Tuesday, June 29, 2010

RGB VS CMYK

Confused?
I was too.


Think of an oil painting and a stained glass window.
To enjoy the OIL PAINTING, light must shine from in front of the canvas.
To enjoy the STAINED GLASS, light must shine from behind the glass.


CMYK = OIL PAINTING, or printed copy you hold in your hand. Light shines in Front.

RGB = STAINED GLASS, or computer monitor and TV screens. Light shines from Behind.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

From my Sketch-Journal and Artwork-Journal


Journey (Excerpt)
Rocks fall, I am flexible. Arms give with the weight.
Walls fall. I can bend, I may break,
But roots find moist earth, and leaves feel the sun.
I grow stronger, fuller. Here is Love.
~KRG, Journey, 2000

Above art is PLAY with a combination of
photo, drawing, and photoshop


~~~

Why have I never noticed...?
The light is not reflected. The light comes from within!


Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Seems to me that artists have a different kind of courage. With each work a journey begins, never knowing for sure where the journey will end.


Following are a couple of older illustrations.

"A Blessing Given is a Blessing Received"


"It was the Zinnia blooms that lured him up, then over.
Two insecure but determined steps before he plopped down on his padded seat.
Consumed with the flower, he didn't realize he had just taken his first steps."



"Art is...like a footprint which shows that one has walked bravely and in great happiness." --Robert Henri

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Work in process


I'm working in pastel this time.
I started with a magenta pastel wash as an under-layer for vibrancy, and used Prussian blue for the blacks on the butterfly as a base color to obtain a rich black.

I moved on to the flowers
after testing the black over the Prussian blue (just to be sure I was getting the desired effect), and will save the black as a final touch. Having just finished a scumble layer over the flowers, I will add more detail to the flowers after developing the background.

Today I celebrate Fathers Day, so I will resume working on this piece Monday.

A tidbit I learned this morning. This is the 100 year anniversary of the celebration of Fathers Day.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Remembering dad this morning ...

and honoring the "Sense of Wonder" he brought to my life.

Excerpt from my journal, January 8, 2005:
Dad visited me in my dreams last night.
I asked him, "May I hold your hand for just a minute?"
He said, "What is it with this minute stuff?
How about for all times?"

"Find your joy, Kim. ... Find your passion, find your joy."

As a flight instructor and fixed base operator,
flight was a daily activity in Dad's life.

Surely the view from up above nourished his sense of wonder,
but that delight in life would have been present
no matter how he earned his living.

...I feel blessed to call him dad!
Happy Father's Day Dad.


Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Rooted Angels - From my "Sketch-Journal"

In the light from the street lamp, dewy leaves sparkled with life,
and Each Leaf Wore an Angel, Singing....

Compassion is rooted in Honesty,
Honesty rooted in Self Worth,
Self Worth rooted in God.

~KRG, Journey, 2000

An older portrait and a newer portrait

Rebecca age 5 • Graphite and White Pastel on Colored Paper
Included in the 26th Annual Central South Art Exhibition
at The Parthenon in Nashville, TN.



German • Graphite

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Graphite Drawing for Ms. D. Brown

Graphite Drawing on illustration board for Ms. E. Orr

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Older Work - Contour Line


I love mixing contour line with
realism.
To me, it feels like life coming out from the blank page.




Top two drawings from "Best Friends" series. Bottom: Jessica

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Rattle. Rattle.

I read my horoscope this morning. It said, "You are more loquacious than ever. ...If your goal is just to amuse yourself, you really don't need an audience at all."

Smiles,.... ...my dad once told me, "Ahhh Kim, you're just talking to hear your head rattle!"


I prefer rattle in images.

Following are a couple of many works in progress. These two are attempts to get a handle on colored pencil. I like the detail available with the waxy pencil, but am struggling with blending. ...After testing several ideas, including a hot iron over wax paper, I'm thinking multiple layers of color is the key.


Gavin for Sarah and John

Sunset on the beach. This one has a loooong way to go....

Pastel probably would work better next time for this kind of image.
I may find a trick or two in the process though.
Maybe starting with a watercolor wash
- on Watercolor Paper next time.

Wonder if the watercolor pencil and wax pencil mix?


Rattle. Rattle.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Kiah and Lily Of The Valley


For Kiah - Charcoal


First play with watercolor pencils.

Lily of the Valley - Watercolor Pencil. 
Credit to Alain Thibodeau (Athila) for the source photo of this study

I was excited at the thought of mixing the control of pencil with the freedom of watercolor. I made a mistake at the start though. I used a slick surface drawing paper, so the paper buckled and began to shred as I worked the color with water. Still, a good learning experience. Next time I will use watercolor paper.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Other talents of Degas

Wanting to refresh my memory of a sculpture that wowed me in 2007, I went on a search yesterday for "Little Dancer Girl."
I had first seen the sculpture at a French Masters exhibit shown at Frist Center in Nashville, TN.

Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. Life size. Bronze, gauze and satin.
Modeled in wax 1880-81; cast in bronze 1920-21

Little Dancer Girl was first exhibited in 1881 at the 6th Impressionist Exhibition, and was created by Edgar Degas. Although he created several sculptures, this was the only sculpture he exhibited during his career.

The original exhibited sculpture was wax with tinted skin color, real hair with yellow ribbon, gauze dress and ballet shoes, presented in a small room with walls draped in yellow fabric.
Her crude features stimulated controversial reviews from critics who commented on the figures ugliness and bestial qualities. "The lecturer's snout on this barely pubescent young girl, this little flower of the gutter is unforgettable."

In my search for this sculpture I was surprised to find Degas' interest in photography. What seeking artist isn't interested in opportunity to utilize latest and newest technology? ... I shouldn't have been surprised in Degas' interest in photography.

1885 Set-up photograph with Degas in the center - titled: Apotheosis of Degas
Created after Ingres' Apotheosis of Homer.
(Degas had a passion for the work of Ingres.)



Portrait in front of a mirror of the artist Henry Lerolle
and his two daughters, Yvonne and Christine. ca. 1895-1896



Degas Self Portrait in the studio, probably late 1895 or 1896.

I wonder if other artist such as Gauguin, Monet, and Cezanne have photo compositions out there I have yet to see. .... An artists process of thought intrigues me.

While viewing photos by Degas, I was tickled to find this photo he took in his home.

Taken in Degas' living room, it is of lie and Louise Halevy, probably in late 1895.

What tickled me about this photo?
I recognized the painting hanging on Degas' living room wall! It is "Girl Arranging Her Hair," painted by his friend Mary Cassatt.

"Girl Arranging Her Hair" by Mary Cassatt.

Mary Cassatt is another artist whose work I have long admired.

Source used: http://nga.gov.au/Exhibition/Degas/

Friday, June 4, 2010

From the sketch book - Roses Spent


Can there be beauty in roses spent?

Yup.

One long, last look.












She sleeps with her eyes open! :)

Not Sitting Still

No wind favors he who has no destined port. —Montaigne


I'm not sure where I am going yet, but at least I am not sitting still.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Moving Along


Marketing ones artwork has changed so much in such a short amount of time. So many opportunities are available now through the internet. Where does one begin?
I guess I begin here.
....Moving along.