Painting Outside the Box

Last month at the SMAL (St Michaels Art League) meeting we were presented with a new painting opportunity.  There were two boxes filled with 'things.'  We were to take a box home and use 80% of its contents to paint a picture.  We could arrange the 'things' in any way we wished and use any medium we wished.  At the end of the meeting one of the boxes had not been taken, so I thought, why not give it a try?

I opened the box and looked at its contents... a ball of yarn; a small round vase; a taller interestingly shaped bottle; a small wooden berry basket; a pine cone; a large piece of blue material (for a backdrop, I guessed); a small piece of glass shaped like a seashell; and some plastic flowers... tulips and some smaller white bunches.

Oh my... what would I do with that stuff?  I got out my background frame and draped the material over it.  I tried various arrangements and different lighting...  Everything seemed to fall flat!  I couldn't get excited about any of it.

I looked back at the box and re-read the directions for this project. "Still Life Box" it said. Okay, use 80% of what was in there AND you can add two things of your own.  Hmmm... maybe that would help. I started looking around for something to add. Again, no excitement...so I just left it all there and decided to go at it again the next day. (sometimes that helps - to just let it go for awhile)

I awoke the next day with an idea.  What I really love doing is painting children.  What if I painted a child looking at all the stuff?

Then a little research...  a 'still life' painting does not contain anything live in it. I checked the directions again - no where did it say 'paint a still life painting.'  It did say, be creative - stretch your imagination and use the box contents.

So, I began by using the little girl at the pool - see blog from February 16. I changed her swim suit to a pair of shorts and a top. I rearranged the box contents. And voila! There she is...looking at some of the stuff.

How many of the mentioned objects can YOU find?

Another Pastel Class

For the past four weeks I have been taking another pastel class - this one is "Face and Figure"...mainly figure.  We begin each class with warm up exercises - mostly doing gesture drawings with a live model.  I love doing this.  There are usually about 10 short poses.  Our model has been wonderful. She is a yoga instructor and maintains poses really well.  If you are doing these right, they look like wire sculptures!

Then we went on to charcoal line and value drawings. Here are a few from my 'homework.'  I didn't have a model at home so I've been using photos of children that I have stored on my computer.

These classes are always great - I meet new artists and we share stories and ideas. We start at all different levels and learn from each other.

Next comes color... I'll keep you posted!

A trip to the mall - delights and surprises

George's computer screen turned pink... After reading lots of posts about this issue (and possible fixes) we decided that the best thing to do was to take a trip to the Apple Store. The nearest store is in Annapolis at the mall. We made an appointment on line and arrived the next morning.

It is an amazing place - full of blue shirted young people (the Apple employees) each one holding an iPad and eager to assist.  We were led to the 'Genius Bar' and introduced to Danny. He was very helpful.  He typed away, 'stressed' the computer, typed some more and gave advice.

While all this was going on I began looking around the store.  Near where we were standing is an area just for kids. Computers on low tables (kid height) with big cushiony balls for chairs. I was immediately taken with one little girl who was patiently waiting ...playing on an iPod.  She was so engrossed. I couldn't resist, I got out my iPhone camera and took some pictures.  Then I noticed a tall man standing behind her...probably her father. Understanding today's world, I went over to him and asked if he was her father.  Yes, he was. I told him I thought his daughter was beautiful. I said I was an artist and I particularly liked to paint children.  I had taken her picture to paint and assured him that it was not for any other purpose.  He was OK with that.

I went back to where Danny was working and a few minutes later the man came over and handed me his card. He asked me to email him when I painted her picture - he'd love to see it! How cool is that?  Then I looked at the card...would you believe, he was a Secret Service Agent! You never know...good thing I talked to him about taking her picture.

So, here she is as a preliminary sketch. I think this will probably find its way to becoming a lovely pastel one of these days.

SMAL Banners

The St Michaels Art League (SMAL) has this terrific banner program.  For the past two years we have brightened up the town with colorful banners hanging on many of the utility poles on our main street.

Art league members are encouraged to produce artwork that represents our town - a rather quite village on Maryland's Eastern Shore.  We are a tourist 'destination.' Particularly on summer weekends, the town fills with visitors who come to shop, dine, visit the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and just enjoy walking around a small town.  It is one of the few places left where you can ALWAYS see people walking around, holding hands and smiling!

The banner competition has two judges who look at all the entries and choose the ones they think best illustrate life in our small town... and the ones they think will make good banners.

Most of the banners are true works of art - fine art, that is.  My entry this year was a little whimsical... more like a cartoon. I did have fun painting it and it makes me smile.  I think that I need to have fun with my art - when I get too serious, my work looks labored.

So, here is this year's banner entry...  and YES, it was juried in!

It will be hanging on Talbot Street toward to middle of April until sometime in November. All the banners are available as posters for visitors who want to go home with a special remembrance of their trip to St Michaels.

And, another plug... there will be an Art Show and Sale of banner art and more on the last weekend in April - Saturday the 28th - which is Winefest...  a time to come to town, sample lots of different wines and BUY ART.

Transitions...

Transitions are hard...  we arrived home last night from a wonderful month in Puerto Rico.  Today it was dreary - rainy and chilly here.  We are remembering with great fondness the crashing waves, blue skies, sparkling water...need I say more?

I am in "swimming withdrawal" already.  Yes, I know I could swim here, but not outside (yet) and not with the new friends I made at the Crescent Beach pool.  I was fortunate to join an impromptu water aerobics group - we met at different times almost every day...depending on when golf, tennis, and grandchildren were happening.  Bright colored 'swim noodles' filled the pool and our group had a great time exercising together. There was a lot of jumping up and down, ocasional complaining that the water was too cold, telling of stories, laughing and generally enjoying being together.

So, here's to you WA (water aerobics) friends!

And, I can't resist posting this sketch...  one of the exercisers had a visit from her granddaughter.  Children in hats and bathing suits just beg to be drawn!

Cheers... home again...

Other than palm trees - the Ceiba

Yes, there are palm trees everywhere, but there are also some other stunning trees.  We have been 'taken' with one here called a Ceiba - or Kapok tree.  It has an amazing root system that winds around the ground sometimes arching up several feet. It creates unusual patterns and begs you to stop and look at it. One of the Ceiba trees here is even lighted at night and has other lovely plantings around it - it just shouts "Look at what I have done!"

We have driven by two of these trees at different times of the day trying to see just the right time to photograph it. When is the sun at the perfect angle to capture the mystery?  I gave up with that and tried to capture at least some of the peculiar nature of one of them.

I need to work on the other one - it is even more dramatic.  At least my sketch reminds me of the 'nature' of this creation.

The Water!

One of the lovely things about where we are staying is the water.  George walks to the beach every day with his chair and I guess he just sits and stares at the waves. (He says he is reading...) I look at the waves from our balcony - and don't get sandy.  From any vantage point, it is a beautiful sight... and the sound of the waves is soothing and hypnotic.

My 'swimming water of choice,' however, is the pool. There are three pools here: a small baby pool, a strange shaped pool that is 3-5 feet deep.  It has a concrete bench and some jacuzzi-like jets in it.

'My' pool is the larger, deeper one.  Every morning I watch from my balcony as Felix - the pool guy - cleans my pool.

As soon as he is finished (and sometimes even before) I walk over and I swim laps (about 1/2 mile) - it feels wonderful. So far, I have been the only one in the pool - it is mine...  When I swim, I loose myself  - my mind wanders. It is such a peaceful place - no cares, no worries. Ahhhhh...