Pompeiian Peaches

Go Here to Bid
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.

Two Shells and Velvet

Go Here to Bid

Pastel and Charcoal on Paper, 14" x 17

I just love these two shells. The colors in them are so different -
one is cold and the other is warm. The nautilus shell is such a
challenge, with its overall gray lustre and cold pink highlight.
While the conch is accented with an almost screaming flamingo
pink. I liked the contrast of these colors with the dark background
and the rich wine-colored velvet - I love those velvet highlights.
This was a fun and difficult picture to paint, but I'm pretty happy
with it over all.

Head of Hypnos

SOLD

Pastel, Charcol and Conte Crayon on White Paper

This is a demo drawing I did for my students in my "Painterly

Pastel" class at the Art League School. Usually I find I find it hard

to draw in front of people, but because it was a holiday there

were only three people in attendance that day. Amazingly, I was

actuallly able to concentrate, and produced this drawing, which

I actually like - a lot!

Hypnos was the Greek god of sleep, and this bronze head, which

isn't really this color (I like to mix it up when I am doing this type

of drawing....) has a wing coming out of the side of his head. It just

drives me crazy. I must have at least five pictures of this sculpture

from different angles. I just love it! I find it inspiring and beguiling

at the same time. This is the first time I've ever felt that I did it

justice, actually.

I've been in an art funk for a while, and haven't been posting -

obviously. Hopefully I'm coming out of it now, and will be back

to presenting some works for your consideration, if not daily,

at least a few times a week.

Thanks for visiting!

Landscape by a River

10" x 12", Oil Monotype on Paper SOLD

This was really fun. I used Yupo paper as the plate for my

monotype, and watersoluble oils for my paints. You can

lay down a thin layer of slow-drying medium (it has to me

the kind made for watersoluble oils) with a credit card and

work into that. I roll the paint on, different colors in

different areas, and then manipulate it with old brushes,

sponges, sticks, my fingers, whatever..........it's really fun.

Thanks for visiting today.

Blue Harmony

Go Here to Bid                                                        1 SOLD

6" x 8", Oil over Grisaille on Board, NFS, >BUT:

Offering 5 Giclee Prints for sale, each archivally

printed on Hahnemuhle rag art paper, sized at 8" x 9",

with image at 6" x 8" as depicted// For sale> Email:

priscillacalhoun317@hotmail.com to purchase @ $50.00.

There are three copies of this giclee print left.

This is a painting of my daughter, wearing an

Indian wedding shawl. Her hair is not really this

red! However, I thought that it harmonized so

beautifully witht the colors in the shawl, and the

reflected color on her skin, that I would pretend

it was. She actually does have a lot of natural red

in her hair, that really comes out in the sunlight,

and has increased as she's gotten older. This is

one of my favorite paintings I have ever done of

her.

Thank you for visiting.

Demo Essence Sketch of Figure Model

NFS
7.5" x 11.5", Essence on Canson Paper

This is a demonstration that I did in my

workshop at The Art League School. This

is why it is not finished. The focus of the

class was gestural painting. We were deli-

berately trying to keep things loose.

Academic realism was not our goal.

We had a great time! For and explanation

of essence, look at previous posts.

Thanks for visiting.

Man from the Back in Essence

NFS
5" x 9", Essence on Canson Paper

Another example of the technique

I will be teaching in my workshop.

It looks rather like pastel or gouache

when it is dry, because of the lack

of oil in the paint. I really like this

way of painting.

Did I mention that you can paint an

entire grisaille and then paint an entire

picture in color over that? So much

fun....

Lesli Modeling in Class

24" x 14", Essence on Canson, SOLD

I really was pleased with the colors in this
piece, particularly considering that I did
it from a black and white photo that I had
taken of the model after class. I find that
that is a good exercise. It frees you to be
more imaginative with "skin color".

Now, how about Bonnard......see any

"skin color" there? Then again, perhaps

he thought he was painting skin colors.

We'll never know, but whatever it was,

it certainly was sublime, and we are

luckier for it.

