Share Your Work!

I am reading this book.

It is by Austin Kleon the author of Steal Like an Artist, which I have not read (but want to!).

In Show Your Work! he says of people he looks up to, no matter what their line of work,
"By generously sharing their ideas and their knowledge, they often gain an audience that they can then leverage when they need it - for fellowship, feedback, or patronage."

He wrote the book for people who hate self-promotion, as another way of going about it (self-promotion) ... sort of painlessly, I guess ... I hope.

In the next days and weeks I will be sharing more about what I am reading in that book AND
 my new project, a commission. A landscape triptych.
It is scary, but exciting at the same time.

I will be painting studies - trying out scenes, composition, colors.
 

This is the first study, sketched-in with transparent red oxide and my medium.

Medium recipe:

1 part Walnut Oil Alkyd

                           4 parts Winsor & Newton Liquin Original

 

Progress so far,
blocked out at 1/7th scale, oils on Arches Oil paper.

I'm using photographic references, but also
considering the actual scenes harboring in my brain of beautiful SE Alaska,
thinking of the wall space and the colors my client likes,
thinking about impressionism.


Kleon's book resonates with me because I do love to share and have been for the past ...
hmmm ... almost 7 years!
But I may even share a little more, now that I feel a bit more confident 
about blogging AND drawing & painting!

Thank you for checking in ... stay tuned for more!

Early spring at the Mendenhall Glacier

Overwhelming magnificence!

Juneau's Plein Rein Painters painted at the Mendenhall Glacier this morning. 

Some did very well capturing the scene ... I was one who was quite bowled over 

(again) at how beautiful it was at our "drive-up" glacier.

So as others painted view slices to narrow the scene
- I zoomed in on an ice berg!
and also since I had them, decided to use pastels ... what the heck.

This was the set up and scene. The chunk of ice I was painting is rather small in the photo.

in process

When I got the painting home, my husband said, "Looks like a big frog..."
and ... and ... it does! So I didn't fight it, silly thing.
It just is.

Icey Frog           Pastel on Wallis paper         8 x 10

 

 

The Tlingit people of Alaska have a Legend about Frogs, believing they are good luck. I am happy that this frog wanted to be painted, lucky me!

Thank you and may you find frogs in unexpected places too.

Kim's Landscape

If anyone is working with the new "Photos" version 1.0 from apple, 

well ... I curse with empathy along with you!

It is really convoluted to use and you must be careful when deleting photos!

 (even though you thought you had them in an "album" ... arrgh!)

Anyway ...

I worked on another painting besides the Skunk Cabbage one. 

You may remember from my post on

April 2, 2015

that I had started a painting using a reference photo from my friend Kim.

This is how it progressed (with the first photo below a repeat from that post):

Kim's Landscape       11 x 14    oil on canvas

 

 

 

 

My feeling about this painting? 

Not sure yet ... I welcome any input, as usual.

Thank you for checking in on my blog!

Skunk Cabbage painting, Juneau, AK

Last spring I walked outside with my plein-air set-up 

and tried to paint skunk cabbage 

that was abundantly growing in our "back 40" 

not 40 acres ... more like 40 meters square!

I guess I never did post it because of trouble with the painting.

Well, I worked on it a bit with some suggestions from my painterly friends

 and this is what happened. So it is not entirely plein-air, of course.

First, this is what I have of the progress:

 

The photo above doesn't look tons different, 

but there was paint added to the tree because it looked see-through, 

and more paint up the slope, etc.

Skunk Cabbage   8x10 oil on panel

I think it gives the impression of those yellow/green fat swords 

bursting from the ground...for me anyhow.

I think it is finished.

Thank you for viewing my art blog!

More Switzer Creek Plein Rein

Today was NOT as nice of a day as last week ... pouring rain ...  so I chickened out - 

didn't go out painting.

I worked on a couple of paintings in the studio.

Here are a couple more photos of the Plein Rein plein-air group's outing last week:

 Jay with his beautiful painting of mainland trees looking westward at

clouds over the mountains on Douglas Island. I love the colors.

Cristine with her pastel kit -  and a beautiful painting coming right along!

My painting in progress on the easel.

 ... and finished!

I think the values work.

Thank you for viewing!

Switzer Creek/Lemon Creek

The Plein Rein painting group met at Coppa this morning 

and decided where our painting spot would be

 on this glorious Juneau spring day.

We decided on an area in the Lemon Creek neighborhood near Switzer Creek.

Here are some shots of the day.

Jim, measuring for scale.

 Progressing ... he is painting in acrylic but the brushstrokes look like oil. 

 Cristine and Steve, with my set up (see umbrella) in the distance.

 Nancy with a sweet small landscape on her canvas.

My blocking in painting and set-up near the creek.

It was a start. 

I did not finished before we noticed the tide was coming in.

I may finish this in the studio, or perhaps go back.

Happy Easter tomorrow!

Painting Exhibit! "10 Easels" - paintings by me

I am excited for my mini-painting exhibit at the GCI store

 in downtown Juneau tomorrow for April First Friday!

Thanks to my friend Dru

and

and my husband, Matt.

 He made most of the frames for my paintings. He is awesome!

I will have a WIP (work-in-progress) painting sitting

on my pochade box.

The show is titled "10 Easels" because it really is not a gallery space; the shop has

10 easels on which I will set my paintings.

The show goes for 2.5 hours and that is it ... from 4pm to 6:30pm.

The photo below shows the beginnings of the WIP studio painting.

I am using a photo from a friend as reference.

You have to look closely to see it but I used some Golden Light Molding Paste

to add some texture to the gessoed canvas. There is always (for me) a question about

how it will work, how it will look .... so we will see.

 This next progress photo shows placing some dark oil paint on the canvas.

Stay tuned ... and I hope those of you who live in Juneau

will stop by tomorrow and say hi.

Thanks for checking in to my art blog!