Wine glass on black, WIP

Here is a second picture of the 'wine glass on black'. I didn't realize until I took this picture, that I hadn't yet applied any colour to the top of the wine glass. Good to step back from your work once in a while! :-) I am enjoying drawing the white abstract shapes that are from the crystal pattern of the wine glass.

Wine glass on black, WIP

I have started a new piece this week. Actually this painting is going to be turned into a kit. I have wanted to offer a kit like this for a long time now, one that allows someone to practice working on a coloured surface. I set up the still life and took the photos over a year ago but unfortunately buying and selling homes last year really messed with my productivity.

I like the dramatic look of coloured pencil on black paper. The paper I am working on is Stonehenge. I chose a wine glass for part of the subject matter so people can also gain experience drawing glass. Glass objects seem to intimidate people. It is one of those times when we need to turn our brain off and just draw what we see.

I started creating practice kits as a result of feedback from students. Students told me that they liked the exercises in the class and they wanted more of this type of thing to work on at home. In class I give out detailed instructions for the projects, pictures, as well as a line drawing. This way if a student doesn't get the time to finish something in class, the work can continue at home. Also, if a student feels they have goofed something up or they would just like a redo, they can have one. Of course some students leave the course ready to fly, they have their own ideas and they can't wait to get going.

I have also sold kits to people who are unable to attend a class but who would like to give the medium a try. Then there are the folks that tried coloured pencil a long time ago and they would like to work on something that would refresh their memory. Anyway, I enjoy creating these kits...I just have to remember to document everything I am doing so it can be written up in the instructions later! As for the kit format, I have seen that other artists offer similar products (Janie Gildow, Bob Ebdon, Ann Kullberg, etc.) so I thought this would be a good way to package the information. If you would like to see the kits that are already finished and ready for purchase, visit the 'kits' section of my website using this hyperlink.

Art Conference Follow-Up

Last Saturday, I once again added beauty to my life. I attended an art conference in Ottawa. Hanging out with fellow artists and being inspired by three presenters was a wonderful way to spend an early spring day.

The first presenter was painter David Jones. David is an accomplished oil and watercolour painter who lives and works here in Ottawa. His presentation dealt with painting en plein aire. There was lots of show and tell of materials and he also did a watercolour demonstration. We can always learn from other artists and their disciplines and I quite enjoyed hearing about his process of working. Working in watercolour and coloured pencil is quite the same in that we build up our colour in layers and our media is transparent (unless you are a burnisher). At one point he gave an example of choosing colours. David looked at the wall paint colour and quickly broke it down into the three or four colours that he would use to depict this shade. My process is the same and I found that I picked similiar colours when I looked at the wall and tried to mentally colour it with my pencils.

What I enjoyed most about David Jones is that he is a professional painter in every sense of the word. He has achieved his level of success by good old hard work. Arts reporter Andrea Douglas writes "Not long after completing his visual arts degree at the University of Ottawa, David held his first solo exhibit. It didn't quite launch his career and it certainly didn't put enough food on the table. As a young, single artist, he held up to eight part time jobs at a time and painted in his "spare time". His strong work ethic continues to this day.

David spoke of his "purity of intent" mantra - always stay true to your art and your subject matter. Don't follow whims. Paint what you believe in and as if no one will see your painting.

At one point David was asked how he paints dyptics and tryptics. Does he work on them at the same time or does he work large and then cut the piece up. David said that the latter way of working would be immoral for him. For him the idea to create diptics and tryptics has to be there from the beginning. They are an artistic challenge, as for him each panel must be able to stand alone compositionally and then also as part of the grouping. Immoral - I like that. In a world where it seems almost everyone is looking for a shortcut, or the easy way to success, I admire his professional work ethic. To see David's work visit his website: www.davidwjones.ca. I personally like his Ottawa valley landscapes. I love his colour palette.

The second presentation was on Nurturing Your Creativity by Rosemary Leach. Rosemary spoke of her own journey as a frustrated artist as she started out with a day job as a teacher. We got into groups and discussed questions such as: How does it feel for you when you are being most creative? What helps your creative energy to flow? When you are being creative, in what way is the world a better place? I must confess that I don't have 'issues' in this whole creativity area. I don't spend time navel gazing, wondering where my muse has gone. I have more creative ideas than I shall probably ever have time to bring to fulfillment. I also don't see creativity as being only about art. I live my whole life creatively - I cook creatively, I teach and design courses creatively, I decorate my house and garden with creativity, I enjoy the creativity involved in running my business...you get the idea...It is always good to be reminded to take risks. Rosemary encouraged us to try the media that we avoid at the art supply store or to try the canvas that is so big it seems impossible. In other words, get out of our boxes, at least once in a while. Rosemary is a talented painter and you can view her art at www.rosemaryleach.com.

The final presentation was by Angelina McCormick on the fine art of photography. Angelina was well prepared and gave us lots of info on the technical side of digital photography as well as dark room processes. I took pages of notes. Like David, Angelina inspired me with her dedication to her craft and her professionalism. Angelina went back to school to study photography after being home with her children for 10 years. I really enjoyed hearing about what she 'sees' in her photography and what she is aiming for. She has such an artistic vision - I was in awe of her attention to detail. I especially loved seeing her prints and hearing of the inspiration behind the images. I encourage you to check out her website at www.amccormick.ca. Her 'Fiore' series on dying flowers is worth the visit.

