Maria Kovalenko Leysens

Garlic

2012-01-26T21:20:00.001-05:00

Yay, I got to paint today! This is not quite done. If you want to see the finished piece it will be at the Culinary Show at Galley Sim on the Southside of Pittsburgh from February 3 to March 26.

This is pastel on mounted wallis paper 8 x 16 inches

Hey, Hey You!

2012-01-15T11:27:00.001-05:00

I imagine this gentle dog has a gruff voice.

Watercolor on quarter sheet.

You Talkin' To Me?

2011-12-11T18:22:00.005-05:00

Bulldog puppy portrait done in

watercolor on quarter sheet watercolor paper.

Boy and his Dog

2011-12-04T20:34:00.004-05:00

A boy and his dog.

Watercolor

Starting a New Pastel Portrait

2011-12-02T11:25:00.007-05:00

Just started this one. I am thankful to be busy this year.

Also thankful to have subject matter that I like.

Pastel on Canson paper

Almost done. I will step away for a day or two and come back with fresh eyes. I already see that I need to make an adjustment on the nose (too wide).

I went ahead and made some final adjustments

This is closer to the true color of the image.

Fun Day at the Beach, Pastel Portrait

2011-11-30T21:10:00.001-05:00

I just finished this portrait of a day at the beach.

Looks like they are having fun!

Pastel on mounted Wallis paper 16 x 20 inches.

Watercolor Poinssettia

2011-11-29T15:12:00.002-05:00

We usually paint a poinsettia in December during the adult watercolor class.

This year we are doing two small paintings. The students will cut and glue them to see what kind of abstract patterns they can come up with. They did some wonderful work and I feel a little bad that we will be cutting them up, but I also know that the end result will be full of another kind of fun discovery.

My demo is 6 x 8 inches

Pastel in Progress

2011-11-19T10:15:00.001-05:00

I guess this is far enough along to post.

This is a captured moment that truly expresses the personalities of these boys.

I plan to keep the bottom portion of the painting loose to keep the focus on the faces.

But how loose remains to be scene. Stay tuned.

pastel on 16 x 20 inch Wallis paper

Santa Watercolor Portrait Demonstration

2011-11-15T21:12:00.000-05:00

Ok, so last week I started a Santa demonstration and ended up painting the inspiration image of a man with a red beard. This week I followed my lesson plan and modified the image to be more Santa-like.

Everyone in class was in the best mood.... I think Santa makes us happy.

Quick demonstration in watercolor on quarter sheet cold press paper

How to finish... watercolor portrait

2011-11-09T20:16:00.003-05:00

Quick 20 minute demonstration for my adult class.

We started out doing Santa portraits using this bearded man as inspiration.

But I just had to paint him with the red beard.

I will do another Santa demo for the class later.

So now I have to rethink the hat and story.

Maybe a lumberjack.... Any ideas?

watercolor on a quarter sheet

Why I Blog...

2011-10-28T12:21:00.003-04:00

Blogging has been a wonderful way for me to "get out of town." I have seen many new viewpoints, shared some of my own and made some wonderful artist, designer and collector connections. Scrolling through my blogger friends is like paging through a magazine. It is good to share some of the successes and struggles that we all go through. So for my fellow bloggers, a huge thanks for taking the time to share!

PS and here is a shameless plug for two more newer bloggers...
http://nickleysens.blogspot.com/
http://gregleysens.blogspot.com/

And finally, this is a watercolor demonstration that I did with examples of different watercolor techniques (salt, wet on wet, softening edges, splatter...)

Pastel Portrait Finishing Tips/Process

2011-10-14T17:07:00.006-04:00

Looks like all it needed was an adjustment of the light

on the nose, shoulder, arm and a signature.

I took a break for a few days and coming back with fresh eyes made all the difference.

Also turning it upside down and taking photos to compare to the reference photo...

Whatever it takes to fine tune... I use "em all.

I will still come back to this at least one more time and will post any changes.

Pastel on Wallis Paper

Pastel Portrait Process with Steps/Stages

2011-10-05T19:59:00.018-04:00

I will need to take a break from this for a day or two.

I need to come back with fresh eyes.

So today I took two steps back to take a step forward.

Did some measurements and still adjusting. Again, it is getting there.

This top image is the update from today.

It is getting there. I continued polishing the face,

adjusted the mouth and chin and also worked on the shirt.

Still some work to be done.

I will keep posting the updates here.

I am to the point where the changes will be subtle but should get closer in likeness.

Thanks for following the progress.

I got carried away today.

I usually do portraits in stages, stopping to get an ok from the people I paint for.

But today it just felt so good to paint... that I got pretty far and before I knew it...

Well, here I am.

pastel on Wallis paper, cropped to 15x18 inches

And below are the first stages of this painting.

Finished Pastel Portrait of Nick

2011-08-07T22:51:00.012-04:00

This is where I ended up with the pastel of Nick.

I played with the background and ended up spraying tons of fix,

just a few inches from the surface. I got some great darks, drips and textures that is hard to see in this image but interesting in person.

