Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Memories of Matinees Past
This final piece of the Granada Theater in Morgan Hill is done in sepia tones. In the early years of this theater, the films were not in color. I also thought it appropriate that I include a 1951 Packard in front of the theater, as that is the year this theater opened after a fire destroyed the old theater across the street. I kept the lines and picture planes very clean, in keeping with the "Art Moderne" style of this building. African Queen, one of the 10 most popular films of 1951, is playing at the theater. The smell of popcorn wafts through the theater as I fling my pigtails over my shoulders and take a seat at the Saturday matinee. How daring of Mom to take me to the show.
Bob will cut some mats and I will frame the art and deliver it for the event at Rosy's at the Beach.
Friday, February 12, 2010
In the sketchbook
We are missing touring with our bicycles. Next year we plan to ride our touring tandem from Florida to Maine, but this year, no big tours await. So we decided on the months when we are not taking a trip, we will do small tours. Amtrak California has many places you can go with your bicycles. We are fortunate to own folding tour biycles that can be put in a common luggage rack if there is no bike car. Amtrak buses will carry bicycles in the luggage compartment.
Adventure 1: Take the Capitol Corridor train to Sacramento, about a 2.5 hour drive by car, visit the world class train museum in Old Town, stay in the couples suite at the Internation Youth Hostel, ride to Davis the next day, and catch the train back to San Jose. This trip also involves riding a few miles to Light Rail, going downtown, and riding a mile to the train station to cover the 14 miles from home in a timely fashion.
One thing we learned touring is "be flexible because things will happen." At the station, we learned that the tracks were under repair between Fairfield and Sacramento for several weeks, so we had to be bused in that area. Amtrak told us we were taking a chance they could not carry our bicycles. We were prepared to ride 45 miles if necessary, but it would have messed up our museum visit. All went well both ways and we had a wonderful trip.
I took my 4" x 6" Koi pan paint set with Japanese brush that holds water in the handle and a small sketchbook. I captured Bob on the train (this one is for Myrna Wacknov who told Bob she recognizes him from my various sketches and painting), a pen and ink sketch of a man reading a book while waiting outside the Davis Amtrak station, and a watercolor of the same man. Waiting areas are great places to capture people who tend to stay put. The paintings were done without drawing them on the sketchbook.
See finished pieces of Adult Bob and Baby Bob posted earlier in this blog.
Friday, February 5, 2010
A Small Poppy Painting
Fluid Watercolor on Tyvek
5" x 7"
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Heavenly Sketches and a Dynamic Demo
Pastor Warner
Ballpoint pen on church bulletin
1-10-2010
This Sunday was a delightful demo day for the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. I am the coordinator for Myrna Wacknov's workshop that begins Friday, so she gave her demo today. We don't charge for this service, though of course we pay the artist. Many people attended and were spellbound by Myrna's portrait process on Tyvek. Myrna has posted the demo piece on her blog. Unfortunately, with all the things I had to think about for the demo today, I forgot my camera. Many folks were taking pictures, though, and Myrna has asked for some to make a slideshow of the demo. A bonus for all of us is having such a well-known artist as a member of our society, and she had fun doing a demo among many friends.
I leave you with a promise that one of these days you will see a finished painting, because one of my goals is to do at least two every month.
Friday, January 8, 2010
2010 Art Goals and a couple sketches
I reviewed last year's goals, and found I met all of them with the exception of sketching daily. I probably sketched 3 or 4 times a week. So this year's goals are set: 1) Sketch daily; 2) Create two finished pieces of art per month; 3) Join a critique group; and 4) Participate in 3 art shows.
Actually, I've already failed to meet goal #1, but it's a worthy goal and I intend to keep plugging away at it. Here are two of my daily sketches. I don't have a good way of capturing my image so I used a photograph from Bob's daughter Jamie's wedding in April. The likeness is reasonable. I fight the desire to make myself less wrinkled than I am! I love the honesty of Myrna Wacknov's self-portraits that portray an attractive, mature, intelligent artist. (Please excuse the date error - it was done today, 2010.) I sketched Bob as he sat in his favorite chair. I hope to improve on capturing his likeness as I continue to use him as one of my favorite life subjects.