So, a wonderful day spent with wonderful people and did I mention the wonderful food? The conference was hosted by the West Carleton Arts Society, an arts group located in rural west Ottawa. The WCAS is putting together an art exhibit and sale that will take place in the fall during the Thanksgiving weekend. This show is open to all artists, in all media. If you live in the Ottawa area and would like to know more, visit their website at www.westcarletonartssociety.ca (see the 'details and application form' on the events page).

April Newsletter

Whew, the April newsletter is finished. I hope you enjoy the new 'feedback' section. Newsletter Group member Sandi Fletcher-McGuire submitted a wonderful portrait. To read this latest issue, go to the newsletter page of my website. Contact me if you wish to become a member of the Newsletter Group. Membership is free and so is the newsletter! Enjoy.

Finally, the orchids are done!

So here they are, orchids on burgundy Colorfix pastel paper and orchids on white Stonehenge.

This is the first time I have done this. Here we have the same artist, using the same image, creating the pieces at the same time, with the same techniques and the same pencils. I went back to the pastel paper one and tweaked some of the things that irritated me. At first, I was sure I would prefer the Stonehenge version but I have to admit that the pastel paper image has grown on me quite a bit.

Working on the pastel paper piece was a bit faster. I thought it would take me much longer to do the Stonehenge piece but it didn't. It would have made more of a difference if the paintings had been bigger in size. If I had attempted to create a dark background on the Stonehenge it would have taken me much longer. I have already written my thoughts on working on the sanded pastel surface. Suffice to say that at the time it felt like I wasn't able to get the detail that I wanted and I also felt that my style was looser. What is humorous to me is the fact that in the end, the two pieces look so similar.

In my opinion, the dark one looks richer and more dramatic. It definitely gets your attention in the 'across the room' test. This impact disappears when daylight starts to fade. In a normally lit room, the dark piece doesn't stand out near as well as it does in the daytime and you definitely lose the detail. This effect was brought up earlier in a comment that Cindy Haase made. Lighting is very important if you are displaying dark pieces. The one on Stonehenge looks more delicate and perhaps less intense. It does look great in normal house lighting in the evening.

In the end, not exactly the dramatic difference I expected between the two versions. It just comes down to personal preference. I like them both! This has been an interesting experiment with some surprises along the way. Why not try this yourself? Challenge yourself to work outside your box , (the pastel paper was 'getting outside the box' for me) and maybe you will be surprised too!

I have the April issue of my newsletter just about ready to post. I am attending an art conference tomorrow so the issue will probably get out tomorrow night. I shall let you know and of course I will report back on the conference.

Gallery Hopping

Yesterday I added some beauty to my life. I spent the afternoon gallery hopping. My mother-in-law was in town and as she is an art lover, we treated ourselves to a fun afternoon of art viewing. Joined by my husband, we started our outing with lunch at The Ox Head Restaurant for some wonderful, authentic Vietnamese food. Next we were off to the Ottawa Art Gallery, www.ottawaartgallery.ca (not to be confused with the National Gallery of Canada). The Ottawa Art Gallery is currently featuring an exhibit entitled "Deep Roots". This is an exhibit of approximately 35 paintings by members of the Group of Seven as well as their contemporaries. The symbolism and significance of the familiar Canadian landscape composition found in the Group of Seven's work is explored. As Catherine Sinclair, the curator writes: "The placement of the tree in the foreground of the picture is intimately connected to the depiction of a landscape emptied of any other human presence. This was a departure from 19th century Romantic landscape paintings, which included human figures as witnesses to the grandeur of nature. When the Group of Seven and others removed people from their landscapes, they created a void and filled it with the artist's autonomous experience in the wilderness." While this is a small exhibit, if you enjoy the work of the Group of Seven, it is worth stopping by.

Next we headed to the Atrium Gallery, Ben Franklin Place (101 Centrepointe Dr.) to see an exhibit entitled "A touch of Gold". This exhibit features works by OMMA artists - Ottawa Mixed Media Artists. This exhibit is running until April 30, 2008. While a small exhibit, if you are looking to acquire an original, contemporary, mixed media painting the art is for sale and reasonably priced...read some artists aren't charging enough :-) I love mixed media art. This may surprise some people as I create mostly realistic, detailed art. How could you not love a group whose motto is "Artists with attitude"? OMMA has some very talented artists in their membership. There are over 160 members and you can browse through a listing of the artists and see examples of their work by visiting www.omma.cn.

At the end of the day I came away satiated, content and inspired. Perhaps I need to dust off those tubes of oil paint in my cupboard and how about that idea I have for a mixed media piece, humm...

'Orchids' WIP continued

Here is what my Orchids on Stonehenge looks like now. It is is almost finished. I need to spend some time tweaking the veins in the petals. Once it is completely finished, I shall post a picture of it alongside the version that I did on the Colorfix pastel paper.