Cheyenne Lake, Broadmoor (Colorado Springs), Painting as of September 16, 2023

Although I was working on another painting ("Leaving Central City"), this painting of Cheyenne Lake was still in my studio, and I worked some more on it as well.  I added more blue to the water to create depth, I painted back into the foliage along the water as well as the foothills.  My goal was to simplify the colors and strengthen the shapes..  At this point, I thought the painting was stronger, but not yet finished.  To be continued. . . .

Still Life with Apples and Honey (Drawing replay video)

I recently posted a digital drawing that I made for Rosh Hashanah. I used the Procreate app on my iPad, which captures a video replay as you draw.  But this time, for some reason the replay stopped a bit too soon, before I had finished the drawing. I kept on drawing, but the video replay didn't capture what I was doing. Maybe I accidentally turned off the video replay switch while I was drawing.  I was disappointed, but I decided to just use iMovie to combine the unfinished replay I had with the finished version of the drawing. Things go wrong In art (and in life), but the question is "can I fix this?" So here is my imperfect video, repaired for Rosh Hashanah, a good start for the new year. 

 

Leaving Central City (Painting as of September 16, 2023)

I continued work on this painting and here it is as it looked on September 16, 2023.  Using my reference photo as a guide, I revised the shape of the mountains in the distance, and added the snow. I began to paint the sky with a first layer of blue.  I use some watercolor techniques to produce texture on the mountains.  I added sage green to the hills in the foreground, and additional color to the mountains beyond.  I added more color to the road, being careful to maintain the perspective so the road would look right.  To be continued. . .

Leaving Central City (Painting as of September 15, 2023)

Here is my painting as it looked at the end of the day on September 15. This is based on a photo that I took during a trip to Colorado in 2018. I used acrylic paint to rough in some of the shapes with a general idea of the colors I wanted to use.  It's always a little tricky to try to paint a road, but I was happy with how this was going. 

Leaving Central City (Sketch on Canvas, Sept. 15, 2023)

Here is my painting as it looked just as I started it on September 15th.  Guided by my reference photo, I sketched in the composition with conte crayon, and then added a bit of color and water.  To be continued. . .

Still Life with Apples and Honey

Sending this out to wish everyone sweet days ahead, and to say "Happy New Year" to those celebrating Rosh Hashanah. I drew this digital still life on my iPad with the Procreate app

Leaving Central City (Reference for Painting)

This is a photo from our 2018 trip to Colorado. (We were traveling the state with the Brazilian couple that we met in Boulder in 1968. This was a 50th anniversary celebration for both couples and a celebration of 50 years of friendship.)  I cropped this image out of one of the photos I took as we left Central City.  I liked the layers of mountains and the curving road.  I had originally intended to include the poles, but decided against it.  This was the reference for the painting that is being used to advertise my solo show, opening November 3 at Galatea Fine Art.

Cheyenne Lake, Broadmoor (Painting as of Sept. 14, 2023)

Here is my painting of Cheyenne Lake as it looked on September 14th.  The biggest change I made was to the shape of the shore in the lower right corner.  I made a few changes to the water and the shore line, to add depth, and also added more blue to the mountains in the background. To be continued. . .

Together (Double Portrait)

Here is the final version of the double portrait, finished earlier this week.  It is now on the way to its new home in Tennessee, and should get there today.

Cheyenne Lake, Broadmoor (Painting as of September 13, 2023)

Here is my painting of Cheyenne Lake at the Broadmoor as of September 13.  I began painting back in to the layers of pasted paper, using my reference photo as a guide.  To be continued. . .

Art in Transit: "Pencil Sketch for Double Portrait" and "Together (Double Portrait)

I took this photo yesterday, just before I packed up the painted portrait for mailing, and also tucked the pencil sketch into the package.  Now they are both in transit, on the way to Tennesse

Cheyenne Lake, Broadmoor (as of September 12, 2023)

My reference for this is a photo taken back in 1991, during a visit to Colorado. I met family and friends for lunch at the Broadmoor Hotel, and we walked along the lake behind the hotel. On September 12th, I began to paint this scene with acrylics in the morning, working from my reference photo, and in the afternoon, began to add pasted paper. Here is how it looked at the end of the day.  I believe this was my first attempt to use collaged paper to represent water.

