Having Fun yet?

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. -Franklin Deleno Roosevelt

Keep on stirring up those creative efforts .... it will be a thrilling ride
Once when I was at a workshop painting a live model I could see I was not going to finish the painting before the end of the ssession so I slipped out my trusty camera and started taking some pictures ... I thought, " hey, she's sitting for us to paint it must be OK" .. alas, it was not OK and she had a fit, becoming very angry and yelling at me ...... there's nothing like getting in hot water.
From then on I figured I better ask permission prior to snapping the model. Then, currently, the models were all giving us permission to shoot them so I joined in the fun .... well, except the totally nude ones, they had a problem with some old geezer bringing out his big professional looking camera and clicking a bunch of pictures ... I never saw anyone shooting them so I did not even ask :-) ... smart, eh?
Then one day I raised my camera to shoot a make portrait model and he broke his pose and frantically started waving his hands .... I took that as a "no".
Evidently, some models are ok with having the artists shoot them and some are very much opposed to it.... those opposed want more money for a foto shoot. Fair enough. We're back to specifically asking each person because there is no other way to know.
Seems like I got in trouble a couple times shooting pictures in the art classes while the instructor was doing a demo.
Now if we are painting from a picture there may be other problems. If the artists takes his own pictures and there is no recognizable person in it's all his property .... if there is a recognizable person in the foto he may have to get written permission to publish or use the foto even on his blog.... dang, get's complicated ..... soooooo
it might be that sometimes I could publish a picture of the model or subject of my drawings or paintings then you could check up on me to see if my painting or drawing actually looks like the subject :-) ....... Jeff has repeatedly stated that when we do gesture paintings likeness is good but it is not the aim of the painting and is not really necessary ... heh ... I like that one .... remember, gesture painting is done in a very short time and is generally done to capture the mood, lighting or feeling at that moment.
Sometimes I may achieve a drawing or painting that may look fine... or even look like a beautiful person..... but not like the subject ..... now why would I want to ruin your enjoyment of the art just because it doesn't look like anyone in particular. :-)
Heh heh.
Fun huh? ... well, I have fun at this stuff whether if looks like anyone or not ..... sometimes it may actually resemble the subject :-)
This is supposed to be my friend John's grandson .... maybe best you didn't tell him it is posted here ... but then if he doesn't recognize him who would care.

                                                Charcoal on smooth newsprint about 14x18

Helpful

In about the same degree you are helpful, you will be happy. -Karl Reiland,

		sooooooo, deliberately do something helpful to someone today,  that you may not have normally done ..... you will then be happier.... try it and see...... being helpful is a good thing

We draw from live models every day.... different models each time .... this provides interest and variety... and different challenges.

                                                Charcoal on smooth newsprint 18x24

Picture the results

If you want to reach a goal, you must "see the reaching" in your own mind before you can arrive at your goal.  - Zig Ziglar

Envision what you want to achieve....... create a burning desire ..... they then say, nothing can stop you if you want if bad enough.

Set your goals. Make them crystal clear.

Friday on of the classes is Caricature Drawing with Court Jones .... see his work here:

http://www.courtjones.com/illustration.html
It is a fun class even looking up from the basement .... not all my work reminds a person of anyone in particular ... which is the object of this art :-)  .... and, of course, not quite on the par of Court.
Nevertheless, it is fun.

                                                  Charcoal on smooth newsprint 18x24

I can relate to that

The most powerful thing you can do to change the world, is to change your own beliefs about the nature of life, people, reality, to something more positive. -Shakti Gawain

said another way... If everyone would look in the mirror and change that person for the better, the world would be changed for the better

Today the instructor placed a human skull on a pedestal, turned on the spotlight and we went at it ... charcoal on newsprint ..... I can relate to this one... hey, we're almost the same age :-)
Geezers love to paint ol geezers

                                   Charcoal on smooth newsprint 18x24 (but this is cropped14x18)

It's getting there that is the fun

Enjoy the trip ... and when you get there, plan another .... the joy is in the doing .... set goals... make your bucket list early .... enjoy your work... enjoy life.

