"Jake" #34 in a series of 50 faces

6"x6"

graphite on bristol board

$50 plus $10 domestic s/h

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I've been teaching an 8 week beginning drawing class for adults that had its last meeting last night. I was inspired by the people in it as I worked on this. One person mentioned how he was seeing much more in his subject than he would have a few weeks ago and as I thought about that, it made me want to keep finding and putting in as many subtleties as I could--until I ran out of time! I don't know how well the scan shows the subtleties anyway! But that class was so great! They worked so hard and the improvement was amazing! I'm really proud of them.

Painting in Process

11"x14"

Acrylic on Board

I did a 6x8 version of this subject last winter (Feb. 29th post) that I always thought I'd do again larger--but I really didn't think I'd be doing it in acrylic!! I've spent alot of time the past two days on this. . .and finally decided that I am not willing to keep going with the acrylics on this painting! I guess I'm just not in a space where I feel like tackling a different medium right now. I think I'll go back into this painting with oils and see what happens.

"And For You?"

6"x6"

Acrylic on Board

$100 plus $10 domestic s/h

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I decided to keep exploring acrylics today and re-painted a subject I did an oil of last summer that was posted on June 27th. The oil definitely has a juicier look and I can see how I was able to get more of the colors I was after with the oils than I feel like I did with the acrylics. The fast drying time is a challenge for me. On the other hand, I enjoy how you can layer colors so easily with the acrylics, make changes and have some fun with lines and squiggles that don't get lost in wet paint. Think I'll keep playing with the acrylics this week!

"Artist at Work #2" (sold)

6"x6"

Acrylic on Board

$100 plus $10 domestic s/h

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I just had this urge to paint with acrylics! Besides the fact that my little dog got into my mineral spirits last week and was one sick puppy (he's fine now, thank God!!), I needed to try something different--and it definitely felt very much that way!! I'm going to play with them. I like that the brush makes a mark that "holds", but, then again, I miss the mooshiness of the oil paint. We'll see what happens!

"Artist at Work"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

$100 plus $10 domestic s/h

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This painting is inspired by Mike, one of the students in the Thursday night drawing class I'm teaching. I say "inspired" because I didn't quite catch him in this painting. I might try it again. Frankly, this isn't the result I hoped for when I began the piece. I feel like it just doesn't have some kind of cohesiveness I want--I'm not sure how to name it. The thought came to mind when I decided it was time to stop that this painting seems to be a reflection of how my life has felt for a number of months--sort of a lack of focus with so many things to be trying to do at once, a lack of a firm base, staying on the surface of things while trying to keep up with everything I'm supposed to be doing. The painting has a vagueness about it that I don't care for. Interesting to me how all these things are connected! I get to take a little R&R time this weekend--hope to explore some of these ideas and get my feet planted firmly under me again!

"Meghan at Work"

6"x6"

Oil on Gessoboard

$100 plus $10 s/h

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Well, a few tweaks to get this a little closer to what I wanted. I really didn't like the face/head of the the standing figure (Meghan) on yesterday's painting. It's better, proportions are better, but it's been a challenge to paint her indicate the backlighting on her face without it disappearing into the background!

Painting in Process

6"x6"

Oil on Gessoboard

The painting IS signed--not sure why!! It was one of those cases where I just decided to tweak something, then basically ruined whatever it was I was going to tweak!! So I am going to see what I can do tomorrow about fixing this! My husband said that I need to take the work "enough" with me when I go to the studio! Well, I did, then I forgot it. . .

"Jake, Seated" (sold)

12"x6"

Oil on board

$200 plus $10 domestic s/h

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Jake is a great model. When I was in the class this last Friday, the warm up poses weren't the quickly-changing gestures I expected, but one very long--8 or 10 minutes, maybe--and very slow movement during which he went from bending at his waist to his arms stretched above his head, then out wide and back down. He held a scarf in his hands that was stretched taut between his arms the entire time. His body was twisting into different positions through all this and was full of a contained tension. Pretty cool!

"Contemplation"

8"x6"

Oil on Board

$100 plus $10 domestic s/h

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I've been looking at this painting sitting up on my shelf for some time. I posted it on July 18, but I've never really felt like it was finished. I decided I wanted to try for a looser look, play with the paint a little more and work on the values so that the figure in the foreground stood out more. Working on an existing painting that I wasn't that happy with also felt like a good way to paint without having too many expectations! It helped!

"Model #1"

7"x5"

Oil on Gessoboard

$100 plus $10 domestic s/h

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It's good to be back!!! I finished the 73 illustrations and got them shipped off and am happy to be back to the painting again! I took advantage of having time to go to a life-drawing session yesterday to draw as well as take a few photos to paint from. I can't remember how long it's been since I've worked from a nude model. How wonderful to do it! I'd forgotten how much I love just seeing the subtleties in the body and the lyricism in the way the bones and muscles flow together.

Getting back to painting again has been painful! I worked on a little one Thursday that I scraped off three times before I finally realized I wasn't going to get it that day! Not painting very much for nearly three months definitely takes its toll. On the other hand, I need to be reminded to have a certain humility in the face of what I do--and once I start to feel pretty sure of myself, I tend to forget that. I also saw what huge expectations I had as far as what I'd hope to accomplish once I got back to work--once again, to quote my dad, "let it go, Louie, let it go"!