Back From Menucha!

 

My week at Menucha was an especially good one. My students were a terrific bunch, many of them have studied with me several times, so we could hit the ground running! The whole bunch hit the right notes and made for a really compatabile and engaged group.  For five days we worked really hard, we covered a lot of ground and had some fun.

It was a studio workshop, but weather was beautiful so many of my "kids" took advantage of the lovely 102 acres of grounds at Menucha and painted outdoors.

I worked every single evening and made some great progress on my figurative work. I feel like I'm on a little more solid ground now. I finished several pieces and set up a couple more to finish in my studio. I'm so excited about this new work! Thanks for letting me share!!

I learned a bunch from my "kids" as usual! Nathalie told me about how she's mounting the professional Wallis paper on board with "Super 77". I tried it today and it worked great. Sabina turned me on to a website that lists workshops of all kinds called "Shaw Guides". They offer free listings for instructors. It's an awesome site! I got lots of reading suggestions including "Dinner With Persephone" which I'm well into. I'm also reading "Turn" by Ann Truitt.

It was great to catch up with some of the usual Creative Arts Community campers and meet some new faces as well. It was delightful to share meals with everyone and exchange stories from the past year.

I won't be returning to Menucha, at least next year as I've already go some other plans, so I had to say goodbye for a while to some old friends and wish them happy art making!!

To my students, here's the red shoes.....A little different from my Keens!! Hope to see you soon!! 

* UPCOMING WORKSHOPS *

Sept 18-22, '11, Halsey, NE- Autumn Art Workshops – email jshansen15@msn.com

Sept 25&26, '11, Halsey, NE- Autumn Art Workshops – email jshansen15@msn.com

Oct 7-9, '11, Dundee, OR email - wjdehart@comcast.net- A few spots

Oct 10, '11, Dundee, OR, Critique Day - email - wjdehart@comcast.net

Nov 4-6, '11, Austin, TX – email-mbaggetta@comcast.net

Nov 12-13, '11, West Linn, OR – email-mbaggetta@comcast.net

Jan 20-22, '12, West Linn, OR – email-mbaggetta@comcast.net

May 21-25, '12, Bucks County PA, Bucks County Art Workshops – email www.buckscountyartworkshops.com

Sept 17-20, ’12, Fish Creek, WI, Peninsula School of Art -  email www.peninsulaartschool.com

Sept , 25-28,’12, Cape Cod, MA

Oct 7-13, ’12, Telluride, CO,– email wjdehart@comcast.net

Oct 19-21, ’12 Bend, OR,– Cascade Fine Art Workshops email www.cascadefineartworkshops.com

More Figures

Yesterday I had some studio time and I continued to work with the figure. I'm just feeling my way to these and trying to be patient in striking the cord that I'm after. I worked on this seated figure, "Aly". I feel it's a nice sketch and has many things about it that I like, but it's not quite as "finished" as I eventually want the figures to be. So, a nice starting place. I'm happy with the way I built it. I kept the shapes really simple and the color palette simple. I tried not to be tempted into detail.

I find I need to put much more planning into these. I've been studying the work of Dan McCaw and Kim English which is helpful. Two great figure painters. I'll take this piece with me to Menucha next week to finish in the evening one night after teaching. Yes, I'm the model!  My sketch is kind of rough, but it starts to say the mood.

Ball point pen sketch

Here's my computer screen. I also printed out a small thumbnail sized copy of this photo to work from. I thought it might bother me that I was the model for the photo. It's funny how quickly you just think shapes and values/light and shade and you're not even thinking about whether it's a person. All painting is the same, they say!!

My studio monitor

Watercolor on mounted Wallis paper

I like how the watercolor under-painting starts to set up the mood of the piece. I'll go back in with a little pencil line to restate my drawing, (simply!), before I start the pastel. Boy, I'm having fun!!

