Time Flies...

...when you are on a break from the blogosphere.

Has it really been 6 weeks?

As with art, one needs some time off from blogging in order to come back with recharged batteries. Or something.

But the good news is that in fact, I've been painting - and quite a bit. A new scene from Portugal is in the making. And a portrait that made me put the Portugal scene aside for a while. And a small flower I made for a friend who was hospitalized. And another portrait of a man whose photo I took last Saturday in an Art & Wine festival and just had to paint him. And...

So, the studio is active and messy, new ideas keep popping up in my mind, I've had a sleepless night with the adrenaline rushing through my (hmm... what does adrenaline rush through? veins? capillaries? Arteries?) followed by a merry night of trying to put what I had in mind to paper - quite exciting, actually.

I will post those once they all reach a finished stage.

Today I can share the little flower I made. By now, you may know that I do not paint flowers. However - a friend from our critique group had a medical emergency. Needless to say, sending flowers came up, but then WebbieM suggested a clever alternative: that instead, we each paint a little flower, as that won't have any issue of potential allergies; plus - they will keep longer. MembieK (whose name should now be changed to EmeritiK) took it a step farther out, suggesting we make a book-thingy from all the painted flowers. FergieJ created one and brought it to critique, where we all glued our little masterpieces into it and wrote something for our friend (who - I am happy to report, is back at home and very well, thank you for asking). This little painted flowery bouquet turned out a real beauty.

Now, if you've been paying attention, you may have noticed that my own name was not among those who came up with great ideas. That's due to the simple fact that I was busy wallowing in sheer terror...

OK - have I mentioned that I do not paint flowers?

Indeed, I was positively terrified: how can I paint a flower? but then again, how can I not be a part of this project that's all about friendship and support?

So, Wednesday night, just before the critique meeting, I got into my studio at 10:30pm, and - - - well, I have to admit: I had fun!

Still claiming my basic right to complain, I informed WebbieM that if I am ever in a hospital, I would like each and every one in the critique group to paint a portrait, just so they go through the same fear I felt.

I know, I know; one should look at everything within the big scheme of things, have the right perspective on life and possess a healthy sense of proportion... And yet: a flower!!!

Anyway, here it is. My second painted flower ever (at least in my adult life). It's tiny: 2.5" x 3.5". But hey, it's a flower.

Jet Blue Art

So, after the initial delay of our flight, came Tuesday night, and we are on a plane to the East Coast.
A red eye flight.

The plane is overheated. Way overheated. Like, way Way WAAAAAAAAY overheated.

And because we were transferred from a flight that got cancelled 2 days before, I find myself stuck in the middle of the 3-seat row, between two strangers. (The JohnnyB is stuck in the row in front of me, between two other strangers, only his strangers are nicer).

The guy on my left is eating a sandwich with his mouth full open, chewing for the whole world to share his pleasure, and then - just when I am certain my nerves are strung to the maximum with his gastronomical concert of wet masticating, he decides to treat everyone to a grand finale with a bag of potato chips. Yes, they are very crunchy. No, he is not closing his mouth while munching on them. Why should he? The other passengers may miss his joy.

To add to the joy, the stranger in the isle seat (to my right) is sleeping. Which is fine. Only she keeps yawning. Loudly. And, judging by the delightful scent, she hasn't brushed her teeth since she her first tooth has budded.

OK then, I put my sleeve up to my nose. The window seat dude is done with his chips and is now deep asleep; by some unfathomed miracle, he is not snoring. I try to sleep, as I am very tired. It's been a long day and it is, after all, a red-eye flight.

But - lo and behold - two rows behind, on the right, someone keeps sniffing.

And sniffing.

And sniffing.

And sniffing.

He's got a cold.

The concept of tissues has obviosuly escaped him. So, he sniffs.

I desperately try to sleep, despite the noises.

Aha - now the flight attendant is rustling with the bags of chips. Apparently, 1am is the perfect time to rearrange them.

My back is painfully stiff, as the Jet Blue seats, while allowing a lot of leg-room, only recline about 20 degrees or so. I dunno why.

There's a personal tiny TV screen in front of me, with an impressive selection of shows to watch. But apparently I am expected to bring my own head phones. They do not give nor sell them on the plane.

I can't sleep, I can't watch TV - by now I am too agitated to read, so I sketch the boring image that's frozen on my screen. Twice. Different styles. I've got time. Plenty of time.

The 4.5 hours of the flight finally come to an end, and my neighbors look very refreshed (with the exception of the mouth of the isle-seat gal).

The wait at the JFK airport is not as bad - Jet Blue has a new cool and hip section there, with colorful sofas (all full of passengers in various poses of being fast asleep) and fun food court and a jazz band(!) playing Christmas songs. And they are pretty good too.

The next flight boards pretty much on time, and The JohnnyB and I are - yet again - separately stuck between two strangers. And again, The JohnnyB's share of neighbors is far better than mine. Because, guess what: the guy sitting on my left is now sniffing. For the whole duration of the flight (he has loads of napkins that come with his drinks, but - needless to say - he is not using them to blow his damn nose once and for all).