18x22 inches

This painting will be on view at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio

from October 9 thru Nov 27, 2011 as part of the Pittsburgh Pastel Artists League show.

http://www.butlerart.com/index.asp

Two hours into Pastel Portrait of Nick

2011-08-03T23:14:00.004-04:00

I enjoy teaching, doing demonstrations for my students and working on commissions, but sometimes I have paintings in my head that just need to get out. I miss painting just to paint. So this evening I spent some time at the studio working on this portrait of my son, Nick. Not done yet. Still working on values, color tweaking and deciding how loose to keep the bottom portion of the painting... It feels good so far.
Terri Ludwig Pastels on Wallis Paper, 18 x 20 inches

How to look and paint what you see class.

2011-07-18T22:23:00.004-04:00

These are three 5 x 7 inch demos that I did the first day of my teen acrylic class today.

We looked at value first.

Then we added color being aware of shadows and

reflected light from the shiny white plates.

We also talked about why some things get accepted into shows and others don't.

Could it be color, technique, point of view...?

An unexpected angle gives the painting more interest.

We also played with placement.

You can view the student work at

www.room101art.blogspot.com

Working the fields

2011-07-13T15:57:00.002-04:00

Watercolor, 8x10 inches from a vintage photo.

Workshop Demonstrations

2011-07-08T16:47:00.010-04:00

I hosted a 3 day beginner watercolor workshop this week.

I shared my steps to a finished painting (for good studio habits) and used a very limited palette (warm and cool of each of the primaries) to get the students used to mixing and having fun making "mud".

These are pretty basic projects.

We started with the leaf project, working wet on wet to get used to playing with color, using salt and layering.

The next project was the bird with simplified background. Wet on wet for the background and a soupy base for the bird with layers after each area dried.

Then the lighthouse, focusing on the stormy sky and softening shadows...

Each project gave the students some experience and confidence to move the the next subject.

I tried to keep my demos quick and simple.

The students all took their projects to the next level and went home with work to be proud of.

These are the kind of workshops I love to teach.

Tiny Plein Air, Maria Kovalenko Leysens

2011-07-08T16:28:00.000-04:00

These two 4 x 6 inch watercolors were done near the 53 street north dock in the Cherry Grove beach area of South Carolina. We kayaked one evening and came back to fish and paint the next.

Summer Class Info

2011-05-05T14:14:00.000-04:00

The summer camps and classes are finally posted and information can be found on the tab above my profile.

Self Portrait Idea in Red

2011-05-02T16:08:00.003-04:00

Well, I guess it was finally my turn. Thought I would do a self portrait for the daily paintworks challenge and I chose the red paper again. But I sat down to do a younger woman (don't we all think of ourselves younger than we are) and found that she has been modified to over 50 years old.

It is ok, this reality check.. and it is not so bad.

12x12 inches, Terri Ludwig pastels on Canson paper

Portrait Session

2011-04-27T13:31:00.003-04:00

Wonderful day today.

The sun is shining, I got to go to a portrait session

and I used bright red paper!

2 hour session, Terri Ludwig pastels on Canson paper

www.mklart.blogspot.com

And It Rained On My Birthday This Year...

2011-04-22T18:00:00.005-04:00

I was invited to be part of a show at Gallery Sim, southside of Pittsburgh, opening on May 8th. The theme is "Capturing Carson" the main street of the area. I planned to do people, shoppers, commuters... but ended up with this image from a rainy day this past December.

watercolor 11x24 inches

Up for Auction, Times Square at Night Study

2011-03-22T07:10:00.004-04:00

sold

Up for Auction is my demonstration painting that I did for my class on night sky and artificial light. I put this up for auction at the Daily Paintworks Site. Please take a moment to bid on this or one of the other paintings with proceeds going to Japanese Earthquake and Relief fund.

UPDATE: painting sold and is now the gift that keeps giving.

My "how to' watercolor portrait

2011-03-08T11:15:00.004-05:00

I had some nice interest on my brief description of my pastel portrait process and thought I would post something on my watercolor process.

I like to get color down quick and don't like to go over the areas with many washes. I find the more washes and layers you use the less glow a painting has.

I start with large areas, saving the whites, and feeling my way around the form. I build up color and work the detail in bit by bit.

I add the background at different stages for each painting. Usually when I feel I have enough of the face value established to know how dark/intense... to make it.

I usually have a color scheme/temperature... in mind when I start, but don't fret if I change mid painting. Thumbnails/planning is good and something I do as a habit. But once in a while a painting reveals a new direction that I didn't think of. So I usually will go for it. After all, it is only paper...

My "how to" pastel portrait.

2011-03-05T18:07:00.007-05:00

We had two models today. My model had clothing that reminded me of the new True Grit movie, but I couldn't get into painting the entire image. So I focused on what I know. The other model had gypsy inspired clothing. I took photos of both of the models and I hope to paint them later this week.

pastel on 16 x 20 inch mounted wallis paper

I also wanted to share a very basic description about my process since a few asked at the session.

