Category Archives: Figurative

Day 5 of the Challenge ~~ Be Safe

Day 5 brings another experiment off my beaten path. We were told in a workshop to draw a wandering line around our canvas without looking — and then turn it one way and another to see what it might suggest. We developed and painted expressive compositions out of our simple lines. I like how this turned out. I imagined the figure on the right as a mother and the other figures her sons, heading outside. She’s saying ‘Be Safe, My Sons!’ Now she’d probably be saying: ‘WEAR YOUR MASKS — and be EXTRA CAREFUL!!’

Be Safe, My Sons! Oil on Arches Huile Paper. 15 x 11.5

Day 3 of the Challenge ~~ Decayed Beauty

My Day 3 painting hearkens back to a trip to Havana a few years ago. This striking statue guards the ornate staircase of a decrepit mansion, now serving as home to a dozen families. We trekked up four floors to reach an avant garde ‘paladar’ (privately-owned restaurant permitted by the government in an experiment in capitalism). It was good, but not as memorable as this ‘Decayed Beauty’!

Decayed Beauty – Havana. Oil on Linen Panel. 16 x 20.

Getting Back in Touch!

I’ve been busy on other things for quite awhile (largely grantwriting for the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, MS), but want to catch you up on my art doings, such as they’ve been since my last post.

Here’s a fun iPad/ArtRage portrait I did of grandson Ben sitting on a big boulder. I loved the pose and colors. Palm trees are also a favorite of mine, but they’re a particular challenge.  And foreshortened legs and feet?  Another opportunity for close observation ~~ and a little fun exaggeration.

On a Rock. Original iPad Painting. 5:7 aspect ratio.

A Past Start Destined to Remain Unfinished. Dad on the 4th, 2010.

In the last post, I included a photo I took of Dad during our July 4th party in 2010.  I have always treasured that shot.  Back in 2014, when I was beginning to experiment with gouache, I decided to hazard a rendering of the fuzzy image.  I got it to this stage in my first session and put it aside for further work.  I have never had the nerve to do more on it because I was afraid of messing it up or not doing Dad justice.  I’m now declaring it ‘officially unfinished’.  It’s not gonna be changing.  I like it ‘as is’, shortcomings and all.

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Touching Up an Oldie-but-Goodie ~~ a Favorite Painting from a Long Ago Workshop

Some years ago I took a workshop from nationally known artist Carolyn Anderson.  One of our tasks was to paint an interpretation based on one of her stash of photos that she uses for inspiration.  I selected the one I liked and did a nice start, I thought.  I’ve always liked that old painting and decided to finish it up last week.  It only took a few minutes.  Ahhhhh.  That felt good! Here it is and below that, its state before the touch-up, as well as the reference photo.

Painting #6 – Get Me Outta Shepherdstown (For Now)! Sick of Mixing Greens! Give Me Koi!!

My plan to overdose on Shepherdstown scenes must pause.  I’m tired of the greens there — and the extreme difficulty of mixing them from my limited palette.  I need to do some off-painting experimentation to see if I can develop some better mixes.

In the meantime, here are some koi, which I’ve been wanting to try for years. I like it, though the composition is too lopsided to the left, isn’t it?  I didn’t want to include the reference’s departing duck sailing at lower right.  Should I add a baby koi down there?  Or would that be too ‘coy’?  Should I preserve the area as the tranquil spot where the eyes can rest??  And dang – more green issues!  A problem for the future.

#6 Koi Without Duck. Oil on Paper. 10″x8″.

Koi with Duck.

Painting #3 – Resting at Shepherdstown

Here’s my third of the 100 painting project — still on the Shepherdstown WV subject matter.  This one was simple compared to those other two!

The painting & the reference.

Shepherdstown boaters, resting. Oil on Paper. 8″x10″. 2018.

Photo of Shepherdstown boaters.

My iPad art has been getting lots of ‘likes’ lately!!

Marc Hanson post of Maureen’s iPad sketch of him. ArtRage. 2018.

After a recent workshop down in Ocean Springs, MS, I sent teacher Marc Hanson a quick little iPad sketch of himself as a thank you for a wonderful experience.  He promptly posted it on his Instagram account – surprising me greatly.  I was tickled to see it and was especially delighted when it gathered 550 likes and a number of comments and questions.  Wow.  Thanks, Marc, for the exposure!

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Performance Anxiety in a Portrait Painter!

I spent a helluva lot of hours on this grandmother/grandson portrait.  It took me over a year and a half(!!) — though most of that time was spent dreading painting, rather than putting brush to linen.  It was commissioned by a friend and based on her photos from years earlier, rather than observation — never a great thing.

Grandmother and grandson, with hydrangeas. Oil on linen.

My next post will show a portrait that I did in a weekend  ~~ things work (and look) much better without anxiety!

Africa: Motherland, not S***hole.

I’ve been busy on our Gallery B exhibit, which kicked off last night with a public reception.  The weather cooperated and a number of folks came by to enjoy chocolates and art.

I woke up today with different thoughts on my mind ~~ recent denigrations of people based on their home country (and skin color??).  I love the phrase ‘out of Africa’ for its pithy recognition that all of us are children of Africa.  We have a common lineage.  Where we settled ~~ hot equator or cooler clime ~~ determined whether our skins darkened or not.  I’m sensing T-shirts, mugs and other swag for this one!

happy figure bursting out of the motherland, Africa

Out of Africa. Original iPad Painting. 2018. 1:1 aspect ratio.