In process Golden Open Acrylic paintings 18x24"

A link to Utretch's tips for green studio & Mat Cutting made Easy

http://www.utrechtart.com/community/?utm_source=lcenter&utm_campaign=042209&utm_medium=email

1 point perspective drawing for class using pencil & gray markers

Allen Caucutt Critique, Patti Brady talk, Milwaukee Art Museum visit

Allen Caucutt (see blog post 2/16/09 fro more about him) came to Milwaukee Sketch Club last Tuesday and critiqued our pieces. He's very knowledgeable, kind and humorous, yet gives us something to work on. I finished my pencil, colored pencil and marker wine bottle & grapes piece based on his input. He suggested that our club put out a calendar or book based on the pieces at our critique. I think it would be better if we started a blog like WIPAPA, Wisconsin Plein Air Painters Association. http://wipapa.blogspot.com/

Saw Patti Brady this Friday. Very knowledgeable. She talked about testing what your materials will do and keeping notes to build a vocabulary that you can draw upon when you paint. Acrylics don't stick to glass or plastic bags so you can create "skins". Fiber paste creates a paper like surface and glass bead ground. Micaceous iron oxide can be put on watercolor paper then drawn on top of it with color pencil or mixed with acrylic paints to create different effects. People asked about "varnishing" paintings. Basically first you put on a barrier layer on first then the removable msa varnish. More info and videos along with recommended best practices are available on Golden's website. http://www.goldenpaints.com/artist/wap/artist.php?uid=3 . Saw Bill from Milwaukee Sketch club and he mentioned that he is in Wauwautosa painters group /sketch club that meets at Wauwatos Hart Park Senior Center http://hartpark.org/ on Monday nights but I couldn't find any info on the web about this group.

Went to the Milwaukee Art Museum to see the Jan Lievens Exhibit with a friend who hadn't see it yet. There was an artist making a copy in pastel of one Lieven's pictures.

Saw Class Pictures: Photographs by Dawoud Bey http://www.artnet.com/artist/2433/dawoud-bey.html . Very interesting.

Went over by the Georgia O'Keefe paintings and they had an activity going on where you could paint with oil pastels or sketch with pencils. So we sat down and copied Georgia O'Keefe's Lake George autumn 1923.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_O%27Keeffe
• http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/georgia-okeeffe/about-the-painter/55/
  
• http://www.art.com/products/p10071301-sa-i1285995/georgia-okeeffe-lake-george-autumn-1927.htm?sorig=cat&sorigid=0&dimvals=5000514&ui=fa100a0e38ca42febbb70f701aa8a3ad .
  

My drawing looks a bit different than the original and the poster I found on line doesn't look exactly like the original either. Milwaukee has one of the largest Georgia O'Keefe collections outside of New Mexico according the facilitator artist. Also she said you could come & sketch with pencil anytime.

In process work & upcoming Patti Brady booksigning & talk on April 17 at Artist & Display

Been experimenting and learning on how on how to paint with acrylics. Been using Golden open acrylics and medium along with a limited palette on 18 x 24 canvases.

The picture of the mountains I originally put and blended the colors right on the canvas. Then I tried putting yellow on it, plus I didn't like the arrangement, so have basically painted over everything.

Then I started working on "Kilroy" looking over a wine bottle. Blended 2 colors to get an green under painting. Then blended some colors to get brown. Last coat is now red with a little blue in it. I find adding Golden's medium very helpful.


My 3rd acrylic experiment is just an under painting in blue thinned with Golden's medium. First I tried mixing Golden's Open acrylics with water but it looked seedy.

Golden's open acrylics are nice because they don't dry too fast and you can mix and blend right on the painting. However the downside is you have to wait overnight for them to dry to do the next layer. So it's a slower process but may outside in the wind and sun it won't be.

Patti Brady, http://www.pattibrady.com/PBBio.html , is having a free booksigning and talk about acrylics this Friday. I think I will go check it out.

Lastly here's a drawing I'm working on for my class. It's pencil, marker and colored pencil. I discovered markers will partial dissolve and blend the colored pencil.

Wisconsin Pastel Artists Schauer Exhibit April 4-May17

The Wisconsin Pastel Artitsts exhibit is being held at the Suckow Family Art Gallery in The Schauer Arts & Activities Center located in Hartford Wisconsin. http://www.schauercenter.org/Events/Gallery.html

Frank Hoeffler judged our pieces and commented on then prior to the reception held Sunday April 4, 2009. He is an artist and also teaches at the Schauer Center. Here's some information on the web about him.

http://www.schauercenter.org/CSA/Instructors.html
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/frank-hoeffler.html
http://frank-hoeffler.com/

Dropped pictures off for Schauer Center exhibit and 2 marker drawings

Dropped pictures off at Schauer Center, http://www.schauercenter.org/Events/Gallery.html , reception this Sunday.

2 more marker drawings. The carrots used an analogous color scheme.