Pink Lady with Cherries

I've had a couple good art days! Yesterday I didn't actually do any creating, but I did visit a few galleries; two out in Leawood, KS that I visited for fun and ARTichokes (also in Leawood) where I will be teaching in the very near future. Friend and fellow artist William Rose was having an opening there and the place was *packed.* His work looked great, but I would like to get in there without the crowd to get an even better look.

Today started off with a private lesson, followed by working with my new "apprentice" Jamina Bone. I am really happy to be working with someone who already has some background in art, and is serious about a career in the field. We worked together from a model, but unfortunately I forgot my camera. I'm going to keep working on mine later this week, so I will post images soon.

Did I mention we were working in the studio? I have it set up enough to get some work done in there, though there's still cleaning, painting, and stocking of supplies to be done.

After dinner and spending some time with the family, I finished up the little painting I started a couple days ago. It was fun! Photographing paintings can be such a pain, though. Above, the apple and cherries are about right, but the cloth is more green in real life, like below. Maybe when it's dry a scan will do the trick.

Little Work-In-Progress

Today I spent an hour or two on this little 5" x 7" study. It's supposed to be a Pink Lady apple and a few cherries. Hopefully the next layer will make the apple a little more, um, appley as Pink Ladies really are a good looking fruit.

Present Magazine

The folks at Present Magazine were kind enough to create a beautiful gallery highlighting my work. Click here or on the image above to see my work on Present Magazine's website!

Review Magazine - August Issue

This month's issue of Review Magazine includes an artist profile of your truly. I think Barbara Boynton did an excellent job on the piece. You can view the PDF of Review's article on my website, pick up your free copy around town, or contact Review if you'd like a copy mailed to you.

Awkward Stage

Right now I feel like this is in an awkward stage... the face has dried while where I am working on the neck/chest/hair are wet, and therefore the tones don't seem to math up. The background isn't integrated with figure and drape, though I have plans for that. I've started refining the surface of the skin in some areas, other areas are still the first layer, and the edges aren't refined at all since I haven't been working in the next background layer.

I'll keep working to help this painting bloom into something beautiful!

Small Updates

Hopefully additional updates on the painting and my studio soon! I've worked on the face, but haven't had time for much else. Most of my stuff is in the studio now, though it still feels a wee bit empty. Mainly because I haven't moved in my paintings and I am almost out of canvases, mat boards, etc. I'll share some pics A.S.A.P.

Figure Painting Workshop Details

I am really looking forward to this workshop, and it's coming up fast so sign up now if you are interested. It's not a bad fee for a three day workshop, especially considering all materials will be supplied for you, and they'll provide you lunch to boot!

In the meantime, I am busy moving into the studio, working on some projects, planning upcoming exhibitions, and teaching at the Carnegie this week. Hopefully I will very shortly work in some much needed painting time. Unfortunately, painting time has been scarce this past week. Boo!

Keys to the Studio - A.K.A. "The Cage"

Yesterday morning I picked up the keys to my studio space. Here are some pics of what it is like. Obviously above is the side of the building where my access door is.

Here's the door I will use to enter the building, and then the pressroom where my studio is. 750 Armstrong Ave in KC, KS. This door is locked, though, so unless it is during the 2nd Friday art walk (I think we will start participating in September?) you won't be able to get in if I'm not with you. So don't try to surprise me with a visit, you might be disappointed!

There are actually several different entrances/exits to the pressroom. You can come in from this side, or there's another staircase leading to the surrounding hallway at the far end of this picture. There's also a large elevator accessible in the other half of the basement which you can't see in this picture, and that will be useful for avoiding carrying things up and down the stairs. Anyway, you can see my space is that empty space in the middle.

So, here it is! My own cage to work in. We'll see how I set up the space... it will be interesting. I'm trying to figure out how to afford all the various things I will need to have in here, because I still want some supplies at home so that I can work there when I am not able to go to the studio. I'm also thinking about painting that wall. I'll post pictures as I get things set up, and hopefully it will wind up really awesome!