At first I was doing the sketches on an old Yellow Pages, but I decided that using a new sketch book would be more pleasing. I'm going to use some different implements and different design techniques to do the sketches. Tomorrow will be vine charcoal.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Yellow Line Exercise
21" x 14"
Acrylic
(c) Mary Paquet
As instructed I set up a jumble of overlapped objects. The idea is to go for a lot of shapes. So I set up a couple vases, some flowers, a wine bottle, a scarf, a hat, some shoes, and a jewelry box. Betsy says you can incorporate architectural features and landscapes. I mixed up transparent puddles of acrylic paint and drew my still life using a round brush and yellow paint. I had to close off all the lines and show the lines of objects through other objects. The idea is to create a lot of shapes. Then I began filling in the shapes with a variety of transparent washes, changing colors and values. I evaluated and used glazes to unify the composition.
I'm pleased with the results, though I have some self-criticisms. I didn't stay transparent enough in the beginning, so I had to do more opaque painting than I would like to bring out the shapes I wanted to emphasize. I also struggled with achieving variety in a harmonious way. I'm still learning to work with acrylics.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
One Year Birthday of My Blog
Watercolor
22" x 30"
That was an especially nice end to a wonderful party where we hosted about a 100 people from all parts of our life -- dance, cycling, art, church, the gym, neighbors, and friends. Bob and I do major cooking. He's famous for his lasagna, carrot cake, and Chicago Beef, a dish from his native city. We made many other dishes as well. We had a great time kicking off the new year, but I am definitely behind in setting goals and doing art.
Stay tuned....
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Upcoming Workshops and Inspiring Artists
Friday, September 11, 2009
Plein Air Painting on the Coast and a New Art Workshop Network
In the sketchbook
In the sketchbook
Watercolor
11" X 14"
First I painted the fountain on an Arches watercolor pad. I pulled the waterstreams out of the color with a thirsty brush. The greenery backing the fountain was actually roses, but I made the bushes more abstract. I found myself getting a bit carried away with the red geraniums, and Jenny reminded me that she's learned to mass colors. I've probably heard that a half dozen times, but this time it sunk in. I reworked them, pulling out some color and massing the reds. The other plants would likely benefit from massing as well, but I called it good enough.
The last 40 minutes or so, I grabbed my sketchbook and micron pen. I have a small Robert Bateman sketch book with 110 lb. paper. It holds up well to first drawing with the pen, skipping lightly over the page and then dashing on some watercolors. First I sketched the entrance from the garden to the parking lot. That was so much fun, that I sat in a shady spot and did the outdoor deck and hyderangeas with painted milk can. I remembered to mass the color!
I am delighted to write about a new website where you can list workshops or find a workshop to attend. Peggy Stermer Cox and her husband Robert have started a website for artists after seeing a need. I was pleased to be asked to list workshops here, and I posted the Betsy Dillard Stroud workshop in October offered by the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. I will be adding more. Go here to list or find workshops on Artist Workshop Network. If you are looking for a new art adventure and a way to stretch your imagination, sign up for the Betsy Dillard Stroud workshop. Betsy is an amazing award-winning artist featured in many prominent magazines. We are honored to host her in San Jose. I will be assistant coordinator for this workshop.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Another experiment with Arabesque gowns
I cut the paper down and changed the scene to a quarter sheet landscape orientation, rather than a half sheet portrait. I looked on the Web for blurbs about the show at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, last spring and found the Arabic symbol on the left (this is only part of it) that was their logo for the show. The other two symbols are stamps that I own and are decorative lines used in the Arab culture.