And this flight has an additional twist to it: one row behind, on the left, a gal is chatting up a guy with one of those high-pitch voices. She asks him everything one needs to know, from which school he went to, to what his parents do. The guy is obviously charmed, as he answers all her questions obediently. And, to each answer she responds with a braying laughter. One of those phony yet very vocal laughs. Everything he says gets a laughter. EVERYTHING! I sneak a peek, and realize that the poor woman sitting to the left of the girl is close to tears, with head phones and a miserable face on. I send her a sympathetic look. I mean, I am sitting 2 rows ahead and am struggling with a passionate desire to get up and choke that brayer - what must she feel like?.

Again, I accept the no-chance-of-sleep-here-either verdict, and start to sketch the frozen image on the screen in front of me. Luckily, it's a different image, and is one of my favorite actors, Javier Bardem, who - despite his violent roles in movies (have you seen "No Land for Old Men"!?), has a very cute smile on his face.


So I sketch him, too.

Luckily, this flight only lasts less than an hour.

We get off the plane, many passengers are shooting murderous looks at the blond (yup, she is blond) bimbo (yup, she is) who garnished every minute of the flight with her nerve-wracking laugher.

The JohnnyB's mother and sister welcome us near the baggage claim carousel, commenting that I look very tired and somewhat stressed. and with very bloodshot eyes.

On the way out, The JohnnyB's mom has a golden opportunity to smash into the bimbo's car. Alas, she doesn't.

I don't think I'll fly red-eye in the near future, but - going for a cocktail of silver lining and half-full glass: a yield of 3 sketches is not so bad for my state of mind.

'Tis the Season #3

The East Coast is snowed in.

Luckily, Jet Blue is not letting its passengers go through the packing frenzy and drive to the airport just to discover that fact. They sent this email 7.5 hours before the flight, which gave plenty of time to rebook.

And so, no snow for us yet - we're still here, waiting for the snow to ease up a bit. Sitting in the rain. In the cold. Uphill. Both ways.


In the meantime, this is a painting I did at warmer times. A small study of a scene that's captured me.

I like this quirky color scheme that lends itself to a very different mood.

What's the story behind this one?

Well - that's for you to create your own.

Right now, it looks like this guy is wondering about the weather with a grain of concern.

More Gazing

This is becoming frightfully repetitive, those models who pierce the classroom space with their bored eyes.

I am not complaining. Not really. Not sure what I'd do if I had to sit in the same pose for 3 hours, but for us class takers it kills inspiration, again and again.

Or does it?

Last week, at figure class, it was portrait time again. This time we had Paul, a guy with quite an ordinary face and a beret-like hat. Nothing exciting.

And yes, he just sat there. Gazing, as you'd expect.

We had 3 hours, and I was bored out of my mind to begin with, so I started off with just rendering his features, slouching in my chair and waiting for the time to pass. I just did them nonchalantly, holding my eyes wide open with my fingers in a desperate attempt to not fall asleep. What I felt towards this model was also reflected in the colors I chose. Did I mention sheer lack of excitement?

Another look at the clock - but I could swear someone has used Superglue on its hands. Time froze, the earth thawed, glaciers melted, penguins gently simmered in the hot-tub-like water - and Paul sat there, gazing.

To add to it all, he looked so much like someone I really, Really, REALLY loathe. I mentioned it to MembieM and CrystieG and they nodded in pity.

After I'd done 4 portraits of this guy, and as always happens when you paint the same subject several times and get to a point when you just wonder why - - - madness took place. I got angry. I got tired of this fancy faced model who sat there basking in the light of the lamp, looking so, so... beige.

My patience came to an end. I pulled out a set of vibrant watercolor brush pens that are probably non-archival and unprofessional - but I couldn't care less at that stage.

I lost all control, and started to have fun for the first time in that session.

Those who sat next to me got all excited at the fun colors (yeah, by now you may have guessed that everyone was reaching for the browns, not just me).

The teacher was doing his walks amongst us, complimenting everybody and raving about their work in extreme superlatives. When he saw mine - he came to a screeching halt, and then proceeded to the others. He was horrified, to say the least, which amused me a lot.

And then, after that got out of my system, I could move on to a more peaceful piece. After all, it wasn't the model's fault that he resembles someone I dislike, right?

This last one was sheer joy. Using one of those fun multicolored pencils, I let it do its own thing, used line to define shapes and kept restating rather than fixing or erasing, which added a sense of energy. The teacher? Ah, he was almost in tears... finally I came up with something that he absolutely loved. He couldn't take his eyes (and hands) off the drawing, and declared "This is your best drawing in this class".

I am not sure I agree with him, but I do like it.

Another Gaze

Figure class again.

One endless pose, yet again, like last week.

This time, the teacher wanted us to go for the portrait rather than the whole figure. Yes, I know what y'all are thinking. Indeed, I've been doing mostly portraits the whole time, but that was just me and a couple of others in class. Needless to say, because he told us to do a portrait, MembieM (who always, ALWAYS does stunning portraits) cheerfully went for a full-figure. I filed a complaint to her that being the rebel has always been my job, but she just laughed joyously and proceeded to capture the whole model - 'coz MembieM is a free spirit. Ain't nobody tellin' her what to paint.

