Meeting Notes, Jan 19, 2017

At today’s meeting Kristine, Jerry, Tim, Annie, Jeanie, Bill, Jeanne, Loretta, Jim, Ward, Mike, Jeanie, Tedd, Eunice, Elo, Tom, Dottie, Kristina, Joanne, and me Celeste.

Today’s suggested table topic: “series”-- have you ever done a series and if not have you thought about it? what is your reasoning?

Celeste: I don’t really think in terms of series, but because of daily painting I can “unwittingly” arrive at a series. Recently, because of all the snow, I have "kind of" a series about snow. I might paint bigger paintings from these studies.

Jim: How many of you are happy to see the rain? (Laughter)! I brought a series of flowers that I did while living in California. I would change things about how I paint these now… but I also feel that they still hold up. I did a lot of painting in a place called Pelican Point. Working in the series is a positive thing to do.

Loretta: Awhile back I did a painting from a photograph that was provided by Tedd Chilless (a downtown scene). I don't have that paining any longer and I went to do it again.  What I learned is that you can lose the spontaneity from the first effort!  (But, I am working on it --on maintaining the initial freshness). I am showing a painting that I did at OSA.

Jeanne: When I read the topic for today I thought to myself "well I haven't done that"-- but then I looked up and I realized I had several paintings from a place called Rocky Creek State Park on the wall! (Laughter!) I can come home with six paintings from an area. What I’ve been doing lately is working in the studio from painitngs from life. I am also showing a painting I did from life in my kitchen looking out. I decided to “go big”!

Elo: It dawned on me I do have a series. I did paintings of birds directly on maps (maps showing where the specific bird came from). I did 5.5 of those. The idea behind it was about endangered species. But by the time I got to the sixth one I lost interest in the project. I was ready to go to something else. I am showing a painting I did during the snow.

Dottie: I love working in a series, it's one of my favorite things to do. I'm showing you a print-out of a series I did in the past of white plates. I would put things on the white plates that were meant to ripen. I did another series in pastel of seasons of California. Yes California does have seasons! I’m also showing two recent paintings that I’ve done for the Strada easel challenge.

Bill: Yes I have done the unintentional type of series – my self portraits. I am showing my self portraits and also a painting I did of my grandchild. I also went out to paint in the snow and I have a tip…take something to stand on (like a rug) then you won’t get so cold. (I painted these sledders on a hill-- plein air).

Jeanie: I am going to be using Chris Mooney’s studio while he is gone. However, because of the weather I haven't gotten there yet. This painting that I am showing is part of a triptych. It is a series about Cannon Beach.

Annie: I am showing a photograph that I worked from and some small cards that I painted from the photograph. Then I did the larger version.  My brother used to write poetry to his wife. These were just poems he would leave for her to read at the start her day. I decided to “illustrate” the  poems. (That is a series of sorts too).

Tom: When I think of a series I think that it is mostly like Monet's haystacks! That seems like a series for sure ---an intentional series. I have done paintings that are similar to each other and I guess that could be considered a series. I hiked in recently a half a mile and I painted this snow scene.

Tim: I am showing an idea I have for a series...vegatable people..I painted a still life at home during the snow...and also this is a snow scene I did plein air. 

Jerry: I am so glad to be back --I haven't been here for several weeks! When I served in Vietnam I took this photograph at a monastery. It has always haunted me. I used white, Ultramarine blue and burnt umber to do a series from this photograph. I looked at the construction and the interplay of the people. I liked the lack of color. There is a man named John Berger who is a critic and he wrote a book called Landscapes. It has nothing whatsoever to do with traditional landscapes! What the book is about is really about “the lay of the land”. I think calling it “Landscape” had to do with the author’s own personal “Landscape” (his world and his thinking)
https://www.amazon.com/Landscapes-John-Berger-Art/dp/1784785849

Kristine: I have gone to the same area and painted it different times. It's kind of an unintentional series. I am showing my sketchbook, a black-and-white version and the painting of the same area.

Kristina: I am showing a painting I did from reference of Italy in palette knife. I've done a series from Italy.

Joanne: I really like the gesture of the trees. I’ve painted enough trees I think I have a series of them. I did a big project called Northwest Neighbors. I painted people in offguard moments and of course I had to use a camera in order to do that because the paintings were very large. I guess I have a series from Sauvie Island also. I am showing two recent paintings from the Strada Easel challenge.

Eunice: Everything I do seems to be a series! I did a series not too long ago of a small girl. I am showing you a series that I did from Smith Rock. I used photo reference.

Tedd: I always attempt to be “serious” when I paint… (laughter!) I painted this painting of a model holding a bouquet.

El (Genie): I did a series about climate change. This was a series that I did that included dead trees and so forth. It didn’t prove to be very popular! (Laughter)! I also did an endangered food series which proved to be slightly more popular because people like to think about beer! (Laughter)! I did this painting from a trip to the East Coast. It is from Kentucky.

Mike: I prefer to think about having themes as opposed to working in the series. This is a painting from Cooper Mountain nature park. I put a post on my Facebook wall to explain to some of the uninitiated that snow is not white. I look at art differently now than I did maybe 15 years ago. Having done art makes me look at art in a different way.

Ward: No doubt if you paint many giraffes ---each successive giraffe will provide energy to the next! (Laughter)! I’m really serious about this --that it the more you paint one thing the more you understand it.
I did this painting recently of a gorilla. And Tim recommended that I read a book about Ishmael (I did—wonderful book) I recommend everyone consider painting something several times…you’ll learn a lot.

 Announcements

Art on the Boulevard: Michael Lindstrom First Friday, February 3

Studio One Eleven at OSA model Victoria Friday 1 to 4pm

Ward’s Friday class:

 The volunteer show at OSA reception is the 22nd 1 to 3

Phyllis Trowbridge is giving classes at rock Creek (some people are eligible to audit these.)

Soul Stories in Dufur workshop

Portland Art Museum has print show that’s coming up that will be free



Next meeting, Thursday Jan 26 suggested table topic: Instructional DVD’s and online streaming instruction.  (Give us your reviews!) What are the pros and cons? (and if you haven’t had DVD or on line instruction….why not?)

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