What's on my easel

Well, it doesn't look like much yet. But I'm hoping this will be my entry in the DPW Shadows Challenge. It's a simple composition on a 6 x 6 panel, but this is all I have time for this week. I couldn't let a challenge on shadows pass me by!  

I haven't been working on any long term projects. I'm loving painting alla prima. If it isn't done on the second day, I scrap it or wipe it. So I don't have anything on my easel for that long. I do like seeing what everyone is working on though. And seeing the "in progress" version is interesting.

What's on my easel

Terri Buchholz

I just started this today.  My husband Scott doodling around in the garden.  I started this painting in pastels about a year ago and just could not make it work.  The colors got muddy and I used up all the tooth in the paper right away.  I love what others can do with pastels, but for me, nothing beats the great saturation of colors you get with oils.  Having started over, I'm excited about it again.  The blue flower pot he's holding there is underpainted - it'll be terra cotta when this painting grows up.

What's on my easel...still my Dad's portrait!

Is my Dad's portrait.  I have made progress and have implemented many of the suggestions from the HHG critique blog.  I still have some work to do on the child's hair where it meets my Dad's arm and background as well as the knee the child is sitting on and some tweaking...other than that I am pleased.  here is a picture of the painting and a close up of the face.  I used Chris Saper's newest book "Classic Portrait Painting in Oils' to help me with the wrinkles on my Dad's face.

Critiques still welcome!

Great Blog: Gurney Journey

Hi Gang, I'm sure some of you already know James Gurney's blog, but I just saw the newest post and wanted to tell you about it.

The Gurney Journey blog has passed 2'000 posts and to commemorate the occasion James has put together a list with links to his post popular posts. These posts are covering anything from color wheel to composition and from paint texture to studio lighting.
James is the creator of the dinotopia books and also covers lots of aspects from an illustrator's view. And he is also very generously sharing excerpts from his books - definitely worth reading!

@Jennifer: there's also a series about water reflections...

TWO HILTON HEAD GANG MEMBERS SIGHTED

Recently, two members of the Hilton Head Gang were sighted in Charleston.  They appeared to be blending in with the tourists, visiting galleries and taking photographs of people and buildings.  Be on the lookout for paintings of historic Charleston by these gang members.

Hilton Head Gang Members Betsy and Jennifer

(In reality, I was in Charleston to take a workshop on photographing artwork and working with Photoshop sponsored by Horton Hayes Art Gallery.  Judy was in Texas but Jennifer met me for lunch and we visited the bank to see her beautiful paintings that are on display.  We also toured Jennifer's awesome apartment in the historic district and ladies, the pictures she sent us of her studio did onto do it justice.  Wow, it is great.  We did visit many of the galleries in spite of the rain.  I endured 40 mph wind one day to take photographs of the beautiful gates and entries of the homes in the historic district.  Even though it is February, the window boxes were abundant with flowers and lush greenery.  It was a great weekend and Jennifer and I had a wonderful time soaking in all the art and scenery.  Betsy)

Sunny Side Up!

This just in...another painting from karin J!  Part of the "A Sense of Place" collection!


If any other HHG members have another painting representative of the work we did in the class it would be a great time to post it here showcasing more of our good time!

LP'S GOALS

Goals?  Very good question, Jennifer.  I've had some vague thoughts about goals for this year and with your question and others in our group taking this question and putting their ideas into specifics I have taken my thoughts more seriously.  I've kept my intentions private in the past.  With goals kept within my own mind, I would not risk anyone knowing of failures.  Therefor, this is not an easy task for me.  I suppose it is time to share, with hopes that 2012 will hold success.

1.  Continue with strong conviction to improve
2.  Enter at least 3 shows
3.  Continue with mug shots until the number of 100 is reached
4.  Learn to frame
5.  Learn more about plein air and participate in painting outside

Now, of course, I will have to post these goals in the studio in order to keep them front and center.  It's very easy to let other things get in the way and/or to just simply forget.  

Thanks, HHG!!  This is certainly going to be a year of growing for each of us!