Icy River Sketch

Iced River--Columbia River @ the Richland Y.
I loved the melodious movement of the young branches.

The day sunny and the temps warmer than usual, though still not warm enough for this fair-weather artist to paint on an icy Columbia River shoreline near the Richland Y. I always sketch before painting anyway - gives me a better opportunity to work out composition. As you can see by the boxes inside the sketch, the image kept growing and went from vertical to horizontal format. It's a great view of Rattlesnake Mountain, all lavender and shadowed, peeking above the horizon line while the low water in the foreground was still frozen over. The breeze off the icy surface chilled my fingers in fingerless gloves, and I knew my easel would likely rock about so I'm saving painting for another day. 

My day's goal was to "be in the landscape" and so for about 30 minutes, I was. I did paint in the studio afterwards for a bit too. Will post that painting at a later date.

Metamorphosis

She emerges eternal from the cocoon of the past, not knowing that she was fully bound by these constraints. Her glorious wings unfurl and a new found joy bursts forth as she rises above the turmoil of her past. The updrafts of wisdom and insight carry her to new and glorious heights she never knew were possible. Truth and clarity are her new companions.

"Metamorphosis" 12x24, oil on canvas

These insightful paintings are so much fun. Enjoying the painting process, and play of colors across the canvas - no rules, no firm preconceived direction. Just a focus on flow and movement. What experiences have you had with these sorts of "liminal" pieces of artwork you have created?

New sketchbook, funny sketch

new sketchbook from HeronDance.org

"Bound Up!" a sketch

Just have a little bit today... a new delicious sketchbook from Heron Dance, a quick sketch called "Bound Up!" and some musings on quotes I've recently read and the "art" of being an artist.

Sometimes we've got so much creativity inside, that we can't find the means or the tools to get it out ... or we don't fully set aside the attention and time that it demands. Not all efforts are quick nor do they come with ease, some take longer -- "a percolation" if you will. According to Maya Lin, "It is a process of percolation, with the form eventually finding its way to the surface."

In the words of Martha Graham,
"There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening
That is translated through you into action,
and because there is only one you in all time,
This expression is unique,

...It is not your business to determine how good it is,
Nor how valuable it is, nor how it compares with other expressions.
It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly,
To keep the channel open."

Protective tree

The large tree painting, still in progress  ©Laura Gable 2012

Close up of the sunflower in the shadow of the tree
©Laura Gable 2012

My tree painting has been in progress for months it seems. It's been "parked" in the charcoal state, though recently I had added the Buff Titanium gesso around the branches and applied Retouch Varnish to set the charcoal. I enjoy using charcoal directly on the canvas, as it is more tactile and has great movement, especially when using sweeping arm motion on a large canvas.


Today I added the oil paint color on the bottom, and a bit of opalescent shine to the top most branches. I don't use shimmer very often, as it can sometimes look a bit glitzy or cheap. So I took a chance this time. The painting's story is set in my midwestern homeland, with the stalwart elm and earnest sunflower who thrives in the protective shadow of the immense tree. 


The spiritual significance became clearer to me today. Growing together in a symbiotic state, and interconnected, we thrive. We need each other. One could even attach a deeper spiritual connotation to the enormous tree -- who's branches disappear into the ether at the top. It's open to interpretation and I'm sure we all will see something clearly different. I enjoy the story behind the art.

Art Display at Mercer Estates Winery in Prosser, WA

Three of my sunflower paintings have found their way onto the beautiful clay walls at the Mercer Estates Winery tasting room at 3100 Lee Rd in Prosser, WA 99350 (509-786-2097). The grouping just vibrates on the walls there, in this contemporary styled tasting room. If you are up that way, and if you are wine tasting, please support this friendly family owned operation.

18 Miniatures hung all in a row ...

I couldn't resist posting this ... the array of 18 miniature paintings that I did this month hung all together on the wall...and ready for the February 3 ArtWalk (come see me! click for the flyer/map). The process of aligning the nails took a while, as did mounting the ones that were painted on flat boards rather than the little cradled canvases. Here is the month's effort towards my personal miniature portrait challenge.

Hey what's that in the bottom right corner. Ha Ha!


I didn't quite get #18 finished, but couldn't leave a blank canvas there. Whatdya think? Shall I leave "Mr Smiley" like this, or do a more serious painting to round out the arrangement? I was actually planning to do 30 miniature portraits ... and although I didn't meet my challenge in a month, I will continue (once the rest of my canvases arrive). It is fun to note that the process of creating art daily is easier this year than it was the past 2 years...each year it gets easier. Say-la-vie! The challenge continues into February. Want to join me??

Miniature #17 (revised)

I admit it, I'm the queen of tweaking. She just didn't look right with her two toned face and five o'clock shadow, so I've evened out her skin tone, adjusted the tip of her nose, brightened up the lips, cooled her chin, and redefined the eye. The eye is now sitting down into the face better than it was before. (original post is here). It's still not the quality of the famous, amazing talent of John Singer Sargent ... but more closely resembles his painting of Ana, a girl from Capri. At least I'm happy with her!

Skywest Magazine

We are so thrilled to have my painting "Through the Vines" selected for the cover art on this month's edition of Skywest Magazine.  Page 10 features an Artwatch article about me. Please check it out if you get the time. And if you are flying on United Express through the end of February, be sure to pick up a copy. The magazine also features a beautifully written 3 page article about the Tri Cities. Go to the publisher's website, click the current issue, to see the entire magazine online.

