Woven Hills of Adiri, 24x24 and New Year notes

"Woven Hills of Adiri" 24x24" Pastel

Here is the finished piece I posted about last week. It took me a few more days to finally call it complete, stalled by Christmas and New Years guests, parties, presents, and much needed sleep. But the vacation is over and now it's back to work, out and about and in the studio. I am looking forward to it all. Part of my goals include more adventures, teaching more workshops, and perhaps add a few new galleries in the mix. 

Today I went over to Kat's "Studio 30" in Saint John's to paint a still life. Kat's Studio is a very warm and welcoming place that offers several painting opportunities for artists.  Celeste Bergin posts work from the paint-out sessions held every Friday at Studio 30 on the Alla Prima Portland Blog. Today I worked on a still life, but I think I still have a few marks to make on it before calling it good. 

"Jelly Jar" 6x6" Oil

Oils have been a lot of fun and I love learning new things every time I pick up a paintbrush. Today's effort I used a palette knife for 70% of this piece. Can you tell?

Pastel Punch! recap

 Demo of a 20 min timed painting. Emphasis on loosening up.

Last weekend I spent time teaching my Pastel Punch! workshop with six pastel enthusiasts.  Every time I do this teaching stuff, I feel greatly rewarded in a warm, fuzzy kind of way.  My intension was to help my students become better at their craft while adding a few of my favorite exercises to help them loosen up. 

Every day we covered a single topic and painted with that topic in mind to help drive home the idea.

The basics of values, composition, color, and mark-making were what I wanted to stress in my workshop. Nearing the end of the workshop I wrote some thoughts down for everyone to think about...words that I covered in all the lessons.  Kind of like a note pad of sorts.

 Thoughts on the "Good Stuff"

Every day we had a couple of demos. This demo was about mark-making.

Me and my wonderful students (L-R) Debbie, Sue, Diane, Sarah, Marilyn and Nancy....thanks for your time with me.

Being the marketing nut that I tend to be, I asked my students how they found out about my workshop. It was interesting, because they all came from a variety of sources.  A gallery show, on my blog, word of mouth, out in the field, a flyer, and an private invitation.  There seems to be no one way in getting the word out, but to just keep talking about it in every way possible.  

We painted in Kat Sowa's studio and it's what I'd call "THE" quintessential studio.  Located in an old warehouse, it is full all the amenities for teaching and working on art.  It is equipped with ample lighting, with beautiful still lifes, extra tables, heat, a sink, a small and quiet sitting room for eating or resting on the couch, a library of reference books, a few sturdy easels with plenty of space and more.  It is a studio with great energy and creativity and I do hope to teach there again.

This photo doesn't give the space any justice, but believe me it's awesome!

This coming week, I will be heading down to Las Vegas for the Plein Air Convention with a contingency of Portland painting buddies.  I"m sure there will be much to learn and tons of fun connecting with old friends in the field.  If you are headed to the convention, please look for a short blonde with a funny laugh, and do make sure to introduce yourself because I'd love to meet you.