Feb 17, 2016
Past the middle of February already. Holy Smokes!
I gotta get a move on. That SMH hanging will be upon me any second now.
Tomorrow is D Day. Nose to the the easel etc no excuses.
I hang out at the Barrie Art Club (BAC) quite often. Someone there, who shall be nameless, captured me in all my glory behind the easel.
It'a an interesting club with artists at every level from beginner to solid pros. I've learned something from everyone I've met there. We exchange all kinds of ideas. It's not a place for people who are afraid of ideas.
Technical talk floats around in the ether too. A clever person can pluck out all kinds of information on just about every aspect of painting there is and not have to ask a question. The air is permeated with art talk.
Anyway, here I am at BAC in all my glory working up a small study.
Here are today's treasures:
me hard at work and a detail from a small study
Jan 14, 2016
The opening at the 20th Annual International Women's Day Art Show at the Orillia Museum of Art and History (OMAH) was fantastic.
It was wall to wall people who had 140 pieces of stunning art to look at. I was completely bowled over. I was in in such good company...
I'm going back myself to have a really close look at all that art. Probably will go back more than once there's that much to see.
If you are in the Orillia area at all it is well worth a visit @ 30 Peter Street. The show will be up until 10th of April
The place is wheelchair and walker accessible ... the museum staff will gladly meet you at the ramp door
Here's my piece in the show
Alice Edwards 1949 --
Frozen and Fading
40" x 30"
oil on canvas
Jan 12
Patience and I will be back. Orillia was too far for Patience to travel so she's taking a time out.
I'll let you know how the the 20th Annual International Women' Day Art Show Opening Reception, Sat Feb 13, 1 - 3 at the Orillia Museum of Art and History, 30 Peter Street, Orillia ON, Canada goes.
Women's issues are perhaps even more important now than in the 60's. I'm glad so many from all over are supporting this event. The show will be open until April 10th.
It promises to be pretty darn cold here tomorrow
See you back home Tues, Feb 16th
Hope you all have a good long weekend
Alice the Artlady
Feb 10, 2016
Patience is wearing some colour today.
You ever notice that you get to yakking with an artist pal and time slides out from under you without so much as a by your leave?
Today it just did that. Did some research, went in town to the hospital (SMH) to measure and check out the hanging system for my April 1 show. By the time I corralled a volunteer to hold the other end of the measuring tape, I was running so far behind I was first in the world race of turtles.
Met up with an artist friend for a quick coffee and to bounce ideas. Then off to the local arts council office to meet with the executive-director. She had all kinds of useful information and paperwork galore. Lovely smile too.
From there to the printers to check on an order. By the time I was finished the proofing, it was nearly dark. I knew Patience was waiting sitting on the easel all by herself.
Me? I was dying to get into the studio and sling a few licks of paint around. Patience was waiting. Everyone in the world decided to phone and none of those calls could be ignored.
But I did it! I got in there for a little while. Patience forgave me as I adjusted the background some more. Made more decisions about the lay in of paint, took a rough shot to show you where things stand today and well...
I realize that to others this all seems like it's taking a long time but it's necessary. Time to balance values, tones, colours, minute adjustments, small strokes of paint in the right place or the wrong places changes everything. Taking care. Exercising good judgement now will save me time in the long run.
In no time at all things will take off like a bat out of Hades.
Patience will be happy wearing her own face and knitting up a storm.
In the meantime here is
Patience in process/progress
Feb10/2016/Alice Edwards#1009
Feb 9, 2016
One of the things I've been thinking about today as Patience and I get reacquainted is how pictures of loved ones would have been made in her time.
Clearly, it would have been a painted portrait, perhaps a miniature, and only really available to those who had plentiful ready cash.
Photography as we know it, even in it's earliest forms, didn't come along until the mid 1800's and certainly wasn't readily available then.
Someone like Patience most likely wouldn't have had a likeness taken during the course of her life.
In my mind, Patience was an army wife following her English Grenadier soldier husband in the most trying circumstances in here in the new world.
