Workshop info and Austin Pastel Society end-of-year party/meeting

Spent last evening up in Austin with the wonderful artists who've been the most supportive in my efforts to relaunch myself artistically these last three years. I took on the duties of Membership chair this year. It was good to see everyone. Passed out information about the portrait workshop I'm giving in Marble Falls next month. Here's a recap:

I'm offering a two-day portrait workshop in Marble Falls, Texas, on July 13-14. That's a Thursday and Friday from 9:30-4:00 each day with a lunch break. Marble Falls is less than an hour west of Austin and an hour and a half north of San Antonio. The location is a great Guild-owned gallery on Main Street, with a large workshop space. I was asked to do a pastel portrait demo for the Guild in mid-May and was impressed by the enthusiasm in the membership. Should be a fun group!
The cost of the workshop is $100.
The workshop is for artists who work in either pastel or oil who'd like to expand their ability to paint portraits. Some basic drawing skills are expected and a familiarity with the medium you'll use in the workshop.

Supplies:
Participants should bring the medium with which you'd like to work, an easel and TV trays or other surface for your supplies.
If pastel, bring as many sticks as you can. I'll bring extra palettes to fill in the gaps of participants' sets for the duration of the workshop. You can work on any medium-toned pastel surface, sanded surfaces would be best.
If oils, just bring all their usual colors. I'm not particular about brushes. A variety is good, of course. Filberts are great. The surface should be as smooth as possible. A fine-weave linen stretched canvas, or Gessobord or Claybord by Ampersand would be good. Even a gessoed masonite panel sanded between coats.

An old rug or dropcloth should be brought to put under each easel. At least 3 painting surfaces should be brought to the workshop. No smaller than 11" x 14", and no bigger than 16" x 20". Pastel surfaces do not need to be cut down to 16 x 20, but simply marked out with those dimensions.
I'll provide the photos to work from, and a model for the last part of the second day. I'm going to emphasize value MUCH more than particular colors used.
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
I hope you can make it!
Susan


210-655-3590
www.susancarlin.com

A new pastel portrait start


This is such a fun story. Last year I'd been saying to someone that I'd love to see one of the portraits I did back in the 70's. And a couple of days later I got an email from a woman in Arkansas I'd done a portrait for in 1979! It was of her daughter, then four. Now the daughter has a four year old son and she was wanting a portrait of him to hang with the daughter's portrait. Cool, no? Well, I got the photos of the original and the little boy a few days ago and got to spend some hours working on the start yesterday. Still much to go, but thought I'd post the "so far" here.
Yesterday I had my one-day-a-month painting with my friends Mary and Donna, this time out at Mary's Hill Country home. It's so great to get that time together. Mary and Donna worked on watercolor paintings and I did this pastel. The conversations are always expansive and thought-deepening.


I'm a lucky duck. I got to join in on a five-day workshop with Kimberly Dow in Corpus Christi last week for the last two days. She has a way with paint that intrigues me. She works on a smooth surface with thin layers of paint in a way which feels familiar to this old pastel painter. This is what I managed to do in those two days.... so it's not done by any means, but I learned a LOT. Thought I'd post it anyway.

I'm going to give a two-day portrait workshop in Marble Falls, TX (in oil or pastel) on July 13-14th, Thursday and Friday. $100. Contact me for more details if you're interested.
susan@susancarlin.com