Underpainting and Rocket Launch!

After two days in the kitchen cooking and baking, last night I had the overwhelming desire to paint again. I had the feeling this might happen. Being in the kitchen always sorts everything out for me.

So, this morning I sat down and did this underpainting. I worked for about an hour and it felt like five minutes - that's what I love about painting: getting totally lost in the process!

So far so good. This afternoon I'll start working over her with some color. Oh, and I LOVE painting on the plaster of paris. What a great texture. So smooth. 

Now, something completely different because the Mars Rover Curiosity successfully landed on Mars a few hours ago. 

You can see my dad and me in the crowd of spectators

Daniel, my dad and I were lucky enough to witness the launch of the rocket that would take the rover to Mars on November 26, 2011.

It was one of those bigger than life moments!

And then it took off!

We watched it for a good long while before the first sound waves reached us.

 What a roar! You could feel it!

It was amazing!

 And back then we talked about how long it would take for it to reach Mars.

And now it has landed and is sending the first images back to earth. Incredible!! 

Daniel did a beautiful little watercolor sketch of the launch. Click here and it will take you to his sketch blog. 

Wishing you a Magical Monday!!

❧ Silke

Underpainting and Recipe

This morning I worked on an underpainting (using only burnt sienna and titanium white) to work out the values in this painting and I couldn't be more pleased. I love when these portraits take shape and suddenly convey real emotion and spirit.

It still is a mystery to me how that happens - for me that's the magical moment of each portrait. I keep staring at her, getting to know her and figuring out her story. Later this afternoon, I'll start working over the underpainting with color. Can't wait! 

And, as promised the recipe. It's quick and easy and delicious!

Sauteed Salmon with Orange & Asparagus
from Gatherings & Celebrations
by Burt Wolf

Makes 4 servings

12 medium asparagus spears (I never count them but I'm sure I always use more)
2 navel oranges or 1 navel orange and 1/2 fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Four (6-ounce) salmon fillets
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons black or green olive puree (optional) (I've never used that)
1 tablespoon fresh chives, for garnish

• trim the asparagus spears and cut them into 3- to 4-inch lengths (I always leave them whole)
• peel one orange so that it's free of all the white pith. Slice the orange into thin sections and set aside. Juice the second orange or use 1/2 cup of fresh orange juice.
• when ready to serve, bring small pot of water to a boil with a pinch of the salt. Boil the asparagus for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but not limp. Or you can steam the asparagus for 2 to 3 minutes.
• heat a large non-stick skillet. Season the fish with half the salt and pepper. Add half the butter to the pan and saute the salmon, skin side up first, over high heat until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the fillets. Remove them to a warm spot while you make the sauce. 
• to make the sauce, pour orange juice into the skillet, bring to a boil and reduce until slightly syrupy. Turn off the heat, whisk in the remaining butter, and season with the rest of the salt and pepper. Add the reserved orange slices to the sauce to warm through.
• to present the dish, fan the asparagus tips on a warmed platter or on 4 individual plates and place the cooked salmon in the center. Garnish the salmon with a small dollop of olive puree (if using) and the orange slices, and spoon the sauce on top. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

Enjoy! 

Little Painting in Progress

Most of you know how much I love texture in my paintings, whether it is through a layer of paper collage, different grounds or molding pastes. Some of my paintings are on plain canvas, but not many. 

I thought I'd show you this little painting in progress as it's kind of fun. I painted a layer of molding paste on a little clay board. These gessoed clay boards are super smooth, so I like to add a little something when I use one of them. 

While the molding paste was still wet, I took one of my stamps and stamped into it. Today, before doing my underpainting of the girl, I smeared on a little powdered graphite to bring out the pattern so I can see it better. I like it!!

So now I have the textured pattern on the left and even the brushstrokes from applying the molding paste that are adding interest to the painting for me.

We are expecting an afternoon of storms and rain so I foresee more cozy studio time... I'm not complaining! But for now I am meeting a friend at our favorite cafe.... In fact, you might enjoy her blog - she sews, quilts, knits, crochets, felts, and she's a potter! Have a click here to take look at her very creative world...

Wishing you a terrific Thursday!

A little face...

So, I had a different photo all picked out to participate in Wordless Wednesday when I realized it's only Tuesday. It's been a busy day... 

Still, this afternoon I painted a little bit on this sweet face. I was fretting over how the eyes aren't quite symmetrical, when I remembered that neither are mine... In fact I think most faces are a little uneven. Hopefully I'll get her painted "in color" tomorrow.

This morning I was quite busy trying to create new banners for my two Etsy shops. I am not well versed in Photoshop, which I used for this, but I think they are good enough to last until Daniel can help me create new ones this summer.

If you haven't yet, be sure to enter my giveaway (if you like the painting, that is), even if you have entered and won a giveaway before. There really are no restrictions! The more the merrier... To enter just click on the photo in my right sidebar.

Wishing you a wonderful Tuesday evening! I'll be back tomorrow with more photos from our recent road trip!

Two paintings in progress...

Here are a couple of underpaintings I wanted to share with you. It seems that my girls are starting to accessorize. I like it!

Remember how I talked in this post about how my outside self doesn't quite reflect my inside artist self?  One the things I want to do more is be creative with accessories. It seems that is playing out in my art before it does in "real" life.