Having recently taken Gerald Brommer's class, I boldly went where I never dared before -- I gessoed out the background. I then used acrylics which are very new for me to paint in the new background, with the exception of the floor rug done in watercolor. I am much happier with the feel of this design.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Bob's Boots in Monday Drawing Class
The subject today doesn't look difficult, but the still life was a real challenge. The perspective on these well-worn leather boots kept us on our toes, pun intended. At one point, I asked Bob to look at my drawing, and he said that my measurements were okay, but some of the shapes likely needed work. He had me keep at it and was pleased with my final result. I spent most of the time drawing the subject and maybe 20 minutes adding pastels. The color is not real true on this snapshot, but I can't seem to make the adjustment on the computer.
We will have more opportunities to draw these boots as Bob promises to bring them back in the next month. Actually, I look forward to trying them again. We will have Labor Day off and then we expect to have a live model the following Monday if Gina is available.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Pepere's Blacksmith Shop, 1909 - 2009
The Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society is now accepting entries for their Annual Member Show, "Linear Visions," in October. I painted one piece that I will show another day, but I am ambivalent about how well I like it, so I did a second piece. I decided to use photos I had taken at the family farm in July when we had a major celebration for it's 100th year anniversary.
I am especially taken with the restored blacksmith shop, which had fallen into disrepair after the death in the early 1960s of patriarch Alphonse Joseph (Joe) Paquet from the Province of Quebec. The grandchildren pulled together to give the entire barn complex a facelift, and the Covino brothers shored up the blacksmith shop and arranged the tools. Jimmy, retired IBM executive, is also a sculptor and a blacksmith. The night of the big event, Jimmy gave an ongoing demo, creating lovely small hooks for the home on the old forge and giving them to visitors. The day following the celebration attended by hundreds of people, including the governor, the lead float for the farm in the Barre Heritage Festival parade, featured Jimmy as Pepere (grandfather) and his sister Joanne as Memere (grandmother), and the great anvil was part of the float display. We won one of the three prizes given out to three of the many participating groups, the "Very Barre Award." We were a proud block-long group of Paquet generations marching through my hometown.
I wanted to express the age and lineage of the old shop and capture the dusty air, the ancient wood, the darkened corners, the old tools, the anvil and the forge from an eye-level about even with the anvil. Using great artistic license, I developed my design. Having just done collage in Gerald Brommer's workshop, I decided that texture would greatly enhance the mood, as this place is certainly full of texture. I collaged rice papers onto the entire surface, some of which I had stained with watercolor and some left white. Afer the surface dried in the sun, I applied a very thin layer of gesso. I then developed the image using watercolor. For the dust-filled light rays, I swiped the paper with diluted gesso.
I especially like how some blue and green papers show through the gesso and watercolor to give subtle variety to the darkened interior. The interior feels dusty and old. The old forge glows very dimly with banked coals. The much-used anvil exudes the strength of generations of strong farm people. The rice paper textures give depth to the rock-lined dirt floor and the metal hood. In keeping with the Linear Visions theme, I enhanced some of the center of interest with black ink line work. Today's blacksmith and shop maintain their direct line to founder, Joe Paquet and his wife, Emeda Mathilde Savoie, who moved to Barre in 1903 and founded the farm in 1909. My linear vision of generations of a Vermont French family rooted in Quebec is expressed in this piece.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Plein Air at Vasona Lake Park
The first piece I did ala Gerald Brommer, divorcing line and shape. I laid in some green and raw sienna in a cruciform shape, then I sketched the scene. I left well enough alone. The second piece is more colorful than it appears. The bark had fallen off the trunk, and exposed beutiful oranges, shades of greys and browns, even some greens and purple.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Brommer Workshop Recap
Beginning phase of a montage of my bicycle ride across the USA
Collage and watercolor
The week was so busy that I did not even have time to post the final three days of the workshop. We had a wonderful time. I felt like a kid again with my matte medium, gesso, pens, rice paper, and paints. I also was humbled by the beautiful work turned out by my colleagues in the workshop. Jerry said this one of the two most accomplished groups of artists that he had had in his workshops over the years. Privately he told me that several were way beyond needing a workshop, but of course creative people love to learn new ways of working and thinking. Take this link (Myrna's name) to see the work done by Myrna Wacknov during the workshop, so good that Jerry needed a piece for his collection. Myrna teaches many workshops nationwide, is an award-winning artist, and has been featured in popular art magazines.
