Ziggy and Stardust

so this started as a donation..size 6x6..and the fellow wanted a larger size..so now this is a Christmas commission!.. i think i'm finished but still waiting to see if some tweaking is needed!

"Kava"

so this is for my friend Jane.  it's on a 12x12 gallery wrap canvas..wired and ready to hang.  there is still time to commission a pet portrait for Christmas.  sizes range from 6x6 to 16x20 and I can work from your favorite photo! get in touch at sadiedavis7@comcast.net.  i'm getting excited for the holidays!!

"Star" for my friend Steve

so this is for my friend Steve..."Star" is 16x20 and painted on gallery wrap canvas...this is a big larger than usual but I really liked working on this size!!  i'm working on Christmas commissions..plugging along...fun time of year for me!!

a special commission

12x12 oil on gallery wrap

so here is a special commission for a friend.. I can't name this little guy because I don't want to spoil the surprise!  I've been busy with another surprise..can't talk about THAT either!!.. but stay tuned!

The Art and Soul of Bloomington

so I painted these three pieces for the annual Art and Soul of Bloomington.  the top one.."Practice, Practice" The Hoagy Carmichael sculpture (24x20) was juried in to the show) the other two.."The Birth of Venus (24x24) in the Showalter Fountain and "Freshly Shorn at Marble Hill" (30x40) will be at the gallery as well..just not in the special show area!..i obtained permission to paint these lovely sheep from the folks at marble hill .. a local sheep and heritage wool farm located at 8101 S. Victor Pike in Bloomington...The opening for this special show is this Friday at 6 pm.  I'm hoping to see some of  my peeps there.. come out if you can..i'm sure the show will be great.. only 25 pieces have been juried in and I'm delighted to be a part of this!

RyeAnne

7x5 original oil on canvas panel

so this has been on the back burner for a while..i wish i had known this dog!.. for my friend victoria!

first peonies

 

14x11 original oil on linen panel

so it's been a while..we've been working in the yard and one of my peonies started to have some buds..then all of a sudden on saturday we looked over while having a whirlpool..there they were!!.. lots of flowers..really fast!!.. so yesterday we were expecting thunder storms and i knew they would not last!!.. so i cut them..no thunder storm..but i had these beauties to paint!!.. i have commissions waiting but i needed to do this!!  FUN!!

"Heidi heading to the Ocean"

24x12 oil on linen panel

so i've been working on stuff for my gallery in Georgia (Simon's)..since we don't drive down anymore i have to ship things!.. i saw my friend's photo posted on facebook and knew i wanted to paint this!!...so i got permission and here we go!!

"Birdy and Olive"

16x12 original oil

so i do lots and lots of commissions!!.. once in a while, i come across an image..from facebook, for instance..that i feel a real affinity for and just HAVE to paint!!  this is one of those times!!.. i'm not sure which one is birdy and which is olive...doesn't matter...love the names and love this image of the two of them in exuberant expectation!..are their owners just getting home?.. are long-awaited guests arriving?..could it be the mailman?...or ..I KNOW!...some of their canine pals just passing by!....whatever the reason..they are super-excited!!

ce ce

6x6 original oil

i've had so many projects lately..many of them these little 6x6 guys...this is for my friends dave and jeannie..just put it in the mail yesterday!

"Blue Bucket"...donation to our hospice

12x12 framed original oil

so Our Hospice called to see if i would be willing to donate a painting for their gala in jennings county in early february.  they had been on my website (susiegregoryfineart.com) and liked some of my "kids on the beach" stuff.  luckily i had this on hand...

wow.. did i have fun!!!..David Michael Slonim workshop

 

above paintings are from other workshop attendees!!

so..monday i hopped in the car with all my gear and off to anderson i went!!..this last picture is david in front of his white board.. he was doing a power point presentation..i think just a portion of what he will be doing in scottsdale..and recommending several books for us...

so first..he wanted to host a one-day workshop to see if he had the stamina for a five-day one.  and trust me..it takes great stamina to do what he does..(i was there one day and it was exhausting!!!)...not only imparting loads of knowledge..but also handling the group of rowdy ladies..(some of whom had studied with him and abstraction before)...(i was fortunate enough to buy a demo of his from a workshop i took in 2010...a while before he went in this direction..)...back to the ladies...many questions..many thought-provokers..we listened and laughed and interacted all morning and then painted for about three hours in the afternoon...before our critique at the end of the day.....i did four..i think more than anyone..but the whole idea is..paint paint paint!!!..the more mistakes you make the more you learn something... and ..trust me...as a representational painter for all these years.. abstract is hard!!..you can't just throw paint on the canvas.. well..maybe you can but it has to have a sound basis.. structure..and have the dominant feature be one of several themes in  line..which we concentrated on.. to name a few: u-shaped, l-shaped, bridge, cantilever, grid, horizontality, verticality, singe mass, twin masses, circle, s shape, ....etc etc....
       confused?... try being there!!.. i had a plan to use each of four photo references i brought to do one each..u-shaped, diagonal, vertical and horizontal!.. such a plan!!.. to my horror...david wouldn't let me use any of my other references!!...he said he was going to push me..and i had to figure out different formats for JUST ONE REFERENCE!!!!. which i will post...paint prints and all!..
      so his play list was fantastical!!..we painted and hummed and sang and maybe a little dancing...at least i was dancing!!...all the while concentrating on the work at hand...as david says.."art is exploration. it's asking "what if" with a brush in your hand,  it's grown-up play!"...also.."a painting is a harmony of colored marks on a surface that communicates human experience".."a charged area of color that has the power to alter the biochemistry of another person - their mood, thoughts, pulse rate, blood pressure, imagination and mindset"

so this is the reference i used...over and over and over!!!..it's a city scape at night.. a theme that has always tugged at my heart..probably because of the possibilities of abstraction...

a few paint spatters up in the steam area..which i couldn't decide whether to use or not..the steam.. not the paint smears.....

first attempt..a u-shape...12x12

so my next was twin masses.....also 12x12.. he said i had a strong start but i should put it aside and do another...so totally unfinished,,,

he ordered me to have a circular format next..i thought "impossible"...and i was right...i really struggled with this attempt..which i ended up wiping!  ugh, right??  

so my last attempt..a 20x16 canvas...was fun!!..i was still trying for a circle of some sort..i looked at my reference and then put it away and did a sketch ..thinking about lines, shapes, and ended up with this:

this is a little off kilter because of my photo and the angles..but at least you can get the idea..i added that reddish strip at the bottom..just because..david seemed to be impressed with my progress from 1st attempt to last..(my hubby likes the first one best)..but i think i'm getting the idea of using a reference as a starting point and then stretching myself from there!!..he says "without exploration, you will never feel the thrill of discovery and surprise.  and neither will your audience!.. to paint well you have to regularly paint yourself into a corner...to get lost..on purpose!"

     i would highly recommend studying with David Michael Slonim if you ever get the chance!!  his workshop size is always limited..usually no more than 10..so he can really give each one lots of hand-on attention!.. he'll be in scottsdale the first part of february...check out his website for more info...so glad i did this!!!!   

               https://davidmichaelslonim.com/

  

david michael slonim workshop!!!!!!!

First Glimpse of the Sea

so i am very incited (as my kids used to say!!)... i got an email yesterday about a last minute workshop in anderson given by david michael slonim.  i studied with him many years ago.. before he went abstract...he was already stressing shapes and values but since then he's really taken things to a new level!.. so i'm heading to anderson within the hour and will report back!!..