Holy Moly, it's a cast drawing!

Here's cast drawing from my once a week class at the Schuler School of fine arts.  I'm getting used to the academic approach to drawing.  I'm a firm believer in developing drawing skills that trains the eye to see. Most of the great artists like Picasso, could draw well. What is a great insight or revelation to me is how abstract the beginning of the cast drawings are in the definitions of light and dark shapes. The process reminds me of an abstract ink block image where animals and fantastic creatures reside. If you get the masses of light and dark defined, then pulling out highlights and furthering the details is easier.  Oh and another amazement is the fact this is drawn using twig or vine charcoal.  Years back in college, I used vine charcoal to sketch on canvas prior to a painting, but not creating detailed renderings.

Im in my first juried show!

I'm happy about being an juried art show at the Schuler School of fine arts here in Baltimore. I was hesitant about entering but somehow kicked it in gear.  I wasn't expecting to get in but since I did I'll take it as good progress in my attempts at painting outside.   It will be a year of painting outside this July since my first day when I hauled my gear and french easel on a hot and humid day near Baltimore's inner Harbor.  

Cast drawing from head

This is from Wednesday's session at Schuler School of fine arts from a cast drawing of a head.  This step in the process is identification of abstract shapes of the shadow worlds on the form.  It helps to squint - a lot and name the shapes after objects or animals. Can you see peanut shapes or fish swallowing other fish?  Sometimes there are monkeys, giraffes, and dancing armadillos. Name the shapes as this prevents you from getting lost in the shadow details - that's later.  We'll see how next week goes but this is a decent first step.

At the easel

I was out at Clyburn grounds Sunday painting this scene which color will be added later.  I wanted to work in a technique that established the value tones.

At the easel

Hampton historical site outside of Baltimore

Thoughts on Snow camp

I arrived Friday night exhausted from my 8 hour drive from Baltimore. We all met that evening, five of us painters speaking. In the morning we had breakfast and talked about art around the round table.  We then headed outside, all in our snow gear to watch a demo by Stape.  The boots (Cabellas)Stape recommended were wonderful in keeping my feet warm.  As the morning progressed the cold did get to my legs and I felt I needed another layer of jogging pants, something that would shield from the cold.  So in all I had thermals. gray REI cargo pants, jogging pants and overalls.  This kept me warm. The factor I continue to battle is keeping my fingers warm and at times when I'm caught up painting a passage my fingers become heavy and numb.  Then I know to stop and take a break.


Most of camp I've been sick, and I'm having to consume various elixirs of cold medications and tonight I feel a bit more decent but not 100%.   Stape throughout snowcamp hammers away on art history which all artists need to know.    The landscape artists Aldro Hibbard and Edward Seago are just a few.

Here's Stape at work:

Snow Camp 2013

I've started packing for Stapleton Kearns snow workshop in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire.  My wife was warning me about the weather. Yes its going to be cold.  Yes its going to snow.  It's about an 8 hour drive from Baltimore so I might start out Thursday night to get a head start if the weather becomes an issue. I will be missing my two kids over the time I'm gone so I would rather not leave earlier.

In John Carlson's lansdscape painting book he states you don't need to go far or some exotic place to find painting subjects.  Well I am driving quite a ways that is exotic but not in the warm sense.

One artist, landscape Aldro Hibbard keeps appearing in Stape's blog.   Once you see his work you'll see why. Here's a  link to some of his work:

http://www.clarkegalleries.com/hibbard/

Besides packing I've been working on little studies like this one:

quick value copies with Tombow markers of varying grays shades plus a blender.  Love that little blender.