Twin Towers from Brooklyn Bridge (with Prisma’s “Aqua”filter)

 In July of 2011, we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and I took a picture of the Twin Towers. I didn’t know it would be my last photo of them and that they would be destroyed in a few months. Today I added Prisma’s “Aqua” filter to my 2011 photo, taken that last summer in July.

Cheyenne Lake, Broadmoor (Posterized) Painting Reference

This photo is one of the painting references I have been using. I have been painting mountains again, specifically the mountains of my home state of Colorado.  I am drawing on photos, some from old family albums, and some taken on trips back to my home state.  I cropped this from a photo that I took back in 1991 during a visit to Colorado to see friends and family.  We got together at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs for lunch. This was taken from the hotel grounds, looking across Cheyenne like towards the mountains in the distance.

Together (Double Portrait) as of August 30, 2023

Here is my painting as of August 30th.  I continued to work on this double portrait as the likenesses continued to go in and out of focus and back again.  At this point, I began to try out an idea for the background: a big flowering tree where my son proposed.

My Dad at 21 (Rescued Photo)

This photo of my father was among a batch of pictures given to me by my Aunt Celia, a few years after my father's death.  I keep those photos in a little album, and this picture is usually inserted into the front of the album, to serva as a cover.  I was looking for a picture of my father today, and decided to take this one out of the album and scan it in to the computer.  It's a nice photo, this point had lots of deep cracks and small marks. I decided to see if I could rescue it.  Once I opened the image in iPhoto, I was able to fix the marks and small cracks, and once that was done, it was possible to enhance the contrast a bit. There is not much information on the back of the photo: just Feb 11 1929, Hy.  So my father was 21 at the time. I don't know who took this picture -- I wondered if it was my Uncle Ike. Possible, I guess, but it seems unlikely that they would have already known each other.   In any case, the photographer did a great job. It's nice to have this portrait of my father as a young man.  I am posting this today because he was born on August 28.

Together (Double Portrait) as of August 27, 2023

Here is the double portrait as of August 27, 2023.  I continued to work on the faces, and began to work on the clothing.

Together (Double Portrait) as of August 26, 2023

Here is the double portrait as it looked on August 26th.  During the preceeding days, I struggled to get to likeness for both portraits,  I measured my reference photo, I measured the canvas, I used multiple colors to mark changes, I turned the canvas upside-down, I looked at it in the mirror.  I opened the reference photo in painter and traced a rough outline of the main features, and then compare that to the painting.  All of these things helped, and at this point, my optimism returned as  l began to see two familiar faces on the canvas.  To be continued. . . .

Together (Double Portrait), sketch on canvas as of August 19, 2023

Here is the double portrait as it looked on August 19th.  I was already seeing a bit of likeness in both faces. This is still a sketch with conte crayon, blended to indicate shading.  I sketched in trees for the background.  I tend to use different colors of conte crayon to make it easy to see what I am doing as I make changes in a portrait. That helps me to see but can make the colors look a bit garish at this stage, so I have muted the saturation here for posting.

Together (Double Portrait), sketch on canvas as of August 17, 2023

I was finally able to get back to this project in mid-August, a little over 4 weeks since I fell and broke a bone in my right arm  (the radial head, which at first I miss-heard as Radio Head.) Anyway, by August 17, I had enough movement, control, and confidence in my right arm to return to this double portrait. I started by just roughing in the features with more conte crayon

Vine-Covered Shed (Digital Drawing as of August 15, 2023)

Here is my digital drawing as of August 15, 2023.  I had used layers in Procreate to trace elements from one of my photos, resulting in the drawing I posted here yesterday.  But then I decided that I wanted to adjust the composition, so I went back to Procreate, and extended the bushes in the foreground to the edge of the image. I also made a few minor changes,. Now I am happier with the composition. 

