Practice Makes 2013-W43

This week I struggled deciding what to paint, as every concept I thought of failed to coalesce or to inspire me sufficiently.  Eventually I reminded myself that singers warm up with scales and thus it never hurts to practice your fundamentals.  My artist friend Susan (of whom I recently painted two portraits) excels at painting figures in her landscapes...  I do not.

I hauled out my sketchbook to look at some plein air figure sketches I did during an August afternoon at one of the lakefront beaches near my home.  Some sketches are better than others, most are not great, but practice makes perfect as we know.  So this morning I simulated "plein air" in my dining room and practiced figure sketching using my outdoor painting kit.

A flat stable surface to paint on might have made some difference, as does
working from a photo (but no drawing!) & waiting for paint to dry between some steps.  Whatever, I got a better result and just in the nick of time; in a couple weeks I'll take a stab at nude live figure sketching at our Chicago Cultural Center.  To be clear it is the model and not I who will be nude, although should a distraction become necessary...

On a completely different note, I read an article Friday morning about alternative, more truthful slogans that could apply to products and I could not stop chuckling about this one which I have paraphrased:  Hot Pockets — every bite's a different temperature!  Enjoy meditating on the truth of that while you look over today's sampler of figure sketches.

A Bit Nippy 2013-W42

Fall weather has definitely arrived, hopefully to be interrupted by one more heat wave (fingers crossed, two more).  The apples are falling from my tree...  as they have been doing for a few months now.  Something about this growing season was conducive to apples because I've never had a crop so big.  Been using an old snowshovel to round them up for the recycling heap as most fall conveniently to a sidewalk.

I don't find these particular apples to be very good for eating, but they sure feed a lot of wildlife in my yard.  When I take the trash back to the alley, I am enchanted by the smell of sweetly fermenting apple rot.  I think the robin family that nests here has been getting drunk periodically for the past month.

So with all that, I thought instead of autumn leaves I'd go with an apple for the subject in the study I did today at Salon deWinchester.  Enjoy, and check out the other art on the salon blog.

Unfallen

Says You 2013-W41

Friday morning I was sipping coffee while browsing the morning web-news, when something got stuck in my craw and I fired up the bloggenator to get typing.  Here comes the rant.

Two things that reliably annoy me are (1) when I read claims that something is the world's finest/best/most <something>/tastiest.  Yeah... says who?  My first thought, normally, is that I would enjoy seeing the proof of that.  As a minor exemplar of this theme, it drives me crazy when Jim Nance and CBS try to anoint some team as this year's "Cinderella" in the NCAA tournament first round.  Sorry dudes, you have to wait for America to decide that, not your producer.

Which brings us to (2)...  I couldn't think of a concise word or phrase to describe this in English.  (Though I'm sure German has one long word for it.)   This weekend heralds the annual summit of the so-called "values voters".  As though other voters who vote differently are bereft of values.  Hah.  What this group should more honestly call themselves is "libertarian/conservative social values voters".  And let me emphasize they have a right to their viewpoint, but not to passively assert that my contrary viewpoint must mean I lack values.  That is malarkey.  If English vocabulary worked like German, we would probably describe this with something like baselesswordusurping (or, surprisingly similar in fake German: grundloswortusurping.)

There are dozens of similar examples of groups and individuals who co-opt words in this presumptuous manner, particularly "patriots" or "patriotic".  Now, fortunately Sarah Palin and I could not be more different other than that we're both still fit and trim for our age.  And like her (probably), I still get a thrill on July 4th when I hear the opening notes of The Stars and Stripes Forever.  I think America is pretty great despite its flaws and my family has no shortage of war veterans.  So what makes Sarah Palin think her views epitomize patriotism while contrary views must demark some stripe of anti-American?   Nothing but hot air, that's what.

I am sure there are comparable examples from the left-leaning side of the political spectrum, but I will leave it to Rush Limbaugh to carp on those baselesswordusurpers as that's his job. 

On a lighter and happier note, today we started up season 4 of the Salon deWinchester.  Please click the Awesome Link for that blog and go check out the great art there. 

My work today is the first stab at Propuesta 8 from Acuarela Creativa.  More about that another time.  And, large format or small, enjoy!

The Artist, Pixellated

An Opposing View 2013-W40

I'll offer a hypothesis contrary to last week's blog, which is:  Laughter leads to tears.