Jeff's brother

There is a class named "Painterly Drawing". I signed up.... thought it might help. It's a great class. Last week the instructor sat a cast head on a pedestal, turned on the light and had us do a lay-in in charcoal.... this week we finished the drawing with a charcoal white pencil ... which I think is chalk  ... so this is what it looks like ... it was done on some kind of tinted paper  ..... this is not the top work in the class ... it is the bottom of the barrel ... I am still the new guy and the least of all the students ... but it's still fun and my work compared with my work is ok :-)
the cast was actually Jeff's brother ... Jeff Watts is the artist who owns and runs the Watts Atelier of the Arts ... great artist and great guy.

                                           Charcoal and White on tinted paper about 14 x 18

Friends and Neighbors

We know what a person thinks not when he tells us what he thinks, but by his actions. -Isaac Bashevis Singer ... and you can determine who is a true friend the same way ..... take John, for instance... he not only said he would help but he generously came thru when really needed .... John helped me find a place to stay .. and he let me camp in his driveway until the room was available .... a big help indeed ... and while there we went walking on the beach and he showed me his neighborhood .... it was nice visiting with him and his wife, Mitra. ... we had some good times together ... a big thanks to them both.
Even tho he objected I took lots of pictures while there ... heh, heh
This is my graphite drawing of John from one of the pictures now stored in my laptop

                                                     Graphite on newsprint .. about 12x18

Today

Between drawing with charcoal pencils and oil painting we keep busy all the time down here ... new adventures every day. Most days we have live models posing and the pose generally changes every 20 minutes .... the models get a break every twenty minutes ....  it's amazing to me that they can sit there motionless for twenty minutes... but they blink .. yup, I saw her blink more than once ... and I'm sure I saw one of them kinda nod off the other day... just momentarily :-)

This was my effort for today in the head drawing class

Take time to smell the roses.

                                                      Charcoal on newsprint - 18 x 24

The House next door

We live on a big lot ..... 4 houses, a green house and lots of fruit trees and garden space ... here is the house next door (same lot) ... most of the flowers are from seeds dropped from existing palnts or from birds.... amazing ......

"bloomin idjet"

:-)
They say if a person does the same thing the same way over and over expecting a different result he must be some kind of an idiot ... so I painted the same subject from a different position in a different way ... just to avoid some name callin'    :-)

The next time I go out there to paint these cactus I will do it a different way also. I'[m not sure how long they will be in bloom but they sure are beautiful.
I understand it takes about 2 weeks for the bud to actually bloom and generally a rain helps them along ... we did have a little rain last week... mostly at night. So how long will the flowers last? Don't know.
Go outside and look around ... you might see something in bloom.

Bloomin

With work and a few other things going on I haven't really been out there painting.... so today I got out and did a warmup of the cactus plants in bloom. My little 6x8 did not do them justice but a few more quick sketches and maybe I'll come up with something... anyway, it was great fun being out there in the sunshine and dipping in the paint.

We do some 20 minute lay in which is comparable to a gesture painting in oil...... just go full speed ahead for 20 minutes and get the basics of the model. The following is Jeff Watts, the instructor,  demo drawing one day

This is one of my drawings from a live model ...... I don't remember if this was a 20 min piece or not but probably is.... the models sit for 20 minutes and then take a break

It.s always nice to live where there are flowers and beautiful gardens .... edge of the driveway ..... a cool walk meanders thru those flowers

Some of the flowers... more coming later .... fruit trees are in bloom and the perfume fills the air

Are you happy yet... or still?

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. Aristotle
Sometimes others say what we are thinking better than we can.... sometimes we figure something out only to find out that someone long before us already thought it and expressed it well.

Eating can help make us happy.... take , for instance, tree ripened grapefruit. If you've never had one you are missing something fantastic. I miss my grapefruit tree that I had in Florida.
Here is a gift from one of my friends... they were tree ripened in Palm Springs ... ahhhhhh

oil on canvas board  6x8

Peaceful Wanderings

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spring is right around the corner ... might snow again anyway but who cares. We love snow. We Love wandering up the hill side dueing the snow.... It's so peaceful up there.

oil on canvas pad 12x12

Look for the advantages

To every disadvantage there is a corresponding advantage. -W. Clement Stone

There is a group of homeschoolers over in Arizona that have embarked on a project of forming their own special choir ..... creatively they called themselves the Homonizers   (home-onizers)... a take-off from harmonizers.
Some may see a disadvantage of home schooling being all by yourself studying in a dark corner of your own house without the social opportunities of a public shcool ... but here these kids turned it into an advantage... they have their own choir the way they want it... singing the songs they like .... where they like... when they like.
Hooray for them... and good luck.

