Louisville Portraits

The Aschbacher Children

2009-09-02T22:19:00.000-04:00

IMG_4592, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

My amazing co-teacher, Resa, has a gift for capturing children on film. Not only that, but she has been patient with me as I've navigated the new waters of early childhood education. In thanks, I wanted to merge our talents into paintings of her four children from photos she had taken. She provided me with some wonderful, informal shots from a summer years ago when her children all received a small amount of Skittles as a special treat. I sketched out the composition for her, and we talked about color one afternoon.

My intention was for these four canvases to be able to be displayed as a square grouping, or as a long line of four. I was pleased with how they turned out, but a few adjustments still need to be made.

See below for some close-ups.
Dean:

Greta:

Sadie:

Andrew:

I'd love to know what you think.

Work in Progress: MGK and SPK

2009-09-01T21:33:00.004-04:00

IMG_4603, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

I love everything about this portrait. Stephanie (right) has come together easily. Margaret has been quite contrary, but she's coming around. There's still some work to be done, but it's getting close.

Here's a progression for you:

(This is quite the lazy underpainting, by the way.)

Thoughts? I really am anxious to hear what you think about this. I have a fear (irrational, I know, but real) that what I see varies greatly from what everyone else sees. Plus, I know these girls. I see their personalities because I know them. Do they shine through to you?

Here is a link to my post with the original photograph. It was taken very informally, as the girls were getting into their van after Margaret's preschool graduation ceremony.

(Her dress, by the way, was worn by Stephanie in our wedding. It is probably the most awesome flower girl dress ever, and has been well-loved and well-worn.)

Progression

2009-08-20T21:00:00.001-04:00

IMG_3692, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

I love the Third Style of painting from Pompeii. It struck me as soon as I saw it, face-to-face. Since that time, I've been attracted to small pictures centered within a wide expanse of color. In my senior show at Centre, I had a few panels drifting on top of a darkly-painted background. Now, I've been drawn to squares, especially these great 12" x 12" pieces of gessoed masonite.

In addition, I've gathered a number of photos I've taken that I think are simple and bold enough to stand on their own against the stark white.

I love how quickly these paintings come together. Here is how I do it:

I traced around a picture and then put painter's tape on the outside edges to keep them crisp.

Next I filled in the background color.

Then I painted my image.

This shows the color variation in the black parts of the bird.

Remove the tape and voilà!

I like that I can do this in an hour or less. Since I'm starting back to school and am giving up my studio space (*bawl*), I need to find little nuggets like these that can be done in a small area and in a space of an evening. It's somewhat mindless, since I'm copying a picture exactly. I don't know how I feel about that. I hope that the time I took to compose the shot and then pick it out makes up for the simple copy-and-paste element of converting it to paint. I see this as more of a study, but I could see these be more popular than something intricate like a portrait. Lastly, I am really trying to pare down which images work in oil, versus watercolor or pencil or pastel. That is a really tricky decision to make. I hope it gets easier.

What do you think?

Mask

2009-08-03T22:50:00.000-04:00

IMG_2524, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

I love this photo. I am not crazy about the unfinished, alien-looking pseudo-painting of my niece, but my other niece, Kate, holding it creates an interesting image. We were having a blast dancing around the studio, and she picked up this piece of attempt-on-masonite. This is what I captured.

Light and Motion

2009-07-31T01:52:00.002-04:00

IMG_2070, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

Again, I'm getting more and more obsessed with a focused face (or foot), and the surrounding scene more blurry. One of my favorite portraits of Sargent's (Lady Agnew of Lochnaw) had this same feel to it, with her facial features immaculately captured, and the rest of the painting a little more loose. Below is another shot that I think captures the effect I'm attempting. Notice how dark her eyes and mouth are, compared to the background. I would assume that if she were still, the shadows under the railing, her hair and the woods behind would be much darker and therefore compete with her features.

IMG_1532, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

Animal Studies

2009-07-28T01:39:00.001-04:00

IMG_1593, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

Just a few studies of some beloved pets. Whitley, above, and Artemis and Flower are below.

