Tag Archives: painters

Latest Landscape Paintings

Some dear art buddies and I attended a landscape workshop at Deep Creek Lake last weekend, taught by Walt Bartman and managed by his wonderful wife Robyn. The entire group produced some lovely paintings and starts on paintings of the spectacular Fall foliage.

Here are a few of our works:

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.

Cuba was a Trip!

With a cohort of fellow artists from the Yellow Barn and several family members (including my hubby), I just completed an extremely interesting and fruitful trip to Cuba. We planned to interact with Cuban artists; paint Cuban people, land and cityscapes; soak up the culture; and leave behind art supplies and other items that could be useful.

We began in Pinar del Rio, in western Cuba, exploring the Vinales Valley, with its mysterious mogotes, and other environs. Here is the spectacular view from our little balcony immediately upon arrival.

Red earth, green fields, and mysterious mogotes

Vinales Valley, with Mogotes in the Distance

And a photo of fellow artists, also soaking up the beauty.

All Enjoy the View

All Enjoy the Spectacular View

And an ipad sketch I immediately began (using ArtRage3).

iPad Sketch of Vinales Valley

iPad Sketch of Vinales Valley

A Very Very Oldie by Me + A Wonderful Painter: Chelsea Bentley James

I was just out of college, teaching in a Jackson, Mississippi Catholic school when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered. Throughout the school, all teachers cancelled regular classes so we could watch his funeral on TV and participate in the grieving.

During commercials and downtime as we watched, I began copying absentmindedly a photo of Bill Cosby from a record album on my desk, using my trusty Bic pen.

Lo and behold, the doodle began to look like a fairly decent representation. I was SHOCKED. That was the first I suspected I could draw a realistic portrait. I kept the little drawing as evidence of this surprising breakthrough, wishing I’d had some better paper at hand — without lines crisscrossing the page.

I came across it the other day while cleaning up some of my old papers. And here it is:

Bill Cosby, copy of album cover

Bill Cosby, after an album photo, pen on scrap paper

I plan to showcase from time to time artists who have caught my eye. Chelsea Bentley James is a recent find. I love her soft, atmospheric palette. Her landscapes are beautiful.

landscape, looking down from a height, misty horizon

Areal

And her domestic scenes are compelling as well. I love her painting of an elderly woman — her grandmother?

oil painting of elderly woman

Roselle 1, oil, 12 x 12"

Chelsea, kudos for your lovely and poignant paintings!

More Gratitude

I’m learned much and received a lot of encouragement from several talented teachers at the Yellow Barn Studio and Gallery, located at the Glen Echo Park in Glen Echo, MD (right across the street from Bethesda). I’d like to introduce them over the next few postings, in chronological order.

Jordan Bruns is the current artist-in-residence, occupying the second and third floors of the Chatauqua Tower, as well as Yellow Barn manager. He paints and draws large scale quasi-architectural images that are abstract, yet grounded in familiar geometric shapes.

Here is one of his paintings:

Reveille, mixed media paint on panel, 36x48"

Reveille, mixed media paint on panel, 36x48"

And here’s the first one that I did in my first class with him:

Still Life with Apples

Apples, Jar, Pitcher and Plate