Painting with a Palette Knife

I just got back from a 4-day stay in Honolulu which included a 3-hour art class with Ed Furuike on oil painting with a palette knife.  I had so much fun in his class, despite the fact that it was my first time to paint exclusively with a palette knife.  I was doubtful I would finish the painting in time but I managed and had fun doing it.  Ed provided the canvas, all the paints, paper palette, etc. and will mail my finished painting to me when it dries completely.  I really enjoyed the class and meeting his students who welcomed me so warmly.  I look forward to putting what I've learned in 3 hours into practice.  We'll see what happens.

I'M BACK!!!

Well, I got my groove back! Two weekends ago, I took an old self-portrait (12" x 12") which I never could finish and reworked it. It came out quite differently - no longer a self-portrait but a more interesting piece. It is more relaxed and free than my usual style. I can't wait for it to dry so I can take a photo and post it.
Last weekend, I painted over an old still-life (9" x 12") and started another painting based on a photo I took in India a few months ago. I put it aside to dry, took another old painting and covered it with grayish-white paint to get it ready for a landscape. Quite a productive weekend, I must say! 

QUIT PAINTING? NO WAY!

In March, I picked up my brushes and painted again after a 6-month rest.  But after working on "The Red Boat", I had to put my painting stuff away because of family visits, a beach vacation, and house guests. 

I'm sort of back to my old routine now but I still have to sit down and paint or draw.  My husband says "my fire has died down".  I would hate to think so.  Perhaps, it is just on "low".  There is just no way I would quit painting.  My studio is getting crowded with art work.  I'm just waiting to sell a few pieces to make space for new ones.    

Nude of the Day, June 1, 2011 at Barebrush Gallery

The above drawing, Despair, was curated as Nude of the Day for June 1, 2011 at Barebrush by Mr. James Patrick Reid, artist and art lecturer.  It was previously chosen as Nude of the Day for July 30, 2010. For the first time, Despair was also selected as one of the five curators' choice for June 2011.

From the write-up about the NOTM for June 2011 (http://barebrush.com/mybarebrush/Previews/NOTM.php), I quote:
About Despair, Mr. Reid thought for a while, composing this thoughts and then said:

"The gesture of the figure is powerfully felt in the foreshortened space she occupies relative to the placement of the dark vertical and the shaded plane of the table. Also, there is a great rhythm connecting the clockwise movement of her arms with the ovoid form of the cushion and her breasts and thighs. This works in two and three dimensions simultaneously. The cloth hanging at the top of it forms the necessary contrast to the clockwise rotation of her upper body and the counter-clockwise thrust of her knees....[some hesitation] The more I look at it, the more I could talk about it."

Needless to say, I am deeply honored.  Thank you, Mr. Reid.

Nude of the Day, May 6, 2011 at Barebrush Gallery

My painting, Self-Reflection, was juried in as Nude of the Day for May 6 at Barebrush Gallery.  The guest curator is Margot Luftig of Salmagundi Club.  Voting for Nude of the Month is ongoing and will close soon.  To vote, here is the link:

http://barebrush.com/NOTM/Archives/NOTM2011_05.php

PAINTING AGAIN!

A few days ago, I took my paints and brushes out of hiding after taking a break for about six months.  It feels good to paint again.  What I have created is nice and pleasant but lacks something.  I may work on it some more or put it away and start on a new piece.  I am still waiting for my creative bulb to light up.  When inspiration strikes, it is a feeling like no other. 

FACES AND PLACES

I've just returned from a lovely trip to Manila to visit family for three weeks, and a memorable tour of Kathmandu and India (Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur, New Delhi) for almost two weeks, including a 3-day visit with our friend, Aman, in Delhi.  So much culture to appreciate and absorb, not to mention all the shopping I "allowed" myself to do.

The crowded streets were a stage for the daily routine of people, their motor bikes, elephants, camels, cows, dogs, goats, tuk-tuks, bicycles, etc.  It felt like being in the midst of a huge celebration.  But what fascinated me most were the mixture of different faces and colorful costumes around me.  What a treat!

