"That's What I Like About You" ~ Contemporary Figurative Painting by Texas Daily Painter Nancy Standlee

"That's What I Like About You"
12" x 12" Acrylic on canvas with some newsprint collage

This is another of the works I painted at Dena's Ranch at the Robert Burridge workshop and see previous posts for more details. Now Bob did advise us on titles and said call it something that would help identify the painting, example "The Red Landscape". I will never be able to locate this one with a title like this but it seemed appropriate at the time. Titles are never easy but this seemed to fit in with my couples series of friends and lovers. I was experimenting with some print backgrounds and I like the subtle print collage element.

Patience
I don't like to dwell on physical limitations, aches, pains, certainly not anything to do with aging, but last week, Monday, February 15, I had cataract surgery on my right eye and I have not been a patient with patience. No pain just annoyed as heck that I can't see well and after crying at the post op visit the following day, my doctor explained the cornea has been cut, it's swollen, be patient so I will until the next surgery in March for the left. Then after both eyes have healed I'll be fitted for new glasses and I'll have no need for patience. One of the problems as I see it is you have a new lens in the eye with the old prescription glasses and nothing is working. I went to the dollar store yesterday and got a pair of high magnification reading glasses and I can see my computer screen and read a little better. Didn't Betty Davis say, "Getting old is not for sissies." (I chose to go with the single lens and use glasses for astigmatism as I didn't want to deal with a possible double adjustment - for those who may have a question after having this done.)

YouTube and Myrna
For some time now I've been wanting to put a short video on YouTube with a painting demo of my own and one for Canvas by Canvas, the collaborative art group I belong to. My friend, Myra, has a fantastic demo with her new mini camcorder and now I've purchased a similar one (because of her). It's still in the box and I will read the directions when I can READ again. I'll be sure and post the results. I've seen so many eye charts this past week, I think I know what the next background for a collage figurative painting might be and that might make a good YouTube debut.

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BLOG.............Nancy Standlee Art Blog

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LYLAS 6 ~ "Maggie" ~ Nick's DVD

Lylas 6 "Maggie"
12" x 9" Acrylic on Gallery
Wrapped Canvas
SOLD
This Lylas is named after Canvas by Canvas artist, Margie Whittington.
She has a blog and a web site where she showcases her murals. Probably every CBC member has taken a class from her at the Upstairs Gallery - sometime or the other. Margie posted on her blog her angel attempt Whimsical Angels ah la Nancy.
This one if for you, Margie.
Today I received a very long awaited email from Creative Catalyst stating that the Nicholas Simmons DVD was available for preorder. You can watch a short Flash demo of a painting in progress. I ordered a copy and I am signed up for his workshop at Artists' Showplace, in Dallas, TX., June 9-13, 2008.
Today I found a site by way of Amazon. Don't you love it when they send you an email and say well, you bought this book and we think you'd like this one, Watercolor Sketching, by Brenda Swenson. Well, you know for sure that I did. Brenda Swenson has a great web site and has some great watercolors on her site. She has a short truck demo here. She has painted Pasadena and it has reminded me of another of my favorite Pasadena painters, Joseph Stoddard.
I've tried taking a workshop with him but it was canceled. I have two of his books, Redlands Sketchbook and Pasadena Sketchbook, and love looking at his paintings or sketches. Here is his submission for the Moleskin site and I see that he will have a fall book coming out , publisher Walter Foster, Watercolor Made Easy, Expressive Color.
Another great book for my library of art instruction books and dvds. Now to settle down and take the time to read and study in between painting with my Lylas.

