Jaimie and an Art Show

Jaimie / 16x12, oil on canvas panel

 These past two weeks have produced lots and lots of starts for me and very few finished studies. I have been quite unhappy with the way I have been painting and so have wiped off miles and miles of canvas. I was feeling rather down about myself and almost decided not to go to the weekly portrait session this morning. But I set my alarm and forced myself to go, and, of course, had a wonderful time. In the car on the way to the studio, I talked myself into just relaxing and not thinking too much and, thankfully, it seemed to work. Our model was the lovely and serene Jaimie. She is a local college student and has experience modeling for photographers. I can see why! She was so beautiful, held her pose perfectly  and wore a garland of flowers in her hair!

Jaimie and her portrait in progress

 Reno is famous for the month of July being "Art Town" with numerous art related events celebrated throughout the month. As part of the festivities, the Reno Portrait Society is holding a show a of portraits painted by members. The subjects are all models who work at the Reno Food Co-op and that have posed for us over the course of the past year or so. There are so many wonderful portrait artists in this group so I was absolutely astounded to have 5 portraits juried in. Here they are, all framed and ready to go.

Juried selection for Art Town portrait show

The show is going to be held in the gallery space of the First United Methodist Church. It is the oldest church in Reno, being built in 1870 by Methodist missionaries. It was a meeting place for travelers on their way to California to join the Gold Rush - that was before silver was discovered on the Comstock and Reno became a destination in its own right.

First United Methodist Church at corner of First and Sierra Streets - its much more beautiful that the photo depicts.

A Glorious Sunday Afternoon!

Caleb / 16x20 / oil on canvas panel

What a great Sunday afternoon! The weather was warm and wonderful with a delicate breeze perfumed by flowering trees and bushes. It was intoxicating and I felt so peaceful, so happy as I headed over to the Museum for open studio. My panel today, at 16 x 20, is the largest size I have used in painting from life. I have been having trouble fitting the model on smaller panels and so wanted to try painting a little larger. As you can see, the figure still ended up barely fitting! It must be me and not the panel size at all! Caleb was the seasoned model as he has posed for many weekday open studio sessions but today was the first time I had an opportunity to paint him. I loved his relaxed pose and pale skin with shadows filled with wonderful color. I painted him in about 2 1/2 hours and may decide to work more on the background in my studio.

Last Wednesday at the open portrait studio session, Kay modeled for us and this was my attempt. I want to call it a feeble attempt as I am not happy with it. She looks too tentative to me, too forced. and, not surprisingly, that is how I felt as I painted.

Kay / 12 x 12 / oil on canvas panel

Portrait Society

Nona / oil on cardboard / approximately 12x11

I decided to take my oil paints to the open portrait session this past Wednesday after spending several months drawing in graphite and Conte. I have not painted an oil portrait from life since I took a workshop many, many years ago at the Scottsdale Artists' School. But it was time to take the plunge and the life figure painting sessions at the Museum provided me with the push I needed. If not now, when? Nona is painted on cardboard prepared with a cool gray ground of gesso. I just love that surface for practice.

Occupying a State of Rest and Some Life Sketches

Occupying a State of Rest / oil on linen panel / 14 x 18

 Having some fun with bright sunlight and large shapes.

Kim / graphite on newsprint

Kim modeled for us during last weeks portrait session at Nevada Fine Arts.  I sketched her in profile and then a slight 3/4 view.

This has been a very exciting weekend for me. On Friday night I attended the cocktail reception of the Coeur d'Alene  Western and American Art Auction that is held annually here in Reno, NV.  There were 308 paintings up for sale and I spent a long time viewing the art. It was so inspiring. The auction was held yesterday and it was more exciting than I can even begin to describe - the bidding is so fast and furious and the prices skyrocket in  a matter of seconds! I took a few photos and will try to put them into my blog over the next day or two. I even found myself bidding on a charcoal drawing by Nicolai Fechin that caught my attention! I was very quickly outbid but it was a grand experience!

More Progress and a New Life Session!

I am taking my time on this big figurative piece. Generally, I am a fairly rapid painter preferring to complete a painting in one or two sessions. This one is demanding a slower approach and I still have a long way to go.

Happily, I found an on going life drawing studio at Nevada Fine Arts sponsored by the Reno Portrait Society! I am very excited and will attend as often as possible. The group meets mostly every Wednesday morning with a live model for portraiture in any medium desired. I went yesterday to check it out and found it was well attended with 7 or 8 other artists and a very interesting model. Roger, who works at the Reno Food Co-op posed for us but I have a suspicion that he is really Genghis Khan pretending in these modern times to be Roger! Any way, here are my two graphite sketches on newsprint. Each one is a little larger than life size - about 17 x 14.

Robert Hughes - Portrait Practice

Robert Hughes / oil on cardboard / 16 x 14

 Recently having purchased a used copy of the book The Shock of the New by Robert Hughes, after reading it cover to cover, I decided to try my hand at painting a portrait of the author from a photo. As it is only a practice study, I decided to use a piece of cardboard as my support. As cardboard is slightly rough textured and quite absorbent, I love painting on it now and again!

Robert Hughes was a well known art critic for Time magazine and in 1980 he wrote this book after doing an 8 part BBC TV series of the same name. The book is a well written, engaging and provocative journey through the history of modern art from 1880 forward. It addresses the development of modernism from the Impressionists through Andy Warhol and is brutally honest with a delightful flair for the dramatic phrase! It's fascination for me is how Mr. Hughes relates each artist that he addresses to his time in history and how the major events of the time shaped their work. Its a dazzling book. He passed away last August and that is when I first heard about him and his book. In any case, reading his words inspired me to paint this quick portrait.

Drawing What I See

Stephanie / ebony graphite on newsprint / approximately 18x14

Stephanie / ebony graphite on newsprint / approximately 18x14

Stephanie was our very professional and  lovely model in life drawing this morning. She wore a red felt hat and turtleneck sweater as well as funky dangling earrings. She has quite an interesting and unique face and I had a great time drawing her. The top drawing was about 40 to 45 minutes and the bottom was done in two 45 minute sessions. Stephanie is a professional photographer and does some stunning female nude work. If you would like to visit her site, her work can be seen at: Stephanie Hogen Fine Art Photography
As always, thank you for stopping by my site and I appreciate all thoughts, comments, concerns.....!