and she mentioned Steve Worthington's request of her to paint a mouse.............Intrigued I went to Steve's blog..........so much fun!!! Be sure and watch the video of the "Thrilla from Manila", scary music and all!!  http://www.steveworthingtonart.com/index.html

Then a nice woman, Dana Marie at http://inspirationallaroundus.blogspot.com/  has a new challenge painting every two weeks. Her followers send her photos of interesting things to paint, she chooses a photo and posts it, we paint it and upload a jpeg to her site (with her permission of course).  Take a look and see if it gets you painting!!

Day 11: A Joyous Day

Spent the afternoon staffing the Viva Gallery in Studio City, CA, with another very interesting woman, Barbara Byrne, a collage artist, who also crafts and wears gorgeous handmade jewelry. So many talented people out there! Am in a joyous mood, thrilled to be exhibiting a couple of paintings, joyous to be included among other extremely talented well known painters, foremost of whom is Brenda Swenson, almost a neighbor, who does such wonderful work. http://www.swensonsart.net/  She took a prize in this show (special honors) "H20 in 2010", the show mounted by the Valley Watercolor Society.  Below: "The Forbidden Fruit", a fabulous example of Brenda's wonderful negative painting style.  I had such a good time talking to the visitors on this incredibly rainy Saturday.

Day 10: 2 more paintings of Karin

I've added two more paintings to the Thank You Project for Karin Jurick.  I notified everyone of David Christy's wonderful painting which I totally screwed up on and failed to add to the Photo Album we sent Karin.  And then today another wonderful painting from Violetta Smith arrived in my email inbox which I added to the Picasa Album.

http://picasaweb.google.com/polsby/The122FacesOfKarinJurickJanuary2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCPCNrO-srfW09AE#

You'll have to scan all the photos to find those two. I have yet to figure out how Picasa sorts things. I asked for a sort by name.........and how the paintings are now? Is how Picasa thought they should be sort. Go figger!

Day 9: An internet site I'd forgotten about but...

About a year ago, I think it was Myrna Wacknov who brought this site to my attention: http://www.posemaniacs.com/    Great drawing spot for those of us who are trying to draw every day.

Myrna, when sketching from posemaniacs, used to use the ubiquitous telephone book pages as sketch paper, drawing with a sharpie or some other black pen.

If you don't know about Myrna, she has very innovative methods she uses to create multi-media projects and she has received multiple awards for her fabulous bozzetto style watercolor painting "Reflections on Turning 65".

http://myrnawacknov.blogspot.com/

bozzetto as defined:  http://www.painterskeys.com/clickbacks/bozzetto-value.asp

Day 8: Donna Zagotta's interesting blog spots

Donna Zagotta is a "feed" that I subscribe to (it's free). Today's post was interesting enough that it allowed me to spend (waste?) an hour or so, wandering the web, reading, looking, having a wonderful mind time as I call it.  Take a look at the best blogs as submitted by Donna's followers.

http://donnazagotta.com/blog/

Day 7: An interesting painting thought

http://www.twentyminutechallenge.blogspot.com/

This artist, Katharine Cartwright, runs an interesting blog and features people's work that they submit following the rules of her challenge.  The Challenge itself is a great idea as it gets us drawing, something we should be doing a lot more of.  Take a look at the blog and get to drawing!!

Day 6: I'm in a show!!

I'm a member of the Valley Watercolor Society (a Los Angeles area watercolor group).

http://www.valleywatercolorsociety.org/ 

Several months ago they had a jurying into the Society and I submitted two paintings to be juried in. I was accepted!! Never thought I would be as I love everyone else's work and usually am not too thrilled with my own. A stereotypical attitude I think.

Valley Watercolor Society then announced a show "H2O in 2010" and called for entries. I submitted my two framed matted plexiglassed paintings (with hanging wires no more than 2" from the top of the frame) and whoopee!!! I was accepted. Two Paintings!!

