Luana Luconi Winner Studios

Per amore dell'arte... schizzi e riflessioni.. (For the love of art...sketches and reflections

2011-07-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hello again... I have been away for much too long and seem to have abondoned all of my students, friends, colleagues, and followers. I hope to make this up to you as work to bring you up to date. So much has happened as life took some interesting turns. To begin, these are things that need to be said:
For the love of the art one does not abandon the creative inner being in dificult times.
For the love of the art one finds a way to stay focused even though outside stresses take their toll.
For the love of the art one must continue to expand and develop their skills.
For the love of art, we live. All art, music, literature, drama, feeds us and restores us.

As the world around us changes and new pressures crush even the most willing souls, great literature and art are the only things that can feed us and bring us back to life. My father, the son of Italians who came to the US to make a better life for their future generations, devoured great literature. Among the various works he often quoted was "If" by Rudyard Kipling. If you have had any personal struggles recently, read on and see if you can relate.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream — and not make dreams your master;
If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings — nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And which is more; you'll be a Man, my son!
http://allspirit.co.uk/kipling.html
All art, music, literature, drama, feeds us and restores us. We must continue to create even when - perhaps, especially when - we think no one is paying attention.

The North Carolina Opera Ball...highest bid

2010-02-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend the North Carolina Opera held their annual ball and fundraiser. Having been asked to donate a portrait to help raise funds in this dreadful economy, I was happy to help. The lovely lady you see in this graphite drawing told the audience of the work I had done to create her mother's portrait last summer. (You may remember the oil I showed you in stages as we worked together before my sitter left to go home to Singapore.) It was a wonderful evening at the opera event - a very nice dinner, a lovely dance, with beautiful performances by NC opera hopefuls, and a very successful auction. I am proud to share with you that Mrs. Romano's talk to the audience apparently encouraged some very generous patrons to bid for the portrait. The winner will have a head and shoulder portrait painted of the person of their choice. The bidding was very lively and very exciting. It claimed the highest income ( by more than a third) for any item that night! We all need to do what we can to help non-profits stay alive. We must not lose our music, art, opera, ballet, drama to these uncertain times. Read more about how the NC Opera has merged with other opera companies in NC. http://operanc.wordpress.com/

Red Cross Ball 2010 - Fundraiser

2010-01-31T18:55:00.000-08:00

The Red Cross is one of my special activities..... Now more that ever we need to be raising funds for their good works globally. Happily, I am their signature artist here in the Triangle again this year. Their theme this season was "Carolina Nights." This offers so many visual opportunities. Our state is wide and diverse in its topography, people, food, etc. So I decided to offer three designs - one for each of our regions. To the east, there are lovely white-sand beaches of the coastal region. The extremely diverse central area of the Piedmont has the busiest of towns known for banking, universities, and technology,and are interspersed with rolling pastoral farmlands. Then to the west, the wonderful Blue Ridge Mountains. Tonight I will share the painting of the Coastal Scene. Now go to http://www.trianglearc.org/EVENTS/AnnualGala/tabid/896/language/en-US/Default.aspx

The Sketchbook...

2010-01-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the wonderful Leonardo exhibition in Atlanta at the High Museum? Go to http://www.high.org/main.taf?p=3,1,1,15,1 or go directly to the home page at the High http://www.high.org/ The exhibit is there until the 21st ofr February. Quite lovely, inspiring.... when one walks in, each person receives a magnifying glass and invited to approach the artwork at very close range....how unusual! So here is a page from one of my toned-paper, 14x11 sketchbooks. The work is in brown Sharpie ink, touched with green-grey watercolor pencil, and white charcoal pencil. Why ink? It is a little like those folks who do the NY Times crossword puzzles in ink... makes you think fast, stay on your toes, and build confidence. The next couple of images will be pages from my sketchbooks that are matted and for sale.

Jerry's Art of the Carolinas...

2009-11-18T20:14:00.000-08:00

So glad to have been a part of the Jerry's event at the North Raleigh Hilton this past weekend. The students were great! My classes were really interesting - for both of us!...a lecture on The Color of Light, creating color charts for The Color of People, building better portraits through clearer understanding of the individual features in Parts and Pieces, and the busiest class, Great Faces! Special thanks to all the manufacturers who sponsored my classes. Go look at http://www.ampersandart.com/ http://www.savoirfaire.com/ and http://www.sennelier.fr/ and http://www.strathmoreartist.com/ and http://www.richesonart.com/ I love working with your materials...your materials make my art the best it can be... And those students had such talent and enthusiasm, all ages, all backgrounds - their energy just gave me more energy. I love, love, love demonstrating portrait sketches. It is always so much fun...really magical... to see an image develop from nothing on a blank canvas. Come back and see me...every one of you!

