Ending the week...

There's no motif painting this week, because my big project is working so well. I'm really enjoying working on it right now, so I thought I'd stick with it until I hit my first bump. Here's today's progress:



It doesn't look that different from yesterday, but that's mostly because I was double checking my measurements and wanted to take my time. Also, because we talk about Art History in the studio on Thursdays, there's not as much time for painting.

And on that note, today I'm going to talk about my teacher-- Gary Faigin. I first heard of Gary several years ago when I was taking my first art class with a group of lovely little old ladies. He had written a book about facial expressions and these little old ladies were just in love with this book. I spent several hours sitting on the floor in Barnes and Noble looking at the book, but never bought it because I was just too intimidated and not quite ready for it.

Fast forward a few years-- Chris and I were getting ready to come to Seattle and I was looking for a place to study art. I found Gage Academy online and recognized Gary's name immediately. I knew that I wanted to come to this school and study with him-- it was almost an immediate decision. But once again, I wasn't sure that I was ready. So I enrolled at Gage in the Foundation Painting program and worked my way through that last year and this year I've finally gotten my own studio space and an opportunity for Gary to critique my work.

He comes in Tuesday afternoons for individual critiques and Thursday mornings to talk about Art History. I've learned so much from both--plus, I love the freedom that comes from just painting and painting and painting every other day of the week.

Quickly.

That's how this painting seems to be going. I haven't hit a snag yet, though I know one is inevitable. Meanwhile, I'll just keep sailing along and enjoying the process.

Here's what the painting looks like today:

Question of the week...

How much does it cost?
*Hmm, this is a bit out of focus...I think I need a better camera.

Painting progress

Here's what my canvas looked like yesterday morning:




Here's what it looks like now:


Progress, no?

More snow...

The view from my studio:

Um. Never mind. I don't have the cable for the camera, so those pictures will have to wait until tomorrow.

Awkward silence...

*Look, now I've got the cable!


So, anyway, how was the weekend? Mine was a bit manic. A new show opened at the Frye, and it was pretty crowded both Friday and Saturday. The Frye Museum is my other job-- it's the one that actually provides a paycheck. I love that I get paid to look at paintings. I learn a lot just by looking at the work on the walls. Plus, I love the group of people that I work with. We have a lot of fun together. It's the perfect job for me right now. I usually work there Thursday evenings, Fridays and Saturdays. Which is why I only post here Monday-Thursday while I'm actually in my studio.

And then last night I hosted Hysteria. That's the group of girls (we don't feel old enough to be a women's group) who get together every Sunday night and do crafty things. Well, some of us do crafty things, and some of us just sit around and chat and eat. Either way, we have fun together.

The big plans for today include starting my new painting. I'll take pictures and post progress of it each week--if I can remember to bring the cable for the camera.

Thursday again...

Since Monday was a holiday and I wasn't in my studio, this week has gone very quickly. I have a lot of painting to catch up on, so I'm just jumping straight to this week's influential artist: Vermeer.

For many years he was almost forgotten, but now Vermeer's work resonates for many as the definitive Dutch ideal in painting. Though we don't know much about him as a person, his work is easily recognizable. For me his work is really simple and complex at the same time. I've tried several master copies of his work and each time I learn something new about painting. The world he creates is his painting is quiet and thoughtful.

My great disappointment in life is that I haven't actually seen his work in person. In 2001, his work at the Met in New York wasn't on display, then both times I was in Amsterdam we went to the Van Gogh Museum instead of the Rijksmuseum because it was being remodeled. When I went to New York in September, seeing Vermeer was at the top of my list. BUT, I went just a week before this exhibit opened. And no matter how much I pleaded, the guard would not let me in to wherever they were storing the painting while they were hanging the work.

So I guess I'll just have to go back.

In between...

I should be painting, but instead I'm eating lentils and listening to iTunes. I'm in between paintings and feeling a little lost. I suppose I'm back to stage one.

I'm finished with a project that I've worked on for more than two months--and I'm glad. I'm just not so sure I'm ready to invest myself in to a new painting like that. It's the stage of uncertainty and insecurity. For me, it's the stage where I get the most frustrated and anxious. Others in my studio love it. They're excited about a new project and a fresh clean canvas. They'll spend hours and hours just planning and sketching. Meanwhile, I will just throw anything on the canvas to get something down and then later spend hours and hours correcting it. Or even worse, I'll encounter a problem I hadn't planned for and have to begin all over again.

