Giving my left brain a lunch break, away from analytic website data mining tasks, by playing around in Photoshop with one of my wildflower pics, from the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Keep thinking one of those pics from yesterday is destined to end up on a large canvas, in some sort of abstract form. Which would be completely outside my creative comfort zone.

One more "virtual" creative exercise, via Photoshop, before I get back to work. It is amazing how detail orientated my creative comfort zone has become locked into. Because right now, once I try to start pulling out too many details from my images, my skin starts to itch :-)

Long term, I am determined to see if I can begin to embrace more abstraction and fluidity into my artwork, outside of a virtual Photoshop canvas.

Chattahoochee Nature Center - Early Autumn Hike

Hiked all six trails today at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, in Roswell, GA. The partly cloudy skies, hint of fall foliage, and fading wildflowers, resulted in a very soft palette of colors, as viewed through my camera. Two hours hiking, with camera in tow, and one hour sketching, made for a pleasant break away from work.

Morning Out, Sketching and Taking Photos with My Artist Circle Friends

Great morning of sketching and photography with my Artist Circle Friends, out at the Autrey Mill Nature Center.

It is an honor to have my "Enchanted Birch" painting included among the120 paintings selected by Michael W. Monroe (see bio pasted below) for inclusion in the CPSA 24th Annual International Exhibition in Tacoma, Washington. The winners will be announced at the Awards Banquet on July 29.  

The exhibition can be viewed at the American Art Company Art Gallery, in Tacoma, WA, or virtually, via the gallery's website here http://www.americanartco.com/24th-annual-colored-pencilsoc…/. Note: due to the high pixel quality of the photos, the page is a bit sluggish to load.

Michael W. Monroe - Prior to his current status as director emeritus of the Bellevue Arts Museum in Bellevue, Washington, Monroe served as its director. Previously he served as executive director of the American Craft Council and earlier was president of the Peter Joseph Gallery in New York City. And for twenty-one years, 1974–1995, he was curator-in-charge of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery. Additionally he was professor of art
and directed the Martin Mullen Fine Arts Gallery at the
State University of New York, Oneonta.

Touchscreen Art Workshop: Draw, Paint & Create Digital Art on Your Ipad - Johns Creek Art Center

For my local art peeps, here's an interesting workshop offer from JCAC - I am definitely going to try and carve out some time to attend.

Touchscreen Art Workshop: Draw, Paint &Create Digital Art on Your Ipad! 

Adults and Ages 12 and up



BYOD: Bring Your Own Device -
  

Bring your own IPad with "Procreate Pocket app installed (requires ios 9 or higher). The procreate app is sparking imaginations and opening digital door or artists of all skill levels around the world. Similar to a "lite" version of Adobe Photoshop, Procreate allows users to paint, draw, and alter images on their touch screen device. The app also records this process allowing you to view an "instant replay" video of your work.
During this 3 hour workshop, local art professional Arzel Thompson will introduce you to the procreate app, demonstrating basic tools, functions, and capabilities.

Don't forget to bring your lunch.


Instructor:
Arzell Thompson
 
Date:
Sat., 04 Jun. 2016 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Price: $70.00
Member Price: $60.00

Duluth Sketchers: Sue Adams Teaching at Chick-fil-A

So pleased to know this lovely lady and artist, and so very glad I caught up with her last Saturday...

DuluthSketchers: Sue Adams Teaching at Chick-fil-A: It was a great turn-out Saturday at Chick-fil-A in Duluth. Sue Adams did a great job sharing her techniques for drawing with minimal su...

Minding My Observation Skills; A Lesson that was Long Overdue

I have just finished "Enchanted Birch" - Colored Pencil on an Ambersand Basswood 16" x 20" Canvas. 

It's been a journey, to say the least (11 months), since I first spotted this Birch Tree in the parking lot of my local Publix Grocery Store.  Funny thing was, I had been looking for a birch tree to photograph and possibly turn into a painting for nearly a year.  I kept asking family, peers and friends, but nobody really knew where to direct me.  Then one day, there it was.  Or what I should say is ...there is where it had been all along, along with several other birch trees, that had been there in the parking lot since the store first opened, and I started shopping there 20 years ago!  Yes, I had been parking in that lot for 20 years and hadn't noticed that the trees on the various concrete islands were indeed birch.  

As an artist, that's not exactly a ringing endorsement for my observation skills.  I can't even blame the fact that I had been a busy mom, too preoccupied to notice trees while shopping for food for my family.  My children have been grown and out of the house and buying there own groceries for over 5 years now.  So my "preoccupied mom" excuse is not only lame, it's expired

 But, when I finally did notice those birch trees in my local grocery story parking lot, I focused on this one in particular.  And I made up for lost "observation" time by working on this drawing relentlessly for 10 months.  However, nearly three months in, I abandoned my reference photos and sketches, and let the image emerge from my minds eye.  

And as I continued to develop the drawing over the past 10 months, I also made it a point to park next to this tree every chance I got when I was shopping.  I would walk around it, sketch it, and imagine different ways that I could render it in my final drawing i.e. I let my imagination "have at it".

Thankfully, I can honestly say, that in the past year, I have made a lot of progress on improving my observation skills.  And I am more artistically mindful, even when I'm away from my studio.  I'm also sketching and photographing more of my observations, than I ever have in the past.  

It didn't take a birch tree to come crashing onto my head to wake up my artistic vision, but something enchanted definitely did happen that day when I became aware of how non-observant I had become.

Tomorrow my "Enchanted Birch" heads off to the JCAC Spring Colors Exhibit http://johnscreekarts.org,

Duluth Sketches -Hudgens Art Center January Sketch In

I experienced a few frustrating business-related snags before I met up with the Duluth Sketchers today at the Hudgens Art Center.  But once I got there, this groups wonderful creative energy renewed my spirits, and I quickly left all my earlier work woes behind.

http://duluthsketchers.blogspot.com/2016/01/sketching-at-hudgens.html

Johns Creek Art Center - Kristy Ann Kutch Workshop: Vibrant Painting with Colored Pencil

Kristy Ann Kutch Workshop: Vibrant Painting with Colored Pencil at Johns Creek Art Center,  Johns Creek, GA - March 19 & 20

 

Colored Pencil is a vibrant medium. Discover the "pointed potential" of both "dry" (non-watercolor) and water souluble colored pencils. Kristy demonstrates an amazing range of techniques and guides students in creating their own colored pencil paintings, with hues ranging from light and delicate to intense and saturated. Kristy is a seasoned workshop teacher who is upbeat and supportive of every student, from the beginner to the experienced artist. She is the author of two colored pencil techniques books - including "the New Colored Pencil" - and is the featued artist in four instructional DVDs. With easy access to a wide range of sample materials, this is a great opportunity to explore the medium!

Instructor: 

Kristy Ann Kutch

Date: 

Sat., 19 Mar. 2016 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Sun., 20 Mar. 2016 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Price: $220.00

Member Price: $200.00

http://johnscreekarts.org/education/classes/2016/mar/kristy-ann-kutch-workshop-vibrant-painting-colored-pencil