Jumped In

OK It's official  I have jumped in and joined  Leslie Seata  in her 30 paintings in 30 days Challenge for January 2014!!!!

 I am 221st artist in....now about 265!!!!

Already in "stress mode" but I feel I really need to PUSH myself so I am making this commitment and will try to fulfill it.. I will keep in mind rule #3.... I know if I really want it I will do it.... and I want it....

3. Understand there are no real rules for this challenge. If you miss a day, then paint 
two the next day. If you fall behind, please stay in the challenge! No one is counting 
how many paintings you have completed (except you), I promise. The only rule is 
that you must have fun and enjoy the process.

and my own little rule... not EVERY painting has to be a masterpiece!!!!

Now to get organized!!!
Format
Materials
Subject matter
References

Field Collage

Pasted newsprint on heavy cardboard. Beginning the " He Walked Through the Fields " concept that Heleni suggested as a topic for paintings.  Heleni explained that it could be based on the novel by Moshe Shamir, portrait of Moshe Shamir or any aspect of walking through fields or just fields.. Open to all and any interpretation....

In this piece I was trying to go "out of the box and my comfort zone"... Here I used torn pieces of newsprint and pasted on heavy cardboard 50 x 70 cm. I then added color using oil pastels and oil/wax crayons.

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Here is the collage of pasted torn newsprint 

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Turned more into a mountain landscape than a field landscape 

 Think this could be an interesting avenue to to continue... 

He Walked Through the Fields

A subject that was suggested by Heleni in our workshop ---- He Walked Through the Fields --- based on the book by Moshe Shamir. I took the subject not from the book but literally.  These paintings where done from photos of the fields near Kiryat Gat  and  Hamei Yoav , our favorite spa.

Both paintings done in oils on red toned wrapped canvas 50 x 70 cm

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Concept Challenge December 2013

In our art workshop our mentor,Heleni, gives out special challenges to work on our own and bring in for a group critique.  This challenge was something special.... working in pairs we were to adopt a concept, technique or materials from our partners and work them into a painting.

This painting done on cardboard with pasted newsprint was inspired by my artist companion Traudi.  I love her freedom of color, cut paper creations and her use of simple materials.

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50 x 70 cm

gouache and charcoal on newsprint

link to event album

Postal Boxes

These paintings also based on a photo of my grandson, Noam, standing before a wall of postal boxes in Crete.  Reference photo taken by son-in-law Shabtai this past Sukkot on the island of Crete.

Oils on 35 x 50 red toned canvas

reference image

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Church in Crete

These paintings were based on a photo taken by son-in-law Shabtai in Crete when on a family vacation this past Sukkot.

 reference 

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24 x 24 cm

caran d'ache oil/wax crayons on corrugated cardboard 

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33 x 37 cm 

oils on corrugated cardboard

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26 x 26 

oils on toned corrugated cardboard

Election Day--- Class Outside on the Municipality Lawn

October 22  was election day for cities and municipalities in Israel so the cultural center where we usually meet was being used for election polls, and we set up shop on lawn of our local municipality lawn.

See images of our Art Sadna Picnic

I set up shop near the entrance looking at one of the outbuildings.  Near the bench... forgot to photograph my setup. I liked the interesting ceramic statue.

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View from my easal

All were done on heavy brown construction paper using oil pastels...paper has a little bit of texture. 

Statue up close 35 x 25 cm

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View of the side of the building.... also 25 x 35 cm Used some medium to blend the colors

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Statue head .... quick sketch 25 x 25 cm

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More Cardboard Studies

These studies have been waiting a long time to be published... This is for many reasons. The main reason is that I am not really happy with any of these, but still love the reference photo, and would really love to do it justice. The second reason is that I have been over burdened with family issues that have left me totally physically, mentally, and emotional spent, so much so that I haven't been able to open the blog and put them up in the spirit of learning.

Here is the reference photo , taken on the island of Crete this past fall.

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The first attempt on cardboard... using oil paints on corrugated cardboard.  I wasn't happy with the figure and wanted to somehow fix it but the limitations of the format were against and it started to tear . Also the proportions are not what I wanted.   Size 40 x 33 cm.