Decisions Decisions

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." --[Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien]

We had a day or 2 of strong winds... that blew in a storm .. then it got very calm... then the winds came up again and another storm blew in .... wow! ... it hasn't been like this in over 30 years here. Snow storms are very enjoyable here .... the snow falls... the sun comes out and the skies turn blue... it's magnificent!
Of course, my pickup has been snowed in for a week so I stick close to home. I did get out on the snow shoes today... fun ...
I also got to shovel some snow which I happen to enjoy very much as long as it's just the deck, a short path and around the truck ..... if it's the driveway to the highway... then.... well, let jim do that with his plow :-)

Notice that there are some deep drifts here and there.

Decide to be happy today!

Are you on the right track?

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. -Will Rogers

Don't tell us what you are going to do ...... show us!  
What did they say about good intentions?

The storm blew and blew last night... today we had drifts everywhere. I was snowed in so I went to plan "B"  ..... did a little paperwork and painted. This is a little study from "Gifts of Spring - Montana de Oro"

Knife painting oil on canvas pad 9x12

Something good

There is something good in every day... find it... look for it... look for the good things in life and you will be much happier :-)

The greatest ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about. Anon. ... especially if you got your information from the news media. ... it's very difficult to flush that stuff out of our heads and get both sides of the story. Sometimes after we get both sides of the story we realize no one really knows the answer.

This is simply a small painting from a recent study using dorland's wax and a knife

You have a good day ... do something different today ..... even if it is a simple small something.

Oil on canvas pad 9x12 knife painting

There is always something new and exciting coming along

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Good growth is growth in quality ... not necessarily quantity, size and wealth .... someone please tell the government.
This week we received a heavier snowfall than in many years. The region has already exceeded the average moisture for the year ... things are looking up here on the desert.
I got out and shoveled a little just for the fun of it... a little is fun ... a lot, of necessity, is no longer fun. I kept it at the fun level :-)
Just so that you might also enjoy what we have I have attached a couple of shots.
Wherever you are have a great day... and go above and beyond what you have already mastered.
 

Do we talk too much?

Two great talkers will not travel far together.— George Borrow
heh heh ... I wonder why that is... that is a truism for 2 who talk a lot  even tho they may not be great talkers.... we might even know someone who falls into that catagory :-)

Keep your goals in mind today .... and remember what success really is
living well, laughing often and loving much.... whatever it is you think you must do today ... live well, laugh much, love a lot.
Paperwork always has consumed too much time to justify it's value.... were we better off prior to paper?  ... hardly ... but all things must be kept in moderation .... hey, would someone please tell that to those fools in Washington DC :-)

What if you could just ride around the wide open spaces ... gaze at the magnificent views... eat fresh food harvested ripe .... suck in the fresh air and bask in the sunshine .....  I offer an impressionistic idea of that below.

You may not realize it but we got nearly 2 feet of snow here in the past day or so and it's still snowing ...I carried the garbage down to the highway ... no K, it was not up to my waste and I was not barefoot ... I was bundled up well and enjoyed the walk ... I am thankful that I have a warm dry place to come back to .... touring the countryside on horseback and living in a tent might not be all that comfy... thanks anyway.

oil on canvas pad 7x12

Persistance

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated
failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. -Calvin Coolidge

If he left us with nothing else, that thought is worth his being around.
It all ties in with having a burning desire ... substitute " a burning desire" for "persistance" in the above quote.
If you want it bad enough, it can happen.

