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/

  

"Old Pals"

36x36

Oil on gallery wrap canvas

So here's another large painting..I think I tweaked this a little but don't have a photo...this is close..I am writing this from my iPad...in sunny port st.lucie, Florida...getting ready to head out to golf..curt, the "dog whisperer" who's looking after our girls, says it s mighty cold in Columbus!..hope our pipes don't freeze while we fritter away our time hitting that little ball..finding it....and hitting it again...mike and ginny have some good things planned..we're going to the first day of the Honda classic Thursday...should be fun as we'll be stationed near the bear trap!..can't wait!!.. 

"Poppy Field"...again..

30x40

Oil on gallery wrap canvas

 

so I've tweaked this again..as the old saying goes.."it's never done til it's over-done!"..this will hang on the wall over the reception desk at Harrison Lake..and I apologize for my typo..(i was rushing as usual)..i certainly meant to say bob haddad..heading out of town for a few days..not sure if i can post from my ipad..

"Old Faithful"

36x36

oil on gallery wrap canvas

 

so here's another large painting..i think it's ok for me to talk about this..I've been asked to place several large pieces on the walls at Harrison lake county club...i'm delighted for this opportunity and especially delighted to have a chance to use the large canvases I bought..just in cases...my thinking was.."if you build it, they will come.." the new manager, bob haddad, jr. wants large and colorful work..my poppies will go out there as well..i'll be posting other things as I go along...

cityscape...almost done..

I have no idea what size this is..(I need to measure)..I bought a framed print when a local furniture store was going out of business..actually I bought several!..for the frames, of course..i'm gradually using them..this is nearing completion..i need to work on the sky and I see a few other things that need a tweak or two..that's "tweak" not "twerk"...ha-ha!!!

"Poppy Field"

30x40

oil on gallery wrap

 

so I've been working on this awhile...it's one of several large-ish pieces i'm doing for a special happening..a certain place...not sure i can announce it yet...i'll post others in the next days...

on my easel

this is going to be fun!!..I got a good start on this today and will hopefully finish up tomorrow or Thursday...I've done a few large paintings..to be placed at the first of the month...not sure I can talk about it yet...

day six..tanner

so this is a painting of tanner..my nephew's golden who went to doggie heaven late last year..his momma commissioned this painting for him for Christmas and I was thrilled to do it!..the photo she sent was of tanner in a yard full of fall leaves so I had to do my best to make tanner emerge from the background..hope I did him justice!..

day three...a commission..

actually this was painted last month..i knew this 30 in 30 challenge was coming up so I think it counts!..this is a commission for my friend ron..these are his three grands..all together at the beach in santa cruz, California..i am working on a very large zebra painting which won't be done for a while..also planning to paint a birthday present for my granddaughter..maybe today...

Day two...daisy...

 

so this is daisy...she belonged to a friend and went to doggy heaven a few months ago..a very hard Christmas for her owners because daisy was really into Christmas!..she looked forward to unwrapping all her gifts!..i have no idea how they kept her out of their gifts ....anyway..i wanted to paint this for them..so this is my day 2 painting...

30 in 30..Notre Dame Golden Dome

so this is a 10x8 oil painting of Notre Dame's Golden Dome.  this is the first painting in leslie saeta's 30 paintings in thirty days challenge...it actually needs some tweaking..tomorrow..and then this will be donated to my friend Jodi for a school fundraiser.  I grew up in South Bend..up the hill from leeper park..and I could climb to the very top of the tree in my back yard and see the golden dome across the treetops..i'm not sure how far away it actually was....probably at least ten miles..the very thought of climbing a tree at this point in my life gives me the willies...I have countless scars on my knees from falling out of many trees as a youngster!...I may post this again tomorrow but then again I need to be doing another small one..i have a large painting planned..zebras...I can't wait to get started!!!

