Meeting Notes, March 30, 2017

At todays meeting: Loretta U, Peggie, Tim, Jim, Kathy J, Kathy L, Joanne T, Jeanie, Loretta L, Ward, Annie, Jerry, Geri, Mary, Tedd, Eunice, Kristina, Kathy, Joanne K, Tom K, Kristine, and Celeste.

Today's suggested table topic: "Uneven Results" Why is it we sometimes paint very well only to paint poorly the very next session? What do you think accounts for this and how can we better ensure more and more successes and less unfavorable results?

Celeste: Recently I have been studying Bryan Mark Taylor and his ideas about "chunking". I am on board with this and I think that in the future I'm going to be narrowing my focus and thinking about specifics when I practice. I'm showing recent daily paintings from the sketchy app.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sktchy-for-artists-and-muses/id594661327?mt=8
https://youtu.be/HZE2f1DImTg

Jerry: I have been doing 12 weeks of drawing in the Marc Andres class (at PCC). I am now returning to oil. I know that the drawing has helped my painting!  Each painting I do something a little differently with the colors I select...I may not use the same palette of colors from one painting to the next. I have come to think about every painting as a problem solving opportunity. At the end of painting often you are tired! These are times when you really are paying attention.  I started this painting plein air at Sitka and finished it in the studio.

Annie: Recently I was waiting for my husband --we were going to go somewhere, but he was not ready to go and so I just started drawing. And even though I was waiting for him, I was distracted ---but drawing came out great! (Laughter)! So I think sometimes distraction can be good. I am showing recent paintings. There is a quote that I like that seems appropriate to this subject:  "Those who hunt treasure must go alone, at night, and when they find it they have to leave a little of their blood behind them." (Loren Eiseley)


Ward:  Good and bad are actually the same. One does not exist without the other -- in fact, you need the unfavorable results to even begin to understand the favorable results. There are highs and lows always. I am not crazy about putting a label on the unfavorable results-- calling them "bad". Good and bad are really the same. I am showing a painting that I did plein air while on vacation. This is the North Beach Yacht Club that had glory days (and was frequented by the "rat pack" back in time).  It fell into ruin, but it has been restored.
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/slworking/4481094572/

Loretta L: I am back from California. For me, I admit that I have sometimes felt swayed by the compliments I've received or even the compliments I didn't receive! (Laughter)! You can be buffeted about by the varying opinions of your work! I have learned to plan my paintings, I have better results that way. I am showing a recent acrylic painting.

Jeanie: Recently my "check engine" light came on so I have had that problem. (Loretta U interjects: Put a piece of tape over that light). (Laughter)! I talked to Thomas pertaining to the subject white. It was a very long conversation...but eventually he had to leave because he had someplace he had to be! (Laughter)! I made the mistake of using "Fastmatte" white recently. Big mistake! Not what I expected.  I am showing a recent studio painting.

Kristine: I think that I experience a lot of success and failure within every painting! (Laughter)! Scott Gellatly said (during one of his workshops):  "You can't paint ahead, you can't paint behind....you have to stay where you are in the now of a painting".  I am showing my sketchbook that I have started for this year. When I was here last time Elo was talking about casein. I tried it out.

Joanne T: Sometimes, I can't explain it, but everything comes together! I have really liked Instagram a lot. Instagram is the best! You can get a lot of good feedback on Instagram. But!! I am aware that you can't really worry about what people think! (Still, favorable feedback is motivating). I wanted to show you this-- it's called a panel pak. This makes it so that you can carry two paintings --front to front without problems. A very clever design. I am showing recent paintings.
http://www.panelpak.com

Kathy: If I just dive in and I think: "Man, this is going to be great" --then it totally tanks! (Laughter)! There are just no guarantees. My best aha moments have come from the failures.  I painted a tea cup and I thought it was good, but some friends pointed out a perspective issue. I kept saying, but no--this is exactly what it looked like! With time (however) when I looked at it again I saw EXACTLY what they had been telling me! (Laughter)! I am showing a pastel painting.

Mary: Sometimes I like something I painted and no one else does (and visa versa)! I am finding out by doing the daily paintings (on Facebook) that I have a problem with wet into wet. I just can't seem to do it...but I am working on it. I am showing recent paintings that I did --practice and exercises.

Vicki: For me most of my successes have had to do with "energy"! I have to be inspired by what I'm looking at. Then, if I am inspired, I just have to go at it! I have to get to it and then that energy is translated into the paint. I'm showing some drawings I did from Florida and this painting to remind you of the snow.

Stephanie: I don't know why things work out, but sometimes they do! Other times problems can be traced back to my not preparing correctly. If my paint wasn't set out right or my paint was old or my surroundings were too chaotic. I look at the whole range of my paintings, however, I look at all the paintings "good" and "bad" and realize that they are all necessary. I like what Robert Genn said about it once...he said he would look at a (so-called) failed painting and say (to it) "Thank you for your service". (Laughter)!

