Big Sister

Childhood's last gasp. This sweet girl is the older sister of the little boy in my last post. I love her unselfconsciously cheerful expression. When I look at her, I am reminded of my own daughter just before she started middle school and everything about her changed so fast it took my breath away. These years when a mother can keep her child close are so special. Soon hanging out with her schoolmates will replace emulating Mom. We all have to let go and allow them to explore the world and discover themselves but the years when they stay close are magic.

This puts me in mind of a poem by Lebanese American poet and artist Kahlil Gibran that I kept on my refrigerator door for years while my children were young. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Children

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, 'Speak to us of Children.'
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His
arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Khalil Gibran

Wet Paint

Wet Paint 14X11

She's baack...
After quite a hiatus, know. Unfortunately, I got miserably sick just before I left South Carolina. It was a nasty bug that held on for weeks. Mix in a family crisis and preparations for a trip down under and my work had to go on the back burner for a while.

Luckily for me, my coughing abated just in time for me to depart with my husband for (an uninsured) three week stay in Australia.

Sounds relaxing, no?

Absolutely not! We went careening from one place and activity to the next. I relapsed and had to go to a doctor but I managed to keep up. Climbed the Sydney Harbour bridge, toured the city, met with friends, flew to Ayers Rock, lots of hikes and tours, on to Port Douglass, went spear fishing, stuck my fingers in a sting ray's eye sockets, toured rainforest with locals, developed an appreciation for aboriginal culture, sunset sailing and off to far North Queensland and Lizard Island. Fantastic! Went snorkeling (first time) on the Great Barrier Reef. Back to Port Douglass and on to Melbourne followed by drive to Lorne. Hiking and lots of it, waterfalls, glow worms, tree ferns, koalas, kangaroos, platypus, cockatoos and very charming kukaberra that like to be hand fed "mince". Back to Melbourne, mad dash through Museum to see "Monet's Gardens" exhibit, pick up rental car, fight with husband over sticking to itinerary, prevailed and went to see "Australian Impressionists in France". Fabulous exhibit. Drive Great Ocean Road all the way to Port Fairy, stopping for every well marked photo op. Back to Sydney to finish with "La Traviata" at Opera House.....oh, and I had my nails done.

My husband and I enjoyed three weeks of uninterrupted togetherness in nine different beds, took eight total flights and one really long drive....on the left side of the road. Based on my husband's success at staying in the proper lane I began to wonder if he hadn't recently taken out a very large life insurance policy in the event of my untimely demise. Good stuff.

Seriously, it was the trip of a lifetime, just not restful. Oh, by the way, the food and wine were so wonderful that I grew at least one pants size and blew out my Spanx.

So I'm back in Tucson. Let's just say it took me a while to recuperate. Good news is I am painting again and have the photos to prove it!

So, Tell Me What's Going On

So, Tell Me What's Going On  14X11 Original Oil on Panel

This is Tom Pettus. He is married to Cecily, from my previous post. When Tom walked in to my studio, something about his quiet relaxed manner immediately put me at ease. Generally when I meet a new person I find myself doing a lot more listening than talking. Not so with Tom. He was so thoughtful and interested that he drew me out effortlessly. Tom is a doctor of internal medicine who actually makes house calls to geriatric patients who have difficulty getting out. No doubt every one of them looks forward to his visits. He is a very innovative and caring physician who understands the art of listening. It was my pleasure to make his acquaintance.

Cecily?

Cecily 14X11 Original Oil on Panel

Cecily in the studio

Today I am posting a painting that I do not consider successful at capturing a likeness of the sitter. I am inviting feedback, so don't feel the need to hold back. There are a lot of things I do like about the  painting; the color composition and brushwork are fresh. What doesn't work in the painting results from my attempts to flatter the model according to my personal aesthetic, losing my grasp of the gesture and not trusting my eyes.