Now, as much as I wanted to do the figure (and thus keep my rebellious reputation), I simply couldn't. The model (whose name, so I was told, was Paula) was wearing a beige sweatshirt and jeans, which is as boring as it gets. To add to it, she sat a chair and acted like... like... her portrait is being drawn or somethin'.

You know those formal portraits you see in galleries, of uberly blank-gazing people? Yup - that was the expression.

But - it is, after all, class. And we came there to render, so renderin' I went.

I sat next to MembieM and gave it a try. I did one on smooth Bristol surface, and then another one on watercolor paper. The second one actually turned out quite nice (but that's shall be shown in the sequel of this post, sometime next week).

Towards the the end, I couldn't take it anymore. I had to loosen up and get some fresh air into my soul, so I went for some (very) quick sketches of the artists around me. I managed to capture Val and Al at work. Now, THAT was fun! The model looked at me kinda nasty, but hey - she's had 2.5 hours of my undivided attention. That's more than enough, I'd say.

I no longer have these two sketches in my possession, as I gave them to their unsuspecting subjects(*). It was the fair thing to do. Glad I took photos, though.

(*) I'm guessing it would have looked much more professional to write "these two sketches are no longer in my possession, as they are collected". Ah well. Next time.

Decisions, Decisions...

Still not feeling up to it, still keeping at those little bozzettos.

I'm slacking from the one-bozzetto-a-day promise I made to myself, but hey - tough. Happens. When the spirit is low, the energy is not always available.

Plus, I'm now trying to decide on three pieces to enter to the upcoming show at one of the art organizations I belong to, the one whose last year's annual show bestowed two awards upon me. Yeah, I know it's silly to expect a recurring success, but I am only human...

So, decisions, decisions... it's a juried show, and we can each submit up to three entries. Those who enter 3 pieces are guaranteed that at least one of them is accepted, so of course most people go for 3. My problem is not to come up with three - it's more to limit what I want to 3 only. I have 2 definite pieces, and I need to select one more out of a couple that I'd love to have in the show. Ah well, Monday is the deadline, so by Tuesday morning that will be behind me.

In the meantime - let me introduce you to Al.

Hard to tell what he is thinking of, what he is contemplating (maybe he, too, is trying to choose entries for a show), what plans run through his mind, almost materializing into action in the background that surrounds him.

I went for a drippy-spotty-splotchy kind of style that I am growing to like. The smooth Bristol paper on which I am working is showing every brush stroke, thus preventing me from doing perfect washes and forces texture - and I like it a lot.

Funny - on one hand I yearn to paint with those perfectly smooth washes, as I know a couple of painters who create magic with them. But whenever I myself resist the urge to texturize and go for those washes, they seem flat and boring to me, and I reach for anything that will ruin the perfection and bring some life into them.

Also, color-wise, I keep realizing that I work much better with limited palettes. At some point I dipped my brush in blue, and was amazed how much it all suddenly tied together and popped.

I'm learning a lot from these bozzettos - time to start utilizing all that wisdom on a bigger sheet of paper, eh?

Her Hair

She sat there, alone.

A woman in her seventies. Her wonderful eyes emphasized by her penetrating, quiet beauty.

Waiting. For a friend, perhaps.

Well dressed with simple elegance, her hair perfectly done, save for some strands that took the liberty to get loose.

Natural and undyed, it had that silvery quality to it, which reminded me of my mom's hair that hairdressers refused to dye even when she asked them to. "There is no way I can make it prettier than it already is", they would always tell her. And they were right.

She sat there, austere, keeping to herself. Waiting.

I had to paint her.

Back, Kinda.

Back from a vacation in British Columbia, which was bitter-sweet.

We spent 10 days in Vancouver and then Vancouver Island (mostly Victoria).

Being a vacation I anticipated for 10 years (long story), you can imagine my expectations were at their peak. And, as happens with high expectations, reality does not always stand up to them. So, we saw some great views, had wonderful food, had some miserable weather, made some wrong choices as for where to go and what to see, got stuck for some hours on the flight back - It was one of those vacations that actually made us happy to go back home. You live, you learn, you blog.

And now we're back. The JohnnyB to his work, and me to my new freedom.

No longer the president of our watercolor society, I am still involved in a more behind-the-scenes sort of way, and helping maintain the website and organize exhibits, but I've pretty much got my life back.

Which allows me to start painting up a storm, right?

Thing is, after months of not really painting seriously, it's not easy to get back to it. There's this fear that I forgot how to paint, and I know the only thing that can put me back on track is just jump into it and start painting, gain some brush mileage, waste some paint, ruin some paper.

I started doing it at the figure drawing class, but the summer session has ended, and the next one begins only in September.

Which is actually a good thing, as I cannot cling to the straw of a class. I have to paint at home, on my own - the best way to advance and do my own thing, find my own voice again.

So, in the past couple of days, I've been bozzettoing my way back up. I'm in a couch potato Blues mood these days, and - loyal to this, I spend a lot of time in front of the TV.

Rather than fight this, I decided to set a tiny "studio" there - a lap desk, brushes, some paint, bunch of papers and water. And, just as I did when I was stressed in time, whenever I see an image that appeals to me, I pause the TV and make a little painting of it.