Seated Model & Monochromatic Sketch of Walking Nude

Upper- Essence on Canson Paper,

Lower - Oil on Vellum Tracing Paper

Because this vellum paper has a treated surface,

and is impervious to oils, it is possible to

paint on it with paint right out of the tube.

The upper study was done from life,
however, the lower drawing was

actually done not from life, but from

a tiny figure in Eadward Muybridge's

classic text The Human Figure in Motion,

which is full of hundreds of photos of nudes,

all of which were taken using stop-action

photography in the late 19th, and early 2oth

centuries, against gridded walls.

He also took photographs of horses running (one

of which Degas used as a model for one of his sculptures),

and of birds flying.

Essence, and also painting on vellum, are two

of the techniques I will be teaching

next week in my Gesturing the Figure in Oils

workshop at the Art League School in

Alexandria, Virginia. - We will be working from

live models however.

Thanks for visiting today.

Incomplete Flower Study

Go Here to Bid
3.5" x 6", Gouche on WC Paper

I'm not sure what this flower is. I did it

from a photo in a flower catalogue online,

but a just love the colors, and actually

love the unfinished quality of it. I don't think

I am meant to paint big, histrionic paintings.

I think I was probably a monk in a former

lifetime illuminating manuscripts in a

monastery, full of flowers and gold leaf

ornamentation. Things like that make

me happy.

Thanks for visiting today.

Tomorrow I am going to get back to

oil painting, and also I need to get back

to the figure.

Blue Breakers

4" x 5", Gouache on Plate Bristol Board

I did not find this picture easy to do. At one point I actually
rinsed it off under the tap. That was a good thing, as it revealed
(as it can do), some subtle tones and textures I wouldn't have
seen had I not done that. I really wanted it to be semi-abstract,
as I love a balance of realism and abstract. I find that very
intriguing.

As it is, I am fairly satisfied with this effort, as I absolutely love
the colors. If you haven't tried gouache (opaque watercolor) yet,
you ought to give it a try. You don't actually have to run out and
buy a "set" of gouache if you have a set of watercolors. All you need
is a tube of Chinese White, which I learned today was invented in
1834 (and certainly made good use of by Turner, who left no less
than 20,000 works of art at his death!).

You can mix the Chinese White with the watercolor. This is actually
how gouache (then known as "bodycolour" ) was originally done in
the 18th century. Hmm.....interesting. Anyway, it is really fun to
work with, because you can use it transparently or opaquely, and
any "mistake" can be covered up. It is kind of like oils, really, except
that you really can't "blend" it so much, and it does tend to dry a bit
lighter than it is when it is wet.

Thanks for visiting today.

"Essence" Nude Sketch of a Very Pale Model

7" x 9", "Essence" on "Sand" Canson Paper,

SOLD

This sketch was done in a technique called

"Peinture a l'essence" that was commonly used

by Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec. I think I may

have mentioned this previously a few months

back. To do this, you have to soak the oil out of

the paint on blotters or paper towels overnight.

Then, you transfer the paint to a paletter, and

use it, without adding any medium (this is very

important), but just diluting with solvent ("essence")

means "solvent" in French). This enables you to paint

right on any paper, without preparing it with a ground,

such as gesso, rabbit skin glue, or shellac.

The effect is a very mat one, and sometimes people

think these paintings are pastels. Toulouse-Lautrec's

famouse paintings on cardboard in the National

Gallery were all done this way. And, while they are

more than one hundred years old, there is still no

oil stain around the images.

I am going to be teaching a workshop in this soon.

Thanks for visiting today.

Founders Beach, Isla Morada

6" x 8", Gouache on Canson WC Paper NFS

This is a VERY loose interpretation of a beach I snorkeled

off of in the Keys. I saw some amazing Parrot Fish there

(they're the ones that have the beaks and eat the coral that

gets processed by their digestive systems into sand...what goes

around comes around.....very literally in this case). The photo

I posted before I went away was of a Princess Parrot Fish - one

of my all-time favorite fish to see. I did notice, though, that these

fish were very skittish and kept running away from me, while in

the Caribbean they are really laid back, and let you follow them

around for an hour. They come in many different colors - bright

orange, red and green, and the turquoise of the Queen and Princess.

