Everybody needs to blog?? That's what I hear..so here it goes.

This week was a no-painting week for me, but the previous week was an exercise in learning how to paint with oils as taught by a wonderful artist, Dee Beard Dean. It was a 4 day workshop in Greensboro, NC which started out pretty well. I really thought I was getting it - taking my time, thinking through what I was doing ...

 DAY 1 - Getting the gesture of the figure on the canvas. This seems pretty straight forward.

Day 2 - I choose to concentrate on the face so I will have less to deal with. I think this was wise - I finished and was feeling quite proud of myself. Even gave the painting a name - The Crimson Robe. I may go back and work it a little more, but someone needs to stop me at the right time - you know how that goes!

Day 3

Why not try the whole figure?  I did pretty well yesterday, didn't I? Even though this isn't finished I felt I had a pretty good start on painitng a delicate girl in a richly colored kimono holding an umbrella for sun protection, of course. There is no rain in a perfect painting. Then looking at it later, all I could see was a woman waiting in the rain for a man who was late and she was P------, well let's say "unhappy".

I think I can save this one.

Day 4. I now have a new definition for the term "Wipe-Out"  - for oil painters it means saving a canvas for a better day.

We all have the bad ones - just have be hopeful that I am granted another day to fix it.

Happy painting and/or enjoying art in life.