Tag Archives: live model

The Third Exhibit is Kensington’s ‘Paint the Town’, with Montgomery Art Association

The Kensington Armory/Town Hall is the site of my third show over Labor Day weekend. The hours are noon to 4 pm Saturday and Sunday, and 9:30 am to 4:30 pm on Labor Day. There will be a public reception Saturday evening from 6:00-7:30 pm.

For this exhibit, I plan to hang four framed paintings and show 10-12 matted originals and possibly prints of recent iPad images in a nearby rack. The slide show below gives a sense of these works — but they look much better ‘in person’. Come see them!

. . . and the Second Exhibit is also in Glen Echo Park — at the Yellow Barn

This one is the Yellow Barn‘s 2nd Annual Drawing Exhibition, which runs contemporaneously with the Glen Echo Park show in the Spanish Ballroom (12 pm to 5 pm Saturday, Sunday, Monday). We will have a reception at the Yellow Barn at 5 pm Labor Day evening, with beverages and munchies — so come join us!

I had two drawings in last year’s show. Unless I get busy today or tomorrow, I’ll only have one drawing on display this time — based on my Make Piece days/photos. Toddler Trishtan (Ms Naomi’s grandson) often accompanied his mom when she was helping out in Ms Naomi’s excellent food service. In his early months, he was usually asleep in his stroller, so, with his mom and grandmother’s ok, I was able to soak up his beauty, peace and lovely smile (on his face during every waking moment).

Trish at sleep

Trishtan – asleep on the job. Pencil on paper.

I’ve Got Three Exhibits over the Labor Day Weekend

First up will be the 42nd Annual Labor Day Art Show at Glen Echo Park, to be held in the historic Spanish Ballroom from September 1 through September 3. The exhibition and sale includes a wide range of media, such as sculpture, painting and drawing, ceramics, glass, jewelry, and photography. It is open daily from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. There is also a public reception on Friday, August 31, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free.

Here are the two pieces I’ll be showing.

Atop the Arcade

Atop the Arcade on a crisp October day. oil on canvas.

Long afternoons of modeling can make a girl sleepy.

Dreaming in red and orange. Gouache on paper.

My Gouache Geisha ~~ Cuban Gouache Backstory

As mentioned earlier, in Cuba we painted mostly with gouache for portability. In broad terms, gouache is a type of watercolor paint that makes heavy, strong opaque colors and whites, due to the use of ground chalk or other opaque filler with the color pigments.

I found it a challenge to handle. To gain some experience before the trip, I worked only in gouache at each Yellow Barn class for the semester preceding departure. My first challenge was to paint a lovely Japanese woman dressed as a geisha. Here are photos of her poses, as well as my two paintings.

A Second Stab at Capturing Our Worthy Cuban Model

Not happy with my first gouache effort of the day, I decided to try another – this time, a profile of the farmer’s head. He wasn’t sporting his cigar at the time I did my sketch, but then again, my sketch didn’t merit a cigar. After my piece, see a photo of the real deal.

The farmer's profile

My take on the farmer's profile

Our courtly farmer, in the flesh.

The farmer makes posing a bit more bearable by chewing a cigar.

Our model, with Cuban hat and cigar.

First Morning in Cuba: Painting the ‘Bull Boy’

No disrespect intended! Walt Bartman had promised us a cowboy and his horse. What we got was a grizzled, droll, and patient farmer . . . and his bull. Of course, both were way more fun to paint than a horse and cowboy would have been.

A Farmer and His Bull Pose for our Group

Walt, painting the 'bull boy'

My perspective on the bull and rider.

From My Perspective

This was my vantage point.

And my gouache sketch. It’s not great — I spent most of my time watching Walt’s gouache techniques, trying to learn more about this unfamiliar medium.

A Pretty Pathetic Gouache, if I DO Say so Myself

Oh well . . .

A word about the gouache: Walt had encouraged us to use this easy-to-tote medium, rather than haul oil painting gear all over Cuba. This was good advice in view of the strict weight limit and our plan to bring giveaway items. But NOT so good for painting quality, in my case anyway. I’ll brief you ‘later’ on the painful months spent acquainting myself with gouache in advance of our trip.

Thank You, Walt Bartman ~~ My Most Recent Yellow Barn Teacher

Walt Bartman, excellent, indefatigable artist-teacher-mentor and director/founder of the Yellow Barn Studio, is my most recent teacher. I had to wait awhile to build up the courage to face his scrutiny! He’s been great, though. Too bad I waited so long!

Walt has been teaching and painting for more than thirty years. Educated at the University of Maryland and American University, he also studied art in Belgium and the Netherlands through a Fulbright Grant. I like this colorful barn scene by the man aptly termed ‘a breath of plein air’ by the New York Times.

Barnstormer

Barnstormer, oil, 24 x 36"

And here’s another by Walt.

Another Dimensio

Another Dimension, oil, 16x20"

And here’s a nude (from a live model) that I painted during a class of Walt’s.

painting of a nude during 2011 Bartman class with live model

Nude 2011, oil