With regard to my personal aesthetic, I am learning that my love for the face in repose is not shared by many consumers of art. All those years spent in life studies in the studio created an appreciation for quiet, reflective gestures in my models. However, as I have mentioned before, the most frequent criticism I get from folks in the studio is, I love it but she looks sad. Personally I cherish my contemplative nature and find myself often turned inward, enjoying my relationship with my Self. Many people, I am learning, do not want to be represented to the world in this way. They want to be viewed as happy and engaged with their surroundings.

My inner jury is out on this point but the issue did underscore my reluctance to paint the ever elusive movements of the mouth. I knew I had to confront this challenge before I could decide if I truly wanted to focus on more prosaic portraits. Dewees Island is certainly providing ample opportunity for learning about painting the gestures of the mouth.

In terms of losing my gestural intention, comparison of the painting and photo makes evident my tendency to turn the face toward a full forward perspective rather than adhering to a 3/4 perspective. The differences are small, but it doesn't take much to lose a likeness or result in a skewed perspective. It's easy to see where cubists got the inspiration to paint the portrait from several different perspectives at once.

Which all culminates in the error of not trusting what I saw. When I was painting the mouth, it just seemed impossibly wide and off center, so I adjusted it to make it appear more symmetrical and less toothy. Big mistake! The asymmetry that I saw was my brain hitting me over the head saying "Perspective Dummy! Its a 3/4 view!" But did I listen? No. We all have very strong cognitive schema that have the potential to sabotoge our drawing skills. Those schema demand a full frontal view. Had I trusted my eyes and not let my personal aesthetic interfere, I would have ended up with a much more honest and accurate (and succesful!) portrait.

Perhaps I will paint it again.......

The Princess

The Princess Original 14X11 Oil Painting

This is my dear friend Marion Cotton. We met nearly twenty years ago in Charleston. She and her husband, Peter, have had a big influence on our lives ever since. Peter and Marion were witnesses at our, oh so illegal, wedding in Santorini, Greece which was probably the most magical and romantic night of my life. (John and I were made legal by the receptionist in my office when we returned to Charleston. She was a notary public). I know that my marriage to John often feels like a fairy tale come true. Must be the same for Peter and Marion because he has made sure that everyone knows her as "Princess".

She inhabits the role with aplomb. I wanted to paint her with a tiara and Peter actually bought her one. No offense, Peter, but it was much too modest. I envisioned one of blinding brilliance that would inhabit half of the panel. Maybe another time. As it was, the most beautiful thing about Marion's pose was the graceful gesture of her head and neck. Marion always wears lots of jewelry; taking off the rope of pearls she was wearing made her feel naked but she was game. Just one more example of how folks actually drop their personae when sitting for a portrait. I think removing the jewelry only made her shine brighter.

Arrie B. Too

Arrie B. Too 14X11 Original Oil on Panel

If you have been following my blog for a while, you may remember the paintings I posted on March 13th of Arrie B and Holly Mack, two of the Cotton's grandchildren. Both of those paintings were painted alla prima from the posing model. Arrie B. had a hard time posing and the sitting was frustrating for both of us. I decided that I could do a better job, so I did another alla prima painting using the photograph and original painting for reference. This one is a much better likeness. I may have relied on photographs but the end result says a lot more about this charming little lady.

As I progress through this project, I feel that my paintings are getting better and I am learning from every attempt. The challenge now is that I find myself wanting to repaint several of the portraits. I know this will add a considerable amount of work to the project but I think I will happier with the results. My work is no longer about each individual painting, but about the entire body of work that will be in the "Portrait of Dewees" book. I am also planning on adding a few landscape and wildlife paintings.

It's a big project but I am thoroughly enjoying it. Just like an individual painting, one of the hardest things is knowing when to stop!

Instant Glamour

Instant Glamour 14X11 Original Oil on Panel

Caroline Smith radiates a poised and elegant aura. From the first time I saw her I was charmed and curious about who was behind those shades. When she agreed to sit for me, she scheduled an early morning appointment and came in feeling a bit unenthusiastic about having her portrait painted. We tried her in lots of different poses and lighting, with her eyeglasses on and without them. It wasn't until she said that no one would recognize her without her shades that we decided to try posing with her sunglasses on.

She lit up like a hundred watt bulb.