IMG_1585, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

IMG_1582, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

Summer: Take 2

2009-07-28T01:36:00.001-04:00

IMG_1577, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

Nothing says summer like daisies in your hair, a pretty white cotton dress, and green, green grass. Although there is not a lot of contrast in her face, I think this would work really well as an oil on canvas. These are the types of pictures that make portraiture easy: good color, simple composition, and (for me) high contrast between background and foreground. Some portrait artists insist on lighter backgrounds, but I like the depth of the dark backgrounds, as they tend not to compete with lighter skin tones.

Summer: Take 1

2009-07-26T01:30:00.001-04:00

IMG_1562, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

I've been trying to capture the kids outside this summer. I especially like this image of William reading in the grass. I'm trying to use things like the horizon intentionally when setting up a composition. I prefer non-traditional positioning of the person off to one side. I have been watching and re-watching Wes Anderson flicks for their cinematography; I am overwhelmingly drawn to his compositions and dramatic color choices. I literally am astounded every time I watch "The Life Aquatic" or "The Darjeeling Limited." Each time I see something new, and I hope to integrate these layers of interest in my future attempts.

Whitley

2009-07-15T22:44:00.001-04:00

IMG_0975, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

Well, since I gave some space to a pup, I figured I should be PC and throw this out for all the cat lovers.

This kitty belongs to my sister, her husband and their seven kiddos. The cat has not aged in ten years. I swear. He works together with the family dog to trap chipmunks, and we will often find a tail or some entrails near the front door. Ugh.

Sweet cat, though.

Emily in Graphite

2009-07-15T22:38:00.001-04:00

IMG_0962, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

You can see the Pompeiian influence in this composition. I like teeny, tiny pictures with a wide border. I tried this one from a picture I took of my niece, Emily, on a ferris wheel. I was happy with how her facial features turned out, but I was kicking myself for using a charcoal pencil to blacken the background. It ended up making the graphite look lighter and even more shiny. Any recommendations?

Close up:

Rocco

2009-06-14T01:21:00.001-04:00

DSC05605, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

I think this would make a divine portrait. Rocco's coat is so many different shades of interesting.

UPDATE:

What do you think?

Still Life: Cherries

2009-06-10T22:30:00.000-04:00

DSC05315, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

My college art professor lauded the benefits of doing still life studies as often as possible. He saddled us with the responsibility to create our own compositions. Truly, some of my favorite works were a result of these assignments. Here, I worked for about an hour on a bowl of cherries in a windowsill on a very windy day. The clouds would block the sun and delete the shadows from my view, and then the sun would reemerge, almost blinding me. Still, I need to do more of these.

Below is some pictorial documentation of the process.

The initial outline/composition sketch in charcoal:

Starting to fill in some tones:

Tones pretty much complete; adding detail:

Finished product:

Biking the Bluegrass

2009-06-07T23:43:00.000-04:00

DSC05243, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

My husband and I decided to participate in this year's Bike the Bluegrass to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. Though we are not professional cyclists, nor are we exceptionally skilled at fundraising, we really enjoyed the trip and were able to complete the 125+ miles over two days without injury. I got into the habit of wearing my camera around me as I rode. I like how the composition is slanted - it represents my attempts to take pictures while riding. Dangerous, yes...but in my defense, the roads were all but deserted as we sped along from Louisville to Frankfort, and then from Frankfort to Lexington.

Peace

2009-06-04T01:17:00.000-04:00

DSC05045, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

This is the baby sister of the toddler shown earlier, children of a favorite college roommate. This image presents a stark contrast with the prior shot, and has a bit of a divine light cast. I am starting to be aware of the way a shot can be divided, and this one has a very geometric, 90-degree feel to it.

I am trying to figure out how to keep Flickr/Blogger from cropping my pictures down to fit the layout, so please click on the above image to see it completely.

Movement

2009-06-04T01:13:00.000-04:00

DSC05044, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

I am continually entranced by movement. It came about as an accident, as I was getting tired of the nasty colors a built-in flash casts over subjects in low-light settings. So I started turning my flash off. It resulted in hundreds (thousands?) of blurry pictures. Some are not salvageable. Some, like this, capture for me the essence of a fleeting moment in the life of a youngster. Indeed, were I to paint this even in the minutes after having taken the picture, the child would be already different - they grow so rapidly.

But this, to me, is the essence of bottling the energy that comes free with every two-year-old.

