Settling In

Well, I have been very busy the last few days. Bear with me while I track most of what I do each day. I want to record what I am doing here for me, as well as for any of you who may be interested.

Monday February 4th: I woke up at 5:30, took a shower and then did a little knitting. Wow! I never do that in the morning. Went to have breakfast and then there was a meeting for all of the painters to discuss the studio rules, etc. Then I went back to my studio and finished unpacking and arranging my supplies. I decided to do a few quick underpaintings before lunch, just to warm up. My usual work, one landscape, one barn image. Had lunch then went to the first figure drawing session. The model was wonderful, and I did a nice drawing in sanguine conte. (I will post the figure drawings in a few days) Then I left early to go to the hardware store with the girl whose studio is across the hall from mine. I think I can safely call her a girl, because she is only 23, and technically I could be her mother. But we hit it off and even took a walk later to check out the health food store. Anyway, before dinner I sat down at my table and did some pencil drawings, (using the vintage family photos I bought on ebay as reference) and I feel like I began to work out some ideas that I have about incorporating the figures into my work. Also, it was incredibly pleasurable to just sit and draw. I can't even remember the last time I did that.

After dinner (stuffed chicken breast, roasted potatoes and a salad) I went and worked in the studio for a few more hours, called home and talked to the family, then went to the lounge to check my emails. The ancient laptop I am using conked out before I could write a post, so I went back to my room, knitted, then read about a paragraph in my book before passing out.

Tuesday, 5th. Woke up at 4am, aarrrgh, could have used at least another hour. Went to breakfast and then on to Figure drawing where there was another great model. I did a drawing, then pulled out the paint and did two underpaintings. They were only half hour poses, so there are some funky areas that I didn't get too. But overall I am pleased with them. I tried a third one but had very bad luck with the two different posed so I took the panel back to my studio and did and image based on one of the pencil drawings. Lunch (black bean soup, salad) and then I went to visit another artist's studio. I had talked with Nancy about stapling a big piece of canvas up on the wall and I asked if I could see what she did. I don't work on canvas so I needed some tips, especially about painting on unstretched canvas. We had a nice chat and then went to my studio and she gave me some really good feedback about what I was doing. I had been feeling uncomfortable about using photographic reference so much, but I also couldn't do what I want to do without it. She felt I was telling a story about the people in the photographs, but that it was my vision, despite using other people's photographs. So I did a few more drawings, took a short walk around outside then went back to the drawings again. Dinner and now I am sitting in the lounge and listening to the primary results.

I am beginning to feel more comfortable here, although I have been hit and miss with the meals, as far as sitting near someone to talk to, or someone at all. Mostly it's just my bad timing, either I come in too early and no one sits next to me or I come in late and there are no spots next to the people I know. Oh and very few people her have kids and so far, of the ones I know about, I hold the record for most offspring. So there you go.

More in a few days. Oh and Steven, so far my people do NOT look like barns. However, Doug's advice was to approach them in the same way that I approach the barns and that has been pretty effective, so far anyway. I have yet to do a real, full out color painting that includes the figure.