Apr 23

All About Masking 

The Complete Guide to Masking Fluid
45 minutes of masking information, tips and tests (thank you, Pam). Does not include how to use the brown mailing tape, have to find that one again.


A New Page
Resources: Check it for some information. A work in progress, more to come.

Tuesday at Creightons - Apr 21

Hi, TACers!
A small group of 3 and ½ today (Carol D. came late), and only half did the work.

20 - Paint with Pure Color
JANIE used yellows and blues to create a seascape with an intriguing yellow horizon line.  She was pretty happy with the result and is planning to work more on waves in the future.  She said she learned that by using only tube colors she had to practice restraint. She really wanted to mix.
JOANIE did nasturtiums in warm oranges and reds with big round green leaves. She used ink to outline. Then used lighter color to show depth but could have used less defining lines on leaves more distant.
Shirley saw on a video that that plastic brown packing tape makes a good masking tool. Not the paper kind.
Then there was time to talk…first about what our “I can’t paint that” phobias were. Carol shies away from architecture, Shirley is struggling with cars and for Janie and Joanie it’s roses. It seemed to be things we found “hard”.
Then it was on to “ARTIST”.  What does it mean and are we artists? Carol quoted Joseph Campbell, ” An artist is not a special kind or person but every person is a special kind of artist.” Don’t you love it!
Shirley talked about how selling is part of the definition for a professional artist. Selling/not selling can become a validation/invalidation of the worth of the piece and it can reflect upon her sense of self-worth. Being an artist includes selling and that says your work is “good”. Also questions the difference between "artist", "artisan", "artistic", "craft", "crafty", etc.
Joanie prefers terms like “painter” or “watercolorist”.  They don’t seem to have a value judgement. It is just a description. She also links “artist” to the most excellent work and fame.
It was really interesting. What do you think about it?
Btw - Janie had some stylin' going on, foot-wise.

AND - PEG sent in this:

 Hi all, I layered pure color to get the skin tones and colors on the wrap. The turban and the darks were mixed. Miss you, Peg

Next week: 4 - Emphasize Diagonals
Joanie

Apr 11

Tuesday at Creightons - Apr 14

Tuesday at Creighton

Hi, TACers
We had a much smaller group today.  A bunch of us are travelling.

While we waited for people to arrive and get their morning treats we discussed the presentation at FLAX on Saturday.  There was a good presentation of Sennelier watercolors.  The interesting thing about them is they have honey in them and that all the pigments are ground to the same specifications.  Arches paper had rabbit skin glue as a binder and Fabriano Artistico has a plant based binder.  Have you even noticed the smell of Arches when you are working with it quite wet??  I really dislike that smell!

45 - Suggest Vast Distances
HEATHER started off with her piece from last week.  She had totally reworked it with just paints on her palette and she worked quickly.  The gesso added an interesting quality to her subtle colors.
This prompted a short discussion about the quality of our artwork.  Is it less valuable, good, etc., if you do it fast or it is easy???
AVELINA did the Monument Valley buttes with a beautiful sky and clouds.  She used Burnt Sienna for most of it and they changed it for shadows.  She used Fluid brand paper and found it very unsatisfactory and it tore when she removed the tape.  She was glad it was her last piece.
JANIE took us to the Saget (sp?) Washington tulip fields with rows of color and a delicate cloudy sky.  She created some interesting textures.
JOANIE also did clouds, one of Twin Peaks and another with dried fields and a tiny silo.
LEE was struggling with depth and asked for suggestions, which, as you know, we are always happy to give! The piece worked well as an abstract but details could be added to make it a little more representational.
SHIRLEY swirled us into the Outer Limits with paint and salt!  Swirls or color, salt starbursts, stardust with silver tempera and a tiny alien!  She is the salt queen!  (That is kind of like being “The Bomb.)
If you haven’t been in awhile, drop in over the next couple of weeks to keep us company.  With so many away we will be lonely…..

Next week: 20 - Paint with Pure Color
Until then, Joanie

Kay Russell and Mary Blake Open Studio

Color Challenge

Online Color Challenge
How well do you see color? FACT: 1 out of 255 women and 1 out of 12 men have some form of color vision deficiency. Take the online color challenge, based on the Farnsworth Munsell 100 Hue Test. Click here to try it out!
Thank you, Pam

Tuesday at Creighton - Apr 07

Hi, TACers!

Slacker last week, sorry!

This week in Goldsmith’s: 22 - Make restful areas count
PAM started us off with an unfinished piece of a road, rock and trees.  She needs to add more darks as there wasn’t much difference in values.
JANIE salvaged an old painting, adding a forest and a meadow with a restful spot.  She used sponging, a filbert brush and pen.
SUE did a quiet beachy scene and did a great job or replicating wet sand.  Good sense of distance.  She saved white paper and used white crayon for the whitecaps.  She is off to New York for museum adventures for a week!
AVELINA used figures in warm colors on cool backgrounds.
HEATHER blasted out a piece in five minutes!  She gessoed an old painting and painted a subtle piece.  A suggestion was to try watercolor medium instead as it won’t resist the paint as gesso does.
JOANIE used her Easter breakfast at Nick’s in Pacifica as inspiration for a wild seascape. Her rock was ambiguous.
CAROL D. had trees in snow and it really looked COLD!
SHIRLEY asked for advice for next steps on her blue and white Japanese piece.  There were a lot of ideas.
Other conversation was about defining oneself as an artist and how everyone is changing and learning and how valuable is the exchange of ideas between us.  There was also talk about brushes, filberts (nuts and brushes, games and stolen purses!  You are missing all the fun!!!!

Next week: 45 - Suggest Vast Distances
Until next week, Joanie

Tuesday at Creighton - Apr 31

Hello from "Not Joanie",

I expected a smallish group because of all the travel plans (I do not see why Pam cannot plan her excursions around our meeting and exactly what can Australia offer that Diamond Heights does not?) but we just keep showing up and doing the work! I am thinking about bring my own chair, just so patrons have somewhere to sit on Tuesday mornings.

44 - Abstract from a Commonplace Object
This is a no brainer, for me, but many in the group where moaning and groaning (some were even whining). But, they gave it a go and produced some really interesting effects.

And, one of my favorite moments happened. I completely understand the feeling that my work in "not good enough" for whatever reason, so when someone bravely holds up a piece that they are very unsure of, it always makes me happy.

So, I leave you with this blessing:
Be brave with your brush, pertinent with your palette, and keep your teacup away from your paint water.

Next Week: 22 - Make Restful Areas Count