Thanks for visiting today. I think by Monday I'll have this out of

my system.

Pink and Yellow Cloud off of Key West

5" x 5", Gouache on Strathmore Bristol,

This cloud plus the silhouette of all the trees really

caught my eye. I really want to do this in oil, I think

I could do it justice in that medium. This is just a sketch

but I had fun doing it.

Back View Sketch of Seated Model in Drypoint

3 1/2" x 5", Drypoint Etching Bid Here

I didn't have much time to work today, so

I drew and printed this sketch from a photo

that I had taken of my favorite model, Sharon,

a few years ago.

I used a zinc plate, so there was some nice

plate tone, and I was pleased with the line

quality and suggestion of darkness in the

background.

Thanks for visiting today.

Gestural Figure Study in Red and White Conte on Blue Paper

Red & White Conte on Blue Paper,

11" x 14" , NFS

I really enjoyed working from this model.

She is so statuesque. Gesture drawing is

so much fun, and good for you too! So many

students are afraid to let go and try it - they

don't realize how much it can improve your

drawing.......

Storm Off the Keys

Gouache on Canson WC Paper, 4 1/2" x 7" Bid Here

I just got back for the Florida Keys on Saturday. We spent two days

dealing with a hurricane, which was at times exciting, at other times

disappointing. But it also yielded mind-gripping images such as

the one above, which I did from memory completely, so of course

it isn't as fantastic as it was in real life.

I was five miles out off the coast of Key Largo, snorkeling from an

excursion boat. We had all just finished and returned to the boat,

when a storm pulled up really very fast. It literally started raining

as the last person climbed up the ladder into the boat. But as we

made our way back to shore (we had been at the John Pennecamp

Natural Park, which is the only great barrier reef in the United States),

and moved away from the storm, there was this amazing limpid green

water backed by a threatening black sky. There was no blue, or visible

clouds. I just stuck those in there for artistic effect.

Thanks for visiting today.

I WILL BE IN THIS WORLD FOR AWHILE........

GOOD BYE.....BE BACK HERE ABOUT THE 25TH!

Gouche Fantasy of Summer in the Shenandoah

7 1/4" x 4 3/4", Gouache on Plate Bristol Paper, Bid Here

I have always loved the Shenandoah mountains. To me they are a

magical place. I spent a lot of time there many years ago. My memories

of them are some of my most cherished. I go back to them time and

time again.

There is almost nothing as beautiful as a line of several

mountains (not depicted here), moving away from you in the distance,

getting fainter and fainter, and bluer and bluer, until you can't be certain

if you really see it or not - it almost looks transparent.

This is sort of a made-up picture. I had a small photograph. But it

was quite different from this. I also like working in gouache, for reasons

I have given previously.

This may be my last post for quite a while. I am leaving on Thursday

for vacation. I will be back on the 22nd, but as I'll be teaching on the 23rd,

and the 24th is Sunday, I doubt there will be anything here until at least

the 25th -- that is unless I can squeeze in a painting tomorrow, or the next

day with all the other things I have to do. I am taking a laptop with me, so

will not be completely out of reach.

Thanks for stopping by.

Page of Small Gouache Landscape Sketches

Canson WC Sketchbook Page, 9" x 12", sketches

in varying sizes NFS

I'm going to be teaching a Gouache workshop

in about three weeks, so I thought I should just

get back in the swing of things as far as gouache

is concerned. These sketches were all done in

a Canson watercolor sketchbook, which is one

of my favorite things to work in. If the pictures

don't get too large the paper doesn't really

wrinkle too much.

I like to use gouache as a combination of

watercolor and the way it is supposed to be

used, as an opaque medium. I love the various

contrasts that can be gotten in that way. It is

also fun to squeegee down a layer of Aquapasto

first, and see what effects that has on your work.

