I got a call yesterday from Donna B. asking if I'd demo for the Coppini membership on Sunday (tomorrow). I'd been telling everyone to go to the meeting because John Michael Carter was going to demo. Well, his workshop didn't get enough takers, so he's not coming. Let me tell you, tomorrow people will be expecting to see a much more accomplished painter and it'll be lil' ol' me. But heck, I'll do the best I can. Anyone want to come? 2:00 at Coppini Academy, 115 Melrose Place.
Yesterday I drove up to New Braunfels to collect my friend Diane Manousos and we went downtown San Antonio to go to Herweck's big annual art sale/product show. I think I showed remarkable restraint. I got some of Ampersand's Claybords as surfaces for oil paintings. They're very smooth, so I'm curious about them. Also a a couple of Pastelbords and Art Spectrum's Colorfix sanded pastel papers. I ordered a package of the color I prefer, too. Pastel pencils, always. And I couldn't resist a case of new synthetic brushes. Short handled, but I do have to admit that I rarely move back to the end of a long-handled brush, anyway. I also got a wooden handheld paint palette and I've been applying several coats of waterbased polyurethane on it, hoping it'll be ready for tomorrow's demo. Diane gave me one of her Rembrandt white oils and I stopped and used her coupon for a new cobalt blue at Hobby Lobby on the way home. I get so excited over new supplies.
I've started a couple of new paintings and moved forward on another. The ballerina might work out for an entry to the portrait show at Coppini in a couple of weeks. 
The woman on the grass is a commission I'm doing from a black and white photo. May still have to shorten her forshortened legs... The woman and dog is something I've dawdled on, but think will be cute as heck when I'm done.
The woman on the grass is a commission I'm doing from a black and white photo. May still have to shorten her forshortened legs... The woman and dog is something I've dawdled on, but think will be cute as heck when I'm done.
2 comments:
Hi Susan,
Nice job on the model Carol, I think you do really well to paint demo's in front of a crowd, I always admire folks that can do that; for me I am uncomfortable doing demos, as a lot of the time my paintings are an exploration and an experiment, i dont often know what the formula is to make it work... i like to just let go and get into 'the zone'...though I dont think this would be easy or very sensible in front of a crowd... do you find you paint differently in a demo than you do in your own space in your own studio? As for what I want to hear when I go to a demo...insights into useful colours/palettes for different skin types is always helpful...how the artist creates textural effects such as for hair, clothing etc is good too. I am always drawn to light effects and how it influences everything it falls on, that's important to me to get mood and feeling into a piece....I know I enjoy a demo a lot and find it exciting when the artist is not afraid to demonstrate how they might push the painting to a more expressive form than the actual image they are painting, which gives the painting a life of it's own. I think you've done this well on the painting of Carol. I like the highlight on her forhead.
Hi Sally, Thanks so much for your compliments. I actually love doing demos. Conversation and painting are the perfect combo for me. In fact, if I have to paint all by myself, I feel lonely and sad. The TV is a poor substitute for interaction with someone real, but I've learned to make do when I have to. Thanks for the ideas about things to address in a demo. I could do that. And yes, I do paint differently alone than when in front of people. I'm faster with an audience and, by necessity, looser. Which can be better, actually. Carol wants the painting after all, so I'll be refining it somewhat tonight from photos we took then. I'll post it later tonight or tomorrow. You're so great to take the time to give me feedback and ideas. Thank you!
Susan
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