Thumbs from Bayou Drive Salt Marshes

Hello everyone!

It's been too long since posting but I've been working on NINE paintings from the April Art Workshop with Deborah Paris. Since indirect painting is so new to me, these paintings are Research and Development so if I have the guts to post them at some point I will. Right now they aren't even half way done and there are many more layers of glazes to go.

But today I was bound and determined to do a couple of thumbs before the sun went down. So here they are. They are from one of the most beautiful places I've seen in Florida, Bayou Drive in Hernando Co. There are salt marshes on each side of the road. On the north side you can see a thin strip of the Gulf of Mexico in the horizon. To me they are so inspiring to make endless designs from these marshes. IF I were a fabric designer or jewelry maker I think I would move there just for the inspiration. Can you only imagine?? I wanted you to see the photos of the marshes so you have some idea of where these thumbs came from.

Happy Thumbing to you!

Back from Clarksville Texas

It's hard to believe the April Workshop at Deborah Paris' studio is already over and I'm back in Florida. The eight days were extraordinary to say the least. I'll post some pictures for those that are interested.

One of the many great things about being in Deborah's studio was access to her library of art books. She encouraged us to study the tonalist artists landscape compositions and glean from them. The top page of thumbs were studies from one of George Inness's books. His compositions draw the viewer in and there are many things to look at before you leave the painting. Whereas the Hudson River painters have the viewer come up to the edge of the painting, stop and observe what is there. You don't feel a part of it as you do with an Inness painting.

The second picture has gesture drawings of cows that were in the pastures bordering Deborah and Steve's property. They were beautiful; a variety of colors. No two looked alike. But they were very hard to draw! Much like clouds, they move all the time. The thumb on that page was used to make a dry point. Our last day in the studio one of the students asked Deborah if she would show us how to do a dry point. She showed us the entire process THEN we could do one ourselves. I LOVED IT!! My dry point is en route via FedEx along with all my supplies so that will be another post when I get it.

The third photo are of thumbs for two posters to be used this weekend at an event. The fourth photo are pastels which will be the background for the posters. There will be text that will go in the center of both. The one on the right represents sunset colors as the one on the left is sunrise. They aren't very accurate and I had to get them to the printers early this afternoon so time was short but they will work fine. They will be on the wall in the back of the podium on stage.

That's it for now. If there is any way any of you can get to the workshop Deborah is having in Florida March 2012 it would be the highlight of the year for you. She is a Master Artist and a Master Teacher. No one else is teaching tonalist landscape painting. She has a vast knowledge of the subject and is able to communicate it in a way that you will be challenged to evaluate why you paint, what you paint and how you paint. She talks of poetry; it can either be so boring as words on a grocery list or it can be words arranged so well it is a beautiful thought provoking poem. Same with a painting. It can be a painting of just what you see or it can be arranged in a beautiful thought provoking emotional way as you put your heart and life into it. I can say from spending the eight days under her teaching I know myself so much more as an artist, I'm clear on the direction I want to go as an artist and I've never been so excited about painting in my life. The other four students had amazing experiences as well. Thank you Deborah!