Where Did That Slice Come From?

Oil on Canvas

8" x 6"

Back to painting basic still life setups and using lots of colour: cadmium red, alizarin crimson, burnt umber, ultramarine blue and pthalo blue. The background colour was tough to nail on this one. Is it teal or turquoise? Whatever I call it, I think I'll avoid it as a background in the future.  Enjoy your weekend. Thunder and lightening here at the moment. 

Listening

Jessica Listening

Pencil on paper 9 x 12

Jessica, a fearless painter, was my fellow student in a recent workshop. The atmosphere in the room was peaceful and inpiring as we listened. The light streamed into our classroom from two large windows.  Thanks again to Carol Marine for her superb instruction.

White Shepherd Dog

Max

Pencil on paper 8 x 10

Way back last September (I confess), I offered to paint a picture of Max, the family dog belonging to my sister and brother-in-law. It was offered as a birthday gift. I forgot to tell my sister that I meant her 2011 birthday.

Max is an old-timer White Shepherd. He is blind, has arthritis in his hips and despite the fact that he sheds his thick white fur in clumps, he is allowed to roam around inside the house. If we humans move a piece of furniture, Max bumps into it the first time, but immediately learns to avoid a second collision. His head is as high as the kitchen counter and when I look at him straight on, I think of the big bad wolf. But, he is a gentle soul and he likes nothing more than a good scratch with a little conversation or a story at bedtime. I care about Max like he is my doggie-nephew and I am sure he likes me as his human-aunt.

This drawing is in preparation for the painting of Max.

Bird #2

Yellow Hornbill

Oil on Board 8" x 8 "

Another South African bird today, officially called a Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill.

The painting is based on a photo I took in Kruger National Park. This bird was about a foot long from tip of the beak to the end of the tail. He made me think of Zazu, the yellow hornbill in the musical The Lion King. 

What felt like 15 minutes of painting was really about two hours, an indication of my joyful concentration. Along with the blue starling I painted on Wednesday, the hornbill made a cameo appearance in my video: Three Minute Tour of Kruger Park.

Full of Colour

Little Blue Starling

Oil on board 6 x 6



How exhilarating to be using colour again. I attended a Carol Marine painting workshop in Red Deer Alberta last week and scooped up buckets of information. Carol is one proficient painter and a great teacher. The painting is based on a photo I took in South Africa last year.  Starlings in Canada pale in comparison to Little Blue, at least any that I've seen in our western provinces.

SA Link

Nadine visited us from South Africa in the spring - her first trip to Canada. I had her sit by the window so I could take a few photos to practice my portraits.

Best Model Ever

Nicky

Pencil on Paper, 11" x 14"

Nicky is the calmest model I've had the pleasure of working with. She sat for hours at a time, as still as a yogi and she seemed to emanate a simliar centred peacefulness. I started this drawing in the portrait class that I attended at James Picard's studio in late May and finished it at home, using a reference photo. I'm also working on a painting of Nicky that I started the same day. The painting, equally calm, is sitting for hours on my easel waiting for attention.

Heading in the Right Direction

Dave Near the Window

Pencil on paper, 9" x 9"

This is Dave. Well, it is kind of Dave. A close likeness, though I do see wonky things in my drawing. For the love of pete, this is my best today and my paper simply won't take anymore erasing. I've worn it thin in spots. When the pose is not quite straight ahead, there is the slightest difference in distance between the features on the left side vs. the right side.

But I do see improvement in my drawing skills. Hence the title of my post: I am heading in the right direction.

Over the Shoulder Look

Audrey

Pencil on paper, 10" x 12"

This young woman is made up of features from several people. She looks oddly familiar to me - I suppose that I got to know her as I was drawing her. Since I created her, I had the honour of naming her, too.

Heads Up

Pencil on paper

11" x 14"

This is Ellen, one of my daughters. I"m happy about getting closer to a likeness. And I figured out how to add a slide show to my blog. You probably noticed ... over on the left side of the screen.

Most of my drawings and paintings that I posted in the past couple of years are in the slide show.To stop on any picture, hover your mouse over it. Controls will appear onscreen to stop, go forward or back.

To view any picture in a larger size, click on it. A new window will open with a full size picture and access to the entire gallery on Google Picasa. Thanks for looking.

