A Week Ago Today - Danette Velez

Early in the morning last Thursday, my friend Danette passed away. You may remember her from previous posts if you've read my blog for some time. If not, you can read my first post about her, when I completed a celebratory "I'm cancer free!" portrait. Her cancer returned, and I completed this second painting, and this post has a wonderful image of her portable shrine and an article about her courage and optimism.

Once again, I am without words that can describe how I feel (except maybe denial!), honor her memory, or truly give a hint as to the impact this woman had on so many people. Literally, I have been out in public with her portrait and had numerous people recognize her image and stop to talk about what a 'bright spirit' she is. Children would recognize her face and smile at the sunny image of Miss Danette. People who never even met her would be touched by the image of this happy, optimistic woman who was in the midst of battling cancer. Over at this CaringBridge webpage, that her family set up for her, some 13,000 people have visited, and hundreds have signed the guestbook and shared memories and loving thoughts. You can also read some entries from her journal, which family members have been posting here and there, and just get a glimpse into the kind of woman she was.

Friday at 3pm there will be a 'Celebration of Life' memorial service for her at Unity Church of Overland Park. Danette leaves behind a husband who carries the same 'bright spirit,' and 5 beautiful children who reflect the souls their parents, as well an extended family. A trust fund has been set up for the family; please consider giving if you are moved to do so:

Danette Velez Fund

First National Bank of Olathe

PO Box 1500

Olathe, KS 66051-9901

This woman was simply amazing, and I am so gifted for having known her. Thank you, Danette, for your friendship.

Legs

Unfortunately, there is a lot of glare in this photo, especially in the shadows of the thighs. Hopefully the effect of the shadows is not totally lost.

The legs are the least lit area of this figure, and so I am trying to keep a relatively narrow value range here. Also, the value of much of the rest of the painting will come down, too, as I continue to paint. The idea is to allow certain areas and edges to become lost in the shadow, which will cause the lights to have just that much more impact.

Stay tuned as I slowly make my way through this one.

Standing Nude Painting In Progress

Here you can see where I've put another layer on the butt and thigh areas. Seems like a logical place to start to me! This way I have a reference right in the middle of the painting, instead of starting at one end and changing things by the time I get to the other end. There's also a medium value range here, as opposed to the dark range in the legs and the highlights in the shoulders, and there's much less detail to worry about than in areas with more muscle and bone definition, such as the back.

Wondering if this is Finished

I think this may be done. I like the gentle rendering, so it doesn't feel over done, but I am also wondering if the graphite is dark enough for the heavily toned paper. Maybe it needs a little charcoal in the shadows? I'll think about it, and concentrate on my painting for a while.

Drawing and Painting and Drawing Some More!

In addition to working on the drawing above and the painting below, I have also put some finishing touches on a couple other drawings. Perhaps I will post those in a day or two, here and/or on my website.

Back

I'm back, and I'm drawing a back! I have been working on things slowly but steadily since I returned home. There have been some events that have left me speechless, and if words come to me about them, I will share. Meanwhile, I have kept myself busy finishing up some drawings, finishing a proposal, starting this drawing, and working on a few other projects. Hopefully now I will be able to get back to my painting full force.

Drawing is fun. I've gathered some new paper to play with and add some variety to the drawings. The color above is galled "Pottery Green." I can't wait to see how the white conte looks on it.

In Loving Memory of My Grandma

From left to right; my mother, my grandmother, myself
at my mother's wedding this summer.

Shortly after my last post, I got a phone call from my mother. This was followed later in the afternoon my another call, and a final call late that night. My grandma had died.

I don't usually discuss personal experiences or thoughts on my blog; generally I stick to the topic of my art and related events, but today I feel like sharing.

For the past several hours I've been trying to write my thoughts about my grandma, and describe what she meant to me and to my family and who she was as a person. Of course, a person cannot be encapsulated in a blog entry, so I have decided instead to tell a favorite story about her.

Growing up, I waited all year every year to feast on Grandma's pumpkin pie. I wouldn't allow myself to eat it at any other time of year, or else I felt like I was cheating. On Thanksgiving day, I had to wait patiently for everyone to finish dinner, and let it settle for a while before breaking into dessert. She knew I loved the pie, and would make enough so that some could be sent home with me.

When I realized that moving away from Syracuse would mean that I may not get to participate in this annual indulgence, I started nagging her for the recipe. Eventually, a year after I had moved and she was visiting KC, she finally shared her secret recipe with me. I believe her exact words were, "Oh, get a can of Libby's and read it!"

I now refer to it as "Grandma's World Famous 'Get a Can of Libby's and Read It!' Pumpkin Pie."

Standing Nude - Beginning the Painting

I'm finally working on a larger canvas again! This is 36" x 18". Of course, it would be more exciting on a 48" x 24" canvas, but I am not sure I have enough room. Maybe next time.

This is all just loosely blocked in with thinned oil paint. Several more layers to follow.

"Pensive," Done

"Pensive"
Oil on Panel, 16" x 12"

Nude Oil Painting Continued, Again

Inching my way along on the patterned comforter now. It just might take forever!

