Today Echo and I returned to Gibralter gardens in Wilmington to paint with Pahl and Catherine, both teachers at DCAD. Steve was the only one other painter join us, but he left early and not long after him Catherine and Pahl as well. It seems the place was rented for a wedding. In fact people were there when we showed up, the garden was already filled with chairs and the musicians were setting up too, but the preist came over and told Echo and I we were welcome to stay and he like the fact we were painting, said Echo had a "beautiful smile". He felt that what we were doing contributed to the atmosphere. As family members and guests came in, wandering about, many came up to watch us paint and compliment us. Everything seemd fine, but it was kinda' distracting, so my attention was off, and I was trying to also pay attention to what Echo was doing in case she needed anything. It was humid as hell and I had 4 hours sleep last night, so I was a bit 'crunchy" as it were. Echo's friend Teressa was also supposed to join us, but by the time she arrived boatloads of people were swarming in. Buses were showing up filled with guests, this place is small, people were pooling up like a blocked artery and a cop was there to direct traffic. Suddenly we were told we had to leave as the bride didn't want to see us there...O..K...
So we either had to move to higher ground and restart our paintings or leave. I figured we should just beat it as it wasn't very condusive to painting anymore, so my painting was only maybe a quarter done..I had to leave it as it was..I am not so happy with this one and could have done a simpler scene...but I got art greedy! However you know, you learn from the good and the bad.
Here is my block-in, it started with promise but not to long after I was beset by the curious public..I also only had about 4 hours sleep last nite, so I was really kinda' foggy.
You can see Echo's painting here.
I snapped a pic of Catherine painting, both she and Pahl were using gouache.
So after we were kicked out of the garden like Adam and the two Eves, Echo wanted to eat at the chinese buffet, so we headed down 95 to get some grub, I was pretty darn hungry by then as well.
I ate like a dog! I had a few plates of the usual buffett stuff then topped it off with some Mongolian Grill..yum!
After we ate we decided to go to A. C. Moore to get some art supplies Echo needed for a job and to grab some extra pencils and sketchpads (I had left ours home) to go to Starbucks and draw. We hit A C Moore as they were having a huge sale, I bought a lot of canvases and sketchbooks, tracing pads etc. Then we piled back into the car and zoomed over to Starbucks to sketch.
This Starbucks is kinda small, and there were not very many people..or really anyone sitting to be our subjects except for one guy outside waiting for a ride. Just before we left people showed up, but I neede to get back home so we could feed the dogs. Below are the two sketches I did, one of Echo (who kept moving here head) and one of Teressa.
13 comments:
That 'Echo" person sure sounded bit annoying :D
I love your sketches, no seriously, my favorite one is the one of Teresa, you got her expression perfactly:) GOOD JOB, I will give ya an...F! F for FANTASTIC!!
Your blog is an inspiration for me, it prompted me to start my own...
I also appreciate greatly your Draw ! magazine. Thanks !
The drawings are great! Too bad about Gibralter--freaking bridezilla!! Oh well, looks like you had a great meal afterward. It cracks me up the way you and Echo take pictures of the meals you are particularly fond of. I get a chuckle out of it every time. Oh, and I read your request on my blog. I'll be putting some stuff up, but as I'm under massive pressure to finish shooting (and developing) a lot of film by next week, I'm afraid it's just some of my prints from last semester's photo class. Sorry--will make up for it later.
Great Kelly, I look forward to seeing the prints. Thanks about the drawings, both girls were good subjects. I think next time we'll go back to brandywine state park. Good luck with the printing!
Thierry, Thanks amigo! Your work is great too! Too bad I can't read French, are your books or albums available on Amazon.ca ?
Thank you Mike, you made my day ! To answer your question, the books are available on amazon.ca, volumes 1 thru 4, but they range around 18 US$ each and they're in french (european format). As of my blog, half the texts are in english, usualy the second half, and for my web page, there is an english section also. There you go.
Thierry, ok I would love to order some. hey I also would like to talk to you about your process and hgow it is publishing in Canada.
I'd be glad to Mike, when ever your ready we'll take the time to talk about the process. By the way, I'm not a specialist on canadian publishing, but I do know about european publishing, because my publisher is in France.
Hmm?! Jamie, Well I guess I don't agree with your teacher. First, doing a representational drawing isn't in any way like taking a photo. God I hate that type of limited thinking, especially in a school setting where one is supposed to be trying to teache-impart real knowledge and skills, not limit ones self to only working in certain areas or styles, "schools". True, a super-dead rendering can be boring, but my drawing, while realistic or representaional, isn't photographic in any way. I pushed values and eleminated details, stylized the hair etc.
That is the type of teacher I frankly dispise! Bull-fucking-shit!
I had my fill of teachers like that 20 years ago in highschool and college. that type of teacher destroyed craftsmanship and real teaching of time honored skills for most of the past 50 years, they are one of the reasons it was so hard to learn.
If one takes the Picasso example, where he learned to draw with solid fundementals .. only then was he able to work from that base into the abstraction--and do it successfully. He had something to work with, work from. If you can't dtraw the human body well, the form in space, manipulate values and tone, know perspective and anatomy..just what are you abstracting from? Bullshit drawing is what!
Drawing is a process and a complicated one which requires a real discipline, something many artsy-fartsy art wannabes and shitty teachers try to work around by saying assinine statements like your teacher said. They are weak, weak at drawing, weak at thinking, weak on talent IMHO.
Jamie, I like the figure drawings the best along with the space ship painting on your site. You should keep it fresh, or better yet get a blog and post art daily if you can.
Chinese food is the best I used to go to the local buffet every week load up on general Tzso chicken and shrimp. Seeing your life painting/drawings is really aspiring.
Cory, you can chow down like a champ for cheap, but man, sometimes that food is so greasy. Even a good chinese buffett is fatty, thats why I prefer sushi...it's only got heavy metals in it :-0
I like your painting Mike. Been enjoying the last few you've posted on here.
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