baby sebbie

Here's a quick post with pictures of the newest Sebbie I just started and a sky painting that's on the easel as well. Cheers!

pictures from the kiddie pool.

It's been hot in the studio, very hot. Put your head under the sink to cool off every half hour, hot. Consider the pros and cons of painting naked, hot. Consider putting in a kiddie pool, hot. After careful consideration, I opted for filling a paper soaking tray with ice water and soaking my feet in it between painting shifts--it works surprisingly well. Plus, I got the bonus of a good laugh when I caught sight of myself in the mirror, standing in a tray of water, pallet and brushes in one hand, glass of wine in the other--ridiculous. But I have been painting, despite the heat; I felt I'd been letting life interrupt my painting too much lately (ok, somethings can't be helped, root canals happen, pneumonia happens--but I get annoyed all the same), so I've made myself follow a schedule, and following it I have been.  Here are two pictures of works in progress, brought to this stage through blood, sweat and tears (ok, ok, mostly sweat really, and cold tea and wine). I'm having so much fun with the octopus and the snakes, I can't wait to see them finished!  

etching wonders

I've been taking a class in etching at Zea Mays printmaking studio (highly recommended, by the way, should anyone be looking for lovely people to learn printmaking with).  It's been really interesting, so much thinking about things the reverse of how I usually think (printing being a reverse image, and having to think about lights and darks almost as a negative when working with aquatint).  First I did a Sebbie, because I thought I'd start with a familiar subject.  First with black ink, and then with pretty browns and transparency.  

Sebbie and the white fox:

Then I decided to try and copy an etching by Luigi Marcon (a fabulous Italian printmaker whom you should definitely look up if you aren't familiar with his work).  I have to say my etching fell short of his, but it really gave me fabulous insight into the process.  This I also did in black and then warmer browns:

Landscape, after Luigi Marcon:

Don't worry, I've been painting up a storm as well, I'm just holding out on sharing pictures.

Beginnings are always fun.

I stared a new Sebbie painting today. It's alway so exciting starting a new painting: so many possibilities. I'm dithering whether to call this one "Sebbie and the friendly octopus" or "Sebbie and the friendly kraken"--both have lots of fun reasons to go with them.

 

In other news, if you're wondering why I haven't posted in a while, I was in France for a bit of a holiday. See below for a totally random sampling of pictures from the trip (Toulouse, Carcassonne, Albi, Lourdes, Alet les Bains--I'd do proper captions, but my computer illiteracy is kicking in for some reason tonight.)

Sebbie and Friends at a Puppet Show

Latest Sebbie:

Beginners

I took a beginning figure sculpture workshop this past weekend. I've wanted to try my hand at it since I was learning to draw the figure at the Florence Academy years ago: somehow, it seemed that if only I could reach out and manipulate my drawing as one would clay, it would have been easier. I don't know about easier, but it was satisfying in a way drawing is not (for me). In the four hour workshop I felt (naturally) that I'd only begun to touch on the basics of what is figure sculpture, but, perhaps more importantly, I reaffirmed my respect and compassion for beginners. I regularly teach beginning painters, and while I often see them confronting the fear of trying something completely new and unknown, it's been awhile since I was the one in room full of strangers admitting I had no idea how to do what was asked of me. There is a bravery in trying. A bravery in risking failure. And while I truly believe art skills and techniques can be learned by almost everyone, I think, too often, we fail to acknowledge the courage it takes to try. Part of me (possibly a vain and silly part) is embarrassed by my beginning sculpture--it is not perfect--but I'm sharing it anyway, knowing I have to start somewhere, and in solidarity with so many beginners.

Figure sculpture study (#1):

Figure drawing from all those years ago:

And in other news, I received this beautiful catalogue from Lotton gallery in the mail today:

Sebbiekins

 Recent Sebbie paintings I haven't posted in completion (self explanatory, really):