Just for fun, (I am obviously no photographer!) here are a few pictures from our visit to the St. Louis Zoo. I had a really great time and took tons of pictures. The photo above as well as the two color penguin pictures were both taken by my husband. My son also had a camera to himself, and though none of these are his he did take some great shots!
I just returned earlier today from my trip to St. Charles/St. Louis, MO. We stayed in St. Charles, close to the Foundry Art Centre, where two of my paintings are in a group figurative show. I never know what to expect when I haven't seen a venue in person, but I was really pleasantly surprised in this case! I'd say this place is museum quality... the galleries really look the part and are large, open, and contemporary. The work in the show was simply fabulous, and again the quality was top notch. Perhaps, when I get time, I can look up a few of the other artists included on the web and see if I can find some links to share.
This picture shows the middle section of the building, which is meant to hold people for receptions, etc. There is a stage to one end, behind where I stood to take this photo. Originally, tanks were built here, and they would be loaded onto rail cars in this very area. At least, that's how I heard it. Today, there are galleries on either side of this room, and on the top floor are artist studios. All the walls facing the balcony are glass, so you can look through and see artists working, or if they aren't there, you can peek in and see their work. Really a great idea and a fabulous way to use an old building, if you ask me.
This is one of the galleries, where my pieces are. To give you and idea of scale and location, that guy towards the back on the right is probably looking at Facade. Finally, there I am (below) with my paintings. The next day, we went to the zoo and to the arch. I had a really great time, especially wandering around the zoo. I have some pictures from those little field trips I could share, too. Anyone want to see some zebras and giraffes?
The face is at least very close to done now. I have decided that I will bring all the flesh areas up to a finish or near finish before really tackling the rest of the painting. I have a feeling this should help the painting move along more quickly for me. I also put in another layer for the hair; I will need to add highlights where the water crests around the head, and of course the hair underneath the water will need softer edges for a more 'floaty' feeling. That will come when I really get going on the water.
I started in on Ophelia's skin tones last night, after a long nap after jurying Art in the Park. It was a fun job, but a difficult one; there were so many talented artists, it wasn't easy to decide! Hopefully I should be getting some pictures of the LAG's President handing out the awards to recipients that I can post here to officially share who won.
Of course, I've noticed things that need to be adjusted, and they will be taken care of during the next session. Another layer here should solidify the form, allow for corrections, and then I'll add in the highlights and details such as the eyelashes.
Yesterday was an exciting day for me! I got a letter in the mail saying the above painting was accepted into the Salmagundi Club's Annual Non-Member's Painting and Sculpture Exhibition in New York City! The show will run June 30th through July 18th. I'm very excited, and hope to be able to make it out to the closing reception.
Beginning of a new painting - "Insecurity" Oil on Canvas 40" x 30." This is a large painting for me, and hopefully I'll be able to pull off the multiple hands thing.
Foundry Art Centre - Figurative Works 05-16-08 through 06-27-08
Reception, Friday, May 16th 6-9 p.m.
Gallery I, II
An exhibition open to work in all media exploring and interpreting the theme of figure drawing. Two of Lacey's recent figure paintings are included.
Charity Auction for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 06-04-08
*This event is tentative and not yet fully finalized. Please check back for updated information as it becomes available!
Feminae - Solo Exhibit at Hilliard Gallery 06-06-08 through 06-28-08
Opening Reception Friday, June 6th, 2008 during the First Fridays Art Walk in the Crossroads Art District. This will likely be my biggest show of the summer and/or year with a huge portion of my portfolio on display. Stop by and visit with me at the reception!
Lawrence Art Guild All Members Show 06-14-08 through 06-28-08
Opening Reception Saturday June 14th, 2008 6-9 p.m.
Two of Lacey's paintings will be included in this group show at Hobbs Taylor Lofts in Lawrence, KS.
I'll post a schedule of upcoming events in the next day or two. A couple things are still up in the air, but I do have a few for-sure openings to announce.
All the changes on this one have been small, but time consuming. I've worked on the legs (did more on the feet after the picture below was taken, but the adjustments were slight) added the fringe on the legs and the tattoo on the chest.
The fringe was tough not only because of how intricate it is, but also because it casts a shadow onto the leg.
The difficulty with the tattoo is obvious. Many of the lines are very thin, and I was using a tiny liner brush to work on this. It took me 3 - 4 hours last night to put this in, and I purposely left out some details that are in the actual tattoo. Also, it is difficult to see here, but the whole tattoo isn't solid black, and actually lightens in the light. That effect might not be strong enough, so I might find myself coming back to this part again.
New work-in-progress:
Except for the signature, this one is finished. Unfortunately, the jpg here is not showing some of the color the way I wish it would. For example, on the lit edge of the arm, you should see a strong 'optical red' which is also present in the edge of the hair and shadow on the lower arm. I'm not sure it is showing up as brightly as it should, nor are some of the other hues in the light areas. Oh well, I suppose you will just have to see it in person at my June show at Hilliard!
On this painting I've added the seat, the blue background, and continued to build depth from the shoulders to the midsection and near the elbow. I think this painting will come along relatively quickly, partially because it's small and partially because the paint is going on thicker and faster than on "Staged." It's heading in the right direction, but I need to get a few nuances and details in that are just generalized at the moment.
While I have made some progress, there is still a lot more to do on this one. Everything needs at least one more coat. At this point, I've still been focusing on the flesh. The rest goes faster than skin tones do; they need to be built up in layers.
You can see that here on the leg, the marks I originally had down for the fringe on the shawl are still visible. This will help me place them as I do the next layer. I anticipate doing another layer of both flesh and fringe here, and finally another layer to clarify fringe on top of that.
I worked a lot on the face, and while it's pretty much right on, I may need to add a bit more color to the face. However, if you've ever met the model, you know how porcelain pale she is.
Again, I've worked on the hands, and though I am fairly satisfied, the paint is just not thick enough in the light areas. Also, I really like to work adjacent areas at the same time to avoid the cut-out look that most of this area currently has, and I wasn't able to do that in this layer this time. The black paint takes so very long to dry that I like to work with it primarily in the first and last stages, so that I can get as much as possible done in the intermediate sessions without having to wait for it to dry. It's very important to pay attention to the edges so that they both describe spatial relationships and lead the eye through the painting.
I'm thinking this one is pretty close to finished. I still haven't gotten a 2nd layer on the top hand or the background, but they should be fairly quick. There were some other progress photos taken in between posts; perhaps they will end up in a demo on my site.
Of course I am giving more attention to this painting, because it is smaller. I always imagined (before I was a 'real' artist) that I'd want to almost exclusively focus on really large scale paintings. While I do have some large projects I want to tackle in the future, especially if I can work from life for them, these smaller pieces are just so satisfying. Perhaps they go faster.
