I am challenging myself to post here at least once a week. Thank you to all of you who “liked” my site. It means a lot to me. I will travel to Italy and Paris at the end of March and so I’m excited to share that trip with you. I’m hoping to get to Giverny this trip to paint in Monet’s garden. I’ll keep you posted. I’m also considering visiting Amerstem, the home of Rembrandt and other old master painters.
Until then, I’m very busy in my studio finishing up old paintings. I started five new paintings and I will post them as I finish them. I’m working in series now, old masters portraits and full bodies, pears, images of France, etc. I’m learning tons about how to be patient about drying times of each painting. This enables me to set aside painting to dry and take out another that is in need to be finished. Because drying time allows the paint to get tacky it allows a new layer to sit firmly. I found this stage incredibly effective when you're trying to place lights to dark.
The dark paint underneath doesn’t absorb the light layer as easily. A major problem I have had over the years is getting bored with the painting just before it is finished and walking away from it. Choosing the subject and starting the drawing for a new painting is one of the more exciting parts of my painting practice. I take time to muddle over what type of painting I want to do, as well as which medium I will use. The size and shape of the canvass are very important to me. I tend to paint on large canvasses and I have fun drawing full bodies both with the paintbrush and graphite. I have been told repeatably by one of my professors that one can not become a proficient or master painter without knowing how to draw first. Over the years, most of my sketches have been done rather obscurely and quickly with a paintbrush dipped into a very thin solution of raw umber or burnt sienna straight onto my canvas. After three years of study with Nick Reszetar, master drawer, painter, and educator, I feel more confident using a pencil or graphite to do all my sketching. This excerpt taken from Nick’s website amplifies the extreme effect his instruction had on me. Quoting him, “The images above represent a broad range of the class, not just a few of the best performers. But I did want to share the extremely impressive progress and growth of one in particular. These three images represent who I call my most improved student. Even I, a college teacher of five years, have not seen anything quite this dramatic. I like to think I had a lot to do with this. One of her first studio drawings, a full value drawing from about midway, and a full chroma painting from near the end:”
Thank you, Nick, for instilling in me the importance of drawing.
So, that’s it for now. Time to paint. I have challenged myself to paint eight hours every day and finishing everything I start. Wish me luck.
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