Palm Beach Polo & Country Club Gallery

I got some wonderful news today (and some terrible photos!) from Jeanne Chisholm of the Chisholm Gallery. She has hung quite a few of my Steeplechase Series paintings in her gallery at the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club. I do apologize for the poor quality of the photos but my excitement at this opportunity drove me to place them on my blog anyway! As you can see in photos 4 and 5, my pictures are in stellar company. The polo paintings are by Paul Desmond Brown (American, 1893-1958). Paul Brown is widely regarded as the pre-eminent American illustrator of equestrian subjects. I am so delighted!

Final Day of Life Drawing

 

  

Today was the last day of the current session of life drawing at the NV Museum of Art. The top two sketches are 40 minute attempts and the bottom was 20 minutes. I am looking forward to putting the pencils away and taking out my paint and brushes this weekend.

Ballerinas are Taking a Break-Back to Steeplechase

 Weeks and weeks of struggle have gone by where I have wiped off untold numbers of painting attempts. This has happened to me before but perhaps not so profoundly as this time. The only way I can describe it is to say that the paint feels alien to me and I no longer have any rapport with it. I am hoping that I have emerged and can regain some confidence again. I am pleased with the painting of the steeplechase mishap above - and relieved to have experienced a sense of familiarity with my brushes, paint and canvas when painting it.  It is 20x24 oil on linen board.

This is a quick oil study done on heavy brown paper as an attempt to force myself out of my painting slump.

Through all of my struggles,  I  continued to attend life drawing whenever possible. It has really kept me going and given me the strength to survive the painting slump. The drawing above was a wonderful opportunity  at foreshortening and I had fun with the white charcoal pencil on the next two drawings of Tom.

Life Drawing with Martha Voyevidka and Some Portrait Studies

Professor Peter Higgs - oil on masonite 8x10

Marie Curie - oil on canvas 8x8

Dr. Francis Crick - oil on canvas 14x11

Ballerinas have been giving me some trouble lately so I am taking a break for a while. And so I busied myself by doing a a few quick portrait studies of prize winning physicists - just for fun! Professor Peter Higgs is a British scientist known for developing a theory that gravity is carried by a subatomic particle - and the CERN reactor experiments are now geared toward trying to find this particle to prove him right. As you may have suspected, I am fascinated by this! The portrait of Marie Curie and was done from a small black and white photo. I really don't think her hair was red but it very definitely is in my portrait. She was the first woman to win a Noble Prize and the only woman to have won 2 Nobel Prizes in 2 different categories - physics and chemistry. And last is Nobel Prize winner Dr. Francis Crick one of the scientists to discover the famous double helix structure of DNA. I actually had the honor of working with Dr. Crick for a short time several years ago when he was in his 80's and still working at the Salk Institute in San Diego.

I have also been attending Thursday morning life drawing sessions. The following 3 selections are all ebony on newsprint, about 40 minutes each. I am most pleased with the final reclining piece. Looking at them here makes me aware that I need to work on shading and values.

Thank you all for taking a look! :)

Ballerina #17 - and Another

This past week I have been experimenting with incorporating male dancers into my series - not very successfully. This one is the only one that has survived so far. I do like how he is using both hands to point to himself. Your comments and thoughts are all very much appreciated.

Ballerina #16

Oil on linen - 18x14 - and a close up of the faces...
It looks like auditions are underway to replace the ballerina with the pulled hamstring! I guess the show must go on!
You can probably tell that I am having a wonderful time with these ballerina paintings. The fun part is, I just paint the next ballerina and the story line develops from there - who knows where all this is coming from or where it will go? Some of my inspiration comes from the comments I receive here on my blog - they are always so encouraging and I find myself drawing a lot of strength from them. Thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to look and to leave me a few words about your thoughts and reactions!

Ballerina #15

Oil on linen panel 20x16. Soon she will be dancing again!

Ballerina #13

Well! No wonder Ballerina #13 was late in her arrival. She spent considerable time in Urgent Care. Not to worry though - her complete recovery is assurred!

Ballerina #14 Tweaked and Finished

I gave Ballerina #14 a final polishing this morning, adding a few highlights and adjusting here and there. I think she is finished now - just in time for St. Patrick's Day! She was really a joy to paint and I hope you enjoy her as well.

Ballerina #14

Ballerina #14 is oil on linen panel 18x24. Still waiting on Ballerina #13!

Ballerina #12, a Portrait Study and Snow!

The sun broke through after a wildly windy snow storm and it was magical! Ballerina # 12 is very high key and I did a quick portrait study after dinner.

Ballerina #11

Ballerina #11 finally made her appearance. She seems to have a much different outlook than the previous ballerinas. I don't know why. Oil on linen 24x18.

Ballerina #9

Well, Ballerina #9 finally decided to make her appearance. She is such a diva - lol! Today I tried a new brand of white paint - not by choice but by necessity. I ran out of my normal Winsor and Newton Titanium White and had a tube of Permalba White on hand. The Permalba is so very different - it has a stickier consistency and doesn't hug the canvas as I like. It mixes differently as well and I struggled with it today. Off to Nevada Fine Art to get myself a tube of my old standby!

More of My Girls

Ballerina #10

Ballerina #10 came along before Ballerina #9. Sigh. But dont' worry, #9 is still waiting in the wings! Oil on linen 20x16

My Ballerinas and Me

A few of my girls and myself in the studio. The ballerina behind me is on my monitor - I guess that is why she looks so red. I am using her as my background for continued inspiration!

Ballerina #8

It seems the large ballerinas are getting more ambitious! 16x20 oil on linen board.

Ballerina(s) #7

Oil on linen 18x24. They just keep coming.......

Ballerina #6

Oil on linen panel 20x16

Ballerina #5

I just keep having more and more fun with my large ballerina series. I feel that I have achieved a level of looseness that pleases me. I also love the innuendo and mystery of this subject. This one is 14x18 oil on linen panel. Your comments and thoughts are greatly appreciated! (The second photo is a closeup of her face as that is extremely important to me in this series).