LYLAS 5 ~ "BARBIE" ~ Contemporary Abstract Figures

SOLD
LYLAS 5 "Barbie" Acrylic
9" x 12" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, 3/4" profile black (depth)
LYLAS is Internet slang for Love You Like A Sister and it gets used a lot in the emails that fly back and forth between the nine Canvas by Canvas member collaborative group. Since I don't have a sister they all fill that special sibling spot. See the post on April 13 to read the whole story and the one day workshop I gave for the Lylas at the Upstairs Gallery.
Yesterday as I was posting and updating my web site, one of my "painting sisters", Maryann, emailed the question, "Aren't you going to give each of the Lylas one of our names?" Great idea, MAS.
And now, here she is, the one and only "Barbie"..our Barbie, Barbara Hackney.

Lylas 2 ~ "Connie" Gamut Control ~ New Giclees

LYLAS 2

LYLAS 2 " Connie" Acrylic
9" x 12" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, 3/4" profile black (depth)

LYLAS is Internet slang for Love You Like A Sister (see this post) and this is the second in the series.
Last week Gamut Control made me two more giclees. One for "Shop Talking" and one for "Our Crystal Bridge", and the original was sent to the Bridging Heaven and Earth Foundation. See my entry at this site. Giclees can be ordered from me. Artists can contact the organization if they would like to participate in the Bridging project.
Check my web site for more information on Gamut's fine art reproduction process. John from Gamut said "Shop Talking" was the first giclee used to introduce the new Image Capture process. It will be formally introduced June 7. John said, "It came out better than the original." The process is no glare and eliminates cross filtering and maintains the texture and it is a 20 layer image. Here are my other images on the Gamut artist site.
Last week was the monthly SWS meeting and Gale Webb from Lubbock gave a great figurative demo painting with liquid acrylics. Thanks Gale and I'm sorry I missed your SWS workshop. H & R Block has been breathing down my neck. Aren't we glad April 15th is over for another year and we all promise to keep better records and receipts.

Other blogs where I post:

http://artistfoodnetwork.blogspot.com

http://canvasbycanvas.blogspot.com

http://myspace.com/nancystandlee

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Eat Well ~ Paint Your Food ~ Laugh Often

LYLAS 1 ~ "Elizabethy" ~ Contemporary Abstract Figures ~ There Is A Limit ~ CBC

Sold
LYLAS 1 Acrylic
9" x 12" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, 3/4" profile black (depth)
LYLAS is Internet slang for Love You Like A Sister and it gets used a lot in the emails that fly back and forth between the nine Canvas by Canvas member collaborative group. Since I don't have a sister they all fill that special sibling spot. You notice the title LYLAS 1? Guess what? Lylas will be another series as the result of a CBC request. The CBC members have liked the work I've been producing as the result of my study with Robert Burridge and have requested a Nancy "Burridge" workshop Sunday afternoon, April 13 at the Upstairs Gallery. Lylas 1 was painted on Saturday as I was planning what I would present to them and I reviewed my notes and Bob's workbook. I began by having them write down their intentions and tone their paper or canvas, explained my Burridge color wheel, told them a few "Bobisms" like paint for yourself today and stay wet and loose, and try a lot of "what ifs" (some of my favorite words). The composition (design) would be either vertical or cruciform as they want to experiment with the contemporary abstract figures without a model and just painting from their imaginations. Seven members showed up Maryann Stephens, Karen Foster, Cindy Campbell, Connie Michael, Betty Taylor, Barbara Hackney and Cindy Yandell. We're sorry Margie Whittington couldn't be with us. Some were ambitious and got there about 10:00 a.m. and began on a CBC project. We had a great day of painting. ordered pizza in and enjoyed each other's company and painted something we'd never seen before. I've made a slide show of the work produced today and it can be seen at the end of the post.
The class started at 1:00 and I think the last person left about 7:00 (Connie and I). They were very kind and helped me unload my car filled with stamps, paint, paper, texturing tools, books and notes. The Lylas produced some great work and ventured out and took a risk and enjoyed exploring painting from their emotions, dreams, and creative vision.
EMAIL HINT: My email has been giving me fits. About once a week I get this red message that says "unusual activity detected - Your account has been suspended for 48 hours, blah, blah" and I couldn't send or receive and anything sent to me would be bounced back to the sender like I hadn't paid my bill. It's been making me nuts. I call support and tell them I'm a little 72 year old grannie that doesn't spam anyone but just email my painting friends and a few relatives. Now my painting friend emails do add up hence my knowing about lylas. You will be left behind in the dust if you can't keep up with hourly emails from the CBC group. Finally, finally the call yesterday (after being assigned a case number) and running a spy ware program on my computer, my case was sent to the 2nd level of support and now we're getting somewhere. I was assigned to Kornelius, a perfectly delightful man who fixed my problemo. And he did it in the kindest way by saying "You're so active with your emails". Isn't that a sweet way of saying "hey, lady, you need to clean up your email". It seems I have 8,873 messages in my inbox and 21,751 in my sent folder so he had me remove 250 from my sent folder and now the problem is fixed temporarily. He was very nice when he said "There is a limit". It seems attachments seem to compound the problem. I promised Kornelius that I'd start cleaning up my act and need to work on another problem that is running concurrently and that is cleaning my house. My lylas friends were discussing a book title that would never find your name on it as an author and I quickly replied, "100 Best Housekeeping Hints by Nancy".
It seems that the Burridge workshops and emailing my "lylas" and painting is taking a big part of my time. I will put clean house and emails on my to do list but please resend the message if you get a bounced email. I don't want to miss a one.
Bob Burridge will give a workshop in 2009 in Dallas through the SWS and I hear it is full with 9 people on the waiting list. I'm doing my part in spreading the news about how fun it is to be in "Bobland".
Mouse over slide for captions.