I start with vine charcoal and play with placement. It doesn't always work the first time, but I need to see it on the paper before I decide. Sometimes, like today, I sketched in a landscape format, didn't like it, so turned to portrait and did that twice before I found something I wanted to continue. In my studio, I usually do thumbnails, but at these sessions I just go for it.

Then I start with soft pastels (Terry Ludwig's mostly) and block in large and small areas using three basic values. The rest of the time I spend measuring, tweaking, adding more color... I used a wet sponge on a nu pastel base for the background and used soft pastel for additional color. I have a heavy hand and don't blend too much. If I do it is with my pinky. I also do what I call a "picture walk" and step away from the painting every so often. What you think you see up close can look so different from a distance.

We had a three hours session today. I spent about 2 hours of work time on this. I always find things I could tweak after I walk away for a while. If I could go back I would sharpen some of the eye structure, highlights and define the shoulder on the right side of the image.

Greg Pastel

2011-02-24T16:39:00.008-05:00

Greg was one of the three models we used for the model session at Butler Art Center this past Saturday.

The mouth was challenging because his fist pulls it to one side.

A great place to learn technique is the Judy Carducci dvd on portrait painting. The dvd is so full of great info... could watch over and over and still learn more. In fact we had Greg sit in a similar pose to the model on the dvd.

16x20 inches, pastel on mounted Wallis paper

Portrait Session

2011-02-16T15:48:00.002-05:00

Another portrait session today.

I reworked this when I got back to the studio.

So I lost the likeness and the detail but feel the general shapes work better now.

pastel, 11x14 inches, 2 hours worktime

My Little Pony

2011-02-11T16:15:00.002-05:00

Fun, 8x10 inch watercolor I did for a friend as an art exchange.

I found this image on her facebook and wonder what she will think when she get this in the mail.

It was from a vintage photo, a little faded and washed out but the values were still there.

Portrait Session

2011-02-09T13:44:00.010-05:00

What fun I had today.

Got to the session on time, great model and the sun is shining.

Pastel, 11x14 sanded paper, 2 hour session

Check out the winter class schedule for full day model sessions at the Art Center in Butler

http://www.aabcartcenter.com/

I took this back to the studio and fiddled with the background some to bring his face forward.

(Boy the color really changes depending on where I photograph it.)

Another comment... I have been sampling pastels and am most satisfied with Terry Ludwig pastels. I can't wait to share some at the next Butler session.

Late Night

2011-02-08T15:30:00.007-05:00

This is a demo that I did for class today.

We used night scenes with artificial light as inspiration.

It is a good exercise to see and get the darks as dark as they need to be.

(I often tell my students not to be afraid of the dark.)

Also good to see the contrasts and color of artificial light.

I could have made the light warmer,

but it really felt like daylight in Times Square that night.

I hope to do this again, not as loose, since I like the way it feels.

watercolor 11x14 inches

How to paint a black dog

2011-01-27T10:35:00.000-05:00

How to paint a black dog. Don't use black.

Have fun with the colors in the highlights.

I could have pushed the colors more in this but didn't want to get too crazy since this was a commission.

I will do this as a project for my watercolor students since it can be so much fun.

Artist Inspired Portrait Ideas to Play With

2011-01-25T23:44:00.010-05:00

I found another blogger who had been doing self portraits for a year. http://myrnawacknov.blogspot.com/ She has explored and posted so many ideas. I shared a few of them with my adult watercolor class as example on how to expand the use of materials and just have fun and play. My demonstration stayed pretty close to the example, but my students went over the top with the process. All of them made the project their own and I have to say, I am happy and just a little jealous of what they did.

quarter sheet watercolor paper, watercolor and black marker

Here is the link to one of my students whose project I just love.

http://easilyamusedstudio.blogspot.com/2011/02/self-portrait-watercolor-collage-and.html

Bal Masque

2011-01-25T23:35:00.000-05:00

This is a quick watercolor painting (12x20 inches) that I did last year for a local show. I did not enter it because it is not my usual style. It is really loose. I took another look at it this year and I guess it grew on me. Kind of fun, so I entered it this year.

The inspiration is from a photo that was taken from the annual Kokoon club, Bal Masque which was the ticket to get if you were in Cleveland about 80 years ago.

portrait session, Maria Kovalenko Leysens

2011-01-19T14:54:00.004-05:00

We had an enjoyable time at our portrait session today.

Great model with great stories to share.

Pastel on sanded paper

Just about an hour and one half of work time.

I am pretty comfortable with faces now.

We will be starting sessions with costumed figures.

I plan to focus on creating a painting

and not just a study.

Can't wait!

Poinsettia class

2010-12-08T09:57:00.002-05:00

Every year I teach a watercolor class on poinsettias. We usually go to Quality Gardens on rt 228 because the green house is so beautiful and they have a wonderful selection. This year we decided to shop for our poinsettias there and paint in the studio. It was nice, but not the same as being in a humid greenhouse, surrounded by greenery... I may have to go just for myself. This is my demonstration on quarter sheet watercolor paper.

Portrait Session

2010-12-01T15:09:00.001-05:00

I only had just over an hour of work time on this today.

