Gratitude...

It is not every week you get to paint two marvelous world famous talents from life. This week I painted Kevin Costner who needs no introduction and soprano singer Nicole Cabell who The London Times described as having a voice like liquid gold.

Both stars graciously were sitting for my FACE of VENTURA project which will be at The Ventura County Museum August 26th.

Both were sittings completed in under two hours on location which is never without challenges away from the comfort of your own studio and props.. Both talents inspired me and make me appreciate so much what I do and the gifts my mentor Everett Raymond Kinstler has taught me. And yes, Kevin Costner really is as handsome in person - not to mention very pleasant along with his lovely family and wife Christine.

Thank you to all three. I am full of gratitude.

Look for Kevin Costner's new production:

http://www.history.com/shows/hatfields-and-mccoys

Look for Ms. Cabell's appearances around the world

http://nicole-cabell.com/

Look at Mr. Kinstler's site.

http://www.everettraymondkinstler.com/

How to paint glass...what was I thinking...?

How to paint glass? Well, I don't know. But this is what I am thinking as I finish up this still life in my studio today:

SQUINT...get wrinkles while you paint to simplify the shapes

DRAWING...watch those perspective lines. Hmmmm.

VALUES...this is a painting close in values which is harder for the light effect. May need to push those cast shadows more.

EDGES. Do lost and found. Do soft and hard.

BALANCE Do rough paint. Do smooth paint.

Hang on to some of the original panel ground at all costs. (See light part of orange bottle.)

Spray some Chanel in studio to clear the air.

"STILL THE FAVORITE"

10 x 10

oil on panel

$500

Shipping $10

SOLD

Taking the time...365 Days of Drawing

With just over two months to go of this daily 2010 drawing challenge, unbroken so far, I decided that I need to push myself even more to learn and stay interested.

This challenge was always for me about improving my drawing skill set, taking it to the next level. Nothing more, nothing less. It has been VERY beneficial to do a different drawing EVERY day facing different uses of line. My skill set has definitely improved from the range of daily subject matter.

Now I feel the need -and interest- to take more time on some of the drawings and record the stages. To really work on the 'finish' when the mood suits me, perhaps over a couple of days as in the case of this drawing and the last one of the child I posted.

The challenge was to commit to drawing for half an hour every single day. It was not to churn out new ones every day as I have been doing for many months.

To this end, I post this drawing today, life-size, which I finished this afternoon. I started it Friday night, did about an hour and a half Saturday and another today. I started with a simple line drawing, then doing everything I could to break down the line, thinking mass, good shapes of light and shadow around values, making the half-tone value lighter than it appears (thanks Morgan!) and lastly edges. Lost and found. Hard and soft. Yin and Yang.

Sometimes the drawing looks better to me in the early stages!

Rough...365 Days of Drawing

This weekend's drawings whilst on a brief trip to San Francisco...nothing fancy...time was short. Just meeting the challenge of doing a daily hand-to-eye drawing repetition for a one-off, never to be repeated, 365 day experience.

The last pic shows the wear and tear of a late night then meeting the necessity of getting a drawing done really early in the morning to meet the challenge before the long drive home. Motel coffee in hand for fuel.

I look rough - and it was. You don't realize how many days there are in a year until you do something every single day even when you really don't want to.

Thanks to Zorn. That book has helped me through a few rough spots in this challenge.

365 Days of Drawing Challenge - 348 to go...

It is feeling like a marathon with the end very far off. This drawing took me way too long.

Last night's drawing "Red Sash". I think all those Emmy dresses got to me. All drawings for sale.

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