Vine-Covered Shed (Digital Drawing as of August 14, 2023)

Here is my digital drawing of the vine-covered shed as it looked on August 14th.  I used the Procreate app on my iPad for this drawing.  I have been spending some time trying to work out the best way to create line drawings from my photos.  This time, I used Procreate's layers and did some selective tracing to capture the lines I wanted to have in my drawing.  This was good practice because I have only rarely used layers.*  And for the first time, I used the "drawing assist" function to draw the straight lines of the building and roof.  (Seems fair, since you can't really use a ruler to draw on your eye pad.)  Anyway, I was happy enough with the result, but decided I wanted to make some changes to the composition. (To be continued.)

*It was also practice in general because as I am returning to drawing from last month's arm injury.

Vine-Covered Shed (Photo)

Late in October of last year, I took a photo of this little vine-covered shed that I noticed during a walk in the neighborhood.  I liked the lines and textures and thought I might like to do something with the photo some day.  Someday came yesterday when I decided to use the image as the basis for a line drawing.  To be continued. . .

Memories of the Mountains, Photo 2 (Porter Mill Vitrine Show 2023)

I am so grateful to Porter Mill for asking me to show my work again this year! Last Thursday, August 10, I delivered ten of my mountain landscapes to be hung in the big display window (vitrine) in the lobby of Porter Mill. By the next day, I received photos of how the display looks, and I was so pleased! This is the second of two photos. The exhibit will be up through September.

Memories of the Mountains, Photo 1 (Porter Mill Vitrine Show 2023)

I am very pleased to have been invited to show my mountain paintings at Porter Mill again this year!  Last Thursday (August 10), I delivered ten of my mountain landscapes to be hung in the big display window (the vitrine).  I wasn't able to stay to watch them be hung, but the next day, I received photos of the exhibit and I am very pleased with how they are displayed.  This is the first of two photos.  

Iris and Fence (Line Drawing from Photo)

Today I used Procreate to create this line drawing, based on one of my photos.

Rose of Sharon (Line Drawing from Photo)

Today I used another of my photos to create a line drawing, using layers in Procreate. This time I used my Apple pencil, so I could get more detail

Rose (Digital Outline Drawing from Photo)

I have been trying to figure out the best way to make a quick line drawing from a photo.  Here is one I did with my iPad. I imported my photo of a rose into Procreate, added a layer, and did some selective tracing with digital ink.  This is very rough because I didn't use my Apple pencil, which was not charged. So I used my finger as a stylus. Also I have a sore arm so didn't spend much time on this.  Nonetheless, I like the result. This is a very workable process

"Together (Double Portrait)", sketch on canvas as of July 13, 2023

In mid July, I finally had a chance to get this double portrait started.  I used conte crayon to make this sketch directly on the canvas.  This was a pretty promising start and I had some hope of possible completing the portrait before our trip to Tennessee at the beginning of August.  But the next day, I fractured a bone in my right arm, so I had to stop working on this for a while. I thought about trying to work on this with my left hand, but took the wiser course of waiting for my arm to heal first.  At least our trip wasn't ruined: we changed our plans for a road trip and booked airline tickets instead.  

"Gray Mountain, Pink Sky" Has a New Home!

Today I am reposting this photo of my painting, "Gray Mountain, Pink Sky," which now has new owners and a new home in upstate New York. 

Portrait of Vicki (Watercolor)

This is a portrait of my cousin Vicki,. We grew up together in an extended multifamily household,  were more or less raised as sisters, and nearly always dressed like twins. We learned to answer to each other's names. I painted this portrait back in 1965, when I was a junior in high school. You can see that I signed it "Randi Zagon," my maiden name.  I had a great high school art teacher, Robert Corty, but nevertheless you can see  that I had a lot to learn about portraits and figure drawing. (Well, I still do, There is always a lot to learn in art..) But my Aunt Edy loved this little portrait, and had it hanging on her wall.  I am posting this today in memory of my cousin Vicki, who passed away on June 30th.  It is now actually July 10, and I haven't posted anything since then ( I am back-dating this post), and so I thought I would resume posting with this.  May her memory be for a blessing, as was her life.

