AUGUST ENDING

Can you believe that August is almost over? 

SHINY STILL LIFE PAINTINGS

My Tuesday and Wednesday classes are working on the shiny still life set-up.  

I did 3 versions.  
I didn't like the first version but worked on it a bit more Wednesday.  

I didn't like the second version but worked on it a bit more Wednesday. 

I started a third version - a better composition, I think.  
But have a few miles to go before this one is finished.

ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

Memories

While going through my grandmother's house, clearing things out, we came upon a lot of family photos.  I hadn't seen these in a long time.  My dad and me.  

In the right one, behind us standing on the porch, my aunt.  

In the left one, the woman's face is blurred but I think it's my mom?  

The house is my grandmother's house - so many memories.

It's my job to scan all the old photos and then make copies or copy onto a flash drive those photos other family members want.  It's going to take a while.

GARY'S PAPAYA - SLICED AND READY TO EAT!

Here's Gary's Papaya, finished!  
It will be winging it's way (you didn't know papaya's could fly, did you?) to Paradise (a.k.a. Hawaii).  

Gary, I hope it adds a little smile to your days.

GARY'S PAPAYA

My blogger buddy, Gary Everest, sent some photos to me for reference after I painted one of his breakfast papayas.  So I have a few more photos of these beautiful fruits now.  And here is my first take on one - I changed the color of the bowl and juiced up the background a la Carol Carter :)

Not finished as the center needs a bit more ooph and the spoon needs to be painted.  

Hope you like it so far, Gary!  
And thanks for the photos :)

ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

Droplet

Photo by Jerry H. Carpenter

SHINY STUFF FOR CLASS

I did such a lousy job on the first painting (although the background drape was nicely done) for the class, I had to start over.  Not sure this one is any better!

The composition bothers me and I should have taken more time with that.  I will make the bowl of sugar darker and I see where the bottoms of everything look off - elipticals take more precision than I used on this one.

This one isn't finished.  It needs more darks to bring out the shapes of the objects.  (I may just cut out more of that bowl - don't like it.

I used Mineral Violet (Holbein) for the background (with a touch of cerulean),  and pure Mineral Violet for the foreground.

NOT A HYDRANGEA

Well, I was going to get back to the Dancing Hydrangea painting - but I didn't.  
Instead, I painted this.
I'm calling is
This is Going to Hurt

It's in process - no telling where it might go and it's on 300# cold press paper so I can make a lot of changes as they present themselves to me.  Unfortunately, the colors are off and I can't get them just right - the reds are not as bright red as they should be and the blues are not as grey-blue.  Sometimes I just can't get the colors right with my minor changes on my camera or simple photo program. 

Maybe art therapist, Jenna Reynolds,  can tell me what it means!  Or you're welcome to have a shot at it.  

HYDRANGEA DANCE

A new one has begun.
This one is a half sheet = 
15" x 22"

ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

Shell

Photo by Jerry H. Carpenter

FINISHED THE MACRO HYDRANGEA

Can't remember what I titled this one - guess it wasn't that memorable.  But I went back in with more intense color and more defining of the center so I think it's really finished now.

(I checked the previous version and found the title:
Inside Out)
This is a small one - only a fourth sheet:
11 " x 15"

GCWS EVERGREEN FALL SHOW

The postcards were distributed last week during our regular meeting of the watercolor society.  My hydrangea painting, Center of Interest, is on the front, along with Jean Vance's painting (I don't know the title).

The show runs late September - late October, and is our regular fall show at the Evergreen Retirement Center.

Art Opening and Reception is Sunday, September 22 from noon - 4 pm
230 West Galbraith Road, Cincinnati OH

The show will continue through October 27 and you can view the work any day between noon - 4pm

VIEWPOINT 45 SHOW

If you cannot get to the Viewpoint show, it's online - you can sit back with a nice cuppa and enjoy!  They have all the winners listed, too.

GCWS PROGRAM WEDNESDAY

We had a very interesting and informative guest artist/speaker for our regular Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society meeting on Wednesday morning.  Jenna Reynolds holds a Master's Degree in Family Therapy and is a board certified art therapist, marriage and family therapist working at her own business - My Little Red Haus - in Cincinnati.  She shared her experiences over the years about the children she works with, sharing some of the artwork the children had created as a way to demonstrate the symbols children often use to "speak" to a therapist.  

I am so glad there are strong women like Jenna who are helping these smallest of victims of abuse and neglect!

In her talk, Jenna gave us some history of art therapy, which began in the 1920's as a result of the very different artwork created by schizophrenic patients in hospitals.  She talked about her own working history, beginning with her education and then her first job working for the Cincinnati Children's Home in Madisonville.  She now has her own business and therapy site called My Little Red Haus.  

Jenna told us how symbolism plays a major role in children's artwork and there are two types of art therapy (both of which she uses in her therapy sessions):  
1) Art as Therapy and 
2) Art Psychotherapy.  

Art as Therapy is what most of us do:  We go to our art studios and get away from everything when we're in a creative mood; time evaporates and we feel calm and happy, especially when our artwork gets positive responses.  

Art Psychotherapy is driven by the therapist as far as materials used and what is created.  Materials for art psychotherapy range from the Fluid (like watercolor or finger paints) to the Resistant (like clay and other manipulative materials).  A therapist may choose a more fluid material for a client who is closed up and guarded as a way to open them up; the therapist may choose something more resistant for a client who needs more structure and tactile experience.

There are typical drawings a therapist asks a child to draw at an initial setting, including the House Tree Person drawings = 3 drawings of things that all represent the person.  The Bridge Drawing tells the therapist how the client feels and what their goals are - if they are moving forward or backward; if they can plan for their future.  