Studio, Space

2009-06-01T22:56:00.000-04:00

DSC04978, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

Eric and I decided to take advantage of a great opportunity and rent the first floor of our condo as studio space for the three summer months I'm off school. That way, I would have a dedicated space to work, and I would feel compelled (since we are paying for it) to be down there as often as possible. It is amazing, the feeling of reconnecting with part of you that's been neglected. The smells of the oil paint, familiar faces on dusty canvases, the feel of the masonite in your hands...it is powerful.

My main goals are to practice, practice, practice. I intend on working specifically from pictures, just to get back into the habit (plus I have some images that I've been desperately wanting to preserve in oil paint), but I hope to also do some still life and experiment with other media. I hope I can share this space with loved ones as well. It's so open and airy. I will have a hard time giving it up in September, but deadlines are good for me. Stay tuned...

Man in Nature

2009-05-24T01:05:00.001-04:00

DSC04483, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

If I could remember my art history, I could cite for you a number of painters that employed this drastic juxtaposition of a small human within the context of a very large landscape. Caspar David Friedrich comes to mind with some of his landscapes, though certainly there are others to whom this style would more readily be attributed.

It reminds me a lot of a shot I took earlier in the year:

DSC05387, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

Idol

2009-05-20T01:01:00.000-04:00

DSC04252, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

This is a neat composition between cousins. The more I look at it, the more I like it. I like how minimal it is, with the most detail relegated to the corners. I like Kate's blurry hand, and how their lips pop out against the stark colors. I just think the expressions are priceless, as is the unspoken (but highly visible) admiration Kate has for her cousin James.

Dapper

2009-05-13T00:41:00.000-04:00

DSC03888, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

The lighting is exquisite, huh? It's that warm grey color that settles after a good rain as dusk approaches. Christopher was swinging the umbrella around and stopped for me, for a split second before careening down a dewy hill. The white pants miraculously came out unscathed and unsoiled.

I love how his face is framed in the focus of the umbrella, and the background deep greens. The angle of the shadows is subtle on the pavement, but absolutely encourages your eye back to his face.

Sisters

2009-05-13T00:36:00.000-04:00

DSC03889, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

This is probably one of my favorite shots from the year so far. I love the composition, the color, the expressions, and that fabulous flower girl dress - of course! It has a story all its own, but for now, I just want you to bask in the loveliness of two sisters.

VSA Side by Side

2009-04-24T00:25:00.000-04:00

DSC02518, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

This is the second year in a row that I've participated in the VSA Side by Side program. I worked with two girls, one was a teenager and the other was about 8. With the teenager, we went out, took a bunch of pictures (shown in this set), and then picked out the ones we both liked. I then arranged them in a 3x3 grouping that was displayed with the student's other work. With the younger artist, we worked together on a couple watercolor paintings of trees. We experimented with my Chinese calligraphy set, and also studied a tree from life. I only had a total of about two hours with each girl, so we really had to be efficient with our time.

I was pleased with what we were able to accomplish, and I was thrilled that my nieces got a chance to see my art in a studio. Hopefully it will be the first of many shows? *fingers crossed*

I look forward to participating in the Side by Side exhibit in the future. It is a really great way to practice teaching techniques and get to know some pretty cool kids.

Cousins

2009-04-18T00:17:00.000-04:00

DSC02033, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

The more I look at this, the more I adore it. It epitomizes the relationship between these cousins to me. The different shades of pink, the way they've all congregated in one corner of the mattress, the companionship of stuffed animals...I love it. The comforter in and of itself would be a master study, as would the contrast of the silky blanket.

Lobo

2009-04-18T00:14:00.000-04:00

DSC02017, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

This shot, I don't know. I think it exists perfectly as a photo, but I want to try and envision someone wanting an image like this preserved in paint. It truly captures the personality of a beloved family dog.

Animal Portraiture

2009-04-18T00:11:00.001-04:00

DSC01729, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

I have loaded some shots into a set called "Fauna" - I hope to use some of these to practice the intricacies of capturing animals' personalities in paint. I love this one of Whitley, the cat of my sister and her family. He has looked the same for almost a decade. That cat never ages.

I'll post a few more good ones of beloved pets soon.

Spinning

2009-04-15T00:08:00.000-04:00

DSC01736, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

I am becoming quite enamored on images of movement and spinning. I like how in this image, the foot is clear and everything else is blurry - it's like that singular connection between us and the earth is the only thing definite. Everything else needs some interpretation.

