Solitaire- Water Lily in the Grotto

Solitaire, 12"x12" oil on linen panel, available

It seems ages since I last posted. It isn't for lack of work to post, just lack of will to sit down and write. Here is the finished piece of a solitary water lily. It was in a peaceful grotto on the grounds of Bergamo conference center near Dayton Ohio. It was an overcast day with scattered rain showers. My favorite light, local tone! I had been on the road and around lots of people for over a week and to seemingly have this place to myself was a welcome respite. Now how would I know about such a place???

The day before I had been in Yellow Springs, Ohio as a tourist. We went into an artist's co-op because when people hear you are an artist they want to show you what they know. But in this co-op stood a woman I had not seen in 17 years when we meet and spent two weeks painting in southern Spain! I had connected with her and her adult daughter and as is common, we kept in touch for awhile but the distance and time gets in the way and though I saw them periodically posting on FB that was the extent of it. Then to see her working in the co-op was just too much. She had just joined the group and only worked 1 or 2 days per month. So what were the odds I would be in Ohio, in Yellow Springs, on the day she happened to be working?? The upshot is we had lunch with her daughter the next day and I was invited to her place of work for the afternoon where I could wander around and explore. Not only did I get a wonderful place to decompress, the little art gallery was opened that day. It has the work of 5 retired priests. I am going to share with you a few pieces by one of the artists I just loved. Aren't they fun? He has to be 95 if he is a day but his work is so full of life. I did not meet him but I saw him. A bent over little gnome of a man slowly hobbling with a cane. It was delightful to talk to the two men manning the gallery that afternoon. One a priest, the other a brother. I believe this was the most memorable day of my 17 day trip, and there were lots of highlights!

Conglomerate

Today I am playing a bit of catch up. First, here is a photo from the August First Friday pop up show that I participated in with Cherry Creek Art Gallery.

Thanks to Larry Pritchard for this photo

This is me and my wall. We each had a section of wall and a post. As the sun set the lack of lighting became a problem as evidenced by the spotlight on the floor only shining on the bottom section of the wall. Still, there was a constant stream of people coming in for a solid 4 hours and I talked to a lot of people. I was fortunate enough to be closest to the windows on this side of the space so had more light than most. We picked our 'spot' by pulling a number out of a bag. There were 15 artists participating in this one night art show.

study in apple green, 6x6, oil on panel

Here is a little study I did this past week of this little apple I found on the ground while walking my dog in the neighborhood. It must have just fallen as it was still looking so perky. I set it up on the ledge of my easel for a study in apple green. We were hit with such hail this year that very few fruit trees in our area have any fruit on them so this was somewhat of a surprise to find.

And then shockingly, I went out to paint plain air last Friday. I really cannot remember the last time I did that. I went up to Evergreen and 3 of us painted this little cabin. It was a beautiful day. I did this profile facing North, Betsy painted it facing almost due East (ie the front porch) and Debbie was facing south, so on the other side of the cabin.

Here is my first sketch of the cabin. I painted it over another landscape (maybe from the last time I painted outdoors) of a tree with fall foliage. I turned the old painting on its side so the cabin is over the orange and golds of the tree. I was told to stop right here so I did.

This is my second sketch, again painted over another, much older plain air painting of church spires and a one way street sign. By this time the sun was getting to me so you can see, the cabin has lost some width! Both of the boards are the same size, 11x14.

Waterlily in progress

Here is where I ended up yesterday. I keep saying I really like the block in process and continue to hope that I can maintain the abstract quality and yet I rarely "succeed" in my own mind in doing that. It isn't that I don't like the finished product, but I can't seem to keep the under painting from adding that certain something that is in the block in. On this one the windows are showing through at the top giving it a grid pattern that continues here and there down the painting.

The image below is where I started to photograph the progress. I turned the unfinished painting underneath to its side so the the face wouldn't distract me.

Continuing to block in the greens around the water lily so as to get a better feel for the pattern I was wanting to get. ie a circular yet not a halo effect. Still leaving the orangish color of the figure's skin to help keep it from feeling too green.

Adding the darks of the water and more outlines of the lily pads to prepare for finishing the whites of the lily.