Updates for January 2009
Posted By Carrie L. Lewis on February 3, 2009
What happened to January? It seems like it was just Christmas and here we are looking at Valentine’s Day already. The men’s group at church is already selling tickets for the Sweetheart’s Dinner!
The older I get (I turn 50 this year), the faster time zips past, but then I was warned that would happen.
In the Studio
I had a few days to paint, but very few of them were as dedicated to painting as I would have liked. The first week of January was spent catching up on everything at home and at the gallery after a week’s absence between Christmas and New Year’s. With tax paperwork to do as well, it seemed a lot of days passed without painting.
There was also inventory to take and some ivory piano keys to test, so it seemed like my time at home was chopped up into many tiny parts and pieces that made it difficult to sit down and get in a good, solid painting session.
But Guienne Hanover did see some work and I believe a corner was turned on that painting. The under painting is finally beginning to come together and I am very pleased with it. In addition to everything else that was going on, I managed to wedge in one 90 minute or so session (described in the previous post). That session was the most satisfying painting time I’ve spent in quite some time.
I also set up three or four drawings for lesson paintings and began the process of assembling the painting materials necessary to do the lessons.
What lessons, you ask?
Lessons in the Flemish Painting technique. But more on that in a moment.
Shows & Exhibits
The trip to Michigan for the Michigan Harness Horseman’s Association benefit art auction was a great success in a lot of ways. We had great travel weather in both directions, even though we drove through the night on Thursday, January 22. We left after work, hitting the road at 5:30 p.m. and driving straight through to arrive in Clare, Michigan at 10:30 a.m. (Central time). I got to drive this time and it was a great delight.
It was also quite an experience to drive through a state capital (Springfield, Illinois) at about 1 a.m. and be the only car on the road and to bypass Chicago on I-80/94 at about six and have travel so light there.
The auction itself was very pleasing considering the gloom and doom everyone is speaking of. There were a good number of attendees at the luncheon meeting and at the dinner after the auction. I spoke to a handful of people who were very interested in art work, including a couple who were fascinated with Blizzard Babe and Raspberry Worthy.
Both buyers are new customers. One of the two portraits was the top seller at the auction; the other was third best seller and was second best seller until near the end, when a lovely pastel original by C. Marcus Stone surpassed it.
I had the opportunity to speak with some very influential people in the harness racing industry in Michigan and to make contact with a track photographer who actually photographs the horses in the gate and throughout the race from the gate car. How cool is that?
Exciting stuff all around.
In the Classroom
The focus here shifted from teaching to learning in December and January. In December, I closed my class and returned to the studio.
In January, I became an e-student.
Monday, January 19 was my first day of ‘class’, studying the painting techniques used by Flemish Masters centuries ago.
The study is in the form of workshop e-books and videos produced by Alexei Antonov.
There are four workshops on video and e-book available, as well as a video of paintings in progress and a workshop exercise template e-book. My self-determined lesson plan is to spend three months on each e-book and video combination beginning with Country Pitcher.
I have also printed two of the three free lessons on his web site and joined the students’ forum.
It’s looking like fun, but challenging coursework, especially the part that stipulates doing several paintings for each workshop before moving on to the next workshop. I am planning to incorporate existing paintings and new portraits into the lesson plan, but that’s still a lot of paintings.
And some new methods for priming and handling drawings before painting begins, as well. I almost feel as though I’ve started a new job!
The two large paintings currently in progress will be see some work with the final stages of this seven-step process, too. I’m eager to see how they turn out.
On the Writing Desk
Writing continues at a great rate, as well.
I finished the initial editing phase on the rough draft at the end of January and will be starting February by “brooding” (that’s the word!) for five to seven days, then the second draft begins.
That process has been described on my writing blog, so check that out to read more about that somewhat agonizing and enlightening process.
I am a self-taught artist for the most part. Lots of trial and error in the past forty years! Formal art training consists of a couple of years of high school art, a painting class at a community college, one semester in the Fine Arts program at Abilene Christian University and a couple of local workshops.
I am always looking for ways to better my artistic skills, so I am a permanent student in the School of Trial and Error. I love reading and have been known to spend hours online researching materials and techniques. As a result, I've painted in several different styles, including the direct method (which goes straight for the color) and Classical methods (which involves underpaintings, layering and glazing).
I have exhibited paintings in locations such as Lone Star Park Race Track, Grand Prairie, Texas and Remington Park Race Track, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Since the early 90s, I've worked with the Michigan Harness Horseman's Association, donating custom portraits to their annual benefit auction.
In the course of maintaining a growing art business, I have taught myself web design (a skill that will no doubt prove to be a continual learning experience).
I also enjoy puttering around the yard, chasing trains with my husband, Neal, travel and, of course, looking at horses whenever they appear on my horizon.
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