Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Drawings

I have been doing a lot of drawing this year. It feels good. I have always loved to draw, even when I wasn't really that good at it. I think I am getting better, but I can see there is always room for improvement. I realized that I have shared a lot of these drawings on Facebook and Instagram, but I don't think I have posted them here yet. So here are a few of the drawings. (Beware of a possible jackrabbit overdose.)


this is a personal favorite




They were all done in this cool sketchbook I bought with a beautiful tan paper that was made from coffee bean bags or something. (unfortunately, the paper doesn't smell like coffee - wouldn't that be cool?) They are pretty small - only 5 x 5 inches or smaller. I am continuing my ongoing exploration of light, form and shadow.

Larger drawings in the works, stay tuned...

In other news, my show of desert animal paintings is still on display at Grateful Desert Herb Shoppe in downtown Joshua Tree. (right next to the Health Food Store.) They are open every day from 9 to 2 pm. (from 8 to 2 on the weekend.)

It is not too late to sign up for the Summer Art Camp that I am part of. There is an early sign up discount - if you sign up for the class before July 28th you save $20. More information is available here:
http://www.carlasonheim.com/2014-summer-art-camp/
The class I am teaching for Art Camp is also about light and shadow. I will be sharing some of the things I have learned about getting the values right when painting in color. There's a lot more to it than just my one class, though, There are 8 different artists teaching! The best part is that the lessons and videos will stay online for one year - so there's plenty of time to do each class. Won't you join us?

I hope everyone is managing to stay cool!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Forever a Student

"The secret to mastery in any field is to forever be a student." -Martin Palmer

One of the goals I set for myself this year was to learn new things. In order to achieve this goal, I have recently taken a class in Encaustics from Stephanie Hargrave. I loved the class, and I loved having a chance to learn how to work with encaustic paint. I am still just getting the feel for the medium, and Stephanie gave us many new techniques to try.

You may be asking yourself, "what the heck is encaustic paint?" Encaustic paint is beeswax mixed with pigments and damar crystals. The damar gives the wax strength, and of course the pigment gives it color. The wax is applied in a melted, liquid state. The word "encaustic" means "to burn," so each layer has to be burned or fused into the previous layers. I have been working with the encaustic on birch panels and really loving it. I love the way it smells. I also love that you have to work quickly, before the wax cools and hardens.


The wax is melted in cans on top of a flat griddle. I started out using a heat gun to fuse each layer, but now I am using a torch. (I love the torch!)

The first few experiments mainly involved just practicing applying the wax, and learning how to fuse each layer. Then, we progressed to adding color, incorporating paper and tissue paper into the painting, and then we learned how to work with different types of line. These first two photos were paintings I did where I used some handmade paper.

7 x 5 inches

8 x 8 inches
The handmade paper was something I have had for a while. I made it with the expert help of my friend in Colorado, Sally Mather. (thanks, Sally!) She showed me how to make paper when I visited once. I am so grateful to have talented friends who share their knowledge with me. SO THANKFUL! I love the textures that were created when I applied wax over the paper. 


"Desert Tortoise." Encaustic, thread, twine, ink transfer, 8 x 8 inches

"Sitting upright." (jackrabbit) Encaustic, thread, twine and ink transfer, 8 x 8 inches

The second two images are the most recent encaustic paintings I've done. With these two, I was practicing using thread and twine to make lines. I also tried a technique where I did drawings in pencil, scanned them, printed them with a laser printer, and then transferred them to the warm wax. I love how they turned out, and I am probably going to try doing a few more like these. Stephanie, if you read this, THANK YOU!!! I loved your class!

Speaking of learning, if you think you might want to learn some art this summer, I am teaching a class as part of Carla Sonheim's new Summer Art Camp! The class I am teaching is called "Paint a Monster," and it is a class about learning how to paint light and shadow. (Using a Monster Finger puppet!) There are eight different artist/instructors in this art camp, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. If you sign up early, you will save $20! (Click the link above for more details, won't you please?) I hope you will join us for this fun online class. The material stays online for a year, so even if you are busy this summer, you can still take this class!!!

Finally, we had a wonderful opening last night at Jenny Q's Grateful Desert in Joshua Tree. I have eighteen paintings of desert animals hanging in the shop, and the show will stay up until August. So if you missed the opening, don't worry! You can still see the show the next time you are downtown. (Local folks) For those of you who live far away, maybe I will have a chance to make a short video of the show for you to see. Thanks to all who came out!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Seattle to Bainbridge - a ferry ride

I escaped to Seattle and Sequim, Washington for a few days last week. I was filming for another online class with Carla and Steve Sonheim. It will be part of a Summer Camp class - I think there will be eight different instructors, including yours truly. I will be teaching a class about painting light and shadow (with a monster finger puppet.) Stay tuned - more info coming soon!

I really thought that I would get a brief reprieve from the desert heat while in Washington. However, Seattle set a record for heat one of the days I was there - 95 degrees! It was a little bit cooler in Sequim, though. I even wore a sweater! And socks!

There was also a magical ferry ride from Seattle to Bainbridge Island on a clear, sunny day. It looked like this:








The last photograph was taken while on the Hood Canal bridge. My dad and I and a bunch of other cars had to wait for the sailboat you see on the right hand side in this photo.

I also had the opportunity to check out the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. It's been open only one year. Featuring the work of artists in the Pacific Northwest, it is worth a visit. Fred Lisaius has some of his work on display there right now. He is another of the talented artists teaching classes online through Carla Sonheim.  I got a chance to meet him at Carla and Steve's studio in Seattle. I also got a chance to meet Niya Sisk, another artist who will be part of the online Summer Camp coming up soon!

"Midlife Crisis." Collage, acrylic and oil on canvas, 8 x 8 inches.

In other studio news, I will be the featured artist at Jenny Q's Grateful Desert this Saturday, July 11th during the Second Saturday Artwalk in downtown Joshua Tree. The Artwalk is from 5 to 8 pm. I will be there, along with some of my desert animal paintings and reproductions! Stop in and say "hello" if you are out and about. Grateful Desert is located next to Natural Sisters in downtown Joshua Tree. The other galleries and shops will also have special artist events, including the Joshua Tree Highlands Artist in Residency program at JTAG.