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!

Ma Cherie

I slapped some paint on this little 12" x 9" panel last night. It is all a slippery mess, but should make a good foundation for the painting.

Mortalitas II Day 6

The challenge at this point, besides trying to follow the laws of perspective with fluid paint and wiggly brushes, is to work at making sure the intricate rugs do not compete with the subject and steal the focus of the painting. They should play a supporting role here. To accomplish this I have had to edit out many of the lighter and brighter colors that are present in the rugs, and reduce the amount of detail and strong geometric patterns that can become distracting.

Mortalitas II Day 5

Can you see a difference? I've just put another layer on and adjusted the legs. I know, not very exciting.

Check this out, though:


I took these pictures yesterday. The sun was low, and there were dark clouds overhead (though it didn't rain like it was supposed to) and so the lighting was interesting. On the other side of the street, the trees are budding with green leaves. What gives?


This is my lone tulip. A few weeks ago, the weather was in the 80's, and then it dropped below freezing for a while. Now it's warm again, and the whole bunch of them are pretty confused, but this one decided to go ahead and bloom.

Mortalitas II Day 3-4

I had a couple non-painting days; Thursday and Friday are my weekends. Went out to lunch with my best girlie-friend, spent some time with my husband and the guys, good times all around. Last night I got back to work, mostly focusing on the far rug.

Mortalitas II: Day 2

I know I haven't been doing a lot of step-by-step posts lately, so I guess I will do it with this one. Since I didn't decide that until now, I neglected to take a picture of the charcoal cartoon. But know that it truly was a cartoon this time; no detailed sketches, no placement of fingers or facial features. It was simply an estimated outline for the composition, with an egg shape for the head and skull, for example. Then I just started massing in the dark values, next some middle values, and finally I put in some local color. Day two I did the same for the clothing.

Starting Mortalitas II

Same theme as Mortalitas. This is a 36" x 24" canvas, one evening's worth of blocking in. So far, so good.

Mortalitas

Mortalitas
oil on canvas, 18" x 24"

Show going up at LCT

Tomorrow morning I will drive out to Lawrence with a car full of paintings. I will set up my work at the Lawrence Community Theatre where it will remain for the month of April. I'll take my little camera with me in my purse, and hopefully have some pictures to share with you!

Also, don't forget to check out 'Cris' at the Overland Park Convention Center. I attended both Dean Mitchell's lecture and the grand opening of the show last week, and both were very well attended.

Meanwhile, the painting with the skull is coming along, I just don't think changes are dramatic enough to post right now. I pretty much nailed the overall look right away with that one, so I am just making adjustments and adding detail. A pretty pleasant job, it is.

New Painting Block-In

Here's my latest start; this is just the first coat of paint. 18" x 24" o/c

Juried Exhibition Opening Reception

Come along if you can!

Grand Opening of the 2007 Juried Art Exhibition
Friday, April 6, 2007
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Overland Park Convention Center
6000 College Blvd, Lower Level

Free admission ~ Wine and hors d'oeuvres served

Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil

Here they are finished; 3 12" x 12" gallery wrapped canvases painted in oil.

Erotica 2007 Closes

Erotica 2007 at MOCA DC is closing today. Fellow blogger and photographer Tracy Lee informed me that the show was featured on the Wonkette Blog, where I found this picture with my painting in the background!

Speak No Evil

Half way there!

See No Evil

Still not done, but getting closer...

Hear No Evil

What a difference a day makes! Still more work to do on this, but the progress is pleasing.

Hear, Speak, See: Stage One

This is a series of three 12" x 12" canvases, to illustrate the "Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil," proverb. This is the first stage of painting, and I have a feeling these will go smoothly and quickly.

Death, Done

"Death"
o/c 36" x 24"

Here is the completed painting of "Death." More on the theme to come! I have a set of three paintings on the easel, which I will post here in the next few days.

Meanwhile, I am in the process of moving artwork around. I picked up paintings from the Central Resource Library, which will head out to the Lawrence Community Theatre soon. Also, the Heartland Artist Juried Exhibition at the Merriam Community Center is coming down, but then the Juried Exhibition at the Overland Park Convention Center is going up!

Death Update

This picture isn't quite representative of what the painting looks like, as the colors are too warm here and there's too much light on Death's face. But, it does give you an idea of where I am going with it. Just a few more days, and we should have a good looking painting on our hands!

Mini-Fellowship Presented

Here is the picture that I promised from the Kansas Arts Commission Fellowship and Mini-Fellowship Awards Ceremony. Senator Chris Steineger presented me with the award, and also provided lively conversation. He seems very much 'for' the arts, as he carried the names and numbers of local arts people with him in his pocket, and I heard through the grapevine that he also spoke earlier that day in the capitol at an art day event put on by the Kansas Arts Commission and the Citizens for Art.

P.S. I look awfully short here, but really he is a tall-ish fellow.

Duplicity and Awards Ceremony

Duplicity

Oil on ABS, 16" x 20"

Finished this painting the other night. I had a busy week, including an awards reception in Topeka on Wednesday where I received a Mini-Fellowship from the Kansas Arts Commission. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home, but should soon have a picture of Senator Steineger presenting the award to me that I can post! It was a wonderful evening, for sure.