The latest sculpture from the Thursday night workshop. The first thing I think when I look at this is that he doesn't seem like he is in motion. The model, Isaac, was posed with a rope in his left hand, pulling it from the base of the model stand. My sculpture doesn't really have a sense of that dynamic within the body. I also made him too lean in some areas which is why his legs appear a bit too long.

I think I will try to concentrate on a more gestural sense of the body rather than the anatomy next time. Whatever the result, I still totally enjoy sculpting. I just adore it. :)

In this quick little study, I was experimenting with soft edges, especially around the vase.

Once, long ago at the Palette and Chisel in Chicago, the historic art league where I used to paint, I heard Richard Schmid talk about how he likes to handle edges (contours around objects) in painting. He felt that both the eye and the camera see the picture plane and edges the same way - as only being able to focus on one spot at a time. Therefore to manipulate the viewer into resting on a center of interest, the artist should make that area the most detailed, most vibrant, with the hardest edges, and juxtapose it against softer areas within the image.

Lately I have been experimenting with this idea in my still lifes. The question for me lies rather in how much or how little. I think my natural painting style leans in the direction of the overall sharpness of the French naturalists, but I would like to pull away from that a bit. Or do I? I'm just not sure yet.

it is commonly possible to purchase gerbera daisies from a florist's shop while there are still fall leaves on the ground. Doesn't anyone remember the Winter Solstice anymore?

21st sketchcrawl Event

I had always heard about this world wide event that happens every three months called sketch crawl, but hadn't tried it. So, when my friend Jackson mentioned that he was going, I thought I'd check it out.

We tried to meet up in Golden Gate Park initially, but the parking was just too difficult. We ended up by the Palace of Fine Arts and then Chrissy Field. Earlier in the day, Jackson mentioned that Eric Tiemens uses a limited palette for his outdoor sketches, so I thought I'd give that a try. This was ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, paynes gray and white (pro white).

At the end, everyone sketching around the city met up at the DeYoung Museum Cafe and swapped sketchbooks. I met this really great artist who just started in vis dev at PDI four months ago, moving from Hamburg, Germany. Goro Fujita - check out his site! Nice work and nice guy!

Happy New Year!

I raced through this one because the light was changing very fast.

and here are some resolutions, at least the ones I'm willing to make public!

1. plein air painting every other weekend, more if possible
2. at least two "studio" paintings (still life) a month, more if possible
3. continue sculpting, just because :)))
4. continue sketchbook project with Cherylyn
5. take some classes at the Castle in the Air in Berkeley
6. jog lake merced at least four times a week
7. more yoga, meditation
8. more volunteer work

That schedule doesn't leave much time for a social life. But I feel happier now than I have in years because I am doing what I love. There is the buddhist saying "be what you practice". Maybe someone will love me for it someday, who knows. At the moment I am truly happy, and that's the best I can ask of the universe. It's a pretty fabulous way to start out the new year.