scribblings !
The online journal of a passionate artist, writer and educator.
March 19, 2008
Late Night With the Artist
It has been two weeks plus since I sat down to peck out my thoughts on art, teaching or writing... two full beautiful and difficult weeks. Two weeks of blessings and trials and workshops and classes and fun and friends and planning.
The art curriculum is progressing. My goal is to finish it by the end of April, particularly since I have to present it to a teacher's organization then.
The plans for the learning center are coming together. I've been a part of starting programs in alternative schools before, but this is the first I've started from scratch. Wow, what a lot of details to manage. Doing it for oneself is quite different from contracting one's services for someone else. More on this as time progresses.
For those of you who visit regularly to see what is new, not to be disappointed...
New today:
If you want flowers to paint now that winter is gone, look for the new link in the reference photo section on artist stuff!
March 5, 2008
Grace While Learning to Paint
"Every artist was first an amateur." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Each week I teach one morning at a private school. The students in my art class make me laugh. Usually I avoid discussions about personality types because people are complex creatures and often it seems like just another way to put someone in a box to dismiss them. But I have to say there is some merit to the differences we possess.
Each of my students approaches art differently, according to the outlook that springs from their unique personalities.
The senior, driven and lawyer-ly in her approach, methodically works her way through each magnificently executed piece.
The amiable one enjoys the experience and tackles each challenge with joy and a grin. I smile inside and out because I can't help myself.
The expressive, naturally artistic one jumps into each new medium or project, gets frustrated, works her way through, and accomplishes everything with flair. Her paint shirt has become its own work of art and we tease her about signing it when she is finished.
The analytical perfectionist in the group... Nothing is ever good enough. Nothing meets her high standards. Every effort is one big mistake. I remember those feelings. That was me some years ago. I've walked in these shoes. My hope and prayer for her and for you if you are this person: Enjoy the process, extend some grace to yourself while you are learning, and see the beauty in what you have created.
March 3, 2008
Computers
No, I haven't disappeared, but it has been a week! Computer crashes, server down, sick relatives. These peppered the otherwise littered landscape of my life.
I'm so excited about this year! Tiny fragments of past ideas are coming together in a couple of projects that dropped out of the blue recently. Right now, it's a secret, but VERY exciting!
February 22, 2008
Art in Any Form
This week I indulged in flower arranging, home decorating, painting, pastels, web design for another project, teaching, and tons of paperwork.
My creative filing system leaves much to be desired, by the way. When I file a piece of paper, I can't remember whether I put it under "S for School", "A for Art", "C for Classes", "W for Watercolor" or "F for Flowers". I'm sure it made perfect sense when it went into the file, but it was easier to find in the pile on my desk!
Tomorrow is a demo at the Seattle Daniel Smith store. I'm working in pastels and watercolor on Wallis paper. See some of you there!
February 18, 2008
Painting Sunflowers and Dalias
 In the Saturday Everett workshop, I started a painting of sunflowers and dalias in a glass vase. The demonstration was actually on painting glass.
So the students can watch the process, I'll post it as I go. Be aware that this one will take some time because of the other projects I have going. Also, I'm saving part of it for an upcoming demonstration.
Approximate time so far: 2 hours into the drawing and painting.
Oh, and if you were wondering... I'm not finished with the wolves yet and will post that when I can get to it.
February 14, 2008
Painting Reference
Happy Valentine's Day!
 If you are coming to the painting workshop on Saturday in Everett, here is the painting reference I'll be using. We will be concentrating on glass in the class, so I will have other examples as well.
Due to the intricacy of the piece, I will paint the bulk of the flowers in an upcoming demo elsewhere, but you all get to see the glass come together!
The Oak Harbor workshop tomorrow paints portraits.
See you soon!
February 13, 2008
Painting a Chicken
 This monochromatic painting of a chicken served as the demo piece for the first of a series of classes on painting in oils I taught yesterday.
To start the students, I had them choose a subject and paint the entire painting in one color. That eliminated the worry of mixing colors from the equation. Color mixing with a limited palette of mother colors comes next week. This week their focus was on learning the working qualities of paint.
February 11, 2008
Art in Any Form
For me, art is not only watercolor, oils, acrylics, pastels, charcoal and graphite. It is fiber and spinning and weaving and sewing and cooking and gardening and flower arranging.
I love creative pursuits of all sorts. Putting pretty or interesting or unusual items together and forming something new and wonderful excites me.
This week I've spent researching sewing machines. Yes, sewing machines. One of our daughters will marry soon and my old reliable machine died on the last wedding dress. Yes, again: I'm making another wedding dress sometime this spring/summer.
It makes me smile to think of our beautiful daughter walking into a new and wonderful stage of life in a shimmery silk gown created especially for her.
Today, I bought the machine. Tomorrow, back to paint.
February 7, 2008
More Wolf Progress
 It's been a busy week, but I've found four more hours for the wolves.
At this point, I've intensified portions of the background, worked on the fur of both wolves, brought out the forward wolf and added more to the painting of the fallen log in the foreground.
While the painting itself has more of the log in the foreground, I've decided to indulge in a bit of creative cropping. This sends the focus back to the faces of the wolves.
The painting has acquired a name: The Sentinel. These two wolves were on the pack's mound behind a fallen log, one keeping watch.
More to come: The background needs more glazing to intensify the darks and the wolves need more work.
Total hours so far: 18
New today:
I've posted an article chronicling the progress on the wolf painting (The Sentinel) so you don't have to keep jumping around in the blog archive to see what I've done. The Sentinel can now be found in the list of articles at artist stuff! I'll add the rest of the progress here as well as there as I finish the piece.
Dreams
In my life, dreams and ideas incubate, sometimes for years, then suddenly everything falls into place and I move forward with them.
A dream has matured and the time has come to flower. More to come very soon.
New today:
Seven Suggestions for Busting Writer's Block has been added to the writer stuff! page
February 2, 2008
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