I will also work sometimes on Canson papers, which

have such nice colors, if I feel like working on a

colored background.

The mountains are the Blue Ridge; the river is

the Potomac (two blocks from where I live); the

trees and sky are a park down the way from me.

I really love painting with this stuff. It is relaxing.

Gouache Sketch after a Pontormo Fresco

7 1/4" x 9 1/2", Gouache on Canson WC

Notebook Paper

I have always loved this image - and certain

other things by Pontormo.

He was a really strange person. He lived in

a room that had no door, but only a window

to the outside, from which he entered and

left by a ladder. He kept a diary of everything

that he ate. He didn't like people, so he didn't

generally use models. If you look closely

his altarpieces, you will see that each person

is the same one, whether they are female, or

male, they all have the same face.

But I've always found this to be a particularly

delicate, almost celestial image. I just did a

quick sketch of it in gouache - some day I think

I'll do a longer study of it in oil.

Thanks for visiting today.

Tribute to my most esteemed model, Sharon

These are three of the many pieces of artwork

I have done over the past fifteen years with

Sharon as my subject. She has been a never-

ending inspiration, and I just thought she

deserved a little bit of a tribute. The painting

on the top is not for sale, unless someone is willing

to pay me about $8000.00 for it (seriously).

The second piece is just some 2-3 minute gesture

poses on newsprint, and isn't in saleable condition.

The drawing above is in pencil on white sketch-weight

drawing paper. I did it as a portrait demonstration

exactly ten years ago. No one else has eyelids like

that. Her father was from Ireland, and I think it shows

in her soulful face. Thank you, Sharon.

Ancient Greek Venus Fragment

Pastel and Chacoal Pencil on White Drawing

Paper, 8" x 10 1/2" ( w/1" margins),

I love this image, even though it is very high

key and the color is very subtle. I feel that it

highlights the line work that way. Line is very

powerful - something that I am always encouraging

my students to understand. Trying to master

line is a big part of learning to draw fluently.

Thanks for visiting today, and have a nice

weekend.

Oil Sketch of Lesli Posing

Oil on Gesso- and Oil-Primed Rag Board, 9" x12",

SOLD

This was a really fast sketch, and it looks like it.

I did this from a photograph - not from life. I enjoy

doing that, although I always wish I had a model in

front of me. Unfortunately, my studio is too tiny to

accomodate one, so the only time I get a chance to

work from life is when I am teaching, or if I go to an

open life class (which I should do more often...).

If only there were a pill you could take that would

cause you to never have to sleep - I'd be first in

line.

Thanks for visiting today.

St. John Day

Oil on Archival Card, laid down on board, 6" x 5 1/2",

SOLD

When I was in the Virgin Islands a few years ago I took a lot of

photographs. I am glad I did, for I never get tired of creating land-

scapes using them for inspiration. I never copy them - they are

just "memory-joggers".

I love the colors of the Caribbean, and the

way they change constantly when you are there.

The infinite number of blues never ceases to amaze and

inspire me, and they are so much
fun to play with when I am painting. I enjoy

the challenge of trying to suggest a grand space on a

small picture plane. But the process of painting is also a peasure,

because as I am creating, I am immersed in memories of the place,

and it is a very sensuous experience.

Quick Gouache Sketch of Alan Posing in Class

Sepia and White Gouache on Light Brown Pastel Paper,

8 1/4" x 6 1/2", Bid Here

This is a quick study of one of my favorite all-time models, Alan

(he has dreads), in one of my favorite mediums, gouache. For those

of you who don't know, gouache is an opaque form of watercolor.

If you ever see the term "bodycolor", particularly in books about

drawings from the past (silverpoint, Renaissance, etc.), "bodycolor"

refers to white or colored gouache.

Gouache is wonderful, because you can use it both transparently

and opaquely, so it is virtually impossible to make a mistake -

at least that you can't cover up!! I love it for quick sketches like

this, and I prefer it over watercolor for painting in water media

in general, primarily because I don't have the skill in it that someone

like Belinda del Pesco has. She rocks with watercolor!

