Watercolor Monotype of a Versailles Statue

NFS
This image was created by painting with Prang
watercolors, and drawing with Caran d'Ache
Neocolor Water-soluble crayons on frosted Mylar.
Then, after soaking a piece of Magnani white
printmaking paper, and blotting off all of the
standing water, I ran the two together through
an etching press. A plastic plate of roughly the
same dimensions as the print was used to shore
up the image and create more pressure and
create a platemark around it, which is clearly
visible in this picture.

This is a really fun technique. If you cover your
Mylar with gum arabic, Watercolor Medium (gum
arabic with acetic acid in it to preserve it), or even
dishwashing liquid, and allow that to dry, you can
then create an image and print it by hand - but you
must be sure that your paper is damp enough for
the image to transfer. The watersoluble coating
underneath your drawing is dissolved by the damp
paper and lifts up with the drawing on top of it,
and the whole thing transfers to your printmaking
paper.

Obviously, using a press is easier!

Lesli's Back

SOLD
This is a painting of a young woman who used to model for me
before she moved to New York to seek her fortune in music and
the theatre. Not only was she blessed with physical beauty, but
with a lustrous operatic voice, and acting talent! She has already
performed with Shakespeare in the Park. I am so proud of her.
She certainly made an inspiring model though. We all miss her.

Thanks for visiting.

Drypoint Etching of Bassoonists

NFS
I did this drypoint as a commission for a man who collected musical instruments.

Because in drypoint you are drawing with a diamond point, the only way to create

tone is to build up layers of lines. It took me eight hours just to draw the large

bassoon in the front of the image.

Some people have asked me if I copied this from Degas, because it is reminiscent

of some of his concert paintings. I did not. I used various photo references of

musicians and made the rest up.

The man who commissioned it asked for an edition of twenty prints. I printed all

of them, which isn't easy with a zinc drypoint plate - the burr that creates the

image tends to wear down.

The man didn't buy a single copy. That's the life of an artist for you. But, I don't

care, because after all this time, this is still one of my favorite pieces.

Thanks for visiting today.

Drypoint Etching of "L'Artiste"

NFS
This image was drawn, like my last post, on a piece of zinc, with
a diamond point. It was drawn from a book about the history of the
circus, and I know I should have more information than that,
but there was no photographic credit for this photo, and I was so
captivated by it , particularly the face, that I just went ahead and
drew it. As a matter of fact, I drew the face three times on three
separate plates! It is just a tiny collection of marks.

One wouldn't think it would cause such a problem - but I wanted
it to be perfect -- and finally, I felt it was. I just love the line
variation in dry point etching - for instance, in the side of
the ball, or the curve of her raised leg. It is not like anything
else. Sadly, I have never printed an edition of this

Thanks for visiting today.

Drypoint Etching of Colette after a photo by Cecil Beaton

NFS
I did this drypoint many years ago, back when I had first learned
how to use it. It was drawn on a zinc plate with a diamond point.
I did a pencil drawing first that was really loose and wild.

I remember that I sat down to work at about 5:00 pm, and didn't get
up again until it was finished at 2:00 in the morning (oh- to be able
to do that now......!). This is truly one of my favorite dry points I have
every done, because it shows all the variation of line of which the
dry point line is capable. It is so seductive. I rarely do these anymore.

My press is in storage because of lack of space. Perhaps that will change
soon. I certainly hope so. Printmaking was my fist experience of having
a "style" in my work - something which was talked about by my less-
enlightened teachers in graduate school as though it were something
you could go downtown and pick up at the variety store. It's something
that has to evolve on its own. And, I know now, having been a teacher
for 33 years, that it often is the result of an epiphany brought about
by an encounter with an inspiring medium. That is how it happened
for me.

Oil on Vellum Sketch of Nude Male

NFS
Although this looks like a life study, it was actually

painted from Eadward Muybridge's collection of

photographs The Human Figure in Motion. This

interesting study of men, women and children

in motion, using stop -action photography against

gridded backgrounds was done in the early 20th

Century, but has been reprinted and is available

today.

It is a fabulous reference source for anyone who

wants to practice figure drawing and doesn't have

a live model. The only drawback is that the pictures

are about 1.5" x 3". One can blow them up on a xerox

machine however. Some of them are very inspiring.

He was obviously much more interested in the mails

who, in general are in lively poses, including sports,

running, even wrestling. While he has his women

walking prettily up the stairs waving scarves, sweeping

and standing nicely by tables with pitchers.

The book is published by Dover Publications, in case

you are interested.

Thanks for visiting today.

