Learning from others

I was reading an article the other day about the fact that historically, artists learned by apprenticing and studying with the masters. Later, there were studios where you could study one-on-one with fine artists and teachers to learn your craft and improve your skills. While private lessons today can be quite expensive, there are options open to us to take classes with experienced teachers. These classes can be small groups that meet once a week or on some other sort of schedule or they can be a more intensive workshop that lasts for just a few days, but involves painting for 8 hours each day. In the decorative art world, the classes are taught much as they would have been at the feet of the masters. Techniques are demonstrated and then practiced on a project. Everyone in the room is painting the same project, but no two finished pieces are ever alike.

This weekend, I traveled to Buffalo, NY, to take a 2-day workshop with Connie Parkinson. Connie is an oil and acrylic painter. Her workshops are generally in acrylics. She had adapted techniques that are traditionally used with oil paints so that they can be used with acrylic paints. It was a wonderful workshop. I can't wait to do some of my own designs using the techniques that I learned from her. Each day was an 8-hour painting session and we completed one painting a day. Here is the Saturday project. It was painted on a 9x12 piece of gesso board.

Red Hat Birthday

"My Red Hats" watercolor
4" x 5"

Every year on April 25, the Red hat Society celebrates its birthday. And so, to all my Red Hat sisters (yes, I am that old), I wish you a Happy Red Hat Day!

Memory Box

Today I painted a Memory Box. Many artists participate in Memory Box programs. We paint a papier mache box with any design we desire. The designs are typically florals or things like teddy bears or animals. When the boxes are finished, they are donated to hospitals where they are given to parents of infants who are still born or die shortly after birth. It is a wonderful program and the boxes are very much in demand. This box is part of the Buffalo Snowbirds program. I am going to Buffalo this weekend to take a workshop sponsored by the Snowbirds. In order to take the workshop as a member, you must have paid your dues and painted an item for one of the service projects. This box is about 10" in diameter. Notice that the strawberries and leaves fall over the the top of the box on to the sides. The box is painted to look like a bentwood Shaker box.

A Make-It-Take-It

A little more of my Retreat report. While watching over the Make-It-Take-It table, I was able to take one of the project classes during a slow time. One of the teachers specializes in painting on fabrics. Her MITI was butterflies on an insulated canvas lunch bag. The paint is DecoArt So-Soft iridescent colors with permanent black ink outlining.

Trying Something New

I have just gotten home from a 4-day painting retreat. Unfortunately, I was a member of the retreat committee, so I did not get to do a lot of painting. I did have an opportunity to teach two 4-hour classes in Genesis and two 2-hour make-it-take-it classes. I like going to retreats and conventions. They provide an opportunity to gather with friends and acquaintances who share your interests. You can share ideas and a really good time. But retreats and conventions also provide an opportunity to try something new--a new technique, a new surface, or even a whole new medium. With a minimal investment, you can get a taste of something you haven't tried before and decide if you want to pursue it further.

Amidst all of the activity, I did make time to take one class. It was a class in chalk pastels. I have never used pastels, although I think pastel paintings can be quite lovely. I have read a few books and scribbled a little, but I was not happy with my results. Taking a 4-hour class with someone who knows what they are doing is a wonderful way to learn a little. I like pastels. I don't care for the mess--and they are messy. I have learned enough to know that I would like to work with them a bit more.

Here is my class piece--my very first pastel. The piece is painted on Mi-Tientes paper using Rembrandt soft pastels. The name of the piece is "Chloe". She is a ShihTzu and belongs to the instructor. I am quite proud of my first effort.

Chickadees

One of my favorite birds is the Chickadee. I love how they hang on the feeders and the suet cakes. Their flight pattern is also fun to watch as the swoop and flit from place to place. This watercolor painting is from a photograph taken in my backyard. The background snow is created using salt.

A cool surface for painting

I was looking for an unusual surface to use for creating a Make-It-Take-It and I wanted to use Genesis Heat-Set oils to do the project. In a very old book, I saw a project that had been painted in oils on a piece of cork--the AH-HA moment!! I had some 6x6 cork tiles in my studio just waiting for inspiration to strike. One of the issues with Genesis is that whatever surface you use must be able to be heated to a temperature of 265-degrees and I was not sure about cork. The good news is that cork works very well. Because there is some texture on the surface, it is a little trickier to paint. On the other hand, if you choose the right subject, the texture enhances your painting. It is not necessary to do any preparation to the surface before painting. To give the piece a little more character, I rouged a little color on the corners and down the sides of the piece. Here is my Genesis MITI. I cut the 6x6 tile down to 3x6. When the piece was finished, I glued it to a 5x8 piece of black mat board. The piece can then be placed in a 5x8 frame for hanging. I hope the people at the retreat like this piece as much as I do. It will be a good introduction to Genesis.