We have been in Tuscany for the first 3 days of our workshop. Everyone is painting well and having fun.
Hiking to the House That is Under the Tuscan Sun
Tuscany Workshop
A View Of Venice
Italy and Inktober
Do you know about Inktober? Google Inktober to learn the details. I would get the info for you but I have to get on the airplane now. If you want to some tips on drawing with ink I'll post some soon.
Sketchbook Practice Page
I am thinking more before I dip my paint brush into the paint. I am thinking about what I want my picture to be about and how I can show what it is about without a lot of extraneous shapes and details. After I think about those things, then I think about values and getting a range of them into my painting. After I've thought about the aforementioned things a while, had a snack, paced the hallway, pet some beagles and munched on some dark chocolate, I return and begin to think about what colors to paint with.
You would think that with adding all this thinking to my painting process, my painting would turn out A+, right? I need to share with you so you don't think you are alone out there in the B- portion of the bell curve. Sometimes I give myself a C, only every 7th or 10th painting do I get an A. Painting is a learning process, figuring out what might work, trying something new, something old, and sometimes something different. So don't get frustrated as long as you are painting and thinking, its good for our brains and if we got all A's all of the time our heads would get too big to fit into our thinking caps.
Practice Painting For Tuscany
In a few weeks I will return to Tuscany to teach a workshop. I am practice painting from some of mutual old photographs of Cortona.
I named this restaurant after my dog Olive Oil since I couldn't make out its name in my old photos.
Watercolor Paintings for Nice People
Our brains are amazing pieces of equipment. They have all kinds of things inside of them percolating and circulating. Who knows what will come out of an artist's subconscious? Strangely, tonight I decided to paint a watercolor from a photo of an eye class optical shop I had taken on the street in Paris. I worked on it tonight and used it as an example in my online class. Then my husband mentioned he had an appointment to pick up his new eye glasses from our new nice eye doctor. AND, I had a painting to give to him!
Is this an example of my subconscious brain at work, or an instance of serendipity? Or maybe it's just a random coincidence? What do you vote for?
Painting of a Paris Eye Glass Shop by Barbara Roth, inspired by we don't really know......................
VW Bug Portrait
My friend Max drives a beautifully restored vintage Baja Bug. I was inspired to paint it's portrait when he showed me a photo of it parked in front of Napa vineyards. I have been working on the portrait off and on for the past few months between other projects and I just finished it yesterday.
I am going to give it to Max sometime this week.
Painting and Cooking Inspiration Found in My Garden
We are fortunate this Summer to have a 2nd harvest from the 8 tomato plants we have in our backyard garden.
As I was washing the produce I'd just pulled off the plants, I was struck by all the colors in our tomatoes. I saw lipstick reds, scarlet oranges, yellow oranges, magenta and purple violet. The scene got even more colorful when I put the tomatoes on our red and white dish towel that was serendipitously on our counter already drying a red mug.
In a flash of something I knew I needed to create a "dinner" still life so I added the basil plant to the scene and wrote dinner on a chalkboard clip. A chorus sounded in my head and I knew I had a painting ready to be painted and titled "Bruschetta".
"Bruschetta"
A New Idea
With a clean desk, I am getting new ideas. Actually this one has been percolating in my brain for a while. I was inspired to paint my bed by Van Gogh's famous painting of his bed in his room in his yellow house in Arles, France. He painted 3 versions of this room.
Our bed in San Diego in the blue green grey house.
Here is the rest of my new idea about painting beds. We have a big homeless problem in our country. I read about the problems in Los Angeles daily as they gentrify downtown L.A. and push the homeless out of their shelters and encampments. Its a big problem and there is no easy solution. I read an article somewhere about providing beds for the homeless and after reading that, my brain began connecting some dots. What if I did commissioned bed portraits? Haven't many people always dreamed of someday having a portrait of their bed? I will charge a fee (to be determined) for each bed portrait and then donate a portion of it to an organization that helps the homeless. What do you think? If you have any ideas on how I can refine my new idea, please send them along to me. Definately contact me if you would like a bed portrait, and take a photo of your bed to send to me to create your bed portrait.
Painting Done On Clean Desk
Let me share with you the advantages of working on a clean desk. I found my paint set in 5 seconds or less and my brushes too. I painted two small paintings this afternoon, one of which I actually like.
"Three Friends"
Now I am off to cook some dinner if I can find the roasting pan.
Desk Mess Averted
This morning my desk was sort of a mess. I was working on 17 different projects over the weekend and had spread them all out on my desk. I started to feel despair but then I remembered your advice and put all of my projects away before beginning a demo painting for my online class. In moments my desk was clear, I was shocked and amazed! I am capable of averting a major desk mess. This might be the biggest accomplishment of my adult life besides marriage, a daughter and learning to straighten my hair with a flat iron.
Top: my desk this morning. Bottom left: Claude Monet's desk in his studio in Giverny, France, he must have cleaned it up recently. Bottom right: my current project value sketches.
