Beach - cape cod show...

After all the ideas on beach related things that I tried, I settled on sending this as one of the images to the pastel show in Cape Cod. "Gentle Breezes" is an 11 x 14 pastel on Ampersand board. What do you think? Tomorrow I will share the next stage of the portrait you have seen in stages.

Portrait - the initial wash...

I don't know what happened to Tuesday... but here I am again... The answer to "do you paint or draw every day?" A resounding "YES!" ...under most circumstances. What I don't do every day is get back to the computer to report all that has happened! 7:30 am breakfast meeting, 9 am portrait sitting, 11 am consutaltion at studio with appointment from out of town, 12:30 luncheon appointment, 2 pm appointment with potential workshop sponsor, 3 pm with student who dropped in for a pep talk, 4 pm portrait sitting at client's home, 7 pm to my home to wind down... Now notice in there were two sittings. Here is a photo of the next step of the painting I worked on...the oil wash on a 24 x 20 linen canvas. I refer to this as a wash because I use a round sable to loosely draw the placement of the figure on the canvas with paint thinned greatly with turpentine. Then follow that with washes with a large brush and broad strokes to fill big areas. Somewhere between 60 and 90 minutes later...

Portrait - the working sketch...

You know I have been sharing some of the travel, the sights, the activities, but today I thought I might share with you my real work. This is one of the portrait sketches in graphite that begins every commissioned portrait. I usually start with a sitting at their home or office...during which I draw dozens of sketchs. Only half dozen designs are presented to the client from which they choose their favorite. Then the painting begins in the studio. Here is the sketch that was chosen...it is 14 x 11 graphite... Tomorrow I will show you the early stage of the canvas as I wash the colors on with broad strokes...

Beach - Sisters and Sand Castles

This is one more of the ideas stirring around in my pastel box. The same quiet cove with children playing in the sand. This is somewhat less finished than most of my larger pieces, but it says enough. This 11 x 14 pastel on panel is a regular east coast scene. What family hasn't seen this one summer or another. Children playing in the cool breezes with pail, shovel, and sand castle.

Beach - Sharing Shells...more ideas...

As artists begin thoughts on sketch pad or canvas, one idea leads to another. And in my search for just the right idea, concerning beach, families, surf, sky, this next idea fell into place on a 5 x 7 pastel board. With a sailboat in the distance, here are two figures sharing their finds in a quiet cove...shells across the sand. But there are still more ideas to try...

Beach - Observing the sea

So there are more things from the trip, but that will have to wait. I am preparing and packing pastels to go to Cape Cod for the show in August. This is a 5 x 7 test of one of the images I was playing with - in pastel, of course. This is a universal image, any two, mother and daughter, older/younger sisters, etc. with sandy path leading to the beach at any cove anywhere. I still like the idea, but as with most artists, one good idea leads to half a dozen more....

Farmland - The Midwest

So there we were traveling through the mountains of VA and WV, when the landscape gave way to the rolling farmlands of Ohio and Indiana... interupted by the occasional big cities, of course. The landscape changed from craggy rocks to gentle, wide open farmland. And the cows! Wonderful scenes of red barns and happy cows. Here is a quick 5x7 watercolor study of our happy cows...

Mountains - Cliffs of VA and WV

On the highways and roads through the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia, we were surprised by the interesting rock out croppings and cliffs with vegetation clinging tenaciously to moist bare rock. This area surely gives one the feeling of this amazing country as people may have seen it before we developed these areas.
This is another quick 5x7 watercolor study you might enjoy.

Mountains - Pilot Mountain, VA

I said that I would share with you the images that we experienced crossing 9 states on our road trip. At the early stage of the trip as we left NC and entered VA, this was a really interesting sight. Pilot Mountain a circular rock just pushing up through the top of the mountain, looking rather like a cork popping out of a bottle. We really had fun discussing the geological ramifications of such a stunning event. Many of you know that I like to work in different media...on this trip, pen and ink and watercolor tended to be most logical to carry about... As a sketching medium, it is versatile, clean, and quick. So here is a 5x7 watercolor (on watercolor board...a quick response to what we saw as it loomed up before us.

