Here and there

Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. -Belva Davis
It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow. -Robert H. Goddard

If you have enough fantasies, you're ready in the event that something happens. -Sheila Ballantyne
Dream big, hope big, live big in your mind... just stay within you budget and be happy - Unocchio :-)




Where ever we go there is beauty ... and something for me to paint ..... here at the foot of the great High Sierras there are always old ranches, farms and buildings that have been here (believe it or not) longer than I have been around. .... I getting ready to do some painting so I started with some sketches to put those ideas together... here is one of the sketches

While I was on the coast do you think I could just ignore one of my favorite places on earth? ... nahhhhh

This picture is focused on the ocean.. the movement... the beauty... the smell... the sounds .... sure does add to the happiness. There are always sea walls, pilings docks, and boardwalks so I included a little of that too... this is a knife painting ... except those gulls which I added with a brush.

 

Oil on gessoed masonite 9x12

Some spots along the coast the land juts out a little from the rocks and some of the rock formations are under the water... more and less as the tide moves in and out .... here we have the tide out a little and the water rolls over some of the low rock formations and tide pools form .... or course food is exposed and the gulls are up and at it... they are always hungry .....  this is still wet so if you see some of my placement marks still there don't fret... they will be erased after the paint dries.

 

Oil on gessoed masonite 9x12

Success again

Failure is success if we learn from it. - Malcomb S. Forbes
that makes me very happy

You have a good week end

Today we had a gesture painting class and a head painting class ... this is from the head painting class

                        
Oil on canvas board  9x12

Find a way

Man is so made that whenever anything fires his soul impossibilities vanish. -La Fontaine
So find a way to make it happen

Live model today.

                        Charcoal on smooth newsprint 18x24

Avoiding conflicts

I have found that the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it. -Harry S. Truman :-)

....... especially if they are adults  :-) :-)

John lives next door to his grandson ... they have a great relationship .... I drew this picture for him ... graphite on Bristol

                       
Graphite on Bristol 11x14

Dodge the Truth

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't.-Erica Jong
and some never even ask for the advice because they already know what the answer is going to be ..... I guess we just want to dodge the truth.
Let's just look in the mirror and 'fess up   :-)

Today we had a live model again. ... it's always fun to draw from a live model

                Charcoal on smooth newsprint 18x24

Do you have no choice?

The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously. -Henry Kissinger
I guess sometimes it is so much easier if we have no choices ... like the man said, that'll clear the befuddled mind really quick. However ....
it's having all those choices in life that adds growth and strength ... think about your choices .... add app the pros and cons .....

make some good choices today


I know you are really excited about this one.... artists do well to study anatomy... from the bones out  ... here's one of our studies.. the subject of the figure fundamental class this week was "legs" .... we had a leg cast, a skeleton, a figure showing the muscles plus printed material. This was my drawing of the leg muscles from the back

Every week we have a gesture painting class ..... live model... 40 minute poses 3 times ... here is one of mine

Oil on canvas board 6x8

'ear ye, 'ear ye!

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. -Cicero
Some folks are not thankful for the features they received .... they do not like their lips or nose or ears.. or whatever .... be grateful for what you have no matter what


In learning to draw the head we must study the features one by one... the other day the project was the ear... so we drew ears from photographs..... it was fun... every ear is different and a challenge ... some are a little more challenging than other

 

Charcoal on smooth newsprint about 6x8

When all else fails

When all else fails, we are told to follow directions ... what if there are no directions?
then what? ..............
Shoot from the hip?
Run like hell ?
Ask you spouse?
Look it up in Wikipedia?
Keep trying till something works? .... dang... that could take a long time .... this can't be the most efficient way of learning .... this would be "trial and error" ....why not buy the knowledge from someone else who already went through all the tedious labor and anguish of doping it out or who learned it from someone else?
There are still "teachers" out there who think learning by watching without any explanation is the best way to learn ... they gotta be kidding! .... just because you see someone do something does not mean at all that you can figure out why or how they did it so the students are left to trial and error learning if they want to learn and do what they saw.
Sometimes parents might think a child can absorb  simply by being exposed to something ... hmmm ..... what if the kid has no idea what you are doing and especially he can not possibly dream of why you are doing it ... teaching includes far more than "see and do" . especially when things get a little more complicated.... explanations, coaching and a little help goes a long way in learning and teaching.

Weather has cooled down here to unseasonally cool .. high 60's ... but that's still OK .... a friend from Truckee said it was snowing up there just a day or so ago :-)

There is now a small heater in my room to take off the chill and dampness .... works good for me ... feels a lot better

Today was a "one class day" .... a painting day which is more relaxing ....ok... so today's piece painted with a live model may not seem all that great but it is a 6x8 portrait..... portraits are a challenge even in a larger size... but a 6x8 is much more of a challenge for a number of reasons for Unocchio ... I was not sure I could even paint a portrait this small but I got thru it.

Take care of the little things in life and the big things will take care of themselves .... at least someone thinks that is true
:-)

 

Oil on canvas panel 6x8

Bouganvillas

Bouganvilla is a South American Plant that is an evergreen where the climate allows ... they do well in coastal areas and salt air ............. they are everywhere here .... the intense color is something to behold. I don't know how long the flowers last but they have been thick for the past 3 months. They make the entire area very, very colorful.

Take time to check out the flowers where you live... it's got to brighten your day