Possibilities

I had a crazy weekend that flowed over into Monday. When I headed to the beach I found myself there with no sketchbook and no camera. The pictures are pretty bad, but I'm still hoping to get a painting or two out of them. I love watching the wind surfers. I've got to find me a wet suit so I can get out there and do it myself!

Perspective

I've been working so hard on "Sunday Dinner" the past couple of weeks that I haven't taken the time to really get out and enjoy the incredible weather we are having here on the coast. So today I decided to just do it. And, as I typically do, I tried to squeeze in too many errands and of course ran into glitches, so my artist date time got eaten up. 

As I was driving along 101 looking out over Tillamook Bay I saw this flying saucer... I mean castle... I mean mountain... I mean... what is it? I pulled over and took a photo. 

When I got home I was frustrated that my afternoon out produced only this one photo. As I was processing it I was thinking about how what it is depends on the perspective of the viewer. And then it hit me. The success of my artist date depends just as much on the perspective of the viewer. 

If I had been determined to drive down 101 and look across the bay to see Cape Mears, I would have been sorely disappointed because a fog bank only allowed me to see the point of the mountain. Instead, I was delighted at the view the fog created. So maybe instead of being upset that my time wasn't spent the way I intended, I can be delighted that a handful errands can be crossed of my list, that I got to spend some time with people I love, I did an act of service, and I got to be out of the house breathing and seeing and listening and feeling an absolutely perfect day on the Oregon Coast. 

Perspective... 

Dinner's On!

Well, this is it. I finished the painting today and submitted it for the Word and Image Project. It's been fun posting my progress. This was a short amount of time to do a painting this detailed. There are many aspects I would love to go back and continue to work. I had a fun conversation today though, that reminded me to keep it in perspective. I told my friend that as a recovering perfectionist it is hard for me to take on anything that I don't know I can do perfectly. Painting is "perfect" therapy for that because a painting is never perfect. There simply comes a time when I have to say "Good enough." So while I could nit-pick this to death... it's good enough. I will post the final painting, along with the poem that inspired it, after the opening reception at the Hoffman Center. Thanks for tagging along with me on this one.  

Cheers!

While I thoroughly enjoy painting and easily get lost in it, there are some days that are easier and some that are harder. Today was a grueling day, as far as painting days go. I'm not really complaining. It was simply a lot of hours in one day, and a lot of working and reworking and building layers. But in the end, Grandma Ruby is now able to say to one and all, "Cheers!"

Hair Day

We all have bad hair days. Grandma Ruby is just having a hair day. I may touch it up a little, but having it a bit mussed is the point in this case. So I may just leave it. Her face is coming along and in the end I'll decide if they read well together. Her age is beginning to show a bit. That's good. Hopefully one more session and I'll have her.

Seeing Is Believing

She now has eyes to see, and a mouth to speak, but still needs an ear or two to hear! Poor dear... Sometimes it gets frustrating, but for the most part it's fun and fascinating to watch the paint and colors move around here and there and everywhere until suddenly they are just right and the figure is looking back at me saying, "You found me!" Grandma Ruby isn't there yet, but she's wiggling her way out.

Lights and Darks

When starting a face I first try to find the areas of highlight (lights) and shadow (darks) that define the plane changes on the face. It's tempting to go into great detail on one facial feature, like an eye, but it's better in the end to make sure all the general areas are correct first. I've made the mistake before of perfecting an eye and then realizing I painted it too high or too low or too far to the right or left and having to repaint it. Lesson learned... 

Canvas Sketch

I'm participating in a fun and exciting project with the Hoffman Art Center in Manzanita, OR. The project is called "Word and Image" and pairs authors and artists to respond to each other's work. I chose a poem that my assigned author wrote and this is the canvas sketch for my visual response to her piece. I'll be posting it's progress as I move along. This is a  pretty ambitious challenge as I have two figures in this painting and only 3 weeks to complete the whole thing.... Here goes nothing!