Morning Mountain (Colorado Springs) in "Summer Salon" show at Galatea

I am reposting my mixed media painting of morning in Colorado Springs because it is currently included in a group show titled "Summer Salon" at Galatea Fine Art. It will be on display through July. I am very happy to be included in this show. Here is how my painting looks on the wall.

Sketch for Double Portrait

This is a pencil sketch for a double portrait that I began in late June. The painted portrait is now complete (as of September 5th), but there were significant interruptions along the way, so I am only now posting images of the process. This is pencil on paper, drawn on June 26, using a photo as reference.

"Pergola at Long Hill" on display at Endicott College

Yesterday I went to the Manninen Center for the Arts at Endicott College here in Beverly MA for the opening reception for the Arts Fest 2023 Community Art Show. There is a lot of great art to see, and lots of talented artists in Beverly! I was really happy to see how nicely my painting was displayed, so I took a picture.  I painting the red pergola at Beverly's Long Hill Gardens, based on my own photos.  I used oil bar on canvas, 20" x 20".

Garden Border in Red and Purple

I took a long walk today and spotted a beautiful garden border with deep pink lilies and purple salvia.  I stopped to take some quick pictures with my iPhone. Later I edited this photo to get this composition.

Flowers Face-to-Face

On a recent walk through the neighborhood, I found myself face-to-face with these pink flowers, growing on a bush bordering the sidewalk.  This was a great opportunity to see the flower close up, so i took a picture.

Closeup of Pink Rhododendron

Here north of Boston, rhododendron's bloom in early June, and all at once. We have lots of them, all pink, in front of the house and in the back yard.  I took this closeup in early June.

Reposting: Front Range Thunderstorm (Acrylic Mixed Media)

This is acrylic paint and pasted paper. This image was inspired by a trip to my home state of Colorado.  I am reposting this now because this is the third of three paintings on display in June at Galatea Fine Art in a group show entitled: "Beloved Geographies: A Passion for Place."

Reposting: Near Colorado Springs (Acrylic Mixed Media)

I based this painting on a photo that I during a trip to Colorado, my home state, coming into Colorado Springs from the north. I am reposting now because it is one of three of my mountain landscapes currently on display at Galatea Fine Art in Boston, in a group show called "Beloved Geographies: The Passion for Place."

Reposting: Mountain Road (To Breckenridge): Acrylic Mixed Media Painting

This is one of three of my mountain landscapes on display this month at Galatea Fine Art in a group show called "Beloved Geographies: The Passion for Place".  This is acrylic paint and pasted paper.  

Going to new home: Near Snowmass (Acrylic Mixed Media Painting)

I based this mixed media painting on a photo taken during a family trip back to Colorado, my home state.  Yesterday I learned that this painting has been sold.  Today I had it packed up and sent off to its new owner and its new home.

Walter J. Manninen Center for the Arts

This morning I took a ride up to Endicott College to drop off a painting for an upcoming art show.  The campus is quite beautiful, so I decided to take a walk.  I took a lot of pictures, starting with this building, where the art show is going to be.

Two Pink Peonies at Long Hill

Here's another photo from last Sunday's outing to Long Hill for tea and a walk.  Lots of things were in bloom.  I took this photo of two enormous peonies. Tonight I cropped the original image and did some basic retouching in iPhoto.  

Peonies Near the Gate

This is from last Sunday's outing: belated Mother's Day tea and walk at Longhill Gardens.  The peonies were amazing, and I liked how this lineup looked near the gate, so I took this picture.  Today I edited the original to get this composition.

Early Mother's Day Bouquet 2023

On Wednesday, I received this beautiful bouquet, an early present for Mother's Day.  Of course I took a picture!

