Gig Harbor Drawings

This rainy Friday morning.....

.....I found myself in Gig Harbor, a beautiful working harbor about an hour away.  Since the Marker Workshop is tomorrow I thought it would be a good opportunity to work on my chops.

My friends found a boat shed with an open end that we could draw from and I did two from there.....

.....and another from inside the wooden boat shop.  I find it so relaxing to do these but I have to admit that the first pen mark on a fresh expanse of white paper is always with some trepidation that it might not turn out.  Fortunately, I don't think that's a reason not to try....it's only paper.

This is the kind of thing we will be doing on the trip to Montisi, Italy....at least when we aren't smearing paint.   Come join us.  Visit the Winslow Art Center site for details.

Just keep drawing......

Palms Against El Mirador, 12 x 12

Painted from the rooftop, this evening painting was the last one of the trip.  I was sad to leave because, once again, it felt like I was just getting into the swing of being in and painting in this small town.

I like the abstractness of the large hill.  It was covered with vegetation that had gone dry until the coming rains when it will spring into a jungle like green.  The palms are an endless source of subtle color variations.

The drawing is of some young banana trees in the back of the courtyard and just outside the door where I slept.....oh, yeah....you can see it.   Love those markers for making quick form out of my sketches.  You really should try it.  I just got an order for some new colors for sketching on toned paper which I'll post later.

Oh yeah.  Here is one of those baby 18" iguanas that would drop off the roof occasionally next to us.....a bit surprising.

Alamos Square, 6 x 10

Town Square, Alamos, Sonora

Announcements!

1.  I'm back from Mexico where I ate great food, lived in a small mountain town and painted from dawn to dusk with good friends.  If there was a downside it was that the lady that sold the Tres Leches cake was only in the town square twice.

2.  The Scream Online, an online international magazine for the arts, will be having features on myself and two other artists in their upcoming edition.  The focus will be on drawing...in my case Drawing with Valued Markers.

3.  Finally, for all those who have been asking for it, I will be teaching my marker workshop on Saturday, April 20th at the Winslow Art Center.   I've had wonderful feedback from those who have taken it before so, whether you are a painter, sketcher or dabbler, you'll find something you can use in this course.  It is such a great way to quickly capture the essence of your wanderings in the world.

The drawing above is only two values and white yet so much depth and movement can be expressed.....and in only a few minutes.  I'll be posting more drawings, as well as Mexico paintings, between now and the 20th so stay tuned.

Two For The New Year

 

Welcome to the New Year!  Despite the busy-ness of it all, we always have a good time, are sad when it comes to an end and now think about our next big event.  We don't know what that event is yet, but we need to concoct one to drag us happily into the new year.  And we give thanks....the days are getting longer again!

There wasn't much room for art but I did find some time today to get out sketching for an hour.  The speed and simplicity of marker drawing still mesmerizes me as a blank sheet turns into shapes and forms.  The location of the dock scene is right behind the second drawing of Santa, the Grinch and a Snowman as they deflate themselves into 2012.  I think  they will be back because they've been up there every December for the last ten years....

All the best.

Waiting, 5x6

There is something enigmatic about this drawing.  Her look involves me in the scene and I bounce back and forth between her and that telephone wondering why she doesn't answer it.  It all seems somewhat unsettling....or is it that cookie jar?  There seems to be three personalities on this stage and I'm wondering why nothing is happening.  You should have to spend a day in my head...it's not pretty.

Instead of doing that check out the new 'Page' I added on painting with gouache.

I also have my new website up and running.  Give it a look here:  Studiolerada.com

July 2010 Marker Workshop

While waiting for the class to experience sketching outdoors with markers I kept occupied with this one.   I entertain myself watching how drawings develop out of blank paper.  It's really an amazing thing how so much can be communicated with a few lines and tones.

People in the workshop seemed pleased watching their own drawings develop throughout the day as they learned this simple yet effective technique.  Here are a few photos from the class and a scan of one of the demos.  They were eleven fun and enthusiastic people.

You can get a glimpse of what the demo setup looked like in a corner of one of the photos.

Tomorrow I'll post some things from the plein air workshop.

 

Dad! Where Are You?

Waiting for our daughter and her husband I sat on the grass and drew knowing full well that it was impossible for them to bus down and make the ferry on time.  Little did I realize that they had just run up the ramp I was drawing and were calling me as the ferry pulled away....leaving me on one side and them heading for the other.  To top it off, it was an hour before the next boat.  So I drew some more...

Value Sketching With Markers
This weekend the final of the new edition went to the printer and will be available by July 12, 2010.  Here is link to a sneak peek.

Hope you had a grand 4th!