Thumbs Up

Drawing from my Sketchbook

Lately, I've been drawing when I need a break from my writing routine. And on Tuesday nights I attend a life drawing session. I'm hesitant to post those drawings, as they might seem unsuitable if taken out of context. For the non-artists reading this - the models in life drawing are nude. Posting bare naked body parts online. Could be dodgy.

Drawing the models hands and feet seems to challenge me so I'm practicing in my sketchbook. This upbeat pose that I've posted makes me smile each time I see it. I've had my sketchbook propped open on this page and sitting nearby me for the past couple of days. Each time I see the encouraging hand signal, I giggle. So far, it keeps surprising me. Two days of surprise. I'm like a gold fish, forgetting that I've already seen that part of my fish bowl. Oh, the little joys of life.

PS.I'm writing fulltime now, having shrugged off the mantle of a nine to five routine. Drawing fills in the gaps when my writing brain needs a break. Painting will be back on the radar once the first round of the book is off to the editor. Happy, happy.

Thanks for the Input

Ice Crystals on the Inner Surface of the Window Pane

Yellowknife, North West Territories

Based on your feedback, I realize that I may have come across as a touch desperate in my last posting. I admit, I was floundering. But I want you to know I am OK and that your responses helped me. 

I received suggestions and encouragement by email, in person, and seemingly transmitted by cosmic rays from the universe. Thank you everyone, I appreciate each word you wrote and spoke to me. And, like an ice jam breaking in spring thaw, the river of creativity is again flowing.

Some of Your Tips 

• Take things one day at a time
• Put the problem out to the universe (maybe I did by blogging about it)
• Go back to your outline
• Interview additional people
• Take a break, the words will come when the time is right
• Use index cards to make a visual, movable plan, like a mind-map
• Visit the original source of inspiration - person or place

The hot tips that thawed the jam for me: an I-can-do-it attitude adjustment, a visual map and making a plan for more interviews. By the way, I can tolerate ice jams and cold, as proven by my photo on the right, which I took in Yellowknife on a beyond-cold January afternoon. But I really do prefer the warmth.

What a boost to know you are all rooting for me. That truly warmed me.

Coming at You

Forward Motion

Hope you are not tired of elephants. I found out more about the ears... those funny ridges that I thought were cartilage are actually veins. I guess those of you living in Africa already knew that. Elephants' ears have a profusion of veins. When they flap their ears, the blood running through the veins is air-cooled by several degrees, even more if the ears are wet. As the cooled blood flows back into the head and the rest of the body, it helps the huge beast stay cool in the hot African sun.

Study of an African Bush Elephant

Stepping Away from the Pack

The drawings that I've posted lately are studies based on my own photos. My aim of these straight-forward renderings is to hone both my drawing and my observation skills.  

Last August, I had the gift of watching a herd of elephants at their watering hole in Kruger National Park. In  that hour or so, I took many photos and I learned a lot about their behaviour. But only when I started drawing one - that is slowly, carefully observing and recording the details - did I notice wonderful bits that I had missed before: the wrinkly skin and the way it pulls taut over the hip bone, the prominent ridges on the edge of each large flapping ear, and how the brow bone protrudes above the beady little eye. 

Next time I see an elephant in person, so to speak, I won't miss those wonderful details because I've come to know them through drawing. And that delights me.

One last thing... the photo below shows the herd as they drank together. The lone elephant (above) had just stepped away from this thirsty bunch (below). Maybe she had enough water or maybe she just needed some alone time.

Magic Glasses on the High-Line

Anna in the Highline Tunnel

Pencil on paper, 8 x 10

This profile drawing of my older daughter, Anna, is based on a photo taken by my younger daughter. The three of us were standing on a tunnel-like path that went under part of a building. Long rays of light streamed in from the end of the tunnel and lit Anna from behind creating a strange reflection on her glasses.

The pathway is part of the High Line, a park built upon an old elevated rail bed in Lower Manhattan. The morning was unusually warm for October and we paused in the shade of the 'tunnel' section to cool off.

The "Tunnel" Under the Building

You can see the 'tunnel' under the building in this photo. If you look closely, on the right, you can also see my daughters sitting on benches made of railway ties. Within minutes, a New Yorker hones in with a pickup line. I happen to be crouched behind some tall grasses with my camera seeking a perfect artistic shot and instead, like a spy-mother, I record this moment. The New Yorker leaves before I get over to the benches.

