Meeting Notes, Thursday, Nov 12, 2015

At today's meeting Loretta, Tedd, Tim, Linda, Bill, Carol, Genie, Annie, Tom, Mike, Charlie, Eunice, Jeanne, Teresa, Leslie, Kristina, Peggie, Judith, Marty T and me, Celeste. 

Today's suggested table topic: What (in your opinion) makes a painting successful? If you have a successful painting of your own can you share it? 

Celeste: Here are the five things that Richard Schmid wants you to make sure that you do in each (representational) painting: Put things in the right place, in the right colors, with the right shapes and the right values…and use correct edges. Voila! Successful painting. I brought in two that I feel were successful. In one of them Eric Jacobson set up the still life and I felt I painted it with good color and good edges. In the other painting I like how the dominant color seems to carry the main idea. 

Marty: I really like the old masters! I especially like Fechin and recently I have discovered Sorolla. I brought in a copy of a Sorolla painting that I have done recently. What strikes me about him is the amount of detail that he gets into a painting, but he makes the painting look so elegantly simple. How does he do it? I really recommend that you paint some master copies, it is very enlightening. I feel like I understand the artist so much better if I paint his painting!

Peggie: I brought in a painting that I did in 1984. I like how the eye travels around this painting. I wanted to add another thought today about how important it is that we artists try not to jump to conclusions. I visited my gallery and my paintings weren’t displayed. I thought that my paintings put in storage or something... but then I found out  later that all my paintings had all been acquired by clients! So, it is important to remember that what we are thinking isn't always accurate…something I thought was “bad" turned out to be good! 

Kristina: I find this subject to be very difficult! I brought in a painting that I did recently and --yes I guess it is successful because I like how the cool green meets the warm orange in the main tree. I also brought in a painting that will be in the 500 show (of a cowboy). Also, here is some of my dog's "artwork"-- he chewed on this box! (Laughter)! 

Leslie: I brought in this painting from my archives. I like how the figures are dynamically interacting with one another. I made them in “engage". I did some of that with this yellow.

Jeanne: I have been taking a new class. I have enjoyed the assignments that he has been giving us. Recently the teacher wanted us to paint in the style of another painter. I have brought in the this painting that I did in the style of Corot. 

Carol: I have not brought in anything today but I thank you for bringing in all of yours!

Judith: As most of you know, I have been trying very hard to become a forger. (Laughter)! Kidding aside, I am learning from painting from old masters. This painting that I brought today is done by an Italian artist (from the 1530s). If you change something here (pointing to the portrait)...then everything else changes! I was working on this this morning and it nearly made me late today.

Genie: I wanted to ask you all if you seen the HBO documentary about the portrait of Sandra Day O'Connor. I saw it and I recommend it! The word successful is hard for me. I brought in my painting that shows dead trees…but  I like how it shows that the trees are dead and yet it doesn't look totally grim. I included enough healthy green trees to indicates that nature is beautiful and that life continues.

http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/portraits-of-a-lady/synopsis.html

 Annie: I brought in some illustrations that I did from a workshop. This was a workshop about children's book illustration. I wrote the story and illustrated the book about a mouse. The workshop instructor told me that my illustration "slowed down my story"! I do believe that I was successful in making the appropriate changes. I brought in the progression of my concepts. When I photographed this particular one it was under a bedroom lamp so it turned out to have a kind of golden glow from the lamp. i liked the new color and the dimensionality of it...I incorporated those things. 

Tom: I find it interesting that we are all showing older paintings. What does that say? I brought in a painting that I did plein air and I feel that it was the appropriate color and the correct composition. I like the sky, it is how it was that day.

Mike: I feel that this painting is successful because I did it while watching a YouTube video by Graham Booth! (Laughter)! It is why it is successful (laughter)! I am back from my trip and also from getting a new “successful” hip! (Applause)!

Charlie: This subject this topic is too hard. (Laughter)! 

Eunice: I brought in an alla prima still life that I did that I feel is successful. 

Loretta: I don't know why things are successful or not!  (Laughter)! I brought in a painting that I did awhile back that I think has harmony. 

Tedd: That is my painting over there on the wall. It became successful when I boldly added the tree (that wasn't really in that position). It was a risk, but It brought the painting to life to add that new big shape. 

Tim: My successful paintings are few and far between. (Laughter)! As some of you know, I do like to work in miniature sometimes. I was experimenting and I did this sculpture with acrylic modeling paste and then I painted it. I like it because I can actually look through it as if it is a forest. I am also showing you a quick sketch that I did in watercolor pencils in the Sears parking lot.

 Linda: I have been traveling. I am back! I like to keep a sketchbook when I'm traveling. I enjoy this one the most. It is something that I had to change in order to make it more interesting. I like to have a central focus. And I think that it's also important to have a foreground, middleground and background. (Note, Linda, sorry, I can't find your last name, please email it to me allaprimaportland@gmail.com)

Bill: A few years back I did this painting in the Napa Valley. That day it was raining. The irises “collapsed” because of the rain and it was a cloudy day with no shadows. I know that this painting was how it looked to me! I also brought in this painting of myself. I think it's successful because I didn't have to put everything onto the canvas. I am trying to do more portraits from life. I  brought in a painting that I did from life. 

Jim: I have just gotten back from a trip to Italy! I was there for a couple of weeks. I am keeping a sketchbook to get together ideas for my upcoming paintings. I want to do a painting of the “patchwork" of the green landscape in Italy. It will be a big painting. The value sketches I am showing you is how I make a painting work. I look for the value patterns (light medium and dark). I work that out in advance. I'm also bringing in this painting to show you of Nikki Boylan.  It works because of the good contrast between the light hat and the rest of it. You have to have a good mix in a painting.. you know like a dark and light, positive and negative, opposites! 

Announcements: 

Kristina Sellers at the Lane Gallery (Slabtown art walk) Saturday, Nov 14, 3-7, also Anna Lancaster at Forever art

http://www.steeldoorgallery.com/#!slabtown-art-walk/plksd

The Clark County Studio tour Saturday, Nov 14 (Hilarie Couture and Khanh Huynh MD http://ccopenstudios.org

Cathleen Rehfeld and friends Saturday Nov 14 

Saturday, November 14th 2015 - Noon til 6pm
Watson Studio - 1012 5th Hood River
Peterson Studio - 1007 7th Hood River
(The studios are located across the alley from each other, making this very convenient!)

Marty tells us Ned Mueller’s new online instruction is wonderful:

http://www.tucsonartacademyonline.com/ned-mueller-oil-painting-techniques/

Don't forget to get to the art museum for the Paul Allen show. We are still working on the good dates on dates for our field trip to both support and art museum and the Seattle Art Museum 

Za Vue Art on the Boulevard: http://www.artontheboulevard.org

Aimee Erickson and Scott Gellatly Brian Marki: http://www.brianmarki.com/exhibition/exhibition_portland/index.html

Thank you for bringing your ideas and paintings today!

Next meeting: 

Thursday, November 19 suggested table topic: BOOKS about art. Tell us about any of your favorite art books whether they are instructional or biographical fiction or nonfiction-- we want to know about your best art books!