Seated Figure in Red 1; Gestures in Gold and Purple

Seated Figure in Red 1 is pan pastels, ink and Tombow marker on approximately 8" x 8" sanded paper.

Drawn from life, Tuesday morning.

Gestures in Gold and Purple is pan pastel over ink and Tombow marker with brush and water on 9" x 12" watercolor paper.

Three-minute poses.   Drawn from life, Tuesday morning.





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NATURE WATCH:

A doe full of promise.

Man In Blues And Greys; Reclining Man In Red

Drawn this morning, from life.

The large painting is oil pastel and acrylic paint on 20"x24" canvas.

The small piece is oil pastel on 6" square origami paper.

I will probably add some detail to the large painting, but I want to live with it for a bit before deciding.

Woman Among Marigolds At The Eastside Cafe

Painted outdoors, from life, yesterday morning.

Oil and oil pastel, 20"x24" canvas.


About this:

We were outdoors, in the middle of the most marvelous organic garden, with chickens, at the Eastside Cafe. (Check out the Eastside story portion of the Eastside website for more about the garden.)

The day was kind of cool and windy and threatening rain at first, then it warmed up and got sunny and windy. This was a three-hour long session, with breaks.

I painted the dark and threatening part of the morning.

The model, also an artist, was shivering at first, then closed her eyes and kind of sunbathed, fully clothed, once the sun came out. And we enjoyed our cold drinks--our model had root beer-- and painted some more.

Bathing Beauty; Sleeping Sitting Up

Drawn from life, yesterday afternoon.

Bathing Beauty is oil paint and oil pastel on canvas, 24"x36".

Sleeping Sitting Up is oil pastel on clear gessoed doorskin, 12"x12".


About these:

The model chose her costumes. The first was an early 20th century swimsuit. I imagined a summer day at a beach with a rollercoaster.

In the second pose, she got into a state that reminded me very much of those times when, exhausted, you fall asleep despite yourself.

Woman In A Fur Coat

This morning's painting, en plein air.

Oil pastel and oil paint on linen canvas, 11"x14".

About this painting:

The model, a jewelery artist, was huddled in her coat, reading a book and trying to stay warm with a hot drink on this chilly, overcast morning.  She really does have amazing red hair.

We were painting on a sheltered outdoor patio, and we needed the shelter.  It was raining a bit and it was in the 50s (Fahrenheit).

Tree Nymph; Smiling Face In Red; Women In Blue

 Drawn this morning, from life.

Tree Nymph is pastel and charcoal on 9"x12" card.

Smiling Face In Red is oil pastel on oil painting on 11"x14" canvas.

Women In Blue is oil pastel on 12"x16" pastel paper.

About these:

It is such a beautiful day today and the trees outside the studio are so lovely, that the colors of the day and the shapes of the trees made their way into the first drawing.  And the sun and blue sky made their way into the third drawing.

This terrific model also seemed to be enjoying the day.  She kept a relaxed and happy expression for the entire time she was posing.  (Not an easy thing to do.)

Woman In Red And Yellow; Profile In Blue And Red; Crime Scene

 Drawn this morning, from life.

Woman In Red And Yellow is pastel and charcoal on 9"x12" card.

Profile In Blue And Red is oil pastel on oil painting on 11"x14" canvas.

Crime Scene is oil pastel on oil painting on 12"x12" canvas.

About these:

The model kept assuming poses that made her look recently deceased, with limbs and head dangling.  Finally, with the bottom portrait, I went with it.

Figure In Blue; Face In Blue

Drawn from life, this afternoon.

Mixed media (oil pastel on oil paint) paintings on 12" x 16" canvas.

About these paintings:

I love the impact the blues make against the dark background in the top painting.

I also am thrilled that I've figured out a way to oil paint and still take advantage of the meetup sessions, where oil paint and stinky stuff are forbidden.

This model is as close to an artist's fantasy as can be: able to hold difficult positions for 20 minutes at a time.

I've made some changes to both paintings.  These are the most recent versions.