"Our Crystal Bridge" ~ Heaven to Earth Art Project ~ Acrylic Figures

"Our Crystal Bridge"
20" x 20" Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 3/4" profile
$600.00 available from the Heaven to Earth site.

I first saw mention of the Heaven to Earth Art Project on the Marina Petro blog. This is a collaboration of artists all over the world creating and submitting a work of art and the work should be a new, original work so it is fresh, spontaneous and NOW and comes through them based on the theme "Bridging Heaven and Earth".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTu-G7xaOgs

The purpose of the Heaven to Earth International project is for the vibration of love and oneness.
This is the statement I submitted with my work:

"International travels and art workshops have shown me the oneness and sameness of mankind – our shared hopes, love and dreams for our family and friends. Our bridge and connection is this love and our great Teacher told us to “Love One Another” and the heart symbol in the painting is there to remind us of this admonition. The heart symbol also reminds us to look on the heart instead of the outward appearance. This original Bridge work was painted this week while I was surrounded by my loving group of collaborative painting friends, http://www.canvasbycanvas.com. The energizing faceless figures in the painting have the same look and style and they symbolize the oneness of humanity all over the planet but they appear on different levels as each one is bridging this journey at their own pace. May we come to the realization that we’re here to take care of each other and love each other."

This is the link to see my page on the Heaven to Earth Art Project.
More information is on this site: Heaven to Earth

Burridge Workshop, Day 5, October 5 ~Mendocino Art Center ~ Art Blog

Dancers
11x15 acrylic on gessoed paper
This was an end of the day exercise and I gave my girls some colorful clothes.

On the student slide show on the previous post, I’ve added two new students. Merry decided she would hold up her table cover as it was so attractive after her paint splatters. Marcia holds up her canvas painting and if you see it anywhere please let us know as when she got ready to pack up she couldn’t find it. Marcia, I do hope its safe at home with you now.

