Invitations

Old World Serenity

Original oil painting  18x24"

by Susan Roux

I don't know what it is about Europe, but for as long as I can remember it feels like it's been beckoning me. Perhaps it's the ancient. Perhaps it's my ancestry or perhaps it's works of art I've seen depicting it that pulls at me. I'm really not sure. All I know is the feeling has always been powerful.

For years, I never thought I'd get there. Sometimes life turns and suddenly you find yourself where you never thought possible. Who would have predicted an invitation to exhibit in Russia would get me there? But it did. I've been overseas twice now and I hope to return again. The lovely scene depicted is from Ireland. This wonderful place stole my heart though I'm not of Irish decent.

Sometimes new worlds can open up for you by means of a simple invitation.

Those words: Please Come or You Are Invited can open opportunities you might otherwise have thought impossible. Have you ever gone somewhere unexpected because of an invitation? Have you ever wished you had been invited to something you weren't? Sometimes invitations can trigger one to suddenly do something new and adventurous.

I've come to realize that many people are never invited to things. Especially people of prominence. Lets put this in terms of art. Is there a gallery you'd love to be represented by? What about the owner? How often do you think they get invited to art openings? Sure they host plenty of them, but do you really think they get invited outside their own gallery for something artistic? It's a bit unlikely.

I have to admit, I'm often spurred by impulse. I get a crazy idea that might be really out there and before I can talk myself out of it, I act upon it. I know it can be a mistake. Spontaneity isn't always your best friend. But most of the time it hasn't steered me wrong.

Invitations.

Surprises can happen with them.

Are you feeling in a rut? Are you feeling humdrum? Invite somebody unexpected and see what happens. Nora Kasten invited me several years ago to come visit when she found out I was going to Florida for a vacation. Such a simple gesture that led to our friendship/relationship. She's since come to Maine and we've had the pleasure of spending quite a bit of time together.

I invited Don Hatfield a few years back. Just like that. A simple invitation to come to Maine. Look at all that has led to! Looking back it seems completely impossible that that tiny little gesture would lead to him becoming my mentor.

What's the worse thing that can come from an invitation? They decline???

I could go on and on about people I've invited and the opportunities that arose from it.

Take this painting for instance. I came to this little town because I contacted Irish artist Owen Rohu before I traveled to Ireland. I invited him to paint with me. The invitation didn't lead to painting together, but it did lead to being invited to his home where I visited his studio, had stimulating conversation about the art world in his country and lunch with his lovely wife and children.

If you would like opportunities to open up for yourself, try beginning with an invitation. You might be very surprised who'll accept!

I would like to extend an invitation to  you. Please come to Maine in August. Don Hatfield will be teaching 3 wonderful workshops. (Did you know he doesn't teach a circuit of them? You'll need to come to Maine. This is sort of an exclusive!)

Here are the dates:

August 1 2 3: Portrait Workshop


August 6 7 8: Still life Workshop


August 10 11 12: Figurative Workshop (in costume)


Cost is $300. for one workshop, $500. for two and $700. for all three. A $100. deposit is required at signup with the balance due July 1, 2012.

Please contact me for further information. As mentioned in my last post, Don Hatfield focuses on the fundamentals. No matter how experienced you are, whether a beginner or seasoned artist, taking his workshop will improve your work. Don is funny, honest and won't teach you gimmicks. He'll give you the knowledge you personally need to move forward with your art. I highly recommend it and promise you won't regret taking it.

Plus you get to meet me!


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Note: The above painting is exhibited and for sale at the Blue Heron Gallery, Wellfleet MA (Cape Cod) Please contact owner, Roy Thurston, if you're interested in purchasing it.

Lisa

Lisa

Original oil painting 20x16"

by Susan Roux

I painted yesterday...

It seemed like the perfect thing to do on a rainy Sunday. I don't know what happened for everything to go so well, but to my surprise I finished my second portrait! This is my beautiful sister, Lisa. As I was painting her and she really began to emerge, it energized me so much to have her smiling back at me. I just couldn't seem to put my brush down!

I can't quite explain the excitement I felt. Even this morning as I look at my accomplishment, its hard to believe I created this. Don Hatfield is an amazing teacher. I have him to thank for this. If you ever get a chance to take his workshop, don't hesitate. He's hilarious and so gifted. He'll be tough on you and "slay your darling" (which means he paints over your work annihilating all your detail) while still making you laugh. Actually you laugh more when he does it to someone else next to you... But guaranteed, if you go with an open mind and really try to do as he says, you'll really learn. I'm perfect proof. Its been a month and five days since I took his workshop and look how my art has improved!

Can you see me smiling?

My plan is to paint my sister again in this same pose. Don suggested I do as a way to really learn. Seeing she fell into place so quickly, I'm not tired of working on it. I like that this first version feels painterly. I find her fresh with glowing youthful skin and I managed to capture her spirit.

Yeah. Wow! That's what I keep thinking...

How did I do that???

Call Don. Get classes. Paint paintings you won't believe you can do.

Toby and Leslie

Toby and Leslie

Original oil painting 20x16"

by Susan Roux

I can't tell you the amount of hours I put in this painting. Rest assured I was elated when I laid down my final strokes! I couldn't help but think of Carol Nelson who blogged awhile back, 100 portraits in 100 days. I'm impressed at all of you who post a daily painting. Not only are you completing a painting every day, but also taking time to blog about it. We can't all keep up that pace... Its very admirable that you do. I tip my hat to you.

