Painting - Week of August 20th

These are the oil paintings I did last week.  It was my second week off and I think I was pretty productive without driving myself too hard since it is my vacation.

This is a copy in black and white of a Velasquez painting. Sunny suggested this as a good exercise.

I did this painting on Saturday.  I was so proud of it.  I can't even believe it came out of me.  I am really pleased with the flesh tone and the hair.

 I did this in Israel Martinez's Wednesday class.  I felt pretty good about it.  Sunny said I should have a little more sensitivity with the highlights and the darks. I was pleased with it.

 I did this in the uninstructed session at Graphaids west LA.  The model Evin is quite beautiful  Sunny said I should have pushed the shadows more in her face.  He also mentioned the dress is too soft.

All and all I have to say for me it was a good week in painting and I think I made a lot of progress.

Late July to Mid August Paintings

I am trying to keep painting although I always get very frustrated and emotional about it.  I need to be more Zen but instead I am look an overly emotional soccer mom who should be banned from her kids games.  I feel sensitive, frustrated and I hate myself a lot when I am painting.  I often feel like a no talent loser and start wondering why I bother.  I am going to try to be more like Andy Murray and say things to myself like he said at Wimbledon - "I am getting closer."

This was a piece I did today that Sunny helped me with.  I thought I was doing ok but I wasn't. It seems to have turned out ok in the end.

 I did this a couple weeks ago on Saturday.  I was so tired that I asked Sunny if I could paint in black and white.  I couldn't deal with color this morning.

 This is a still life I did in Sunny's class.  I am trying to figure out what I am doing here.  Looking at it now it seems a little gray and some of the shadows look like cut outs.

 I did this last Saturday. I had a bit of trouble with the lips and as always the flesh tones.

 I was happy with this painting when I did it. Sunny said my hair looked like a cut out so I tried to soften it.

 I went to Israel Martinez's still life class this Wednesday.  I really thought it was a good class. I was the only person painting.  2 other young guys were in the class and they were drawing. Sunny told me some of my cloth looks like a cut out and my pear doesn't look 3 dimensional.

 I did this painting at Graphaids uninstructed. Tim liked it. Sunny thinks my flesh should be warmer. I think my eyes are weird. I think I will try to work with the head bigger on the page  I seem to get lost at this size with the features.

Painting with an Emphasis on Color at 3 Kicks

Starrting taking a class at 3 Kicks called "Painting with an Emphasis on Color" taught by Sunny A.
Some of the stuff Sunny says reminds me of Bill Perkins.

Here are my notes from last week (the first class)

"Don't worry about drawing objects it is a waste of time.  Think about if you are going to have a high key or low key painting.  Block in quickly, don't try to be too careful. Push with color and stay with color putting down dabs.  Apply beautiful colors don't worry about rendering the objects. Look for colors.  Don't put white in every single highlight. Look for abstract colors."

(3) 30 min Still Lives for Kathy

I did these three quick still lives this week at night,  Mainly while Tim was watching TV. Kathy gave me this ceramic jug over twenty years ago.  She made it at Wesleyan in a ceramic class. I don't know where Kathy is but I was always very fond of her.

This first one is a full palette.

 This second one is a monochrome palette.  Sunny says my lemons are the wrong color.

This third painting is the one I did first. It is a full palette.

More Bad Paintings - Topanga Ranch Motel

I did some more bad paintings last week. It is so damn hard to paint. These paintings made me decide I have to go back inside and just work on basic techniques.  I was so angry and frustrated with myself that after class was over I signed up for a painting class at 3 Kicks to go back inside and just figure out how to paint bottles and fruit.

 This painting is of these abandonned shacks at Topanga Ranch Motel.

This is behind the motel.  The park rangers said the area is called the "Snake Pit."

Hymn of the Pearl

Fooling around with some of my panels this week on Hymn of the Pearl.

Pacific Palisades off Swarthmore

Did these paintings last Saturday off of Swarthmore in Pacific Palisades in Karl's Class.  I am not a good painter but I have faith if I keep painting I will be good in 5 years.