"H2O in 2010" starts this Wednesday, the 24th of February at the Viva Gallery http://www.vivaartcenter.org/

The Reception (wine and cheese, ooh la la) is Sunday the 28th from 2-4 p.m. I hope, if you're free, and live in the area, you'll come see some really fine work.

"Past Their Prime"

 

"Christmas Meadow - Utah"

Day 5: Practice Paintings of Karin

I was tidying up my "studio" (a fold up card table in the guest bedroom) and came across the preliminary paintings I had done of Karin before I painted the one which became my final version. Thought it was interesting that such slight variations in a nose? in the width of a face? made such definite changes to the same face. So for your enjoyment herewith are the 3 other paintings I did of Karin Jurick.

I do portrait work by (1) drawing the face on drawing paper, not watercolor paper. I then (2) trace my drawing onto tracing paper. Then (3) using a light table, I transfer the drawing to the 140# cold press Lanaquarelle paper I've been using.  As I (4) paint the face I note where I'm going wrong. Back to the drawing, change the nose a little, lift the lips a little, fix the tracing paper image, light table it onto another piece of w/c paper, etc etc until I feel I've finally gotten the drawing right.  I realize this creates a lot of work for myself but I always feel better about the images of "real" people when I do them this way.

Day 4: My painting of Karin Jurick for the Thank You Project

This is the image of Karin Jurick that I painted for the Karin Jurick Thank You Project. 118 fabulous painters, pastelers, charcoalers, pencilers drew their version of Karin from the same photograph that was supplied to them.  This is my version. Would love to meet this lovely lady sometime, when next I'm in Georgia. We're all wishing Karin "big luck" for her show in March.

Day Two of Jill's Blog

I have not yet mastered coding, picture uploading, etc so my Day Three post is going to contain "links" to other sites.  Bear with me as I learn.  You'd never believe I actually teach people to use their computers! 

The Karin Jurick Project was a fantabulous experience both in working with wonderful artists and in learning how to create a book. Thank all 118 of you for painting/drawing/pasteling such wonderful works of art!! I'm sure she's going to be thrilled with our huge Thank You Karin.

On Day Three, to be posted in 3-5 days, you will find all the links necessary to enjoy each other's work.

Day Three: The 118/119/120/121/122 Faces of Karin Jurick

In December 2009, Karin Jurick through her wonderful website "Different Strokes From Different Folks", mounted a portrait challenge.  180 people from around the world were to submit a head and shoulders photo of themselves to Karin so that some other person of the 180 would paint it.  Painters painted each other anonymously and then Karin posted all of the wonderful paintings and drawings on http://differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/2009/12/hold-your-horses.html

She also created fantastic YouTube videos of the photo morphing into the painting. Be sure and take a look at these as well. It's a fabulous viewing experience!!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf5CYNe50os
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig_AbM1rWqg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILvBE2eVyQ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5lEKmlhaM4

As a Thank You to Karin Jurick Tribute, 118 of the above 180 artists (those who could be located) painted a portrait of Karin from a photograph supplied to them by Jill Polsby.  I've created a link to the Picasa album for everyone to enjoy and I've copied the link to the Snapfish book that was created and mailed to Karin as a huge thank you from her fans. 

I can't thank everyone enough for their enthusiastic response to this Thank You Project for Karin. Thank you!!

Picasa Album:
http://picasaweb.google.com/polsby/The122FacesOfKarinJurickJanuary2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCPCNrO-srfW09AE

Snapfish Album ordered to be sent to Karin:

It's been noticed that some of the Snapfish pictures appear cropped. Snapfish dictated the size of the photo and some of the paintings were affected more than others. My apologies if it happened to your work.  When you get to the Snapfish site, below the pictures over to the right....you can click on an icon that gives you a much bigger version of the finished book.
http://www5.snapfish.com/projectshareewelcome/l=6789956008/p=98061265506009909/g=27938450/cobrandOid=1000/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/otsc=SYE/otsi=SPBKlink/