Figure Sketches

My contribution to the figure sketching session, featuring Jessica. This is really a white sheet of paper, but when I went to adjust the levels these colors showed up - so we'll go with it. She was an excellent model. Hope to sketch and/or paint her again some day.
(BTW, not much from me recently as I came down with the stomach flu on Thursday. Finally feeling like a human again today.)

mini Portrait #16

Here she is again ... this time with a frontal view, cooler light, glasses, and eyelashes. Also am observing that the whites of the eyes are rarely really white--but we already knew that, right?. And the translucent skin takes on so many different tones.

Had a fun day, and delivered 3 paintings to the Mercer Estates Winery in Prosser. I've not been there before and so it's fun to be part of that. They have this gigantic wall, that is covered with a clay surface treatment. Very beautiful. I have no idea how they manage to hang art on these walls, they are using nails. Will post a picture of the display once it is hung.

P.S. If you are interested in a treat, check out our daily blog of creative pursuits shared by many other local and regional artists. Anyone can participate. I'm just a small part of this challenge to create art daily in January of 2011. It's the 3rd year we've done it and I've been involved all along. http://art-a-day.blogspot.com/

Miniature #15 (process)

This "study" is based on a lovely painting by Jules Elie Delaunay "Portrait of Madame Georges Bizet (1849-1926)" (here's a link). My study was of the head only. Here are a series of images showing my progression to the finished image, and an attempt to make the face look feminine. The original feels so modern in style, though the clothing is definitely vintage. The canvas was toned with cerulean blue (a compliment to the basic skin tone). The skin tone is misleading in these photos, and most closely resembles the pinker tones from in the 3rd image.

Step 1: After the canvas was toned in blue, shapes were blocked in.
Skin tone and background color identified.

Step 2: The nose and lips were defined and shadows are forming.
The chin is looking very masculine -- I'll get right on fixing that.

Step 3: Dark values were filled in and the hair (blue is still leftover
from the toned canvas). Chin size has been adjusted.

Step 4: Eyes defined and skin modeled. The original painting's model has much
deeper set eyes (so more in shadow). The skin tone is less yellow in reality,
and actually more closely resembles the image in Step 3, above.

Mini Portrait #14

Original 

Highlights were brightened after the paint dried, and a spot of tone added to the eye area.

Same model, with a slightly different angle. Have you noticed that the chin is actually quite cool in tone, and areas where the forehead is visible through the hair is very "hot" that it almost glows. This was an exercise in again seeing the value differences from the dark to the light side of the face (with a strong interior warm side light). Since the eyes are in shadow, they were left a bit undefined.

Mini Portrait #12

      I haven't done many paintings with "rim-light" . . . so this was a treat. It's that little bit of light that hugs the edge when the object is lighted from the side. Another goal here is to find a true representation of white, which even though in shadow is very dark. Also focusing on glow and reflected light while striving to again capture the effect of "light on the planes." I feel this mini portrait feels more effortless than some of the others.
      A couple years ago, my Dad grew a mustache and goatee. He was asked to portray William Henry Jackson at a centennial celebration of their local Scottsbluff National Monument (click here for more information about the park and that connection.) He had a lot of fun with that, and folks claimed he looked just like the historical photographer. Later that year, he and Mom visited us here and we took them up to Leavenworth. My Dad, also an avid photographer, went crazy capturing a plethroa of picturesque old Bavarian scenery. In one shop, he slithered into a gap between a display wall and an outside window to photograph the streets below. This mini portrait portrays his profile bathed with rim light.

Mini Portrait #11

He has a happy crinkle eyed face, but somehow his eyes belie a bit of masked sadness just below the surface. Our faces become the roadmaps of the paths we've traveled in life. Some experiences etch more deeply into the terrain there--coloring and carving into new formations, like the wind and rain are wont to carve the soil beneath our feet.

The treatment in the upper left is a bit abstracted with touches of green and that happy turquoise. I'm finding the representation of "teeth" to be a challenge. A wise artist friend once told me to paint the light and shadow (cool/warm, dark/light), not necessarily the details of the object. Afterall, "it's just paint!"

Art-a-Day daily art creating challenge starts again (mini portrait #5)

Since the first of January I have been participating in a daily art challenge. The idea is to show up, trust the process and create something every day for the month of January. Masterpieces are not required, just enjoy the process. I took on a miniature portrait challenge  for myself, with a goal of creating a 5x5 inch portrait daily. Here is the 5th installment in my process. (To see this blog in it's entirety, click here).

Today: Had a little more fun today with the miniature portrait study. I found it more rewarding than mimicking a master painter's work (Gericault ... see next post). This study was based on a family photo of my Dad (though it's not an exact likeness). He had a mischievous look on his face. A kitten had curled up in the crook of his arm and fallen asleep. Unfortunately with only 25 square inches of real estate here, I didn't have room for the kitty. Perhaps the next painting...

While I was busy with the process, my friend came in and we were sharing family remembrances. She had just lost her father on New Year's day. With her coaxing, I continued to paint and we marveled at the bittersweet coincidence that I was painting my Father, while we talked about hers.