Oh, how we hate to pack up and leave on the last day of this wonderful experience: beautiful workshop in a beautiful setting. I planned to paint, but never got my brush wet on Day 5. We had a group meeting in the morning and Bob answered questions and gave advice on photographing work, getting into shows, copyright, signature, how to approach a gallery, framing, matting, marketing. He cautioned us to remember we’re not in the framing business, but in the painting business. His advice on matting got a big laugh when he said when he judges shows, one of the first things he does is look at the mat and if it looks like it’s been cut with a butter knife, out it goes. He complimented our group and said we’d been a good class and that boils down to not having to deal with a bunch of prima donnas. From the first day he wanted us to have a good attitude. This is not the time to paint your masterpiece but time to have fun experimenting with new techniques and soar outside our comfort zone. I beamed when he complimented my drawings as I don’t consider myself a good drawer. Now I’ll try even harder.
I’ve felt like I was in a protected art cocoon and didn’t hear a radio or turn on the TV all week. We left about 3:00 and took off towards Willits and Sacramento on California 20 and saw many of those twisty, curvy signs again telling drivers to stay within 10 to 25 MPH and “Slower traffic use turnouts”. I was still in a art haze until Williams and we stopped at a convenience store for a snack. Here was a fellow on a cell phone leaning over his truck engine trying to figure out what was wrong, Mothers with hungry children in line to pay for their fast food so now I’m forced back out into the real world dealing with everyday human problems, traffic, and flight schedules. Art hibernation has been complete with the exception of my must have email news from my Canvas by Canvas painting group.
Regrets? I would say there would be one. There are numerous galleries in each town and I didn’t have time to check out each one of them. Instead we drove south on Saturday after arriving, towards Mendocino and Point Arena and then Anderson Valley to the wineries. On Sunday called for a drive towards the redwoods, taller than any other living thing, so we could to see the country. We stayed at the Ebb Tide Lodge in Fort Bragg.


If some wanted a workshop break and they could walk into town for a quick lunch. Everyday was sunny with perfect temperate coastal weather and warm enough if you were sitting on the patio eating in the sun. Flower gardens and plants were blooming in this most picturesque of cities to entice us away from our day’s project.
If you ever travel this way, the Host airport hotel in Sacramento is right across the street from the airport. Friday evening after turning in our Budget rental, we grabbed a luggage cart and pushed it to our room to load it down Saturday. It was easy work from what could have been a daunting task for 2 seniors. Because I was afraid of having overweight baggage, one bag was 50 and one 51 pounds on the way out, we got a thrift store bag and loaded it up with art supplies. It is a challenge to fly and take an acrylic drawing/painting workshop, but Bob said “You don’t have to bring everything on the list”. Oh, you don’t understand, Bob. I want to bring everything on the list.
On the flight home in the early morning we saw the Grand Canyon and the first light dusting of snow on the mountains, then lots and lots of crop irrigation circles and I sketched some to use in a future painting. Good to be back in Texas and we got our bags loaded up and turned on a good country station looking for some Willie Nelson. Bob brings his “own” I pod music and plays it during painting and he tells us or maybe “warns” us to get prepared as “It’s my sandbox”. Oh, yes, a stop at a favorite barbecue café for some sliced brisket and sausage, beans, potato salad, and lots of iced tea for our nearly 90 degree day with hope of scattered showers.
All I want to do is go home and paint on some of the starts from the workshop but suitcases never made it in the house as I loaded them in the back of my Rav4 minus a few washables for a trip to Lubbock Texas the next day, Sunday, October 7, and a week at a Carla O’Connor workshop. I know. I know. But that's just how they were scheduled and I wanted to take both of them. I'll rest another day. More to follow.