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you are surviving the heat,

wherever you are!

Tiger Lilies

Oil Color Monotype, approx. 5" x 6", $45.00, Go Here

This quick sketch of some tiger lilies was done from some

that grew near my yard. I like doing monotypes outside.

I paint them on metal, plastic, mylar, Yupo watercolor

paper - I even once painted one on a piece of gessoed

thin wood - it actually went through the press with

the printmaking paper very well. I never print them

by hand. Well, not since I got my press in 1976.

This was fun because of the challenge of getting the little

purple pieces to hang off of the stamens (?) just so. I have

always been fascinated by these flowers; they are much

hardier than daylilies. Daylilies are very beautiful, but die

about twenty minutes after you pick them. Hard to paint

a picture quite that fast (unless you're Delacroix.....).

Thanks for visiting today.

(I'm still working on that painting - I haven't forgotten!)

Side Yard in Blacksburg

Oil Monotype on Fine Printmaking Paper,8" x 6",

$200.00, Go Here

This very painterly monotype was done from partly from memory

and partly from my memory of a beautiful place where I lived several

summers in Blacksburg, Virginia during the 1980's when my husband

was going to architecture school. It was like the Garden of Eden there.

I will always remember it as being one of the happiest times in my life.

Unfinished Painting of Sophie in a Silk Kimono

Oil Painting on Gesso and Oil Ground

15/3/4" x 22 1/4" NOT FOR SALE YET

I thought that today, since I never publish progress

pictures, that I would publish a picture of a partially-

completed painting that I did today. It is painted on a

piece of 100% rag mat board that I had previously

covered with two coats of gesso, allowed to dry, and then

covered with a neutral sort of mushroom-color oil paint

mixed with Liquin for a ground.

You can kind of see the ground color in parts of the

feet that are not painted yet, and in the upper left hand corner,

which also is not painted yet. This is not the greatest photograph

of the painting, unfortunately. I have a very good digital camera,

but sometimes something gets lost in the translation.....

I did a line drawing of the composition, using a ball point pen,

squaring up a few areas that were particularly challenging.

I like to use ball point pen, because you can paint right over

it, and the paint and solvent don't budge it, so your drawing

stays put.

I'm planning on finishing this tomorrow, so you may

or may not see it again. We'll see how it goes. So far, I'm pretty

happy with it. We'll see how it turns out. I want to try and maintain

the "loose" quality of it. I like that.

Fountain Statue in a Park in New Orleans

Oil Color Monotype, 4" x 5 1/2", $90.00,

Go Here

This piece was done from a photograph that I

took in New Orleans many years ago when I went

there to visit some dear friends. I was captivated

by this fountain, which had three figures.

I think I will do a triptych eventually.

If anyone is wondering about the scarcity of

posts here recently, it is just that life has been complicated

lately, with several ill friends, family obligations, much

teaching, and little time to paint. I am hoping some time

will open up this week, because I am dying to paint!

Thank you for visiting today.

Quick Sketch of Alan Posing in Class

Pencil and White Gouache on Brown Paper,

6" x 8" , NFS

This is a quick sketch of Alan, one of the best

figure models I've ever known, in one of my

favorite quick sketching mediums - mechanical

pencil and aqua-flow brush with white gouache.

Fun! The lovely brown color of the paper didn't

come through too well in the photo, unfortunately.

Liz's Reverie

Oil on Board, 6 1/4" x 7 1/2 SOLD

This is a portrait of a young woman who used to model

for my classes several years ago. She was a very good

model, and a very nice person, though a little taciturn.

She left for the Peace Corps - I think she went to Morocco -

and that was the last I saw of her. She had such an expressive

face. Wonderful to paint.

The kimono was lent to me by a good friend, and is from

the 1920's. It is really wild. It only comes to the waist, and

then has fringe that is about 18" long, all along the hem.

I think it was meant for the boudoir...........