Since she felt so much more comfortable this way, we ran with it. In truth, I am sure its a better likeness because she felt so much more relaxed.

Don't think for a minute that she was hiding out behind those shades. We spent the morning getting to know each other and found that we shared and early and abiding interest in art, psychology and social work. Both of us trained as artists and then as Social Workers. We both engaged in social work early in our careers and eventually returned to creative endeavors. Caroline is an talented and sought after Interior Designer.

What we, and many other women on Dewees, also share is being middle aged.  We tend to maintain a self image based on our youthful looks. Being photographed or painted confronts us with a different reality. What most of us don't seem to realize is that beauty still radiates. Other people see it every day, but we are so hard on our selves. I knew this about myself; it was a surprise to find it others whom I admire so much.

This feeling is not unique to women. Jack Nicholson once said "With my sunglasses on, I'm Jack Nicholson, without them I'm fat and 60."

I get it.

I wear great big glamorous sunglasses when I go out, too.  When I look in the mirror, I don't wear any glasses at all, because without vision "correction" I think I look thirty and beautiful. Makes me just as happy as the shades. Seems like I'm in very good company on this one.

The most wonderful thing about this project has been the opportunity get a glimpse into others' internal lives. I often feel different, apart, from other people. When I attend to a model in the studio I find that the more I listen, the more I learn how similar we all are. I find myself strengthened, encouraged, and affirmed by these shared experiences.

This is what happens when you take time to really see another person.

Engaged

Engaged 14x11 Original Oil on Panel

This lovely young lady is Whitney Nagle. She is engaged to be married to Alex Pasquini from my previous post. Whitney liked the idea of wistfully gazing out the window for her portrait. What makes her choice even more interesting is that when her portrait was hung next to Alex's it looks like she is gazing at him. Kind of fun considering their young love.

Most of the portraits I have done for this project have been very direct, frontal poses. I found this one to be especially challenging because of the three quarter view. It changes everything. One cannot rely on symmetry as a check for accuracy and the shapes change quite a bit with the smallest deviation from the pose, I also found painting the eyes looking away difficult. Add to that the very direct lighting and creating volume becomes a challenge. I feel like I learned a lot from this one and hope to do more like it.

The Naturalist

The Naturalist 14x11 Original Oil on Canvas

This is Alex Pasquini, you will be meeting a lot more members of his family soon. The Pasquini's are an interesting clan. They have a tremendous appreciation for art, perhaps because of their fin de seicle relative Aldo Pasquini who was an master sculptor and painter. I have only been able to find one image of Aldo's work so far, but look forward to seeing more, I think his work merits a page on the online museum ArtRenewal.org. I have encouraged the family to provide me with photos of their collection toward that end.

Alex works in marine conservation. I am encouraged by the number of young adults that I have encountered on Dewees who are passionate about conservation and sustainability, Especially when you consider the professional and financial success of the families that raised them. I have to compliment his parents, both he and his brother were some of the most thoughtful, polite, intelligent, grounded and humble young men it has been my pleasure to encounter. They definitely did something right! In an era of rampant shallow, selfish materialism young people like Alex truly inspire hope for the future.

Bright Spot

Bright Spot 14X11 Original Oil on Panel

Meet Elizabeth. I was working in my studio at the Huyler House on Dewees when she flitted by my window like a brilliant bird.  I couldn't let her get away so I chased her down the stairs and asked how she would like to have her portrait painted. She was game and immediately came in to sit for photographs.

I have experienced, perhaps, a bit of mission drift. When I started this project my intention was to paint all of the portraits from life. Over time so many folks commented on the stoic expressions and requested more cheerful ones that I started finishing from photos so I could add a smile. Eventually, my pool of willing victims dwindled for extended sittings. I decided that is was more important to paint as many of the people on the island as possible and offered the opportunity to sit for photos only. There was an enthusiastic response and I now have enough photos to keep me busy for quite a while. I am still painting them alla prima, in one sitting to keep them fresh and continue working with wet paint.