I'm trying to be more comfortable in this stage. Trying to plan and think through my ideas. Though what I really want to do is just throw some paint on this big white canvas. I'm definitely looking forward to stage two.

Tuesdays are for review...

Look, it's already Tuesday again!

Last week, I turned in my self-portrait for a show here at Gage, I wrote a first draft of an artist's statement, I read 2 books,I worked 17 hours at the Frye, I completed filling out my planning calendar for this quarter, I finished 2 small paintings, I did a value study for my next big project, I went to the gym three times, I walked more than 11K steps everyday, I was deliberate about my eating choices (except for one day), I finished knitting a sock, I sewed a button on a pair of pants (actually, I convinced someone else to do it for me--thanks, Kelly!) and I climbed a mountain (with snow!).

BUT, I forgot to clean the bathroom (Chris did it for me--thanks, love.) I forgot to get the ingredients for making creme brulee, I didn't keep up with my expenses so well, I was in a bad mood for a good part of the weekend, and I went down the mountain on my butt (mostly because of the snow). Ouch.

Discovery of the week: Getting down an icy mountain is much harder than going up. Also, if you slide down a mountain, your butt is going to be really sore the next day.

Wrapping up...

Thursday comes so quickly! With lots done this week, I'm ready to shift gears and go to the museum for a couple of days.

Meanwhile, Thursday I talk about an artist. We'll stick with Impressionists for awhile and I'll talk about Camille Pissarro.

A few years ago (wait--many years ago) Chris and I were in Boston visiting friends and we went to the Museum of Fine Art. There are 46 paintings by Monet and I couldn't wait to see every single one of them. But somewhere along the way I got distracted. I walked through a gallery and a small painting on a far wall grabbed my attention. The light and colors really gleamed. I sat and sketched trying to capture what it was that I loved so much about this painting. Later in the store, I bought a small white book with other paintings by this artist and read as much as I could about Pissarro in the back seat of my friends' car.

Pissarro was born in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas (I've been to his house!) in 1830. Later he trained in Paris and relocated there with his family. He was a committed Socialist and is known somewhat as a fatherly figure to the other impressionists. He mentored Cezanne, Van Gogh and offered a calm stabilizing force to the other more rash members of the group. He was also willing to learn from younger artists.

He took his art seriously, but didn't seem to take himself seriously. That's one of my goals as well.

More questions?

Question of the week: What time is it?

Final Critique

= finished painting!

As you can see from my facial expression, I've struggled with this painting. Maybe it was the size, maybe it was the face, but I'm so happy to be done. It still doesn't quite "sing", but it hums along nicely and the longer I look, the louder the humming gets.

Since I look so grim, I decided to title this work No Coffee Yet. It adds a bit of a story to the piece.

Sometimes when I'm sitting in front of the work for days and hours, I find that I can't really judge it. But after a few days (or weeks) at a distance I discover small things that I like about it. I'm hoping that's what will happen with this painting.

Meanwhile, it's going in the show here on Thursday.

Three hours...

Today I left the house at 8:15. An hour and 15 minutes later, I was on the bus only four blocks from my house. Finally, I made it to my transfer point where I waited 25 minutes on a bus that didn't come. So I took another bus to downtown, where I waited 25 minutes for the same bus going in the opposite direction-- but it didn't come either. So finally, I took another bus and then walked 5 blocks (but that took 25 minutes) across the park to my studio.

I arrived at 11:20. Oy.

But-- the park looked like this:



That made it worth it.

Tuesdays are for Review...

What did I do this week?

Hmm, the answer is going to sound alot like last week. I went to the gym three times, I was deliberate in my eating choices, I finished 3 paintings (a large one and two small-- pictures to come). I also worked 16 hours at the Frye, knit some more on a sock, mopped the kitchen floor and kept up with my expenses. I accomplished the 24th goal on my thirty while thirty list. I hung out with friends, I talked to a faraway friend and cooked dinner for a visiting one, I found a recipe for creme brulee. I mind mapped my ideas for my artist statement, read three (or four) books and scheduled a hike. I brainstormed some painting ideas and I went to the dentist.