Looking back at the oil sketch...

2009-11-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

Here is a oil portrait sketch I did of a lovely fellow who modeled for one of my workshops a few years ago. I think this is still one of my favorites. Have you ever noticed how the more spontaneous the work - all while talking, explaning color, value, placement, lighting - is the real ticket! All that chatter you are pouring out to the students helps somehow to keep part of your brain occupied so that you don't overwork the painting. You just do it! And this character study is all in the eye and the corner of the mouth..not to mention the rakish tilt of the hat! I guarantee that you would recognize him in a crowd.

The two hour oil sketch...

2009-11-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to share this 24 x 20 oil sketch with you today. Dana was one of my interns two years ago. She came to me to learn more about figure drawing as she was preparing to go on to the Savannah School of Art for fashion design. We have a great internships program here at Artspace http://www.artspacenc.org/ that works in conjunction with our scool system and the local colleges. We train them in the business of art, all aspects of creating art, stocking the studio, difference in materials, difference in techniques, the basic daily life of the studio....and in return the students help us with daily work of all types and occasionally assist us with our workshops or classes, deliveries, etc. This sketch was done in about two hours...note the unfinished hands... but it really caught her in a great spot under the sky light. Please call for pricing.

I'd like John Singer Sargent's opinion...

2009-11-05T17:55:00.000-08:00

When I painted this sample oil portrait, I needed a solid, showy artwork for a faculty show in another state. In my mind, the real key to this appealing painting is in its simplicity, elegance, and debonaire quality of the gentleman. Happily, when people see this 40 x 30 oil in my studio, they often say how it reminds them of John Singer Sargent. Well, flattering as that may be (and whether they are educated enough in art to truly make such a comparison may be in question), I wonder what his opinion would be on this comparison? We too often hear something referred to as Sargent-esque.Wouldn't it be wonderful to have an opportunity to talk with a master painter just for a quick critique? Let me know what you think. What makes a painting timeless and appealing...and maybe - Sargent - esque?

A good lesson...

2009-11-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

Try to keep your paintings, sketches, sketchbooks in some version of order. As you keep in touch with past clients, you may find that they wish to purchase historic materials. Because I do so many compositional sketches for a portrait assignment, there are always more options for paintings than I will end up doing for the client. The parents of this little girl contacted me to purchase several pieces from that earlier project - graphite compositional sketches or watercolor color plans/studies. This is a detail from the final painting - a large double pastel of this little girl and her older sister. I should tell you a secret now...this was painted 17 years ago! It is still one of my favorites. How nice to hear back from those clients...

Working studio...

2009-11-02T20:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my working studio. Of the two rooms, this is the back room where the skylight gives me as much good light as I can hope for in an historic building. My working wall is full of heightened chacoal sketches that I am using to work out sizes and compositions for paintings. These three are 24 x 30 and 30 x 36. You can see tables with boxes that have just arrived, a couple of oil paintings in progress, and a large ink drawing on newsprint testing out the size requested by a client for their double portrait...the usual jumble of things that move in and out of the space as I work.

Rocky Stream...

2009-10-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween. I thought I might have some Halloweeners visiting the studio today. But instead, the 76 degree weather must have taken them out doors to enjoy this lovely fall day. It reminded me of a day last month, before the leaves began to change, when we found this lovely rocky stream not far from our house on the north side of town. This is a 5 x 7 watercolor on Aquaboard that I did that day. A really pleasant day...I want to go back and explore some more. $150/$5/NCSTx

Quick sketches...

2009-10-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

The best thing I can recommend over and over again is to do lots of sketching. Some of my students have told me the last few days that they enjoyed seeing these little quick sketches that I do all the time. I was also reminded of the time I accompanied my daughter to Vienna when she was singing with a group that was performing there. I sketched everything! The buildings, the interiors, the singers, the hotel... I had my sketchbook with me all the time. Good or bad, fast or slow, I was indelibly etching these images on my brain in a way that a momentary snapshot never would. Now get out the pencils and get to work! This quick sketch is graphite and watercolor... $50/$5shp/NCSTx

Vienna Boys Choir...