New Mexico

2009-04-05T23:37:00.000-04:00

DSC00816, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

Don't let the chili peppers fool you; New Mexico was so much colder than we expected. But what an amazing amount of inspiration within a two-mile radius of our downtown Santa Fe hotel! Such a different climate, culture, landscape and color palette than Kentucky.

Scenes from California

2009-04-01T23:33:00.000-04:00

DSC00193, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

I love the above picture. It captures, abstractly, two people I love: my husband and my good friend Karisse. Eric stands like that, with hands on hips, quite often. Karisse is doing what good "El Lay-ers" do and showing us around Hollywood. Her painted toenails show the vibrant nature of her being.

The other shots in this set are mostly compositional in nature. I hope you enjoy the bold colors and striking features of California as much as I did.

Out the Window

2009-03-30T23:26:00.000-04:00

DSC09628, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

So many of these shots are experiments in composition, and are portraiture only in that they attempt to capture the personality of an organic being...in this case, Earth.

These were taken on our trip out West to California and through Arizona to New Mexico.

Portrait of Baby Beans

2009-03-21T21:52:00.001-04:00

DSC08937, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

So not exactly considered portraiture, but these little guys will soon have a life and a personality of their own.

Family Wedding

2009-03-15T21:48:00.002-04:00

DSC08388, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

I love weddings because they always give you the opportunity to:
1) try and catch people's outlines as another camera's flash explodes, but while you keep yours off, and
2) fully explore the range of browns, golds and crimsons that accompany low-light, and
3) get neat movement shots.

I love the blur, the glow, the fuzziness of these shots. It reminds me of my mental state during weddings, usually.

St. Agnes at Night

2009-02-19T21:27:00.000-05:00

DSC07074, originally uploaded by aunt.meeb.

These are some shots I took while my husband was singing in the choir loft. I was playing around with shutter speed and all those things I don't understand. All I know is that I really like the ochres and golds and burnt siennas in these pictures.

Art!

2009-02-11T23:11:00.003-05:00

From February 2009

I finally got to go to the Indianapolis Museum of Art this past weekend. I love it. I get lost in art museums. They're never quiet for me; the variety of works call out to me an pull me into so many different worlds. I'm grateful I got to enjoy it with Stessi, Kate and Sophie.

From February 2009

Etsy-ness!

2008-12-28T19:19:00.004-05:00

From Blogger Pictures

We'll see what happens, buuut...

I'm on Etsy now! Check it out and let me know what you think. Too pricey? Not good enough? Just right?

What else can I sell? I want to go to France this year!

Puppy Progression

2008-12-01T20:45:00.003-05:00

I've been meaning to post these images of the painting I did of Xavier's best friend, Arthur. Here they are!

From Arthur painting

I decided against painting the letter "A" on it - it looked fine without.

I was happy at how this turned out, and thrilled that Xavier liked it too. Maybe I should do pet portraits instead of people.

30

2008-10-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

From Open House 2008

Today is Eric's birthday. I feel like it was yesterday that I painted this picture, but the reality is that almost eight years have passed. It reminds me constantly of why I cherish him - he waits for me to finish some project (like, say, a senior show) and dutifully acts as a model, a gopher, and a confidant. He is patient and regards me with such esteem. Here, he looks at me - can he tell that it is I who is doing the admiring?

I love this man, and I am so glad his parents chose to have him 30 years ago.

Portrait Inspiration

2008-08-11T10:17:00.002-04:00

The following is something my mom sent me. I love it! So many inspiring portraits.

Recent Work - just kidding!

2008-07-14T14:40:00.003-04:00

While my hallway is still in the "Work in Progress" stage, I enjoyed this mural at the DuPont Mansion Bed and Breakfast on Fourth Street, near Central Park. I attended an appreciation party for volunteers of the Old Louisville Garden Tour. I was unable to make it to all the gardens, but I so enjoyed greeting people at Garden 8 on Fountain Court. I am going to do it again next year! I met so many wonderful neighbors. I love living in Old Louisville - have I mentioned that?

