Getting ready for NY

I've been painting, just not posting.  Shame on me.
I painted a portrait last Saturday.
I'm working on the "Fran" portrait for the September show at Newburyport.
I volunteered at North Shore last week and really enjoyed it.
I've been working on a large acrylic 30x40" of Stevens Cooledge's garden area.
I've been working on a 10x20" oil of my view out back during the early winter.
I've been reading a lot of art stuff.
See, I've been busy.
Tomorrow I'll experiment with a very limited palette for Lori Putnum's workshop in NY.
Oh, and yes, I've spent a considerable amount of money on new supplies, panels, paint, and ROSEMARY BRUSHES!

Paint Inventory Day

How does anyone end up with 156 tubes of paint?

I guess the short answer is that they don't use it.  While looking for some particular colors I realized that my tubes were stored here, there, and everywhere.  There are probably a few more stashed somewhere I didn't come across yet.  That lead me to organize and inventory them.  I got these nice boxes for $.97 each.  I set up a laptop on that chair to the right and sat on a milk crate and did the inventory.  I have to say it feels good.  Now I know what I have and where it is.

Progression Pics of WeRun

Progression photos of We Run, 30x40 acrylic

Recently I worked on the Portrait "Fran" for the Newburyport Portrait Show in September, it has a ways to go yet.  Then I've started another 30x40" acrylic that I like because of the geometric patterning of the rows of plantings in a garden at Steven Coolidge Place in No. Andover.  Today I should be painting at Cox Reservation with David Curtis' group and I'll head over there about 1 p.m. and then attend a reception at The Nook in Rockport at 5.  Spring arrived very late here in New England and I still haven't done my yard work.  I know that if I don't get out there soon, the weeds will get out of control.  The People Painting People Project for Merrimac MA for the month of August is still gaining ground, and tomorrow morning I take down my solo show at the Rhythm Cafe.  I had a very good show there with lots of nice comments and many sales.  I'm going to buy Rosemary Brushes with the proceeds and supplies for the Lori Putnum workshop in June.

We Run

We Run, 30x40", acrylic on canvas

This painting that I finished yesterday is titled "We Run" (Together) which comes from the billboard sign on the right edge of the painting.  It is a view down Berkeley at the corner of Boylston.
I've been painting since I moved into this house in my studio upstairs (14 years ago) and while working on this painting (in acrylic) I made more mess in a few days than I did in oil in 14 years.  Boy, I have to get a little better organized to work with acrylics.
I'm planning to tone down the building on the left that is a little bit too yellow and fix a tire on a car.  A painter's work in never done.
I took this picture on the way home from an art show at Cyclorama in March in late afternoon on a rainy day while driving.
I did it for the DPW challenge to paint a busy city street scene which came up just recently and motivated me to do this painting, and the Merrimac Public Library offered me a show in August and for that I thought I'd do about 4 large acrylic paintings.

I did take photos while in process and will post them tomorrow.

Sold two more at Rhythm Cafe!

What fun, I had to bring yet more paintings down to the Rhythm Cafe to fill in the blanks.  I'm running out of work that will make for a cohesive display.  I brought one down that I never had on display before.  It is mostly a knife painting, large (20x30) vertical, of trees with lots of color.  Also a little more abstracted than usual.  I don't know for sure that they will hang it since I also brought two smaller ones and gave them a choice.

Portrait this morning - Bradford Church

Today's model was Rachael

In 2 hours I got the best likeness yet with a good degree of finish (for me) and a better sense of color temperature/values.  The nose was better, Mark said so.  Another portrait on Thursday morning also went well, but it started out really funny.  My subject is smiling and I hadn't painted teeth before.  At first it looked like a clown.  We were discussing how much it cost for each tooth to be painted (joke).

Portrait Project is gaining momentum

I have 8 people who will sit, 23 to go!

Today at the portrait group in Bradford I mentioned it to several artists who paint portraits and they are interested.  One important comment, be sure to mention to the older sitters that it could be hard to stay awake.

There is now a Facebook page for the project:  People Painting People.  Please like it so that it will show up more easily in the listings.  People Painting People - The Merrimacians

People Painting People, The Merrimacians

I've been working on an idea for the month of August to ask local people to sit for portraits and anyone who likes to paint portraits can come and paint them.  I'm not sure if I should expand the sitters to the general area residents or just my town.  Naturally, the artists can be from anywhere.  I'd like to somehow make this a fundraiser for our Senior Center, but can't figure out how to do that yet.  The Merrimac Library will host a show of these portraits later this year, should it become a reality.

Why do this?  

Well, I'd love to have the opportunity to paint more portraits.  Like anything, practice helps.  An artist that I admire greatly, Rose Frantzen, has done a similar thing in her community herself and you can see the portraits she painted and the presentation of them here:

 See Rose Frantzen's Project Here

I'm making up a few flyers to post at local places asking for volunteers/sitters during the month of August this year, and based on how many people reply and schedule a sitting, I can take it from there.

1. Get people to sit.

2. Find places to paint

3. Get artists to join in 

4. How to make it a fundraier

5. Make a facebook page to keep everyone up-to-date on the progress and schedule.

6.  Make the portable platform and get lighting, fan, clock, whatever is needed.

Your comments, suggestions are welcome!  I just made a facebook page for this community event, so check it out from time to time or leave your comments there. Facebook People Painting People page

I Love You Rose, sold

Perhaps this was a Mother's Day Gift, who knows?  

It would be a very good idea, however, to purchase a small painting for your mother this year!

Spring Fever

Thankfully, Spring has arrived, but now I feel like a lazy person and want to take a little time off to enjoy the weather without the pressure of painting (painting guilt).  I have tons of paintings to do and I really feel the pressure, so I need to relax.  I'll do a little yard work, and who knows, maybe I'll paint later.
I've been sketching this week, getting geared up to do a Boston City Scene for Carol's latest challenge to paint a busy city scene.  I took this photo a few weeks ago, and I like it, but the drawback for me is that it's not colorful.  I have to do something else with it to make it interesting or exciting.  It was taken on a rainy day.  I have some ideas about how to start it in a new way using acrylic underpainting in an abstract way.  I won't be able to spend a lot of time on it because I'm so excited about spring and pretty colors and getting ready for a workshop I'm taking in upper state NY next month with Lori Putnum.  I'm making a new glass palette just for plein air colors, and in particular, her suggested palette.
Yesterday I spent hours with Carol Pike going over our plans for our Italy painting trip in September and the itinerary for the last few days where we are leaving the group and going to Sorrento and Capri.