Other blogs where I post:


http://artistfoodnetwork.blogspot.com/
http://canvasbycanvas.blogspot.com/
http://myspace.com/nancystandlee
TO VIEW MORE PAINTINGS OR PURCHASE: Go to Paypal on http://nancystandlee.blogspot.com
• Eat Well ~ Paint Your Food ~ Laugh Often

Burridge Workshop, Day 4, Thurs. ~ Student Slide Show ~ Oct. 4 ~ Art Blog

These are students who let me take a photo of them and a piece of their art work on Thursday during the Mendocino Art Center's class taught by Robert Burridge. (For more about this class see previous posts). A few naysayers said they were in a witness protection program or worked for the undercover branch of the FBI and couldn't have a photo appear on a web site.
It is Friday a.m. and after hearing stories about it being 90 in Dallas/Fort Worth maybe we'll try to bring some coolness back to TX. on Saturday. We won't have a model today (Friday) and it will be a time to work on these MANY stops and starts I've thrown under my table, in the suitcase by my work area or on boxes and chairs against the wall. At noon today we will see a slide show of Burridge's work which will inspire us to try even more. Bob says he'll stay there until 4:00 but I will have to pack up after lunch as we're facing at least a 4 hour drive over very, very twisty roads to Sacramento.
Bob demoed yesterday how to attach an acrylic on watercolor to canvas. He says nothing of his gets framed anymore as it will set the piece back 100 years. He gives details on his newsletter and you can search the newsletter for the information. His newsletter has now reached about 5,000 subscribers and I would recommend it to all as it contains some great information.

I found it interesting to step outside the studio onto the patio area and find wonderful memorial stones that made for good reading. One that I would like to know more about is the one for Wino Willie Boozefighters MC Teri Forkner. The Boozefighters are a motorcycle club and my son belongs to the Boozefighters in Fort Worth.

Hold MOUSE over slide for student's names.

Burridge Workshop, Day 3, Wednesday, Oct. 3 ~ Mendocino, Ca. ~ Art Blog

11x15 acrylic on gessoed watercolor paper

To read previous posts about this workshop click HERE.

There are approximately 22 excited, ready to work students in the Robert Burridge Figurative Class. On Wednesday, we had a female undraped model. We began with some 3 minute gestural drawings and then some 15 minute drawing/painting times. In the afternoon, we had two 45 minute sessions of drawing and painting. The models have my utmost respect as I marvel at how they can hold a pose for 45 minutes with only a short break. At times, they may need to be helped down if a limb has gone to sleep.
We’ve had some excellent models, but I have had very little experience with live model drawing and painting, but others have said how great these people have been. We have a beautiful, well lighted classroom but with the undraped class, we have to close the blinds and drape the doors for privacy.

Burridge quotes and admonitions for the day

1. Handouts included one on varnishing acrylic paintings and he gave us a demo on several paintings and on using a spray varnish for watercolor.


2. Pretty pictures are so boring. Don’t paint boring pictures.


3. Show the world something they have never seen before and “Paint something you have never done before”.


4. Complicated paintings are boring….SIMPLIFY.


5. He discussed and showed us the New Burridge Goof-Proof Color Wheel. I purchased 2. One for me and one to give as a drawing at the SWS meeting when I get back to Texas. I was awarded the Stepping Stone Award and that paid for my tuition to this workshop and I will bring back a surprise drawing for a SWS member.


6. Give yourself goofy assignments such as don’t use brushes today, only paper towels.


7. He discussed more on how his color wheel is set up and a demo on how to use it by painting with 4 colors and black and white.


8. Have your painting tell a story. Every painting is a metaphor. Stories fall into 2 categories – Romeo and Juliet or David and Goliath or a combination of the two.


9. He mentioned the “painting groove” we get in and once in, we can’t stop but the bad thing, once out of it, it’s difficult to get back in.


10. He discussed brushes and gave out a supply list for his materials. He does list some cheaper bristle brushes from the hardware store as some of his favorites along with the more expensive synthetics.

The weather has been ideal here this week – in the 50’s and 60’s in the day and low 40’s at night. I wear a light jacket and hat everywhere as the wind from the ocean can be brisk at times.

