Finally, here is the companion to the Catbird painting! I aimed to keep this as fresh as possible, trying to define each patch of color with as few brushstrokes as possible. My goal was one brushstroke per patch of color, and I can’t say I achieved that 100%, but maybe 85-90%. I think the fish lips came out particularly well. 🙂
I had this lit with two lights – one from each direction (due to my still life and palette setup), and I think that was one light too many, or the placement could have been better. I would have preferred that the object’s roundness was better defined through light and shadow, as with the Catbird, but I didn’t notice it until I compared the two paintings after finishing this one (rolleyes). Next time…
This is my fourth representational still life painting since beginning (almost) daily painting. This one was a bit more of a struggle than Squidward Tentacles, but three painting sessions later, I think I mostly pulled it off. I’m still attempting to paint loosely, but a 20+ year-habit of “blending” the paint is a hard habit to break. I have to force myself not to get too close to the canvas, not to smooth out my initial brushstrokes, not to “draw” with the brush, and not to overdo it!
I’ll be painting Catbird’s partner, Catfish (pepper) later, so stay tuned. All my latest little still lifes (except for those that have already sold) are available in my shop, as well as in my gallery at DailyPaintWorks.
My brother visited Austin last December, and my husband and I took him on a sightseeing tour of several great places around Austin, including a couple of places to see art.
One day, we made it over to the Davis Gallery to see the really awesome wood sculpture of Caprice Pierucci. Her work really blows me away. It’s both very labor-intensive and very organic in appearance. I love the undulations and how she makes wood appear so fluid! Take a look:
The next day we headed over to the Blanton to see the “Turner to Monet: Masterpieces from The Walters Art Museum” exhibit, which was slightly underwhelming. But then we headed up to the second floor to view the American and Contemporary galleries. A lot of wonderful humongous works and a few interesting and even awesome installations.
I was hoping to see a piece by Byron Kim titled “Synedoche,” that I had seen years ago. It’s a 20-panel piece that is composed essentially of portraits of 20 people randomly encountered on the UT campus—but each panel is a solid color— the color of their skin, representing the whole person (hence the title), with the group of painted panels representing the larger population. I’ve seen another larger portion of this project, which I thought I saw here in Austin, and which has even more impact. The initial work received a lot of acclaim in the 1993 Whitney Biennial. There is a 400-panel iteration of this at the National Gallery that I would really love to see in person.
Unfortunately, this was not on display during our brief visit to the Blanton, but here is a group of photos I shot from the Contemporary galleries there. For artists and explanations of the work, you really owe it to yourself to go to the Blanton and take a look yourself. Many of these pieces become even more interesting when you find out the motivation and intent behind their creation.
Just a reminder that I had a painting selected from over a thousand submissions of paintings, sculptures, photographs, and more for the 2011 People’s Gallery Exhibition.
The opening is tomorrow night from 6-9pm at City Hall and features over 100 artworks from Austin-area artists, galleries, museums, and art organizations displayed throughout the first three floors of City Hall.
Short films selected for the 2011 Faces of Austin multimedia program will have a premiere screening in City Council Chambers, starting at 7 p.m. And in the Atrium, enjoy music by The Djembabes and refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods Market.
Get updated event and parking information at Austin Art in Public Places
If you go to the opening, look for me and/or my painting somewhere in that space!
