Olympics and Artistic Growth

Well, the Olympics are coming to a close. I've found myself more interested in speed-skating after our drawing groups involvement in a speedskating project. We went to watch some practices and an early competition. We were able to do sketching and also take photos. Then we completed a painting or two for submission to Speed Skate Canada. We also made a group collage of our sketches. Selected paintings and our collage- along with a wonderful video documenting our project (made by Mike Hughes) - were then exhibited in Richmond's City Hall and are currently being auctioned off. Some are also printed on cards and even posters. It was a really interesting project and I was glad to be part of it- although my painting was not selected for the big display. We had fun being at the Oval and had a great group camaraderie. I had a great time studying how artists have portrayed movement- and I enjoyed trying to do so. However, this *did* result in a painting that would not easily lend itself to being copied commercially! Definitely it would not work for printing on a sweat-shirt, for example. However- another interesting attempt - and isn't it, after all, through trying different things that we grow as artists?

Life Drawing variables

Life Drawing can change from group to group. In one group we always start with 5 one-minute poses, then five two-minute poses and then a four-times-five pose in which the model poses for five minutes then rotates 90 degrees to assume the same pose- until a full 360 degree turn has been made. That's a good one for improving drawing ability from all angles. Then, in that group, it is on to 10 minute and 20 minute poses - so lots of variety to the session. In another group, we have a long pose -usually one and a half hours, after the "warm-ups". Of course, this is broken up with breaks for the model. Sometimes this is draped, or semi-draped. This pose gives some a chance to paint - or, for me, a chance to get out the coloured conte' crayons and do a pastel. I'm not a fast painter but I love the chance to work in colour and to have time to work on a "likeness".

New Gallery

Well, I'm *almost* up-to-date as there has been a new digital gallery added - Gallery 2009. I've just been adding titles and sizes to the images. Quite a few are European paintings. Funny, it doesn't seem that long ago in some ways- and like a million years ago in other ways. This is one of the "not- Europe" paintings. The title "Blink" is because one of the books is just that. So, would the impression of the painting also be made in a blink? The jug is an original piece of pottery bought at Circle Craft on Granville Island.

We'll try again-

-and here should be the photo

Ceperely Park

The exhibition "Just a Season" continues at Fraserview Church (until February 28th) I had quite a few questions as to where Ceperely Park was. It is actually part of Stanley Park and I'm not quite sure why that piece got a separate name. Further, I gather that the name is no longer in common use. It is the area with the playground by the swimming pool. I understand it also included the area beyond Lost Lagoon where there is the little stone bridge. There are also group picnic table areas and I remember being on a Sunday School picnic there once. My painting is in the winter, however, with the sun setting. There are ducks silhouetted in the foreground water. The row of trees in the background is along the Seawall walk. This photo shows Barb Bowen adjusting the painting.

Rachel Revisited

One of the neat things about acrylic paints is that they can be painted over. After viewing the painting of Rachel - see two blogs ago- I decided that it had to be warmed up. So I did some glazing with this result. The model has a cool skin tone and there was no "real" background- just more artists. So I had just used a complimentary colour. However, it was a cool complementary - and the later decision was to warm that up as well as warm the skin tones just a bit. I'm not sure the difference shows in a photo - but it does when you see the actual painting.

"Just a Season"

"Just a Season" was the title Barb Bowen decided on for the exhibition I am having at Fraserview Church (11295 Mellis Drive) which opens this Sunday (January 10th). Barb wanted my snow paintings but then also some hinting at a turn of the season to Spring.I'm glad that snow is confined to the paintings and the mountaintops and isn't down here making traffic miserable like last year. There will be a reception at 11:30 AM. Church is at 10 - but people can come to just the reception. Having an art gallery in a church is such a nice thing and it is exciting to be showing there. With the Art Centre regular functions closed down because of the Olympics, classes are moving temporarily to Fraserview - so there should be lots of traffic through the church then.
The church will be projecting one of the paintings on the big screen in the sanctuary before services start and also using one on the church bulletins- so that is really nice too. "Winter Pond" is the one on the poster and is quite recognizable to people who walk the dyke by Sturgeon Banks. Part of my "artist statement" says "I want my work to be representational to the extent that the viewer can feel 'Oh yes, I remember that', but I also edit and emphasize so that something more is felt, the essence of the moment is evoked and a connection is made to the viewer."