Kind of had to "go with my gut" and just work on instinct.

I have to say it was fun.

16x20 on a new pastel surface that I made using

mat board, gesso and ground.

Not as much tooth as I would like

but I will make more since the price is right.

Fall Colors Painting Demo

2010-11-25T16:30:00.000-05:00

I spent a weekend with friends at a cabin about a month ago.

The colors, photos, weather and friendship were perfect that weekend.

I used one of the photos to do this 9x12 inch watercolor

as a demonstration for my watercolor students.

We talked about the layers of a painting and how to show direction and depth.

It is good to identify the layers in a busy image so that you can paint with a plan.

The color was fun too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Portrait Session

2010-11-18T07:24:00.002-05:00

A wonderful portrait session yesterday.

I have a ton of pastels and I take them, all of them,

when I go to these model sessions.

I don't need them all. (You knew that.)

So, I forced myself to use only a small selection of color for this one.

Painting was easier, not confusing or overwhelming,

and I like what happened.

Pastel, 18 x 22 inch sanded paper.

Workshop Day Two

2010-11-15T10:56:00.002-05:00

I can't say enough about how much I got out of the workshop.

Anatomy is so important.

So is observation, angles, planes...

And a good pair of bifocals.

(Will be making appointment this week.)

Also having your materials organized and prepared.

I dropped my pastels, that were in pizza boxes, in foam sections,

(which work really well in my studio, not for travel),

and they got mixed up.

(Will be looking into a new storage system.)

This is my pastel on 18x24 wallis paper from day two

of the Judy Carducci workshop.

I needed to stop fifteen minutes before to leave

the hands and bottom looser, or need fifteen minutes more

work time to tighten it up some.

Another thing to learn.

Workshop

2010-11-14T22:18:00.001-05:00

I spent the weekend at a Judy Carducci portrait workshop.

And I learned so much.

And know I still have so much more to learn.

And what fun I will have on the journey.

She demonstrated a gorgeous value portrait on the first day.

So I chose to do the same. This is my effort.

Vine charcoal and white pastel on 18x24 inch canson paper

drawn from live model... so fun!

Dachshund

2010-11-08T16:05:00.002-05:00

This is one that I just want to take home with me.

I enjoy painting these dog portraits.

Each dog has as story and a personality.

Check out my Etsy shop if you would like one done of your own.

Or for a friend...

www.mklart.etsy.com

Another Mixed Breed Dog

2010-10-29T11:58:00.001-04:00

I had this sketched for a past client.

We used another pose, but I thought I would finish this one anyway.

The other pose was more direct and a little more personal.

I feel like this dog has an old soul. And seems very patient.

watercolor 8x10 inches

Sue

2010-10-20T21:47:00.006-04:00

10 x10 inch watercolor I did as another gift.

I call Sue a dynamo. She gets stuff done.

Doc

2010-10-20T15:03:00.002-04:00

This is a watercolor, 10x10 inches, that I did as a gift.

Sometimes you meet people that make a difference.

Ukrainian "Halloween" Eggs (is there such a thing?)

2010-10-16T14:16:00.001-04:00

I offered some open studio time for Ukrainian Eggs. I usually offer a class only once a year, but with all the fun designs to create and have fun with, well, there is no stopping us now. Some are working with traditional designs and some are making up their own designs. I think we are all having fun. These are some simple fun ones for Halloween.

Late Again

2010-10-15T10:28:00.000-04:00

I was late to this weeks portrait session and had just over an hour of work time on this one.

I would have worked the shadow values in stronger and blended the grays in the skin tones alittle smoother, but for the time I had, the likeness I got, I am happy.

pastel on 16 x 20 inch velour mat board

Quick Portrait Session

2010-10-06T15:37:00.003-04:00

I went to a portrait session this morning

and thought I would work in pastels.

I love the portrait sessions (Associated Artists of Butler County)

because they are so casual, no pressure and a warm group.

I was too busy to go lately,

and forgot what a nice opportunity this is.

I could have used about 20 more minutes to

work the shirt and tidy up a bit.

Total work time, about and hour and a half

on 11x14 ish bristol board that I put a pastel ground on.

A Mutt!

2010-09-30T20:20:00.000-04:00

I just love a mutt!

And also love my new Mac.

No more too bright colors...

or maybe it is fooling me on my screen...

ahhhhhh!

watercolor, 8x10 inches

sold

Back in Class

2010-09-30T07:45:00.002-04:00

These are demonstrations I did for my classes this week.

I set up a few pumpkins under some directional lights

and we talked about how to use contour drawings for our watercolors.

Then we drew them 4 times and did some watercolor exercises.

The first was done as a value painting using one color.

The second to the right was done with only two colors. (amazing what only two colors can do)

The bottom left was done with what we thought were realistic colors.

And the last on the bottom right was done using some exaggerated colors.

Also want to say that I am working on a new computer now...

so far it has been a time eater... but soon it will be a time saver...

There are many things that I will miss about my old PC.

But more things that I love about my new Mac.