Some shots from 410 Fountain Court:

What I've Been Up To

2008-07-01T15:36:00.004-04:00

Have I mentioned how much I love summer? My ten-page to-do list probably consolidates down to only about three pages now. I have time to pursue so many different ideas, chasing them like Alice chasing the White Rabbit. Hopefully, I'll have a colorful array of completed projects in my pocket before the fairy tale ends. So, here are a few of the characters in this summertime story:

Our Hallway

My wonderful mother-in-law, Kathleen, and I are experimenting with Pompeii-inspired murals in our hallway. It is coming together nicely. It will be so different, but I love this style, the colors, and a vision of what it will look like is slowly revealing itself. Which brings me to...

Louisville Faux website
Do you love the look of Venetian plaster? Do you have a ceiling or accent wall that you want to stand out? Look no further than Louisville Faux for samples and ideas for your next redecorating project. :) (We're only a day old, so check back often for updates!)

Louisville Love

With all the love for Louisville I've seen, I want to exploit it as much as possible. :) I do love this city, especially living downtown. I want to my fondness with other "lovers" through the pictures I've taken. Here's a mock-up of what I have in mind. I'm experimenting with details, like whether or not to "seal" the bottom, to write "Louisville" on it, etc. Another idea, for notecards:

The seals are made from hot glue gun glue. I tried many, many ideas that incorporated reusing stuff I had (crayons, candle wax, etc.), but this seems to be the most consistent.

Organization

I don't know about you, but I hate looking for things. I want to be able to have the super power of knowing where any one thing is at any one time. It helps to have purged so much stuff over the years. I finally feel like I have just the right amount of things; enough to make me able to do certain projects, but not too much to be unusable or unmanageable. I've organized all the closets, the pantry, and now my art/craft supplies.

I've managed to also spend some time in the garden and trying out a few other crafty projects, not to mention catching up on reading, visiting with friends and family, being outside, painting portraits, and researching all sorts of ideas.

Next up:
> figure out Etsy and CafePress
> delve into more portraits and painting
> test the vast waters of sewing and upholstery (!)
> try more new recipes
> make more areas of our life more sustainable - rain barrels, anyone?
> ride bikes further and more frequently to prep for a long anniversary trip in late August (any thoughts on destinations within about 30-45 miles of downtown Louisville?)

What have you been up to this summer, or what future plans are you anticipating?

Painting and Other Things

2008-06-12T22:55:00.004-04:00

While I was hard at work on a portrait, my cat, Melville, was toiling away at this lovely little composition. Why is it that cats always seem to sleep on something that color-coordinates with their fur?

I did paint today! I'll post pictures soon, after I get approval from my client. Here's some evidence, though:

I also have been doing calligraphy for a friend's wedding invitations:

All in all, a good summer so far! What have you been doing?

Hooray!

2008-01-27T22:57:00.000-05:00

We have been searching for a table for our kitchen for the last few years, and today we find it. It was sitting there so unassuming at Target. I would've loved to have bought something used or at least built in the U.S., but it was there and it fits so perfectly. we may have to stain it black to match the cabinets. We've had two meals on it already!

This weekend has been so perfect. I tried out my oil pastels (I'll need to keep trying; I'm not crazy about them), and I started seven different paintings. Six of them are portraits, and the last is based on the picture posted below. Here's that work in progress...

I also searched through all my digital pictures to find some artistic ones that I can use as practice. I ended up printing 115. We'll see what happens!

Trumpeting

2008-01-01T22:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a recent painting I've done, again donated. I've still got a half-dozen of donated portraits in the queue, but I'm feeling energized and inspired in this new year. I've uploaded some shots documenting the process as well, though the underpainting is a little pathetic. More to come....

Feelin' Set-sy

2007-06-06T22:49:00.000-04:00

I've recently been commissioned to touch up the sets for [BIG] Photo, one of the premier photography studios in Louisville. Here is a link to some of the finished products; I hope to post some samples of their professional-quality photos later on in the summer.

Portrait Samples

2007-05-31T10:58:00.000-04:00

I have posted some portrait samples on my Picasa Public Library. My main references (much to the chagrin of my painting professor) are photographs, as you can see. Check them out and let me know what you think.

Work in Progress

2007-05-30T22:16:00.000-04:00

This is a portrait I donated to my nieces' and nephews' school. It is really the first major work I've done since graduating from Centre College 5 years ago. I feel like it's taking me so much longer - it's true what they say about practicing. If you don't, you lose it.