2009-10-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

...and so in the middle of the recuperation and cabin fever what should come to Raleigh but the Vienna Boys Choir. What a treat... All along the audience had the delight of hearing these angelic voices. What we were surprised with was the behind the music notebook antics that caused the giggling to ensue. Our friends and my husband and I had the good fortune to have been given these lovely seats 8th row center orchestra, so we were privy to all the on stage shenanigans. They were after all a bunch of little boys... and how they managed to travel with 25 7-12year olders I'll never know. The littlest and the biggest were teamed on the front row...whatever it was that set them off - it affected the front 10 rows or so as well. This was a little memory sketch in graphite and watercolor I dashed off when I returned home... $50 /$5shp/ NCSTx

The cafe series...in the piazza

2009-10-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Continuing the cafe series, I want to impress on my students that the graphite/watercolor sketch is the fastest possible way to collect ideas. Seated, and sometimes standing, just about anywhere for a very short time can give you movement, placement, rough shapes and the basic idea and feel of the place. Use dozens of these to create the painting later int he studio if you are not comfortable with the "street show" you become as an on site plein aire painter. This is 5 x7. $50/$5sh/NCSTx

The cafe series...the red dress

2009-10-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

This is a quick 7 x 5 watercolor sketch of a lovely, tall woman in red... on a cell phone. I thought the burgundy of the dress matched the cabernet she was enjoying. Back when I was doing a series of cell phone paintings, this was among the quick sketches. I love that we have these wonderful outdoor cafes even here in Carolina now. It has taken years, but I am so happy that Raleigh has added our wonderful cafes and this lovely way to enjoy food, friends, and the beauty of the day. $50/$5sh/NCstx

The cafe series...near the villa

2009-10-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

I think that this was a very interesting juxtaposition of the cafe near an amazing palazzo behind the wall. The building of the cafe is off to the left out of the frame of my 5 x 7 inch watercolor sketch. But in this series of cafes in Italy, I was surprised at how many of these I collected over time in many different media. These little ones are easy to do in your lap or on the table after expresso and biscotti. Families, sunshine, great food, a little vino make up a great great day...
$150.00/ $5shipping/ NCSTx

The cafe series...

2009-10-19T22:50:00.000-07:00

A wonderful artist Johanna Spinks is off to France to do a five week residency. Love the idea. She will have a marvelous time.http://portraitpaintingbyjohannaspinks.blogspot.com/ to see her things. She will certainly have time to enjoy the scenery in the villages as well as the famous towns and their museums. In the meantime, I thought I might bring out my cafe series from Italy for you to see. This is a 7x5 oil called "Waiting." Just a little something fun. There will be some more later this week.

A portrait warmup....

2009-10-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

This young lady was the perfect subject for a quick warm up. You know that painters, like dancers, singers, pianists, etc., really tend to to warmups before beginning a long day's work. Many of us do tiny 5x7 paintings as a warmup or preliminary. But sometimes it feels good just to do as I did today and grab a 20 x 16 canvas that had a nice thick palette knife layer of texture onto which the painting could fly out of the brush... And this one really did. Let me know what you think...

N. C. State Fair...

2009-10-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

One of my fondest memories, biggest challenges, and favorite people in a non-typical work environment is the 25 years I spent as the Superintendent of the Art Department of the North Carolina State Fair. I was on contract with the state to produce a state-wide art exhibition every fall in Raleigh at the State Fair. When I arrived, we took in about 300 snap shots and art pieces in a WWI warehouse building on the fairgrounds near the RR tracks. We gave out a small amount of prize monies in $10, $20, $30 increments. What a joy it was to become a part of this crazy family of administrators, full time workers, and part time helpers who came together once a year to put on this great family oriented party! Logistically, it was a nightmare. We used to take in, catalog, tag, wrap, store, judge, hang, label, ribbon, and open the show all in 6 days. We were up for 10 days and reversed the process in 1 day at close. Whew! Over time the department grew to take in nearly 2,600 pieces of art and award $23,000 in cash, college scholarships, and products. By that time, we were the featured show in the nicest building on the fairgrounds...the Governor Bob Scott Building where the big Jim Graham Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture would move his office for the length of the fair. He sat over us with a wall of glass windows looking down on us like God. It was a great challenge and great fun...and a LOT of work. But at the end we had wonderful judges coming from all over the US and wonderful museums in DC and up and down the east coast. And the artwork was better and better with each passing year...it was quite the show to be in. I have not been a part of the fair for a number of years now. But this year, I was asked back to Judge a category that was added... it is for a deserving portrait or figurative piece. The ribbon and award are called, "Luana Luconi Winner Faces of Carolina." what a nice, full circle feel that has... Thanks guys! http://www.ncstatefair.org/2009/

Sketch to final oil portrait...

