Meeting Notes January 17, 2019

At today's meeting: Loretta Annie Dianna Laura Wendy Karen Tracie Yong Tom K Susan Eugenia Tom D Jim Marie Tim Vicki Leslie Kathy and me Celeste

Topic "Good Advice" Share any good advice that you have received (any maybe why you thought it was good).

Celeste: I read a book "The Four Agreements". The "agreements" are simple, but deep! The one that I need to remember all the time is "make no assumptions". I tend to jump to conclusions, so I remind myself to clearly ask for answers instead of assuming the worst. Sometimes I find out I was way off base and what I assumed was negative wasn't negative at all. I'm working on a project at home, so I am showing some paintings from my archives (including a canvas that is divided into sections for "practice" painting).

Loretta:  "Color first, subject last" Sergei Bongart (and three other quotes, see photo below)

Annie: I watched Joanne Kollman's portrait demo. She said as she was painting: "I haven't committed to this yet"....later she said: "I am committed to this eye and I will build around it". I am showing paintings that I did (based on this pencil drawing).

Dianna (new! Welcome)! Hi! I am Dianna Shyne. I am from Seattle. I teach classes in Seattle and I tell my students that painting should be a celebration. Everything that we "can't" do can be learned...we can just learn it from someone else. I am showing some acrylic paintings. This one..my grandson took it in his arms and hugged it and he said: "Oh Grandma, this is so precious..... you should frame it"! (Laughter)!

Laura (new! Welcome)! Hi everyone...I am Laura. I consider myself a beginner. I came to learn! Good advice that I have received is to mass in the subjects, instead of "drawing" them. I often paint from photo reference. Someone advised me to "use an ugly picture, instead of a good one".

Wendy I am in love with James Reynolds landscape painting. He has said: "Never settle for "Good Enough"".  To demand your best from yourself is to guard against complacency.

Karen   I listened to a recent podcast with Eric Rhoads and Jim McVicker. They discussed plein air painting and whether or not it has to be "pure"! It was refreshing to learn that unless you are in a competition anything you do to produce the results you want is fair game.  I was in Sunriver with my family and I painted the outdoors from a position indoors (looking through a window)! I really enjoyed painting and my family and I discussed my results. I learned we had some differences about what was successful and less successful in the paintings....but no matter, it was fun to discuss it!

Tracie: My struggles aways seem to have to do with my "mental state"! (Laughter)! I showed a big painting of mine to Bill Park. I sought his advice. Everything in the painting was accurate. Everything was in the right place, all the values were exactly right and the color was right also! He said that it was a good painting but then he added, "but it doesn't look like you had any fun". Currently I am doing the Strada daily challenge. I brought some of those paintings and also this painting from "Fresh Flower Saturday" (that I finalized after Margueritas with the rest of the class)! (Laughter)!

Yong: I am back from a trip to California. I like to come here because then I am not alone! (Laughter)! Thank you for sharing your struggles with me. I struggle too. My Chinese teacher advised me to be confident with what I am going to say.. he went on to say if you can't convince yourself of your position no one else will believe it either! At Disney my mentor often used shadow to make the design stronger. I thought, but wait, there is no shadow there. Where is this shadow coming from? He would say well, ok there is a building there off to the side throwing that shadow! Up until that time I would only consider putting in what was "actually" there. When I accepted the shadow that was added just to strengthen the design I understood that we don't have to be confined! During my recent trip to California we had to wait in a very long line at a restaurant. I painted this Chinese lion sculpture (that was at the entrance of the restaurant) on my iPad.

Tom K: Here is my advice...it is just one word: "Duck"! (Laughter)! Some of us went downtown to paint the endangered tree. This is my version of it. I titled it: "Not Dead Yet, Dammit"

Susan  I'll pass

Eugenia: I saw this Alice Neel quote (see photo below): Also Za Vue said: "If you aren't having any fun, why do it?" I am showing a recent painting.

Tom D: I don't have any advice....but one thing that does stay in my mind is "Ride the crest of the  ever breaking wave". I painted my wife getting out of the bathtub. Yes, I had permission to do this and to show this painting (Laughter)! It's no Caravaggio, but I feel that it was a good effort.

Jim:  I think it is imperative to "always have fun". I take that advice seriously. I have been painting in the Strada Daily painting challenge. Another bit of advice I wanted to try was to use the largest brush that you can to achieve what you want. I used a #16 flat to do this (telescope) painting.

Marie: The best advice I've heard is "Don't apologize for your art"!  I was a social worker in Cambodia and we helped a young woman who had been chained for several years to one spot in an animal pen. I have been haunted by the memory of her and I painted this (to commemorate that experience)

Tim (quote by James Gurney: It’s easy to make a painting look like paint. It’s much harder to make a painting suggest light, air, wind, weather, and mood. Don’t get caught up in gobs of paint or showy brushstrokes for their own sake.


I painted these paintings plein air recently.

Vicki: "You're doing a painting, not "documenting" something" . I have piles of paintings to complete or get rid of...these are two paintings that I finalized recently. 

Leslie: I learned from Joanne Mehl that if a face is warm the shadows need to be cool and visa versa! You can't have a face that is warm and also has completely warm shadows..it won't read right. I learned that you can change what you see and paint the face cool if you want! Then, you would make the shadows warmer. I have put new lighting in my studio. They are shop lights with 4,000 Kelvin lamps. It is a big improvement. I am showing an older portrait I did of  the model "Jazz"

Kathy Two words..."Slow down"!I have been taking Za's class and in the class she gave exercises that have to do with telling a story. I painting this scene from a cafe' recently with those lessons in mind. 


from Celeste (the 4 Agreements)


from Loretta:

(click to enlarge)

From Eugenia:

Announcements:

Our friend George Broderick had a serious injury and is currently in a rehab facility in LaGrande. If you know him, please contact him with a cheery get well soon message. Address 1560 4th Street Baker City Oregon 97814 email broderickgallery@gmail.com

Call to Artists "Hip to be Square" Sequoia Gallery: https://sequoiagallerystudios.org

Karen Doyle: Sequoia Gallery February Featured artist: Feb 5 Reception 5-8 136 3rd Avenue Hillsboro https://sequoiagallerystudios.org

Dianna Shyne workshops and classes http://diannashyne.com/workshops

Do you want to show your work at New Seasons Progress Ridge? Contact Ally: https://www.newseasonsmarket.com/our-stores/progressridge/ (suggested by Karen Doyle)

Lots of new things taking place at OSA. New expansion, new paint, new classes, new paying system, new demos, new workshops (including Premier Portrait artist Max Ginsburg (February) : https://www.osartists.org

Fine Art Friday Figure Session... Friday Jan 18 OSA model Lillian
20 drop in fee
1:15-4:15 pm
Joanne Radmilovich Kollman joradarts@gmail.com

Fresh Flower Saturdays this Saturday January 20 2019
OSA/ Joanne Radmilovich Kollman joradarts@gmail.com

OSA classes: Susan Kuznitsky Wednesdays and Saturdays https://public.osartists.org/public/classes

Hiatus Drawing club meets after the Alla Prima Meeting at French Quarter
https://www.facebook.com/groups/333152383542909/

Submit new questions (for our "topics" leave on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/222304114527014/ or email celesteobergin@gmail.com

Sign up to be a plein air host for 2019 on our Facebook page (We're hoping to get hosts and dates and places up on our 2019 calendar).
https://www.facebook.com/groups/222304114527014/


Next Meeting Thursday Jan 24 Topic "KEY"! What do you know about "Key"? Have you painted any high key, mid key or low key paintings? Do you know what it means to "Key" a painting? Let's talk about it!

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