May 30

Congratulations!
Mary Ciofalo and Juan Vargas were accepted by the FiftyFifty Show at the Sanchez Art Gallery. Now the fun begins.

Installation at Center for Spiritual Living

Thank you Mary, Avelina, Juliet, invisible Bill and Shirley. Challenging and well done.

Quotes from Viewers:

Hi Shirley & Mary,

The folks at the Center loved your art!
Thank you both so much for all your hard work yesterday and for all your organization! I got called that everyone loved your paintings!
I am grateful. Thanks again, Juliet

Dear Juliet,
I was at the Center last evening and was overwhelmed by the fantastic art display. You have really set the bar quite high! Thank you so much for your hard work and to all the artists who contributed  their works. I think this exhibit can hang around for awhile unless we can sell it out completely! I know most people who were there last night felt similarly . 

Kudos to you. 

Namaste, Marsha

Tuesday at Creightons - May 19

Hi, TACers,
As we waited for artists to arrive we were talking about what we are afraid to try/what was challenging for us and it was pretty interesting.  Each of us is challenged by something different…cars, flowers, architecture, figure, etc.  Some of us are planning to use the summer to actually face our little demons!
09 - Paint on a Narrow Sheet
HEATHER took two pieces she had been working on and added more.  One was her misty piece and she added blooming trees that had an Asian feel, like graceful ladies in kimonos (my image).  She added more foreground detail in her piece on a gessoed background.
MARJORIE managed to produce NINE pieces.  She used a poppy piece she had done a while ago as her source.  She cropped the edge of that one, then she created a new one that included ink and was freer and another that she used looser blobs of color with cray-pas.  She was going for Bolder and Freer!  She also did two versions of a waterfall, two copies of Cezanne and two of Obata trees.
LEE produced a lovely and subtle Rothko and a little Helen Franken Faller.  She loves abstract.
SHIRLEY shared her third Japanese kite that was full of color and pattern.  She says she has one more and that she is ready to be done and needs a break from the intensity of the Iridori paints.
AVELINA did a reinterpretation of a portrait of her step-daughter that they lost two years ago. It was an ethereal pencil drawing over a background wash.  Lovely tribute!
SUE and JOANIE didn’t do their homework…there is nest week!
Check out the Rothko video!
Next week: 39 - Combine the Figure with Landforms
Soon, Joanie

Presentation on Turner 

Hi Gang,
Here is the information on the Kerrin Meis presentation on Turner. It will be held at the Corte Madera Store on 51 Tamal Vista Blvd. The date is June 26, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The cost is $40. You can register on line at: BookPassage.com.
You can also register at the store ahead of time or on the day of the event. I would not suggest registering on the day of the event because the space they usually use is not large and I’m sure it will be well attended.
Depending on the number who want to attend, I could go earlier and save seats if your  tickets have been purchased ahead of time. Please let me know if you plan to go and have purchased a ticket.
Regards, Camille Morishige

Tuesday at Creightons - May 26
Hi, TACers,
We continue to be a smaller group with some of us travelling.
09 - Paint on a Narrow Sheet
There were large to tiny narrow pieces of paper and, as usual, a wide variety of subject matter.
JANIE started us off with a double duty piece (paint from another painting and using a narrow sheet) of a waterfall from one of her oil paintings.  It had a delicate Asian feel and was incomplete.  We offered suggestions.
AVELINA used strips of poster board and created three fun and playful pieces. She had brightly colored tall giraffes, a water-ish blue piece that she used torn masking tape and a delightful “shoes of my life” piece that also showed the skirt lengths of her life and we all related. So fun!!!
She said the poster board was very hard to work on and it pilled and tore easily.
SUE had a big Turner impression piece. She did a yellow under wash that made the water just glow!
SHIRLEY did a long colorful figure on a dark background of a beautiful Osmoroid mahogany ink.  She said it was old.
MARJORIE did a colorful and fun long necked bird that curled it’s long neck back into the picture frame.  Her second was a straw blowing abstract with felt pen and the third was an arching tree that she did with a palette knife and some blowing and the smallest branches were the side of the palette knife.  The background was what she called a sloppy graded wash.
JOANIE had two small pieces. Her narrow piece was the smallest and showed a cross piece of a salvia.  Her other piece was her copy from a painting and she had a blue background and created the dandelion with alcohol drops.
HEATHER’s background was a soft “palette cleaning” color over which she used wax to nice effect.  The she divided the paper and created two different sides that she made “speak to each other”.
We also talked a little about ways to blow paint.  Remember when we learned about this?  I know I often forget about some of those interesting techniques.  I was delighted at what happened when I used alcohol this time.
Ideas: regular drinking straw, cocktail straw, canned air, a Mouth Atomizer, and, of course, just your breath.
Next week: 39 - Combine the Figure with Landforms
Have fun painting this week!
Joanie and Shirley 

