Preparing the Kayaks - finished

As I sat at Netarts Bay sketching and journaling I couldn't help but hear the group of kayakers near me. They obviously hadn't checked the tide charts and had arrived to find a low tide. They spent a good 30 minutes trying to decide if it was worth it, or if they should just go home. It sounded like one was a guide or instructor and the others were of vacation. I so wanted to tell them to just go for it! It may not be the perfect conditions, but they were there, they had their gear, and they may not get the opportunity again. I was so relieved when they finally made the choice to make the best of what they had. By the time they were ready to get in their kayaks I had to go. But I did get a few sketches and photos and now a painting of them preparing the kayaks.

How often do we spend our time trying to decide if the conditions are just right? How right do the conditions need to be? When is it worth it to just take a risk and jump in the water? I think we miss too many opportunities to make great memories when we spend too much time weighing options and not enough time getting wet.

Ocean Lily

I was walking to the beach in Manzanita, OR when I came upon a row of lilies. They are blooming everywhere here on the coast this time of year. But the ocean just made the perfect background and I had to stop in my tracks and take some reference photos. Once the background dried, the lily actually came together in about an hour. Fun, fun fun!

Making Tracks

I don't have a lot of time to work on this painting right now, but I am making tracks. The perspective isn't quite right yet, but they are developing.

I have often thought about the process of making tracks... moving forward and leaving an impression where I've been. Sometimes it's hard to move forward, but one step forward is still forward. And on those days when steps turn into miles it feels so good. 

And if I move forward diligently and with integrity then I don't have to worry about the tracks I leave behind. I don't have to look back and wonder. I can keep moving forward and focus on the present as well as my plans for the future.

Support

Today I worked on the support beams for the train tracks. I pondered on the importance of having strong support in our lives. There have been times in my life when I had very little support. I felt that no one understood what I was experiencing and I felt very alone, hopeless, and helpless. 

At other times in my life, like now, I've had strong people who understand, love, and care about me. They're willing to listen without judging, help without micromanaging, and allow me to grow at my own pace. 

When our support systems break down we become as vulnerable as this train would be if those beams began to break. Perhaps it would make it to the other side before the tracks collapsed under it. Or perhaps it wouldn't, and all would be lost. And so it is with us. If we don't have strong, supportive, stable people in our lives we can't be sure we'll make it to the other side of our problems. And if we go down, how many others will go down with us?

The Little Engine That Could

I was able to find some good resources and get the cars done. It was a fun day of things coming together. It was interesting that while I struggled physically to feel energy or the physical drive to paint, I was able to get myself to the canvas and then things just took off. 

One of the things I love about teaching is that I see this happen time and again with my students. It is validating to me that this is a human phenomenon and not just me. It also gives me the insight to reassure and support my students when they have days that they, as Nancy likes to say, "aren't feeling the love." 

I think it is often the case when we are struggling with any task initiation, that if we can simply get ourselves to the "canvas" an inner drive takes over and we kick into gear and do what needs to be done. Sometimes it's just a matter of getting ourselves in the right place at the right time. After that, it's just a matter of repeating, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."

Rhododendron

Well, my little Rhodie didn't get finished in a day... but I think she's coming along nicely just the same. This has been a great exercises in both hard and soft lines, as well as lights and shadows. I can see that I need to follow my own rule and stop being afraid of the dark! I think as I deepen the shadow areas it will really bring a greater sense of depth to the flower.

Goblet and Shells

Well, I forgot to photograph the initial sketch again. I just get too excited to start paining! I've enjoyed this short series of goblet paintings. It's been fun to search around the studio and find things to match up with the goblet. It's also been fascinating to see the similarities and differences in the reflections in the goblet as I pair it with different colored objects, as the light changes each day, and as I play with different background colors. It's been a great study in painting glass and playing with light.

Goblet and Eggs

I was determined to finish this one in a single sitting. It was hard, but I did it! I'm not sure I've ever done a true alla prima before. It was quite exciting. If I'd had more time I would have played with color a little more. But rather than fuss over it, I just moved on. 

The composition is not the greatest either, but I can live with it. I would like to have moved the front egg farther to the right. 

Additionally, I would like to have fine tuned and added more reflections in the glass of the goblet. There were so many plays of light and detail that I simply couldn't capture in the time I had. 

All in all, however, I'm satisfied with the end result. It's a good exercise and it's keeping me on my toes.

Goblet and Apples

While I didn't finish it one sitting, I'm still pleased with the result. Still life painting is not my forte, but I do enjoy it and this was a fun exercise. It is crazy how quickly the light changes. the highlights and shadows around the apples kept spreading as the hours passed and I couldn't keep up with them. It was fun to experience what the impressionists treasured as they played with these same issues. 

Daily Painting

While I love the idea of painting every single day, reality doesn't always allow it. However, I do know I can get better at it. It's easy to have an excuse not to paint - especially when I'm not working on a commission piece and in-between paintings for the book I'm illustrating. So I've given myself the challenge of painting every day possible, and if there's not a major work in progress to simply paint small and fast. 

So here is my attempt at completing a painting in one day... I didn't make it. 

Someone once said that excuses are like armpits - they all stink. So my stinky excuse for not finishing this painting in one day is that we were invited last minute to dinner with friends. Good excuse, right? In reality, however, I could have started painting earlier in the day, or prioritized my painting over socializing. Nevertheless, I did what I did and here is the result. 

The first image was when I remembered I hadn't take a photo of just the sketch. The second image is how far I got before my tummy and my head distracted me from my work... 

K. Day 8

This post may not look a lot different from the last one. As I mentioned before, hair can be a real struggle to paint. As with the face, there is a lot of layering and building. After blocking in the different tones and values I came back with different brushes and began creating the feel of hair. I'll let this sit a while and then come and build some more.

K. is finally getting dressed! The details are progressing and she will soon be finished. Fabric is one of my favorite things to paint. It's amazing how just a few plays of light, shadow, hard lines and soft lines can create such a sense of movement, texture and depth. It's days like these that I really love to paint.

K Day 7

K. is growing some hair. Again, blocking in the main areas of highlights and shadows and basic shape. It's amazing how many different tones there are to hair. 

Hair can be difficult to paint and I admit I generally really struggle with it. There is the temptation to paint every strand. But, as always, the eye does not see what we know to be true. So while we understand that she has a million single strands of hair, we don't see her that way. We see a general shape of what we know to be hair and we recognize a few individual strands that represent all the rest of them. Next time you see someone, pay more attention to how you see their hair. 

So here is K's general shape of hair and next time I'll start working more on defining enough noticeable sections to make it readable and believable.

K Day 6

Chunky cheeks are always so cute in kids! This little sweetheart has the cutest no-tooth smile and pinch-able cheeks! I love getting hugs from her when I see her and am grateful for the opportunity to capture her charm. Art doesn't necessarily last forever, but it is definitely the gift the "keeps on giving". 

Sometimes I take pictures of the process nearly every step of the way. It's funny how many face lifts one figure can get. Noses can move, eyes can get lifted, mouths can completely change expression. I love that moment when I can sit back and say, "Ah, now there she is!"