art
Historical Family Portrait, a recent commission
I had the absolute pleasure of reproducing this family portrait, an ancient black and white photo, in oil on canvas! This one was especially a challenge since the old photo I had for a reference was very faded. It was printed on a postcard! Missing was an exact date and I had to imagine who took the photo, what the circumstances were, and how it ended up printed on this now aged and stained postcard stock.
I invented some of the detail after researching other antique photos from around the same time period, but didn’t want to add too much detail and alter the images and personality of the people in the photo. I also added some color, but sparingly, as I wanted to reproduce the feeling of this old faded photograph.
Carefully studying the form and gesture of each person, I worked to capture them as accurately as I could, and to represent the beauty and dignity each person displayed. The photo looks as if it was a sunny day as their faces are slightly shadowed, probably on a Sunday before or after church, everyone dressed in their best. I loved how the younger boys look as if they were growing out of their suit jackets, while the oldest boy was proudly growing into his. I couldn’t tell what the woman on the far left was holding; I imagined that she may have picked some wildflowers on her way.
I wanted to show the weathered texture of the building they’re standing in front of, not sure if it was a house or a barn. I imagined how warm the earth felt beneath their bare feet and how proud and fancy the young girls felt with crisp white bows in their hair.
As I worked, and carefully studied the photograph for weeks, I fell in love with each one, but especially the matriarch, the woman seated in the center with the rest of the family lovingly arranged around her. Her beauty inspired me to do a separate study of her. She’s amazing!
Here are some of the wonderful photos that inspired me when I researched.
Yes, I will pay back my student loans…someday. In the meantime, I paint!
Someone recently told me that “Students who take out excessive loans, enjoy their college years, and don’t work during that time earn less sympathy.” As if college is just a big carefree party for free loaders!
Everyone deserves an education! For years I didn’t go to college because I didn’t think I could afford it, always struggling in low paying jobs kept me distracted and thinking I couldn’t go to school at the same time.
For 10 years I drove past our college and saw the warm lights shining out of the tall windows of the library and just knew in my gut that I wanted to be there! Finally when my boys got a bit older I felt like I had the time and energy to tackle college. My desire to grow and learn outweighed my fear and idea that I was not worthy of education. I walked in and found out I could get a degree in only four years and that there were grants and loans available for me to do that! I registered and started classes that evening! I felt like I was “home.”
I learned things I would never have learned if I let myself stay stuck in one dead-end job after another. My self knowledge and confidence grew. I found a way to do the things I’ve always wanted to do! I met amazing people – students and professors – who are still in my life today.
When my fiancé died from suicide ten years ago and I was unable to function in a 9 to 5 (nearly paralyzed by PTSD, depression, and anxiety) it was school that kept me going. I found out I could increase the amount I was borrowing in order to pay my bills while I finished up that last year of school. And that’s what I did. Meanwhile, government grants were eliminated and tuition rates rose every year.
Then after graduation, knowing full well all along that I would be paying my loans back and fulfilling my obligation, I got the first bill. My monthly payment was over $650! Who can afford that! Even if I had landed a job utilizing one of my degrees immediately after graduation, wouldn’t be able to afford a monthly payment that high. When I applied for income based repayment it went down to like $39 a month.
I know lots of other people in this same situation. For most, college is not a four year party, a free ride, or enjoyable most of the time; it’s very hard work and a major accomplishment. However, I don’t expect sympathy from people who have never gone to college, or invested in their education, or even try to understand the people who do.
#educationextortion #studentdebt #everyonedeserveseducation #educationisnotaprivilege #shamedforwantingmore
Back At It
Finally getting back into the studio on a more regular basis and it feels great! Now that I have a job that doesn’t suck the life out of me, completely in line with my beliefs, helping to fight the good fight, I have more mental and physical energy to paint! Yay!
Paintings usually evolve over time. This one I started quite a while ago, set it aside to finish up some commissioned paintings, and now I’m back to it. Here are some in-process shots of this Troll having the time of his life in the sandbox…
Any suggestions on what to call this one?
