I got word today that all three of my entries in Austin Pastel Society's annual member's exhibition got in!!! I'm doing a pastel portrait demo for APS on Thursday evening.

Tonight I worked more on the little 12"x12" oil-on-canvas painting of Morgan which I'd started during a portrait demo in Seguin last week. The camera sure does odd things to the colors sometimes. The pink of the lips shows up far brighter in the photo than the painting, for instance. Still have lots to do on the hands and the book, but the face is fairly far along. I'll look at it again tomorrow and see what needs tweaking.

Watched History Channel's program on Lincoln while painting tonight. Well, listened, mainly. Fascinating stuff.

The big brush pick up for our neighborhood is Monday, so I worked long and hard this afternoon cutting back all the dead branches and old growth on salvias and coneflowers and, well, anything that needed cutting. The pile by the curb is enormous. I'd gotten indoctrinated in the "wisdom" of replacing lawn with native plantings with the thought of reducing the use of water and energy. HA! The plantings have taken far more water and attention than I ever gave my grass. What a crock. Chopped down an ugly tree, too, while I was at it.

My sister sent an email today from Africa on her first day there. I'm so proud of her for going and reconnecting with her childhood friend, Sandow, there. What an adventure!

Will work more on the the little painting of Morgan tomorrow and maybe start on a larger painting for entry into San Antonio Art League's annual exhibition. I have an idea for it. Will see how it goes.

'Night all!

Two finishes... Providence RI's Roger Williams Park

These are two plein air pastels I did while visiting my friend Joan in Providence RI this summer. I rarely paint outdoors. I do try to be a good sport when folks are getting a "Paint Out" together, mainly because I love the company while I paint. But I did these sitting in the grass, warding off geese, bugs and the sun. Joan was good company, though. These have been sitting under waxed paper in my studio since then. I'm doing a big declutter excavation (Flylady of Flylady.com calls it a Super Fling Boogie) of all the surfaces of my home. My house looks Mahvelous and half-finished projects are either getting tossed or finished. I decided to finish these, for better or worse.
I went with Becky (www.BeckyHicksArt.com) to the New Braunfels Art League Gallery last night for the artists reception for all the artists-of-the-month for that organization. Becky was December's and also got First Place for Pastel in the annual members exhibition. I got to catch up with a few artist friends there and spend time with Becky there and at her home studio. We should all have studios like Becky's! Overlooks the Guadalupe river through a huge window in the brightest, happiest studio ever.
Sure would appreciate a comment when you drop by. Feel like I'm talking to myself.
Enjoy your day, ya'll.

It's Done! It's been submitted! Yea!!!!

Done!

I've sent the file on to the exhibition chairperson who will forward them all to our judge this year- Susan Ogilvie

http://www.susanogilvie.com/index.html

We'll be notified which paintings got in to the competition and those we deliver to Austin on March 5th. So I have time to get these framed. I submitted this one- "Morning Flight", the one of Libby's living room I call "Her Grandmother's Chair", and the one of my nephew Jake swimming underwater, called "Submerged Dreamer." I submitted that one in reaction to it being rejected last year by our judge, Doug Dawson. Nice man, flawed ideas. He told me to only paint young beautiful women and old grizzly men, as that's all that really sells. In reaction to that I painted the large, 'ordinary' woman reading in the library and got first place in Pastel at the Coppini in October. So there! (Did you see the fists on hips and the stamp of the foot?)

Well, now I need to put my house back in order. I have a stack of dishes in the kitchen, laundry on the sofa and a guest room to excavate in order to welcome an overnight guest on Friday. This painting took over my life the last week or more. Anyway, thank you all for cheering me on. Kisses and hugs to you all.

Decided on the title of this one... "Morning Flight." Thanks for all the great suggestions!


Ok, I'm getting closer. Time to start on the 'outhwest sign. Think I'll leave out the No Smoking sign... just to keep it all as positive as possible. May have to turn it upside down to keep the rain of dark pastel from leaving tracks on the people. Small prayer: Let me remember what sort of time this painting is taking when I consider anything else so detailed. Amen.

Oil portrait demo

This is a a little 12"x12" oil on stretched canvas start of Morgan reading which I did during an hour and a half in Seguin yesterday as a demo. I worked from a photo I printed off from some shots we took the night before. It's just sort of blocked in.. lots more to go, but it makes me want to get back to it sometime soon. In the meantime I'm still working on the airport painting.
Linda, you asked the dimensions of the airport painting. It's 24" x 18" on Kitty Wallis sanded pastel paper. Back to painting!

