Christmas Tree at Macy's

Somehow November and half of December has passed.... Life is moving too quickly! Our Monday Sketch group had one last outing for 2012, meeting at the Walnut Room for lunch and sketching the second week of November. We had a lovely time, a nice lunch with friends and time to work, inside! Our waitress was quite interested in our work. So now we are on break until mid January, which will be here soon enough!

Last Project for HATCH

I have spent much of the last two weeks working on these small images. Each of the artists in the about to end 2012 HATCH Project at the CAC are creating an edition of small 2D or 3D pieces. In December we will meet as a group for the last official time for a potluck dinner and to exchange work with one another. We are to create an edition of 20, all of which are to fit inside a cardboard box we have been given. There will be a few extras in each edition which will go to the CAC for a future fundraising event. These are 4 of the 20 small abstracts I have been working on. I have enjoyed working on these smaller pieces and think I may do some more!

Outside at Navy Pier

This was our third visit to sketch at Navy Pier and we were determined to work outside this time. Our first two visits the weather forced us inside. So despite a very brisk southerly wind and temps in the low 60's, we found some tables and chairs in the sun, zipped up jackets and pulled up hoods and set to work. I decided to look back at the city and get some of the skyline with the pier. It had to be quick, the chill eventually got to us but our mission was accomplished!

Tipsy in Old Town

Last Monday was our day to go sketching. We met in front on Nookie's restaurant on Wells St. and then spread out from there to find our subject matter. This is the second sketch from that day, I did the pencil drawing on location and then finished it at home with some ink and color. Someone or something must have hit the back lamp post and left it askew. Only a few more outings left before we take a break for the weather and the Holidays.

Layers, Paths, and Channels Exhibit

Our small group show opened September 14 at the Chicago Artists Coalition Gallery. We had a well attended opening and I appreciate all that made the effort to attend. Our curator, Anna Kunz, did a wonderful job putting this show together. It is an interesting mix of both 2D and 3D work filled with vibrant colors and intriguing shapes. The show is open thru October 2, including this Saturday from 12-6 pm.

Install

Last weekend was very busy, between several social events, I installed my part of the next exhibit at the Chicago Artists Coalition Gallery. Opening today from 6-9 pm, Layers, Paths, and Channels is work by 5 of the Hatch Project artists and combines both 2D and 3D work into a dynamic and colorful exhibit. I am showing 51 small watercolors, all done in the past 4 months. The exhibit runs thru October 2 and on Sunday September 23, we will be doing demos at the gallery, mine is scheduled for 12-1 pm that day.

Keep Off Rocks

Beautiful weather returned today after yesterday's torrential rains and it was our Monday to meet for outdoor sketching. This afternoon 6 of us met at Olive Park, not far from Navy Pier. During past visits to this location, I have positioned myself to paint the skyline but today we walked to the northern edge and sat in the shade and worked on the view on the lake. I chose an angle that gave me a view of the border wall and rocks in front of the lake. I need to get out a bit of white to put in a few of the distant sail boats.

Bright Colors on a Cloudy Day

I have spent a great deal of time in the studio the last two weeks trying to complete work for the small group show coming up in September at the CAC gallery. This show is being curated by Anna Kunz and includes the works of five of us from the current group of Hatch Project Artists. "Layers, Channels and Paths" will open on Friday, September 14. We will also have an afternoon event on September 23 when each of us will do a demo at the gallery. Pictured here is one of the many new pieces I have been working on for this exhibit.

Colorful Pads

Having a relaxing day by the pool has allowed me some time to finish a few sketches that had not gotten done while on location. This one, Colorful Pads, was the second painting from our trip to the Caldwell Lily Pool in Lincoln Park on June 25. I was just having fun painting various sized pads any color except green. Today I added the green water and some details on a few of the pads. It's nice to have a break to catch up a bit. I am still very busy in the studio preparing new work for my upcoming group show in September. That will open on September 14 at the CAC, more details to come.

Painting At Seneca Park

Last Monday we had a lovely break from all the hot weather and luckily it was also the day scheduled for our Monday Sketch Group outing. We met at Seneca Park, which is the small park across the street from the MCA and behind the old water pumping station on Michigan Ave. Lots of shade and benches provided plenty of choices for painting. This is a detail of the two page watercolor sketch I did. I started with the dark blue tree trunks and built from there, trying to get a variety in my greens was the challenge!

Partial View - Recent Work

Here is a section of another recent painting. I am still experimenting with processes and the combinations of processes. This section includes some pours, some use of masking fluid, brush painting and layering. Some of the effects I am getting are very interesting and suggest new directions.

Monday Sketch Group

A perfect day, cool, breezy and sunny, for our Sketch Group to meet and work at the Caldwell Lily Pool at the north end of Lincoln Park Zoo. This is the first of 2 watercolor sketches that I worked on today. The other is not completed yet so I will post it later. There were lots of lilies showing off today, guess they liked the weather too!

Experiments Continue

Here is another of the experiments from the studio. I have combined pouring paint thru various papers, stencils, actual brush work and mono printing techniques. One seems to be leading to another and I now have close to 20 completed and I am moving on to try some larger works now as well. These works will be the basis for my part of the small group show coming up in September at the CAC Gallery. More info on that later.