* UPCOMING WORKSHOPS *

Aug 7-12, '11, Corbett, OR –Creative Arts Community - FULL w/ wait list

Sept 18-22, '11, Halsey, NE- Autumn Art Workshops – email jshansen15@msn.com

Sept 25&26, '11, Halsey, NE- Autumn Art Workshops – email jshansen15@msn.com

Oct 7-9, '11, Dundee, OR email - wjdehart@comcast.net- A few spots

Oct 10, '11, Dundee, OR, Critique Day - email - wjdehart@comcast.net

Nov 4-6, '11, Austin, TX – email-mbaggetta@comcast.net

Nov 12-13, '11, West Linn, OR – email-mbaggetta@comcast.net

Jan 20-22, '12, West Linn, OR – email-mbaggetta@comcast.net

May 21-25, '12, Bucks County PA, Bucks County Art Workshops – email www.buckscountyartworkshops.com

Sept 17-20, ’12, Fish Creek, WI, Peninsula School of Art -  email www.peninsulaartschool.com

Sept , 25-28,’12, Cape Cod, MA

Oct 7-13, ’12, Telluride, CO,– email wjdehart@comcast.net

Oct 19-21, ’12 Bend, OR,– Cascade Fine Art Workshops email www.cascadefineartworkshops.com

Mind/Body Connection

Mike and I at the IAPS Convention in June!

About a year and a half ago, I decided to get healthy. I was tired of my hip hurting from standing in a particular position at my easel. I always kind of lean back and put my weight on my right hip. I was tired of making choices about what activities to participate in because of this nagging pain. And, I must admit, I was tired of carrying around that last bit of weight that I'd always wished I could loose.

I'd been exercising doing a form of dance called NIA, nianow.com, but I really wasn't putting that together with a healthy diet and other lifestyle choices to get the most benefit. NIA incorporates not just fitness, but self awareness and self-healing . So, with a very conscious approach, I lost 15 pounds, changed my diet to mostly fruits and veggies. I eat small meals about six times a day and exercise to break a sweat at least three times a week. I'm now in the process of trying to eliminate things like caffeine which I find very, very hard. But I'm making progress.

I share this with you because a few people have been curious about my weight loss and how I did it. Some were concerned that it was actually ill-health which couldn't be more opposite. Mostly, I share this because I've never felt better, stronger more capable as a person and more perceptive as an artist. I truly believe in the very close connection between energy and attention/mind body.

I feel so fortunate to have found NIA. It makes me happy and makes me go back, again and again.I know it's not every ones path to fitness, but it was most certainly mine. Soooo, check it out and have fun dancing.

Pastels of Smith Bybee

This is one of my most favorite places to paint. Here are a couple of pieces done of the wetlands.
Both of these were done on Colorfix paper with no under-painting; just straight pastel.

At nearly 2,000 acres, Metro’s Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area is the largest protected wetlands within an American city. This beautiful natural area is one of the region’s best-kept secrets, hiding in a part of Portland surrounded by port terminals, warehouses and other commercial developments. Most visitors to the natural area are surprised to find beaver, river otter, black-tailed deer, osprey, bald eagles and Western painted turtles living only minutes from downtown Portland. Visit www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=153.

* UPCOMING WORKSHOPS *

Aug 7-12, '11, Corbett, OR –Creative Arts Community - FULL w/ wait list

Sept 18-22, '11, Halsey, NE- Autumn Art Workshops – email jshansen15@msn.com

Sept 25&26, '11, Halsey, NE- Autumn Art Workshops – email jshansen15@msn.com

Oct 7-9, '11, Dundee, OR email - wjdehart@comcast.net- A few spots

Oct 10, '11, Dundee, OR, Critique Day - email - wjdehart@comcast.net

Nov 4-6, '11, Austin, TX – email-mbaggetta@comcast.net

Nov 12-13, '11, West Linn, OR – email-mbaggetta@comcast.net

Jan 20-22, '12, West Linn, OR – email-mbaggetta@comcast.net

May 21-25, '12, Bucks County PA, Bucks County Art Workshops – email www.buckscountyartworkshops.com

Sept 17-20, ’12, Fish Creek, WI, Peninsula School of Art -  email www.peninsulaartschool.com

Sept , 25-28,’12, Cape Cod, MA

Oct 7-13, ’12, Telluride, CO,– email wjdehart@comcast.net

Oct 19-21, ’12 Bend, OR,– Cascade Fine Art Workshops email www.cascadefineartworkshops.com