My Hand

Few things are as challenging as drawing human hands. They are so complex architecturally and so dynamic - the slightest shift in one part can alter the whole. This is my own hand, drawn from life not a photograph.

I don't have an objection to drawing from photographs. Some work is too difficult to completely reject it as a tool. When I do use photographs I try to refer back to the real subject. Drawing from life is more challenging, of course, because of the shifting problem. I tend to believe that it is exactly this problem, or rather the resolution of this problem, that the life drawing feels more alive. A photograph captures the object and holds it unnaturally in that moment. The realist artist works to incorporate the ever changing scene into a balanced and believable view. There remains, however, a sense that there has been time spent and the nuance of each moment noted. The relationship is simply more developed.

Still working...

Still working. I thought I'd post this in case anyone was wondering if I'd disappeared.
The studio isn't heated. Brrrr. So I'm working on some decorative painting for my own home and portfolio. This is my kitchen ceiling. Excuse the electrical wires. The center is not lighter in color because of camera flash but that is how it is painted. My goal is to create a glow of light similar to the sun behind the clouds with the corner areas being darker. The painting itself is a work in progress and this is merely the underpainting. Cloud forms are just beginning to be formed. Right now it looks more like what one might see looking skyward if surrounded by a forest fire. (That's one plein air painting I probably won't try to do.)
Living with one's own work means that sometimes a work is always in progress. While working on this I keep thinking of Michelangelo's response to the Pope when he wanted to know when the Sistine Chapel ceiling would be completed. I think the answer was something like, "When it's finished."

Painting again

My husband helped me get the lighting set up in the studio and as of this afternoon I am painting again. It's not finished but so far so good. Hopefully I will have something new to show you by the end of the week. A very good weekend.

I've been thinking about the whole painting a day movement. Many, many artists are sharing their daily practice. It's inspiring. And why I started my own blog really. But then I got to thinking, not every work is worth seeing. If I was a writer I would write every day. Daily painting and drawing is like freewriting. It's the best way to get your ideas flowing. Then you find something worth working on. That's when you train your eye to see and hone your skills. That can take more than a day. It probably should take more, right? I guess I'm not opposed to work in progress being displayed as long as the viewer can see the progression and even elimination of some of the artist's work.

In theory sharing one's daily completed painting seems like a great idea. But in theory, so are dog parks. Unfortunately there are a lot of bad dogs out there.

setting it up for business

I spent all afternoon setting up things with Feedburner so I could set up a subscription service for readers to get emails when their are new posts and so I could track how many hits I get.
I am still waiting for permission for most of the links below regarding copyright law. I went ahead and set them up since I would have forgotten them later but will remove whatever I have to. I doubt since they are just links and nothing else that I will be denied. Very interesting stuff.
This weekend the plan is to get adequate lighting in "The Studio-o-o."
Then may the painting begin again....

Starting over

Well, what the hell happened? It's been three months!
I'm working on my studio as it is now too cold and wet to work outside all that much. Lighting is a problem. And so is money. Both common problems for artists, I know. I'm not destitute, just determined to feed my family and keep them safe. So big windows and French doors will have to wait. I'm pretty lucky to have a space at all that is separate from the rest of my life.
Lighting has to be resolved.

And I've been reading and looking at art. It's been motivating. I've come up with some ideas that should work.

The real work is, of course, getting to work.

Yes. I will do another of Skye someday. It's a good exercise for getting all those blocks of color (white, brindle and merle no less) looking like they belong on the same surface. Thanks for everyone's encouragement and thoughtful responses. I did this one (8x10) in just a couple of hours while the girls were being their normal talkative and rambunctious selves so I have hope I can paint more often. A very good day yesterday as far as personal fulfillment goes.

This is my first portrait of one of my dogs. Skye was my first Cardigan Welsh Corgi. He has a bit too much coat for the breed standard but it was fun to paint.
Click on the image to see a larger view and the detail.

two hours later

Well, I figured it out. Now for the daily practice.

I painted this over a month ago. It is small. Only 4x5. So I was able to finish it quickly. The tricky part was the light. The baseball was lying on our deck and the sun was bright. Most of us never pay much attention but the earth rotates pretty fast. When you paint in the sun the most frustrating thing is the light is constantly changing. The shadows change form. The quality of the light, the actual colors it produces, shift from one shade to another until there are an entirely different set of colors. So for the outdoors there really is no such thing as still life.

Getting going

Sometimes the hardest part is the beginning. As you can see it has been over a month now. I've accomplished one small painting. It's a nice painting I think. But I haven't taken a picture of it yet. I realize that if I was working for an employer I would have been fired by now. Okay after the first couple of days. I have to be more determined to get to my "other job."

Starting next Monday I am implementing a regular schedule of painting, photographing that day's work and posting the image here. By creating this routine I will not be challenged (overwhelmed) by my lack of technological expertise and struggle for an hour or longer (time I don't have) with remembering how to download and import and so on.

But today and over the next few days I am going to try to master these basic skills so I'll be ready. So off I go to take a picture of my first little painting, Baseball #1.