Kathy L: I can salvage a watercolor painting because I can wash half of the wrong part of the painting away in the sink! (Laughter)! I get mad at myself. I sometimes hear my Dad saying "do it this way or  do it that way"  and I have to say to myself ---don't listen to Dad! (Laughter)! I'm showing two recent paintings.

Jim: My painting sessions have all been "learning sessions"! I had an instructor who counseled us: "keep bad paintings in your closet". You certainly learn from each one of them. You have to prepare here (pointing to his head)...but you can also overthink! It is a fine line. Recently I was at Wildlife Safari. I was hurried ---but I had the extraordinary experience of watercolor painting this lion from life! I'm also showing a coast painting.

Tim: Everybody fails--- get over it! (Laughter)! Paint again! That is the only way! always paint again! I'm showing two recent plein air paintings. (Last time I was painting plein air Dave Salesky happened by and visited with me). http://katu.com/station/people/dave-salesky

Tom: In 1955 I was 11 years old. Our neighbor was a man named Larry Reynolds. He was a cartoonist of some note. He had a cartoon called Butch. Some of you here might be old enough to remember this cartoon-- it was popular. He explained that as a one-panel cartoonist you had one shot to get the idea across. I was just a young kid, but I asked him: "But what do you do when if don't feel like drawing"? He said "well kid" (they all talked like that in '55)  "Bite the bad day, but you draw anyway"!

Joanne:  I think the questioner was asking more about how do you get a consistent look to your work,..not so much about good or bad. The questioner might have been trying to find out how do we get more reliable results?  I'm going to read this from the Alla Prima book by Richard Schmid about control. (Photo on front page). Also Richard Schmid provides a checklist of all of the things that can go wrong in a painting. (It is very long list)! I'm showing two recent florals. Sometimes these florals--- they are so challenging....I just want to kill them! (Laughter)!

Kristina: Every profession has "uneven results". Ours is a visual profession, so of course, we see our results clearly sitting there on the easel! But, you know, they don't play just one NBA game ---they play a series. I am showing a painting that I painted in an event and I held it back and I didn't submit it. I look at it now and I think to myself ---I should have!

Peggie: This is a timely topic for me because I had a failure last week. I was given a gift of some roses and of course I wanted to paint them. But I did everything all wrong. I dove in without thinking. The light was changing. It all got muddy. It was all too uniform in one place and the composition cut in half. All bad! Maybe if I had a saw I could saw it into a good composition (laughter)! So my advice: Make sure that you get all the shapes right. Make sure that your composition is just how you want to be. And here's more advice: Don't paint flowers! (Laughter)! I'm showing a painting that I just recently completed. I had thought about changing this right at the top--but I've been counseled by my husband. He said don't change it at all---this the sparkle is just right.  (Applause)!

Loretta: well it's all been said! Not sure that there is an answer. It sometimes goes from working well to not working well at all! For myself, I can't predict if somethings going to work out or not!

Eunice: Pass !

Tedd: I have to clean up my studio before I start. I just can't paint if the surroundings are not orderly. Another thing I've noticed -- if I get too close to a painting and I work on it too closely, it just goes bad. I have to stand back and use my whole arm. I wanted to show you-- I bought a 4 x 8 plywood panel and I got 40 panels out of it. I cut them myself. I'm also showing a recent painting.

Announcements: 

Joanne Radmilovich Kollman - Painting or Drawing Clothed Model -  1 - 4 pm $20/class   Upstairs

All levels welcome. Friday model is Tony
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1695576667380902/

Joanne Radmilovich Kollman Fridays Drop in 9am to 12:30pm  $25 This is in anticipation for the Max Ginsburg workshop. However, you don't have to be in the workshop to participate. We're going to be covering how to prepare a support on the first Friday.
joradarts@comcast.net
http://www.oregonsocietyofartists.com/classes-and-workshops/classes

Kathy Johnson: It's Lavender Festival time! Don't wait to the last minute because there is a lot of interest this year so please don't delay signing up!
http://www.wvlavenderfestival.org

Ward Stroud: I am going to be going to Florida to paint for Brusho! Fall of 2017; info to come
Wards class in Fridays at OSA

Painting, Pixels, People! - 9:30 am - 12:30 pm Class Restarts March 31, $25/class ward@artofward.com Upstairs

Today is National Crayon day
http://www.crayola.com/splash/promos/nationalcrayonday 

Tomorrow will be sunny !
https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USOR0275:1:US

Lan Su Gardens botanical garden show:
http://www.lansugarden.org/things-to-do/events/lan-su-in-bloom
http://www.lansugarden.org

Sign up for our daily Painting/Drawing ("with focus") Facebook page for the month of April:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/266661817124681/

Kristina Sellers First Thursday, April 6 come to her reception at Sotheby's in the Pearl: 5-8pm 13th and Hoyt
http://explorethepearl.com/event/first-thursday-with-artist-kristina-sellers/ 

Mark Andres Thursday Demo at OSA
http://www.oregonsocietyofartists.com

Next Meeting, Thursday April 6 suggested table topic Composition and the 60/40 ratio and/or "1/3-2/3rds"---Do you think about this? Do you have good examples (either your own or someone elses?) let's Discuss!






































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