Sharks' Cap

Ian's Favourite Cap

Plain ol' pencil on paper



This portrait of Ian in his favourite cap came together easily probably because his happy face is so familiar. Ian's smile brings to mind some of the childhood stories he has told me.  When he was a wee boy in his birthplace, Arusha, now part of Tanzania, he had a male nanny who taught him to speak Swahili and gave him the nickname Chaloo, meaning "happy one".  Indeed, his pre-school years were happy ones spent playing on the edge of the jungle with his brothers (his sister came along later). As adults, Ian and his brother Mike have an ongoing rivalry about their chosen South African rugby teams: Ian backs the Sharks, Mike, the Bulls. The Sharks cap is part of that whole thing.

My Friend

Summer Evening Fun

Pencil on Paper, about 8 x 10

Clarissa, the subject of this drawing is the same friend I painted over a year ago. My main concern this time was getting the likeness. That is the toughest part. I do see improvement on that score, although not yet perfect.  She is a pleasure to draw, such an unassuming beauty.

Best wishes to all of you for a peaceful Christmas.

SAM and Pablo

Ellie on the Train

Last Sunday I travelled on the Amtrak train from Vancouver to Seattle with seven creative companions to see the Picasso exhibit at SAM (the Seattle Art Museum). We met at Terminal Station at 6:15 AM, coffee in hand, sleep in our eyes, but anticipation in our hearts. Once through customs and onboard, we snuggled into our adjacent seats, two sets of four, armed with sketchbooks, cameras, and art magazines. I was so excited to be amongst this company of fellow 'seers' that at one point I burst out to my immediate foursome "I think I'm over stimulated!".  I was trying to look out the window at the Pacific Coast rolling by, share the discoveries in International Artist magazine with Mauro, sketch Ellie, and chat with Catherine. On top of that I wanted to take out my camera and capture everything "on film". Like a kid at Christmas.

I managed to find my adult reasoning and calm myself to enjoy each experience one at a time. The four hour trip felt like an hour, we piled off the train and walked through the deserted Sunday streets of downtown Seattle. A quick lunch at the gallery cafe and we headed into the exhibit. Aaaah, the exhibit. Dozens of Picasso's paintings, drawings and sculptures from the artist's personal collection and on loan from the Musée Picasso in Paris. We explored separately and then together, talking about some of the pieces, sketching others, choosing our favourites. We stayed for hours sharing our awe.

After a stop in the SAM gift shop for Picasso books and show catalogues, we stuffed ourselves with enchiladas and quesadillas, washed down with beer and Marguerita's, then dawdled back along the streets, now dark, but festively lit with white strings of lights wrapped round tree trucks along the boulevard.

The ride home was no anticlimax - it was equally fulfilling - the camaraderie unmatched. Once again, our laughter dominated the car, but no one else complained. My guess is they would have joined us if there had been room. Many thanks to our art teacher, James, for organizing the trip and to all my fellow travelers for a day I am still savouring.

Grateful to Be Fortunate

Picasso and Friends, 6th Floor, Museum of Modern Art

I've been very fortunate this year - lots of travelling, inspiring work, healthy family.  In October, I visted New York City with my daughters. Sharing that adventure with them was priceless. And I love that city, I am quite sure that I could live there. Knishes and borscht at the deli. Theatre, dancing, music. I would spend alternate Sundays at the MOMA and the Met (excuse the name dropping but both were dreamy). Imagine having great art and culture nearby all the time.

A peak experience such as that trip reinforces how blessed I am and reminds me of the importance of helping out people who are less fortunate. This Christmas, we (the staff at my office) are putting together a hamper for a needy family: a single father, who cannot work because of significant health issues, and his two teenage sons whose mother passed away on the rough streets of East Vancouver. One of the boys has FAS. Their home is bare bones, hardly any furniture. They have to visit the foodbank weekly. Despite the hardships, the father works hard to be involved in the boys' school and to teach them about being good members of their community. My heart goes out to them.

Why am I telling you? As a reminder that there is a lot of poverty and pain in our local communities and if we can, we should help. Those two boys are at risk, they have little opportunity for advanced education and will be challenged to find meaningful work that provides a decent living. Life will be an uphill battle for them.