Back Home in Carolina

What an exhausting and exhilarating trip! 2,678 miles of road trip driving around our beautiful country. Sometimes when we get wrapped up in our small day to day activities, our joys and our work tend to close us in to a smaller view on the world. This was such a treat. It was exciting to see our beautiful country. Traveling from NC, into VA, WV, OH, IN, IL, WI and back through WI, IL, IN, KY, TN, to NC...as the miles rolled on, the exquisite landscapes changed from state to state. Trees to rock formations to farms to rolling hillsides to rivers and lakes to sandstone cliffs to flat plains of corn fields...every site was a painting to me. In the next few days, you will see some of the little paintings done along the trip. But for today I will share with you the 24 x 18 oil portrait sketch demonstration I created for the class at the Richeson School of Art. That was a wonderful experience working with the folks at the school. Thanks to all of you in Wisconsin. It was a pleasure to work with everyone. (Sorry, this image is already sold.)

Workshops - back to back

Wow! What a busy week this has been... After leaving the Richeson Art School in northern Wisconsin and saying goodbye to my new students there, I rushed to Chicago to do a day of workshops in Chicago at the Art Expo. Again, lovely artists from Iowa, Michigan, FL, GA, IN, IL... we had a great time. Now on the road to the Blue Ridge Mountains... see you soon.

Richeson School of Art, Wisconsin

What a great bunch of students I have at this workshop....One traveled nearly as far as I did...from Annapolis, MD! They are all doing great work. We are working hard on proportions, individual features, and color charts for skin tones...all very hard work. I will have photos for you tomorrow...or since it is midnight already...I will have those pictures for you later today! I must say that the folks at Richeson make it very easy to teach and are fabulous hosts. This has been a truly enjoyable experience.

Road Trip, Blossoms, Gardens...

Finally on the road to Wisconsin to teach a portrait workshop... In the meantime, Raleigh has blossomed overnight with crepe myrtles challenging each other to see which can get the most attention. The colors are extraordinary. The gardens are in their best form, too. This image -a 9x3 oil on canvas on board - is lovely even today that the azaleas have completed their cycle.

Beach Beauties - Carolina Crusing at Cape Lookout

North Carolina fairly tilts on the Fourth of July as families make their exodus from the cities to the coast. Downtown Raleigh was a veritable ghost town yesterday with most everything closed including Artspace. Hope you enjoyed your celebrations with your loved ones. I pulled this quick study, 10 x 8 watercolor sketch out to share because I think it most represents this weekend's vacation time for so many people. It was a color plan for an oil painting. Carolina Crusing at Cape Lookout...

Fourth of July

Happy Fourth to all... I hope that your day was happy, healthy, safe, fun and full of franfurters, family, friends, and fireworks! My day was busy with work to prepare my Wisconsin and Chicago workshops. And although I managed to have a hot dog and view some fireworks over the lake from my back yard... I was very sad that I had to miss a birthday party for someone very important to me. So I am sharing an image that although is beautiful in design, is devoid of color... a little the way I feel tonight...missing something. An 8 x 10 graphite sketch...

As the holiday weekend approaches, I hope that all of you will be near friends and family. I will share with you this image from my "people watching" series... a 5 x 7 oil on panel...something we have all seen and loved. Tonight and tomorrow...be safe...

Raleigh heat - thinking beach...

Well, the last few days have been in the mid 90's, and I'm thinking beach again. Dream on... It's a work week. A woman in Cary has her mother from Thailand visiting. I am going over to start a portrait of her while she is here. I can't wait! In the meantime I am still thinking beach! Here is one of my beach babies - a 5x7 oil on panel...I sold him yesterday...but there are more...

Lakeview - Goose and Goslings

Back in Raleigh and happy to have morning coffee on the back deck to check on all of our little critters. We live on a small lake in the city. But sometimes it feels just a little too much like living in a Disney movie. We can watch the ducks, geese, turtles, squirrels, hawks, heron, an occasional racoon, and a beaver who is eating our neighbor's fence. Last week at daybreak, I watched as two deer casually walked along the greenway, over the rainbow bridges on the inlets, and around the bend to the other cove. Here is one of our favorites morning sights...the goose stretched tall to guard the goslings as they eat at the shoreline. This is a 5 x 7 oil on panel.