| Home | My Account | Directories |
iPhoneography – Everyone Can Do It
Published on 2012-05-20 22:24:58
A professional photographer composes and controls his or her image. The styling, positioning, and lighting are planned to the nth degree. But today, almost everyone can be a photographer, capturing those elusive moments in time without necessarily planning any part of of the photo. If you have a cell phone today, then chances are it [...] > read more
Figure Drawing at ArtsQuest 2012
Published on 2012-05-13 12:06:18
One of the premiere art events in Northwest Florida is ArtsQuest, the fine art and music festival held every Mother’s Day weekend. This year it includes 130 international visual artists of all genres. While the artists sit in their booths, musicians perform in the open-air amphitheater, and demonstration areas give attendees opportunity to see art [...] > read more
Types of Lighting
Published on 2012-04-24 22:47:28
I think of lighting as being one of three primary types: silhouette, which has the most impact if the shape is recognizable by its external contour; high contrast, which treats all of the lighted areas as one light value, and treats all of the shadowed areas as one dark value, or perhaps using only 3 [...] > read more
The Importance of Warming Up in Figure Drawing
Published on 2012-04-23 20:57:45
I need to warm-up for a little while before my efforts at figure drawing start to flow naturally. During the initial warm-up period, I try to capture the general directional line of the model, and a few of the light and dark patterns, or perhaps some of the essential contours or textures. Often it feels [...] > read more
Studio b.’s New Location
Published on 2012-04-08 09:19:55
Those of you following my work know that I have been attending the weekly figure drawing sessions at Studio b. On Easter Sunday, 2012, the owner, Colleen Duffley, has just posted the design for the new venue, which will be constructed out of re-purposed shipping containers, true to the b’s intent, to be creative with [...] > read more
Figure Drawing in a New Venue
Published on 2012-04-02 11:17:13
It was interesting to draw in a new location last week. Studio b. has moved to a nearby community, and the room was filled with unsorted moving boxes, furniture, and art. The ordered disarray appealed to me. The ambience at the new location is much warmer, with rich woods instead of cold plaster and tile, [...] > read more
Time Warp — Where’ve I Been?
Published on 2012-03-24 20:07:07
What a whirlwind my life has been for the past month or so. In my “day-job,” I own and manage a service business which supports the local tourist industry. Here in Northwest Florida, that translates to being incredibly busy for the 5 weeks of high school and college spring breaks, when families vacation here, and [...] > read more
Studio b. presents Light Impressions in Telluride, Colorado
Published on 2012-03-13 23:11:54
Studio b. was the primary sponsor at the TEDx simulcast presentation in Telluride, Colorado last week. I had the pleasure of accompanying owner Colleen Duffley and her assistant Garrett Griffis, for the installation of Light Impressions and for TEDx-Telluride at the Michael Palm Theater. In the unscripted interview below, Colleen explains the concept of Studio [...] > read more
Studio b. presents Light Impressions in Telluride, Colorado
Published on 2012-03-09 22:06:10
Studio b. was the primary sponsor at the TEDx simulcast presentation in Telluride, Colorado last week. I had the pleasure of accompanying owner Colleen Duffley and her assistant Garrett Griffis, for the installation of Light Impressions and for TEDx-Telluride at the Michael Palm Theater. In the unscripted interview below, Colleen explains the concept of Studio [...] > read more
Studio b. presents Light Impressions in Telluride, Colorado
Published on 2012-03-09 22:06:10
Studio b. was the primary sponsor at the TEDx simulcast presentation in Telluride, Colorado last week. I had the pleasure of accompanying owner Colleen Duffley and her assistant Garrett Griffis, for the installation of Light Impressions and for TEDx-Telluride at the Michael Palm Theater. In the unscripted interview below, Colleen explains the concept of Studio [...] > read more
Letting Go
Published on 2012-02-23 19:45:51
It was difficult to let go of whatever was on my mind so I could draw last night. The room at Studio b. was already set up when I got there, so there really was no reason for me not to be able to clear my mind. Garrett had my easel standing where I usually [...] > read more
Figure Drawing with Music in my Head
Published on 2012-02-16 07:05:58
The room was quiet as we drew at Studio b. this week. The model was extraordinary, performing poses during our one-minute and three-minute warm-up period that would have taxed an accomplished yogi. We warmed up with gesture drawings for about half an hour, before drawing a few 10 and 20 minute poses, and then finally [...] > read more
Figure Drawing: Commitment to Practice
Published on 2012-02-03 01:09:08