tony's night...(the big reveal)

last night our good friend and golf pro, tony clecak, was inducted into the Indiana PGA hall of fame.  a dinner was held at Harrison lake country club and nearly 200 folks came from all over to help him celebrate and to congratulate him on a job and career well done!..several months ago our current pro, keith clark, asked me to consider doing a painting in honor of the occasion.  we settled on this photo but I had to add long pants because for once, tony was wearing shorts..pga pros NEVER wear shorts while they are in the professional realm..he was golfing with some buddies and I got this photo from terry..who told him he wanted to photograph his swing so he could work on it in Scotland..or some such nonsense..anyway..the evening..and (thankfully) the painting were both a success and people took turns signing their good wishes on the back...i'm so glad to have it behind me!!...next I plan to post a few teases of my next project involving hlcc..stay tuned!!...Monday I start a week-long artist in residence at millrace senior center..hoping for some good opportunites to get some stuff done..

last tease..

ok.. so here's my last little tease...the big reveal will be Thursday night!..this has been so much fun...the anticipation..the actual painting..keeping it a secret...I will post the final painting on Friday...I HAVE been painting..i just have been rather lax in my posting..working on some commissions..gearing up for a gig as the "artist in residence" at the millrace center next week..i thought I was just supposed to paint but I think i'm expected to have some finished work on hand..so...

VILLA..

12x12 oil on gallery wrap canvas

so this is a little 12x12 painting of "Villa"..i did this as a wedding gift for JK and Danielle..we went to their wedding several weeks ago and I am FINALLY getting to this!..they love their doggie and I loved painting her!!!

todd williams workshop

I've been taking a three-day workshop with Todd Williams (http://www.toddwilliamsfineart.com/)...it's being held in Nashville, Indiana and i'm having a wonderful time!..todd is a wonderful painter and teacher..a protogee of c.w.mundy who's a particular fav of mine!..the first day we had a very educational slide show and a meet and greet in the morning and then todd did his demo in the afternoon.. we have been treated to the most wonderful lunches and then last night there was a wine and hors' d reception in a fabulous log cabin home in the hills..we painted outside in Nashville yesterday so you can see todd doing his demo in the first photo and then below that is my painting..9x12..i did not have an umbrella and sometimes your painting can end up a bit dark since your pupils constrict in the sunshine and it can affect what you're doing..we worked on our paintings morning and afternoon and you can imagine how much the sun moved..another challenge of outdoor painting..looking forward to this last day..painting from our photos indoors and then a critique at the end of the day...stay tuned...

"Rusty 11"

30x30 oil on gallery wrap canvas

so this piece will be going to a client in Tennessee...it's drying as we speak...

"Reflections"

17x17 oil on panel

so this isn't the greatest for lighting..i was in the shade and it was getting very cold and windy..i painted this yesterday in front of the inspire gallery in carmel and met some very nice folks who were out for the monthly gallery walk...

"Harley"

10x8 oil on canvas panel

here's a little ditty i'm taking to the inspire gallery today..i did a version of this guy a couple years ago as a donation to "bria's ride"..a benefit for a little girl with some serious challenges.  not many people know that most Harley riders are very big on charitable doings...

small boat

6x6 oil on canvas panel

so i'm  heading up to the inspire gallery on main street in carmel tomorrow...planning to paint a larger boat piece..cathy asked if i would bring some small things so I have been busy..bad left elbow so I can't golf..might as well take advantage of studio time!!..these three things will never be dry by tomorrow but I have them in front of the gas fireplace in the kitchen..hoping...

here's my surprise...

36x24 oil on canvas

so here's what I've been teasing for the past few days..we had a blast today at danny dakich's third annual summer of fun golf outing..this year was dedicated to his dad, tom dakich, who passed away in april very suddenly..i donated a painting of a golf glove..i think I posted it earlier here.. and a giclee on paper of danny guarding Michael Jordan in the early eighties..(I got danny to sign it!)..which alone brought $400 for riley hospital!!..danny's brother, tom, bought my golf glove and they were both very touched by my painting of his dad in his early days of the "junior mafia"..having lost my father so long ago, I know what they are going through..it was a great day of golf..i don't know what we thought we were going to do out there..most of the teams were young studs, playing from the whites and birdying almost every hole!!..our team of diane, nate, Davey and I ended up four under...not too shabby for us but certainly not in the money...fun was had by all anyway..