Jenna works with children of all ages and their families.  She does one-on-one personal counseling and art therapy, too.  She really opened my eyes about the role of an artist in a therapeutic setting.

BLUES AND VIOLETS

I did a bit more on this small painting (fourth sheet Arches 300# hot press paper) of a hydrangea petal.  I want the center to really pop out so it needs more work. Unfortunately, I haven't been in a painting mood.  Tired.  Either dealing with a migraine or the after effects of one :( I will keep waiting for fall when this nonsense ends (when the weather changes); and wondering why my summers are so ugly now - something I am allergic to that is causing this, but what?  I've been tested for everything in the past.

To celebrate Sweetie's birthday, the girls treated him (and me) to a day at the Taft Museum of Art to see the daguerrotypes on exhibit.  Very interesting - the images are small but so crisp!  Worth seeing.  Then we walked 6 blocks to the Rock Bottom Brewery and had a good lunch.  It was a beautiful day - sunny with a nice breeze, not too hot.  Then last evening we went to my Mom's for a birthday dinner for him (he likes to spread his birthday celebrations out throughout the whole month! ha ha) with cupcakes and cheesecake and yummy food (plus cucumbers and tomatoes from her garden).  My sister crocheted him an afghan!  It's sooo cool!

His actual birthday was August 2 but I think we'll have one more outing to celebrate :)

A GOOD SHOW AND A PAINTING SOLD

The opening reception for the Viewpoint45 show last night was great!  By 7 pm, the room was wall-to-wall people and Sweetie and I had walked around earlier to see the paintings and choose our top 5 :)  

The artwork was top notch, the food was very good (and beautiful) and there were plenty of people around to share in the night.  

I, of course, being the stay-at-home curmudgeon that I am, did not want to find something nice to wear that fits me or go out and mingle with lots of people.  But this was Sweetie's extra birthday present from me - that I would go to the opening!  So we went, we saw and...

Caw Girl sold!!!  

I am very pleased.  It means more to me to sell a painting than to win an award!  The woman who bought it said it was her favorite painting in the show :)  How cool is that?

Sweetie took some photos of these two considering the painting.  Don't you just wonder what they are saying?  Maybe she's saying, "I remember when I looked like that!"  ha ha  The painting got a lot more attention after the red dot went on it - two younger men came around the corner and said, "Well, she's Saucy!"  I didn't hear that, but Sweetie did.  Made me laugh.  It was one of only two nudes - one was Ken Landon Buck's swimmers.  There were plenty of traditional portraits, landscapes, some abstracts and a beautiful sumi ink painting by Setsuko LeCroix that got the People's Choice award.  It was one of my favorites, too.

Here are some shots of the walls and how the paintings were hung - all were lit well in the gallery space and even the smaller paintings had presence, due to being hung on a facing wall on it's own (like mine was).  And there were a lot of smaller paintings that were very beautiful.

The gallery is open Monday-Friday 9 am - 4 pm and Saturday 10 am - 3 pm through August 30th.  Get over to see it, if you can.  (The couple who purchased Caw Girl have agreed to let it hang for another week before taking it home.)

Cincinnati Art Galleries
225 East Sixth Street

Hope you are having a great weekend.  Raining here, but that won't dampen my spirits today!

VIEWPOINT45 INVITATION

Cincinnati Art Galleries, LLC

Come celebrate as Cincinnati Art Galleries hosts    The Cincinnati Art Club's VIEWPOINT 45      Opening Exhibition  Friday, August 2nd   5:00 - 8:00pm 225 East 6th Street, Cincinnati OH Exhibition continues through August 30th        Monica Anne Achberger   Room with a View  Oil    10 x 10 inches    $675   Martin Darr Mogadore Reservoir  Oil    17 x 23 inches    $1,200    Phillip Erbaugh  Rim Trail, Bryce  Oil    16 x 20 inches    $1,000    Steve Hart Rust Belt  Oil   24 x 36 inches    $2,500       David Hunt Vellum 2  Acrylic    14 x 20 inches    $600      Setsuko H. LeCroix Cherry Blossom Asian Sumi Ink    30 x 22 1/2 inches    $1,100         Monique Wolfe   Hog Heaven Watercolor    18 x 22 inches    $3,800 This year John A. Ruthven, internationally acknowledged master of wildlife artist, will serve as the honorary judge for the competition. About Us Cincinnati Art Galleries is downtown's dealer of 19th to 20thcentury original American and European oil paintings.  The gallery is well known for buying, selling and appraising single items or entire collections.  Cincinnati Art Gallerieshas over 30 years expertise and is member of the Fine Art Dealer's Association of America.    225 East 6th Street    Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Is small the new large?  Seems like these paintings that made it onto the postcard are small paintings.  Mine didn't make it onto the postcard, but maybe because it was a nude.  But here it is, matted and framed to look important...

Maybe I'll see you there Friday evening.

A FEW MORE PEARS

I haven't had time to get back to the macro hydrangea but I did a little more on the rows of pears.  Sme of the pear bottoms got a bit wonky (I wasn't careful when putting down the masking fluid), but they can be fixed when I put in the shadow shapes.  I was more interested in the backgrounds, anyway.

 


I hope you get some time to paint today - or maybe this weekend.








As for me, I'm off to the house again today to do more sorting, packing, and throwing away things no one wants to keep.  My sister is going to spend time at the courthouse doing a title search.  We need to find out why they are telling us the title is not clear. (Something my aunt did while she lived there, but we don't know what, and we were sure she had paid off the small loan she took out years ago.)  Leaving my aunt the house as a life estate with the house going to others upon her death has made it more difficult than it should have been, legally, but it will get done.  It's just not going to be a cake walk (but if it was, I'd have plenty of pears to put into that cake!)