Eastern Utah
EMAIL ME AT: mgypsy97 at aol dot com

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Here they are

Ok, this is going to take a lot of nerve to even post these on my blog.  I welcome all comments and criticism - I put on my big girl pants this morning and won't cry if you are brutally honest!

First of all, I tried to fix the lemons and see that I just made it worse.  Note that the blue background is unfinished because I totally ran out of time in mid-stroke!  When I mentioned that I would work on it, she said emphatically "Don't finish it at home!"   Does she think I can ruin it. haha.

The second is one I was fooling around with today with some bananas.  As you can see, I have difficulty judging position on the page but that is my eyesight and can't be helped.  I really try to keep it away from the edges.  I was going to take the bananas to clsss as well but am undecided at this point.  I need to paint over some of the light green color and try again under some decent light.  I don't have good light in my house, and it's an overcast day.  


So as you will see, I will never be an artist, but I love fooling around with it and hope to become a little better at some things.  I can't stay in that class because all the other participants have years of experience on me, and their works hang in city hall and they can sell some of them at an exhibit.  I'll never match that and wouldn't even try to, but I'm way out of my element.  If I could only find a kindergarten class I might feel like I fit in!





I have gone over in yellow where the bright blue messed up the lemons, but I'm not sure it looks any better.  Yellow is a transparent color, so I had to cover a bit of the blue with white paint, and then yellow over it when it dried.  And as I said, the green on the bananas is too light and I will probably redo it.   (I just realized the lemon photo was taken yesterday before I start to fool around and correct it.)

So there you have it!    I have an overhead light fixture in the spare room, and Steve suggested replacing it with a more modern fixture that gives better light.  I probably will finish up with a couple more classes at Michaels and then just continue at home and make a section of  the spare room an art studio.  I just took some measurements of the room, and I think I can get some decent space for an art table and supplies.  The lighting will be much better.   I plan to do a few more small paintings of items from my fridge and kitchen, and then go on to something else.  I'm enjoying the attempts at  still life so long as no one suggests I put a pitcher or bowl into it.  I'm just not ready for tableware!

I made a quick trip to the market this morning - it was quick because I worried about rain, and quick because I soon spent the money I had allotted and gotten everything I need.   I forgot to look for onions so I'll have to buy one or two at the grocery.

My soup was even better reheated for lunch.  

Clouds are moving in and more rain is on the way.  I was so worried about Jeannie's overnight flights to Philly, but I got a msg from her this morning that she had landed safely although they were a bit late due to fog.     They have a great trip back to CA cooked up, and I just hope the weather doesn't send them off their intended course.  It's happened to me many times, but I made so many trips after retirement that it wasn't a big thing if I had to change my plans.  Jeannie and Ara don't get the opportunity to make a drive like that very often, so I hope it all goes according to plan.


28 comments:

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  2. The lemons look like lemons. Not sure about the violet shadows though. Could you put a gray wash over the violet to tone it down? Understand I don't know a thing about painting, mixing or correcting colors. Your bananas look like you were more comfortable while painting. Keep going!

    A prayer for Jeannie and Ara's safe travels.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. They fill my heart with joy! I feel the same way about the violet shadows, and rather than argue in class I will just change it later. Thanks also for the good wishes for Jeannie & Ara. I'm like an old mother hen worrying about them, and not sure if I can survive the next 2 weeks!

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  4. I think sketching and painting go together. I'm glad you are getting more relaxed. Do it for your enjoyment and it will show in your paintings. That is one thing I liked about Bob Ross -- he really seemed to enjoy what he was doing.

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    1. I'm watching Bob Ross right now, and you are right, he certainly enjoyed painting and reaching out to people. I really do like what I'm doing. I'm anxious for when my granddaughter Ara will be here. She is an excellent artist and I hope we can enjoy working together once in a while.

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  5. You and Ara are going to enjoy your time together.

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    1. I know we will. As soon as she heard I was attending art classes she bought me a beautiful red carrying bag for my canvasses and supplies. I love it because there is room for everything, special cases for brushes, etc.

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  6. Ara or a friend who paints can help you with holding your brushes and little tips and tricks as you need them and not overwhelm you with information until you are ready to use it.

    Most artists I know have way more sketches than paintings. Bob Ross is the only artist I have every seen that paints without preliminary sketches on the canvas. I have wonder if he did sketches before his shows.

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    1. I have heard that he paints from what is in his heart and imagination, but don't know if he ever sketches or not. I love some of the "daubing" strokes he uses, especially on trees, bushes and grass, that make them look so natural.

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  7. I like your paintings, I think you are doing very good. It just takes practice. The other students have probably been doing it for some time. Just keep it up.

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  8. OK you asked for it. YOU ARE WRONG! You are an artist and your current style is unique like it should be. You have done well in my opinion. Since I am the master of mistakes, I have the experience to tell you the correction for two changes that I notice. Getting the painting in the right position on the paper is easy. Paint on too big of a paper sheet and cut it to the preferred size after the painting is finished. Do not let a piece of paper interfere with doing a painting. The second is that your shadows are too dense. Paint them in too light at first and then darken them with washes in small increments. As far as what brush to use, use what brush you feel like. Tony Couch has a lot to say about that in his book. I feel that you will find your niche and love painting. sling paint and smile.

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    2. Barney - I love your tips and will remember them when I start painting, too. Sometimes the most obvious things are hard to see or figure out. So I thank you, too. :)

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  9. An opinion for you about paintings. When you start another painting, "correct" only two things from the previous painting. For example on the next painting work on getting the shadows right and try the wrong brush for some parts. You may find you really like the effect a "wrong" brush has on your presentation. You have really given me an itch to get busy with my oil pastel efforts. Sling paint and smile..

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  10. Wow, I am really impressed - good for you! I'm looking forward to seeing the finished paintings. If I ever get my own home base, I want to do the same thing. Learning how to paint is on my bucket list. And you know what? They say you learn more when you're with people who are better than you are - it might be discouraging, but I'll bet if you watch and listen to some of the other students you'd learn from them, too. Maybe more than from the teacher! :)

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    1. Thank you very much. I'm trying to take it easy and just do simple things right now until I can find my style and touch, etc.

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    2. Gypsy you will never get "there" because it is a never ending journey of learning. That is a major thing I enjoy, the continuous learning that keeps me somewhat sharp as I age.

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    3. I can see that, Barney. I applies to most everything in life as we have to keep learning new things to keep our minds sharp.

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  12. Barney is right about never getting there. I got as far as I could and then started going backwards.

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    1. You're funny, Diz. I think you have posted some of your work in the past and it is very good. I'm sure you're not going backwards. (I'm ready to start counting backwards on my age!)

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  13. I have tried painting twice, both times it was paint with wine. I excelled at the wine part and did whay I could witht he painting part, the best I can say was it was fun:)

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