Mr. Mischief

Mr. Mischief 14x11 Original Oil on Panel

So. You met Susan Mashman in my last post; the lady of "Joie de Vivre". After meeting her husband, Jan, I had an inkling why she was so happy. I think the two of them teamed up with a pact to live life as playfully as humanly possible. Jan was an excellent model, hamming it up with diverse poses as he regaled me with stories of New York life. Considering all the artist's he knows, I was tickled that he took the time to sit for me.

Joie de Vivre

Joie de Vivre 14X11 Original Oil on Panel

Did you ever see such a happy, engaging face? With Susan Mashman, I just wanted to lean in and listen very closely to what she had to say. What an energetic and interesting woman; her mind and her face were never at rest. I hope that this image captures some of her charm!

Little Charmer

Little Charmer 14X11 Original Oil on Panel

Wow! How did that happen!? It's been nearly four months since my last post. After finishing up on Dewees Island, I packed up my gear and trucked 2000 miles across the continent to my home in Tucson. There I found a mile high stack of mail and paperwork. I closed my studio at Campbell and Skyline since I have been traveling so much and met with my architect to review plans for the new studio I am building. Heady stuff!

In short order, I was packing my gear back in the truck for round two on Dewees. On my trek across Texas, I stopped in Fredericksburg for the Oil Painters of America show and conference and visited my sister Ann. After that it was off to Austin to see my youngest sister, Robin and Temple to visit with my father. When I finally made it to Charleston I took a few days with my daughter's family before going back to work.

Being on Dewees is even more fun in the summer. There are a lot more folks on the island and the social life here is very rich. I let my blog go because I was just too busy painting and trying to keep up with the action. More on that soon.

This little angel is Marion Cotton's grand-niece, Mary Leonard Moss. The children in this clan have the most interesting and melodic names. Even the nicknames are complicated. Marion keeps it simple though, she just calls everyone she loves "Shug" as in the first syllable of sugar. Gotta love the South!

The Ambassador

The Ambassador 14X11 Original Oil Painting

This is Dave McIntyre, President of the Dewees Home Owners Association. That hat requires a gift for diplomacy but that's not why I called him the ambassador. You may remember my last post, which featured Dave's wife, Barbara. I mentioned that Barbara and Dave had just returned from a trip to Africa. What I discovered as I got to know Dave is that he is the Nature Conservancy's World Ambassador to South Carolina. A lot of us talk about how much we care about conservation and sustainability. Dave is walking the talk.

Squash Blossom

Squash Blossom 14X11 Original Oil Painting

This is Barbara McIntyre. She and her husband returned from an African tour just before I wrapped things up for my first stint on Dewees. I was surprised that she and her husband were willing to sit for me so soon after their sojourn. Barbara is an accomplished artist in her own right. She also changed careers midlife by returning to school to study counseling and become a Marriage and Family Therapist. Since I also went back to school in my thirties to earn a BS in psychology and a Master of Social Work we had plenty to talk about. Barbara and I both have adult children with very similar life experiences so it was fun to compare notes.

Barbara wanted to be painted wearing the beautiful squash blossom necklace that her husband gave her which was a bit of a challenge given the 14X11 inch panel size. We shortened it in the back and tied it with a rubber band to fit it in. I like the result.









enough to keepenough

Kate

Kate 14x11 Original Oil on Panel

This young lady is Kate Fairchild, daughter of Judy and Reggie. You may remember seeing her sister, Emily, a couple of weeks ago.  I was impressed with Emily's independence. She showed up on a stormy Sunday afternoon to sit for me. May not sound like a big deal but it is. It rained heavily almost every day for weeks. The island has dirt roads and everyone travels by golf cart. Since the main road was closed to install the new rice gates everyone had to take the long way home on a road that was mostly underwater. Pretty incredible effort for a teenager to go out in that weather alone to hang out with a grown up. Maybe it has something to do with the freedom of driving unsupervised?

Kate was probably the best model of all the people who sat for me. She never seemed to tire and held her pose beautifully. Delightful company on a stormy afternoon.

