too much winter

"You can't get too much winter in the winter."

~ Robert Frost

Thursday, February 11, 2021 I took my grandchildren to a local farm to see the newborn baby lambs. Because those mama sheep are giving birth to adorable twins and triplets even though it was about 10 degrees and very snowy outside the lambing shed. We trudged about the farm through deep snow and my 4 year old granddaughter remarked in an encouraging affirmation of the day "Winter is sure doing a good job of wintering today." As she skipped on through snow drifts nearly her height in her little pink boots. I was miserable with the cold and managed to stay for an hour or so before I suggested that we go back to grandmas for hot cocoa and marshmallows. As we slowly walked back to my car I noticed how beautiful the scenery was. This little stream with the ice and snow and trees all glowing. I promised myself that as soon as it becomes a bit more tolerable temperature-wise, I will go back to that scene with my portable easel.

3 days down, 27 more to go

 I've finished the first 3 days of premier coup, or alla prima wet-into-wet oil painting. These are for my 30 day challenge, the Painting a Day Project.

Day 1; Winter scene with moon painted from my window.

Day2; Spring flowers in a pot with window and white curtain in background.

Day 3; Bananas on a blue Dutch cloth.

30 Day Challenge

 I am working away at the Painting a Day 30 day challenge while learning from Duane Keiser in an online Zoom workshop.

This is physically demanding to work at this pace, producing a painting every day whilst fitting in laundry, cooking dinner, occasional shopping when we run out of food, and sleeping!

Here is a stack of 8x10 linen painting boards that I have prepped with an oil based ground. Waiting for me to work my way through the pile. I think I have more than 30, perhaps 38 or so that I prepped.

winter

I admire the plein aire painters who get outdoors and paint those lovely snow scenes. Landscapes in the winter fascinate me. But going outdoors to paint in the winter? 

I. Just. Can’t. Do. It. The cold absolutely frightens me. I had a personal trauma episode just watching that movie Fargo. Too much shivering!  I also don’t believe the wisdom of “no bad weather, just bad clothes”, because more and better outerwear doesn’t help, it just makes it hard to move or breathe. I grew up in the Philippines, I’m a tropical person. 

However I painted this snowy scene from one of the windows in my house. Early morning, fresh snow, bright blue cold sky and the remnants of the waning full moon behind the bare trees. 

So no suffering and shivering involved, just got stiff legs from concentrating and standing on a chair to get it all in one fresh session. Alla prima or premier coup painting of a scene from life impression.

moment by moment

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”  

~ Buddha 

A painting every day.

I am taking a class online with live Zoom lectures and a private class facebook page. Because that's how things are done in the pandemic early 20's. It's fine, great in fact, but I am working very hard to keep up with the pace of assignments and exercises. 

Our instructor is someone whose career and technique I have followed for a least 10 years now. 

Duane Keiser is a well-known painter who is the inventor or first to use the idea of "a painting a day".  He began making small paintings of everyday objects and scenes, most of them small but complete works of art. He sold them using ebay and auctions and the idea became quite successful probably because his work is sublime. Now there are many artists following this trend and selling using auctions online. It is also a trend now to use the internet to sell and avoid art galleries which have become more and more out of fashion.

My class is strenuous! I did my undergraduate degree at The Art Center College in Pasadena, California and I thought I knew how to handle stressful assignments and deadlines. This is bringing it all back.

Our first exercise was to paint 100 gesture paintings in oil, each one timed to take no more than 10 seconds. Then we wiped off the panel and started another 10 second painting. Whew! Then we started another series with all the time in the world, all of 5 minutes! More color exercises at 20 minutes each followed.

Now we are at the real work of the class, producing a painting every day for 30 days. We began in the first week of February. And really, what else will you do with your time in February? It's too cold and miserable to go anywhere.

I chose a coffee carafe for my 100 gesture paintings. Too simple? Not at all.

stop time, paint

“How to stop time: kiss.

How to travel in time: read.

How to escape time: music.
How to feel time: write.
How to release time: breathe.”

― Matt Haig, Reasons to Stay Alive

How to stop time and keep it forever: paint a picture of it. Little babies grow up too soon.

It's that super time again

 

I am not a sports fan. Family joke is to ask me "who are the teams playing?" I usually have little to no idea.

But I enjoy being invited to watch the game, watch all the commercials, and eat yummy food. Here is my post last year and some of my sketches from years past. Once I figured out how to sketch really fast I enjoyed the games so much more. My trick is to grab a gesture and then wait for that player to repeat it so each time I spot that action then I add more to the sketch. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

bitter cold and snowing

I do not like winter and since I live all year long in a northern midwestern climate I often feel trapped indoors.

Here in West Chicago, Illinois we are currently tracking temperatures that hover near zero. (Fahrenheit)

I do love looking out the window of my cozy warm house at the winter landscape.

I love the snow covered trees, the long blue shadows in the afternoon sun, and the different colors in the snow. You have to sit and stare a while to realize all the colors that are out there in a frozen white desolation. 

This painting happened fast, what is called “alla prima” or one session work. I woke up to a fresh cold morning, new snowfall, and the last waning orb of a full moon. I love seeing the moon in any setting but shining against the winter blue sky with snow covered branches captivated me. I had to stand in front of a window and work with purpose rapidly to catch that light and sky. 

portrait

"It is not a portrait unless the person is looking at you." (Andrew Wyeth)

I am pleased to see my dog portrait being admired by his eminence, Jack the dog.

Finally it has been varnished, packed up and shipped to the new owners. 

Jack the dog, small but mighty, I wrote about painting him here.

mischief

She has mischief on her mind, can't you just tell with her wild hair that she refuses to comb and the crumbs and jam on her chin.