Two Paintings in Porter Mill Artists Show

Here are two of my paintings, currently on display in the Porter Mill Artist Show.  The show opened last week during Open Studios, but will be up for a while, in the lobby -- convenient for taking a quick look, perhaps on the way to grab a beer at "Coastal Mass Brewing," also in Porter Mill. The paintings are "Layers of Green" (top) and "Sun on Dark Green Mountain".  Both are acrylic watermedia, 16 x 20 on Aquaboard.

Rosa (Codfish Project)

This is Rosa, the wooden codfish that I decorated for the Cod Auction, to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.* This year, I decorated my codfish with "rosa rugosa" (aka beach roses) peeking through white lattice.  Late last week I finished up, attached the hanging hardware, and put her up on the wall to see how she would look.  This is the last photo of Rosa before I drove to Marblehead to delivery her.  I have become quite fond of Rosa and am sorry to say goodbye but she will soon have a professional photo and her own web page for the auction.  Hope she will find a good home! 

*(Every year, area artists are invited to decorate a codfish. These creations are displayed in Marblehead and then auctioned (on-line so people can bid from anywhere.)

Rosa (Codfish Project) finishing up

Here is Rosa, my decorated codfish, as she looks today. This is for the Codfish Auction, wherein area artists decorate wooden codfish cutouts which are auctioned off to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.  I have participated for a few years now, and it is lots of fun.  Although the decorated codfish are displayed in Marblehead, the auction is online so people are able to see all the entries and bid from anywhere.  This year, I decorated my fish with pink beach roses peeking through white lattice.  Those lovely roses that grow near area beaches have a scientific name: rosa rugosa, which why I decided to name my fish Rosa. I am ready to say that this is finished.  I added an extra rosebud to balance the composition, and then repainted everything, especially the rosebuds, and the design is completed.  I have painted the sides and the back.  Still to do: apply a coat of transparent matte medium to seal this, sign this (on the back), and attach the hardware for hanging. Then she will be ready for the trip to Marblehead next weekend.

Rosa (Codfish Project) as of April 25, 2023

Here is Rosa as she looks today, still a work in progress.  'Rosa' is the title of the wooden codfish cutout that I am decorating for the annual Cod Auction to benefit Marblehead Festival of Arts.  I named her Rosa because I am decorating her with beach roses (also called rosa ragusa).  When I last posted, three days ago, I said I was going to just fix mistakes, do some cleanup, and then post a picture when I was ready to deliver Rosa to Marblehead.  But after I worked on this today, I decided Rosa looked sufficiently different to warrant a post.  I have painted over the primer, and the titanium white brightens things up.  I have also been working on some of the lines.  And today, I repainted the flowers, which now are a bit deeper pink.  Still more cleanup to go, so consider this a progress report. 

Rosa (Codfish Project) as of April 22, 2023

I had a chance to work on this project this afternoon. I am creating this codfish for the annual Cod Auction to benefit Marblehead Festival of Arts. Each year, area artists decorate wooden codfish, which are then displayed in Marblehead and auctioned on line. (People can bid from anywhere.)  This year, my codfish is decorated with beach roses on a white lattice.  Beach roses are also called rosa rugosa, so I decided to name my fish Rosa.  Today I added the blue background in the squares (as well as blue outline and Rosa's blue eye).  This is the final design as I planned it, but the white areas are still just primer and need to be painted with titanium white.  And there is a lot of cleanup to do and tiny changes to make so that Rosa will look her best. When all of that is done, I will post a picture before I deliver Rosa to Marblehead.

Rosa (Codfish Project) as of April 21, 2023

I worked on this project this afternoon.  I am decorating this wooden codfish for the annual Cod Auction, to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art. All the artists begin with the same wooden form. The decorated codfish are displayed in Marblehead and then auctioned online.  This year, my fish is named Rosa, because I am decorating her with beach roses (rosa rugosa)  on a white lattice. Today my focus was painting the pink flowers.  To be continued. . .