Catching Up


Catching Up


"Firefly Path"       8x10"        oil     (sold)

        I missed this summer's post and it would be great if I had a decent excuse like a catastrophic flood wiping out the studio or random alien attack dismantling my computer or something cool like that.  Bottom line is, I just skipped it. So, to tell about what went down this summer I will make a super long post this time: 
 - The Summer Show at Patricia Hutton Galleries was well received and congratulations to all the artists whose work found homes. I do want to say thank you to Patricia for all her efforts in creating these beautiful events in Doylestown, PA!  Patricia Hutton Galleries
 - The result of this year's open studio on Monhegan Island is: Best. Open. Studio. Ever!!!!  It's a great feeling to have paintings chosen by collectors but an even better feeling to meet the people who are taking them home and knowing they are well cared for. And, well, it's a fantastic feeling to take the cash from those paintings and go buy more supplies to make more paintings (which is how it's supposed to work). So, I sincerely thank all the visitors and collectors that I met this past summer for connecting with my work and the support for my efforts. Each year I like this event a bit more but this time, somehow, it all came together with the great visitors, fun camaraderie of other artists on the island and of course, the spirit of the island. My love for Monhegan and enjoyment I feel while painting there deepens with each visit.

         So, what's up now, Kate? you ask. Well, the studio is moving on to new things which include being an invited speaker at Delaware Valley College on October 16. In addition to giving a demo, I will be talking about my work and why I choose to work in the multiple mediums of oil, watercolor and charcoal rather than just one.  
I am also going to be part of the annual group show Historic Yellow Springs Poster Competition and Group Exhibition. This show will have two of my pieces and will be from December 5 to December 14th. Opening reception is on December 5.  Historic Yellow Springs
Lastly, I will be part of the annual Winter Show at Patricia Hutton Galleries in Doylestown, PA. More info on this show will be posted on my website.

           I wanted to post another progress series to show the progression of a painting. I have been working on still life since Monhegan as a change of pace from landscape. My method of work in the studio is very different than when I paint on location. My plein air tend to be a bit looser and in the studio I have the luxury of a controlled space where I can really drill things down.  A bunch of bottles have been chosen this time punctuated with a small nest and shells (I guess it's a continuation of exploring a "life/possibilities contained within" subject that keeps popping up. But that's another post).
            I start with a pretty detailed but clean line drawing done from life: 

Cartoon drawing for "Collection"    graphite

              I transfer that image to a panel with graphite paper. The panel is toned using a thin mix of burnt sienna, ultramarine blue and yellow ochre to get a nice even neutral. I use an extremely light touch with the pencil since I know that graphite can later strike through the layers of paint. And that would pretty much just ruin my day. I then go in with the same neutral mix to create the first stage of the underpainting:      
                  
Value block in (beginning of first pass)
Value block in (continuing first pass) the first shot was fuzzy so I took another later in the first pass.

                 I am constantly stepping back to keep values controlled and comparing things but not get into being too detailed at this point.  I then move into introducing color in thin layers. The biggest difference between my indoor studio approach and outdoor work is the use of many layers in the studio work. Which, if I think about it, is the opposite of how I wear clothes. Anyway, I move out of the underpainting stage and into color with thicker layers of paint with more detail in the nest, bottle reflections and the addition of the shadow:

Color lay in (second pass)

                 At about this stage, I start oiling out after it dries with a mix of linseed oil and odorless mineral spirits very thinly on the area I am working on to keep the colors matched to the surrounding area that is being worked on. This also helps the new layer adhere to the previous layer. I am still applying paint thinly and beginning to blend with sables and mongoose brushes. 
                 Since I missed my summer post I will make up for it with a double post this season. The finished piece will be posted with the final stages leading and any adjustments as well primarily in the nest and shells in the jar. The total time on this piece has been just under a week and a half, so far. (That works out to about 7 months in hamster years)
                 In the meantime, I will leave you with a color test that has been floating around the internet forever and is supposed to rate your ability to distinguish color. However, I suspect it was created just to torment artists and make them feel even more tortured and inadequate than they feel when left to themselves. Then they launch into explaining that their computer monitors aren't calibrated and it was dark in their room and they had allergies and couldn't see well. Calm down, it's just for fun and not to be taken too seriously. Although,.... I scored a 4.  
http://www.xrite.com/online-color-test-challenge





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