Painting Pixie

 

So this is what I have been working on at the co-op recently. Another Pixie portrait.  I am interested in understanding grey and white.  The first session sets up composition and some contrast decisions.  The second session tunes in the composition and is figuring out how grey works. (It may appear sideways and I have no idea why or how it uploaded that way. I think it is interference from Pixies' minions)

 This third session I am moving toward final placement decisions and final contrast . I painted the last part of this session with the painting and photo upside down and that corrected a lot of little details.  I still have to work in all those whiskers, soften the grey and push the sheen on her eyes so that they are as light as they appear in the photo.  Overall, I am pleased.  This is very slow going, which is unusual, but I have enjoyed painting it so far. She's almost there...

Charcoal Tai Chi

Last week I had the privilege to sit in on Sifu Jesse Teasley's Tai Chi class at the Sedalia Center. For an hour straight, I listened to him teach the class about energy, and sketched the graceful movements of his students.  Here are the results.

The best part was how everyone enjoyed recognizing each other in the sketches.  We all were excited to randomly hang it up and "vandalize with art"!!  Thank you everyone for allowing me to take part in your class! Come by the art center to see this scroll for reals!

for the Gathering

So I am trying something different.  Inanimate objects that I really don't know anything about.  Miniscule hand tied flies for fishing.  Trout I think?  With no context or even general knowledge, my painting skills became most important as I had nothing else to work with.  Each panel is completely different from what I had started to do.  All of them were painted on, wiped off, painted on again, wiped off again, yelled at, and then finally painted on with something satisfactory.  No story, no point of reference~ all technical.  It was enlightening, challenging, but a little bit cold...

Jezebel Dreams

This is a painting in progress, or rather, at this moment, a complete standstill.  Taken from a life drawing, I laid the sketchbook on the floor between my feet to reference from as I painted out Jezebel's form.  Then I added the house angle for movement.  I knew I would put her in a sky and the original drawing demanded a little house to settle on her nose, so that is what's happening there. The tension in the space between snout and house is comical to me.  I had a cat that used to tickle Jezebel in her sleep then run away as she woke up~ I see this little house sneaking up on her in the same way. I know where I want to go, but I am having a hard time getting there.  This is a dream painting and a love affair with those toes!  I need to pull the color together and lay in the blues of the sky.  Actually, a bright day would lead to a lighter color of the roof.  I just thought of that~ I think that's what I've been waiting for....
see ya!

Scattering

I like drawing from paused images on my TV when I am not able to draw from life.  In this top sketch, I had stopped the DVD because his cheek bones are to die for.   I did not initially want his mouth open, but he was speaking in this scene, so I went for it.  I think I captured how handsome he really was.

 Two separate scenes in the first sketch below. The top one had very high contrast lighting.  The bottom one started as a portrait, but then I noticed the man in the background. This was a common camera angle, and his red shirt provided that 60s pop of color~ he didn't even seem to realize he was on camera. It was a lot to draw and I had to pause a few times.  Still not quite happy with the arms.

This last one here, my baby cat, Petey, is just getting in the mix.  He is always getting in the mix!  I was at TECAC this morning and forgot to photograph what I had started doing.  These are from the past several days of what I've been doing to warm up in the morning.  Paintings are still a scattering mess.  Something should break through soon.

Remember, these are not for sale. Disclaimer. Disclaimer. Disclaimer.  I only own Petey and the pencils!

Charcoal Sketching

  A nice sketching session last week.  Charcoal, large newsprint, and two friends chatting set up a relaxed environment, perfect for quick sketching. Sometimes coming back to fundamentals is a good way to recharge and re-invent.  Neither woman kept still for very long so there was no pressure in creating with accuracy. I focused on lines and shapes.  I listened to their voices and moved around them as they conversed. It was very satisfying and I am grateful of their willingness to set for me.  This bottom drawing in particular is luscious to me and I feel may be a nice painting. I'll post any inspirations that may come of it!

Just Before Dawn

This is an older painting, I originally named it Twilight before those ridiculous movies came out and can't bring myself to use that word anymore.  I used to sketch crows a lot when I lived in NY. Suburban crows are a little different than rural crows. They ate Cheetos left on my picnic table and strutted around my tiny backyard looking sideways at Jezebel.  Like the people, they are less relaxed in a town setting and anything more than a few gestured lines to catch their movements was rare.  In the painting, this gathering on the moment of daybreak is playing with many ideas.  Anticipation; determination; readiness.  The world of 'what is' joins with the world of 'what could be' and so just before dawn, all things are possible. It is a powerful feeling~ all things are possible.  
Just Before Dawn is in a private collection.  It belongs to a woman who lives in that moment.

Angel Pixie

Pixie was a strange little cat.  She did not have any of the grace other cats naturally came by, but her "Cleopatra" eyes beguiled everyone she met, especially my husband.  She loved to play and she loved to be loved.  Soft as cotton, quiet as a lamb, her eyes communicated everything.  Some of her nicknames were: Pixi-Nator, Bug, Stink-Eye, Daddy's Girl, and little Honey.  She was a little girl in a big world.
This is oils on artboard from a photo I took of Pixie through a glass storm door.  The reflections are not that successful, but I wanted textures and I am ok with it.  This painting is also about grey and white, which are some of the most challenging colors for me. Of course, my favorite part was painting her eyes...

"Angel Pixie" is 14in x 11in and for sale. All inquiries, please contact me.