2009-10-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

The sketch I shared with you earlier was completed at as oil portrait. This posthumous portrait is nearly complete and may have a change or two requested by the family concerning the necklace. If we decide to make a change, I will share the final version with you.

With great disappointment...

2009-10-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have no artwork to share with you tonight. It is a great disappointment that I am unable to be in Pasadena to teach my classes this week. When I broke my leg last week, I still fully intended to make the trip. But due to complications, it was recommended that I remain home. I particularly want to thank the folks at SilverBrush.com, Ampersand.com, RichesonArt.com, StrathmoreArtist.com, and Sennelier/ Savoir Faire for their continued support.

Portraits in progress...

2009-10-10T20:33:00.001-07:00

The sketch stage is so important to me. I feel that I might not be able to move ahead as easily without the study of the head and body language that is accomplished during the drawings. Here is the full graphite sketch of this lovely lady...

Portrait of a lady...

2009-10-09T15:30:00.001-07:00

I enjoy waking up everyday looking forward to the work I do. Meeting new people, becoming a part of their lives, and creating an artwork that will last long after the person and the family are gone. This is a posthumous portrait...much more difficult to produce for me. I rely on the personality, the humor, the voice, the visual physique, the movement of the person to dictate how the painting should be completed. With the posthumous portrait, I must gleen all that informtation second hand from family and friends of the subject. This is a graphite detail from one of the sketches we are considering...

Take time for a break...

2009-10-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

Okay that was a deceptive title... in reality, I have broken a leg and found that keeping up with most tasks this week to be somewhat more difficult. So I took time off for the break...oh, you get it, right? In the meantime, here is a little watercolor of acorns on the deck. Fall has arrived. The weather is wonderful. Enjoy the days ahead!

Portraits and birthdays...

2009-09-30T20:23:00.001-07:00

This is my husband's and daughter's birthday. When Doug was 40, I painted him in a three piece suit and tie and hung the sample portrait in the board room of our office. In recent years, he hit another milestone, and I suggested we do a more casual portrait. He said,"Yes, but this time paint the real me...the beach bum!" Well, although he grew up on the coast of Carolina, he hasn't lived there permanently in over 50 years! But one day, the light was right, the pose was accidental, and everything fell into place. This is a 40 x 30 oil portrait... I have as a sample in my studio now. Our children said it was "so Dad...in his story-telling pose." The Son of a Fisherman...

Drawing - college prep class...

2009-09-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

Back in Raleigh I met with my college prep class tonight. These are all high school students 14 to 17 years old...all such talented, interesting kids. What a great bunch! I wish I could have more time with them. Tonight we worked heightened charcoal drawings from white statuary with single light sources...a great way to begin good habits. Here is the 15 minute demo I did...and a wall of most of the students' work tonight. Loved it. Looking forward to next week with everyone.

...so much for nearly daily posts...

2009-09-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

All season I have been filling you in on travel and activities as they happened. This month there have been some family events with the older generation that needed a great deal of attention. Painting, business, communication has virtually stopped for the past two weeks. Things are on the upswing now. I will be leaving Florida to return home to Raleigh, my husband, my studio, my activities early this week. But right now I am watching the most beautiful sunset over Clearwater bay on the west coast of Florida and can finally feel the juices flowing to start working again. This is a 20 x 16 oil painting still life I did here some time ago. A view of one of my mother's tables with pearls, teacup, and Italian mirror. Elegant. Quiet.

Beach Beauties and Blogs...

