Beginning of 24x18 oil portrait of John Pototschnik

Well, that was fun. I enjoyed this session very much. John even tuned in and watched on and off throughout. I sketched it out with one tiny brush and then painted the rest with one large flat natural bristle brush about half an inch wide. Not sure when I'll get back to this painting, but I have high hopes for it.

Reference for online painting at 6 - John Pototschnik

This is John Pototschnik, a wonderful painter, mostly of landscapes, and a very, very nice man. I've had the privilege of watching him demonstrate at the Greenhouse Gallery here in San Antonio twice, a year apart. He was gracious enough to let me take a couple of photos of him last Saturday after his demo. The painting on his easel is what he did in about an hour or so. Amazing. John is very down to earth, approachable, and generous with sharing his skills and knowledge.

Why don't you come hang out with me as I start on a 24" x 18" painting from this reference? Of course, it won't be done in one session, but let's see what I can get accomplished this evening... 6 p.m. Central Time. www.ustream.tv/channel/susancarlin

Marathon finish

Whew! I worked on this from 9:30 yesterday morning until 2 a.m, slept four hours then finished it up around 8 this morning. I think. Still waiting to hear from the commissioning party. Give me a portrait any day. I do hope the people to whom the painting is being presented will enjoy all the thought that the commissioners have put into this, and all the little vignettes that represent events and customers along their company's path. Now, I sleep.....

Cute Boy

This is a little painting I did during the workshop I gave at Hill Country Arts Foundation this week, in between helping the students. I think my camera over-emphasizes the blues as they aren't this bright, but it's close enough, I guess.

Today I'm home painting, finishing the large allegorical commission. Lots yet to do and I may do some of it online later in order to have some company. Right now Daniel Greene is talking to me as he paints Erin... on video. I might pick up some helpful tip as I paint, right?

Pix from the party last week

My friend Karen Wagoner brought heart balloons for the party, since Valentine's Day was the next day....

Julie, Martine (and Martine's parents, who were visiting from France) came too.

We decided Laura Pitts (on the right in black) was really my sister. Alrighty! That's Bonnie and Marilyn behind the counter.

Linda Clapp played violin for us. Lovely!

Visitors browsing Kim Shields' and Marilyn Moore's paintings... Kim Shields looking uncharacteristically serious...
Bonnie Mann, in mid-giggle...

Jo Castillo and Marilyn Moore (having a serious moment herself...)
Jo Castillo's husband, Gene, on the left. Regina Calton Burchett and her husband, Larry, on the right.

Jo Harris and her husband won the prize for coming the farthest... from Kansas!

Jo Castillo and Regina Calton Burchett both thrilled me by each buying one of my pastel paintings, since they are both excellent pastel painters themselves.

I got to see several people I hadn't seen in quite a while... so nice.

Thank you to all who came!

Further allegorical commission progress

I had no way to know this painting would involve so much time and so much of a stretch of my imagination. I've gotten so comfortable with having references, that drawing on my imagination is almost painful. Back to work....

Fairy Tale landscape commission progress

The Open House was so much fun. It was great to see everyone! I'll post pictures very soon. In the meantime, Jo Castillo has posted a few...

Over a couple of online sessions... broadcast, but not recorded... I've made some progress on this commission. I have a two day portrait workshop to give starting tomorrow, so I'll resume work on this painting after that. Thank you to the good folks who've kept me company as I worked on this!

Allegorical commission progress

This is the result of a full day painting online with great artist friends keeping me company as I went along. It's SO different than what I usually paint, that I feel a bit like I've walked off the edge of a cliff.

I think I started around 12:30 and stopped around 8:30 or 9 p.m., with a short break around 4:00. It's 30" tall, 40" wide, oil on stretched gallery-wrapped canvas... a commission to depict the life of a 19 year old company that was begun by a husband-wife team in their upstairs bedroom and now employs many people, some of whom are continuing on with the company after its sale. The couple will be shown as a queen and king arriving at their castle at the top of the painting, after traveling a long and twisting road along which are their major clients and triumphs and difficulties. I'm pretty surprised how much was done today, but owe it all to being kept good company by several terrific artists over the hours I painted.

I'll work on it the next two days at the gallery and then again Wednesday evening during my next broadcast. Stay tuned!

If you're within traveling distance to San Antonio, please come to our celebration of the gallery being open a year now! Friday, February 13, 2-7 p.m. La Villita, Building 14B. Gallery phone- 210-226-3992.

Skype as a way to view your model!

This is the lovely Barbara Muir from Toronto, Canada. She introduced me to Skype (I downloaded it at 4 p.m. today) and she modeled for me at 6 o'clock for an hour of my broadcast -from her bedroom in Canada! Is that not the coolest thing? I love Barbara's work- so powerful and sensitive and completely fearless. Thank you, my friend, for playing along so beautifully!
The video recording is at www.ustream.tv/channel/susancarlin .
I did play with a few details afterword, using a screen capture that Barbara took and emailed to me.
I'd LOVE to get to paint from life more often. But hey! Does looking at a webcam broadcast on Skype qualify as working from life???

Below is what I worked on after Barbara's portrait. I'm calling it Karen's Favorite Time Of Day. I'd needed to add some warmth and light to the tops of the sofa and cushions before I send the photo off as my entry to the Texas Pastel Society's first juried competion. TxPS is celebrating its first year anniversary this month, and already it has the honor of hosting Lorenzo Chavez as its first juror of its first competition. Way to go, TxPS!

A few refinements

I'd been looking at this painting since Wednesday, wanting to fiddle with a few things, so called a spur of the moment session on ustream in order to have some company while I did that tonight.

Some great folks showed up!

I like this version somewhat better after working on it tonight.

Still don't know what I'm working on Monday night's session... It'll be a surprise even to me!