No commitment to create a masterpiece, no pressure, no fear of the world coming to an end if it's not successful - it's all about getting my muscles back in shape, about learning to see and choose what's important to render and what's best left out, about combining colors and shapes, about where to put lines.

These two images are my first attempts, done with watercolor on smooth Bristol paper. No preliminary drawing - just the brush.

Not sure the brush mileage I gain this way will get me an around-the-world free ticket, but at least I can eventually upgrade to getting back to business.

Displaced

Except for the cheery snowmen, I haven't painted in over 2 weeks. There is no better cure for being down than taking a pen or a brush and letting it go on the paper, but the catch is that sometimes, when you are in such a mood, even that seemingly tiny amount of energy is too much.

So, I didn't paint.

I no longer fight it or force myself, as for me, art cannot come on demand. As simple as that.

On Monday, the plumber came to save the irrigation on our front lawn from its gloomy status. And he was one cool plumber! with incredible face, dreadlocks and a cap; when his wife joined him, with her own super-long dreadlocks and a hair band - I could not contain myself. The JohnnyB understood immediately, and gallantly went on a photo-documentary quest of "the work", trying to capture them, with little success. After all, how DO you take shots of people working on the pipes without looking like some freak?

"Why don't you ask them for permission?".

Aha! 'cause once you do, they start posing or being very self-aware of how they look and act, and the magic is gone. Since I am after the essence of people rather than what they look like, photos taken with permission are not quite painting material. It's gotta be sneaky.

As WackieM, the famous face hunter, says, "Well, accept there will be photos you'll never take, and be grateful for the ones you do get".

I gave up, and drove to Trader Joe's to get groceries. Stuck behind a long line of cars at a red light, I saw a man at the end of the block, waiting to cross the road. An old man, with a walking cane and a bag in his other hand, wearing a coat. He had a very long white beard that enjoyed a life of its own, dancing in the cold wind, and a white turban. He looked so out of place, that in my current mood of displacement, I couldn't help wondering how he is feeling, an undoubtedly traditional man, living in the midst of hi-tech.

Other people would just go on wondering and move on. Not me - I snatched LumiB (blessing the long red light), zoomed in with the 12.5X power and took a shot. Too far, damn it! He started crossing the road, getting nearer, but the light turned green, the cars started to move - - - consumed by the frustration over the plumber's face, I was determined to get this one! and so, driving with my left hand, I snapped another shot. Not having time to zoom in, his face ended up occupying only about 1% of the photo, needless to say no details of his features, hardly any notion of light and shadow on his face, except his beard and his turban, that from that distance, seem to have melted into one shape.

Not an easy call, as I am not yet a wiz in making up the details.

I let it sit for 2 days, and yesterday decided to go for it, using WackieM 3-color-lottery challenge again. This time, the dice had an interesting combination for me: Perylene Maroon (a gorgeous rich dark red color that I love), Ultramarine Violet (OK...) and Phthalo Yellow Green (an almost acidic color, that soooooooooooo doesn't go...).

I decided to use the Tyvek paper that I got from WackieM 2 weeks ago. Yes - Tyvek, as in what is used for mail envelopes, water intrusion barriers on houses and coveralls for workers. Yes, you can paint on it! Hated it to bits in the first 5 minutes, as it behaves very differently than traditional watercolor paper, but as I got used to it, I was in love! Not only does this paper has an incredible feathery texture that adds interest, it is also very forgiving, as you can lift paint and go back to almost white (or a ghost hue of the lifted color).

OK then... what do we have here: an indecipherable face, a non-trivial color combination, and a new kind of paper. Is it wise to tackle all these at the same time? Of course not, but - as The JohnnyB would be more than happy to assure you: logic was never part of the deal.

FoodieP emailed me, "Be it sooner or later I’ll be eager to see your post of the bearded man". Ok then, here are my first 2 attempts. Both done with the same set of colors mentioned above, plus black to achieve darks, on Tyvek paper. Click to enlarge.

Studies for "Displaced", Watercolor on Tyvek, 9" x 6"

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Thanksgiving

This year, Thanksgiving was not only a wonderful get-together with good friends and great food. It also gave me a chance to take some truly wonderful photos and enrich my stash of references for potential future paintings.

After a couple hours of fun chatting and snacking on great appetizers, dinner was served. All the kids sat around the table, with steamy plates in front of them. They started giving their thanks (characterized by a wide spectrum that went all the way from family and friends to Wii...), as us grown-ups watching with gurgling stomachs.

I, as always, was on the hunt with my camera, working it like a machine gun.

The best photo was of MistyN. She was leaning her head on her hands ever so gracefully, listening to the others, and looking both pensive and amused. The light on her face and hands was perfect, her hands were just in the right pose - an irresistible sight.

I used to wait with new photos, thinking I am obliged to paint from ones taken earlier. However, WackieM told me that when she takes a photo she's really excited about, she goes for it right away, while it's still fresh in her mind. Makes much more sense, and I decided to follow the master's advice.

Here are the first two attempts - small (5"x8") drawings, done with Tombow water-based ink pen and light washes.

There's a lot to improve (ahhhhh, hands are so hard to deal with!), but I do like the mood.

I am looking forward to give it a go with watercolor! Time to get back to some real painting.

