A few demos.

I taught a couple of weeks ago in Palos Verdes, CA and San Diego, CA for two wonderful groups of people.  My demos are pretty quick so as to get the idea across and to get the students painting!  I cannot watch a demo that goes too long!  I get so anxious to paint.  

A good foundation in the fundamentals and understanding them is important HOWEVER to get to your own voice you have got to put the mileage in.  You have to experience those moments where what you say is emerging through your intuition.  

  

Quiet light and shadow.

The models love these poses!

Simple and clear.  Not much else for me personally to say.

Call me crazy but . . .

Call me crazy but I love these works!  And to continue my confession, I had the chance to go see the Robert Henri show at the San Diego Museum of Art in the gorgeous Balboa Park  AND before entering the rooms with Henri's work I had to go to the Contemporary section first!  I love a good abstract! 

Not all these are abstracts of course.  I responded to many works and many "isms".

And I should have posted a few of Henri's work.  Did you know his last name was actually Cozad.  As in Cozad, Nebraska!  Yes, he was from Nebraska and if you get a chance to read his biography it reads like a TV drama mini series!  

So quiet. ?

Bob Thompson will always be a favorite.  He died too young!

And of course Joan Mitchell.  She did a series of sunflowers that are wonderful.

Huh?  Love it!

I should try some allegorical paintings.  This is a beauty!  Daphne resisting and fleeing Apollo's advances, she is saved by her father when he transforms her into a tree.

And these charming still lives by Mabel Alvarez.  Saw these at the L.A. 

Art Convention.

(Bad photo!)

Just fun!  ?

Exquisite! from all angles. ?

I'm here!

I am so excited that summer is almost here and that means planting season is right around the corner! My sweet peas are showing blooms!  The strawberries are growing plump and taking over the garden!  I love it.  I will see bees at the bird bath.  I will plant a few more trees.  I'd love to have an olive orchard.  (Orchard or Grove?)  And some goats and, and, and some cows and, and, and some ducks and, and, and some .  .  .

Just not enough  hours to the day.  

This work was painted from life in my last years flower garden. This will be in the Roger's Garden Show down in Corona del Mar, CA.  This show will host 5 women and a body of work in a beautiful home and garden setting.  I hope you can come by.  The dates are

May 10 - July 13, 2014

Roger's Gardens

2301 San Joaquin Hills Rd.

Corona del Mar, CA 92625

(949) 721-2100 ext. 379

I will always love a fluffy dress!

 I love beautiful dresses.  I don't wear them.  I never have.  I would have loved to.  But I love to look and adore.  I imagine myself being 20 again wearing one.  So next best thing is to live through my daughters.  Our son won't wear them either.  Tee Hee!  

I wanted to post these and confess I am neither tortured nor have some angry angst.  I love all things beautiful whether it's clothing, furniture, the way a lawn is manicured or how a blanket is folded over a chair, dishes displayed, laundry neatly piled after folding.  I believe in reference for every task.  This rant went further than just prom dresses!  But sometimes experiences make me feel like I need to apologize for myself and my "provincial tastes".   Man, what brought this on!   I think this all came about from recently checking out the arts district in Culver City, CA.  What a charming and very hip area!  So cool! Young people defining themselves and how they live.  And I felt like a duck out of water. I felt very "out of touch".  I just need to get out of my "cow town" more often.  What a great place to visit!  Now I have work to do to try and be more sophisticated. 

On your mark!

Finally, they downloaded.  Here are a few of the others.  We had to work quickly.  Only had 5 or 10 minutes at most.  We posed for each other and had so much fun and put in more mileage.  I like them just the way they are!  I could definitely see a simple mat and frame on these.  Less is more.

5 Minute Poses.

I wish I could post the others but here's a start.  Ray and I go to a local Life Drawing session in the next town down the road, Copperopolis.  It is a great small group.  So fun. The model was a "no show" so we all posed for each other!  None of us could do more than 5 or 10 minutes.  There was an exception as long as the person could have a comfortable seated pose.  But that was just about enough time for just light and shadow for me.  That's what I chose to concentrate on.  And then mixed up the colors a bit.

What a mess!

This is our studio!  I have a weekend workshop coming up and I have got to get this place cleaned up!  I have to get still life set ups ready, clear the floor space, have the model stand ready for our model and just thought I'd show you some "before" photos.    

If I remember I will take some "after" photos and post them.  We have a lot of fun in these workshops.  They are small, anywhere from 5 to 8 artists, and it's easier to get to know each other. 

One of my corners.

Along the back wall of my end.  I am preparing to shoot a new instructional DVD.  You can see my prepping on the the two easels.

And there is Ray!  He gets one side and I get the other.  The wood stove is sort of the dividing line.

We have Sirius radio and a flat screen to keep some noise going.  I'll have to clean his side up too! 

This view is off to Ray's right.  I think that's Benny in the doorway peering out!  We have two Shi- Tzus that I adore!  Benny and Auggy.

And another view of my side.  I have got tons of "teaching tools" on those shelves I have no idea what I will do with them!