Progression

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?

Light and Motion

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

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

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

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.

Rocco

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?

Biking the Bluegrass

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

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

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.

Man in Nature

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.