Exercises for Painting Figures in the Sunlight

In preparation for my 

"Figures in the Sunlight"

class at NRAS this summer, 

I've been trying out some ideas for exercises. 

Figures wearing hats offer great opportunities for 

strong light and shadow patterns.

"Hat Girl"

I Pad painting 

Recently on a brisk, bright sunny late afternoon, 

I was outside my studio with some girlfriends,
and everyone needed a hat. 

I got out my "model" hats and 

was able to take some great "mud head" shots! 

I printed, then outlined them in magic marker to simplify the shapes,

then did some value sketches. 

To further play around with color and shapes,

I had fun doing I Pad paintings, using the Brushes app. 

The problem with I Pad paintings is,

you can't quite get the same graphic drama

 when translating them in to oils.  

It will be worth a try though. 

Stay tuned. 

Back to My Roots!

My good friend and fellow Jersey Girl, 

Franny Andahazy

just opened a wonderful new gallery in 

Surf City, New Jersey! 

Solace Gallery 

(website coming) 

I'm delighted to be showing my work there this summer. 

I grew up summering on Long Beach Island, New Jersey 

so this feels like coming home. 

Here is a sampling of the paintings there now:

"Keepin' Cool"

8 x 16 

"Hat Parade"

8 x 8 

"Cherry Popsicles"

12 x 12 

Memorial Day Weekend

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, 

the "un-official start of the summer season",

(at least here in New England!) 

As we gather with friends and family to celebrate,

let's take time to thank all those who made the ultimate sacrifice  

so we could have our freedom.     

Back to the Beach! 

12 x 12 

Note:

Each year on Memorial Day at 3:00 pm local time, 

a national moment of remembrance 

is asked of Americans to pause for one minute. 

(A moment of silence or listening to "Taps") 

On Monday, we are to fly the flag at half-staff until noon, 

then raise it until sunset. 

Enjoy! 

Festival of the Arts this weekend!

An exciting time of year 

for artists on the South Shore of Boston! 

This weekend is the annual Festival of the Arts at the 

North River Arts Society.

Take a few minutes and watch this awesome video 

about how it all comes together! 

"Every body Loves a Parade!"

11 x 14 oil 

This painting will be included in the Juried Show 

opening Friday night.

If you are in the Marshfield Hills area 

Saturday or Sunday, plan on coming by!

Exceptional craft booths, artist demos, 

"art in the barn", 

face painting, a food tent;

something for everyone.  

Don't miss it! 

Bring on Summer!

Bring on Summer! 

12 x 12 

I'm ready whenever you are! 

Influential Woman

I thought about my Mom all weekend, 

as she was certainly the most influential woman in my life.

As I get older, I feel blessed to have some pretty amazing 

woman my mother's age, 

as friends.  

Winnie Lou Rounds, a fellow Garden Club member,

has the most wonderful view on every subject on earth;

 from gardening, to personal relationships.

She is 90 years old and is "sharp as a tack"! 

"Winne Lou"

8 x 10 

Last week she took our members on one of her 

magical "walks" by the river.

Here's to you Winnie Lou! 

Thank you for all that share with us. 

Class Demos - fixed and framed

I often pop my student's work in to a frame in class,

to show them how it can enhance even the simplest subjects. 

I recently took my own advice and put a few of my "demos" 

(from the limited stroke exercise) 

in to some of my old distressed wooden frames.  

They suddenly become simple statements

with strong, dramatic designs!  

$150 each 

A few of these will be included in the 

"Faculty Exhibit"

at the South Shore Art Center 

during the Arts Festival 

June 13, 14, 15.

Everybody Loves a Parade!

Things are really gearing up for 

the NRAS Festival of the Arts 

Memorial Day Weekend 

5/24 - 25

This year, member artists were given a 20 x 20 board

to portray a subject around "a word".
These will be auctioned off during the festival.

"Everybody Loves a Parade"

20 x 20 

mixed media /collage

NOTE:

This year there will be a not-to-be -missed 

"Giant Puppet" parade during the Festival. 

A group of artists have met every Saturday since January 

to design and build 

some pretty amazing characters.

I brought "Betty" home today to finish 

her up and fit her with her "cabana."

More info to follow. 

This is the most fun thing 

I've done in ages! 

  

  

Another "big" one!

I started this one over the winter and 

struggled with the size and surface so much,

 I just put it away. 

Time To Go In?

12 x 36 

Re-visiting it this week, 

I changed the color of the sand three times.  

(It's important to keep it separate from the color of flesh in light !)  

Working larger certainly has it's challenges, 

and keeping things simple is probably the most difficult. 

One of my favorite quotes:

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. 

It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.” 
― E.F. Schumacher