Play Right

Play Right 14X11 Original Oil Painting

Yesterday you met Jane Savage, this is her husband and co-conspirator Carroll. Together they are the driving force behind the summer solstice theatrical production. Carroll is an intelligent and thoughtful person who speaks his mind and likes to stay busy. Carroll and Jane founded a nonprofit in honor of their son, Jake, that brings music to under-served children. I hope you will follow the link to learn more about their mission and accomplishments.

Jake's Music - The Jake McGuire Savage Foundation

Savage Beauty

Savage Beauty 14X11 Original Oil Painting

Jane Savage wasn't too sure about sitting for a portrait but eventually warmed to the idea. I'm so glad she did! We had so much fun exploring "wardrobe options" and listening to music that we had to shift gears to settle down to work. Annie Lennox was just too high energy for painting; we felt more like dancing.  Esther, another painter who lives on the island, spent the afternoon with us so there was no shortage of conversational mischief.

Jane and her husband, Carroll, keep things fun on the island by producing a play every year for Summer Solstice. She and Carroll choose a play and tweak the dialogue to make it relevant to the island setting. She had me in stitches recounting past plays where apparently everyone on the island was participating and there was no one left to sit in the audience. This year's play will be Camelot. You can bet I will be there to see it, what a hoot.

I love that folks on the island are participants in the arts. My wish is that this project gives them the same feeling of participation. Hopefully being a part of "Portrait of Dewees" will create some of the same great memories and community fun as their production of "South Pacific"!

Arrie B. and Holly Mack

Arrie B. 14 X 11 Original Oil on Panel

By now I bet you are thinking that there are only adults on Dewees. Not so! While there are only three children living there year round right now, lots of young people come for visits. This young lady is Marion Cotton's grand daughter, Arrie B.  While she looks rather placid here; don't believe it for a second! Arrie was a real pistol, taking a new pose or assuming a new character every time I looked up from the canvas. Resorting to the camera didn't help, she was a real ball of fire. Eventually she was able to sit quietly for a little while because she really wanted to have her portrait done.

Holly Mack 14 X 11 Original Oil on Panel

Holly Mack is Arrie B.'s little brother. He woke up early, dressed himself in the searsucker suit that his grandmother bought him and ran upstairs to breakfast waving a miniature American flag while informing the household that he was ready for his portrait! His Dad sat for me the day before. As far as Molly Mack is concerned anything that Daddy does is something he wants to do too. He was absolutely adorable and sat very still despite his excitement. Of course there was no way to keep him there for four hours so I just worked as quickly as possible and took some pictures. When his enthusiasm flagged we ended the sitting and I finished from a photo. In retrospect, I wish I had just kept the sketch and started over. In the future I hope to do just that.

Kindrid Spirit

Kindred Spirit 14 X 11 Original Oil on Panel

It didn't take me very long to realize that it was going to be asking a lot for some people for sit for four hours. Now, of course that doesn't mean that I literally asked folks to sit still for that time; we take as many breaks as needed to keep the experience comfortable and pleasant. Still for some people it was clearly more pleasant than others.

Wanting the experience to be collaborative and fun for the sitter, I decided to tweak my approach. I began taking lots of references photos early on and working like a demon during the first hour and a half to block in the big shapes and make color notes. When eyes began to glaze over and people looked like they would rather be somewhere else, I let them go and finished from the photo as quickly as possible.

Not so with Kathy. We enjoyed getting to know one another so much that five hours flew by before we knew it. These are the creative moments I live for, when I am so immersed in my project that I lose all sense of time. Adding another person to the mix makes the experience so much richer. I am continually surprised by how much I find in common with a person who starts the sitting as a stranger and finishes as a friend.

Kathy is a remarkably creative woman; she paints in acrylics, arranges flowers, takes stunning photographs and is a gifted and resourceful interior designer. Better still, she loves to share her gifts and often arranges flowers for events on Dewees Island.  Her ideas for the flowers for my show at the owners meeting blew my mind. This is a woman who doesn't do anything half way! I had the pleasure of being invited to her home for dinner. As you might expect, she is a fabulous cook as well!