New and old

Flipping through some things in my studio, I found my old folder of life drawings and decided to look through them. I've been doing a bit of figure and portrait painting lately and enjoyed looking at this charcoal of one of the models, Nancy, who actually went on to be in a movie -- Jackson County Jail and a few other B movies. The little farm painting is a small pastel, about 5 X 7". Nancy had a short career in the movies and a short careeer as a model. As you can see, the old barn in the pastel has had a very long career.

Pastels and Oils

I've loaded 6 images -- two each of the same subject; one in oil and the other in pastel. While I was taking a painting class at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina I painted three paintings of subjects I had done previously in pastel. All of the pastels are about 6 X 9 inches. The Scene of the river in Cody, Wyoming I painted 18 X 24. The red barn and white house painting was done 12 X 24 and the house in the woods I painted 11 X 14; both subjects of southern Wisconsin. As I look at them, I see the differences, the different motivation and the different aspects of each that appealed to me in different ways. It was just interesting doing them in oil, how the media and how the size difference affects how you work. I have one rather blurry picture (the Cody, WY pastel) to apologize for -- I'm using a different camera and I'm still suffering the effects of the computer crash that has taken away my favorite picture software.

Russell Square, London

This is a pastel (about 8" X 10") on sanded paper of Russell Square in London. It's a short walk from the tube stop and across the street from the British Museum. Just east is a great bookshop. The red color you see in the center is a tea shop. To the north is an Indian restaurant. Obviously, an incredible place. You will see children at play here, people rushing about their daily work and tourists like me stopping for a cup of tea. This was in November, so the trees had lost their leaves yet there were things still in flower. I have just returned from North Carolina where I took a painting course at the John C. Campbell Folk School. It was quite a drive (12 hours), some of it through winding mountain highways, but very nice.

Twilight - Stratford Upon Avon

It was an all day rain when we visited the home of William Shakespeare in Stratford Upon Avon. After lunch at a pub and a look about the streets of Stratford which had a number of interesting shops, we took the tour of Shakespeare's home and grounds. We walked about a mile to the other side of the town to see his burial place in the church. We arrived at 5 pm, unfortunately just after closing. It was quite dark around the grounds of the church; ducks floating on the Avon river in the darkness behind the church. Leaving the grounds and just turning back down the street was this scene with lights on the building shining on the rainy street. There was a remarkable interplay of warms and cools to the delight of the artist. Speaking of cool -- it was a bit too cool and wet and I was very happy to board the train; I remember having to wait about half an hour for it. It was November after all and England is cool and rainy. This piece is about 7 X 10 inches, a pastel on Wallis sanded paper. (Feel free to leave a comment --- I only just put in comment moderation because of a spammer. Friends welcome!!)

The Beefeater

Taking the Tower Of London tour, our guide was this army man who was dressed as a Beefeater. He was very funny, knowledgeable and looked the part. The pastel is approximately an 8" X 10", done on Wallis sanded paper. I was there in November, which is a great time to go; not crowded and the weather is nice and cool which makes those hot cups of tea that much more enjoyable.

Back again after computer crash

We have had a problem with the computer so I haven't posted in several weeks. Thanks to my wife who has the patience to persevere through these computer problems we are on again. After 4+ hours talking with the computer gurus in India she was able to get this computer going again. This is way too difficult for me: I'm still trying to master pencil and paper. In addition, I slipped on snow covered ice, landed on my back and was not feeling well for a week. (Remember the Three Stooges joke? "I've had a weak back." "How long?" "Oh, about a week back.") I did that about 6 in the morning walking my two dogs. It wasn't their fault this time; usually they pull me along in their enthusiasm or tangle me in their leashes and I'm lucky to stay on my feet. Despite all that, I have had productive time in the studio doing new work, matting, framing, etc. I took an older pastel which I had done on regular pastel paper and reworked it, which served to show me how much better Wallis sanded paper is. I've made a few jokes in the past about sanded paper, but by my reckoning, it is really the best. The painting shown here is a small (about 5" X 7") pastel from southern Wisconsin.

Sundown -- Worland, Wyoming

This is a pastel, 7"X10", done on Wallis sanded pastel paper. (It's archival paper --- my question is -- is it archival sand?) I was on my 1,300 mile trip home from the workshop I attended in Cody, WY when I had to stop the car and take in this beautiful sky and color over the mountains. This is my second attempt at this. I did one that did not really capture what I wanted, so I bit the bullet and did another and like this one better. No, I am not going to post the other one.