Jerry at 82 is just as excited about art as he was as a child. He keeps learning new things (for example, that gesso can be applied successfully to a wet collage) and pushes his experimentation. He is humble and inspirational. He kept giving us pearls of wisdom, and I enjoyed his stories of many of the famous artists we admire who have been his friends. He also gave me his full-sheet demo painting that I will treasure, though Jerry did not have time to complete the detail and darks over his underpainting.
The pieces I show here were done on days 3, 4 and 5. To be successful, I would need to redo them. I've said before that my engineering mind is very literal and it takes me a while to apply what I learn in a creative way. I will explore this medium in the coming months as I really love the textured surfaces and the effects we achieved. Each piece was supposed to maintain separation between shape and line. The piece on Day 3 is from a snapshot I took in the Dordogne, while on a Mike Bailey art vacation in 2007. We built up the surface by applying rice papers with pieces of brown paper bag for the dark values. We drew into the wet collage and added paint. Applying white gouache does some really interesting things to the surface.
Day 4 I completed the bridge in Ronda, Spain, that I visited in 1989. Ronda is one of the "white towns" in Andalusia. This bridge is the newest of the three bridges that have spanned the gorge. The first was built by the Romans, the second by the Arabs, and third is the "new" bridge built by the occupants of the town in the 1700's. New is relative. As we stood on the bridge, we could see remnants of the two older bridges hundreds of feet below us. I struggled with this painting and in the final 15 minutes before critique, I got a suggestion from Jerry to apply gesso over parts I did not like and rework them. I worked furiously and Jerry was amazed that I pulled the iron out of the fire in those few minutes.
Day 5 is just the beginning stages of a complex exploration of a theme, in my case my bicycle ride across the USA in 2008. The top 1/3 of the page is picture that embodies the theme, and the bottom 2/3rds will be filled with small line drawings with color and images of items related to the theme. I selected an image from the middle of the country, where we were treated like royalty, tiny Woodbine, Iowa. The L stands for Lincoln Highway, the first highway to be completed across the USA. The old service station had been turned into an internet cafe by the junior high science teacher and his wife. They love to take pictures of people touring the country in front of the mileage to two major East and West Coast cities.
We were instructed to collage the entire surface, let it dry, add a thin layer of diluted gesso, let it dry, and then work on that surface. As we worked, we could add more collage, more gesso, paint, photographs, pieces of related paper, whatever. Eventually, I would add a border of darker color around the edge to organize the collection. At critique, I was especially fond of a piece done by Jean D. who collaged using various old documents (or copies of them) and then had a male figure walking into the documents. A serendipitous smearing of the ink on the figure created the most wonderful results. To me it certainly suggested the past.
Jerry's approach, with any piece, is to do some planning, but he never knows exactly how the piece will turn out, very reassuring to me. He lets what's happening on the surface inform subsequent steps in the process.
The workshop went well administratively, my first time to coordinate one for the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. Bob and I especially enjoyed getting to know Jerry and his wife, Georgia, first at home, then at two subsequent dinners, and a final drive to the airport. They are such wonderful people. Jerry says that we are changed with each experience we have in workshops. I can't wait to take that change to a new level.