Standing Nude - Nearly Complete

Getting pretty close with this one. I've worked on the oil painting below as well, but there are a few things I want to change before I post it again. Look for more tomorrow or the day after.

Also, it's way too hot outside. Still. It doesn't look like there is a whole lot of relief in the forecast, but I suppose I should just be happy it isn't in the triple digits anymore.

Standing Nude Continued

Made a couple corrections, and started shading. Still some hard edges in there and other things that need to be adjusted, but I am very happy with where this is going.

Nude Continued - Pensive?

Two posts in one day! I had time to paint while the sun was up today. What a treat. You can see that the legs and forward arm are more finished than the rest. Now only if I could figure out how to get the saturation in Photoshop to match the saturation outside of Photoshop. Anyway, I'm thinking of naming this one "Pensive."

Standing Nude - Drawing

This is the beginning of another nude drawing, in preparation for a painting of the same subject. It will become more than a sketch, however, and should be able to stand on it's own as a finished work of art.

Continuing New Nude

Started working on this again last night. I plan to alternate between this and a drawing, and I might throw a little still life into the mix as well. Now that all the summer partying is over, it's time for me to light a fire under my tush!

Allegories & Allusions

Last Friday was the opening of my show, "Allegories and Allusions," at Strecker-Nelson Gallery in Manhattan, KS. My mother and grandmother were in town, so we made a nice trip of it, starting out early on Friday and stopping in Lawrence for a few hours. We stopped by the Lawrence Arts Center where one of my paintings is on display in the Lawrence Art Guild's All Members Show. I also saw a great piece by photographer friend Daniel Coburn, as well as many other interesting pieces. Hopefully I'll eventually have some pictures from that show to share.


Anyway, I had a great time and received lots of positive feedback and met some new artists, which is always a plus. These pictures don't show it, but there was actually a nice crowd of people in attendance! We had a late dinner after the show with artists, the gallery owners, et al. and spent the night there to avoid a long drive home at night. Now that the fun is over, it's time to get back to work.

New Nude

Here's the first session of a new nude oil painting, 16" x 12" on prepared panel. I'm struggling to find a title. I know the mood I want to convey, and I think the image does that, but it's difficult to put my finger on just the right word to describe it.

Visceral - Completed

I was so certain that I had already posted this! No matter. Here it is completed: Visceral, oil on canvas, 24" x 18". More paintings to follow that focus on the same lovely model. Stay tuned.

Visceral - Nearing the Finish

I've moved up the shoulders and arms to the very finger-tips. There may still be some adjustments to be made, but primarily I just need to finish up the hair, hair-clip, and background. Maybe I will create a new demo on my website from this.

Visceral - Legs and Midsection

I've crept my way down the legs to the toes, and up the back stopping just below the shoulder blades.

Visceral - Tush

Besides the background, I've focused on bringing the rear-end and lower back up to a near-finish. I'm just going to work my way across and up the form until it's all filled in!

The Human Form - Opening Recap

The Human Form opening was very cool. Bob Swearengin, the owner of Hilliard Gallery, really put on a nice show with a fine group of artists and very decent selection of drinks and food. I was happy to find that my largest paintings were positioned prominently when you enter the door.

The best part of these group shows, though, is meeting artists with common interests. That night I met two particularly interesting artists: Doug Bell, whose drawings share a panel with my paintings, and Peter Cole, a painter who has both figurative and landscape paintings at this gallery. Doug is just a fabulous draughtsman and I find myself jealous of the amount of creativity he brings to his work. Peter shares an uncanny number of odd similarities with me, such as growing up in Upstate NY, spending time as a stay-at-home parent, and our spouses are even employed by the same company. Spooky.

This show runs through July 30th. Stop by before it closes if you are local!

Opening in 10 Minutes!

I've been so busy, I've neglected to post this opening. Tonight, 6-10pm, Hilliard Gallery in the Crossroads. I'll report back soon!

"The Human Form"
Where: Hilliard Gallery
404 E. 18th St.
Kansas City, Mo 64114
When: July 6th, Part of the First Fridays
Regular Gallery Hours: 10-5 Tue.-Fri., 11-4 Sat and by appt.
www.hilliardgallery.com
Show will Run through July 30th

"The Human subject forces the viewer to engage the artwork and enables the artist to express an entire range of iedas from the subtle to the intense." (Lacey Lewis) With this in mind the "Human Form", a group show comprised of artist from throughout the midwest area, will open on July 6th at the Hilliard Gallery. The "Human Form" show is comprised of a group or artist and their work that was selected from submissions for the show. The show will feature artwork from over 15 different artist working in all types of mediums from oil, photography, ceramics, sculpture and more. Some of the artist that are in the show are, Peter Cole, Lacey Lewis, Guinotte Wise, Jennifer Ghormley, Douglas Bell, Sherry Black, Lori Shol, Alex Hamil, Elizabeth Dillinger,Whitney Hiebert, Tarin Eicher, and Erick Warner. The figurative work in this show ranges from near life-size sculptural portaits to fragment or abstractions of the figure. The figurative form can be used as the ideal medium to convey a spectrum of ideas with which the viewer can resonate.