Blue & Gold Lesli Triptych

NFS
This is an oil painting on board that I did several years ago. I
know that the pose is a bit strange, but I love the "arabesque"
created by her holding her arms up in the air like this. I was
happy with the iridescent quality of the turquoise fabric and
leaves in the side panels. There were supposed to be gold-leafed
spacers between the three panels, but the gallery owner who sold
the piece never got around to framing it that way, unfortunately.

Thanks for visiting today. My arm is healing, and I hope to be able
to begin doing some painting by the end of next week. Thanks to
all of you who have written in with comments of concern. I truly
appreciate that.

Demo Drawing of a Recumbant Figure

NFS
This small drawing is a demonstration in graphite pencil of drawing a

reclining figure. The arrow that seems to be shooting out from her

right breast is pointing out the concept of "negative space", or "background

shapes" - those shapes within, and outside of, a pose that one can utilize

to make it easier to get the figure in proportion.

Leslie and Reeds Triptych - Oil Painting on Board

NFS
I did this oil painting several years ago, and I really like it. I like
the contrast between the muted colors in the side panels with
the more vivid colors of her clothing and drapery. I also love the
angle of her head which is so graceful.

Thanks for visiting today. I have a brace on my hand, because I
seriously pulled several ligaments in my arm when I fell off of my
bike, so my dreams of painting are going to have to be postponed for
a little while, hence, the exhibition of past works....

Oil Monotype of Dark Purple Iris

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This is an example of the type of monotype that is painted with

diluted oil paints on a zinc plate. I have done many of these in my

life, and with this medium have created some of my favorite

images. It is a fairly demanding medium, because you have to

dilute the paint to just the right consistency; you need to use

Turpentine, which I really can't stand (it gives me migraines,

even though I grew up with it because my mother was a painter

and used it constantly); and to manipulate the image, it has

to be semi-dry, or "set-up" to exactly the right state. At that point

you can take a pointed sable brush that is damp with solvent

and push the paint around on the plate - remove it, shape it,

add more, etc.. Then, it is printed on a dampened and blotted

piece of fine printmaking paper. The wonderful thing about

it is that oil and water don't mix, so that the oil image floats

semi-mysteriously, forever, on the surface of the paper - kind

of like a watercolor - but not. People ask my why I make these

instead of doing watercolors. That is why. They are not the

same in ANY way. You make a lot of losers, but when you make

a keeper, it is like nothing else. This isn't even one of my favorites.

Those are things I will never part with.

After Greek Statue of a Boy Wrestling a Goose

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This drawing, which measures about 5.5." x 7.5", was

drawn entirely with a blending stump charged

with graphite powder on a piece of gessoed watercolor paper.

I have always been inspired to draw by ancient works, as

you must know if you are familiar at all with my blog. But

I've always had a particular fondness for this statue. In

this drawing the goose is given a very perfuntory render-

ing so you cannot really see him, but the sinous lines of

the statue's design still come through, I think.

I did do a large green pastel drawing of this same work, but I
was never satisfied with it. In that work the goose was quite
realistically rendered, but I wasn't happy with the boy...
oh well, it's always something.

I'm so excited! I just purchased a set of an entirely new
type of acrylics, called Interactive. They are made in
Australia, and have quite revolutionary characteristics
for acrylics. More about that later. I can't wait to use
them!

Thanks for visiting today.

Watercolor Monotype of Aphrodite Removing a Thorn from her Foot (after a Greek statue c. 300 BCE)

NFS
This very small image is one of my favorite

things. It is a watercolor monotype.

There are several ways of making these. This

one was made by taking a piece of frosted Mylar,

and adhering it with some Studio-Tac to a thin

acetate printing plate.

Then I created the image with a combination of

water-soluble Caran d'Ache crayons, and Prang

watercolors.

Notice that there is a red line drawn around the

image. This is to create a barrier that will keep

any paint from oozing out into the margins

of the printing paper and spoiling the image.

This image is just about 10% larger than it

is in real life.

Thanks for visiting today.

Pastel Drawing of a Tree after one in a Medieval Painting

NFS
This is an odd reproduction of this picture. It is actually much

more colorful than this. Perhaps it is because I scanned it.

The paper I drew it on was Sennelier gray pastel paper, which

had quite a heavy texture - this is hardly noticeable in real

life. Anyway, the blues don't come through as they should.

This is a tree that has always caught my attention in a small

painting in the Medieval to Early Renaissance section in the

National Gallery in Washington, which I am lucky to say is

only about twenty minutes from where I live. Unfortunately,

I never wrote down the name of the artist, but I do remember

that it is a depiction of the devil (with very large, nasty horns,

but dressed for some unexplained reason, like a Franciscan)

tempting Christ in the wilderness. An odd picture, but the

tree is sublime.