Especially the image quality, color....

Alaska Fishing

2010-08-23T22:43:00.002-04:00

This is a thank you painting I did for my Dad to give to the people he visited in Alaska.

They had a wonderful time fishing, hiking... and being men.

7x10 inches, watercolor

what's new?

2010-08-15T18:48:00.006-04:00

sold

I just wanted to repost these images since I touched them up. Sharpened some of the areas, adjusted some of the angles... the colors are closer to the actual paintings too.

I drop them off at Fein Art Gallery tomorrow.

We did a museum tour last week. (My two sons and I)

Went to the Barnes Foundation (yes, we saw the movie The Art of the Steal) in Philladelphia and went to see the Wyeths work at the Brandywine museum in Chadds Ford, and then to DC to see the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the Museum of American Art.

Take the docent tour at the Barnes if you go before the collection moves. An amazing amount of art... go through it twice to see what you missed the first time.

Make sure you have plenty of time to go through the Brandywine Musem (we could have spent more than the two hours we had).

And just go ahead and spend a week in DC at all the museums. We had one day and it was painful to leave without seeing more. And the Rockwell exhibit... made us smile, a nice way to end our tour. Thanks to Speilburg and Lucas for sharing their collections.

Nice to watch the boys critique and enjoy all the art we saw.

Now getting ready for back to school for the boys, my art classes and commissions, coffee with my husband, walking the dog...

Baba's Pails

2010-08-04T22:35:00.001-04:00

This 7x10 inch Baba is done in pastels.

I enjoyed playing with the colors, so many to choose from.

The actual painting has much brighter colors.

I am still not able to photograph and adjust the colors of my pastels.

I will try to photograph again outside to see if it makes a difference.

In the Shadow

2010-07-29T20:57:00.003-04:00

This is alittle different for me. I usually don't do buildings...

but I still put my Baba in.

It was pretty challenging to do in pastels.

And I am really unhappy with how it photgraphed.

I will try again tomorrow.

This is for a show at Fein Art Gallery with the Pittsburgh Pastel Artists League.

I still need to do one more.

Another Red Glass

2010-07-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

Just a quick 8x10 acrylic on stretched canvas for my friend's kitchen.

I have been teaching all week and again next week so no new people work to show.

You can however stop by http://www.room101art.blogspot.com/ to see my students work.

Barn Baba

2010-07-10T20:14:00.000-04:00

I dropped this watercolor off at Eye Candy Gallery in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland for the Art Walk yesterday. I am a featured artist for the month of July and have 8 paintings there. The Art Walk was a really great time... the shops, neighborhood and people... so fun. I was born in that neighborhood and it is nice to see the new restaurants, galleries, studios, museums, churches.... go if you get a chance!
Taste of Tremont is coming up too as well as the next art walk the second friday in august.

At the Lake

2010-07-01T18:40:00.000-04:00

Cropping an image... Is one better than the other?

Done from a vintage black and white photo.

I took out alot of the busy boats and dock equipment,

moved the background...

I think this says enough without getting too busy.

watercolor about 7 x 9 inches or 7 x 10 inches

Jon Boats

2010-06-09T22:01:00.007-04:00

I am back from the Three Rivers Arts Festival.

It was a great experience... even with the rain.

I have to submit pastel paintings for a show at Box Heart Gallery

but sold the painting I wanted to show at the festival.

So instead of getting my studio back in shape, I painted these.

I am going to really spend some time in the near future on improving my camera skills.

I miss so many subtle color shifts...

Sunday Best

2010-05-29T18:27:00.002-04:00

I was at an antique store in Zainesville, Ohio last summer and found some fun vintage photographs.

I just love this couple... and the dog!

I thought I was done but see I still have some tweaking to do on this...

tomorrow...

watercolor, 6 x 9 inches

Take me out to the ball game...

2010-05-29T18:18:00.003-04:00

I thought I was finished with this painting but felt it need something more. So I took out my titanium white and did some washes to adjust some of the color.

I like the way it simplifies some of the shapes.

Wonder what these two are talking about?

watercolor 6x9 inches

Buddy

2010-05-27T21:59:00.001-04:00

This is a demo that I did for the student class. I painted this very quickly so that I didn't take much class time. I wanted to show them how to get a nice fur texture. I exaggerated some of the highlights so they could understand "clumping" shapes, highlights... But anyway, I am happy to finally do a portrait of my little Buddy.

Old Timers

2010-05-24T22:04:00.001-04:00

6x9 inch watercolor.

This has been a really fun series for me to paint.

I have been using my photographs

and take out or put in what I think the painting needs.

Watching

2010-05-21T13:47:00.002-04:00

Another 5x8 inch watercolor for the Three Rivers Arts Festival.

Just painting away...

Running out of creative titles,

so I will be rethinking some of these when I get some time...

Contemplation

2010-05-20T16:16:00.003-04:00

Still working on small images for the Three Rivers Arts Festival.

5x8 inches, watercolor

Philosophers?

2010-05-14T22:16:00.001-04:00

I have been working small, 5x9 inches,

trying things out to see what works before I redo bigger.