I took a sepia tinted photograph to help me thnk of her as she might have been in those days as I work on her portrait. I do need to keep an old time mindset.
In actuality, she would have faced directly forward and perhaps had her head strapped tightly to the chair to keep her from moving
since an exposure took a long time. No wonder everyone looks so miserable in the Daguerreotype photos.
Keep in mind, the time in which Patience really lived, was close on to 100 years before Daguerreotype and sepia photos made their appearance. I thought you might like to see the results of my experiment.
Tomorrow I'll be doing the first lay in of her face and adjusting the background a little more.
We're talking now, you see, about what she wants and needs to look her best self.
Patience in process/progress
Feb 8/2016/Alice Edwards#1009
Feb 8, 2016
Sometimes, I get to poking around in the studio and come across a piece I set aside during a move from one town to another.
Today, I fished this piece out and thought I'd look it over, then finish my knitter. She's from a 1760 reenactment battle staged in Tottenham a bunch of years ago.
I meant to finish this a while ago but got caught up in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge but today I made up my mind to just do it.
So she's up on the easel. Over the next few days of days I'll finish bringing her to life. She deserves that much from me.
My knitter has been patience personified, and so I've decided to name her Patience. It was an honourable name back in those days. She's quietly been living in the back of my studio storage area.
I took a black and white photograph to help me check the existing values, ( that's the light and dark areas), and made a few decisions about where I'll begin tomorrow.
I have a plan now.
Patience and I hope you'll join us tomorrow to begin watching her come to life under the brush
Patience in process/progress
Feb 8/2016/Alice Edwards#1009
Feb 7, 2016
Ideas are like bubbles. They are beautiful, seductive and all consuming. I love ideas. The more the merrier in my view.
I spent the afternoon with an artist who is not afraid of any idea. Her enthusiasm for life is infectious. I catch fire around her. Laughter is the order of the day.
Some of our mutual friends are convinced we are crazy but we have such fun. There isn't an idea that's too crazy to explore. One of us gets an idea and off we go.
Being able to bounce an idea off another mind that isn't closed is a gift direct from heaven. It is a symbiotic friendship that has gone on in one form or another for twenty one years. Some broken periods of time here and there and yet ... when we see each again it's as though no time has passed
But the ideas that come forward and are accepted without judgement often grow and expand effortlessly. Neither of us would dream of bursting the other's bubbles. All ideas are honestly examined without prejudice.
Soo... with that in mind here is today's treasure
Alice Edwards 1949 --
Bubbles
3 3/4" x 5 1/2"
ink on paper
Feb 6, 2016
Sometimes there is only a few minutes to catch someone staring off into space thinking deep thoughts.
Today was one of those times.
Actually, I had just mere minutes both times. Not really enough time to catch anything but done in Bond Head, ON in my favourite studio which made it worth while from my point of view.
Alice Edwards 1949 --
Meade
12" x12"
charcoal on paper
Alice Edwards 1949 --
Kathy
8" x 6"
oil on canvas board
Feb 5, 2016
Today, I spent some time with an interesting person who has a kind heart to boot. Good way to live, love, learn and grow. I am constantly astonished at the good fortune I have in my friends. Between them all they make me a very rich woman.
She fed me sweet potato chips, parsnip chips and beet chips All are new to me. It was not only a mind expanding time but a tummy sweetener too.
I like going there. I learn stuff. All kinds of stuff. In her previous life she was a librarian. That means she's got all sorts of knowledge tucked away in her head. She's an art lover and a collector. So, there's lot's of eye candy too.
The way I figure it, if I'm smart, I'll listen to and get a free education in a variety of subjects there at the BBS. How good it that? And I got nibbles too.
We were down a member. She ran off to do Granny stuff so all is forgiven, but next month she'd better show because I want to hear her take on things too.
I am so happy today, a dancer came forth. I'm pretty sure she'll become a painting dressed in her best and turning out a pretty leg.
I can tell I'll be back behind the easel pretty darn soon. Drawing is great fun but paintings have to happen. Shows are sneaking up on me at an astonishing pace.