What still needs work?

Well, I need the ingredients for creme brulee, I didn't practice jumping rope, I forgot to write an expense in the calendar (but I found the reciept and remembered it later). I have a few emails I've postponed for too long and I have to decide what to do about Facebook. I think I'm going to retire (it seems to drain a lot of my time) but I need to figure out what's best.

Overall, I'm on target and where I should be.

Discovery of the week: Watching the Food Network while on the stair stepper at the gym is really motivating! :)

Monday, Monday...

The weekend didn't seem long enough, or maybe it was just because I had a dentist appointment, but I didn't want to get out of bed this morning. But I did. (Because I'm a responsible adult?)

And I went to the dentist and she accidentally poked my top lip with the curvy pointy thing, so now it hurts. When I left the dentist, I realized I had forgotten my lunch, so I walked back home and picked it up. It was so hard not to go back to bed.

Now I'm here at the studio and I want to paint, but instead I'm whining here.

Hope your Monday is better than mine.

Four stages.

I just finished reading Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck. It's about the process of learning to do the things in life that you really love. The way that she describes this process uses four stages. I'm really simplifying this, but stage one is uncertainty and fear. Stage two she calls scheming and dreaming. Stage three involves trial and error and retrial and hard work. Stage four is success.

Last night as I neared the end of the book, I realized that these are very similar to the stages that I go through with a painting. Stage one is a blank canvas, many possibilities and the fear of the unknown. Stage two is grasping an idea and getting excited about all the things this painting could be. Stage three is somewhere after the initial block in, when I run in to a problem and my confidence begins to lag. Stage four is when things begin to click and then I know I'm close to finished. The painting becomes eye catching and "sings" (as my studio-mate Julia says).

The problem with the toaster painting is that though I felt I was nearing the end, I hadn't reached stage four yet. I felt like I was trapped in the third stage. It wasn't singing. Until today. (sigh of relief) This afternoon I restructured the values in the background and stepped back to check my work. It certainly wasn't singing the Alleluia Chorus, but I did seem to hear a distinct humming sound! Hooray for Stage Four!!

Questions?

For each month of 2008, I'm completing a series of paintings that relate to a specific motif. For example, January's motif is "Questions." That means that each week of this month I'll complete a small painting that relates to that idea. My first painting asked, "Am I forgetting something?" which is a question I ask a lot. And since I usually forget my keys, my bus pass or my cell phone, those were the things I included in the painting.

This week I'm asking "What time is it?" So obviously, I'm painting my watch. I'm pleasantly surprised with the results so far, though I still have a good chance at messing up. I'll let you know how it turns out.

And since Thursdays in our studio usually start with an art history discussion, I've decided that Thursday posts will feature a favorite artist. This week-- Berthe Morisot.

Morisot was beautiful, talented and professionally successful. She married "well" (her brother-in-law was Edouard Manet) and was respected professionally by the other Impressionists. I love the emotion of her paintings, but I'm mostly impressed with her life. She was always determined to be an Artist (with a capital A) in an age when women weren't supposed to be determined about anything. Yet, she still balanced her career and her family with a success that few women find even today.

She wasn't dramatic or harpy. She wasn't a rebel. She lived very quietly in middle class Paris, first as a daughter then as a wife and mother. She received visitors and threw parties and fulfilled all the societal obligations of nineteenth century France. But she also committed herself to her painting without wavering. And not only to painting, but to a completely new and original idea of what painting should be. She was true to her own voice.

It is important to express oneself... provided the feelings are real and are taken from your own experience. -- Berthe Morisot


Real painters understand with a brush in their hand. --Berthe Morisot

Close to finished?

Well, I've completed my list of things that needed work with this painting. This is a terrible photo, but I think I'm pretty much finished. I'll look at it again tomorrow with a fresh eye and decide then.


"Art is never finished, only abandoned." --Leonardo da Vinci

Great minds...

Not only do I love her necklaces, I'm always so inspired by Andrea's insights and honesty. Which is why I love her blog. Mondo Beyondo is an annual thing for her and it fits with where I am at the moment.