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Decided to play around with various other viewpoints.

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Wax and oil crayons on the white side of corrugated cardboard. Wanted more emphasis on the figure, my grandson Uri, and less on the Church.  Used some medium. Size 24 x 24 cm.

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The last on dark red toned corrugated cardboard.  Not a good photograph... the original is darker and less bright.  Figure here is still much to small....Mood is much different from the others making it almost late evening. 

I have lots to learn about about this new, for me, format... One is that they should be used for quick studies because they really can't be fixed. 

Blue Bowl with Eggs Corrugated Cardboard

I am really getting to love this format ... like the freedom especially to my head...I know.. its all psychological but it works... I can always go back and add a  little more contrast.

This is from a reference photo from Wetcanvas WDE  that I printed out .. I didn't join on that particular event. The photo waited for its time.. Done in my weekly workshop.

33 x 24 cm Thin oils on corrugated cardboard...

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Corrugated Cardboard Studies

Brought to class some corrugated cardboard that I thought I would gesso and use for some quick studies. Heleni suggested that I work directly with using gesso.  I felt much more at ease with these, probably because I thought of them just as studies and don't HAVE TO PERFECT.... which probably one of the reasons that they came out fresher.... this is an important attitude to develop in any painting...
I did have Heleni to stop me from overworking.... I am going to look more closely to the work of  Diane Mannion  I get blog updates and she usually shows her progression images...

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A bit about the second study....The reference for this is the from my favorite spa Hamei Yoav.... a view that I really love.... although Heleni calls these finished works.. I still call them studies...

 

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zoomed  in 

May try this zoomed in view!!!

Scenic coast-rocks and sea

 A bit of ranting:  Blogger is up to tricks, at least on Chrome.... one would think that they would work together because they both are under the Google umbrella...  but first grayed pages... then notices that I need to re log, and today NADA... with a code to address to the help forum.... HAHA...with Firefox things are working   

This is a close up of  previous study .  I am really not happy with this..much too fragmented.... in the first one which really is simplified, more of an under painting, is much better... can't seem to get from the fresh under painting to a more finished without messing the whole thing up.... I am going to give this another try....

First try

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Second Layer

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As usual I couldn't keep my hands off it so with the paint still a bit wet did a bit of finger smudging... so now I really have to work this again.... should find time.. another long holiday weekend!!!

Scenic California -more studies

It is so great to be going back to our "workshop" every Tuesday.... actually Tuesday is the best day.... even in the Bible "it was good" mentioned twice on the third day  .... making Tuesdays very special.....

Continuing doing studies, small works, from some of the references that I got from the workshop....  trying to see the BIG picture  rather than the details.   have decided that beginning October, hoping that the weather will be less hot, to do more outdoor work.... although the scenery isn't that grand.... it will be an extra challenge...

I am working with B&W photos so I have do the coloring from my head which I found VERY difficult.... times like these I wish I had an pad to bring to class....it was difficult to see the nuances and I know photos can be deceiving .

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The second, a close of the rock and sea, wasn't going the way I wanted... hope to to get it back on track....

Johnny

Johnny was our faithful companion for almost 17 years. My husband brought him home from Tel ha Shomer Hospital where someone had left/deserted him when he was about 7 months... He was a German Shepard mix and wouldn't come in the house... probably because he wasn't allowed in the wards at the hospital... so he became our yard dog.  This past spring we had to put him to sleep.... he had a hernia near his anal area , which after getting advise decided not to operate... but he was getting very feeble...and when he went on a hunger strike and wouldn't eat even when we tried to hand feed him we knew we couldn't put off the inevitable...

I started these portraits last June and finished them this past week at my workshop... Johnny I do so miss you!!!  30 x30 cm Oil on gessoed cardboard and cloth [gessoed] stretched on kappa board..
These were also painted mainly using the palette knife.

California Coast Sketch

This is another try using grays ,,, workshop #24 Richard Robinson using photo #2 from his references of the California coast.  I am calling this a oil sketch rather than a painting. I did this at my weekly workshop using just a B&W reference print.... Small format 21 x 28 and not as free as I would like... oil on 400 grm  sketch pad.