Bedtime Story

I am trying to accept the fact that this may be a very small step for the art world. And yet, this little painting is a giant leap for me.

I love doing figures. I am fascinated by faces, people, stories.... but I have never, ever, dared to create a painting that has more than one figure in it. 'coz, like, what if I get one face or one figure right, and then totally screw up the other?
What then, eh?

With that, I knew I had to get over this silly hurdle. Yes, lone figures can have a compelling story, but a multi-figure painting automatically tells a story about the relationship between them.

And so, 3 days ago, I was relaxing a bit, watching one of my favorite British crime dramas ("Waking The Dead"), when I saw a scene that captured my attention. Something about the half-lit faces, the obscured features, the posture just wouldn't let go. I paused the show, did a quick drawing, and proceeded to render it with my long-forgotten cobwebbed watercolors.

At some point, it was quite beautiful, very fresh and one-breath painting. But, it wasn't done. Despite the beautiful clean washes I managed to achieve, it seemed flat, wimpy and lacking in personality.

Then, we had a surprise guest visit; someone with whom I used to work in Israel, and haven't seen for over 10 years. As he and The JohnnyB were talking work-related stuff, I got bored out of my mind, and at some point took the brush and kept working on the painting while still taking part in the conversation...

...not necessarily a very smart thing to do, as I overworked it. But, I managed to save it by darkening some areas, while keeping some of the pure hues (a major achievement for me, as I tend to always gray down any hint of color...).

Regardless of the end result (which I actually like), this may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship between me and paintings that are not limited to one single figure!

I was quite amused by the responses I got in our critique group - everyone came up with a story, asking questions about what's going on in the painting. Then, one of them said, "Never provide all the answers. Let the viewer try to figure it out". Since she's one of the smartest women I've ever met, I shall follow her advice...



* This painting was sold to Blogauthor.

TV Inspired, TiVo Enabled

Busy times call for lack of painting. The couple of months have been crazy, and last week I decided that in order to keep my ability to ever paint again, I have to keep exercise my eye, hand and brush, just so to not lose it altogether.

WackieM's blog keeps me going, big time. I try to find the time to follow the drawing and painting challenges she comes up with, and they then yield new fun ideas, opening new doors and setting me off on new journeys. Very short journeys, for now, but one day...

Recently, I found that I can no longer sit still and watch TV. Whenever a great face, a compelling expression or a wonderful light pattern appears on the screen, I grab whatever I have in hand, and start drawing/sketching it. Just can't resist the urge. Poor The JohnnyB, he is getting used to coming home and then gaze for an hour at a frozen picture on the screen. So, to be fair to him, I do try to do it mostly during the day, in between the trillion things that need to be done. 10 minutes here, and hour there - and I actually manage to produce some art. On a small scale, not at the quality of an actual painting done when you have the time and mental bandwidth to really do it, but - it helps to get the stress away.

Well, most of the time...

Yesterday I was trying to use the Elegant Writer pen, that has ink that gorgeously separates when you touch a wet brush to it. At least when WackieM touches it. I took my highest quality sketchbook, took one of these pens, and did a loose drawing, intending to dissolve some of the lines. I then took a brush, wetted it, touched the drawing, and waited for the magic to happen.

Nothin'.

"Must be the color. I'll try the black, which is more responsive", I heartened myself.

Again - nothing.

The lines stood still, as if they are Californians during an earthquake that has not proven yet to be serious. The drawing stared at me, crude and coarse-lined.

Needless to say, I was not at all relaxed.

I called WackieM with wrath, and made an S.O.S. plea. She was surprised, and advised me to try it on different papers. Nothing worked, until I remembered a Bristol Smooth Surface drawing block that I once bought at the art store, not quite sure why.

I decided to give it one more try...

(click to enlarge)

...and then proceeded to a couple of hours of pure fun. I love it!!!

These are done from paused scenes of the British movie "Enchanted April", which offered a wealth of great faces and expressions. And no, the one in the middle is not a broken-nosed female wrestler. I just did not have the time to go back and fix it...

On a different note, I was watching the Van Gogh episode of Simon Schama's Power of Art.

The actor playing Van Gogh was very convincing (two ears, though...), and one scene had the most irresistible light pattern, which yielded a very long TiVo pause, and four bozzettos. I took the artistic license to not show the fourth one, which turned out pathetic! (Hey, it's my blog - I can cheat...).

The JohnnyB claims the color scheme I chose is weird and haunting. Duh! color is one way to convey mood. "weird and haunting", Eh? Well, so was Van Gogh.

And so, on this cheery note:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

ArtPact #30

(Originally published on September 13, 2007).

And in between vinyl and laminate, I got a break to go among people for one day.

A workshop is taking place this week, y'see. One that I really wanted to take, by an instructor from Michigan, whose work I really like and whose book is a wonderful inspiration and a great reference to keep your in line with the elements of design. And after the demo given by the instructor on Saturday, I REALLY wanted to take it even more, as he turned out to be a fun and funny guy, with a great sense of humor - plus an incredible teacher. So, The JohnnyB worked from home and set me free, so I can bask in the light of HaffeyM.

