Sketching at Judith's Home

I haven't posted in the longest time.  I tend to post at the Whidbey Island Sketchers website because I belong to the group.  Posting for myself … not so much.  Anyway, yesterday we sketched at fellow Sketcher's Judith's home.  I found her basket of eggs so delightful!  And her chickens … and her orchids.  So, I'm hereby committing myself to keeping this blog up to date with my new work!

Lily Looking Up From Her Book

Puurrrr.... This is "Lily."  Quite the reader!  Lily was nominated by the daughter of her owner, to potentially be one of the 2014 Whidbey Animal Star Calendar paintings.  I painted her 11x14 on a deep canvas panel.  I just love her expression, her eyes, the reflected light off the book she's reading onto her ruff.  Voting will take place at Studio 106's First Saturday Artwalk in September, 9/7/13.  I'm having a blast ... it's a joyful process to take these delightful photos and turn them into paintings of love and light.

Whidbey Animal Stars

In early January, I committed myself to creating a 2014 calendar of Whidbey Animal Stars, domestic animals "nominated" by locals by sending photos (or asking me to take photos).  I've gotten dozens of photos, and have painted six potential calendar paintings so far.  Underlying this commitment is my desire to make myself paint more, and thereby learn tons.  It is a totally joyous endeavor, and I'm loving my connections with the Whidbey residents who are participating in this project.  Thank you, all!!!  The first painting I completed was Lady Gregory, a greyhound.

I painted her on a wood panel, 12" x 24".  I love the muscles in her chest, how she's "dancing" lightly on her toes.

Then, I painted Zyphyr, a super fluffy kitty in front of his living room window.  I enjoyed painting the flood of light, the fact that it's an interior "story" (one of my favorite themes to paint), the beautiful yellow eye.  Zyphyr is 12"x12," on a wood panel.

Next came Brandy, a Staffordshire bull terrier.  She was a kick to paint, with her enthusiastic smile, lulling tongue, brindle coat, spiked collar, white toes, half in shadow and half in light.....    I've learned so much with each painting!  Each has had it's own challenges and sometimes takes more than one start to get it right.  But, my challenge to myself is to only complete paintings I LOVE.  If I don't love it, it gets wiped out and started again.  9"x12"

Next came Lou, a super cool Staffordshire Bull Terrier/Akita mix with her huge shades.  I painted her on a 6x12 inch deep (2") cradled panel, which is a very cool way to present a super cool dog painting and it doesn't need framing.  I think it suits Lou well.  I love painting shiny objects, and her sunglasses gave me that opportunity!  What a star!




My next challenge was presented by Sugar, a very bouncy and curly-haired white poodle.  Her owner had presented a couple of photos, but I decided to ask for a chance to shoot some of my own.  I'm glad I did, because I have a fast camera

which shoots fast frames,
catching an active dog in stop action.  This was so helpful in capturing Sugar's enthusiasm.  I'm crazy about her fluffy tail and happy face.  This photo was shot in a grassy spot in front of 1st Street, downtown Langley, near Studio 106, where all these paintings have been done.

Driving around the island, near the local fiber farm (alpaca and llama paintings in the near future!), I came across a man in front of his home with his German Shorthair 3 month old puppy, Casey.  What a cutie-pie!  The challenge here was painting her silky short hair, representing the delightful perk in her ears.  I shot this photo of her, too ... she's curiously checking me out as I cluck like a chicken, meow like a cat, and bark like a dog to get her to perk up like this.  Ain't she cute????

After painting Whidbey Animal Star candidates, I decided to treat myself to a painting for my own home.  This is Manhattan, a cow who's photo I took last year.  I've painted her before, and delight in her image.  This time, I painted her 16" x 20" on canvas stretched on heavy-duty stretchers.  I usually paint on boards. so having the softer surface with the tooth of canvas was a nice change.  This is the biggest animal painting I've done to date, and it leads me to want to go even larger!

WHIDBEY ANIMAL STARS STUDIES

I've been painting furiously and have done 3 Whidbey Animal Star paintings.  I'll post them soon.  Meanwhile, I'm away from the Island for a week studying hypnotherapy ... and while I miss being in my studio working on WAS, it's quite amazing to be doing this training.  After today's long session, I chilled by doing a couple of studies for WAS.  I had quickly grabbed acrylic paints, oil brushes, and a pad of paper as I rushed out the door to catch the boat.  I NEVER paint with acrylic, had only a super limited color palette, and the equipment is all wrong.  Oh well!  I used copper and bronze because I had no yellows.  Improvised like crazy, and turns out I like the spontaneity!!!  First is a quick colorful study of Wendy, a WAS kitty.  Second is Boofie in the Snow, another WAS contender.  I am ever grateful to all the wonderful animal lovers who are sharing their photos with me.  I anticipate painting like a fiend, learning a ton, and having loads of fun with all the photos I'm receiving!  Doing these studies are excellent prep for the oil paintings yet to be painted.