On Sunday, September 30, 2007, it was about 51 when we headed north toward the Avenue of the Giants (Avenueofthegiants.net) – home of some ancient redwoods. It was a 31 mile scenic drive of old highway 101 and an outstanding display of these giant trees, some as tall as a 30 story building. Mendy is the name we gave the GPS system in honor of Mendocino and Mendy needed a wake up call several times as she’d get lost in those tall, tall trees. We did see and touch a drive through tree and witnessed a smaller car drive through the opening. Our final destination was Scotia, one of the few company towns in California. It is a Pacific Lumber Company town that we’d wanted to eat at the Inn but looked like it had been closed for the season. Most of these towns were lumber towns and one, Westport, had 20,000 population in it’s heyday but now about 254.

I saw directional highway signs that are completely foreign to flat land Texans. One was a horseshoe shape and many said speed limit 10 or 25 miles along with those crooked signs and one that said “Narrow winding road next 22 miles”.

Along the coast tourists are warned about rogue waves or sneaker waves and not to get on the rocks as these sudden waves can sweep a person out to sea.

We got a snack at the Riverwood Inn in Phillipsville. The Riverwood Inn was built in 1937 and is the last of the old roadhouses that populated the Avenue of the Giants which also used to be Highway 101. I nearly let my purse fall out an open window about a story high when I set it on a window ledge and the window flew open. My new camera was inside and just considering the consequences makes my heart jump.

Later that evening we ate our dinner meal at Sharon’s by the Sea on the Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg.

One of the west coast's most scenic harbors, Noyo Harbor is tucked into the forested hills at the south end of Fort Bragg. You may remember seeing Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell sailing out of the harbor at the end of the movie Overboard. Noyo Harbor is your starting point for a day out on the ocean, whether it's on a fishing or whale watching charter, or paddling your own kayak.

Burridge Workshop, Day 2 ~ Mendocino, Ca. ~ Art Blog

8"x 8" Acrylic on canvas board "M" Man Sitting"

6" x 8" Acrylic on canvas board, "Lady Sitting on a Stool"

See this post to read about the Mendocino Acrylic workshop.

Tuesday, Day 2, we had "M"., a undraped male model to pose for us from 10 – 4 (Friday will be a free day with no model) with timed sessions to draw as yesterday. One of my drawings/paintings evolved and I decided on a red haired woman instead of the male model.

1. Before we began, Bob said he’d give us the fastest course on the color wheel with the instructions to use a triad color scheme today plus black and white.

2. He says contrary to what some say, “Black is our friend”.

3. Today use big water, big brushes.

4. Get color down. Start wet and loose. Draw into the wet paint with charcoal, stick, wet paper towels and you can wipe away.

5. Don’t plan on getting it down the first time. You will need to rework and go back and put in pure colors in later stages.

6. We are using the models as a starting point and not to use as anatomically correct drawings.(This statement is significant in my case as I'm not the best drawer around and I prefer imaginative drawings!)

Today we didn’t have a group demo but he invited us up to watch him paint if we wanted to.

I placed cut off sections of pvc pipe under each table leg today to raise the table to a more comfortable height. It helps the back not to bend over and paint all day. The stress was a little less today. First day of a workshop is always hard with people finding their place and wondering if they have the correct supplies, etc. Very few sleep a sound sleep the night before. It was easier for me as I had all my art supplies and just had to lug a huge 51 pound suitcase into the room. I am back in a corner and placed the case on 2 chairs and have a window ledge and the back wall to use for props - a very comfy situation. A day spent standing up, concentrating on new processes calls for a good dinner.

We drove south about 2 miles to Little River and dinner at Little River Inn and ate in the bar area with the door open in view of the waves of the Pacific crashing on the rocks. Later we drove back to the waters of the Headlands of Mendocino to join others sitting in cars watching the sun go down. One more stop for coffee at the Headlands Coffeehouse, (with a jazz piano and a bass combo to entertain us) read the handouts for the next day and prepare mentally for the next day of intensive drawing.