Thanks for visiting today.

PS. I did not do this painting in just one day - I cannot

tell a lie.

A Yellow Pear

Oil on Board, 4 3/4" x 6", $85.00 Go to eBay

I really love the yellows in this pear, and the contrast

with the blue background. Overall, I was pretty happy

with this painting. It was a nice break from some more

complicated paintings that I've been working on lately.

Sunset over St. John II

Oil on Board, 1o" x 7" SOLD

This is another view that I am obsessed with. Probably because

I haven't been there in three years. I love the Caribbean. If someone

were to ask me where I would rather go right now than anywhere on

earth, and I could choose any place, it would be the Caribbean. It i

a magical, beautiful place.

The colors in this painting did not come out well in this photograph.
They were much more luminous. The yellow was yellower, and the
pink was pinker.

I had a strange experience today. I get Chris Bolmeier's blog post.
She's a fascinating character. Does good art, can write up a storm,
has a fantastic voice - multi-talented. Well, she suggested watching a YouTube
video with Karin Jurik laying out her palette. I love those
things, so I did watch it.

It was uncanny. One by one, I watched her lay out every single
color I use on my own palette!! I should have had Twilight Zone
music playing in my head. Our work is nothing alike. (I admire
hers very much.) But, we obviously both love to have a lot of color
to work with, because she had about fifty, just like I do, and just
about the same, exact colors! Weird....but interesting.

Thanks for visiting today, and have a nice weekend.

Portrait of Mary-Elizabeth

Pastel & Carbon Pencil on Drawing Paper,
9" x 16", NFS

I love drawing Mary Elizabeth, her high,
round forehead would have been the envy
of every woman in the Renaissance. I did
this is an open life class, and was very happy
with the results. Usually I find it hard to
concentrate.

Mary is also a swimming coach, so she
is a very graceful and imaginative model,
and just wonderful to draw.

The Eastern Shore at Midday

Oil Pastel w/ Van Eyck Painting Medium on White Acrylic-

Sized Paper, 9" x 7 7/8", $100.00 Bid Here

I have a set of Sennelier oil pastels - actually I have two - one that

I have never touched because it is so beautiful I can't bare to touch

it, and another that was bought over time; piece by piece, also a Holbein

here, a Sakura there, that's been used and used.

I just love this image,

and thought I would play around with it using oil pastels. The Senneliers

are so soft, they are literally like lipstick. The Holbeins - and I forgot to

mention the Caran d'Ache, are somewhat firmer, but still incredibly

smooth and satisfying to work with.

I will put some color down, and take a deerfoot brush ( these are

brushes that I used for blending in oil painting) and dip it into a

tube of Sennelier Van Eyck Painting Medium (gelatinous but delicate),

and you can push the oil pastel around with this, and blend it together.

It is really fun.

Sometimes I feel really serious about my work, and sometimes I think

it brings out my (caution: over-used word alert - ) "inner child". I'm

planning on doing a series of figure paintings next, and they are very

demanding, so that is probably why I am doing this, and why I did the

pears yesterday. Just something light, and.....entertaining.

Thanks so much for visiting today.

Two Bosc Pears in a Blue Light

Oil on Gessoed Rag Board, 8" x 7 3/8", $100.00 Bid Here

These pears were painted on a piece of rag board that had been

covered with pink gesso. I love the slight irridescent appearance

caused by laying the blue glaze over the pink. I think one of the

reasons I love oil paint so much is that it is so versatile, and you

can do so many different things with it: use it thickly, smoothly,

tranluscently (called a "half-paste" - see Titian), transparently

(a glaze), or whatever else you can think of. As long as you are

careful with your mediums and solvents and drying times, you're

OK. It's really fun, and challenging too.

Thank you for visiting today.

Pre-Raphaelite Sophie lll

Oil on Board, 5" x 7 1/2" , $125.00 SOLD

I was excited to be able to finish this painting

today. It certainly helped that it is not very

large. I'm finding it harder and harder to find

large enough chunks of time in which I can really

concentrate.

