What Laurel Said

In this exercise we 'massed in' our underpainting, after doing a small (see left hand side board divided by blue tape) prototype in dark neutral color, with linseed oil, just doing big shapes.

Then we gradually added the darker colors, keeping it loose...

and then the darker 'lights', like in the pitcher and the shadow..

A few of the 'lights' on the lighter sides of the flowers and the pitcher and the shadows on the white cloth...

Wrapping up with shape correction of the bunch of tulips, the interior light, the highlights on vase, flowers and tablecloth. At the very end I took out the 'light' on the far left tulip. Couldn't photograph that since I had to leave it in Austin because it was too wet. Amy will send it out when dry!

Day Two, Austin Workshop

This was my subject today - we used the 'massing in of shapes' method...

Tomorrow I'll post a step-by-step (right now I'm on my way to a Mexican Restaurant)!

These are some of our work from today...

And more of them..

Laurel working with Jane from CA....

Karen Martin's 'Warrior Painter' Stance...

Laurel and I..

Our Workshop Reunion Gals (Karen had to catch her plane)! A good time was had by all! Thanks Amy and Debbi for arranging this wonderful trip!

Austin Reunion/Workshop

THIS is the week the women from Carol Marine's 2008 Santa Fe Workshop gathered in Austin to have a reunion, and to take advantage of being in Austin and take a short workshop (just us!) with Laurel Daniel. She's a fabulous painter, and we spent Wednesday visiting galleries in town, seeing Laurel's work and Carol Marines big pieces, too. Other amazing artists, that you see in American Art Collector and Southwest Art are represented here, too. This photo is of Laurel explaining the finer points of the effect of light (and the lack thereof) on a lemon...

Blanking out on the art association (Laguna... laguna....), but there are peacocks in the park next door, and they come and make themselves at home here...

Thought the name would show up bigger, but this is Carol's Austin Gallery, the Wally Workman Gallery - to die for art inside...

Fabulous (and gab-u-lous) lunch at Corazon.. followed last night by an AMAZING sit-down dinner hosted by Debbi Smith Rourke (see her link on the right, check our her blog!) with Carol Marine and Laurel Daniel, and fabulous food, amazing conversations and a view of the city like you wouldn't believe!

And here, last but not least, is my hostess Amy Hillenbrand's (see her cool blog on my links, too!) lovely kitty, Sophie. Sophie shakes hands (yes, she does), and 'rides' a piece of clear plastic, which is pulled like a sled - and she stays on! Very sweet, and is a real character.

My painting today was.... 'less' than. Hopefully tomorrow's will be better. It is still wonderful to be here with such great women, and to be painting with Laurel - she is an amazing painter and teacher!

Grampy Croft's Lunch Pail, 6x6 Oil

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I'm trying to get my 'Challenge' painting done before I go to Texas next week. See how I said 'next week'? Well, I accidently bought tickets and packed and loaded up the car this past Tuesday. Uh, oh. Saved by a phone call from my friend and hostess, Amy (who has a very cool blog, too). I called my other friend Debbi (also a cool blogger) to be SURE that Amy wasn't pulling my leg! Nope. So after treating my incredibly nice husband to a delicious dinner out, I came home and re-booked my plans for next week. *sigh*

Anyway, this month's 'challenge' is for us to paint something from our grandmother's kitchen. My grandmothers had been gone for over 25 years when I was born, so I 'borrowed' Tim's grandmother. This is her husband's lunch pail. I think he worked in one of the mills in Fall River, but I'm sure I'll be corrected if I am wrong! This one painted itself. I was outside with Paco. Almost serious. ;)

Below is a couple of photos from my workshop this past weekend at Oceanside 17. Really talented painters, they did a fabulous job in the small format.

And here is what's going through my head... foam. Like the bubbles that waves make when they reach the shore. These are oils, but I've been doing them in acrylic, too. Close ups on my Studio Blog. Also, Paco's blog is being updated!

Workshop Demo

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This is the demo from the workshop in Hull!

PB&J, 6x6 Oil

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Lunch today. I was a little stymied because I still had the plein air paint in my portable easel and I painted at home. My Colin Page workshop had us use one red (ONE! My God I must have 15 reds at the studio!) and I find jelly to be so dimensional I like to layer a lot of reds. Bread was HARD (to paint... it was actually quite delicious, as I usually have a higher fiber bread, but wanted to paint the sandwich I ate at least 3 days a week for, like, 8 years.

New Vase with Tulips, 10x10, Acrylic

I don't know what it is about this time of year, but I HAVE to have flowers in the house. Just seeing them lifts my spirits and reminds me that it won't be 19 degrees forever. Although I have to say that Paco and I had a wonderful time at the little beach across the street today - there was no wind, and it was comfortable to sit at the edge of the water and meditate. (Well, I meditated, I am not sure that he actually did.) So when I came home I dove into the acrylics and did this BEFORE I head to the studio to do the oils!

I would also like to invite you all to see the Girls Just Wanna Paint Challenge, which is finally up for the month of December, with the topic of "Lamp, or Light". Page Railsback was the moderator and hostess of the gathering last night to view all these paintings in person - wow, they looked great! We missed Mary Sheehan Winn and Paula Villanova. And if any of you don't know, a 'Challenge' is where a group of artists decide to paint a different subject/topic each month, and the results are posted on a blog. We'd love your comments!

ReGift, 6x6, Oil

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Well, technically not a real re-gift... I bought it to paint the week before Christmas, and.... here we are, finally! I love to paint the challenges - anything that scares me. So here we are - cellophane, a glittery ribbon, a logo! Getting ready for my workshop, AND for a trip to Austin next week, so it's busy, busy busy. Good busy, though, and I'm thankful.

Not A *Daily* Painting, But Still....

This is a 30x30 winter scene done in oils that I've been agonizing over since the SUMMER! On the left there are footprints (human and canine). It's a modified scene I stumbled upon after a snowfall in Westport, MA. I've never really painted a snow scene, because people always say "Oh, well, it's nice in the WINTER, but who wants to see snow in the summer?"

Me?

Leftovers, 5x7 Oil

The last of the candies (for now... you know Valentine's Day is just around the corner!). I've been really stretched for time lately, getting ready for my workshop, and also planning a trip to Austin for a Carol Marine Workshop Women reunion! We'll be visiting with Carol one evening, then we (no slackers here) have booked Laurel Daniel for a small 2 day workshop! Don't worry, Paco will be hanging out with my son Conor in Boston - a short walk from Boston Common, so he'll think he's on vacation, too!