Burridge Workshop, Day 1 ~ Mendocino, CA ~ Art Blog

Mendocino, California October 1 – 5, 2007

I’m not in Texas anymore! I’m taking an acrylic painting class, "Contemporary Abstract Figurative Painting" in Mendocino, California and Monday, October 1 was the first day. Robert Burridge is the instructor.

The class description:

"This is a class for drawing and painting the contemporary nude. You will learn expressive painting techniques for the modern painter. If you have ever wanted to learn how to paint the free style abstract figure, this workshop is for you. Color theory explained and explored. You will learn the 12 Design Compositions for a successful painting. “Drawing the nude” skills are not a prerequisite. Variety of poses with the undraped model. Lots of paint sketching, gestural wet drawing and finger painting techniques. Be prepared to paint loser, bolder, freer, lighter and more intuitively. Plenty of time for action-filled painting exercises, demos and personalized attention. All eater-soluble paints are welcomed.”

ROBERT BURRIDGE paints almost every day in his country barn studio located on California’s Central Coast along the beaches of San Luis Obispo County. His style explores and interprets “real life” in his own passionate, painterly voice. Art critics describe his work as “vibrant, beautiful, masterly done and just a little tweaked;” and “His use of bold, rich color and adventurous texture, while complex, is uplifting and Pop.” His current subjects feature “the Good Life,” as seen through his life as an artist. He is the President of the International Society of Acrylic Painters. His work is featured on Starbucks Coffee mugs, Pearl Vodka bottles and on eight commercial tapestries.

The class is being held in the Mendocino Art Center and it is an educational, exhibition, and resource center for the visual and performing arts founded in 1959 and it overlooks the Pacific.

Mendocino County’s most visited city, Mendocino, a quaint New England style town with many of the buildings dating to the turn-of-the-century. The Mendocino Coast is one of the most picturesque areas of the state. Main Street is filled with dozens of shops on one side as the other side is left for a spectacular ocean view. There are art galleries and lots of restaurants and B&Bs. Many of the small towns along the Northern Coast region had their beginnings because of the logging and sawmill industry. Mendocino started as a logging town and has become an art colony and in the center of the village is the Mendocino Art Center, which hosts classes and seminars each year.

Classes run from 9:30 to 4:30 each day. Our model, G., arrived about 10:00 a.m. and we drew and painted all day except for a lunch break and short model breaks. These sessions ran anywhere from 2-3 minute poses to two 45 minute drawing and painting sessions. The room set up is not ideal. There are 2 adjoining rooms and the model stand is in between. The class is full with about 20 students and 30 on a waiting list. My biggest concern is there is not a table and chairs set aside for Bob to do demos – the main reason I take a workshop is to see the instructor paint. I hope this situation improves. We are the only class this week in session and I hope later we can have a demo set up on the patio area.

Some Bob instructions:

1. Maintain a GOOD attitude. Don’t expect to do a great painting. Paint the way you’ve always wanted to paint. If you end up with a lousy painting so what. Do hundreds of paintings and drawings.
2. Try to find a theme or series. For example, at present he’s doing a circus theme. He’s just finished a Wingland/Lovers theme. He recommended the book “Water for Elephants”. A theme is something closest to your heart. Know and trust your heart and develop a theme and place a model in your theme.
3. Nothing is original. Everything has been done before BUT not by you. That’s what makes it your original.
4. Experiment with your drawing. Draw with twigs, paper towels, big brushes, pens, charcoal. You can include more than the model.
5. For the gesture drawings, do not put in eyebrows or fingernails.
6. Most people make the head too large. Try to exaggerate a feature.
7. We used very little color and started with black and white paint or gesso and then added one color, and later added one more color just as a highlight color.

After the class, I visited 2 local art supply stores and just looked. You never think you have enough supplies but I restrained myself and settled for a wonderful dinner, upstairs and overlooking the city, in Fort Bragg at the Mendo Bistro. for fresh pasta and wine. Too tired for any homework and fell asleep reading my handouts. I'm being courageous posting this initial attempt but I'll work on her later.