National Dog Day Drawing Challenges
I discovered tonight around dinner time that today is National Dog Day. I would have started my dog portraits sooner if I had known that earlier. However as soon as I finished dinner I grabbed my pencil and asked the dogs to pose. As soon as I began one pose the dog would shift his position. Finally Ollie fell asleep and held still and I was able to draw her.
i wanted to give back to the dogs by making them each a portrait because they give so much to me. Maybe tomorrow. Who knows though if tomorrow is National Rabbit day and I will want to sketch a rabbit, but I don't have a rabbit so that is a moose point.
A Miracle Occurred in My Studio
Due to the miraculous suggestions I received from you, my dear readers of this blog, I found the time, energy and inspiration to clean up my desk and studio before beginning my next project. My husband is going to think he returned to the wrong house in the suburb when he returns from work. He will not recognize me or my studio. The studio is clean. Trader Joes Sage cleaning spray supplied the wafting odor of sage and I am calm and in a Zen like mood. According to my internet research, the odor of sage may help with mental fatigue and clarity.
If you study my desk carefully you'll see I have only materials for my project on my desk with the exception of the white stone stick. The stick has nothing to do with the ink drawings I am about to embark on. It is a wand made from selenite given to me by my daughter. A well placed selenite wand is said to ward off negative energy and the last thing I want in my office/studio is negative vibes.
I may have mentioned before that I am now studying all avenues that will improve my artwork and teaching career. Hopefully now that I am able to find my art supplies and not create in a chaotic environment I will be more successful. I guess I'd better sit down and draw now...
The photo of the beagle provides inspiration for me when I am working.
The Votes Are Coming In
So far the responses to the messy vs. neat desks question have been almost totally in favor of the messy desk. A few of you suggested cleaning up the mess before starting the next project, this was a startling yet useful suggestion. As far as ideas for new topics to teach, one idea has come in. Suzy suggested an online class on painting cats. I can follow through on this idea, but please send more.
My demo from the journaling class I taught today
Thinking Up Some New Teaching Ideas
I pride myself on being forward thinking about my career. I try to anticipate changes in the field of art teaching and travel art journaling before they become the norm. It has occurred to me lately that its time for some new teaching ideas.
I have been studying trends in art teaching both domestically and internationally. Trending right now in California and perhaps the rest of the U.S. is "paint nights" in wine bars. I believe this trend has merit, but since most of my classes are taught in the mornings or early afternoon drinking wine and painting probably isn't the best new idea for me to absorb. Besides, my students told me if they came to my home studio and had wine in the morning, they would need to take a nap before driving home. I'm pretty sure we don't have enough space for a nap room filled with sleeping art students.
Another trending idea that has come to my attention is coloring books for adults. There was an article in the Parade magazine which said they were very popular and theraputic. I have been fortunate enough to publish some drawings in a few coloring books but I don't think you need a teacher to advise coloring students. Besides, I would tell everyone to color outside the lines and use non local colors.
I have thought about changing careers, but I am too old to retrain to be a veterinarian, an astronaut or an architect and besides, I really like teaching art. I like my students, I like seeing people develop new hobbies and passions like painting and drawing and I like helping people to explore some of the most artistic spots in Europe and journal about it. So, my only choice is to re-invent myself. A new image, something flashier and more arty perhaps. If I looked flashier I am sure I could teach more flashier art subjects. I tried out some new looks this evening with some accessories I borrowed from my daughter. I don't think this is quite what I am going for. If you check out the photos below you can see for yourself.
Until I find my new image I will just have to continue teaching watercolor with pen and ink, travel journaling, how to paint and draw without anxiety ecectera, ecectura and try to help my students enjoying painting their worlds.
However, if you have any ideas of what kinds of classes people would like, please send them to me asap because I am too shy to go out of the house dressed in a pink wig.
Messing Around With A New Technique
Last week I attended a 5 day workshop taught by the most amazing teacher, Donna Zagotta.
I learned a ton of information on composing pictures and color theory. Plus Donna taught us her technique of combining watercolor paint with white gouache.
Here is the painting I started in class and just finished today. I think I will call it "First Kiss".
Do Creative People Have Clean Desks?
Quickly study the picture below and answer the question in the middle? If I get enough opinions saying clean desks are not useful I can put together a sound defensive argument to present to my husband about why I don't need to spend my time cleaning.
If I need more facts to back up my theory I am going to consult this wonderful book.
Sometimes I can't locate this book when I need it and I have to creatively shift through things to unearth it.
Please respond before 4:00 PST when my husband returns from work.
Olives Growing on My Sketchbook Page
I am content to paint anything related to olives right now. In any form, pattern or arrangement. It must be the summer sun rays that hit me this morning while I was pulling dry tomato leaves off our plants in the garden. Or my olive obsession could be obviously caused by my frenzied attempts to relearn basic Italian in my sleep by listening to "Learn Italian While You Sleep" recordings.