NUDE OF THE DAY, MARCH 19, 2011

The attached painting, Angst, is Nude of the day for March 19, 2011 at Barebrush Gallery.  Guest curator is David Masello, art writer and editor.
This is my 4th painting juried in for their monthly calendar.  You can vote for your favorite nude at the following link:
http://www.barebrush.com/NOTM/Archives/NOTM2011_03.php

Just click opposite the date of your favorite nude and click on "vote".

INSPIRATION

I haven't painted for almost 6 months now (except to spruce up some old paintings in Manila).  My husband says I have lost my "fire" for art.  Not true, I said.  I am just taking a break until "inspiration" talks to me.  It is that fleeting moment when one is inexplicably drawn to create.  I feel it coming!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Today was the last day of the exhibit "My N*de Valentine" at the Rogue Space in Chelsea (526 West 26th Street, 9th Fl, New York, NY 10001).  I hope you had a chance to check it out!

THE CORE OF MY ART

I always hope that my latest painting is an improvement over the last but it doesn't always work that way.  Sometimes, it is a step or two back; sometimes it is a downright failure.  But I always paint what strikes my fancy or tugs at my heart.  And that is the core of my art.

BAREBRUSH GALLERY

Nude in Repose

Despair

Blue Mood

I have been pretty lucky this year at Barebrush Gallery (http://barebrush.com/index.php). For its juried monthly calendar competitions, my watercolor piece Blue Mood was selected for May 4, 2010; my charcoal drawing Despair for July 30, 2010; and another charcoal drawing Nude in Repose for January 28, 2011.

Despair and Blue Mood will be shown at Rogue Space Gallery in Chelsea (526 West 26th Street, 9th Fl, New York, NY 10001) from Feb 10 to 13, 2011.  Opening reception is Feb 10, from 6 - 9 pm.  If you happen to be in NYC then, please check it out!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Well, I wish everyone Happy Holidays!  I hope the New Year brings you good health, good fortune, and good cheer!
 

DISTRACTED!

I haven't been able to paint for quite sometime now. I spent almost two weeks in Pittsburgh to be with my niece, Sheila, who underwent a double hand transplant surgery last September 18 (awesome!) at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She is doing well right now but will be in hospital for the next three months or so. I will go back to see her the last week of October. My art is shelved for now but it doesn't mean I don't think about it.

WHAT TO PAINT?

How do I decide what to paint? Most of the time, an image from nature, a picture in a magazine, or a face in the crowd will inspire me to paint. The selling point of the resulting piece does not enter my mind at all.  What matters most to me is that I have created something from the heart.
I also keep challenging myself by painting subjects I haven't covered before. My range is such that my body of work seems like a group exhibition rather than a solo. 

VALIDATION?

An artist needs some kind of validation about her or his art - whether it be an acceptance in a juried exhibition, a sale, a positive critique or even a constructive one.  I liken it to watering a plant for sustenance.  So when several rejections come my way, I wilt until I "self-medicate" or the next feeding comes.  I sometimes threaten to give up painting but I love it too much to do so. 

FRUSTRATIONS, FRUSTRATIONS, FRUSTRATIONS!

I was not born to be a salesperson!  I can't sell anything or sweet talk anyone into buying anything.  It is amazing I have been able to sell some of my work.  I freeze when I hear people discussing my art, say in a gallery opening.  I'm too embarrassed to listen to their "private conversation" so I walk away.  Rather than introducing myself to them, I shy away because I don't want to appear trying to sell them my "wares".
I have read many books and articles coaching artists how to sell and market their art.  I know what I should do but don't.  I cringe when I see other artists doing it but I know it works for them.  So, what am I to do?  

ART BLOG RESURRECTED!!!

I have decided to resurrect my art blog.  Instead of featuring my art work which you can find in my art website (http://paintingsbycynthia.com/), I will talk more about my joys, trials and tribulations as an artist.

When my two beloved piano teachers passed away, I shelved my piano books and turned to art.  I was always interested in drawing as a child but took my very first art class in October 1993.  I fell in love with painting and knew there was no turning back.  Even at that stage when I was learning the basics, I was transported into a different world.  It changed the way I looked at nature, faces, objects, and everything around me.  The world became more interesting.

FLOATING LEAVES, Oil on Canvas, 16" x 12"

DUNE SHADOWS, Oil on Canvas, 18" x 24"