May 23

Raise a Brush
Invite from Carmel

The image is a bit bleary, so for more info, go to: Raise a Brush

Vocabulary
Pam learned a new word from one of the paint manufacturers.

floc·cu·late  (flŏk′yə-lāt′) v. floc·cu·lat·ed, floc·cu·lat·ing, floc·cu·lates
v.tr.
1. To cause (individual particles) to aggregate into clotlike masses or precipitate into small lumps.
2. To cause (clouds) to form fluffy masses.
v.intr.
1. To form lumpy or fluffy masses.
     When your paint dries on your paper and forms a pattern of small blobs (not in a bad way), it's flocculating. 

May 16

Heather and Sue at Goat Hill Pizza

If your are interested in showing your work at Goat Hill Pizza, the man to contact is:
Mike Monley  -  mcmonley@gmail.com

Video Demonstration
Tuscany Window - Joanne Boon Thomas

Tuesday at Creightons - May  12
Hi, TACers,
12 - Create a New Species
There are now several new species on the planet!  All shapes, sizes and purposes.
HEATHER started with a brightly colored, squiggly background she had created, washed it with Sennellier Transparent Brown, put her hands and fingers on it and finally added detail for delicate, subtle beings.
AVELINA had two pieces, tree people inspired by Lord of the Rings, all twisty and kind of flirty! Then she created tulip butterfly dogs.  You could tell the males from the females by wing color, pink and blue.  There were two parents, an older pup and then three fledgling pups.  Fun and cute!
JOANIE had one that she didn’t like with some wormy-sluggy things with gold spikes and some green blobby things with gold yolks which she then outlined with watercolor crayons in red and blue.  It was too crude and harsh.  Her second was a small female creature with tendrils in blues and purples with gold and silver details. (Note from Shirley: It was adorable!)
MARJORIE did a big one with all sorts of shaped creatures with complex details that created a whole universe with reddish dots that carried the eye around the space.  She said it could be what is in a drop of water or a whole universe.
She crumpled the second paper and filled it with yellows, reds and greens and the darkened fold lines were filaments that could self-illuminate, couple, form groups or be alone as they wanted.
SHIRLEY shared two of her butterfly kite paintings. One we had seen before but she had added a leaf pattern as background to suggest jungle.  The colors were clear and bright with subtle gold details.  The second was more pastel, opaque and whimsical with big eyes.  The palette seemed different because the colors were more opaque but it was the same colors.  Interesting!
CAROL and SUE came but didn’t do their homework.  They did give great supportive comments so their grades didn’t go down….
Everyone who did this one said they had fun!
Next week: 11 - Paint from a Painting

Soon, Joanie

Watercolor Community Show - West Portal

 

May 09

Video

The Art and Science of Watercolor Conservation
A great short history of watercolor and how we have come to our present prejudices and the care and feeding of your favorite pieces.

John Muir Laws
How to Draw Wildflowers, Part 2
Nature Journal Club Event


Message from Nancy Elliot

Tuesday at Creightons - May 05

Hi, TACers

50 - Lift Out White Lines with Tissue
We had a full table today!   There was a lot of lifting going on.
JANIE did a field of daisies that was soft and fresh in greens and yellows which conveyed a very bright day.  She used scratching for grass effectively.
JOANIE used lifting to create a dandelion puff.  It was wonky botanically but the background, in browns and blues was interesting.
MARJORIE’s arrogant seagull said, “What you lookin’ at?”  She used the rolled tissue to create a wild sea in the background and got some cool effects on her gull wing.  Permanent mauve was the color of choice for her tree.  She isn’t sure if what she painted was the tree itself or vines that had integrated into the tree.  It looked very “twisty”.
HEATHER tried her new Sennelier brown.  Her piece was very light which gave the illusion of very thin fog.  Some of us saw trees and others dancers.  She was not happy with it but will probably add just a few darks and see what happened.
SUE’s fog rolling in over the city skyline was very effective.  She did the city with just painted lines and used one of her favorite techniques, wax.
Om another note:
AVELINA shared her folk art series that she will have in the Bernal Library in mid-May.  They were her meticulous work in vibrant colors.  Delightful!!!  She revealed that she uses different forks to score her paper.  They make great even lines! 
LEE mixed pure color and diagonals in one sunrise piece.  It got turned in all directions and discovered that it worked both ways.  She wants to try it again.
CAROL had two pieces.  Her pure color had bright primary color and nice pattern, reminiscent of Matisse.  Her diagonal landscape had complex and subtle colors and she also used wax.