I found some great photos while doing research for other paintings.

I am easily distracted, and will get back to more Baba paintings soon.

Watercolor study

2010-05-14T22:08:00.002-04:00

I did this once before in acrylic... it sold last year.

I always wanted to do this again, but bigger, in watercolor, drippy...

So this is a small 5x7 inch study to plot some colors, cropping...

Even more face cards

2010-05-12T20:03:00.001-04:00

I did a few more face cards from vintage photos.

It is nice, quick practice

and a chance to try different backgrounds...

to see how the focal point changes...

2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor

Just a Walk

2010-05-12T19:58:00.001-04:00

Just a walk... 5x7 watercolor...

I am not feeling well for the past few days, (headache and sinus stuff with the weather change)

so not much to say and my painting.

Just trying to keep painting.

Sanctuary

2010-04-23T10:30:00.003-04:00

Update: I won an award for this painting at the opening.

Not sure what I won yet, we were out of town

(I think it was the Cadscarlet award, an honor to recieve)

Flying by the seat of my pants, again! I just finished this painting, Sanctuary, for the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society member show. (May 2 - June 6th at Gallery Sim, Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA)

It has been awhile since I have done an actual painting, not just a demonstration. I missed it.

Drop off is today and I better go cut a mat and get this framed!

Lab/Pitbull Mix

2010-04-21T11:53:00.002-04:00

This is a small (8x10 inch) watercolor of a lab/pitbull mix that I just finished. He seemed really quiet and thoughtful in the reference images that were provided for me. So I painted him as I saw it.

Now, back to my baba paintings.

Three Rivers Arts Festival

2010-04-20T21:14:00.000-04:00

Sorry no image to post....I just wanted to let everyone know that I was selected as one of the emerging artists for the Three Rivers Art Festival this year. http://www.artsfestival.net/ I have booth #96 from June 4th through June 8th. It is really a wonderful opportunity and I can't wait for the show. There is so much to do, from the juried art show, demonstrations, art mart, music line up... something for everyone. Stop by and say hi if you get a chance!

redo in watercolor

2010-04-09T17:25:00.003-04:00

Ok, this is better.

I redid this image in watercolor about 10x14 inches.

I felt I wasn't getting it in acrylic so tried again in watercolor.

I am happier with the results. (back to my usual colors too)

I think the expressions worked better.

Maybe I was trying to do too much in such a small size.

Anyway, it is good to learn and keep growing.

Small portrait again

2010-04-07T20:59:00.006-04:00

I touched this painting up and reposted it. I really enjoyed using warm and cool grays... but they don't photograph too true. So if anyone has any suggestions on photo touchup software I am all ears.

8x10 acrylic on a magenta ground

Small portrait

2010-03-31T14:51:00.001-04:00

I was doing some research for my Baba paintings and found some old photos that I found really interesting. I think this is a family member from Russia. I painted this small 5x7 inch acrylic painting from a black and white photo. I used strectched canvas and painted a bright warm red as a base. I also gave her a yellow pencil... not from the time... she had an ink pen and ink jar... but I wanted to add some yellow warmth to the image. Hmmmm.... was it wrong? or could this be like a game... what does not belong in the picture? (Where's Waldo-ish?)

Onion color lesson

2010-03-11T07:50:00.001-05:00

I wanted to go over color options in my adult class.

I set up some onions in a still life and did these demos.

The first demo I did was as a value study with just one color.

The next one on the right was done with just two colors.

The third one was done with what we thought were realistic colors.

And the fourth done with more intensity and exaggerated colors.

I did this to show the students that exaggerating the colors really makes a painting interesting and fun.

I wanted them to step out of their safe zone and explore colors that they wouldn't normally choose.

These are about 3 x 5 inches each.

Baba 2

2010-02-27T20:41:00.003-05:00

My second Baba. I took the inspiration for this Baba from a painting I did over a year ago as a commission. I posted the inspiration below. both are about 8 x 10 inches, watercolor.

Oh, and if you get a chance, have a look at these two up and coming artists.... yes, I am a proud mother!

Nick

Greg

They are still in high school... yes, I am a proud mom!

Baba

2010-02-22T15:18:00.003-05:00

I am starting a new group of work and this is a loosening up piece that I did today. I am looking forward to exploring more of this subject. I think there are many stories to tell. I have some other Baba paintings that I did a few years ago, posted below.

This painting is the story of my grandmother's life. The main image is her traveling clothes. The background is her as a young woman on the farm, the ship they arrived on, the church and her church clothes, roses and as an older woman in her favorite chair. She was a strong woman that I have huge respect for.

This is one of the studies that I worked on for the painting above. I have it matted and framed since the one above sold. It was a tough sale, but I found that many people really identified with the image and said it could have been their "Baba". These were all done in watercolor.

An Apple a Day

2010-02-17T16:07:00.000-05:00

Just another quick 5x7 inch acrylic on stretched canvas.

Which way to the beach?

