I was delighted to teach in person again this summer. Urban Sketching through Washtenaw Community College (WCC) really wasn't the same on zoom. I was able to travel with my talented group of students to several locations ranging from The Washtenaw Dairy on Ann Arbor's Old West side to Downtown Saline where there was a surprising amount of traffic, and by the Jiffy plant in Chelsea. I'm encouraging them and others to join the Ann Arbor urban Sketchers group and keep drawing. It's closing in on 2 years when we were told to bring a few things home as the college would be closed for a couple days or so. It was 6 months before I could retrieve materials from my classroom at the community college. I was several weeks before I obtained a webcam to teach online. No, the colleges don't supply those or printers.
I've done hundred of demos. I've lost count, but more time is now spent doing demos and also (for me at least) taking photos of works in various stages to send to students along with notes. Photoshop (I have an old version that still works) is my new 'assistant' in class critiques as I'm able to suggest and show ways to change/improve a painting. Discussions for some classes have been wonderful!! Many are able to stay in touch and feel connected and motivated. I miss seeing art in action. Black boxes without faces in zoom classes remain a sorrow/challenge. This interactive 'Bob Ross' paints without a TV crew, cameraman, large studio space, or several practice paintings to refer to continues on. The special requests and "improv" moments keep me on my toes and honing my teaching skills. It is a win when it works and the weather says stay in. It is a win for those who zoom makes classes accessible. It is a win for those who are traveling or far away from Michigan in the winter. It is what it is for now. Let the art offer healing and hope. May you live in interesting times. Well, aside from it being something of a curse, it is also true. I spent much time painting since the covid lock down in March 2020, and have been much better about dating my work, so track when I painted what. projects such as "Daily Resistance Mandalas" were key to painting images that matched particular days. Then along comes an invitation to submit work for a gallery show about time and minutes in particular. I love gallery 22 North right here in Ypsilanti, MI. Time? Sure, I can work with that. I painted a number of works consciously thinking about the minutes of my days. I pondered my daily walks and how many steps I take in a minute. Nope, I don't have the app for that, but in retrospect notice it took 1 minute to walk to the corner. How long IS that traffic light? How fast can I paint a person? I was teaching a class called watercolor Quick and Easy. Talk about speed painting. Hmm what is the juror thinking about? I submitted five works (the limit), and the coffee pot made the cut. I painted that in my kitchen--standing and looking at my subject on the counter. How long does it take to brew my morning caffeine fix? The juror related to that. It was a delight to attend the opening reception in time slots allowing a few of us at time, but it was live. Ah precious minutes of almost normal. Here's what I submitted (coffee first) along with a few others. I've been painting a LOT of demos for my classes and these included images I could see from my win dows or yard that showed something of the time of day and the season. " Seasonal Time lapse" was a substitute and spin on the Urban Sketching class. While a few brave souls might've been willing to venture out to draw and paint scenes of our community there is no way the college would've let that fly.
So I encouraged folks to show what they saw from their windows or patios or (luck ones!) a cabin by the lake. I am in the city limits and from my windows I could see 2 empty lawn chairs in the neighbors yard. Hmmm. Even the chairs are socially distanced. I painted demos showing the trees just budding and and then full and green later in the term. Flowers were signs of spring and hope. Nature was carrying on. But I saw other signs of the 'season' during the spring/summer term. Lawn signs were popping up along with peace and rainbow flags. I saw and continue to see these as signs of hope and love. Sure there were signs for candidates, but I was interested in the positive messages. I am continuing to paint houses with lots of colorful signs and flags and markers. Even or especially the rainbows and hearts drawn by children and taped to windows catch my eye and touch my heart. And I've had nice conversations with those neighbors. The painting series continues as I seek out signs of peace, hope, and love. I'm inventing a couple as I go along, too, and one says "C'mon people now, smile on your brother". Can you name that tune? Maybe you have one or many signs or got some ideas. What's "your" sign? One of the different things I've been doing in these unusual times is to create and share art in online groups creating to Covid 19. It offers us a chance to share our experiences and motivates us to paint, draw, etc. with a focus.
Many of these images originated from a lesson in Gelli printing from a friend, and the ones that felt incomplete or blah I hung on to. I went into these 'throw away' mono prints with arteza markers that blend with water and let my imagination go. I saw parts of faces and flowers in the negative spaces. And I tried to do something positive. It pulled me into the images -- and away from the news. A couple other pictures are small watercolors that were alter or enhanced with markers to help tell a short story. I hope these entertain you or give you some inspiration. I confess I'm not adding to all the groups everyday as my focus and energy are lacking, but a little bit of time here and there looking at and making art is healing. May you be well. My Urban Sketching class will continue beyond our last session a week ago. Members of the class and I are hoping to become an official Urban Sketching chapter, and will meet once a month on Sundays even when there isn't a class I'm teaching. While I may be at some locations it is thrilling to play a part in starting this.