New Figure Painting Class Scheduled

(Current Progress of "Security")

I was just asked by ARTichokes to lead a figure painting class on August 26th, 27th, and 28th from 10 am until 3 pm each day. They are providing a light lunch for all participants! Below is more info:

The class will consist of a combination of demonstration, discussion, and hands-on painting from the live, draped model. Lacey will illustrate each step by demonstrating for the class and narrating her thought process as she goes along. She will also discuss the ideas behind her methods and will present various paintings and references that clearly reflect these ideas. As students progress with their own work, Lacey will offer guidance and insight one-on-one and will be available to answer questions and help the student through difficult spots as they arise.

The first day of the workshop will be primarily spent on creating a proportionally accurate drawing and value map in monochromatic oil paint. Day two will focus on building the form of the figure as we learn more about value and skin tones. We will work with a fairly limited palette and suggestions will be provided as to color mixtures to use. Day three will be all about refinements: finishing off the form and nuances in hue and final details.

Final details including fees will be posted soon!

Salmagundi - Pictures from the Reception

Here are a few pictures from the reception of the Annual Non-Member's Painting and Sculpture Juried Exhibition in NYC.


I don't know if I was caught mid-blink, or if I was just that tired after walking around Chelsea all day. I do know it was a mistake to wear adorable new shoes to the reception after walking around for six hours... we wound up leaving to grab a $10 pair of flip-flops and a piece of pizza.


I returned in time to finally meet in-person my new dealer, Renee (in the black dress) and her friend Tish (in white.) She owns So-Oh Gallery in Lincoln, NE and now represents my work.

Security - Fabric

Today I finally got back to painting. I missed it! Got a decent layer in on the cloth covering the model. While I am simplifying things, I also want to create some solid form with the fabric, and especially make the gathered portions around her hands believable. I want the fabric to appear to have the appropriate weight and texture. More paint will be added here, but I am pleased with it as a start.

The background will be kept simple, and I hope to tone down the flesh tones some to create a painting with a calm feel to it.

August-September Class and Workshop Schedule

Adult Classes and Workshops

Skin Tones Classroom - Adults/Serious Teens
The class will begin with a slide show presentation and discussion, exploring all the variables that affect skin tones. We will see how the Old Masters portrayed flesh, will view and analyze contemporary works, and see step-by-step in progress images of Lacey's paintings. Then, we will use this information to analyze and mix our own skin tones. Oil color palette choices for flesh tones will be discussed, but feel free to bring your media of choice to work with in class.
• September 6th, 11 am - 5 pm
• Cost: $120 members / $130 non-members
• Location:Carnegie Arts Center

Portrait Drawing - Adults/Serious Teens
In this 4 week class we will study the art of portrait drawing from lighting and posing the model and what makes a good reference photo, to proportion, creating a pleasing and accurate line drawing, and using value to give your portrait form and solidity. We will work from a combination of life and reference photos that we create ourselves.
• Thursdays September 11th through October 2nd 10 am - 12 pm
• Location: ARTichokes in Leawood, KS

Sight-Size Drawing - Adults/Serious Teens
Learn about a technique used by the Old Masters and in the French Academy in this 2 day workshop. Sight-size allows an artist to learn to see accurately and depict life on a 2D surface without the use of a projector. We will start by copying a Bargue plate and then move on to drawing a still life in charcoal.
• Friday, September 12th 5 - 8 pm and Saturday, September 13th 11 am - 5 pm
• Cost: $170 members / $180 non-members
• Location: Carnegie Arts Center

Portrait Painting from Life - Adults/Serious Teens
This 3 day workshop will cover everything from posing and lighting the model, basic facial proportions, creating an accurate drawing and likeness in monochrome, values, and skin tone palettes. Lacey will both demonstrate on her own canvas and help students individually as they complete each step in the process. Focus will be on oil painting, but water media and pastel artists are welcome.
• Friday, September 26th 5 - 8 pm
Saturday, September 27th 11 am - 5 pm
Sunday, September 28th 10 am - 1 pm
• Cost: $250 members / $260 non-members
• Location: Carnegie Arts Center