Thanks for visitng today.

PS - I fell off of my bicycle and injured both of my arms, so

it will be a few more days before we see anything really

NEW here. Please have patience.

After a Donatello TerraCotta Bust of Niccolo da Vezzano, ca. 1430

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This is a gouache and gold paint (you can't see the gold paint in

this photo) study from a picture of a terra cotta bust of Niccolo

do Vezzano, ca. 1430. Niccolo must have been a Franciscan Monk,

judging from his dress. But what drew me to his image was his

soulful, kind face, and the wonderful shapes in his habit, that

inspired in me some loose line work with a brush of which I have

to admit I am very proud. It is impossible to really reproduce this

image, unfortunately. There are delicate pinks and blues in it,

particularly in the margins, that just don't come across in the

reproduction. There is a gold line around the image which glitters

in the light , and adds a slight sacred touch.

Susan with a Towel on her Head

NFS
This is a pencil drawing of my sister, Susan, with a towel arranged
artfully on her head. Doesn't she have beautiful eyes? They have
always looked this way, ever since she was a baby - and we have
the photographs to prove it! Except, this was drawn from life.

I know, the towel is strange....I just liked the shapes it made, and
the way the crossover at the top complemented her high forehead.
I have always been into the Renaissance. I think that is kind of
the influence here.

Thanks for visiting today.

Sgraffito Head of Alexander

NFS
I am working on some drawings that are coming

along, but they are not finished. I feel like posting

things, so in the meantime, I am posting works from

the past of which I am very fond or proud.

This piece was done in the "sgraffito" method, which

is very ancient, as it was used in pottery centuries

ago. This particular work was done by laying down a

layer of crayons in patina colors, and going over that

with a layer of olive green/brown Caran d'Ache Neo-

Color Oil Pastel. That is smoothed out, and then a
drawing was executed using a tool that has several

wires coming out of the end, almost like a comb, which

enables me to do several lines at once, to do rather

easy curved cross-hatching. I finished it off with

some embellishment with Sennelier cobalt turquoise

oil pastel, which is as soft as lipstick.

Thanks for visiting today.

PS - I promise you will see some newer

work very soon.

Gouache Sketch of a Woman with a Minotaur

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This very loose study after a Florentine sculpture
of a woman fighting off the unwanted advances
of a Minotaur was very exciting to do. I did it
on Canson Montval sketchbook paper, so I felt
I could let go and just experiment. I have a lot of'
those notebooks, because they always make me
feel relaxed.
This was created with a combination of gouache
(also known as "body color", or opaque watercolor)
and indelible ink pen. I also used a lot of thin
black outlines with a tiny watercolor brush,
and a great deal of opaque white. I love the
turquoise blue - I am always seduced by that!

Man with a Hat

NFS
I didn't have a chance to do anything today, so I decided to post

something I had already done, because I love it so much. This is

a pencil drawing, and I like its line quality and the feeling in it.

Reclining Nude - Study for a Larger Work

NFS
This is a very small drawing - about 4" by 5". It was done in
colored pencil and graphite on some thin yellow paper. The
reason it is squared up is that I intend it to be a study for a larger
work. What kind of work that is to be, I do not know. Monotype?
Painting? Pastel? Drawing? Who knows? At least I am doing
some artwork again!!!

If you have been following this blog, you will have noticed that
my last post was October 30th, 2008. Sometimes we just haven't
got it. It just isn't there. I have always had this concept of
artistic "talent" or whatever you want to call it, as something
that we don't own. It comes and visits us for awhile. Sometimes
it is a very pleasant visit. Other times....well....you know. There
are a lot of things I want to do now. I wanted to do them before.
I just couldn't. These people who work everyday amaze me, and
have my greatest admiration.

Thanks for visiting today. Hopefully, there will be something
here very soon again. NFS

Pompeiian Peaches

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Pastel on Black Paper, 10" x 10"

Three days ago I went to the Pompeii exhibition at the
National Gallery of Art in DC. It was very impressive.
They had some mesmerizingly beautiful sculptures, and
some wonderful frescoes and small pieces of paintig.

This started out as a set up with a picture of a painting by

Luigi Lucioni (one of my favorite aritsts - fabulous realist

paintings, deceased) behind the peaches. Gradually it

evolved into this picture, which appears to be a rip off from

a Roman fresco, but is merely inspired by one. It was fun

building up the pastel, spraying it, and see what would

happen after that.

Thanks for visiting today.