I have a few more obligations and then in the next few days I will be checking out what I've missed from my fellow bloggers.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Gerry Brommer Workshop Day 2
Today Gerry had us use collage shapes with ink lines, maintaining the separation of line and shape. I decided to basically use the same images as yesterday and see what collage does for them. I decided to get a critique on "Carmel Cypresses." He said he liked the piece better than yesterday's. He suggested bringing a stem in the foreground off the bottom of the page and to darken some of the major lines on the rocks. There needs to be variety, but we also need to call attention to major elements of the design.
The blue stained papers were rather dark so Gerry suggested I collage some plain white tissue over them. Voila, lighter stains and more interesting texture. I think I will try some of my acrylics tomorrow as the watercolor does not like to adhere to the matte medium we used for collage. Critique was very educational. I stained some more rice paper today and we will be using brown paper bags in the mix tomorrow.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Gerald Brommer Workshop - Day 1
The workshop I am coordinating is "From Line and Shape to Complex Surfaces." Today Gerald Brommer explained that we should treat the two elements of design, line and shape, as independent of each other. We should not be outlining the shape, nor should we be filling in the shape we've created. Both would look like a coloring book. Instead, we either put down shapes in light to mid-tone values and then draw our image over the shapes, or we draw our image and add shapes. We finish with some overpainting, but again avoid filling in the lines with color. We were told not to erase anything. We could draw in pencil and then in ink, not following the pencil line exactly. We drew on quarter sheets from our own reference materials.
We selected one piece for critique (I actually did 3 quarter sheets and started a fourth). I choose Cinque Terre wildflowers, done from a photo taken when pal, Joan, and I went to Italy for a watercolor workshop in Western Tuscany. First we spent a few days in a tiny town just south of the Cinque Terre, where we relaxed, hiked, and sketched. Gerri liked the piece and made two suggestions for improvement, which I haven't done yet -- balance the right corner with a small shape of strong color on the lower left, and add more line to the two plants that reach above the sea on the left. He was enthusiastic about my cypresses, though I didn't put it up for critique. Gerri is such a wonderful instructor, and loved by many. We have a fabulous group of people taking the class, including Myrna Wacknov, so it's really neat to see the art they produce. It's also like old home week for my France trip in 2007 with Mike Bailey -- Myrna, Carrie, and Lisa are all in the workshop! We ended the day tearing pieces of rice paper, staining them with various shades of a couple colors, and allowing them to dry overnight. Tomorrow we begin the collage process.
Yesterday's demo went well, the first I've coordinated. The room was full, probably 75 to 100 observers. Gerri said he couldn't demonstrate collage on the spot and what we would do in class were small pieces. So I brought him a full sheet of Arches 140 lb. paper and a support so he could demo his design and painting process. Like all masters, he made it look so easy, and the crowd loved it. Gerri gives you permission to do anything in art -- no, a watercolor must not all be transparent; yes, you can use opaque white and colors; you can move things around; you can eliminate what you don't want and add something you do. You can do many variations from one simple sketch or photo.
I am learning the mechanics of being a coordinator, quite a bit of work as we provide a nice series of snack morning and afternoon during the workshop and for the demo on Sunday afternoon. So far, I've been to Costco twice, and the farm stand once. Then there are the various vagaries of the locks for kitchen, water supply, classroom, restrooms, and atrium. All is going smoothly and I am having fun. I have a terrific assistant, Irene, who has jumped right in on setup, cleanup, and ordering and picking up the instructors lunch.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Rosicrucian Cactus
I usually don't post twice in one day, but today is the exception. I finally finished a painting! I started this piece about 3 weeks ago, but the Open Studios work, cycling education, and traveling got in the way. The piece had its roots in a plein air session with Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society at the Rosicrucian Museum in early April. We had a lovely sunny day and I was so taken with this sturdy old plant that I took several pictures. I knew then that I planned to paint a structure that day, so the photos would be for reference later. I liked the shapes and the suggestion of color.