Classes for Kids

Beginning Drawing Workshop 3 - Ages 9-12
Class is a continuation of the Summer Beginning Drawing Workshop series.
• August 4th, 5th, and 7th from 10 am - 12 pm
• Cost: $85 members/$90 non-members
• Location: Carnegie Arts Center in Leavenworth, KS

Beginning Drawing Class - Ages 9-12
Classes will focus sequentially on the perception of edges, spaces, relationships, and values. We will learn about foreshortening, the basic ideas behind perspective, methods for measuring placement and relative size of objects, and some light logic.
• Saturdays August 2nd through 23rd 12:30 - 2:30 pm
• Location: Carnegie Arts Center in Leavenworth, KS

Lacey is also available to teach private lessons. Contact the artist for more info.

Class and Workshop Locations:

Carnegie Arts Center
913-651-0765
601 South 5th Street, Leavenworth, Kansas
P.O. Box 501, Leavenworth, KS 66048
cacdirector@sbcglobal.net

ARTichokes
913.322.8619
10557 Mission Road,
Leawood, KS 66206
info@artichokeskc.com

Back from NYC - Checking In

I'm back from NYC, but am not ready to do the full post. I did get to go gallery hopping with David Kassan, but never made it to SoHo. I didn't get to go for a run in Central Park, but I did learn how to ride the subway and get a cab, and did a lot of walking.

In the meantime, I did want to make a couple announcements that I will elaborate on further soon. New gallery: I am now represented in Nebraska by So-Oh Fine Art in Lincoln. Workshops: I will lead three workshops aimed at artists at the Carnegie Arts Center in September; Sight-Size Drawing, Skin Tones Classroom, and Painting the Portrait from Life. More info is available on my website and will be posted here soon. And finally: I will also begin teaching at ARTichokes in September with a four week Portrait Drawing class.

There's certainly going to be more news to share, and more art, too. I'll be back with more soon!

Leaving for NYC

I'm leaving in the morning for NYC. Been busy the last several days wrapping up some applications, moving paintings around, and setting up some class times. I'll be without a computer while out of town, so there will be no blogging and no responding to emails! There will be picture taking, gallery hopping, and other fun stuff to report about once I get home, though.

Stay tuned.

TinEye: Image Search Engine

I followed a link to this site a few days ago from an artist's forum. This is very cool and interesting technically, but would also be very useful for artists looking for ways to track their work and who is using it. I hope it takes off, and that they have the internet cataloged like Google does soon! In the meantime, I have set up an account for myself to test out the beta version.

TinEye Website

Security - Face

Della Donna: Issue #15

My painting, "Judith with the Head of Holofernes," was featured in the online magazine Della Donna last week. Go to Della Donna's site and scroll way down past the Spirituality section.

"Security"

After a month long hiatus from the easel, I'm finally back with this painting that I did the charcoal sketch for weeks ago! I've not been slacking off, though, getting lots of work done on the business side of things. Anyway, I sealed in what I could still see of my charcoal line drawing and added in the rest with the paint. Then I started on some flesh tones, once again just trying to get the canvas covered. The values and hues are all off, but this will still work fine as a foundation. Tonight I plan to move on to the face and hopefully the drapery as well. Until then, I'm off to teach some classes!

I Signed a Lease on a Studio Today!

Despite my commitment issues, I signed a lease today on a 400 square foot studio space! My hope is that I will be able to create some very large paintings here, and also hold some lessons/classes here. It is in Kansas City, Kansas, in the old Kansas City Kansan building. I think that is the most times I have ever typed "Kansas" in one sentence.

This picture, above, shows the windows at the bottom of the building that shine into my space. To the left (out of view) is the Kaw Valley Arts and Humanities space, and to the right (also out of view) is a photography studio. The top two floors belong to an architecture firm.

