Canyonlands WIP2

Canyonlands, Utah WIP

I am still working on this painting, but I'm not happy with some of the shadows.  I did not have any time to paint last week. I've had two presentations to prepare, one for high school students and one for adults.  Since my desktop computer is not working right, I had to work on my laptop, but I finally got them done.

The presentation to the high school students was titled "My journey to creativity" and was about both poetry, art and making good decisions even from negative events in life.  I read some poems and we talked about them. I also brought in some small paintings for them to discuss.  The hour went by very quickly.

I received this lovely thank you from the dean, Michelle Lamontagne Strout, of the Liberty Harbor Academy:

"Linda, you are an inspiration! Thank you so much for taking the time to share pieces of your "soul" with the students at Liberty Harbor Academy! We truly enjoyed your poetry and paintings. You are the perfect person to speak to young people about channeling energy in creative ways. You walk the walk, Linda!"

In addition my art group (Friends of Art Manchester) is hanging an exhibit in the City Hall Gallery on Elm Street for May and June.  I framed and wired four 16 X 20 paintings and 1 pen and ink sketch as my selection.  Next week I have some smaller paintings going up in the Bedford Library (Bedford, NH) as part of the Manchester Artist Association exhibit on the lower level.  

I was a bit grouchy today doing all our chores and errands. My hubby said I had "painting withdrawal" and he was right!  I worked on the painting above a little more this afternoon and now I feel fine.  We did a craft fair this past weekend and I was disappointed. It takes a lot of time to pack up, drive there, set up, then repeat and go home.  I'm glad he sold so many of his books, but was disappointed in my own sales.  

Now that all these projects are winding down, I hope to have more time to paint, perhaps write a little more and I'm still thinking about taking my poetry books (which are out of print now) and turning them into ebooks.  Hopefully, I will figure that out soon.

Canyonlands-WIP

Making progress with my larger (16" X 20") acrylic painting of the Canyonlands (Utah). Hope to work on it some more this weekend. (Photos are in reverse order, most recent one on top.)

I used an undercolor wash of neutral gray on the canvas. Then I just tried to get the shapes in the right places.  I made an 8" X 10" print and did a grid on it so I could get shapes in approximately the right places and proportions.  I didn't feel the need to be too exact since this is just my impression of the scene.

As I work toward finishing it, I am concerned both with color and value. The midground needs to be a bit faded (lighter) so you get the sense of distance (atmospheric perspective). Utah has really magnificent vistas in its national parks, so I hope to get a sense of that too.

More studies

This is on my easel today, a value study (sketch) and a color study (5" X 7" acrylic panel) for a larger painting.  I took many photos when I was at Canyonlands National Park last fall.  Then I had to decide which one would make a good painting.  I played around with several of them and cropped them in various formats (vertical/horizontal).  I decided to make a small study first before I tackle a larger canvas.

Spring is slowly getting here to New Hampshire.  I saw my first spring flower yesterday when I was out walking, a snowdrop.  The snow is gradually melting as the temperature warms up a little.  I'm looking forward to doing some outdoor work on our yard this weekend.

I think this is the final version of the last painting I posted.  I always let my paintings dry for a while before I varnish them in case I decide they need a little more of something.  It's hard to decide when a painting is actually finished, but other artists tell me the same thing.

Meanwhile, I'm making some miniatures for a craft show we are doing later this month.  I'll have my cards, prints and some small paintings with me.  The Home, Recreation & Food Festival is sponsored by the Alton Centennial Rotary Club.  Saturday, April 26, 2014. 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. Prospect Mountain High School, Alton, NH. (off Rt. 28, 1 mile south of the Alton Traffic Circle). My husband will have his books for sale and we will be sharing a table.  Please introduce yourself if you come.  It's a great show in a beautiful part of the state.

I'm also happy to report that the "Matzah Factory" painting I posted a little while ago has a buyer. I'll be framing that over the weekend.  Passover starts at sundown on April 14th, so the painting will be at its new home in time.