Next Week: 12 - Create a New Species
Soon, Joanie

Apr 25

Winsor Newton Watercolor Seminar

Sat, May 9, 1pm – 3pm

Flax: 1699 Market St, San Francisco
One of our most popular workshops, the Winsor & Newton Watercolor Seminar is back with artist Anna Simpson!
For artists already working in watercolor or the newcomer, this lively and entertaining discussion looks at the history, techniques, and materials that spell success when working in this most legendary of mediums.  Discover which pigments granulate, why some colors stain, and the ideal landscape color palette.  Learn the keys to color permanence and lightfastness.  Winsor & Newton artist Anna Simpson will be here to answer these familiar watercolor questions and more, such as; which mediums help capture texture and expressive gesture?  Why do we have Rough, Cold Pressed and Hot Pressed papers? What colors best capture natural light?  What is gouache and can it be used with transparent watercolors? What are the three benchmarks for fine water media brushes? How do I care for my brushes and finished watercolors? 

These topics and any other questions you might bring will be addressed, with all attendees receiving free watercolor samples at the conclusion.  Also, all Winsor & Newton watercolors will be offered that day only at an extra 20% off the low FLAX price!

Please sign up early for this free event.  You can call the store at 415.552.2355 or sign up on the 'workshops' page of the FLAX website!

Painting at Filoli
Gail B. is planning a painting trip to Filoli, an estate down the peninsula, just west of highway 280, about 7 or 8 miles south of highway 92. It’s a huge estate donated to the state of California back in the 70s. There are 17 acres of flower gardens, 10 acres of orchards, and a 35,000 square foot house (no painting inside the house!). Filoli hosts “artist access days” once a month from March to October. The remaining dates this year are May 21, June 25, (no July date), August 13, September 17, and October 22.

The painting time is from 3;30 to 6:30, although payment of the fee enables you to spend the whole day there if you like. (It’s absolutely gorgeous, and Gail thinks you’d enjoy wandering the gardens and touring the mansion ahead of time. There’s a very nice cafe, situated under some spreading oak trees, with the occasional peacock strolling by.)

For a member, the Artist Access fee is $20, for a non member $30. The first date that she can make is August 13. If you’d like to make it a group endeavor, let me know.

Email Gail if you would like to participate with the date that interests you at: Gail B.
To find out more about Filoli, go to: Filoli.org
For Artist's Guidelines, go to Program Details and Materials List
To Register, go to: Artist Access Days  or call 650-364-8300 x508
You can register online or by phone, and I suspect that the sooner we do it, the better. The limit seems to be around 20 or 25, although I got different figures the two times I visited the office.

It does get really hot in the summer, so you might prefer the September or October date. She may splurge and do all three.There’s a lot of shade, in any case, and it will be mid- to late-afternoon. If you decide to go and would like her to keep track of who’s going when, in case people would like to carpool, just let her know. She doesn’t think you’ll have any problems registering on your own.

(Back in ’78 when Warren Beatty decided he’d like to use Filoli for his movie, “Heaven Can Wait”, he paid to have the mansion renovated, as I gather it wasn’t in the best shape at that time. He used the ballroom as his gym!)

Tuesday at Creightons - Apr 28

  Hi, TACers!
4 - Emphasize Diagonals
Our diagonals were pretty cool.
Shirley started us off with a Japanese butterfly kite in a bright palette.  She wanted “lifesaver” candy colors for the kite and then she muted the same colors with neutral tint for the background. She also used Sumi ink and gesso.
Sue did a piece on mystical metallic that included a figure in front of mountains and she added sun, moon and stars that she loves.
Joanie moved in close on a starfish and was working on shading.  She also had a bunch of carrots that were floating in space…
Marjorie is back from down under where she swam with dolphins!!  Her seagull study was all grey that she mixed with red and green and the sea behind was kind of wild.
Janie shared her “gellie” prints that she tried, with lace. She didn’t feel successful but she sure made lemonade with the one she transformed into a Moroccan rug!  She also shared her journal from her trip to Morocco last summer and we all fell in love with her illustrations of her camels!
We also talked about sketching quickly with simple supplies and how when’ we can do that our brain gets out of the way and we get some really wonderful stuff.

Next week: 50 - Lift Out White Lines with Tissue
That’s it for this week, Joanie
P.S.  can anyone use nineish empty prescription bottles with no labels????

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