The other day a package arrived with the FEDX man ..... the pan I had been waiting for ... an All-Clad copper core ... what a pan ... it is beautiful AND it does such a great job with cooking. I love it! ... but best of all b uried in the box were a couple loves of hand-crafted gormet bread. Myquick sketch can not do it justice ... what a beauty! ... in addition, it is soooooo tasty. This one happens to be a sourdough olive loaf ... can't get much better than that.
Of course, in no longer looks like that :-) ... someone has been muching away at it.Maybe I can paint a picture of the open end or a slice.

Y'all have a good day too

Oil on canvas pad 5x7

Are you waiting for your ship ro come in?

Don't be waiting for your ship to come in.... row out there and meet it  :-)

This week we had the pleasure of having pose for us, Jim Eaglesmith, song writer, performing artist and story teller
http://www.jimeaglesmith.com/blog/

there is a sample of his singing on the right side of the blog page.

Jim Eaglesmith oil of canvas panel 9x12

Move it!

Get up and go... jump on it.....make things happen! ... Not many people reached success by sitting on their butts.

This is from the lesson on the current newsletter from VAA. Heavier paint, lots of knife work... from their original     "Let me See"

Oil on canvas pad 6x7

Cup of what?

Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow. -Langston Hughes
http://www.redhotjazz.com/hughes.html

And they used to get on my case in school for "day-dreaming"  .... little did they know :-)

I love chocolate ... I dream of chocolate from time to time .... and Langston Hughes said hold fast to those dreams .... sooooo...... I bought some raw cacao nibs ... it's a health food :-)  ..... quickly I found out that if I ground those cacao nibs; dumped the powder in boiling water; let it steep for a while; added my favorite herb tea the result was a delicious hot drink good for any cold winter evening.... this all leads up to the cup I painted this morning while waiting for Joe to arrive......

Oil on canvas pad 5x7

Look ahead

You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures.” Charles C. Noble

”Goal-setting illuminates the road to success just as runway lights illuminate the landing field for an incoming aircraft.”   Nido Qubein

Goals can be long range or short range .... they all work wonders if applied.

On these good days I try to get outside as often as possible ... yesterday I went for a walk for a mile or so... always great views ... always inspiring ... it's intriguing how all the trees and bushes change from season to season .... they all have their own way of doing things ... just like us.

oil on canvas pad 5x7

Patience

If you have an idea of what to expect you can be prepared .... or just the knowledge may even soften the blow ... so
Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. -Lida Clarkson

Get ready for another full and exciting week ... smile when you begin your week... smile when it ends .... they may be for different reasons but smile nevertheless :-)

Ed 9x12 oil on canvas board

Ed from the coffee shop

But I suppose experience of life will in time teach you that tact is a very essential ingredient in all things. Jennie Jerome Churchill

some people never learn that  ....... and then, I suppose, it is forgotten by some of those who become grumpy old folks ... heh heh ..... no need to be grumpy ... it changes nothing... it helps nothing ... smile and go walk on the beach or something.

This is a continuation of the project of monochromatic quick oil paintings at the Portrait Society of Reno on Wednesdays.... sometimes they are not as quick as other times .... and I have not got the hang of gesture painting yet..... but we keep on trying. I did do 3 "quick" paintings last Wednesday ... this is number 2.

Ed from the coffee shop  9x12 oil on canvas board

A time for everything

Make haste slowly. -Suetonius
Slow down an live a little today ..... now-a-days it's "get a life" ha ha ... we all have a life... it going on right at this moment .... however, for some folks it does not seem to be exactly what they thought it would be.

This week at the Portrait Society of Reno we painted Ed the coffee house man.

Ed. the coffee house man 9x12 Oil on canvas board

Pictoral review of the Senic Nevada Gallery Portrait Society of Reno Show open house

Reno Art Museum

Refreshments were served ... there was a function over at the museum the night of our open house so lots of those folks came over for refreshments and to see the show

There was a constant flow of happy people

Some of the models showed up

another model

Genuine Laughing

Genuine laughing is a vent of the soul, the nostrils of the heart, and it is just as necessary for health and happiness as spring water is for the trout. -Josh Billings

These will be part of my dinner tomorrow ... at least one of them will .... organically grown carrots, sweet and tender ... I love it!

2 Carrots - oil on canvas pad 5x7