I sketched out a third painting, a little girl, and I'll show her to you when I have the underpainting done.

I hope you had a great start to your week! Here, it is a warm day and will be getting warmer every day this week. I need to make sure I take my camera around to show you a little of what is blooming right now.

Savannah in the springtime is breathtaking!

Firmly in the grip of art

This morning, I started painting fairly early and I just now realized how much time had gone by. There's not much else I can get as lost in, where time seems to stand still and my focus becomes so clear and intense. 

Lara is taking on shape and I like where this is going. I am really starting to love doing an underpainting with just burnt sienna and titanium white. It really helps me see the lights and darks without different colors in the mix. Next step is color. Maybe this afternoon!

Simultaneously, I am also working on this little painting. Truly little, on a 5 x 5 inch deep canvas (a recycled flower painting). She's going to be beautiful, I think...

I also framed two of the prints (both are No. 5 out of 6 of the editions) for an upcoming show at school. I love how wonderful art can look when it's framed. And with these it's so easy because the paper border serves as the matte! 

Blue
9 x 12 inch intaglio print (on 12 x 16 inch German Etching paper)
Available in my Etsy Shop

And lastly, a simple print of little Rowan in blue ink. My professor had gotten new ink that can be cleaned up without a solvent (much better for the environment) and wanted me to try it out on this copper plate. There was something so sweet about this print, I decided to pull an edition of three.

I usually don't do two posts in one day, but I couldn't wait. Sharing here in the blog world adds an extra layer of deliciousness to living a creative life. Don't you agree?!

Work in Progress

Today, I visited my friend Kelly's blog where she was showing an underpainting she had done for a portrait she is working on. That inspired me to do the same for my current work in progress. I loved it in the sketch phase (you can see that in this post) and am thrilled how she is emerging here

I've had a realization being in my etching class with all those students who want to make art their career. They are taking classes to improve their craft and find out what is "good art" that will make them a living. I paint for such very different reasons.

To me, there is nothing better than painting a face and have it come to life. I suspect it's much like a novelist fleshing out a fictional character. They don't really exist, but somehow they become real and convey something to the observer. That's why I paint these women - for that moment of connection. And somehow that seems incredibly important. Painting anything else does not give me the same feeling. Painting for what I think others might like doesn't do anything for me at all.

Last year I tried to paint other things and while that was ok, I totally lost my joy in making art. Not during the classes I was taking - I enjoyed my drawing classes immensely and I'm loving etching at the moment, but my own art. It has made me realize that I'm not painting to express or realize myself. Sometimes it feels as though these women are somewhere in my consciousness just waiting to be expressed.

And for these women here there's nobody else who can bring them into being except me. I love that about being an artist (or a human being for that  matter) - nobody can express what is yours to express. We each have something to say in a way that's entirely unique to each of us.

So this year, I'm giving in and painting what brings me the most joy. Women portraits. Not men. Not children. Not animals. Not landscapes. Maybe the occasional flower. And I'm painting in a way that brings me the most satisfaction, meaning with lots of layers and textures.

Painting from the heart - there really is no other way, is there?!

Underpainting & Gesture Drawings

My friend Kelly (Kelly Berkey Designs) has inspired me as she does so often. She creates beautiful paintings and often starts with a gorgeous underpainting. So, I decided to try to do that, too. Plus, I've been having whelk shells on my mind and just had to draw and paint one (such a different subject for me). Not so easy... this is probably my third attempt! But I like how it looks already. I hope I'll have time today to work on it with color washes - can't wait to see what happens...

But first - drawing class! Today we learned about intuitive gesture drawing, where you try to capture the essence of what you are drawing with many quick and almost aggressive lines. This happens fast and is not meant to be accurate, but to show movement and emotion, pretty much an extended sketch. It'll give you an idea of the shape and the position of what you are trying to draw.

Some examples our professor showed us looked like mere squiggles, but you could see what the artist was looking at and trying to express. The gesture drawings that blew me away were the quick sketches Frank Gehry does for the extraordinary buildings he designs. If you are interested, google him - you'll be amazed!

So, after a few one-minute drawings (which I'll spare you), we had only 10 (ten!!) minutes to do a gesture drawing of a skeleton. Sorry for the poor quality photo, but it was hard to capture and too big to scan. Click on it to see it larger if you want. I am super pleased with my drawing, especially since I was quite daunted by a whole skeleton. For me the trick is forgetting what it is that I am drawing and paying attention only to the shapes and lines and their relationship to each other. (By the way, that skeleton really was missing the right hand and the head...)

Then we did an extended gesture drawing - 40 minutes - of easels, and it had to be fresh and with movement. My professor thought this was quite good. Hard to bring movement to a bunch of easels...

I have to say though, this is my kind of drawing - it allows me to show my emotional connection with what I am drawing. I have a feeling I'll be incorporating this into my sketches and my paintings!

Daniel and I are heading out of town (north of Atlanta) tomorrow for the next few days, so my blogging will be sparse at best (today I'm busy getting ready for our house sitter!). I hope to come back with lots of inspiration and, of course, photos!!

In the meantime, I wish you a wonderful few days!!