Many more hours later.... Still many more to go, but it's shaping up. Worked on the group in the left background and refining the foreground group.

Tomorrow morning I'm doing an oil portrait demonstration in Seguin and need to spend some time putting my supplies together and deciding what image to paint.

The gathering in Marble Falls was very nice. Met some good people and got to spend time with Kim and Bob. Got stopped for speeding on my way back through Bulverde. Sigh. But the nice copper gave me a ticket for my expired vehicle inspection sticker rather than for speeding. Ain't that sweet? Got my inspection yesterday and will clear up the matter this week. Been a long time since I'd seen those bright lights blinking just for lil' ol' me. At least I don't have to sit through defensive driving school. Whew!

Nighty night ya'll.

Still more

I liked the look of this last fellow in the row right from the first time I saw the photos, but there's very little in the way of detail in the photo, just posture and gesture. There's someone on his far side, but all you see of her is hair and jeans. Getting the podium and strap barrier in was long hard work surprisingly. Also worked on the hand of the woman holding the red cup. More to go. Much more. I think I'm saving the young woman on the far left (not shown in this crop) for last because I think I'll enjoy what her hands and the bag do for the overall painting.
Today I painted in oil at the Coppini. That's it for me. Yet another painting of a woman posing with a flower. There's quite enough of that stuff in the world. It's always good to practice painting from life, but the subject matters. I'm self-important enough that I feel responsible for what I put into the world. So, I'll arrange my own models or share with individual artists.
I'm going up to Marble Falls tomorrow evening at Kim Roberti's invitation to check out a new surge of interest in art there spearheaded by an architect there. They're starting out with a "First Friday" monthly event with music and visual arts. I'll let ya'll know what I discover.
'Night folks.

Yet more on the Airport Gate painting

Hours and hours.... will it ever be done?

More on the Airport Gate painting....

Tonight's work on the painting. It's going slowly, but I'm liking what's happening. Let me know what you think.

First day of color on the airport gate painting.

It feels so good to take my time. Well, I do have the deadline in mind, but the old imperative to have a painting done in the same day it was started is not present. I've come to have affection for these people I'm painting. They seem so patient, it's rubbing off, I suppose. I've rearranged a couple of things from the photos to make a better composition. A lot of the intensity of color of these first strokes will reduce as I go along, FYI.
Today I took 22 paintings to Seguin to hang at the community center there. What a nice space! And the woman who invited me to be their artist of the month, Ann Leithead, is just terrific. Feel like I made a new friend. I haven't seen so many of my paintings hanging in one place since my last Garden Party Art Show. Next Monday at 10:30 a.m. I'll be doing a demonstration portrait painting there for at least two hours. Not sure what or who my subject will be. If anyone out there would agree to sit for that time, speak up. Otherwise, I suppose I'll work from a photograph.
Thanks for posting comments, Ya'll. I appreciate it! Nighty night.

Beginning of a pastel with multiple subjects

First, further refinements on the painting of the living room. Then....FINALLY decided on the subject- actually, many subjects- of a new pastel painting. 24"x18" on medium-toned Kitty Wallis sanded pastel paper of a scene I took photos of in the Phoenix airport, Sky Harbor. I was waiting for my plane to arrive and noticed these people arranged so appealingly in their wait for the plane. I admit I didn't ask permission, but just took a series of four photos as though I had. I did ask permission to take photos of a woman sitting alone reading a magazine. But these were more interesting, I thought. I've never painted this many people in one painting before, so will just have to see how it goes. I'm racing a deadline, so will know soon enough. I'll post progress pix as I go. This is the rudimentary sketch. Will sketch a bit more until I'm sure where everything will go, then will dive on in.
Sure appreciate it when you leave comments!
Happy New Year, Ya'll.

two finishes

I think I'm done with the commissioned kitty. Waiting to hear from the buyer about whether the chair is ok. Since the evening was still young, I tracked down the reference photos I took when it was clear I couldn't finish up the one of the interior in the amount of time we had, and revisited Libby's nice living room perched high up over the Hill Country. The drive to Ingram and back today was nice. One of the staff asked if I might consider teaching a workshop out there this year. Nice facility! I'll try to put together a proposal for them and see what happens. I sold a small painting at River Art Gallery on Tuesday while I was working there. Very nice. Love those gals I work with.
Have a great New Year's eve!

