Letting the Day Unfold

 Gifted
18 x 18

oil on canvas

My friend and I took a few days to enjoy Chicago and had the great pleasure of staying at her daughter's beautiful North Central home. We were very near Lincoln Ave. in the Roscoe Village area and could walk to great restaurants, a Trader Joe's, wonderful shopping areas. And downtown was a quick Uber ride away. I caught this image while we were enjoying coffee on the porch and planning our day.

Studio View

14 x 11

pastel on board

Last week my friend Susie invited me to paint with her at her studio. The room has huge windows that overlook one of the three big rivers our city is known for. It is a lovely view although this particular day was very gray, almost devoid of color. The only real punctuation was the burnt sienna river. I opted to paint that day with pastels, a medium fairly foreign to me. I thought maybe it would be easier clean up and all together less messy since I was in someone else's space. Not. You pretty much need one for every color you want as opposed to mixing your colors in my preferred medium, oil, so they take up a ton of space and dust was everywhere, especially on me. But I liked working with them. Just looking at this painting make me realize it's January 12 and I am completely ready for spring.

figure drawing 2

5 x 7

colored pencil and ink on paper

 

Another drawing of the same model that was posted yesterday. This one came out of the 45 minute pose.

figure drawing exercise

8 x 4

graphite and ink on paper

Our city is fortunate to have a community art gallery and center that offers two sessions a week with live models. Nothing is better for improving your eye and drawing skills than a short pose, usually lasting for 5 minutes. This is an example.