Where Has the Time Gone????

As I write this I see it has been MONTHS since I've posted anything.  Well, far from nothing has been going on.  It has been a busy Summer.

After my trip to Columbus GA to study with Bo Bartlett I was off to "Paint NC".  This is an invitational plein-aire painting event hosted by Germanton Gallery in Germanton, NC

I turned around and bumped into myself while painting!

6x8 study to begin the day.

 This event was followed by a trip to Clayton GA to speak with the N. Georgia Arts Guild. They were kind enough to invited me to speak about my artwork and painting process.

Once back home in Spartanburg I worked with the SC School for the Deaf & the Blind as an Artist in Residence to help the art classes prepare a piece of are for their "Very Special Arts" program. The kids at the school were really great to work with. They even taught me a little sign language.

Me & some of the students with their completed project.

May came and with it always comes the Spoleto Festival USA! This is an incredible performing arts festival in Charleston, SC. Several of the galleries hosted a Spoleto Sole and scheduled their artists to paint on Broad St so visitors walking from one performance to another could see some art being created. Edward dare Gallery represents my work in Charleston so I painted near the gallery the first weekend of the festival.

June was a adventurous month with a trip to Jamaica to celebrate the wedding of Kent Cecil and Marisa Axelrod. This had to be THE most beautiful wedding I've ever been to. While in Jamaica I had wonderful opportunity to spend a day & a half with my former room mate from Ringling College of Art & Design, Janis Rankin. Janis is a wonderful watercolor artist and also manages a magnificent villa in the mountains of Montego Bay, Jamaica called The Anchorage Villa.  This place has breathtaking views of Montego Bay and also once the home and studio of the late Michael Lister who painted the people and places of Jamaica.

June also brought a great opportunity to work with a Wofford College art major. I was asked to work with a student who won an art Fellowship. Once a week we meet to discuss the paintings she is creating for a show in November. Teaching is a wonderful give and take experience, I'm getting alot out of this too.  Several times we've done some plein aire paintings, even in this blistering Summer heat!

July was the beginning of helping my Mom move in to a new phase of her life.... moving from a 3000sq foot home she's been in for over 38 years to a 1000 sq foot retirement apartment at White Oak Estates.  The move is a big one for her but she has many friends already living there just waiting for her to move in!

In between all of this I have been painting so blog and website updating have taken a back seat.  Life just keeps happening so just keep on painting.

Happy drawing & painting!

Bo Bartlett - Day 4

I'm back home after the workshop in Columbus, GA. I had so much swirling around in my head so I look the day off to think about my experience.

The last day we applied color over our grisaille.  Here is the head shot of the figure painting I was working on.  I didn't complete it so I can see the entire process from the uncolored areas.  A really great exercise for me.

Here is Bo's painting-

Here is Bo's palette-

Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna, Cad Red Med, Cad orange, Cad Yellow Med, Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Cad Green, Raw Umber, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue and Cobalt Violet

In addition to working on our paintings we went for a walk to see the third venue of work that downtown Columbus was exhibiting their native son's work. This venue had paintings, journals and sketches along with other pieces of memorabilia.  The three places exhibiting Bo's work will be up for a few weeks so if you are anywhere near Columbus, GA I suggest you visit!

In addition to great technical painting and drawing direction Bo offered amy inspiring life lessons to apply to both our art and our lives.

The Group

Happy Drawing & Painting!

Bo Bartlett - Day 3

Today we started the day with a small talk about Ken Wilber's Spiral Dynamics. The big idea from the discussion was "be mindful of what is good for the whole system". In addition to applying to life, Bo also asked us to consider using it in our art.

Next we were off to Yoga- My friend Laura has a class in Greenville, SC at an indoor rowing facility, Greenville Indoor Rowing (her husband Lowell teaches rowing) where she incorporates rowing and yoga. She calls it RowGa. So in honor of Laura I'll call what we are doing in the morning, artga! Here's a picture of Bo beginning our practice...

Now that our mind and bodies were stretched we returned to the studio and completed our grisaille paintings.