2009-09-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

A wonderful artist friend, Mike Rooney, the North Carolina coastal artist who encouraged me to start this blog, offered to share some notes about using blogs in the art business. I am the speaker at the Pastel Society of North Carolina program this coming Saturday ( a week from today) and plan to include his information in this presentation. He's a great guy...just got back from painting in Cape Cod. You need to check out his site at http://mikerooneystudios.blogspot.com/
And so in his honor I am going to run this 5 x 7 oil of a beach beauty digging mussels one more time...
$150.00/ $9shipping/ NCSTx

Ballerina backstage...

2009-09-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

This theme was helped along by a lovely young ballerina who posed for me in my studio. We had the opportunity to try a number of things including this 7 x 5 oil painting of a Ballerina on a Box. I love the backstage work. So many wonderful shapes and colors to play with...

Reflecting...

2009-09-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

Do we love these little 5x7 oils of ballerinas because of their pensive qualities? Or do we love their poses because they are consumate athletes and are as graceful at rest as they are on stage...

Pastel Portraits and Children...

2009-09-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

Like all women I am many things...wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, friend. As I walked through a building today, I observed a 4 year-old happily shadowing her father - who she clearly adored. I remembered that time when I was that little girl. Later in the day, a family came into the studio. The preteen hanging on her mother enganging her in adult conversation, sharing a girls' moment. "Oh, Mom, look how lovely the dress is in that painting. She looks so beautiful." I remember being that girl, too. I hope that when all is said and done, that my paintings will help the families I paint remember those moments. This is a detail from a pastel portrait of two sisters...the younger one shown here was the flirty, precocious one. I hope that comes through...

Silverpoint drawings...

2009-09-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today was full of arranging plane flights, preparing papers for classes, and pulling together some images as examples. I was working on two of the classes I will be teaching at Jerry's Art of the Carolinas in November in Raleigh. One is this great "Mr. Wizard's Color of Light Bounce Effects - Physics for Artists Painting Light 101"!! Okay so that's not really the title, but that will be the real point of the class... or show, in this case. I was also working on the class about drawing and painting hands and found one of my old silverpoint drawings that I will be including in the powerpoint explanation. Silver is used... Drawn on clay coated Italian paper 4 x 3 inches. This was done in Florence from a statue in the Medici Chapel.

The Perfect Day...

2009-09-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today was the perfect day. The weather was at its very best. The sky was incredibly beatiful. I managed to study this morning, write a little, paint without a deadline, cook a great meal, and enjoy it leisurely on the patio over looking the lake until the sun finally set. Perfect. There have been few days like this recently. I am grateful for it. It reminded me of another day in Italy in Panzano near Florence... It was much like the day in this 24 x 30 oil painting. Can you feel the sunlight?

Splendid First Friday...

2009-09-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

The evening started off very slowly. So all the artists thought that everyone had gone to the beach for the holiday weekend. Not at all. We had a stunning crowd by 7:30 and it never let down all evening long. Shoulder to shoulder, it was a massive group, all ages ranges. Great interest in the artwork, great questions, great fun. Here is an 11 x 14 pastel on Ampersand board to toss into the mix...

Italian Landscape - Vicino Panzano - the next step...

2009-09-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

This project was begun by an invitation to do a show with five other artists for a gallery in Raleigh, NC. Judy Jones, the gallery owner and a marvelous printmaker, decided that it would be interesting to see the results of a show called "Painters under Pressure." This intaglio print that I posted yesterday is of a location near Panzano, Italy. The print image is 4 x 10 with the sheet size being 10 x 16. To hand tint them, I simply used a watercolor wash. Each print then became individual and unique. I did left a few untinted because I loved the pure simplicity of the print and the texture of the paper. Our show opens tomorrow night for Raleigh's First Friday Art Walk.

Italian Landscape - Vicino Panzano

2009-09-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

This is an intaglio print that I created this week. The image is a location near Panzano, Italy were we stay frequently when we go - a serene location with lovely rolling hills and vineyards in every direction. The print image is 4 x 10 with the sheet size being 10 x 16. I used a rich chocolate colored ink on creme colored Italian paper...hmm, I must be hungry... Here is the full image and a closeup detail. Tomorrow I will take the prints and hand tint them.

Carolina Coast - One more time...

2009-09-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of closeup images from yesterday's post about the unusual restaurant at the coast of Carolina. Thanks for the calls and emails about this image. I agree with you - it was a most memorable place and it had to be painted. This is a pastel 20 x16 on Ampersand board, and here are two of the interesting areas.

Jolly Rodger, Kill Devil Hills, NC

2009-08-31T19:52:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-08-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-24T19:46:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-08-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-08-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

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...