It was fun to not be confined to the den with the music of hammers and compressors and the enchanting view of floorers butts wherever I look. Now, it's not that I am dainty or somethin', and I know these guys do work their butts off (ah, glorious pun); and yet, as amusing as it may be, you kinda get tired of such views, and you crave for some new scenery.

So, I got to take one day of that workshop - missed the first two , (which yielded some incredible results!), and the last two days that I will miss (which will probably yield even better ones).

At least I attended on the day they spoke of color, discuss different color schemes and be showered with some snippets of wisdom. After taking MikeyB's workshop twice, nothing was really new to me.

And yet, in every good workshop you get a revelation of something that's always been there, a new light is shed, from a new angle, a sentence the instructor says - and all of a sudden, another piece falls into place with a nice 'click' sound. So that alone was worth it.

And - not only was it a blessed break from the floorers-sitting, but I also get to post an ArtPact even on such a week!

These little studies are of FergieJ. I already did a couple of versions of her portrait, resulting in a big collage. Out of the 8 color combinations that HaffeyM wanted us to do, I did 4 quick ones in less than an hour. Not too bad, and it gave me some ideas about new directions. That's one of the great things about HaffeyM - he encourages to explore different styles and directions, rather than lock ourselves in one comfort zone and keep doing the same things, like so many artists do. This approach works for me much better!


The floor?

Ah, well, it's kinda finished. Today LamiS and LamiD are putting the baseboards and moldings and thingy around the hearth of the fireplace. If all goes well, they should be done this afternoon.

No mishaps, no big stories.

LamiS is a great floorer, I have to say. I guess everyone can lay laminate, but he does a lot of little things that show he genuinely cares about the end result. For example, he was shattered when he revealed that the white caulk he used on the baseboards in my studio does not go with the creamy color of the walls, wanting to run out and buy a different color of caulk. I had to reassure him twice that it's OK, and I will paint over it to match them all (as, there is no caulk in that color!). That, plus a couple of other resourceful things he did, is going to earn him a nice tip.

And, most important: it's looking good. VERY good, in fact.

And I am beyond sore now, as last night The JohnnyB and I put the cabinets back into my studio (LamiS finished it before the other rooms, upon my request, so I get my life back...). The JohnnyB attached them to the wall so they do not fall down during an earthquake. In fact, he did such an incredible job, that it's very likely they'll take the wall down with them...

ArtPact #26

(Originally published on August 6, 2007).

After the sudden August winter we had here yesterday, the sun has graciously agreed to get back to its seat, allowing me to photograph my work.

As I lengthily stated in my previous post, I am back to my self portrait. I am working small, in 5"x7" bozzettos, sticking with the same image, but trying different techniques, color schemes and styles. The idea is to experiment in small quick studies, and apply lessons I learn to the following versions.

I am working from a photo of myself. One that I truly like, taken by The JohnnyB. It's a challenging one, as it was taken at night, with a flash - not recommended when you need a reference photo to paint from. But in fact, the lack of inspiring light pattern is forcing me to find ways to make the painting interesting, so it has its merits.

I started in my usual style, rendering the face, religiously following the photo and trying to copy what I see. After the first one, I tried to move on to more exciting pastures, but I got stuck on copying for the next three attempts. The result: four bozzettos that are not really bad, but are not good either. They are hesitant, the colors are far from exciting. And, the ultimate original sin: they are overworked, and not in a good way.

The watercolor medium is the ultimate snitch when it comes to overworking. "Na na na na na", the bloody pigments taunt in that annoying watery voice, "Nava re-worked this to death! Heh heh!! Again!!! Hi hi!!!! Too funny!!!!!".

I was getting angry.

- - And bored.

- - - - And frustrated.

And I think it shows in the paintings. I swear I can hear my painted image yawning, "C'mon, have mercy! you can't leave me looking like that!".

It was midnight when I muttered to The JohnnyB, "I hope I don't end up never wanting to do a self-portrait ever again!". I was tired, and yet, decided to do one last bozzetto, and just have fun. Squeezed fresh paint, choosing bolder, less sweet-looking colors, going for staining pigments, so I cannot lift and repaint, took the brush - - - and went into one of those the-hell-with-it modes of painting.

When I got back to my senses - I stared at the result, with sheer terror. 'coz I never, like, ever, painted this way!

And then (took me a a while!) I realized that, Uhm, I am really, y'know, liking it!

And, to my surprise, The JohnnyB liked it too, saying it's clean, confident and looks like I knew what I was doing. Perhaps this was one of those rare occasions when the hand was faster than the mind, and did whatever it felt like, while my left brain was watching with disgust, saying, "Oh, screw it! I'm off duty now!".

I went to sleep, very excited, got up (very excited!), looked at what I did at night - and gave it another, similar shot, just to see if I can do it in a post-coffee conscious state of being.

Apparently, I can. (the one on the left is the first one, the right one was done in the morning). Hey, I even gave myself a gorgeous pair of blue eyes as a reward!

Definitely a breakthrough, and just what Mike has ordered.

Now, the wonderful thing about hitting the wall of boredom and getting past it into creativity, is that your mind is starting to spawn more and more ideas, like some freakish alien.

I wanted to try them all - but I was starting to run out of paper.