Here's the space I will occupy! I will have the space between the two pillars and up to the wall with the windows. This is the press room where the big machines printed the Kansas City Kansan. There are even still a couple old parts of the machines laying about here and there. Anyway, this will all be sectioned off with fencing, which is not all that attractive, but will allow the new A/C and heating to flow freely through the spaces. I am not sure how many other artists will be in the building, though I understand quite a few since this is not the only area being converted. I already know who one of my neighbors will be, so I have a friend right off the bat. :-)

I move in August 1st.

Salmagundi Opens - Business Stuff

The Salmagundi Club's Annual Non-Member's Painting and Sculpture Exhibition in New York City opened yesterday! My painting, Inward (above) is included. The show runs until July 18th, when there will be a Closing Reception from 6-8 pm. I'm very happy to say that I will be out in NYC and attending!

I'm preparing for the trip by making books of my most recent/best work and will try and promote myself to some galleries out there and see if anything happens. I feel really lucky to have a tour guide while I'm there; kick a** artist and e-cquaintance David Kassan has agreed to take me around. Cross your fingers for me!

Hi There! Checking In

Even though the blog has been quiet, I'm still here! I took a little while off from creating art. I do now have a painting that I am starting; it is in the charcoal drawing stage. I'll start adding in the paint drawing tonight.

I've also been spending some time on the business side of being an artist. I'm doing some grant proposal writing, attended a workshop on fiscal sponsorship, am in the process of landing my own studio space, have been teaching some private lessons, gallery sitting for the LAG show, and I even got out to my friend Rachelle's fabulous studio downtown! Oh, and I'm preparing for a trip to NYC. I'm going to visit some galleries and hopefully make some connections.

So, yeah, busy busy. I should have some images of actual art to share soon.

In the meantime, remember that I have three shows going on right now, and they are closing this week!

Foundry Art Centre - Figurative Works 05-16-08 through 06-27-08

• Foundry Art Centre
  520 North Main Center
  St. Charles, MO 63301

Feminae - Solo Exhibit at Hilliard Gallery 06-06-08 through 06-28-08

• Hilliard Gallery
  18th and Oak
  Kansas City, MO

Lawrence Art Guild All Members Show 06-14-08 through 06-28-08

• Hobbs Taylor Lofts
  Eighth and New Hampshire St.
  Lawrence, KS 66044

Lacey Lewis - Artist of the Day

I just found out that I am artist of the day at ArtistADay.com. I'm delighted!

Yes, I will return soon with more work to share. Stay tuned...

LAG All Member's Exhibit

Saturday was the opening reception for the Lawrence Art Guild's All Member's Exhibition, in which two of my paintings are included. I attended and ran in to a few familiar faces, and met a couple new ones. The show will run until June 28, 2008. Hours 10am-5pm Monday through Saturday and noon-5pm on Sundays.

Feminae - Pictures from the Opening

Fellow artists and photographers Stephen Locke and Terie Unger were kind enough to take pictures during my opening and share them with me! (Thank you!) Stephen also created a Flash slide show that you can view here. I had a great time, and thanks to everyone who came out. If you haven't seen the show yet, do drop by before it closes on June 28th... there's even more than is pictured here!

Self Portrait Drawing - Finished

She's done! I'm happy with the mix of contour and shading that I did below the neck. Hopefully it looks right to others as well. I'd like to come up with a better title than just 'Self Portrait Drawing.' Anyway, here it is below, framed and ready to go!

Self Portrait Drawing - Almost Complete

I will do more on the lower half of the drawing, but I won't do as much shading. I want to leave a lot of the rest as contour. Either way, it will be finished and framed tonight!

Self Portrait Drawing - Half Way Done!

Made a bunch of progress this afternoon, but I think I'll call it quits for the day. Time to work on other projects. I did take several pictures of the in-between stages; perhaps this will become yet another demo!