Beach - cape cod show...

2009-07-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-07-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-07-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-07-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-13T13:34:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-07-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-07-03T06:40:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-07-02T06:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

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.

Blue Ridge to Home - Morning Table

2009-06-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

Time to head home from the mountains... I am always a little sad to leave... Lovely memories and images to take back home - wild turkeys on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the rhododendron are finally blossoming at our elevation, and, of course, our lovely birds and deer... You will see some of these over the next few days. The paintings are wet and had to be packed for transport. But before I go, I will share this 7 x 5 oil of our morning table...

Blue Ridge - Stone Bridge off Aho Road

2009-06-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

The beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains is particularly found in the quiet, hidden places. Yesterday on a drive down the mountain to the city, we happened upon this stone bridge in just the right lighting to make us stop and take notice. Aho Road connects the Blue Ridge Parkway halfway between Boone and Blowing Rock. There are so many treasures hidden in the woods...

I thought I would take this one away with us as a 5 x 7 oil. Hope you like it...

Blue Ridge - Approaching Boone

2009-06-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

It would be difficult to choose which is the more beautiful - the sunrise over the Carolina Coast or the sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains. There is a soul cleansing joy to being a part of this kaleidoscope show. As we drove across state, we approached the Blue Ridge at just the right hour to witness something too many of us take for granted and ignore nowadays...you know who you are as you spend hours nose to screen with TV, PDAs, Ipods, computers, etc. Look up. Look out. This 5x7 oil impression of last night's show may be a cliche, but my mind, my eyes, and my soul feel refreshed.

Carolina Coast - Beach Baby - Shells

2009-06-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

There you go! Friday just completely got out of hand, and before you knew what happened - it was gone! What a happyily, busy day it was... and we have had a mob of people at Artspace today! I was just recounting a wonderful story from the beach a week or two ago with friends who dropped into the studio...so I thought you might enjoy seeing this image I shared with them...a cute beach baby searching shells...5 x 7 oil. In the meantime, I am closing up shop and heading west again for the weekend. You just can't beat being in Carolina in the summer.... two hours east to the white sandy shores of the Atlantic and three hours west to the beautiful Blue Ridge. What a tough choice!

Carolina Coast - Beach Beauties

2009-06-25T23:15:00.000-07:00

You know we have some of the most beautiful coastline in the country right here in North Carolina. And although the coastline is serene and lovely, two weeks ago, when we were in Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk and Nags Head, I spent a couple of hours catching wonderful, fun poses on the beach...who needs models? This is a 7x5 oil that started the series...

Sunset in Boone

2009-06-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry I missed posting this last night. Unfortunately, I am back in the city...that means a morning meeting at breakfast, a business women's luncheon, and an end of the year board meeting last night... No painting and little net communication yesterday. But here is the 5x7 oil of the sunset in Boone before we left on Monday. Hope you like it.

Good morning, deer!

2009-06-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, up here on top of the mountain we have lovely deer who occasionally sleep in our back yard. So in the morning as we take our walk, we see them come out of the brush and head down the hill into the glade. Unfortunately, they think that the flower garden was set out just for them. It is a fine balance here. But I am so glad to have this time away from the city... This is a 5x7 Oil Sketch....

Blue Ridge on Father's Day

2009-06-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

A lovely day that has gone from sun at daybreak to overcast to sun once again... that's the way it always seems to be in the Blue Ridge...unpredictable. But after spending time recalling memories with the special men in my life... father, husband, son...I took some time to record a sweet spot a short distance from here on Friendship Church Road. A quick 5x7 color study...

The studio in summer...

2009-06-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

Here is the blog I promised all of you! The studio in summer is particularly busy between travel, workshops, portraits, and speaking events. Family factors prominently into this schedule as well. In the last two months, I have worked and/or visited in Boston, Washington DC, Reston, VA, Greesboro, NC, Morehead City, NC, Nag Head/Kill Devil Hills, NC, Boone/Blowing Rock, NC, and occasionally home in Raleigh! I will be including daily paintings (or almost daily paintings) with my posts. Since I work on large paintings for long periods of time, I will share (and sell) some of my preparatory sketches, thumbnail color sketches (5x7 and 8x10 panels), and plein aire "color notes." It is midnight...I will post a painting in the morning. Until then...