Hello Dear Art Lover
It's a New Dawn
What is it about a few sunny days? Just a few in a row and I'm already feeling good. Just like that Nina Simone song. Has it been shining where you are, despite the annoyance of this f___ng lockdown?
Of course, I have been blessed with a new and larger studio space to work in. I've also been challenging myself with a '30 heads in 30 days' project. If you see the Instagram posts you will see what I have been doing. My intention is not to create a realistic likeness, but I have been surprising myself with some of the results.
Even if I get just one feature nailed, it seems to do the trick. It's also keeping me honest.
Doing this every day reminds me of the Chuck Close quote... ' Amateurs look for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and do the work'. I met him at his show at the Buffalo art gallery years ago when my buddies, Dorothy and Angela and I went on a road trip. It was just after an extremely heavy snow storm. There were streets littered with downed trees. It was a spectacular sight. You would recognize Chuck's work I'm sure. He did huge photorealistic portraits. But the amazing thing about him is that he had a stroke in 1988 and worked from a wheelchair . He had this awesome rig built to lift his chair up so he could paint portraits 50 times life-size.
I tried to upload a youtube of Chuck entitled 'Chuck, Up Close ' but just couldn't figure out how to do it. It's worth a watch and only a few minutes long.
I would also guess that he would have some assistants. And do I ever know the value of helpers! My niece, Lise, has helped me with so much instruction about computer related issues that I'm sure she must be banging her head against the wall after some of our calls. She has the patience of a saint.
You may have heard that I am going to be making prints of some of my larger paintings. I'm hoping to open the shop on March 1. If you have any suggestions about the size of a print or a particular painting you'd like in a print, please let me know. They will be limited editions and considerably lower in price. I have my favourites, but I am always surprised by what others choose.
Today I'm adding two of the portraits I've done. They are only 6x6 in on paper, done with a mix of media..watercolour pencils and crayon, and acrylic markers.
Til next time,
YOUR HOME + YOUR STYLE + MY ART
ROCK ON
GAIL
