So--What have you been up to lately?

That's the question I get asked because I haven't been out and about lately--other than painting or coding websites. Yes--that was plural--websites.

So--what have I been doing lately. I started the month of August getting all the media from the Reflections On A Pond exhibit together and was asked by Kevin to update and administer the website for Reflections On A Pond. I agreed to this and the fun began. I've been editting video, selecting pictures, and coding the pages for the necessary changes and updates I wanted to include. That's taken a lot of time and is now in Kevin's hands for review and input. We hope to launch the site soon, so keep your eyes open for an email announcing that.

When I finished that project, I decided that my site was in need of a little brush up and added professionalim, so that coding started earlier this week. Since this was my site, it was a bit easier to make changes, since I was use to my code. Hope that you enjoy the changes and also the new paintings that have been posted as well. There's also a change in that you can now purchase a painting via paypal using your credit card. Some prices have been reduced on some paintings and some can be a real steal if you would like the painting without the frame. Check out the deals and if you have any questions, let me know. Also, please note that the workshop page is back. The upcoming Seeing Shapes two day workshop is actually an excellent beginners workshop. It is always easier to start by seeing shapes versus breaking bad habits. It's also at a great price! Hope that you'll join us!

Now for the painting part, I'll be painting in the studio and also at a friend's house in their backyard which has a pond. The plan is to do that even more as the fall approaches.

Now for what I did today...something I want to share with my friends. I'm working on a painting of my niece Ava. The picture was taken while in North Carolina at the beach. While there I did a charcoal sketch. Since I didn't have my plein air equipment with me (don't go there), I came home and painted a quick study from the sketch and photos. Here's the sketch I did in North Carolina, focusing on shapes...



I grabbed a cheap canvasboard and began the process again, quickly capturing color and shapes in the terms of shadow and lights. Today I went back to the quick study, wanting to work the colors and use that for my larger painting, instead of working from a photograph. Here's where we ended up...



I sat for a very long time and looked at this study. There was something bugging me...and then I asked myself one question. Just what is the focus, the main thing, you want the viewer to look at? The answer was obivious--I want them to look at Ava and focus on what she is doing. When I looked at the painting, I kept going to the the odd shapes that were unexplained in the painting. The lounger legs that create a shadow, the Boogie board that creates an shadow and the bucket in the forground all grab our attention..but for the wrong reason. For someone who was not there, it would beg the question.."Just what is that?" Not what I want to keep someone in the picture. I want them to focus on center of the attention....the child.

So I cropped the picture of the paintng to see if that helped and answered my question. Here's the cropped version of the study.



Next step? I'm cropping the picture, redrawing a charcoal sketch and painting another quick study to check that this composition is strong enough for a larger painting. If so, then we'll start that next, using the colors, shapes,light and shadows from my two studies to paint what I hope will be an award winning painting.

Thanks for checking in on the blog and website. Looking forward to talking and seeing you soon!
Cheers,
Linda