2010-02-17T16:04:00.001-05:00

One of my students is going south (lucky girl) and I did a class to inpire her. When you paint water, waves, beachy scenes, remember to paint the flat water as a reflection of the sky. The waves have form with a light side, dark side and reflections too. This is simplified but something that can be done section at a time.

And this was the following class... I am really getting her ready to go... I was inspired from an image I saw on the Daily Painters of Pennsylvania's site. You can see that I simplified the project for class. We had fun!

These demonstrations are on 7x10inch paper and were done in about half an hour.

Thanks to Karin Jurick

2010-02-13T09:18:00.002-05:00

Karin Jurick is the artist has run the Different Strokes from Different Folks challenges for over a year. As a thank you, Jill Polsby organized a painting book/gift of a portrait of Karin done by well over 100 artists. I was happy to participate and really want to thank both Karin and Jill for their time.
Pastels, 11x14 is what I chose to do mine in. Yes, I know! I will be toning down my signature so it doesn't scream in the image. See what happens when we hurry.
Check out this page to see the other paintings. http://picasaweb.google.com/polsby/The118FacesOfKarinJurickJanuary2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCLCMzN6K7LOCGg

Ukrainian Egg Classes

2010-02-10T11:00:00.006-05:00

Every year I hold classes in Ukrainian Easter Egg decoration. I have enjoyed making them for years and the classes are always fun! I was not planning to have classes this year because I wanted to take the time to work on them myself (alittle selfish), but legend has it that the more eggs that are decorated the less bad luck can happen in the world. How can I not do my part! Classes begin the end of February.

Small Acrylic Break

2010-02-04T11:10:00.003-05:00

I painted this small pear with acrylic on a 4x6 inch stretched canvas. It was a nice break from the larger watercolor and pastels that I have been working on. I like to look for hints of warms and cools in the shadows and play with them till I think it works. I used a bright orange/red as an underpainting. I like how it gives the image a glow. I will post the other paintings soon. I felt like I was neglecting my blog so I did this quick pear.

Also a qucik travel note. Went to New York to the Moma to see the Tim Burton Exhibit and thought it was great. It's a nice insight to how he works, from highschool on with examples of sketches, paintings, storyboards, films, notes, models, armature, props... all really fun and a nice inspiration for the boys. Can't wait to see what they come up with now!

Wildbird Recovery Donation

2010-01-19T22:14:00.006-05:00

I painted these birds as demos for some classes and decided to donate them as a part of "Art for Animals" to the Wildbird Recovery Center. I did a project last year for the Butler County Humane Society and this year I chose the Wildbird Recovery, Songbird Rehabilitation Center in Valencia, PA.

Last spring I found a little robin that was neglected by it's parents... not being fed... I watched the others being fed... so I called the recovery center and they said to bring it in. While I was there another woman brought in a crow that was hit by a car. I never really thought there was such a place for birds... funded by donations... and getting the birds rehabbed and back out.

They were happy to recieve the paintings and I hope will sell through their giftshop to get needed supplies.

Volant Mill

2010-01-14T20:21:00.003-05:00

I did this small 7x10 inch watercolor today for a show at the Blue Heron Gallery in Volant, PA. I had a show there this summer and was invited back for a reunion show this February. I will have three pieces in the show. I did some local images, one of the summer kitchen behind the gallery, one of a PA road, and this one of the mill. Volant is a great little town with shops and a fly fishing creek for the guys.

Dog Portrait

2010-01-13T22:08:00.002-05:00

another 7x10 inch watercolor dog portrait... this little guy looks like a handful. What fun!

Almost Done

2010-01-08T10:35:00.008-05:00

I bought myself some new pastels (terry ludwigs) and started this painting for a show at the Butler Art Center. The theme is art and music. I originally started a watercolor based on the Kokoon Club (an old Cleveland art club) Bal Masque but I couldn't wait to try the pastels. Wow, it is so nice to use these pastels. (I also like windsor newtons.) I will finish this today and get it to drop off tomorrow if I can make it out the driveway... snow, snow, snow...

Update- Here is the finished image. I cropped it to 14x18 inches. It will be matted and put into a 20x24 inch frame. I titled it "Preparing for Class".

Another Update- It won second place in the pastels.

How about two more

2010-01-03T11:59:00.005-05:00

Two more 2.5 x 3.5 watercolor, face cards.

I am doing some research on the Kokoon Club, an artist club from Cleveland, Ohio that had it's heyday in the 1920's and 1930's. They used to have fundraising "Bal Masques" that were costumed, decorated, skandalous?... and the hottest ticket in town.

Four more 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch Face Cards

2009-12-30T22:34:00.004-05:00

Well I decided to call them my "face cards." I have been having fun with them so far. I should be working of a piece for a show I am entering, but these are more fun at the moment. (2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches, watercolor)

Last of the year and a new beginning...