Locations this past term were limited location-wise due to parking, hours places are open, and light and cold weather. Locations we really enjoyed included the CEMETERY !! Ypsilanti's historic cemetery has some really old stones, the unique Starkweather Memorial Hall (1888 Richardson Romanesque architecture) , and trees we don't see much of these days. It is -- not surprisingly -- loaded with history, the subjects don't move (much), and stories are there for us to read and imagine. Lucky's Market was popular, too. I ran into friends who were shopping for food while I was teaching, and class liked noshing while drawing. Subjects included a soap display, the cheese, beer wine bar in the center of store (really!) The Ypsilanti District Library was a quieter place to draw and really explore the art quilt and architecture and really cool perspectives. I enjoyed showing new places and pointing out possible scenes. What would you point out to folks seeing your town? What catches your eye? Image: chatting at the bar - inside the A2 distillery (c) 2019 watercolor and marker Where do My most adventurous class has to be Urban Sketching. We travel from one curious and usually public place to another each week to draw and paint. I teach them drawing & painting and offer advice on how to select a subject to focus on (there's too much to see!!). I explain 1 point and 2 point perspective and how to get the windows to line up on a building. My students range from experienced artists to complete newbies. We visit farmer's markets and parks and have small children and others watch us draw. We visited a local and very old cemetery. No one interrupted us there.
After one class (where we were drawing a graffiti covered railroad overpass) a student and I went to the Ann Arbor Distillery where I captured this moment. My models were quite unaware of my work as they had other interests. While many students are interested in local architecture, and the basics of drawing, others are intrigued - as I am - by what says something about this movement in time in this particular place. Where are we? How does it feel? What makes this place and time special. And it's fun to explore some places we wouldn't think of drawing at or discover on our own. Consider bringing your sketchbook with you the next time you're out and about- take home more than take-out and share your vision and experience. I paint and draw a lot of demo paintings, because they help me show the "how to's" with techniques such as color mixing, getting the drawing right, making fur look fluffy, etc. The demos are dependent on what my students need. What will challenge them and empower them. Demos 'up my game', as I accept challenges of subject matter. Sometimes I bring in a work in progress ( a commission or personal work) to share my decision making process and what made it a learning experience. Many mini paintings are birthed in class demos, and some become cards, prints, or gifts. I love clear bright colors. Favorites include Lemon Yellow, Permanent Rose, and Prussian Blue. I also enjoy quiet lavender grays, and deep indigo night skies.
Many of us artists can be recognized by our 'palette' - the colors we favor and use so often. My palettes for watercolor, acrylics, and oils are similar and limited. I enjoy mixing colors, and truthfully, it can be confusing and expensive to own too many. I'm also know to nag students who don't bother to mix. Seriously?! Grass is not Emerald Green and I've yet to see a human" who is "flesh" colored! Supply lists for my class pare down the number of colors to purchase to a few. Fewer colors requires them to learn how to mix and create the desired effects. They learn by doing how to make greens, purples, greys, and so forth. And by mixing and exploring they find their favorites colors and their personal palette evolves. you My paint color list for watercolors includes Ultramarine blue, Prussian or Pthalo blue, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Medium (or Gamboge), Cadmium Red medium, Permanent Rose (or Alizarin Crimson) - I prefer the rose - Genuine rose is nice, too. I add in sepia for deep dark tones that are richer than adding black paint. Dioxazine violet is a favorite that I recommend and use a lot of. This is based loosely on recommendations from my friend Leslie Masters, a colorist and wonderful artist, who researched the properties of numerous paints. The list includes warm and cool reds, and likewise for the yellows and blues. I will swap paints in and out of my toolbox over time. When I get a new color I play with how it mixes and usually share my insights with my students. Beginning students are asked to paint a color guide, so they know what the colors they own look like. They explore the value range as they paint full strength and then thin colors out with water. Many paint a color wheel to recognize analogous colors (blue and greens) and observe the compliments/ opposites (red/green, blue/orange, etc.). continuing students paint a guide for mixing skin tones and hair colors. Sure you can buy books that show you, but doing it yourself makes all the difference to really 'knowing' how to do it. Why I will or won't buy paints in sets: they can be efficient or they can give you what you don't need. Kits I do like include the landscape colors set for Golden Open acrylics. And you can add what you love as you go. So --what's your favorite? I'm enjoying painting some pretty special places....to me, for clients, and for projects. I like painting some locations or buildings more than others, and the reason is simple. I feel a connection to the space. The poster I created for Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's (a2ct.org) Production of Morning's At Seven features a couple of houses on Ann Arbor's historic west side. In reality - the houses are different colors, but the director wanted them to match., so painted them both yellow. The set designer was inspired by my houses, and built some even more charming house fronts similar to these, and he convinced the director they ought to be different colors - back to reality. I took my time researching what the playwright intended (his houses were modeled after homes in Kalamazoo, MI), and I wandered down Murray Street and the surrounding neighborhood to find inspiration and get a feel for the homes. The time they were built (~1910) was right. The modest scale and design matched up. The stair stepping of the houses on the hill, color pallet, and loving care of the neighbor hood felt right. It inspired me to paint a view of the street, too. These paintings are on display until May 6th. Oh, and I added the balloons for fun.....and you know there had t be someone there to set theme free. More places featured in my show at Sweetwaters' Coffee and Tea on Washington Street are ones I've been to. I take the reference photographs, spend time walking there, and like to be in these locations. It's nice to bring myself back to the scene as I paint, and the deeper involvement of painting strengthens my perception. I seek out details to add to the story and invent people as needed to give scale, movement, and a sense of life. The large (4' x 6') set panel I painted for anotherA2ct (Ann Arbor Civic Theatre) show (Sylvia) was done in acrylic house paint. The NYC skyline is another evocative site for me. What places are you inspired to photograph or paint? Are there scenes in my work that stir memories for you? |
Debra's thoughts
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