I remember my mother would sometimes utter this when our jollity tried her patience.  She in turn learned it from her (dour) grandmother, who raised my (often ornery) mother.  With the right provocation, granny would warn my mother, "laughter leads to tears," and then swiftly act to fulfill the prophecy.  Smack.  Of course, this was back when people paid heed to the Bible's admonishment to not spare the rod, thus spoiling the child.

Where the ranks of our 113th Congress are concerned, too many parents spared the rod it seems.  I'll refrain from naming which members I think could benefit from a sound spanking today, or why.  During times like these — when it's mostly noise and not news — what works best for me is to turn off the TV and avoid reading much about the situation.  After all, I'm powerless to affect the outcome in the short term and we have yet to see what all this means for the long term.  Why be bored with/enraged by the unfolding minutia?

Mostly I'm avoiding, but to the extent I am engaging with the political drama this October, I'm choosing to laugh instead of cry.  I am laughing at a certain caucus and network instead of laughing with them, and I do feel a bit bad about that.  But I think I'll get over my guilt... maybe not a guilt shutdown, but at least a guilt "slimdown" as Fox News likes to chirp these days.  How do they come up with their nonsense?!

I came up with my painting subject this morning — I thought his expression would be a good challenge, and let's face it:  many try but no one gets huffy like the English do.  And by the way, last week's subject liked seeing her unexpected portrait and...  it made her laugh!

Scowler

Laugh Already 2013-W39

Thursday night I was watching something or other on PBS when a throw-away line caught my attention.  Technically I guess it was a question:  Isn't it nice to be around someone who laughs easily?  It sure is.  Coincidentally, a couple days prior I was gabbing with one of my long-time friends and we reflected on how the foundation that underlies our friendship is simply that we make each other laugh without much effort.

Maybe this only means he and I are not very discerning about what entertains us.  Maybe we're both a little too clever for our own good.  I can't answer either question objectively.  What I can tell you is I come from a very funny family, so growing up I had lots of opportunities to be entertained as well as take my turn in the spotlight.  It's possible we spent more time at the dinner table laughing than eating...  which may be why in middle age my brothers and I are reasonably fit and trim.

I've often thought that while life presents us many small and occasionally large challenges, it is up to us how we'll react.  Laugh or cry — it's usually your choice.  Tears are wholly appropriate at times, of course, but as much as possible I will choose to try laughing and I invite you to join me.

An Artist, Poised to Laugh

p.s. Thanks to Marge Bolin for her unknowing assistance with today's painting.  I hope she and the unawares subject like it.

Equinoxious 2013-W38

Sometime this weekend the noonday sun will cross over the Equator and thus the southern continents can begin to enjoy their Spring and Summer.  We know what this means for us in the northern hemisphere.  Boo hiss.  I like Autumn just fine, and the first part of Winter is tolerable, enjoyable even, for things other than weather.  But then comes the new year and that awful 4-6 weeks before we get hints of Spring.  Sigh.

Continuing in the theme of dissatisfaction, I have mixed feelings about a couple of portraits I did recently of my friends Susan and Donna.  They're okay.   But I was on edge as I painted them because they're of people that I know.  (And like.)  With the "good" one out of the way, I thought I would do another painting of Susan with more reckless abandon and see what happens.  More satisfying to do?  It was.  More satisfying to behold?  Time will tell.

Susan Do-Over

I'b Sick 2013-W37

But not very sick, merely what's turned out to be a fairly mild cold.  This particular cold started coming on in earnest late Wednesday and by Saturday afternoon, as I write this, I'm much better.  I don't remember having had a cold for quite some time now.  Maybe as far back as 2010, and that's fine with me.  I think many women will agree, there is no bigger baby than a sick man.

My runny nose was inconveniently disgusting; the sore throat and headache were bothersome for a half-day each.  Yet the most miserable part of the whole experience has been: I have no one to listen to me whine.  As we know, misery loves company.

Along the way were the usual sneezing and coughing, with colorful mucus and phlegm.  Oddly, as I gazed upon these expectorated bits, I found myself thinking about what paints I would use to make that color.  I think women will find that remark gross whereas men will find it mildly amusing.

Changing topics completely, this week I got started on a portrait of my friend and fellow artist Susan Sylvano.  I did some of the underpainting on Tuesday and Friday.  Friday evening I kept going back to it and so by this morning I had pretty much finished everything but the hair.  I hope Susan enjoys the painting, and if not then I invite her to extract her revenge by painting one of me!

Susan Wears Emeralds