Tuesday at Creightons - Sep 23

Hi, Tuesday at Creightoners,

It seemed there was some experimenting going on this week.
- Marjorie was making blacks and we talked about or favorite black combos:  Prussian Blue and Perylene Maroon, Alizarin Crimson and Pthalo Green, Burnt Sienna and blues, any red and green, blues and oranges…remember the dark chart assignment from Kay??? .
- We also talked about white, which is the whitest?  Joanie just did a little test with the whites in the classroom closet at CCSF.  She thought the whitest was WN Permanent White gouache.  A couple others thought it was Zinc White.  Chinese White is quite translucent and a little creamy.  Shirley said that gouache originally meant that there was double pigment but doesn’t know if that still holds true.  It has little or no gum arabic so it doesn’t flow but is easy to lift.  Quality is also important, as always.

For #14 - Let a Motif Stand Alone:
- Mary created a HUGE aphid with amazing wings.  She like not having to do a background.  Who knew how complex and interesting they are, although they are a pain on the roses!  Their mouth parts are cool!
- Avelina did a beautiful autumn leaf but she was struggling with the shadow.  Shirley reminded us that shadows get softer as they move away from the object and that there is a little reflected highlight in the object where the shadow starts (hope that’s clear!)
- Sue did a sunflower that was bursting with energy.  She tried sea salt and other colors dropped into the center to make texture.
- Marjorie was moved to do a prickly pear cactus although she doesn’t know why.  She used some Chinese watercolors and tried to limit herself to 3 colors, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red and Chinese 123 Green. She realized that you cannot get a cool dark when you are only mixing warm colors so she added alizarin crimson so she could have a cooler dark.  Then she tried sandpaper and an exacto knife for texture.
- Carmel did a simple and elegant musical symbol with the pen and ink that Jesse often uses in her images.  After she inked her line she sprayed with water which created and “electric” effect.  Which ink is important as some inks are very fugitive.
- Joanie did a Cypress Cone ibn detail.

Another thing that came up was what some thought they “should” do.  Background or no? Style?  Whatever…THERE ARE NO RULES!!!  This is YOUR art and you can do whatever you want.  The experiments are suggestions!  We are doing this to experiment, grow and have FUN!

Pam is working on a trip to the Academy of Science in November and Sue is working on a trip to the Asian Art Museum in January.

Next week:  #23 - Concentrate On One Shape, pgs 76 + 78.

‘Til then,
Shirley and Joanie

Tuesday at Creightons - Sep 16

Hello "Tuesdays at Creightoners" and other interested parties…

Eight of us met and shared the latest in news and art:
- Mary and Jesse entered the Watercolor Artists of Sonoma County 20th Annual Watercolor Exhibition.  Mary showed her ship and Jesse her corner on Mission Street. Both were acknowledged!
- Pam is arranging a visit to the California Academy of Sciences in November. More info soon.
- Sue is checking about a visit to the Asian Art Museum sometime in January.
- There was a special on James McNeill Whistler on PBS and you may find it on “on demand” or on the PBS website: The Case for Beauty

We shared our #6, Emphasize Verticals, and, as usual the images were intriguing and varied. Sue was working with nudes, Avelina added another piece to her grandmother series as well as some beautiful calla lilies and some very free dancers in grass.  Pam did glowing aspens and she scraped the trunks out of the background!  She also did a view from her window and was working with the quality of light. We gave her feedback on a water piece she was working on.  Carmen did biking shirts in a closet that were bright and the lettering on the shirts set up a contrasting rhythm. Shirley did bold calligraphy and marks after the visit to the Harrison Collection. Marjorie did trees with bold outlines and she preferred it upside down. Mary did a tower with collage in three layers. We thought it was whimsical and she wasn’t too fond of it. Joanie did aspens, too.

Next week is #14, Let a Motif Stand Alone, pgs 57 & 59.

Hope to see you there!
Joanie and Shirley

Heather S Photos

Just some of the pieces from her show. Congratulations, Heather.

Diebenkorn in Richmond

Gretchen Grant, daughter of Richard Diebenkorn, and Kathan Brown, founder of Crown Point Press and printer and publisher of the artist’s significant work in intaglio, will talk about the long span of years watching Richard Diebenkorn at work and being engaged by his process. Kathan Brown’s documentary of Diebenkorn will also be screened.

