Update from my sculpture class...

{week 4 - end of day}

{week 4 - beginning of day}

Hello,

Here is the current work from the sculpture class I am taking from Rick Weaver. We are working on a seated figure and so far it has been a great learning experience. It is a lot more difficult than the bust we completed earlier this term, in that it requires so much more attention to proportions and the interconnections of the various forms and features.

Previously I had focused on really establishing the base and lower portion of the body, her legs mainly, and yesterday's class was mainly focused on getting the torso and arms correct in proportion to everything else. The sculpture's head had to be enlarged some because it was a little too small and this was affecting how the torso was being built up. So after getting the head size correct, I had a benchmark to then work on getting the heft that is in the chest, shoulder, and arms.

In doing this, it then became apparent that the back and waist needed to be altered, that had to wait because class ended before getting to that area.

There still seems to be a lot more to do and there is only one more class this term. Next week will be busy!

Thanks for stopping by and reading,

Liz

{week 4 - end of day}



{week 4 - end of day}



{week 4 - end of day}

Week 12: Vase of Flowers by Jan Davidsz de Heem

Hello,

This weeks update will be brief, I worked on the tulips predominantly and focused a bit on the orange daisy.

{mid-day status}


{end of day status}

As working on this daisy I realized I was working with too many oranges, reds, and yellows and the flower was beginning to flatten some, so in order to punch it up some and give it a greater sense of form I delicately laid in some cobalt turquoise at the front shadowed edge and immediately depth was re-established. So if ever you are encountering a similar situation think about adding an almost complementary color into the mix, painting wet into wet. A direct complementary color is directly across the color wheel where an almost complementary color is across the wheel and shifted either one direction or the other. The direct complementary color may gray down your first color too much where the almost complementary color seems to mix to create a beautiful and dynamic color.

{orange daisy detail}


{NGA security station}

Just as a side note, the entire NGA building is beautiful. The finishes and details are exquisite, like the beautiful bronze register covers and the way the millwork and proportions of the architectural details seem integrated. It is such a gift to be able to spend my Mondays painting in such a beautiful space.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Inspiration from Friends and Books

Yesterday I had the pleasure of catching up with one of my facebook friends over lunch. Margaret and I met more than two years ago in Mexico, she was managing the small hotel we stayed at while attending a wedding. That was when I was still practicing architecture and was only dreaming of someday, maybe someday, I would be able to be a full time artist. It turns out that she was also dreaming of someday dedicating her life to being a full time writer.

It is wonderful to reflect that two years later we are following our dreams and each have a creative career. She pursuing her love of writing in the form of an extended road trip around the US with her dog Rennie {her blog flitflitter chronicles her meanderings}.

During lunch we spoke about a lot of things, what we had been doing for the past few years, where she was headed next, and how to hold onto the creative process in a culture that is so product oriented. We both are dedicated to producing work, however I know I find it elusive sometimes, especially when I have been working on a specific piece for a bit and realize that I just need to scrap it and start over again. The willingness to scrape down and start over enables exploration and the chance that an idea may work out with wonderful results. However for all the times when the idea does not work out can be discouraging and sometimes scary. Rationally I know that the additional experience gained while exploring the unknown feeds future endeavors and reinforces that those failed attempts were not wasted time and effort, but instead just part of the process, though at times it can be tough. It was especially heartening to learn the Margaret sometimes faces this dilemma as well, reinforcing that this is an important characteristic of leading a creative career.

After lunch we stopped by a nearby used bookstore. She picked up one of my favorite Alain de Botton books and I got a book of essays and one on still life.

Here are some photos from the still life book that I find particularly interesting. I love how styles in still life change from time to time, however fundamental elements remain the same. Like the love of pairing like objects to create pattern and rhythm.

Dutch Still Life from the Met

{Still Life with Two Lemons by Pieter Claesz, Dutch, 1596/97–1660}

A few months ago while visiting NYC for a show I made time to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Today while going through some photos from the visit and while thinking about new directions in painting I would like to take I was particularly struck by the beauty and simplicity of this painting by Pieter Claesz.

{detail}

The reflections of the lemon and knife on the pewter plate are so beautiful while the color palette is restrained and the value contrasts are varied.

{another detail}

Week 11: Vase of Flowers by Jan Davidsz de Heem

{at the beginning of the day}

Hello,

This morning I had to wait a bit until a NGA facilities employee brought my easel to begin painting. So I set up my carrying case that holds all my painting supplies to prop up my copy near the original. As you can see, my colors are a bit more intense than the original's and I account the darkened image of the original to age, as paintings age linseed oil will darken some, dirt accumulates on the surface, and sometimes the paint pigments are fugitive.

As I move forward I will probably add additional glazes to the painting to get the two to match a little more than they do now.

{this week's work area}

After completing the white poppy last week, this week felt rather anticlimatic, because what I worked on was not a big benchmark flower... what I worked on was the area between the white poppy and hydrangea, and beginning to define the boundary of the red and white poppy {that is what I think the flower is}. Next week will be more about developing the larger tulips and maybe getting into some of the finer points of the flowers.

