Monday, June 18, 2012

How Paper Scraps Lead to Painting Improvement


Take a critique group, some torn paper scraps and ask for a little help with the final touches to a painting; stir the ingredients with an openness to ideas from willing helpers and you get a art party which includes a lot of laughter and group participation.

 
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That's exactly what happened last Friday at my mid-month critique group. I had three paintings that I like, have worked on, yet felt they weren't quite there.

First up--Skimming. I've posted this before, but have not "loved" the entire painting. 
 
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Skimming--Before

There were no paper scraps taped to this one, but I made some suggested changes. I took out most of the grass that was covering the heron's beak, and belly. I replaced the grass under the heron's belly with water and lightened it to a light blue. My mentor and friend Lois Enman pointed out that the farther wing was not feathery, where the one coming toward the viewer was and it more successfully conveyed the bird's wing. That was something I should have seen myself, but didn't and it was a great improvement to the bird. There are now some added darks around the decorative symbols under the heron. Finally, I took about 2 inches off the right-hand edge of the painting. Skimming is now signed and finished (I think.)

 
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Skimming--After

Next up, Mine!
 
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Mine!--Before

This guy started getting my group revved up. There was a lot of discussion of the red on the bear and fish. This had been my interpretative color for predatory behavior. But the painting started a tear and tape session. Mr. Bear got a gold colored back. The sandy beach got a new shape as did the rock to the right of the bear. A diagonal dark was created with paper from above the right hand rock, behind the bear and across the sand in front of the salmon. The dark green grass bothered most of the group. 

So I came home with a lot of suggestions and a painting with many taped on bits of torn paper. As I looked at the picture in my studio, I made some compromises for the sake of a stronger painting. The bear now has more light on him and less red. I made this change as I realized that the bear was not equally sharing the limelight with the salmon. I also darkened the salmon a bit. The rock to the right has a new shape and the diagonal line is now part of this piece. Can you see it? I worked on taking out some of the overwhelming green of the grass and added some red in the upper part of the painting. Finally I put a warm wash over the sand to create more color harmony. 


 
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Mine!--After

By the time my third painting was placed on the easel, my art buddies were warmed up for this picture that needed a lot of help. I had hung on to it because I loved the rocks and the water, but the middle v-shaped part of the picture was undone, and I knew it needed something I had not yet envisioned. This was the perfect piece for group opinions and ideas. There was almost a race to the paper and tape, as ideas flew up on the painting in the form of torn paper pieces. I was laughing so hard, I could hardly take in any of the conversation. One person had hardly stepped back when another came forward with an addition or adjustment. I don't know whether to feel good about the stimulus my painting gave to everyone's creativity, or to feel like I need more help than the average artist. Mostly, I thought it was great fun!

I wish I could show you a before, but I forgot to take a photo before working on it. But here is the piece as it is now. I haven't given it a title yet. Any ideas?

 
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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Cruise to Alaska--But First a Little Art

Last fall, I talked to an art friend about an art adventure she was active in: teaching art on a cruise ship. I had never really thought of myself as a cruise sort of person, but rarely turn my back on an opportunity to try something new. I applied to a couple of booking agencies, and after fulfilling their requirements, I was accepted as an instructor. As the watercolor instructor on a ship, I could take one guest. Of course I invited my husband, Mike. 

To try out cruising, I chose to go on a week long cruise to Alaska. Both Mike and I were interested in seeing the Inland Passage and glaciers of Alaska and BC. The cruise started and ended in Vancouver, BC. We'd never been to the city before, so we planned a two-day stay in Vancouver before heading out on the cruise.

A wonderful stroke of luck was arriving in Vancouver just after the opening at the  Vancouver Art Gallery  of the art collection of the Baltimore Art Museum. This is the biggest collection of Matisse anywhere in the world, and Matisse just happens to be one of my favorite artists. I'd never heard of the Cone sisters (the collectors of all this art) prior to this exhibit, but they were a couple of interesting women and had a fabulous eye for art.

 
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Aside from the art, we really enjoyed this beautiful, multicultural and friendly city. We spent time just getting acquainted with the city--the old Gas Town area, Granville Island (a giant market of artists, artisans and food vendors), and the amazing Stanley Park. 


 
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Granville Island


 
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Granville Island Food Market


 
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Nesting Swan at Stanley Park


 
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Totem Poles at Stanley Park

On Sunday, June 3, we boarded this "small" cruise ship along with 1800 other passengers. We were greeted with a glass of champagne as we began to find our way around what would be our home for the next 7 days.

 
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Our first stop was at Hoonah, Alaska. Our ship anchored and ran small boats (tenders) back and forth to allow passengers to explore the cannery, shops and Tlingit Community of Hoonah.

 
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Mike and I chose the 3 mile round-trip walk to Hoonah, since we'd been confined to the ship for awhile. The village is the largest Tlingit community, yet a small fishing village.

 
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Back on the ship, we headed on to Hubbard Glacier. The icy wall of this glacier and the surrounding mountains are some of the most remarkable things I've ever seen in real life.

 
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A couple of days later we were able to get much closer to a glacier on foot when we docked in Juneau. In the photo below, you can see the icebergs of Mendenhall Glacier behind Mike and me. 

 
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Mike with Mendenhall Glacier and waterfall behind him

It took awhile to get used to life aboard a cruise ship. Every need is taken care of. There are approximately two passengers to every crew member. We were treated like royalty. Food and drink are available all the time. There are professional entertainers aboard like the string trio below. Every night there is a live show of singers and dancers in the Celebrity Theater.  

 
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We met wonderful, interesting people from all over the world. We saw sights only available by boat. We loved the scenery of the coast and inland passage. We were awed by the glaciers and snow fields that feed them.

My teaching obligation amounted to 4 one-hour classes. I had participants from beginners to experienced painters, so I got better at instructing such a diverse group with each lesson.  The size of the group varied from more than 50 to around 20 each lesson. Mike was a wonder as my assistant. One painter called him her hero, as he gave her individual attention when I was busy. 

If you'd like to view more images of this trip, you are welcome to visit my web album at: