This painting was done in Ft. Pierce as part of an invitational paint out. The last time I was in the neighborhood, this building was completely renovated. It wouldn’t be my choice as a painting subject anymore because all the character was removed.
The title is from that song by the B52’s – “Love Shack”. Of course being in Ft. Pierce it was probably more likely a Drug Shack.
One Lovely Blog Award
Very Inspiring Blogger Award
Recently, I was graciously given two beautiful awards by Trèsors De Luxe
THANK YOU!
The rules for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award and One Lovely Blog Award are:
Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them in your post.
Share 7 things about yourself.
Nominate 15 bloggers you admire.
Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they’ve been nominated.
Rule breakage:
There are many things that I’d be happy to reveal about myself – someday.
There are also many bloggers that I admire, but don’t feel comfortable with the award rules.
So, perhaps I can’t accept these awards, but appreciate the spirit of them.
Thank you all for your lovely and inspiring blogs!
There was an interesting article in the June issue of “Pastel Journal” titled “History Reclaimed” about John Pierce Barnes (1893-1954), an impressionist artist, who was discovered recently. The pastel paintings that they show on the Pastel Journal website are stunning. In order to avoid any problems I haven’t included any pictures of his paintings here.
This link is to the Pastel Journal Blog:
http://www.artistsnetwork.com/medium/pastel/john-pierce-barnes-gallery
You can read the story in the following link, about how the curator of his paintings, Katherine Stanko, learned that the paintings existed and had been in storage since the artists death or maybe longer.
“THE RESURRECTION OF ARTIST JOHN PIERCE BARNES, RCA Worker and Impressionist Painter” By Hoag Levins is here:
http://historiccamdencounty.com/ccnews145.shtml
What inspires me the most is how wonderful his color choices were and his bold strokes. Many pastelists blend the heck out of their work and it thrills me to see unblended work from the 1920’s. It is also pretty easy to put together his very simple plein air palette from his work, which, of course, I had to do. It seems to be very limited, which is great for going out on location. Possibly, he had a small landscape set – I don’t know what was available in the ’20’s. I managed to fit all the colors into a small 5″x4″ box – it doesn’t get better than that!
Since I don’t keep the names of my colors, and now realize I have way too many colors, yet, not enough of these colors, I’ve made a color chart of what his palette probably was.
If it would stop raining I’d take them for a test ride.:)
This was a quick study that I did some time ago. Since I’m working on something else right now, I’m not able to post that painting until it’s finished. Pastels go through an ugly stage that I don’t share with anyone. My husband used to pass by my works in progress and think the paintings were horrible, but then would be surprised when he saw the finished product. He would be seeing the first layer of pastels. Although all the layers contribute to the final painting, they sort of disappear eventually – or visually mix together. So the first layer is usually the undertones, the shadows and might not even be the right shape yet. It’s all very scratchy and scrawly. It’s a different story when using an underpainting though and one of these days, when I have a chance, I’ll post that process.
Hopefully the new painting will have the same energy that this does. However, there won’t be any bouganvillas in it, but plenty of other flowers.
This is from Adams Ranch in Ft. Pierce, FL where the live oaks grow undisturbed. They are huge trees with far reaching limbs. A bit farther down this dirt road on the ranch is a picnic area with a giant tree house.
I’m getting ready to start a new commission and while taking stock, making sure there were plenty of pastels in the box and planning my approach this painting came to mind.
The new painting won’t have a path with dappled light but many of the colors will be the same, as well as the size.
Better get to work!:)
The Sketchbook Project is fun to do and I’ve just signed up for the 2013 project. In a nutshell – you sign up, pay for a blank sketchbook plus touring expenses and when you return it to the ArtHouse Coop it is cataloged and then goes on tour.
Here are some pages from my 2011 sketchbook – my theme was “Down my Road”, so these are all very local scenes.:
and last but not least because it is once again that great spot on the Loxahatchee River:
There were many more pages but this is enough to give you the gist of the sketchbook. The method that I used was fun. The first sketch is with watercolor crayon, then apply water, let that dry, use the marker pens to outline or do some fancy scribbling and then a final layer of gray or white on top for atmosphere.
I’ve scanned in the 2012 sketchbook but haven’t downsized the files yet. Will post soon.
Now I’m looking forward to the 2013 project and hope I don’t procrastinate as much as I usually do finding myself filling the book two days before it’s due.
The magnolias are blooming like crazy this year – or more than they have in the past – I tend to exaggerate. We have two trees in the yard. One in the front and one in the back.
They are the big trees with the big flowers. They smell great! Some magnolia trees in the neighborhood are dwarf trees with the big flower, which is nice because the flowers are lower. With the big tree it’s hard to even get a good photograph of the blooms because they are so high. However, once in awhile, if you can catch it at the right moment (the flowers peak on one day and then they’re done!) blooming on a lower branch you’ll be able to at least have a photograph to work from.
Hobe Sound Rose – Pastel on paper – no camera involved (except to photograph the painting, that is) – a rose that I grew and a pot that I made.
The inspiration to paint can come from so many places……….. and yet there are some days you say to yourself, why paint? Sometimes my inspiration is to just improve myself. Most of the time I’m overwhelmed with ideas and objects that inspire me and then the thought runs through my head that I might be insane. But that’s a whole nuther topic.
“Drawing as a means of expression is the justification of art over photography.” Andrew Loomis, Creative Illustration, 1947
How cool is that? We’re still discussing this today in 2012, yet some people have never even been made aware of it. It bothers me that there are so many people that judge good art by how close to a photograph the painting it is. Not to mention the hyperrealist or photorealist painters that have the goal of painstakingly reproducing a photograph. As if the photograph were the standard that paintings had to live up to.
Don’t misunderstand and think that I’m not in favor of photography because I love photography! It seems that over time artistic goals have sometimes become distorted.
Mr. Loomis was directing this to the art student (in the 1940’s!!!) and comparing original illustration to photography which he said couldn’t provide the expressiveness that the artist could. He doesn’t throw photography out the window but at that time guides the artist to understand they aren’t being replaced by a camera. Even though we now have the means to be more expressive with digital applications, the camera still can’t produce the surface and line quality nor the atmosphere and character that original art can.
So that is why you paint – to go beyond the photograph with your personal expression of the poetic landscape (or what ever your thing is). One good reason, anyway.
Sometimes it seems that things and/or thoughts are presented to you by some unseen spirit and you can’t help but think it must be meaningful. Kismet. Destiny. Some amazing global consciousness! Why else would all of these things come together at the same time?
Yes, I’m looking for answers and finding the ones that suit me but so are many other people which is validation enough for me. Because after all, I do need to justify my obsession and insanity.
So, after I posted and edited and updated “This Way to the Beach” I was thinking about it and it seemed like something that would be a fun monotype print. Apparently, that thought ran across my mind before because here it is – done already:
In fact, it’s posted on my original WordPress blog, that I haven’t been using because it didn’t link me to my location.
That blog is found at: http://useallthecrayons.wordpress.com/ and oddly enough, my last post was on monotypes, this one included. Hope you don’t mind the resurrection.
Please let me know if there is too much redundancy because obviously it doesn’t occur to me. Sometimes I’ll draw or paint the same thing until it’s right or because it’s a pleasant composition. Don’t you think it’s interesting to see how the same subject looks with different mediums?
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Barbies on Fire
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educational publishing specialist, author, editor, seeker of rabbit holes
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Julie Abery
Using All The Crayons 