{status at the end of the day}

Thanks for sharing in this process.

Happy Halloween!

{a fall gourd from two years ago..}

The weekend went too fast, before I knew it Sunday evening had arrived and children dressed in costumes were knocking on the door saying "Trick or Treat!"

We had a few princesses, a Buzz Lightyear, a gypsy, and then those too cool for a real costume so they only wore a mask...

Happy Halloween! Liz

Figurative Sculpture {a work in progress}

{status at the end of the first day}

Hello,

I wanted to share with you the process of working on a figurative sculpture. We have a lovely full figure model who is sitting in a nice classical pose. She is sitting pretty straight with only the most subtle contrapposto of the rib cage and pelvis, but in order to make the piece have a feeling of movement it still needs to be evident and maybe just a little emphasized.

Last week only the plinth and a basic block in of the body was built. At the end of the class we covered the sculpture with a plastic bag but did not tightly close it up so a little air would circulate so the clay would harden some. This stiffening of the clay will be helpful as the time goes on because it will be the foundation for all future additions that are more specific.

{at the end of the second day}

I am drawn to the way the model is somewhat leaning on her right arm, and how the straightness of the right arm is countered by the forward thrust of the left leg, where the right leg is relaxed in a skewed manner.
In order to keep the gesture in mind while I am working on various parts, I use a pointed tool to draw into the surface to remind me of critical parts and and directional lines. In the top photo you can see how I drew a box for the direction of the rib cage and a corresponding line for the top of the pelvis that is counter to that of the chest. There are similar marks on the back of the sculpture also.

{a side view at the end of day two}

I used the drawn lines also in the rounded form of the head, making sure I do not lose the sense of direction the model is looking, even if in real life the model adjusts some as she settles into the pose. And as you can tell with some of the rough edges, I try to only use tools to create the surface, this ensures a more defined contour and helps minimize the tendency that when working only with the hands a soft and somewhat muddled surface appearance.
We have a few more classes on this piece and I look forward to developing it further and then sharing with you.
Until then, thanks for stopping by, Liz

Week 10: Vase of Flowers by Jan Davidsz de Heem

{at the end of the day}

Hello,

On Monday I was back at the NGA working on the Vase of Flowers and I decided to start off where I had left off -- the white poppy at the top of the composition.

{where I started}

Last week I had begun to work on this flower, and decided to dedicate the entire day {we copyists are allowed to paint from 10am to 4pm} to finishing this area. So I began by applying a light coat of linseed oil to the area, wiping off any extra, adding a new layer of the dark background that surrounds the flower so I can paint wet into wet the fluttering edges of the petals.

Working my way around the flower making sure the scale was correct, once things seemed set I added the wheat husk because the right side edges needed to be well integrated. After completing the internal form of the poppy, I then added the butterfly and caterpillar. Next week or later I will need to return to the flower to add a few ants and add additional detail to the caterpillar.

{where I ended}

Monday was a busy day and it feels very good to be finished with this landmark flower of the composition.

Thanks for reading and see you next week with more progress,

Liz

PS. Autumn is really showing her colors here in DC, this is just outside of the NGA on Constitution Ave. I love it when the leaves are turning but the grass is still vibrantly green!

Some roses {a drawing}

{Roses II -- 15 x 22 inches -- Graphite on Paper}

This drawing was begun in July, and since drawing it I kept thinking it needed something else to complete the composition. So last weekend I pulled out a roll of tracing paper {from my architecture days} and started to pencil in a new rose bud to see how it would fit in. After experimenting some I realized that it would just complicate the simple relationship between the rose and rose buds that were already drawn.

So I am now satisfied with it as it is.

Have a good evening and thank you for reading,

Liz

Tea, Prints, and Zinnias {a new still life painting}

{Tea, Prints, and Zinnias - 24" x 30" (61 x 76.2 cm) - Oil on Canvas}

A new painting completed this month. Everything was painted from life, including the zinnias... so the bouquet evolved over the several weeks.

This painting was a labor of love, I started blocking it in in early August, working on it occasionally for a few hours here and there, changing the composition a quarter of the way through and revising the vision of the painting. Then in September the drive to complete it took over and I worked on it for two weeks straight, 7-10 hours each day, sometimes going to sleep only to wake in the morning and paint some more.

When it was almost finished, I stopped for a few days, hung it in my living room to figure out what needed to be refined and how best to go about completing it. I find living with a painting for a few days helps crystalize the painting and guides my last decisions.

Because all of my energies were going into this painting, household chores were not getting done, or the minimal to exist were completed. Now that it is finished, it is good to step back and re-engage in the regular aspects of life. Like deciding what to make for dinner and spend some time with friends, maybe watch a movie on TV.

Do you ever find yourself so consumed with a project that all else fades into the non-descript background?

I wonder if this is one of the aspects of creative drive?

What do you think?

Liz