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Felt it needed tweaking and debated whether to go back with oils or oil crayons... oil crayons won out.... 

Don't think it made much of an improvement!!!

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Working with Grays Reference Photo 4

My first workshop from Richard Robinson  #24... Still trying to get a decent and not muddy painting... I realize I have much to learn using wet on wet.. Will be doing some studies uses warm and cool grays on 400 grm cartridge paper, this time I coated it with 2 coats of acrylic paint... think I put too much texture.... size A4  28 x 21.....
First attempt  with tonal colors...

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 Next painted and then scrubbed away with wet cleaners

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New strategy.... going to do some more drawing and premix the colors

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Final stage... not happy with it.. still too fragmented...too small a format for so much information... still getting bogged down with details not important... 

Fushia flower from WDE on Wet canvas

Seems its been a long and hot summer.... workshop vacation for two months.... hard to get motivated... no excuses ... with the  beginning of  September and maybe some relief from the heat I am trying to get back into the swing,,, and develop a little more creative discipline... Recently I bought a workshop #24 on pre-mixing grays by Richard Robinson. I love working with grays but my first attempt was really not a success... got too carried away and it was just too muddy and fragmented.... I did do  a wde challenge  hosted by Connie done also using grays.... done on 400 gram cartridge paper ,next time I will coat the paper with either gesso or acrylic paint.... it also was quite dull so did a bit of  oil pastels and blended it with some medium. Size 19 x 19 cm 

Did a tight crop to the Fushia Flower  

 First try  Click to enlarge

 With added oil pastel 

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Doing another landscape from the references that I got with the workshop.... next post... still disappointed  but not giving in!!!

WDE May 31 2013

Haven't taken part for quite awhile at the weekly All Media events at WetCanvas.  This week Maureen and the moderators put together a great group of images from the RIL..

I recently received  a great gift from Derwent  Art Academy!!! A box of 18 Ink Intense Pencils in a great wooden box!!! So I did one sketch trying out these new pencils!!!

Dramatic Church Landscape
20 x 15 on 400grm heavy stock

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Young girl from Namibian

A4 98 grm sketch pad with an HB pencil... Derwent of course!!!Always looking to improve my portrait sketching. Give this one an 8+!!!

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Still Life Studies

These are two still life studies inspired by the work of Giorgio Marandi.... Wikipedia
oils   palette knife  34 x 26 cm cloth covered kapa board.  Experimenting with various shades of grays /yellows/blues/violets

Light bottles on light background

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Dark bottles on light background

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Peek a Boo Double

Peek a Boo Double, a photo by Edanim on Flickr.

I have begun to photoshopping again using Katrin Eismann's book on Masking and Compositing together with my group of PS friends. Rusty with selections and masks...but glad to get back to these skills. Our group started working through Eismann's books on a forum , before the days of social media, but with the help of social media we are still  "in touch". Where else can friends from so many places get together.... We decided to get our creative juices working using both the first  and second edition of Masking and Compositing by Katrin Eismann . I am using the first edition..  I hope to link this new creative window with my actual painting...

Children on the Beach Oil Sketches

This past Purim I took a day trip with my daughter to the Old Jaffo Port... it was a beautiful sunny warm day, February 26th, almost in the middle of winter.  We took a boat trip along the harbor, had a great lunch, ice-cream... and at the end a walk along the beach. What a perfect day!!!

Among some of the photo were of my two grand-kids walking and playing on the beach which were the inspiration for these small oil-sketches.Will post a link to the Picasa album.

After sketching in the figures with a brown charcoal stick I went over the drawing with some medium and got some interesting effects that Heleni thought that I should keep. So I decided to work the sea and sand using a palette knife and keep the figures in sketch form.

Small kapaboard cover with cotton cloth with added gesso. 30 x 30 cm.

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Charcoal Sketches

Portraiture has always been one of my favorite subjects.  Mainly I would love to capture the personality and character as well as the likeness.  Here are a few charcoal sketches of three of my grand-kids.  I rate them as 8+ in likeness... Lior, top right and middle, Amir bottom left, and Mor bottom right.

This was done on brown paper with a brownish charcoal stick. Size about  50 x 52 cm.