So, I soaked and stretched four half-sheets of watercolor paper, and while waiting for them to dry, I decided to try something while they are still wet. I combined walnut ink (which I passionately love!) with a purplish ink, and had my way with both on a sheet of paper. That yielded some veeeeeeeeeeeery cool texture, which will become a painting some day (when I figure out what to do with it...).

"Hmm, I should try this on a bozzetto", I overjoyed, and reached, again, for the inks. Obviously, I failed to recreate the texture, but still got some beautiful backgrounds, on which I drew with a bamboo stick and a twig.

That resulted in an unusual level of fun - and these two:

Then I decided to revert to the safety of the monochromatic world, and thoroughly enjoyed doing this one:

T h e n -I tried painting on top of some text which I have transferred to the watercolor paper with Acrylic medium. Now, this medium changes the surface of the watercolor paper beyond recognition, so that the watercolor paint starts beading like crazy, and you end up pulling your hair and looking pretty much like the resulting image...

Hmm... interesting would be the right word for that one, Eh? Although, the more I look at it, it is starting to grow on me. It sure is expressive, and has some interesting modern-art looking potential. It's a known fact that good things can come out of accidents and alleged-failures. All I need to do now is practice saying "Oh, I meant to do that!", and define myself as an expressionist painter.

So: 10 bozzettos overall, and I already have two additional ones in their very early stage.

I am exhausted.

ArtPact #25

(Originally published on July 30, 2007).

I think I am back to painting! All that venting must have done something, and I am pulling myself out by the whitening roots of my hair (ribbon included...).

It happened on Thursday, as I was working on the agenda for our upcoming board meeting. In the background, the TV was playing a classic movie from 1964, called "The Pumpkin Eater". A movie in black and white, that had wonderful lighting on the faces of the characters. Now, one thing y'all need to know is that once you start getting into portraiture, you never look at a face the same way. You find yourself gazing at people like some freakish stalker, saying things like "Ah, you have such a wonderful light on your cheekbone!". Then they call the police. and you end up admiring the shadow shapes on the mugs of your inmates, but that's a whole different story.

Anyway - seeing all that wealth of faces, especially in black and white, which makes it so easy and tempting to capture, I went into my studio, grabbed a pencil, 2 tubes of watercolor, 2 brushes and a jar of water. I set them all onto lapdesk that The JohnnyB self-deludingly likes to call his . . .

. . . 30 minutes later (and several TiVo pauses later), I had these 2 bozzettos. Both watercolor on paper, each 5"x7". Apparently, I did get quite rusty during the long weeks sans watercoloring, but it's good to be back!!




As you can tell, the movie was not exactly a comedy. It's quite moody and dramatic, with many of the dialogues done wordlessly, only via facial expressions, so it went very well with the bleak colors I chose. I hereby present to you Anne Bancroft and Peter Finch, as they were 33 years ago.

By the way, I've finally finished watching the movie (which is very good, by the way) - and am still puzzled about the name. So, what's with the pumpkin???

ArtPact #10

(Originally published on February 17, 2007).

Ah, it's good to be home.

It's even better when there's a routine to get back to.
And to me, that is mostly what makes it home: the fact that I have people and things to come back to. After almost 5 years here, I think it does start to feel like home.

And part of this routine is the monthly advanced portrait workshop.

Today's lesson was about facial expressions. Our instructor, WackieM, provided us with photos she took of a very animated speaker, who spoke at our holiday party. Looking at the photos, you can see him covering most of the expression spectrum: from happy to amused to indifferent to disgusted to angry to sad to, well, constipated...
And you'd wonder: what was he talking about, that made him so emotionally involved? why is he so mad and agitated and all those other extreme moods that he clearly shows?
He spoke of what makes art. great,. as opposed to a pretty picture. Obviously, he was feeling quite strongly about this subject...

WackieM had us start with small drawings, telling us to look for the subtleties that make each expression what it is. It was harder than I thought - and once you get into it, it's amazing how every muscle in the face plays a role. Eyebrows, mouth, nostrils, cheeks - you name it. I think the ears are mostly out of the game.

I took a shot at the expressions that spoke to me the most, and discovered - yet again - how much easier drawing is, compared to painting! I even told WackieM that perhaps I should stick to drawing and stop painting whatsoever, and got a huge reprimand from her...

So, these are my attempts at capturing this guy.
He really does have a wonderful expressive face, looking quite a bit like the rubber-faced Jim Carrey, only with a great shiny bald head.

These drawings are 2.5 x 3.5 inch (as in 6 x 9 cm) each, pencil on paper.
(Hmm, I should learn to stay: "graphite on 80Lb paper". Sounds much more artistic, Eh?).


Then we moved on to the watercolor zone.

Remember those little experimental paintings we did a month ago?

Well, they actually have a name, and quite a pretentious one: we were all thrilled to learn that they are called bozzettos.
(Yep, brilliant blogging AND art education!... can you ask for more?).

As we have lengthily discussed before, I hate painting in class.
Plus, I am still jetlagged.

And so, I only did one:

Watercolor on W/N CP Paper, 5"x7" (12.5x17.5 cm)

Now, at the beginning of the class, everyone showed what they did as homework during the month that's passed since last class. most of them completed all 18 rectangles with bozzettos, some even did one or two (or five!!) actual paintings..
And they all look so cool.
Even if some individual bozzettos were unsuccessful, seeing a whole sheet with 18 paintings made a big impact, so you no longer looked at them as individuals.
Very, very cool.
And there I was, homework-less (hey, we were away for 2 weeks, and jetlagged until tomorrow!), and very envious of everyone in class.

This time, I hope to actually manage to fill all 18 rectangles with different expressions.
Should be an incredibly fun exercise.

- - - and so, excuse me while I go and bozzettize.
One is pretty much done.
17 more to go...

ArtPact #9

(Originally published on January 21, 2007).

Started an advanced workshop in watercolor portraits on Saturday.

Same incredible and fun teacher, WackieM (check out her work), with whom I took the beginning portrait workshop in the fall.
Same one-hour trip each direction to where the workshop is.
Same annoyance of getting up before 7am (on a Saturday!!!) and frantically packing tons of supplies into the car, in order to be there on time.

But - as opposed to the weekly workshop in the fall, this one is only once a month.
And, besides, it is sooooooooooooooooo worth it, big time!

Yesterday's lesson was about painting people of colored skin.

Political correctness aside for a second, it was about black people, or very dark skinned.
(Sorry, but African-Americans sounds stupid, as what about those who were born here and never ever set foot in Africa? It would be like calling Jews who forever lived in the US "Israeli-Americans". Eh?)

A-n-y-w-a-y, back to art:
Dark skin obviously means darker values, but it's much more than that. It allows you to use more rich colors, and there are somewhat different "rules" when it comes to which colors work better. Like, the color reflected off of dark skin has a lot of green, whereas with white skin, it's mostly blue.

As a pre-workshop homework, WackieM had us divide a full-sheet of watercolor paper (namely, 22"x30") to 18 rectangles of 5"x7" (to the metric-speakers amongst my readers: I truly apologize. I fully understand your resentment, but - when it comes to art, I speak in the weird incomprehensible language of inches, feet and yards. A matter of survival, y'see).

As the workshop began, she explained that she wants us to work small, very small.
"Take your reference photos", she gracefully ordered us, "and start creating small paintings. Make a drawing on each rectangle, and then start painting. And work on several paintings at the same time".

Why??

Several reasons, all making great sense.
Now, great sense and art do not quite go hand in hand, but here we're talking the ultimate self-deception.

For one, working small takes away the fear of facing a big sheet of virginal empty paper, having it gaze back at you, and being terrified to put down the first brush stroke (which is always the hardest one).
Another big plus is that when working small, the drawing is more intuitive and loose and free and flowing and careless, as it feels more like a sketch than the obliging "preparation for a painting".
You find yourself caring less and less about what happens, as any potential mistake or failure will be done on a small scale, and you get into the blessed mindset of "Ah well, the hell with it, if it doesn't work out, then Pfffffffffffrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr - I have so many more rectangles to try something else".

And, since you get to do several paintings of the same portrait, you are bound to try a lot of things: come up with a different composition, change the emphasis, use another style, try bolder color schemes, explore different techniques, try a new approaches, basically, you work in the "what if" mode - and as you get more and more into it, you get more creative.
After all, these are just little pieces of paper, and it's so fun to go wild and see what happens.

So, it was a great day, time flew like the Concord, leaving us extremely adrenalized, and totally exhausted.
And we only did one row, mind you...
(like, about 6 rectangles, in varying stages of completion).

Having said all that, I feel obliged to announce that I really, REALLY hate painting in a class or a workshop.
When I paint, the world needs to come to a halt, or at least stay away.
I hardly ever paint when The JohnnyB is at home, but when I do, he knows it means a lot of quality and quiet time for him, and he becomes a very happy man.
And what other desire does a woman have more than making her husband happy?...

Painting in class means not having enough space, not having the materials you are used to, the easel you like, the solitude you need in order to create, the time to step back and examine your work, and add to it the irritating fact that it's basically a paint-on-demand situation, as you have to paint now - whether you feel like it or not.

But, as WackieM herself says, "The idea in a workshop is not to paint as you would at home, but to learn and try new things. You never get good results in a workshop. ".

As always, she is right.

This is a close-up of the four of the portraits I did. I only chose the ones that got beyond the drawing or the very first wash. I kinda like the one on the left and the second from the right.
The JohnnyB is very afraid of the alien (not me, the legal alien, but the green dude below), and he really hates the one on the right.

WackieM brought her own 2 sheets with several small portraits at different stages.
Just like ours, allegedly.
Yeah, right...
Needless to say, most of hers look like incredible works of art. Some of them are truly breathtaking, and it's a shame I cannot show them here. Y'know, rights and all.

So, we all sighed in envy, as you always do in workshops given by someone whose work you truly admire (did I mention you should check out her art? like this one, and this one, and many more on her website).
Then we continued to labor on our own little disasters...

And yet, this lesson opens such a huge field for exploration!!!

We actually have homework for next month's class: try and complete all 18 rectangles, using one or more reference photos, and then choose our favorite and create one (or more) "real" painting, based on what we have learned from all these little ones.

Should be interesting...