Do forgive me if I'm preaching to the converted. Many of you likely give back to your community already. For today, I'll be a little bird on your shoulder reminding you that there are many people in our country who need a hand to get by.
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If you are part of a group that can put together a hamper, you can read here about the Surrogate Santa Project: http://www.synergycollective.ca/ 
If you can help a little with our hamper, please contact me  shelleyrosspainter@gmail.com

We still need a six foot Christmas tree, (we found a tree) lights and decorations
Contributions for a big Christmas dinner (we'll buy a grocery store gift card with any money we receive).
Gift cards for Future Shop, Movies, Pizza Hut, Safeway, Superstore.
The family also needs towels and blankets or comforters.

The Tree Next Door

Oil on Panel

9 x 12

Midday autumn sun was coming through the leaves of the maple trees beside our home, creating dancing shadows on the white stucco walls. Painted using my pochade box.

Best wishes to all you Canadians celebrating Thanksgiving.

Three Minute Tour of Kruger National Park

Take three minutes and join me on a lively tour of a special place.
These are all my own photos taken on an August trip.
I hope you enjoy the break.

Offspring

Ellen Reading

Pencil on Paper in my Sketchbook 9"x12"

Ellen, my youngest, sat quietly reading a book* that she is reviewing. I was aware that she was aware of me drawing and, accordingly, she sat far more still than she would have otherwise. Normally, she is on the move, an adult version of the child. Even in the womb she was a squirmy, bouncy bundle of energy. None of that showed during the evening drawing session.

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*Above the Pavement - The Farm! Architecture and Agriculture at PF1
by Amale Andraos & Dan Wood (Princeton Architectural Press, 2010)
.....Now do you understand why I didn't include the title on the book cover in my drawing?

Selective Memory

Self Portrait from Memory

2B Pencil and Blending Stick in Sketchbook

About 8" x 10"

On one of my commutes last week, when there was no one in close vicinity for me to draw, I decided to draw myself from memory. This is a pretty good likeness but when I got home and checked in the mirror to compare my drawing with my reflection, it appeared to me that my memory is a bit selective. For example, I didn't draw wrinkles or sags. Maybe, I was simply remembering how I looked 10 years back.

More Training

2B Pencil amd Blending Stick in Sketchbook

About 5" x 7"

This commuter was so completely focused on reading her book that she did not notice me drawing directly in front of her. I became bolder and was blatantly staring as I drew. She did not look up once in our twenty minute train trip. Worked for me.

Train-ing My Hand

Friday Commuter

Pencil in My Sketchbook 5.5" x 8.5"

Because I was feeling the strain of my busy life recently, I decided to get back on board with my surreptitious commuter-train sketches. Drawing provides me with the daily perk I need. This fellow above seemed suspicious of my actions but he said nothing.

One sweet young thing gave me permission to draw her, and in return, I gave her the completed work. She seemed delighted so I signed the work and gave her my blog address. She repeated my name out loud and showed nearby passengers the drawing. It was my stop and as I scurried from the train, I could hear a minor stir amongst the folks. It made me smile all the way home.

Standing offer - if you recognize yourself in one of my train sketches, you can have the drawing.

Word of the Day - Plein Air

Evening in the Park

Oil on Canvas 9 x 12

I packed supper into a bag, some wine into a thermos and we headed out to Barnet Marine Park again on Friday evening. Most importantly I took my new pochade box. After a quick supper, I scouted out a painting spot and got started. Several curious onlookers stopped by. I didn't mind as long as they did not stop for too long - I had to keep painting as the light was changing fast.

This painting took me about 4 hours - 2 hours in the park, another hour in Picard's studio where I benefited from exactly the tips I needed and then an hour dabbing on the leaves. This is the first of many plein air paintings that I hope to do this summer. 

En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors.  Thanks to Wikipedia for that definition.  

Word of the Day - Pochade

We recently had a picnic supper at Barnet Marine Park on Burrard Inlet about a ten minute drive from home. I was on the hunt for potential views to paint and I found at least one hundred. The image here is a photo, not a painting, so don't get too excited.

The next day I tried out my new pochade box. Pochade - pronounced pe-shod - is the French word for a sketch, generally used to refer to an outdoor sketch painted to catch the atmosphere and colours of a landscape. A pochade box is designed to carry the tools and supplies required to make such sketches and it has a built-in easel.  I can report that I felt trés French and definitively painterly using my pochade box, even though I was indoors at the time!  At least I was looking out the window to capture the feeling of the landscape.  