Self Portrait - Line Drawing

Yesterday I started this drawing, and after I post this I will continue working on it. As you can see above, I began with a plumb line that hit the curve of the nose/eye/forehead area. It also lined up with a spot on the clothing, so it made for a good place to start my measurements.

As I continued along, I made measurements relative to the plumb line, and also relative to other points that had already been measured. The carpenter's rule of, 'measure twice, cut once,' is also applicable here as, ' measure twice, draw once.' Once I am sure of the marks along the plumb line, I use triangulation to place marks to either side of the line.

Of course, we all make mistakes. Once I got to the shoulder, I quickly found that I had grossly miscalculated the position of the gathered hair at the back of the head. Since I am double checking things at this stage, it is still relatively easy to correct.

In a day or two, I will have pictures to share from the Feminae opening. I had a great time, and thanks to everyone who made it out!

KC Star

I almost forgot to mention that there's a blurb about the show in the KC Star Preview section today! Near the end of this article is a little snippet, and they also included "Mala," which looks surprisingly good in the print version.

Insecurity - Signed, Sealed, Delivered

"Insecurity"
Oil on Canvas 40" x 30"

I finished the painting late last night after the event at Union Station, signed and framed it this morning (don't worry, I took measures so the painting doesn't stick to the frame) and then delivered it to the Gallery. Almost everything is up and ready to go there, and seeing it all on the walls was great! It all looks so much better there than it does in my living room. My husband remarked that it all fits at the gallery much better than in our house.

Once I got back from the gallery, I took a nap. I needed it! I can't remember the last time I was that busy. I'd love to say that I am just going to relax for the next 24 hours until it's time for the show, but instead I have to take care of everything that's been neglected while I was focusing on my work, i.e. the dishes and what looks like a framing shop after an explosion.

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Auction

I just got back from an event at Union Station to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It was 'Sounds of a Cure,' an event put on by Brian Christie of Personal Chef to raise funds for the charity as he competes to be Man of the Year. My friend and fellow artist Terie came with me and we had a great time. There was an auction associated with the event. I donated a graphite portrait, but it will be auctioned at the Grand Finale event on June 12th. There is more info on the news page of my website. For now, I have to go get more work done! The past couple days have been crazy busy.

Insecurity - Crankin' It Out

Wow, I started the last post (about the Feminae exhibition) yesterday and just noticed that I never hit 'publish.' Guess I am busier than I though!

I'm trying to bust this one out ASAP. I've worked on and mostly completed the arms, stomach, and legs. That's most of the area of the figure, but there's still all that detail left in the hands. I'm off now to work on just that. I hope to get it done tomorrow night; let's see if I can!

Feminae - Opening This Friday

My solo exhibition, Feminae, opens this Friday 6-9 pm at Hilliard Gallery. Hilliard is located at 18th and Oak in KC, MO. Please stop by!

Fēminae
New Work by Lacey Lewis
Hilliard Gallery
Opens June 6th 6-9 pm
Closes June 28th

Hilliard Gallery will feature new nude and narrative figurative work by area artist Lacey Lewis in a June solo exhibition titled, “Fēminae.” An opening reception will be held for the artist on Friday, June 6th from 6-9 pm and the show will run through
Saturday June 28th.

Lacey Lewis brings a sense of humanity and individuality to each of her figurative oil paintings. In a genre that is too often approached by artists in the same manner one would approach still lives or landscapes, Lewis seeks to depict unique personalities while simultaneously evoking universal emotions and narratives. Focusing almost
exclusively on the feminine form, she employs dramatic lighting, theatrical poses, and symbolism to imply both the pensive and the passionate. Her paintings and drawings explore areas of the human psyche that range from morbid to erotic to reflective, and often suggest historic or mythical female characters.

Lewis is an award winning contemporary realist figurative painter. Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, she relocated to Kansas City in 2003 with her husband and son. She participates in exhibitions both locally and nationally, and gives public lectures and private lessons.

I will have updates on "Insecurity" soon!