And sometimes your studio looks like this
Currently, my studio is full of hiking gear and I’ve been distracted and busy hiking and helping Boyfriend plan a major hiking excursion that is quickly drawing nearer…
But I have taken some time to show my work at the Open Air Gallery at the Corner and I’m planning my next paintings which will include more sock monkey adventures, of course. Stay tuned…
Yup, all things are connected
Sometimes I’m reminded of how all things are connected, of how things that are right for you are drawn to you, what you need at any given time…it comes.
Lately, I’ve been working feverishly in my yard – creating new beds, planting new shrubs and flowers, spreading mulch, creating walkways with step stones. And while I’ve been working I’ve been feeling like I’m not accomplishing anything since I’m not in the studio painting. Ridiculous, I know.
Then I realized that this is my cycle. Every Spring when it starts to get warmer out, I get the urge to get outside and plant stuff, and ready my yard for hanging out in the summer. And it’s been gorgeous out! I’ve been able to be outside while the azaleas and dogwoods bloom and everything gets lush and greener.
And in doing all this compulsive digging, I feel as if I’m really getting to know this little patch of earth that I call my own. So far, I’ve unearthed an old metal toy car and two marbles; I’m sure there’s more goodies hidden just under the grass.
And then I come across this article in Brain Pickins about Derek Jarman and his gardening and how this creative gardening process helped him accept his fate, deal with his grief and it was beautiful and I completely identified with his efforts, his process in his garden… Here’s a link to the article: https://www.brainpickings.org/2021/04/04/derek-jarman-modern-nature-gardening/
And all things are connected. I might be working something out, even if I’m not conscious of exactly what it is. Or maybe I’m simply enjoying the hard work, the joy of getting my hands dirty, the time I have now to go wild and do each project that comes into my mind while I’m waiting for my next job, next opportunity. And soon I’ll feel the urge to get back in the studio. (Especially now that the garden I’ve planted looks perfect from my studio window!)
Sock Monkey Adventures Now in Prints!
Two of my sock monkey paintings are now available in 11×14 matted prints. Just $29 plus shipping will get you one of these for your very own!
They’re available through my etsy but if you contact me directly at paintingpoppy@gmail.com I can give you this discounted price.
Add a sock monkey adventure to your life!
Have you ever noticed a theme in your work that you didn’t see before?
In mine? Furniture!
Sketches, Studies, and Sock Monkeys
I’ve been teaching my drawing classes, in-person and online, and my demo drawings have become a catalyst for my own work.
Here’s a study in preparation of the next Sock Money Adventure painting…
Stay tuned for further progress.
Art-o-mat, Here they come…
So, here’s how it works, after you come up with an idea, create your prototype, and obtain approval from Art-o-mat headquarters, of course…
Produce your 50 pieces of original artwork according to the Art-o-Mat guidelines. I make tiny pen and ink drawings and this time I’ve added acrylic paint wash. I decided to do sort-of a mid century/vintage vibe with campers, pink princess phones, mushrooms, etc. (The first batch I did were tiny, full-color, detailed still life paintings of random little objects and I called it “Lily’s World.”
When I’m finished obsessing over my designs, I cut them to size and glue them to the wooden art-o-mat blocks. Then I glue my business cards to the back, so art-o-mat collectors can contact me for commissions, etc. Then I wrap each of them with the cellophane (hence the name Artists in Cellophane.)
Then I pack my art-o-mat blocks back into the box they came in and ship them back to Art-o-mat headquarters.
After a few weeks the checks start coming. And it’s awesome to get money for your work. But it’s also awesome to see where your blocks end up. Imagine your work going to Las Vegas, New York, LA, Hawaii, or as far away as Vienna! There are art-o-mat machines all across the world…
The whole process is sooo much fun! Thanks, Art-o-mat for allowing me to participate!
Check out their website for more info: https://www.artomat.org/
Bobbie
Faded and soft, like a memory.
A commissioned portrait from a faded black and white snapshot. A sunny day at the beach sometime in the early 1950’s.
I translated a black and white photo into a color portrait – bringing the soft colors of the bathing suit and towel back to life and adding the blush to her skin, flushed from the warmth of the summer sun.
As I painted, I wondered if she ever realized how beautiful she was. We rarely see ourselves as we are, as beautiful as we appear to the ones who love us.
The person who snapped this photo must have loved her very much.
paintingpoppy 