Richard Diebenkorn: The Long Regard
Sunday, Sep 21, 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Free

Richard Diebenkorn: The Long Regard

Show in Santa Rosa

Watercolor Artists of Sonoma County 20th Annual Watercolor Exhibition
September 12 - 21
Monday - Saturday 10 am - 8 pm, Sunday 11 am - 5:30 pm
Watercolor Demonstrations: Saturday & Sunday 1-4 pm

You are invited to our reception:
Sunday, September 14 • 4 - 5:30 pm

Coddingtown Mall, Santa Rosa, located on Steele Lane,
Just West of Highway 101 in Santa Rosa, CA

Calligraphy with the Special Collections Librarian

A Letter to Jo:

Hi Jo,

I enjoyed meeting your fellow water color painters and I hope they were inspired by the original works of lettering artists from the Harrison Collection today. What a fun group of women! Here is a list of the calligraphers I brought out today. Please encourage them to visit us again. No appointment necessary.

 

 

Marie Angel (botanicals, La Fontaine, exotic birds, My Cat Has Eyes of Sapphire Blue, published books)

Brenda Walton (framed piece)

Georgia Deaver (framed pieces, Gertrude Stein’s “A rose is a rose is a rose,” greeting cards)

Donald Jackson (framed angel piece)

John Prestianni (framed Orpheus piece)

Heather Child (manuscript book)

Pamela Stokes (Wildflowers manuscript book)

Thomas Ingmire (Rimbaud’s Alchemie de Verbe manuscript book)

 

 

I think that pretty much covers what I showed the group.

All best,

Andrea V. Grimes

 

Daniel Smith Revamp

product news -

Dear Customer:

We are going back to OUR ROOTS - as a PAINT MANUFACTURER!
As you know, DANIEL SMITH started as a manufacturing company and has been for 37 years.

DANIEL SMITH paint is now available in retail stores throughout the USA and around the world-we are bigger than ever and getting bigger all the time. This has expanded our manufacturing exponentially and we are now focusing entirely on this endeavor.

What this means to you, our valued and loyal customer:

• DANIEL SMITH PAINTS will be available in more Art Stores in the US and around the world.
• Our CATALOG/PHONE CENTER will close on October 31, 2014.
• Our E-COMMERCE SITE will focus on only DANIEL SMITH PAINT.
• DANIEL SMITH will continue to produce the very best, highest quality professional paints you know and love.

Our SEATTLE and BELLEVUE STORES will remain open and in full operation. They will carry all the products they have carried in the past and more. Our staff looks forward to assisting you in your artistic endeavors.

THANK YOU so very much for your many years of loyalty to DANIEL SMITH. We make the best paints in the world and look forward to exceeding your expectations of our paint products.

Look for DANIEL SMITH paint at your local art store. If they don't have what you are looking for, please request they stock it. Until they do, please come to our website - you will find it there!

Best,

John Cogley, President

Tuesday at Creightons - Sep 02

Hi, Tuesday at Creighton-ers!

Carole D. is off to Italy for a month to eat, drink and paint!  Is there room in her suitcase for us???

Mary shared pictures of her show.  They were big and richly colored and amazing!  They were created in the ‘80s when she was doing work through the Painting Experience and were very personal.

Several in the group are either renting or creating studios at home and were so excited about having a designated place to paint.

Once again, the sharing of  the Goldsmith experiments was wonderful and so varied.
- Carmel went wild with oranges and yellows and used frisket/mask. It was full of energy and playfulness. She says that you can use frisket up to 50/50 with water. Also on wet paper. It makes beautiful, soft splodges. And don’t use old frisket!
- Shirley’s was looking through a dirty windshield. She is experimenting with Holbein “Iradori” colors and she played with bubbles, which make subtle patterns, in her background. She also replaced a pencil with a paintbrush in a compass to good effect. Her piece was rich and energetic.
- Mary gave us a bird’s eye view of the golden hills of California on a summer day with rich golds and greens.
- Joanie was into clear blue skies and water.
- Sue recolored “The Scream” by Munch to express a personal experience. The colors were rich, which counterbalanced the subject.
Marjorie's Goldsmith piece was suggestive of graffiti and fun on a hot summer day. She shared an early piece in blues and golds where she used bottlecaps dipped in paint to make circles.

Next week we will not meet at Creightons but at the Main library at 12:00 to see the calligraphy collection at the library that Jo has arranged for us.  We will be back to Creighton’s in two weeks.

The experiment is #6 - Emphasize Verticals - pages 41 + 43.

Hope to see you at both! Joanie and Shirley

Mary Ciofalo's Show

Just a couple out of the many paintings that told a tale. There may be a book on the way.