Starting "Visceral" and Skipping Town

Above is where this painting currently stands. Below you will see an earlier stage. The drawing was first done on the canvas with conte and graphite, and then I went over those lines with diluted oil paint. The next step was to fill in the darkest areas of the painting, simplifying while simultaneously being as accurate as possible with value and hue.

After those dark areas were blocked in, it was much easier to judge the adjacent values. Against a white surface, everything can look too dark, which is why many artists start by toning their canvas. The paint here is still very thin, slightly diluted with OMS, yet note that it is not a monochromatic under painting but a chromatic under painting. This will make a great base for the following layers of paint.

I may get to work on this some more tonight, but then in the morning I am leaving for the weekend. I'll report back about this when I return next week.

Drawing Completed, Opening Report

"Visceral"
Graphite heightened with white pastel, ~ 16" x 12"

This drawing is done, and it was very satisfying to work so slowly and diligently on this. I haven't treated myself to careful drawing in a very long time, and I hope to make it a more regular habit now. I will promptly start the painting of this subject.

Friday night's Beyond Mimesis opening went very well. I received a ton of positive feedback from artists and non-artists alike, which is very encouraging. There's nothing like chatting with other artists who understand the struggle of the market and the drive to keep going who also have common interests in subject matter.

"Beyond Memisis" Opening, Drawing Progress

This Friday the 22nd from 5-8 p.m. is the opening for "Beyond Mimesis - Contemporary Realism" at Strecker-Nelson Gallery in Manhattan, KS. This is a group show featuring 2D and 3D realist artists. I will have several pieces included, and am happy to see that my work is front and center on the postcard!

The drawing is very near completion now, but I am going to continue fine tuning. Now I need to start a less detailed, yet equally accurate, drawing on a canvas.

Nude Drawing, Continued

This is still not completely done, but getting there!

Nude Drawing

This is an unfinished drawing of a subject that will also become a painting. I've spent three days working on the contour and proportions, and I will continue to work carefully until it's as perfect as I can manage. Then I will start to do the same on a canvas.

In non-art news, the Hospital Hill 5K was so much fun that I couldn't wait to sign up for another race. This Saturday I will participate in my second running event, the Teri Mathis Zenner Memorial 4 Mile Run. After that, who knows?

Completed Seppuku Painting

O/C 40" x 30"

I haven't officially come up with a name for this one, nor have I officially signed it. It's still wet, and there's some glare in the picture. As it dries I will think about a good title for it. Until then, it's on to some new work!

May was the last month of classes with my various students until fall. One group, two boys and their mother, moved onto painting this year. I gave the mom, Amy, a chance to try my oil paints before deciding if she wanted to purchase some for next year. She loved the oils, and look at her painting! I am very excited for her accomplishment, as is she.

Painting Progress

Still slowly working on this one. I'm having a lot of difficulty avoiding glare and the effects of sunken-in areas in pictures of this one, but by the time it's finished I should be able to get a good shot. I will not be doing much painting for the rest of the week, as I am preparing to wake early on Saturday for the race. (Thus, not painting until the wee hours of the morning!) No worries; I have some great reading material on drawing the figure to feed my brain in the meantime.

Where I've Been

I've been out running! Sometime last month I decided to give it a try, and slowly I have built up my endurance. This coming Saturday I will run the Hospital Hill Rub 5K. After that, who knows!


Friday, Jay and Barbara Nelson of Strecker-Nelson Gallery came by to pick up some paintings for the upcoming Beyond Mimesis show. It opens Friday, June 22nd, opening reception 5-8pm.

I have continued to paint, but for now I'd simply like to post this Bargue study. The graphite of my drawing doesn't show up as well as I'd like, so just trust that some of it is darker. Right now I can't go into great detail about the purpose and origin of this exercise, but a Google search should yield some useful information for those interested.

Cherries, Completed

This painting is done! 12" x 9" Oil on Panel.

Adjustments

I made some proportional adjustments to this before moving on. I hope the color proves to be as much faun as this stage was!

Seppuku

Beginning of a new painting. Oil on canvas, 40" x 30". I miss starting paintings this way.

Almost There

Cherries Nearing Completion

This painting is slowly coming along. Some transitions need to be softened, etc., but it's getting there. A new, large painting will be started soon.

Cherries Day 2

Started working on 'Cherries' again last night. Still plenty to do! 12"

Mortalitas II - Completed

Mortalitas II, o/c, 36" x 24"

Finally! It's finished. This piece has so much going on in it, I think I could keep making little changes forever. Who knows, until it leaves my house for good, that's still an option. Detail view below:

Mortalitas II - Slowing Down

I have in fact been working on this, and am just finishing it up at a snail's pace. Other obligations have kept me from finishing it... but soon!

Mortalitas II - What Day Is It?

I've painted on this canvas two more evenings since my last post. I think I will finish up the legs and feet and be done with it!