Monday Sketch Group at the Zoo

Yesterday was warm and breezy and the rain never came, so it was a good day for the zoo. I had to find a spot in the shade where I could still see the flamingos, so I was not as close as I would have liked but I still enjoyed trying to capture their poses. I hope to return on a cooler day when I can tolerate being in the sun, closer to them.

A Visit To See Roy Lichenstein Exhibit

Last week I had the chance to visit the Art Institute with my friend Marilynn and we were able to take our time walking thru the Lichenstein exhibit. There were 160 works in the show and the majority of them I had never seen. I have always been aware of his importance as a reflection of our popular culture, but the exhibit showed be a depth to his work that I had never understood. I especially enjoyed his Perfect/Imperfect Paintings series and the interiors of the artist's studio. This is definitely an exhibit worth visiting.

Something A Little Different

So experimenting has lead to more experimenting and now I seem to have something a little different going on here. I have been working with a combination of techniques: monoprinting, pouring paint on and thru papers, transferring, and actual painting with the brush. Pictured here is one of the more interesting/successful pieces. It is fun to see what results from each successive application of color. There are at least a dozen small paintings scattered around the studio all in various stages. Hopefully they will continue to develop into completed works.

Monday Sketch Group

Yesterday we went to the Palmer House to sketch in the lobby. I had not been in there for quit some time and had forgotten how ornate the decor was. There was so much to look at it became difficult to chose what to paint but when I saw the lovely floral arrangements, I knew what I was going to do! Because of Memorial Day, our next outing will be in June to the Lincoln Park Zoo.

And Another Detail...

Here is another bit of the same painting I featured earlier, the Full Harvest Moon painting. I am actually done with this one and have started experimenting with a series of smaller, non-objective works using a variety of techniques including mono printing, pouring color and stenciling. Hope to have something worth showing soon.

Last Saturday was the opening reception of the 2012 IWS National Exhibition in Dixon, IL. It is a wonderful show filled with works by incredibly talented artists. Our juror, Donna Jill Witty, did an impressive demo for a very attentive crowd. If you find yourself out near Dixon between now and June 1, stop at The Next Picture Show Gallery to check it out!

A Certain Slant

This is a small watercolor I did last week, working on a series of smaller paintings helps lead me to bigger ideas. After several failed starts, I have some promising beginnings going right now. The studio floor is littered with work in varying stages of layering, drying and contemplating, will have to see what emerges.

Full Harvest Moon

This is a detail from a recent painting that is currently hanging in my studio while I decide if it is finished or not. I have included full moons in many paintings, but this Harvest Moon has a barn in a moon play on the man on the moon theme. Or has the moon harvested this farm? I am not sure I know the answer to that question yet!

An Unexpected Pleasure

Monday morning bought an unexpected pleasure my way, an impromptu mini Sketch Group meeting at the Art Institute. An opportunity to meet with a writer interested in learning more about our little group gave me a chance to get out and talk about what we do and then sketch for an hour before moving on with the rest of my day. I added a little color after returning home. What a great start to the week!

Experimenting

I read an article recently in Watercolor Artist Magazine about covering failed watercolors on paper with a mix of gesso, matte medium and water. This gives a new, textured surface that allows some of the previous design to show through. Having several discarded paintings on hand, I decided to try it. The effects are very different, paint sits on top and color can be lifted easily. I saved a few elements from the first painting but most of the shapes emerging now are new. This is definitely a learning experience!

Bubble Up!

This is a detail from a nearly done painting. I had started it some time ago but had to put it aside while I finished the work for my recent exhibit at the CAC. Now I am trying to get it done along with a few other pieces. I also have some new work just getting underway but not quite ready for sharing!

Bits and Pieces

Trying to get back to work after the creative push to do the two person show has been a challenge. Pushing thru so much new work in five weeks proved to be a real creative drain! Also trying to choose the next direction to take with new work, so I am dealing with bits and pieces of smaller works, paper prep and palette cleaning and will see where it takes me.

Show Closes

All the children returned home this morning as we deinstalled the exhibit at the CAC Gallery. It was a great experience and I hope to find other spaces to show some of this work soon. And I am inspired to move forward with interesting new work! Thanks again to all that visited the exhibit.

Paintings From Exhibit

I spent some time today at the gallery documenting and journaling some thoughts about the show and my work. Exhibit is up for two more days and has to come down by late morning Wednesday. Looking at it all for a while helped me to gain some insight and perspective on my work, especially after receiving input from others. This will help me as I move on with new work in the next few months. These two paintings, Sky Squared and Purple Haze, are two of the most recently completed works in the show.

A Visit to the Gallery

I had the pleasure of taking fellow painter and friend, Marilynn Derwenskus to see my work at the CAC Gallery today. She enjoyed her first visit to this wonderful exhibit space and seeing all the work in the current shows. It was very nice to have the chance to discuss my works with her and it gave me many new ideas to consider with my next paintings. The exhibit is up thru March 6.

Exhibit Poster

This is the poster for the two person exhibit I am currently a part of at the Chicago Artist's Coalition. As a member of the Hatch Project at the CAC I have the opportunity to exhibit in the large space along with fellow Hatch member Dan Giordan. Fifteen of my watercolors are on display thru March 6. The gallery is located at 217 N. Carpenter in the west loop.