It was a test run on the new equipment. I learned to adjust the levers and wing nuts, used the sliding palette tray and I found the secret compartments. I am sure it will improve my paintings.

The photo here shows the pochade box sitting in my studio. The painted sketch is sitting in place snugly slid into the holder in the lid of the box. You can see my scene outside the studio window. In the background, top left corner, sits an unfinished still life on my easel.

The photo on the right shows the pochade sitting in my studio.

The painted sketch is sitting snugly in place in the lid of the box. Outside the window is the scene I painted.

The photo below shows the sturdy tripod with a 'rock skirt' in the centre of the legs. On windy days you can place a few rocks or a boulder in the skirt to hold the whole contraption down. My next steps: cut an inch off the tops of my long brushes so they fit into the brush tray and head out to a building supply store to buy a sheet of masonite and have it cut up into 9 x 12 panels to paint on.

More here on pochade boxes. I purchased mine online at Dick Blick. It arrived by Fedex in less than a week, a remarkable feat on shipments from the US to Canada. Now I'm getting really excited about the summer weather and painting outdoors.

Thanks Elsa for your tips on the pochade box. http://elsabluethner.com/

Mixed Tapes and a Mixed-Bag Week

Pencil drawing,
(copied from an image provided in Picard's drawing class)

My first draft of this posting included a fair amount of whining about the letdown we can experience after a big event. I admit, I was in a blue state for a couple of days, but then finally had enough of it. There really is nothing for me to whine about when I look back over my last seven days.

I attended an art conference in Alabama where the air is warm and the vowels are long. Veeeery long.... try this in a somewhat high pitched, sing-songy voice "Thaaaang Keeew." 

I ate grits while there. It is just cornmeal! Who knew? Well, who north of the 49th parallel knew.

I heard inspiring words from Mark Carder, originator of The Carder Method especially his shoot-for-the-sky attitude embodied in his phrase to "paint like Rembrandt".

I found great kinship with like-minded artists who transformed from online forum buddies to in-person friends. And I had three paintings in my first art show.

Back in Vancouver ...I learned to use Camtasia to edit sound files for a YouTube video we are creating to publicize The Book. That is the start of fulfilling a long held desire I've had to learn to edit (beyond mixed tapes, which I used to tinker with endlessly for perfect transitions between songs).

What was that whining about anyway?
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Web Finds
Interested in Vermeer? Check out this rich site http://www.essentialvermeer.com/

Can't sleep at night? Enrich your mind here.  http://art.docuwat.ch/videos/

Be Here Now

Nell with Lipstick

Pencil on Paper 5 x 8 (from my sketchbook)

I was on the road for work for the past seven days. Coming home to Vancouver in April smells like heaven. I'll confirm that for you when I get there, but I'm sure that heaven must smell like budding poplars and blossoming cherry trees.

One of my stops on my travels was Calgary, Alberta where I visited my mother, Nell.  She is 87, has Alzheimers and stays in a care facility as she needs 24 hour care. She knows I am family, although it is not always clear to her just which family member I might be - sometimes her aunt, sometimes her other daughter. I'm just happy that she has comfort in my presence.

Nell has become the person I imagine she was as a child. She lives in the moment, aware of her immediate surroundings and her physical sensations far more than any outside expectations. As sad as it has been to see my mom lose her memory, there is something quite moving that comes from being with her now. Her life held many struggles that caused her depression, tension, and stress. All of that is gone and now she simply "is." She could be a model for the old seventies book Be Here Now by Baba Ram Dass. 

Nell goes from moment to moment, breath to breath, meal to meal. Her attention is on what she sees in front of her. She still has language skills, but not much logic, no cunning, no ability to hide anything, no chance to trick herself or those around her, no need to pretend she is something she is not, no attempt to live up to someone elses' expectations, no worry about money or the future or the past.  Like a child, she is aware of hunger, fatigue, pain, heat, cold. She watches the people around her and seeks company when she needs it, but otherwise is content with the smallest of activities. She puts on lipstick. Her dresser drawers are tidy. She eats until she is full.

I see some lessons in there.

Portrait

Portrait of Nikki

pencil on paper 18 x 24

Nikki is new to modelling, but has a good understanding of what is needed based on her experiences as an art student. She knows how to sit perfectly still and not change her expression despite the sometimes silly chatter going on around her.  We had a three hour pose with her. Portait painting is my next class.Yikes.