Jolly Rodger, Kill Devil Hills, NC

This is the Jolly Roger Restaurant in Kill Devil Hills. Pastel 20 x 16 on Ampersand. This is a joyful, goofy, eclectic mix of wait staff in pirate costume, Christmas ornaments hanging from every nook, cranny, and ceiling, and this amazing stained glass solarium. We were staying at a quaint motel on the beach, and it included breakfast…but you have to go down the street to the Jolly Roger for that breakfast. Plate-sized pancakes, waffles, eggs, grits, bacon…the Carolina heart-stopping breakfast. The yuppies and northern invasion had not gotten hold of this property yet. It was obviously a small diner that had expanded three or four times with rooms that didn’t quite fit one another, doorways that didn’t quite match up, and vacationer-tacky knickknacks everywhere. However, the bar area/ solarium was just a tremendous surprise at the end of a serpentine walk through the other “memorabilia.” What fun...

Memorial Auditorium at Sunset

After doing a series of quick sketches in graphite, charcoal, or watercolor like the one on yesterday's post, I can more easily decide which composition I prefer for the final work. Yesterday's sketch was a 10 x 8 watercolor and ink. From the group of those sketches, I chose a more elongated design at sunset. This oil painting is on a 36 x 24 inch canvas. Because I wanted a fuller, textured effect with different attack of paint in the columns, the greenery, the glass wall, and the sunset sky, I worked only in palette knife.

Love quick sketches...

It always amazes me when I have spent the day sketching...so many can be done in such a short time. In graphite, in charcoal, in watercolor, in pastel... even in oil... the ideas just flow. When traveling, it is the best way to record ideas. But even at home, we should do more, but we tend not to do our own towns, our own backyards enough. Here is a little watercolor of our Memorial Auditorium. It anchors our main street in downtown Raleigh. At the opposite end - our state Capitol.

Small Oil Portrait

This is a sweet, high key 20x16 oil portrait that is another of those timeless faces,crisp Peter Pan collar,and velvet suspendered knee shorts...sattleshoes, too! Cute, isn't he?

Lemon Twist

With Summer coming to a close, we are still having weather in the mid and high 90's in the Carolinas. The favorite liquid refreshment here is iced tea, a sweet concoction made with dark, but clearly, brewed tea and melting sugar into it until it is nearly as thick as syrup. Thin and clear as it dilutes over ice, it is one of those things you can love about the south. But lemonade still is my favorite. Having fresh squeezed a great deal of it this summer, there have been an abundance of lemons around the kitchen. So here is a new twist...a 10 x 8 oil still life called "Lemon Twist." Now let's go take a break and cool off...

Art and Antiques

It is Monday. Today Artspace is closed. This made a great day to paint, go through files, and do preliminary work for future paintings. This image was designed for the Red Cross Ball. The Antique Store Window was the ultimate still life and really fun to put together. It represented many different countries for their international theme that year. An oil on 16 x 20 canvas...

Artspace Summer Festival

Today was the end of our summer program for all ages at Artspace. Our celebration included an artshow of all the work that was created from May to August, food, music, artist demos, magicians, a puppet show by the artists who created them... This was a good, old fashioned family event. And we were mobbed with people! Our 25 studios were packed, the halls were filled, the three galleries were filled, the ed room...well, you get the idea. It was so much fun to talk with the young artists who really want to see marked improvement and are working so hard to that end. How does this commotion fit in with fine art...well, first you have to get them in the door, then you can educate them! This is a 24 x 18 pastel on display at the studio...Summer Roses - enjoy your weekend.

Painting Personalities Workshop

Here are a few shots from my workshop. Two days + two 30 x 40 canvases + two models -Renaissance and Colonial + three inch brushes and palette knives = great fun! This is how you keep less experienced artists loose from the beginning...you never permit them to draw or get too picky. Yes, this method is dangerous and could end up a disaster. But with the right attitude going in... it all turned into great fun.

The Workshop

What a great time we had at the Painting Personalities workshop at Artspace! My models were wonderful... thanks to Gabriella and Abigail... in Renaissance and Colonial costumes. I left the camera at the studio...so no pictures until later. This was not done in the workshop, but it will give you an idea of what we were after...

Color Study - One Sitting

In working with my portrait clients I often do a full color study in one sitting. Particularly when they are from out of the area. This permits me to use my graphite sketches and my color study as my model for as long as I can before needing another sitting. Here is a one-sitting (about two hours), color study done at my studio. The image is life size. Doesn't he have the greatest eyes?

Still life - Nonni's Tea Cup and Pearls

Well, that was an adventure! We managed to travel 1,500 miles in 5 days. Raleigh to the opening at Cape Cod, visits with family on Cape Cod, Boston, and Reston, VA... and now back to work. It took me two days to get back into the swing of things. In going through the studio to do some rearranging, I found this 8 x 10 oil of my grandmother's tea cup and pearls I had done some time earlier. The photo of the full image is a little too glistening with light on the dark colors...the camera and I disagreed on the settings...but I think the close up of the pearls is interesting. Any comments?

Children - Italian Piazza Visitors

So taking a little break on Friday before the mass of visitors come to the studios for our First Friday Gallery Walk...wine, music, friends, art...a great combination. In the meantime I will share with you a little 14 x 11 oil painting from the series of children I did in Italy. Enjoy!

Portrait - the finish

So here we are finally done. Of course, this declaration is dependent upon the client's reaction at our noon meeting tomorrow! But I am satisfied with the image after simplifying the background, defining the detail in the embroidery, and giving the black blouse another glaze of deeper color. Let me know what you think...

Portrait - details at the end...

So for those of my students who say they have my voice in their head when they paint...I hope you still hear me saying "save the details until the end." Today didn't go as I had planned so I am still not completely finished with this lovely woman from Singapore. But because someone came into the studio today and claimed that the photos didn't represent the painting as well as they could have, I am going to show you two details...one of the face and one of the embroidery on the shoulder. Let me know if these photos are better!

Portrait - build to clarify

So here I am coming up to my deadline. This lovely lady is leaving for Singapore in four days. At this stage, I try to clarify all areas enriching clothing, background, skin tones. Finish the background by making it less agitated and simpler. And the big thing, of course, is to define and simplify the embroidery on the shirt as our big finish.

Portrait - refining

Working on the painting over all... Refining little bits at a time. Here is the result...notice the expression is now pleasant and relaxed. Tomorrow I work on the embroidery on the blouse from Brussels without the model and try to tie it altogether in a manner that approaches a finish. Then one more sitting, and she leaves to go back to Singapore. We will see how it goes...

Portrait - the next step...

You may notice that I bounce around a bit from subject to subject. I thought this blog would have been about the other paintings and small things that I do while traveling or in preparation to do a much larger painting instead of the portraits. However, I have heard from some of my students and artist friends. They would be much more interested in the day to day workings of the studio. So I am moving in that direction. Friday was a paper day...accounting, calendars, updates, printing, filing, etc. Some painting took place and I am now just getting it out to show you. Here is the portrait of my lovely client from Singapore. The next step was to add darks and define planes a bit more. Notice that I do have some lights in the painting at this stage. As I am moving in and out of a residental location to do this painting, I use the light notes to help me reposition her. The background will help me determine better values on skin, hair, clothing as I proceed. It still is a little harsh looking with large brushstrokes and big broken patterns which are perhaps seen better close up. But here we are...