Thursday, September 18, 2014

Drats!!!

Been trying to send some photos this morning, but my resolution is too big. Will work on this.

Re: Tango

Bonjour de Giverny.
The internet has been atrocious, hence the lack of communication.
The weather, superb!
I did have a serious bout of diarrhea at 2:45am, night before last. Sylvie had medicine, but I was drained 3/4 of the day yesterday.
I can't say my paintings are any good, but getting better, I think.
Last night we painted in Monet's Garden, and will do the same tonight. We go this AM to paint an old half timbered gate house on and across the Seine from Vernon, just 4 km from Giverny. Then lunch and a tour around Monet's gardens and house.
That's all for now. We move to a different B&B today, for an additional 3 nights in Giverny.
Photo shows all of us in front of the Mairie, the town hall, in Auvers-sur-Oise, on September 15.
P.S. Dinner the last two nights has been ice cream and a glass of wine. C'est parfait!

Monday, September 15, 2014

Bold change

Blonde to red, at 14, she's not afraid of change. I should know that. Two years ago she had her long hair cut very short, a hairdo worn by Emma Watson.

Thursday, September 04, 2014

Water soluble oils, hum???

Yep, here there are.
Cobra and Holbein's Duo Water Soluble Oils
Something I never wanted to do, but it's become a necessity.

In October, I am teaching a 2-day workshop for the LLL Center in Upper Arlington. The workshop was advertised as oils, water soluble oils and acrylics. I heard last week that all the people who have signed up so far use either acrylic or oils. So . . .  a bit of panic set in!

Lucky for me, I watch Project Runway,
and this is my "Make it Work" moment.
Thank you Tim Gunn!
Paint is paint, right. NOT SO. I use a 6-color limited palette, and most of what I do is based on the properties of those colors: pure pigment, high tinting power, 3 opaque and 3 transparent,  a warm and a cool of the primaries + white.

Let the learning curve begin.

I am thinking of one of my beginning oil students
after six hours of painting time.
"I don't think I'll ever get this."
she says sadly as she heads for the door at the end of the night.
"How many hours of your life have you been painting in oils?"
says I, just as she reaches the door.
"Six hours."
I asked her to consider this:
Monet, in his 80's, and
after lifetime of painting said, 
"I'm only just beginning to see."