I had days where I spent every moment from early morning to suppertime planted in front of my easel. My focus was so intense that every time I did this, the following day I needed to rest. It was as though my brain was empty, almost in a haze, and my spirit and energy were drained. I suppose I was really pushing myself...

Wednesday, when all my students saw it nearly done, they were baffled that I wasn't enthused with it. I didn't like the feeling it had. I wanted to capture the sense of love/admiration and all I had managed was the look of porcelain dolls. After I completed the faces, I worked with the background and succeeded a bit in capturing that emotion I wanted. Yes the colors are better in life and the feeling more apparent too.

I learned so much doing this piece. I started off expecting to spend a few days on it as an exercise and move on. As you know, that didn't happen. I hope to capture my next portrait quicker so a bit more of a painterly look will remain. The day I worked on smoothing out my color transitions to soften Leslie's features, is the day the porcelain feeling appeared. There must be a way of painting it soft without turning them to ceramic. My next subject will be a single head.

As I look at it this morning, I am kind of amazed I was able to accomplish this. Suddenly a separation from it, no longer being my lingering job, allows me to have a different perspective. Don, thanks for all your help. Even telling me to start over, though it was the last thing I wanted to hear at the moment.

I may take a few days to go paint in plein air before settling down to a new face....

Toby is my husbands son. He plays guitar in a rising band called Sparks the Rescue. He's toured the country many times and also toured in Europe. Recently they took part in the exhausting Warped Tour, where more than 70 bands played. They have a video that airs on MTV called We Love Like Vampires. You can view it at their official site by clicking their name. Please let me know if your children may have heard of them...

Enjoy your day creatively!

New paints and palette

It was time for an upgrade.

Sometimes its wise to realize you've gone as far as you can with the tools you're using. I was there. My paints were student grade, washed down and inferior. I'd grown so accustomed to them, it never dawned on me to change them. But when a wise old man (maybe not so old) visited, necessary changes became instantly obvious.

A bucket full of new paints!

If that doesn't make me want to jump up and paint, nothing will. Big juicy tubes, full of creamy paint, hollering to be squeezed. Its like being a kid again with a new box of crayola crayons!

Better yet is my new place to squeeze them on. Oh, I'm playing with the big boys now... A glass palette. I have to tell you, I'd seem them used before, but never realized the difference it makes mixing your colors.

Its a whole new stimulant!

I'm showing it to you all clean. Really, I should have photographed it in living color. Patches and patches of mixed swirls of paint gradually change with every value and tone at your fingertips. My palette knife rest, if you can believe that. I was so hooked to it before for mixing colors, I'm shocked how easily I've been able to let it go.

So when I tell you I've made some positive changes in an attempt to improve my art, I wasn't kidding. Everything all at once. I've repeated how my head hurts from all the thinking required during these days of experimenting. My brain is in overload. Not just from adjusting to a new way of looking at things, but from working with all new toys.

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat. I suggest an upgrade to any of you who are serious about your art and wanting to improve your results. I looked at it as an investment in my future. It wasn't cheap, but I'm hoping it will all be worthwhile in time.

I'm currently working on portraits. I hope to secure the lessons of my past workshop by experimenting with similar subjects. Mike's taken photos of family members in strong light so I now have plenty of material to work with. No excuses... I don't know how many I'll decide to paint. I suppose as many as it takes to drill the lessons into my head. Maybe when my brain stops hurting and they get easier to paint, I'll know its time to move on.

At the moment I'm working on a double portrait. It has problems. Hopefully I'll feel comfortable posting it after I resolve some of them...

So when the day is done, my palette gets cleaned. The days used paint is scraped into piles of grays to use tomorrow. And then, one two three, it closes up tight keeping my paints from drying too quickly, into...

A handy dandy, ready to travel, suitcase!

All these changes are helping me from falling back on old habits. There's nothing to fall back on. Everything's been flipped upside down...

Nothing like a whirlwind to propel you into a new direction. Hopefully its forward...

Lights and darks

Loading Traps

Work in progress 16x20"

by Susan Roux

I've been painting all day long lately. Since the workshop, inspiration is peeked. Thank you for all your encouraging comments as I dive into a new approach. Its as though my motor is on and I'm afraid to shut it off for fear of loosing precious information.

Paint, paint, paint. Like a mad woman with a brush!

This is the initial block-in for my latest piece. Actually it isn't really the initial one. I took a photo of what I thought was my block-in, only to find the man's head was very puny. Odd how I couldn't see it looking at the canvas, yet it jumped out so clearly in a photograph. A bit discouraged, I returned to the studio to enlarge his head... Its better now.

Don Hatfield's approach is to focus on the large shapes of light and dark without attention to detail.

I'm trying really hard to do this, but I'm certain I have way more detail showing in this initial block-in than he would allow. He has a reputation of "slaying our darlings". This means knocking out the detail to reinforce and adjust the correct values in large shapes.

I chose this image to paint because it related closer to our portrait lesson than wildflowers in a field. Though I'm assured the same principles apply, it seems easier to follow his instructions with a figure in the scene. Now that my figure is adjusted, I can begin to focus on all the different planes and how light affects them. Be it reflected light or direct sunlight.

I think I'm off to a good start. My biggest fear is the yellow grid of the lobster trap. I'm hoping to keep it soft and simple, but the mathematical side of me will be pushing for every line in the grid! I'll try not to listen... Perhaps I can put them all in and then make some disappear.

We'll see how that goes. After all, its only paint.

Enjoy your day. Don't be afraid to experiment a little... or a lot.