I was conjuring a warm, sunny day with this one, too. Every time I visit Los Angeles I fixate on the palms. I’ve got a thing for them. This one took a lot less time than the C&O Canal painting, but it also had its challenges. Wispy fronds and barely-there cloud fringes . . . .
Palms of LA. iPad.
I hauled out my iPad quite a bit over the last month. Thought I’d share a few, bit by bit. As our days grew shorter and chillier, I started conjuring a scene from our C&O Canal walks last Summer. This was a real challenge, with all the different elements and reflections.
C & O Canal in Summer. iPad.
What was under the water’s calm surface was just as interesting as the shadows falling across the surface and the contrasting views posed by the two banks. It’s time to clean this baby up again!
We have had a peaceful and joyous day. And it isn’t over yet. But while there’s a quiet moment, I want to reach out beyond our home and send love and hugs to you and yours. Here is an iPad image I painted, based on a stone carving on a Capitol Hill church. I had it made into Christmas cards, but since they haven’t gone out yet, I’ll post it here, with my very best wishes for the season and 2014.
Here’s something colorful and fun — a painting I did awhile back, based on a photo I took at a meaningful and festive bat mitzvah last year. Remembering that happy occasion and the many dancing feet celebrating that evening puts a big smile on my face.
Our feet are happy now! Oil on canvas.
A perfect antidote to the winter blahs that crept in along with the rain, sleet and snow we’ve had yesterday and today, right?
Before Ingrid & Jeremiah’s wedding recedes into fond memories, I wanted to paint a tangible memento, based on a photo taken by my niece Tess (Jeremiah’s sister). Actually, a number of photos of the beautiful flower girls captured my artist’s fancy. Here’s the first one I tackled. Maybe there will be more.
Wedding Flowers. Oil on Paper.
Apart from my iPad doodles, I haven’t done many abstract paintings. Here’s the first I’ve done in long time. I hope to make a series of variations on this theme. Like good abstracts should be (I’ve heard), this one is based on real world information. I’m not going to tell you (yet) the source of my inspiration. Any ideas??
Abstraction in Blues #1. Oil on Arches Oil Paper.
I made a quick portrait study yesterday during a class I’m taking with Maud Taber-Thomas. I hadn’t been able to attend for several weeks and was happy to be back.
Dozing Damsel. Oil on Arches Oil Paper.
During the first class, Maud had recommended as homework that we draw a series of skulls, each in a different position. I was tickled to have found online an inexpensive, life-size plastic model. I brought it in yesterday to show, along with the drawings I’d done. You can catch a glimpse of the skull herself in the last post, where she’s shown modeling for the painting.
Skull drawings. Charcoal. (Doesn’t that one at middle left look like Donald Duck?)
Shall I nap or shall I paint?? Yesterday’s question. I’m so glad I decided to paint. My first foray into painting with oils on paper — a new paper specially formulated by Arches to stand up to oil paints, both thin and thick. Click here for a description of the new paper.
Our two-day exhibit at the Yellow Barn drew steady streams of visitors as well as pleasantly crowded scrum for the Saturday evening reception. I believe every one of we Seven Palettes sold one or two framed paintings, along with ‘bin art’ (unframed originals and prints packed with mat and backing), and greeting cards based on our art.
A framed print of “The Red Hat”, an archival giclee of one of my favorite iPad paintings, found a good home, as did “Red on Yellow, C&O Canal Autumn”, one of my gouache paintings. I also sold several matted giclees and a print on tempered glass from my “Fruit, Veggies & Flowers” iPad series. I don’t think I’ve shown you what the glass printings look like. Here’s a snapshot of several (the black around each is padding to protect the tiles during shipping).
Some iPad Prints on Tempered Glass
Many of the visitors asked questions about the ins and outs of iPad art, as well as gouache, so maybe there will be further opportunities to teach those techniques,
Here’s a new painting I made in gouache a few weeks ago — thinking it would appeal to people who love the C & O Canal as much as Pat and I do. It’s based (loosely) on a photo I made last Fall on one of our walks. Pat can’t get much exercise when I’m constantly ‘braking’ to take shots like these!
I decided to hang mostly gouaches this time, with only singles of oil paintings and iPad giclees. (There will be many more matted & backed in the bins, though, along with lots of greeting cards printed with some of my favorite paintings.) Remember: Saturday & Sunday noon to 5, with reception from 6 to 8pm on Saturday. Yellow Barn Studio, at Glen Echo Park.
Now, here’s a look at the other pieces that will be framed and available to bring home at show’s end:
