Draw three times, paint once!

Now, at home, I'm applying this idea of the action lines of a scene (previous post). I've drawn this scene three times, simplifying each time. I'm working from a photo taken at an ice cream stand at night in Arles, France a few years ago--one in the stack of images that are destined to become paintings. The painting will be titled Ice Cream Muscles.

Most of those structural lines are erased now, having arrived at the composition I'll go with. Next post: the painting. I kinda hate to cover up the drawing--but, nothing ventured nothing gained, so I've got to go for it. We'll see................

7/22/15

Drawing in the Museum

A great opportunity opened up--drawing in the galleries of the blockbuster exhibit at the Portland Art Museum. The show is called Gods and Heroes, and the collection comes from the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, the school that trained all of those Salon painters for a couple hundred years or more. Awesome local artist Eduardo Fernandez is expanding our drawing skills, focusing on the movement and action of the scenes depicted in these paintings.

The first image shows what he was looking for us to get at--not a drawing as much as an outline of the movement lines ("S" curves etc.)--and the most elemental of shapes.  I thought I was working along those lines (no pun intended), but reverted quickly to drawing as usual. He broke it down for me again, to show how the shapes and composition support the story that is being told (these paintings are largely mythological themes, or propaganda for the monarchy).

So I moved to a different painting, studied the directional movement of the figures, and did the second drawing shown here. It's kind of a hybrid, but closer to the objective. I think I'd like to apply the drawing to gesso board, and see if I can stay in this lane with a paintbrush, now. Drawing with a paintbrush (instead of pencil or charcoal) is so challenging for me--I always want to jump right into painting. Perhaps this will help me work around my predisposition.

The other drawings I've included seem to me to look like cells from an animation storyboard. Amazing how--extracted from their historical context--they can seem to tell a 21st cent. story.

July 18, 2015

Stephen Hayes Workshop on Sauvie Island

Whoops!  This is out of order.  There are several paintings from this workshop that I've been continuing to work on--and here is one of them. Still working out how to do a complex tree simply! (Probably a life-long challenge.) This is current state, and likely to change further. Such a beautiful spot out there on the island, and grateful that Stephen shared a couple of his favorite locales. I'm sure I will return... when weather cools again.

6/20, continued to present.

7 a.m. at Saffron Fields

Early morning hours can be so beautiful, I should really try to catch more of them. This from Saffron Fields winery in Yamhill county. Painted during the Lavender Festival--a very fun adventure to some glorious countryside.

July 7, 2015  (completed 14th)

There's no place like home!

Sunsets out front are stunning, it was inevitable that I would paint one. It will be nice to have this painting when I move--no imminent plans to do so, but when I do, I can look out of this "window" and remember.

July 1(ish), 2015