Pastel self-portrait

Ok, I'm sleepy. Did this on between midnight and three am last night. Taking it out to the Self-Ish Show at Ingram in a few minutes. I just called and it's not a show with awards! Oh well, it got me playing in the pastels again. The reception for it is on the 14th, in case anyone wants to go out with me to see all the self portraits of artists. Patty came over at 10 pm last night and we took lots of photos, trying to come up with references for a portrait. There are a couple other photos which have potential, too.

Further development of the kitty painting

Well, I'm a little further along on this baby. I'm liking it better. Still more to go.

Nighty, Aphrodite.

Beginning of commissioned painting of cat

This is the underpainting of a commissioned oil I started tonight. Watched Project Runway on Bravo and painted this evening. The chair needs to be redrawn, otherwise it's a good start, I think. Will post others as I progress.

Night, All!

Home from Phoenix

So great to spend time with my folks these last few days. On the flight home I got lots of thinking done about the next few paintings and organizing my thoughts about the deadlines and competitions ahead. Even snapped a couple of photos of travelers waiting in the terminal, thinking there may be paintings there, too. I see that I need to cut back on anything that isn't painting for the next couple of months. A simple, sweet Christmas, a YaYa party, and a Goddess Salon brunch. All else will be art-related for the next few weeks. I'll post images as I go. eBay may not get many new works from me for a while, but I'll try to keep it going in a minimal way. Two auctions ended while I was gone yesterday. Shipping them out on Monday.
Time to settle in with flannel jammies and a glass of wine.
Good to be home.
Susan

Time Warp

My daughter and I are visiting my parents in Phoenix. My daughter's 24th birthday is today and I've been swirling between memories of her birth and my circumstances then vs. now, and between ideas of my current age and the age of my parents... 77. We went for a walk tonight and they outpace me easily. Their lives are full and busy as mine is now. My sister dropped us at the airport yesterday and we had a short conversation in the car about how big changes can happen easily in your life if you stay tuned to the flow. I'm mulling on that as it seems I'm on the edge of some significant transition. Art? Location? Career? She's heading to Africa in January to visit a man we knew as children there, all due to an amazing series of synchronic events. Magical things seem to happen if you state your desires clearly and then get out of the way and let the universe do its work to bring them to you. First order of business- stating desires clearly.
Feel free to comment.

New portrait start

This is the start of a portrait of Gene Watchful Hawk, a fellow who modeled for us at Coppini yesterday. We only got two hours with him, but I took some photos and hope to do justice to his beautiful spirit with the completion of the painting.

What was I thinking when I said I wanted to finish the novel this month? Cancel that. Put a nice black line through that item on my list, as it's not a-happenin'. I'm going to just try to get through this month sane and smiling. Quite enough of a challenge if you ask me.

Our Texas Ambassador of the Portrait Society of America sent out an email today with a link to my ebay auctions. For the first time in months I had no paintings listed! So I raced around and listed the one of Harry in Red. Whew! Of course, the auction now ends in the middle of the day, so who knows? It's not a great time for an auction to end. Folks are at work, usually. I'll add on a little landscape or two later tonight.

Wednesday I drove down to Corpus Christi to visit with an excellent painter, Kimberley Dow. She was extraordinarily generous with her time and helpful energy. I wonder at the fact that I stayed so solitary in my artistic efforts for so many years. I've gained so much by being in contact with other artists these last three years, and I hope I've offered as much support as I've received.

If you read this, please take a moment to leave a comment. It's disheartening to write these blog entries and not know if anyone cares that I did.

Enjoy your holiday preparations!
Only now beginning to catch the spirit,
Susan

Two starts at the Paint Out

The profile is 9x12 oil on canvas panel of my friend Kat. The blue background is not nearly so intense in real life. More of a pale, washed out blue. Don't know why my camera punches up the blues like that. The landscape is a 16 x 16 oil on side-wrapped stretched canvas from a photo of an online acquaintance's land in West Virginia. Still very much a work in progress. The barn may have to go, for one thing. I'll look at it again tomorrow. Such good conversations with the other artists there! Perfect weather to be outdoors, too. Now sleep is asking for me.

Painting at Coppini

As you can see, I didn't have time to get the hand painted, but I took photos and will try to finish up here at home. And, I do see that I've painted the light side of his neck too high in value, so much may need to be adjusted and tweaked as I go. Thought I'd show you all what I have so far. Harry was a great model today. Very relaxed, it seemed. If you're seeing this, Harry, THANK YOU!