Paper and Threads

We are enjoying our visit to Martha's Vineyard with some of our oldest friends.  I have to fit in sketchbook pages whenever I can, and I'm now taking photos and painting from them later in the day.  This is a beautiful stained glass window hanging that I look at each time I sit down in their home.  Painted from observation as I sat and  talked.

We are staying "up island," near the Wampanoag Indian Reservation.  I saw this image on a tribe seal on the reservation truck, and learned the legend of the giant Moshup who caught whales in the ocean with his bare hands.  He swung the whale into the cliffs to kill it to eat, which made the Gayhead Cliffs red.

Boats waiting on the shore at Red Beach, Menemsha Pond.

Two children in the surf, from an illustration.  The waters are still cold, and we never see anyone in the ocean on our morning walks.  This was done as a direct painting, but in my summer vacation sketchbook.  It gets confusing!

I am doing "direct paintings" for the 30 X 30 challenge in a different sketchbook, and will post them when we return home. 

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After our beach vacation on Long Island, we are returning to Martha's Vineyard to vacation on another beach. Retirement is wonderful and the settings couldn't be more different.  To record the move from the Hamptons to the Vineyard, two of my 30 X 30 paintings (direct painting/no lines) done while in NYC from my photos were of the lighthouses in both places.  The Montauk lighthouse was painted, after I painted the sky as a negative space. Fun, and the type of challenge I needed. 

The house we will be in for a week, a direct painting from one of my photographs. Blog image  photographed, not scanned.

The beach at Acquinnah in Martha's Vineyard is rocky, with big rocks in the surf, and smaller ones on the beach.  Near the cliffs at Gayhead there are several huge rocks in the ocean that are always covered with cormorants.  This is a sketchbook page of mine from a previous visit, but many were on the rock again yesterday on our beach walk.

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I am faithfully doing the 30 X 30 Urban Sketchers challenge this month and just passed the halfway mark. The challenge is to do "direct painting" using only paint and brush every day in June.  I made a 16 page watercolor journal for the challenge from Teesha Moore's Tutorial on YouTube.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z6qmXGRrsE 

I usually do quick pencil drawings from observation, and paint my inked drawing on location or take a photo to paint at home (when in museums, galleries, or when there is no time).  I see everything as a series of lines. Seeing only shapes is totally different and I'm so happy that I'm gaining this experience.   I will have to develop these skills more after the month is over.  But it is a start.

June 10 and 11:  I like drawing and painting bottles, like Morandi, but not forever as he did.  These were painted as shapes from photographs.

June 12 and 13:  Two figures painted as shapes, from photographs.  The lines on the far right are bookbinding thread from the pamphlet watercolor paper booklet I made for the challenge.

June 14, 15, and 16:  Leaves and a Lily from photos I took at the Jefferson Market Garden, and Belvedere Castle from my stash of reference photos I took over the years in Central Park.

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I love to draw figures, and gravitate to drawings and paintings of Masters to practice my skills when I'm at museum and gallery exhibits.  I saw a huge sumi ink and collage painting on paper by Kara Walker at MoMA this week.  It measured approximately 12 X 18 feet in size, and contained 80 heads and figures.  It is called Christ's Entry into Journalism (2017), and was inspired by slavery and misogyny, chronicling American racial history.  I sketched her Confederate soldier.  Exhibit ends June 22nd.

There is a new, exhausting exhibit of Giacometti's sculptures and paintings at the Guggenheim Museum NYC.  Unlike a previous sculpture exhibit by David Smith at the Guggenheim, and Picasso at MoMA, there is enormous repetition of similar pieces in this exhibit.  But I like Giacometti's art and specifically liked this table top sculpture of 3 figures.  I would find a place for it if someone wanted to give it to us!

Line of Action Drawings:  I watched a free Craftsy Class by Suhita Shirodkar called "Figure Drawing Made Simple" last Labor Day, and started to draw figures on 1/4th sheets of used copy paper to practice the technique.  It has now become a habit for me  to draw figures from magazines/catalogues after breakfast each morning.   I did them with my non-dominant hand while my cast was on - and now continue.  The following drawings were done after my cast was removed, with my dominant drawing hand.

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Liz Steel and Marc Taro Holmes, from the International Urban Sketchers Group proposed a challenge for everyday in June.  Instead of using lines for drawing, they proposed using shapes to directly paint the art.  I love drawing and think in "lines", not "shapes," so this was a perfect challenge for me.  I made a Teesha Moore 16 page watercolor book with one sheet of Arches 140 lb cold press to use for challenge, and will try to paint something every day.  Each page will need images from two days, and I'm starting small so I can develop some beginning skills. 

SeaGulls:  from photos I took on our beach walks.

Rocks and Flip-Flops:  I'm trying to learn how to paint rocks wet-in-wet and make them look smooth as they are deposited from the ocean on the sand - painted from observation.

Gentoo Penguins and Flower Planter:  We watched a PBS documentary on Nature called Penguin Post Office on Wed. PM and I loved seeing the Gentoo Penguins in Antartica at Port Lockroy.  These were painted from a photo.  The planter was one of 4 around the pool at the beach- painted from observation

Seagulls and Lifeguards Stand:  More seagulls and the life guard stand on Cooper's Beach - from my photos.  I painted the lifeguard stand by painting the negative space shapes.  A enormous challenge for me! 

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