I know you've seen this kimono before. But I

really like it. I tried to turn it away from a real

red this time, although it does not come through

in the photo. It's more like a coral. What I like

about the picture are the pearly tones in her skin.

I once did a painting of her (this is my daughter)

where I made her face pink and green like a nautilus shell.

I think I'll post it, just so you can see it. I was very happy

with it. Someone bought it a long time ago, so I don't have

it anymore. But I do have a picture of it:

Sharon Posing Seated on a Stool

Sanguine Conte Pencil on Blue Canson Laid

Paper, 8" x 11", $80.00 Bid Here

This drawing was done as a demonstration in a

figure class. It was meant to show the use of

sanguine (red) conte chalk or pencil for linear and

tonal work, and then the addition of white as

highlighting of highly illuminated areas. It is a classical

drawing technique. The demonstration part of it

explains the unfinished hands and feet, which I actually

like. It leaves something to the imagination.

Completely finished classically-rendered figures

are not something that appeal to me tremendously, but I

do love to draw!

Thanks for visiting today.

Roman Statue, "Anzio Lady", Circa 300 B.C.

Silverpoint on Pink Clay-coated Paper with White
Gouache Highlighting, 7 1/2" x 10"
I taught a small workshop at my home today called
"Exploration in Art". We will be doing four different
media altogether. Today we did silverpoint and
water-media monotypes. I did this while my students
were doing theirs. I was so happy with it, that I decided
to post it to my blog. I've always loved this statue.
She is standing up, and holding a large book. But, it
is her beautiful face and peoccupied eyes that have
always fascinated me.

I usually prepare my own silverpoint paper using
hotpress watercolor paper and a mixture of gouache
and Liquitex acrylic (colored with acrylic paint), but
this paper was given to me by a person in a church I
use to go to. She gave me a whole bunch of it. It's
a beautiful pink, and really smooth. The silverpoint
just glides over the surface, so it is really fun to draw
on.

Thanks for visiting today, and have a nice weekend.

Essence Drawing of Sharon Posing

Essence on Laid Paper, 7" x 9", $100.00 SOLD

This is another painted drawing done in the

essence technique that I've talked about in

previous posts. I wasn't crazy about the color in

this one, but I do love the pose, light, and linear

work. The paint goes on the laid paper (Ingres

paper in this case) just beautifully once the oil has

been leached out of it, and of course it dries with

no ugly oil stains around it. I love this technique!

It is great for quick sketching of the model. I will

be offering a workshop in this at The Art League

School in Alexandria, VA next School year, and

will also ge using the technique this quarter in

my figure class.

Andy No. 2, 7/7

Drypoint Etching, 2" x 3 $55.00 Bid Here

This is an image that I have gone back to several

times - which seems to be a habit that I have. If

I didn't know that it was/is common among other

artists, I'd worry about it. But some images just

sort of grab you and don't let go. This guy was

a model for my classes for a while. He was unusal,

and that is all I'll say about him. But his face in this

image has something transcendent about it, and I

was happy with the way that I caught that. I also

like the burr in his hair.

For those of you who are not that familiar with drypoint,

it is a demanding medium, that differs from etching, in that

you draw directly on the bare plate with a diamond or

carbide steel point. There is never any acid involved. Any

tone, line variation, texture, etc., all that has to be produced

with the point of your instrument. It takes a lot of practice. I have

taught many people to do it, and have found that some people are

naturally skilled in it, yet for others, it is a struggle they eventually

master if they keep at it.

People who do a lot of graphite drawing find drypoint etching

rather natural, so if you think you might be interested in doing

this, that's what you should be doing to prepare for it. Or course

you need an etching press , and printmaking paper, and ink to print

the plate. Editions from drypoint plates are not large, because the

burr (the piece of metal that is kicked up along side of the line that

you draw through the metal surface - that would be cut off by an engraver,

for instance) wears down a bit with the pressure of every printing.

Twenty prints is a large edition for drypoints!