Below you can see the open drawing and closed drawing exercise we I did yesterday and mentioned in yesterday's blog post.

Open drawing

 Closed drawing.

 This is a detail of the head portion of my "in process"  grisaille painting.

Here is a picture of Bo working on his grisaille painting.

I'm looking forward to our final day tomorrow where the paintings will come to life with color glazes.  Stay tuned!

Happy drawing & painting!

Bo Bartlett - Day 2

Today we began the workshop with Bo Bartlett.  Artists from as far away as California and New York have come to learn from Bo. The title of his workshop is- Holistic Painting: Finding Tour Voice As A Painter.

We began the morning with introductions then all participated in a yoga stretching session before we even lifted a pencil or brush... Namaste!

Each of us was given a 148 page booklet compiled from his senior painting seminar given at the Fall of 2000 and the Spring of 2001 at the Pennsylvania Academy.

"Ground rules" were discussed-

On we went to draw- First open line drawings (no tone/values) then closed line drawings (tone/value only). Lunch break, then we walked with Bo to the CSU's Corn Art Center to see one of his 3 exhibits in downtown Columbus.  Bo spoke with us about his process and thoughts behind several of his paintings.

After the Corn Art Center visit we walked back to the Carpenter Center to begin our paintings.  Bo discussed the grisaille method which he uses.  Grisaille is an under painting of values. Once dry color glazes are painted on top to create a realistic look. I am more of a direct painter, where I go for a completed realistic look immediately so I am looking forward to getting out of my box.

Tomorrow I'll post some of the drawings and the beginning of my grisaille.

Happy drawing & painting!

Bo Bartlett - Columbus, GA

I'm writing from Columbus, GA where I've traveled to participate in a 3 day workshop with Bo Bartlett. Bo is an internationally known artist whose home town is Columbus, GA.

Tonight downtown Columbus hosted a 3 venue Artwalk of Bo's paintings, drawings, studies, sketchbooks and journals. Facinating!

I first "discovered" Bo's painting at the Greenville, SC Museum of Art. They have a large painting titled "Lamb" which was an inspiration for a painting I created for a Piccolo Spoleto event in 2000.

Tommorrow is the first full day of the 3 day workshop. Figurative work is my first love and it has been sometime since I spend 3 entire days devoted to it. At the end of each day I'll post what my day was about.

Here are pics from the Artwalk tonight.

Happy drawing & painting!

Art Exhibit, Providence Gallery - Charlotte, NC

The Everyday Extraordinary: New Landscape Paintings by Ann Watcher, Lita Gatlin & Isabel Forbes

Opening Reception with the Artists: Friday, March 11 - 6pm-9pm

On Display Thru March 31, 2011

Providence Gallery's newest artist, Ann Watcher, presents a series of paintings depicting rural Carolina landscapes harkening back to our agricultural roots, bringing attention to the fact that our past is rapidly being encroached upon by urban development. The artist' attraction to "age of place" makes Tuscany, with its ancient history and culture, a natural destination for exploration on canvas. Lita Gatlin expresses her love of nature by using her canvas to convey the splendor of nature’s colors and how they are ever changing in response to the atmosphere. Her paintings depict areas in the southeastern U.S. and Europe. Isabel Forbes’ paintings focus on the beauty that is often overlooked in urban landscapes. Her compositions include things we use and see every day, seeking to convey a new appreciation for the ordinary to her viewer.

"Does this make my *&@## Look Fatz?" 24" x 36" oil on Canvas ©Isabel Forbes 2011

Providence Gallery is located in

in beautiful Myers Park, behind the Manor Theater 601-A Providence Road Charlotte, NC 28207

Marsh Madness

Edward Dare Gallery
Friday March 4
FIRST FRIDAY ON BROAD, Charleston, SC
5 - 8 pm French Quarter Gallery Association Artwalk

I will be one of several artists represented by Edward Dare Gallery in Charleston, SC that will be a part of this exhibit. My painting Lowcountry Marsh, 24"x24" oil on canvas, is one of the pieces in the show.