Where will 2008 take you?

Working Wednesday

So, it's Wednesday. My week here in my studio is coming to a close and I'm beginning to think about what's on my easel. Some things are working really well with this painting and some things still haven't come together quite the way I want them to. Though I don't have my camera with me today, I'll post a picture of it soon. Meanwhile, you'll just have to trust me as I look at it from behind the monitor here.

First a description: I'm painting a still life with a self portrait. It's my reflection in a silver toaster with my coffee cup from the Anastasis, a jar of jam, and a spoon with strawberry jam. There's a plate off to the right and the toast has just popped up from the toaster.

What's working? I like the background a lot. It provides unity and really adds a bit of depth now that I have cooled it down with a blue. The face in the toaster looks like me, though I didn't realize how old and grouchy I look when I'm concentrating. (Note to self: work on smiling when you're painting a self portrait.) I've also done a decent job with all the ellipses in the work. The top of the jam jar is still a little off, but that's fixable. Considering how much trouble I've had with ellipses in the past, I'm pretty proud of these.

Another place where I can see progress is the toast. A year ago, I tried to paint bread in a still life and just ended up with something that looked like an amorphous blob. This toast actually looks like toast. Well done, Jolie!

However, the spoon handle doesn't seem solid. The plate still looks brown instead of white and the logo is not sitting well on the cup. And the ellipse on the jam jar is wobbly.

So my next step is to get out my notebook and make a detailed specific list of things to do before the painting is finished. I'll keep you updated on the progress.

Tuesdays are for review...

I set aside a bit of time every Tuesday to check my work...How am I doing? What have I accomplished this week?

Hmm...I worked in my studio. I worked at the museum. I helped Chris get a few stars in Super Mario Galaxy (we love the Wii!). I walked more than 9000 steps each day. I read two books. I got my hair dyed (I'm blondish now). I called a faraway friend. I was deliberate in my eating choices. I made more progress on the self portrait that's on my easel at the moment. I finished knitting a scarf. I started knitting some socks. I painted a small still life. I worked on writing my artist's statement. I made a new recipe for dinner. I scheduled a hike with a friend. I set up this blog. I declined lots of catalogs from catalogchoice.org. I got my phone back from vacation. I jumped rope 5 times. I established an inbasket system that seems to be working and I kept up with all of my expenses.

Wow. I accomplished more than I thought. Ok, so what did I miss? Where did I fall behind?

Well,I didn't find the recipe that I need for next week. I still need to clean my studio space more. I didn't accomplish my workout goal and I still need to incorporate more fresh fruit in to my diet. I also need to mop the kitchen floor and work on knitting Chris's sweater.

Now, what's ahead for next week? What do I need to plan for?

I need to practice jumping rope, drive a stick shift, and finish the book I'm reading. I should go to the library and I really would like to finish the self portrait this week. I need to create a color thumbnail of the next big project. I also need to take a few photos for the etsy store there on the sidebar and think more about the structure of this blog.

Ok, so maybe this isn't what the internet wants to read about. But a few people have been asking about our process for finding direction and also, writing this here provides a bit of accountability in the vast sea of things I need to do to get my art going towards a business.

Just say it already.

So here we are. I'm just going to say it. Maybe if I keep saying it aloud it will become less scary. (I hope.) Maybe if I say it aloud it will increase the odds of it happening. Maybe if I say it aloud it will work. Or maybe I will just fail with all of you watching. (uh...) Ok, I thought about it and I'm still going to say it.

2008 is the year Jolie Guillebeau (me!) goes pro with her artwork.

That means I sell something. Maybe more than something, but 2 somethings, or even 3. It means I paint frantically, passionately and furiously. It means I step out on a limb and show my work. It means I take risks and attempt to build something from all of the things I've learned over the past two years. It means I take all of these concepts I've had floating around in my head and make them real. It means I really DO something with this chance that I have to be a "real" Artist (with a capital A).

Oh. God. This is really terrifying. I need some ice cream.

Beginnings

This is where we start, I suppose. This is where you, wherever you are, read all about my thoughts, dreams, struggles, triumphs and ramblings. It's where you join my adventure and share in my lessons, in my laughs and in our limitless Creator. I hope you find him in these pages.