Link

A link to the demo from last week. Love it!
That is my pic in the middle.
http://www.chadsmithpaintings.com/incredible-wilmington/

painting outside

The judge of the upcoming art show was kind enough to give a free class/show/demo on plein air painting for anyone who wanted to come. It was sunny, warm and not too windy, perfect for being outside by the river for a couple of hours. I enjoyed it, but I also enjoyed the time I spent inside one of the restaurants watching the basketball game.

Working on a show

Some of the artists were working small today.
An art show of only miniatures is going to be held in Nags Head in April or May. Here is my neighbor Cathy working on a piece. It is not as small as Janet's though. Hers was only about 2x3!
I am thinking about entering, too.

Fourth Friday

Another enjoyed by all Friday night at the ArtWorks.
The music was provided by one of our favorites, a sweet man who by day is an activity therapist.
He sang and played his guitar, and eventually I made my way to the little stage and sang along with him. He didn't mind.
This is a picture of a visitor to Studio 15, a nice woman who stayed to chat about things, and said she loved the color of my door. Her vest even matched. She leaned against it and suggested I take a picture. The iPhone was all I had with me, but here it is. By the way, she asked me if I was from here and then said how much she liked my accent!

Mother's Seagull Flies

Finally. 

This was my mother's much loved bird that I claimed when she died. After a few years of neglect, she will now be a permanent part of my studio. 

a face

Since I have three more (paid for) punches left on my card, I decided to go to life drawing tonight. It is fun to go somewhere and focus strictly on drawing or painting or whatever, but I am not a huge fan of the art of nudes. I find myself wondering what led them to earn a few dollars posing for artists. I think of the needy nude models of Van Gogh's day, and then I feel bad for the models. I would just as soon sit in a room with a nice still life in the center, one with pears and watermelons, pitchers and bowls. To me, the outer shell of humans is not even nearly as interesting as their inner workings and their thoughts.
Enough of that . . .
I did the requisite gesture drawings and another whole body but then decided to do the face. It is drawn on watercolor paper, not a suitable surface, but this is my favorite outcome of the evening.

today's painting

My studio space is frequently in need of a re-do.
What did I know. A studio sounded to me like a place where people made beautiful messes. But I have found that most of the artists make their messes elsewhere and use their studio spaces as their own little galleries. Not wanting to be the most unkempt kid on the street, I am going to do the same thing. I have moved things around and out, but now it is looking rather dull. To perk up the place and tie some of the colors together, I painted this picture today using the wall and door paints I still have. I titled it "Rothko-ish" after Mark Rothko whose art I actually like and appreciate. Matter of fact, I like quiet, simple abstracts as much as I like any kind of art. The picture does not do it justice! Will try for a better one tomorrow.