Any day now I'll be painting my brains out in another sustained rush to a deadline.
Tomorrow though, I'm going to go paint at one of my favourite studios for a few hours, then off meet a couple of friends for a reunion coffee.
This is how I fortify myself for the next round of painting.
Good friends, some good talk, good food, and lots of ideas floating over them.
Here's today's treasure
Alice Edwards 1949 --
Tuttu
4 1/2" x 7"
Pencil on paper
Feb 4, 2016
There's the everyday jobs that got lost during the 30 paintings in 30 days.
Someone called to come yesterday to have a look around. I looked around and said sure come on over there's a few things you can look at. I hung up and then took another look around.
I realized that my entire studio was completely out of control. I can't move in here. No one else could either ... and someone was coming!
I threw things in boxes. Then looked around some more I had a pathway now. It was a beginning.
Sargeant said, At least I think it was Sargeant, he is a favourite of mine. Anyway he said, "Start with a broom and finish with a needle."
Sooo... duster in hand I started, ( my version of a broom ) ... and it took forever but it was worth it
My friend, the one who laughed so hard yesterday, grabbed these shots of me running amok dust mop in hand.
One down, 60 paintings to go! Oh! No!
Here I am in motion ...
Feb 3, 2016
Things are hopping The place is rocking.
I'm prepping my entry for the 20th International Women's Day Art Show.
An artist friend stopped by. She spent the entire visit laughing as she watched me rush about trying to get a bunch of things ready at the same time. I'll do the same when it's her turn.
Actually she helped out a great deal once she stopped laughing.
How is it that everything comes due at the same time? I just got offered another show. So I'll be painting like mad again shortly.
It always starts out reasonably. Then it goes to Hades at a pace which has to be seen to be believed.
New hardware has to be installed on everything else. It seems D rings are now de rigour as many galleries are changing or have changed over their hanging systems. Some are still using older systems.
You know of course, I have the wrong hardware on the wrong pieces.
Welcome to the weird and whacky world of art.
So while I fix that here's a little eye candy for those who like to see an artist's working space
Feb 2, 2016
I confess.
I took the day off yesterday. I earned it.
But here I am again.
One of the best things about drawing and painting are those moments when you can to do some life drawing. Whether it's a dressed figure, a draped figure, a nude figure or a portrait, it is quite simply the best and fastest way to develop your drawing skills.
People can get into a tizz wuzz about it. But any artist will tell you how quickly you forget it's a person. That figure becomes a bunch of shapes or lines, tones and colours. And every second you are trying to fit it all together like a jig saw puzzle.
Everything in you is so focused on making the thing (person) fit together you simply don't have time to spare for anything else. The human figure is exactly like a landscape at it's best and most difficult.
All those hills and valleys. All the different kinds of shadows. How does this fit with that? You're looking at size relationships, and proportions. Then there's always perspective to drive you straight around the twist ...
As for colour, you can only pray you come close. Every skin tone is different and presents it's own problems. Each drape and fold of cloth does it to your head too.
Never mind the actual structure, which you must get right first, if it's even to look human. Then there's making it look male or female. After all that there's the work required to make an actual likeness.
No, my friend. It's all work once you begin. The intensity of concentration required can bend the the strongest mind.
The simple act of drawing becomes a celebration of life. In the end you are filled with an incredible sense of wonder.
For myself, I especially enjoy the warm ups. We call them gestures.
Sometimes they maybe only 15 seconds long in which case you have to remember what you saw to get in down on paper. Then one minute poses. Then two mins. Five minutes, on to a ten minute pose, then perhaps one for 15 minutes and now you are on your way to a sustained drawing which presents it's own issues.
Make a mistake in the beginning and it comes back to bite you. There's something screwy about that mouth, that shoulder that ... well you name it
Remember the clock is ticking the whole time too. No pressure ... each medium is it's own task master
So today I thought I would show a few 15 to 30 seconds timed gestures.
Either I got it or I didn't but the doing of it is my greatest joy
Here are today''s treasures
Alice Edwards
various sizes
pencil on paper