I selected an Adjacent-Complementary Tetrad color scheme from Nita Leland's book, "Confident Color." So basically I used yellow and green against magenta and blue. I painted the piece using lots of artistic license and then added some sumi ink with a bamboo pen to the star of the show. I like the abstract qualities of the background against the defined, colorful branch.
I seem to be a serial painter. Somehow I must finish one piece before beginning another, so I would not allow myself to start the Memorial Day paintings I have in my head before I completed this work. I've always been very goal-driven, perhaps the result of being the oldest of seven children. I want to learn to have several paintings in process at one time. Next up is a scene from the San Luis Obispo railway station that is in my head and not my camera. I will begin the sketch today.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Thoughts on painting and poster art
I finally am back to painting, but I don't have something finished to show you here. "Summer Vases" is a full sheet painting done in a Mike Bailey Workshop. It was the last of the series and emphasizes shape, color, and line. The painting was done quickly and lacks perfection. I rather like the freshness I achieved. At the moment, this painting is hanging in my livingroom. I plan to buy frames when I see a good sale and put up some more art in the house. People who come to our home always enjoy seeing the art. I plan to rotate the pieces more frequently.
I have a bunch of paintings in my head right now and must really get to work to set them free. Two are from Memorial Day and some are related to the Paquet Farm. I took some candid shots at the railroad station in San Luis Obispo, and they all have great potential, but the one I want to paint is only in my mind. We'll see if I can do people without reference material.
I mentioned that the Paquet Farm is celebrating its centennial as part of the Barre Heritage Festival in Barre, VT. I was asked to design a poster. I had to keep it very simple with requirements for black and one color. I also am not an illustrator and don't know the software that would be ideal. With a deadline of a week, there was not time to learn. I ended up using one of my paintings of the farm, and I removed the color. The view is known to everyone in the area. The family is happy with the results. You can see the poster by pasting this link into your browser:
http://www.barreheritagefestival.com/
From this page, take the link on the right side for Paquet Farm 100th Anniversary to see the poster. The posters are going into print this week and I am promised one for my archives.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
More pictures from Open Studios
In the summer of 2007, I went to the Dordogne region of France with Mike Bailey and a small group of artists. One day, surrounded by greenery, we were challenged to paint all day without using green. Certainly I enjoyed the test of my imagination when I painted a sunflower in the field behind Pettit Rousset. This matted piece will be available at my Open Studios on May 9 and 10. The piece is more lively. I can't seem to adjust the hue and saturation correctly.
Today my artist friend Alison and I went to three Open Studios in Los Altos. We had a nice time seeing the latest art at the Nancie Crowley and Karen Druker sites. I've followed Nancie's art for about 15 years and I know Karen personally from the France workshop with Mike. Seeing how other artists set up their Open Studio is helpful. The third place is a gallery, and frankly, I thought visiting the homes and/or studio space of the artists much more satisfying. We saw lots of excellent art, and I came home with some very nice greeting cards.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Hike and Sketch in Uvas Canyon Park with Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society
Yesterday I spent a delightful day in Uvas Canyon Park, just 9 miles from my house, with members of the watercolor society. This was an impromptu plein air session and there were just four of us, but we had a lovely time hiking the waterfalls. The newspaper recently featured the park, noting that with winter rains the falls are especially beautiful. I would guess that by fall they are a mere trickle. We sketched at several of them in lovely spring weather, which required modest layers in the dappled sunshine of the wooded areas.
I almost didn't go, but a call from Jenny, one of our leaders, put me over the edge. I couldn't resist. Unfortunately, I didn't give much thought to art materials, nor did I bring my small canvas stool, so I had to sit on the ground and draw with pen, charcoal, or graphite. The others all had their small watercolor sets and did such lovely work. These sketches don't do justice to the beauty of the park, though I could use them as reference in developing a painting. Check out Sylvia's blog for the work she completed yesterday: http://pleinairmuse.blogspot.com/
You might like to know more about the falls in the park. Read about them here: http://www.waterfallswest.com/waterfall.php?id=343