2009-12-30T22:13:00.005-05:00

I was cleaning out my studio, looking at ebay, blogs and what others are doing. I found some watercolor paintings that I was not happy with so I cut them up into 2.5 x 3.5 inches to use for collages thinking I could use them for artist trading cards. I found a few smaller face studies that I did and liked so I started painting other faces on the blank side of the "cards". I liked them too. I think I will continue with these mini series... but what to do with them later... Do people still buy, trade these cards? I have seen them on etsy and ebay... What would be worthwhile to sell them at.... so many questions... I have a headache... I will just keep painting for now.... Here are the first two done on 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch 140 lb watercolor paper.

DSFDF Portrait Challenge

2009-12-21T20:01:00.013-05:00

I started my blog last year with the DSFDF portrait challenge and had so much fun with it. I jumped right in with this years challenge and hope the unknown artist that was given to me to paint (I am pretty sure I know) is happy with the results. Watercolor 7x10 inches

For those of you not familiar with the Different Strokes from Different Folks, it is worth checking out.

Fun to participate and fun to follow!

Update- Yes, I guessed right. It is Dean and you can click on his name to visit his site and see the painting he did of me. (note how we both used warm colors against cools-totally unplanned by us)

Backyard Pond

2009-12-21T19:47:00.007-05:00

My last commission for this season. I learned alot with this painting. It is watercolor with pastel on top. I had a hard time with the reference photos and creating a focal point that didn't look like a black hole in the center on top of fairly flat colored greens. So I pushed the colors and shadows and am happy with the results. It ended up to be fun. 8x26inches

A Good Friend

2009-12-14T19:37:00.004-05:00

This is a dog portrait I just finished for a commission. The story behind this dog is wonderful and is all about friendship, patience, loyalty and always ready with a smile. Kind of like my "Buddy." Which reminds me that I need to do a painting of my dog too. Stay tuned....

8x10 inches, watercolor

Field Trip

2009-12-12T18:26:00.004-05:00

Every December I take my class on a "field trip" to a local garden center (Quality Gardens) to paint pointsettias. It is so lovely in the green house, full of color, texture and warmth on a cold day. While I was painting this demonstration one of the employees told me the type of pointsettia I was painting was called "Monet." How appropriate!!!

8x10 inches, watercolor

pastel portrait

2009-11-19T14:34:00.005-05:00

I have been working on a pastel portrait and thought I would share what I have already. It is pretty much done. I will go back and tweek here and there. Anyway I decided to use pastel for this portrait since the reference photo was alittle blurry. I had no access to another so we thought pastel would work out fine. This one is pretty straight forward, reference photo taken with a flash... tried to keep it soft. Oh and we had to keep it small 8x10 so that I didn't have to make up detail that I couldn't see.

Update---- The finished portrait after alittle tweaking...

Oh, and now I see one more thing to do....

Mr Personality!

2009-11-06T10:29:00.005-05:00

I just finished this 8x10 in watercolor. This portrait just had to be done with a bold background to fit the big, bold, in your face personality of this pint sized dog.

Faces

2009-11-04T20:39:00.013-05:00

So for my last tuesday class, we finished the vintage portrait lesson working on a portrait using the smaller studies and paintings we did. Remember to use the contour drawings, value studies and painted sketches to keep the lights and darks in the proper places. The rest is just coloring! The painting is about 8x11 inches on watercolor paper.

I also included a watercolor sketch I did of my son. He is working on his portfolio for school and left a photo reference of himself, lit from underneath, at my studio. He is pretty creative and it inspired a future class to do with my students... If you take away the familiar, you are forced to look at and draw what you see, not what you think you see. Kind of like drawing upside down... This is also about 8x10 inches.

Continuation of vintage images

2009-10-28T16:09:00.006-04:00

My tuesday morning class has continued to explore painting people using vintage photographs as inspiration. We have been practicing with value, color and quick studies. The class is doing well and we have a few that have put together complete paintings... some alittle abstract, some very charming and all work to be proud of! Next week we will continue with more quick studies to warm up and then work on composition. These are my quick, small, simple, demos done on an 8x10 inch sheet of paper.

Vintage man

2009-10-13T21:02:00.004-04:00

I had the class work from black and white, vintage photographs. I like the way that old photos fade. The students don't get all caught up in detail and can simplify their paintings to just shadow shapes. They also can choose their own colors and ended up using some fun, unexpected colors. All of them did a great job. This is my demonstration, about 8x10 inches done in watercolor.

acrylic demos

2009-09-29T16:25:00.006-04:00

I have a student who enjoys working in acrylic and I try to do demonstrations for her as often as I can. We have been looking at how colors relate/reflect... warm, cool... light sources... It is so interesting if you take the time to do your value drawings, take color notes and study the image before you paint. We have been painting from life in the studio.

eggplant, 7x5 inches garlic, 4x4 inches

Student Refresher

2009-09-15T16:37:00.018-04:00

It has been a great week having all my students back for a new year of fun! Last week the adult class did a still life watercolor of pears in a basket. This is my demo about 10x10 inches.

The student age class did some drawing refreshers. I wanted to make sure they could still see shapes, shading and highlights. They started with contour drawings and moved to shading & highlighting.

And today the adults did the

drawing refresher (contour, value, shading...) and a lemon painting (about 7x10 inches).

It is going to be a good year!