Faerie in Turquoise

During the lockdown, I discovered an artist on YouTube who creates for self-care.  She paints, writes, and collages in an art journal as a way to calm anxiety and support her mental health.  The Unexpected Gypsy's public YouTube videos inspired me to start an art journal -- then fill it, and embark on several more.  Creating simply for my own joy and self care is freeing and has become part of my self care routine.

I joined her Patreon, and it feels good to support a working artist who inspires me.  She produces special "Paint with Me" videos for patrons, and it was while watching one of those that I painted this little faerie. 

What a delight to play with colors and my imagination, and watch a character appear from my pencil and paintbrush! 

Hoping you'll take the time to play with your art supplies for no other reason than for your own joy! 

Figure Drawing with Model Amelia

 

We returned to the studio for Osher Figure Drawing with model Amelia who brought us creative, curving poses twisted in unusual ways.

We started the day with 5-line drawings, selecting 5 lines to tell the story of Amelia's 1-minute poses.

We moved on to mass gestures, adding weighted lines and shadows. 

We finished the morning with one long pose. 

Many thanks to Amelia for her fantastic poses!

Nature Journal Update

 The beauty of a nature journal is that you can pick it up and make a quick sketch -- whether in watercolor while floating around in a canoe on a lake as above, or with a Micron pen while hiking the Appalachian woods as below.

These quick watercolor sketches of spring wildflowers allowed me to experiment, connect with nature, and make a quick sketch when a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird appeared briefly.  These sketches capture the memory of the moment.

I hope you can find a moment to steal away with a journal and connect with the calming power of nature & art!

A New Color Journal!

 After reading Expressive Sketchbooks by Helen Wells, I was inspired to embark on a color journal.  The whole purpose is simply to explore colors & patterns in an intuitive way.  Here are a few pages.

I used Dr. P.H. Martin's Liquid Watercolors, Uni Posca Paint Pens, and some acrylic paint.

Figure Drawing Update

The spring modeling and teaching season swept me away.  Here are a few recent figure drawings from Spring events. 

Model Emily inspired me and my Osher class with this long pose.  I laid in a ground of vine charcoal, then lifted out highlights and added vine charcoal shadows.

Cozy created inventive poses with her willowy form during an open studio session for the Pittsburgh Figure Drawing Meetup

I enjoyed Cozy's storytelling gestures.

Many thanks to models Emily & Cozy for their inspiration and creativity!

Plein Air Painting & Potluck

 

After years of teaching art via Zoom, my students wanted to visit our farm and studio to see where the classes originated from.  We held an Osher Plein Air Painting on the Farm class on a recent Friday morning, and invited students to bring a potluck dish to share for a picnic lunch.

Our weather was lovely & sunny, and the sight of artists in folding chairs spread about the farm, painting brought me joy.  I managed time to make this quick sketch of the June trees and field.  

Our event closed out after lunch with time for sharing artworks and stories.  Wonderful to see the creativity of everyone gathered there.

My New Studio!

The last two years have seen my living room evolve into a Zoom studio.  My art studio used to be in the hay loft of my old barn, but the heat and cold up there made it uncomfortable to work in except during spring and fall.

With our Zoom sessions mostly over, I'm using the space for my painting, drawing, art journaling and preparations for classes.  It's lovely having a comfortable space with room to store my art materials!

Along the walls, we've hung gallery railing that allows me to admire artworks from my work table, and to easily change the display without drilling more holes in the walls.  Notice the portrait that I use as my avatar on the left -- an oil painting by Pittsburgh artist William Pfahl.  You can see more of his work here: https://williampfahl-fineart.com/

I'm loving being able to stop in and play in my art journal for a few minutes, or for hours, and having the space to leave projects out without concern for little mouse feet running over them while I'm away!