Soupy Ocean Painting

Before the monsoon makes it to Phoenix we experience our famous "dry heat". The humidity is low which makes it possible to function at 110 plus degrees. It also means thoughts turn to cooling water! A few summers ago I was so thirsty for water I painted it over and over in oceans, rivers, creeks. It is that time again! Finished up this long (16x40") ocean scene today. I like the white soupy effect that the ocean often has. I feel cooler already!

Painting roses

I did a few paintings of roses this week. It was tricky to try to get the thin and delicate quality of the petals. I used a soft bristle crisp-edged flat brush to get the edges. When I caught the edge just right it gave a thinness to the petal that I was hoping for. I stopped before I could overwork them. I learned a bit with these. Flowers can take a lifetime to master. I really liked doing them on the long skinny canvases. (4"x12")

Invitation to the Luau

My studio pal Laura Cohen Hogan and I are having a luau theme for First Friday. It will be fun to think about the lovely tropical breezes of Hawaii in the middle of the brutal desert summer. If you are around Phoenix, you should stop by! It is upstairs at the Artery Building on Indian School just west of 7th Street. Easy parking behind the building.

A Wipe Out

Yesterday I went to a painting session where we had a long pose. I did an oil painting and enjoyed the process, but not the product. I wiped out the painting when I got home. I had a nice morning with wonderful company, music (niece Jane was the DJ on the Classical Music station) and good model. I wonder if the fairly dark room had anything to do with my rather boring results? I am not sure, but rather than mess with it, I wiped the painting off the panel. I actually felt proud of myself for seeing the value of just practice, no product. It felt good to admit defeat, but feel good about the effort.
I am happy when I produce a nice successful painting, but that should not be my first goal. To learn during each effort and become better should be the target. Many painters repeat successes over and over because they sell. It is a temptation that artists of all genres have. Authors can repeat formulas over and over and so can artists. I was thinking how my desert paintings could seem repetitious as I go to the same area to work. But as long as I am consciously interacting with what I see, staying deliberate with each painting stroke, I am being authentic. It is when you succumb to using the same answer, using generic information instead of what is there, and when you make it a formula, then it is no longer part of the authentic journey.

Summer painting

This week I had a couple of busy mornings. Monday morning in the desert there was one of those morning moons. We have to stay in the sheltering shade as we paint so these scenes I painted before. The big multi-armed saguaro stands in front of the ironwood tree that was pink a month ago. Now it has green leaves. When I first started going out to the preserve it looked like a beautiful, but dead tree. The other painting I did was a little close up of a baby cactus. I have painted it before, but practicing the same subject is bound to help eventually!
I am also posting the second smaller painting I did last week. It is just more pretty desert scenery! Little barrel cacti in the front. Their needles can be reddish.

Some glimpses of my studio

My home studio is what once was my daughter's room. It is a pretty tight squeeze as I am a pack rat when it comes to art stuff. I have some large cabinets, a desk and bookcase that aren't pictured. You can see the "Fab Four" looking down over the closet. I have another easel that is out on the patio when the weather is nice. I love looking at where artist's work so I thought it only fair to share a glimpse of mine!

Life Drawing Today

These are some of the work from life drawing today. The quick gestures (one minute) are to warm us up. We practice catching the movement of the model. They are fun to do. The longer pose (20 minutes) is done with nupastels. I am trying to work from within the figure instead of outside outlines. I am squinting at the model to see the unity of light and dark and the essential details. I am trying to convey the image with an economy of information. Fun challenge!

Painting the Desert in June

It is really fun to continue to paint the desert as it changes with the summer. We see the colors warmer as the sun is higher in the sky when we start to paint. Months ago the mountains stayed quite blue with the morning shadows. We are staying under the big shade of the preserve's center so we are able to paint and feel comfortable even in June. We had nice breezes this morning as well.

Aloha

I am starting to work on some Hawaiian inspired art this month. For our next First Friday we are having a little luau. Both Laura Cohen Hogan and I went to University of Hawaii and love the islands. We are celebrating that wonderful place with art at our July 1st open studio. It is our hot and dry time of the year, so day dreams turn to a gentle tropical breeze along the ocean shore. Hope you can join us for the fun!

June Morning

Well the colors are changing again in the desert. This is the beginning of summer and the desert blooms are beginning to fade. Cactus blossoms are still open, but you can see the brush drying out. Still beautiful though!