WHIDBEY ANIMAL STARS

I am embarking upon a new project, "Whidbey Animal Stars."  I love painting animals and have committed to doing 12 animal portraits for a 2014 calendar.  I am soliciting local animal model nominations from Whidbey animal lovers/owners.  To show them what I'm made of, yesterday I painted, "Shelton," a steer in Shelton, Washington whom I photographed earlier this year.  I think he's quite compelling.  In fact, I'm in love with him.  Cool dude.  I'm inviting Whidbey residents to come to our Studio 106 opening in Langley on 1/5/13, from 5 til 8 to meet me, Shelton, and nominate their animal photos.  I hope local newspapers may take on this feel good story, because we all love our animals!!!  I think it's a ton of fun project.

CASSIE!!!!

My sister Lynne is crazy about her Irish Setters.  I'm crazy about painting.  I thought ... hey!  why don't I paint a portrait of one of her Irish's?  This spring I asked for a photo ... she sent it ... and for Christmas I surprised her with this oil painting of Cassie.  6"x12" on a cradled panel.  She posted it immediately and got so many "Likes" I was amazed.  Several people suggested I paint their favorite dogs too!  I'd love to!

MOROCCO & SPAIN

These were my first sketches in Morocco - here, I'm in Marrakesh.  This began a spectacular trip staying in incredibly beautiful Riads - large private homes built like fortresses.  From the narrow souk-lined, motor skooter, horses, donkeys, and bicycle-crowded streets, all you could see were tall walls and hunky front doors.  Enter the door to surprisingly lush oases with elaborate gardens of fountains, vines, trees, birds, feral cats who came & went.  Around the courtyard would be two or three stories of balconies, sleeping quarters, sitting rooms, studies.  This is in Dar Aloumond's courtyard & kitchen entrance.  I wanted to capture a sense of the tile work and carved plaster trim for which Morocco is famous. The pink apron belongs to our gracious chef & housekeeper, Fautima.

Now I'm in Taroudannt, a city circled by an 800-year-old wall, at the foothills of the Anti Atlas mountains,  south of Marrakesh.  This pool is in the courtyard of Riad Dar Louisa.  We were greeted in the entry way by Abdolelah's colorful art.  Fellow Whidbey Island Sketcher, Phyllis Ray, and I vowed to do a sketch a day and long story short, began exchanging sketches with Dar Louisa's owner, Louise, in England.  What fun!

  The tea service was part of our after-dinner routine, warmed by a big fire built by our dear Abdolelah - personal chef, tour guide, translator.  Louise, the owner of this Riad, has beautifully redone this ancient home, and filled it with various sculptures, furnishings, and wall hangings from all over Africa.  I wanted to capture TEXTURE.

 The dining room walls were covered with a traditional Berber tent.  Over the table, a beautiful traditional Moroccan lamp.  The ubiquitous ball of fruit ... a traditional Moroccan dessert.

Abdolelah modeled for us, first in his black traditional Jelaba.  I love the teal flip flops.  Then, he posed in a finely embroidered Jelaba used for special gatherings, such as the Camel Races, which sounds like an amazingly good time.

Fatima was our housekeeper, assistant Moroccan chef, Hammam-scrubber, and ultimately, model.  Sweet, attentive, Arabic speaking, she always wore a head scarf & woman's Jelaba for public, but unabashedly bathed with us in our hammam.  The hammam was quite the experience!  In preparation, a huge pile of firewood appeared outside our Riad door.  The morning of our bath, Fatima and Abdolela loaded the wood into the hammam's fire pit.  The room heated all day, built-in tubs of water steamed until the intimate hammam became a cozy steamy dreamy bath "womb."  Fatima scrubbed us 7 different ways, from mud to Argan oil.  Fatima's hair was always covered until bathing (and modeling), for which her thick black wavy tresses were unfurled.

These two sketches are of the cozy room waiting room for our massages and hammam.  The next is of Dar Louisa's media room ... where one could watch films lounging on deep cushions.  Moroccans know how to relax!

In return for our sketches of him, Abdolelah honored Phyllis and me with portraits he did of us.  Here's how he saw me.

Well, now I'm off to Barcelona.  Here's the view from our balcony.  I'd never been to Spain before, so this was a real treat.  I just had to sample Catalonian cuisine and put my feet in the Mediterranean.

I'd always heard of Antoni Gaudi, the unique innovative Modernisme Spanish architect who designed the famous cathedral, the Sagrada Familia.  I had no idea how inspired Gaudi was by the expressions of nature.  Apparently, his mother took young Gaudi for walks in nature, and instilled in him a fascination which wouldn't quit.  His works are dreamlike,  surreal.  I fell head over heels for his work.  Here's a sea monster he created for Park Guell.

As luck had it, I had trouble with my flights and was forced to spend an unexpected night in Madrid.  American Airlines found me a real deal in a beautiful hotel.  This Impala car art was in their lobby.  I sketched this fellow traveler as I ate Spanish food, drank Spanish wine, suffering over my delay.  Seattle would have to wait an extra day while I swam in their 25 meter pool, sauna'd, dined, sketched, and rested in splendor.  Thus ended my travels.