After warming up with two-minute, 5-minute, and 20 minute drawings, I spent the last hour of the figure drawing session drawing the model clothed, in her blue jeans and her brightly colored shawl. I had noticed her shawl when she first arrived. I was the only artist this week, braving the rainy weather, so I [...] > read more
My Livelihood Gets in the Way of My Art
Published on 2012-01-26 17:35:32
The activities of my life are an extension of who I am right now, and so the amount of time I have available to devote to my art is limited. Knowing that I have made that choice does not stop me from sometimes resenting it. I have a full-time job, owning and managing a small [...] > read more
Figure Drawing: The Power of the Group, Chakra Work, Music and Communication
Published on 2012-01-19 20:09:12
Last week I didn’t draw, except for my practice at home. Instead I watched and listened to a lot of live music at the 30A Songwriters Festival, which I blogged about in my last post. And last Friday I attended a yoga presentation on the Root Chakra, the first in a 7-week series, a subject [...] > read more
Refilling the Well – 30A Songwriters Festival
Published on 2012-01-15 10:32:56
As an artist, I think I produce better work when I round out my life by attending art events, where I can appreciate the work of other artists. Such is this week, the week of the annual 30A Songwriters Festival. More than 120 singer/songwriters are performing at 40 venues up and down Scenic Highway 30A, [...] > read more
Overlap Between Media – Drawing and Painting
Published on 2012-01-05 22:52:18
This week I started setting up my studio for painting. It’s been a long time since I did any significant painting, especially in oils, which is what I intend to use, for the most part. I have some ancient paints, which I think will be adequate while I re-acquaint myself with color mixing. I well-remember [...] > read more
Ringing Out 2011, Figure Drawing
Published on 2011-12-29 06:23:21
Click on image for a larger view and description. We worked hard at Studio b. last night at the weekly figure drawing session. I had very mixed emotions, knowing that I have made a decision to start painting in the coming year, and the likelihood that it will be landscapes rather than figures. As much [...] > read more
Don’t Worry, Just Draw!
Published on 2011-12-23 18:16:21
Sometimes the artists will talk during the breaks between the longer poses at the figure drawing sessions at Studio b. This week we touched on the purpose of our lives, parallel universes, and the annihilation of the solar system that is going to happen in a zillion years. I have to confess, I have never [...] > read more
Interruptions and Trade-Offs
Published on 2011-12-13 21:46:30
I’m spread thin right now. I often have to give up one thing in order to do another. I wish I could work up the nerve to become a full-time artist. When I start to paint, it will be another step in that direction. Whether it takes me another 10 years, or if it happens [...] > read more
Surrounded by Painters at Figure Drawing
Published on 2011-12-01 00:21:06
On this night at Studio b. at the regular weekly figure drawing session, I was the only artist who exclusively draws the figure. David Orme-Johnson brought his watercolor paints, and Nancy Nichols Williams brought her acrylics. Steve Wagner also is an accomplished figure painter, although on this night he worked with charcoal and white on [...] > read more
Simplifying in Figure Drawing
Published on 2011-06-30 16:03:21
We drew a female model at Studio b. this week at the regular weekly figure drawing session. She’s been there before. She is challenging to draw well because she is so fit and toned. Depending on the pose, sometimes it seems like the model h > read more
Figure Drawing with Graphite-Wash
Published on 2011-06-25 16:26:32
This past Wednesday during the figure drawing session at Studio b., I used conte and nupastel for my warm-up gestures, and graphite, CarbOthello pastels, watercolor pencils, and a graphite wash for my drawings. I suppose if I stuck to one medium, > read more
Figure Drawing: Pregnant Again
Published on 2011-06-16 18:05:12
Studio b. presented us with the challenge of a pregnant model again this week. She is due in 6½ weeks. I only had a small sketchbook plus a few scraps of good drawing paper to draw on, and a small box of water-soluble pens and pencils, instead o > read more
A Photo-Shoot in Chattanooga
Published on 2011-06-10 07:15:51
Since my favorite subjects for photography are outdoor nature scenes and landscapes, I was thrilled to be asked to shoot photos and video of stand-up paddlers in Chattanooga, TN, where every shot is scenic. I was shooting for Leslie Kolovich, host > read more
Professional Models in Figure Drawing
Published on 2011-05-26 09:12:19
Modeling for figure drawing is a hard job. Try sitting still in a posed body position for only 5 minutes, and then try it for 25 minutes, and you will see what I mean. Even seemingly-relaxed poses, even reclining poses, can become torturous. Ou > read more
Two Steps Forward in Figure Drawing
Published on 2011-05-19 15:44:00
I am a better artist. I drew more like I want to draw, at the weekly figure drawing session at Studio b. last night. It’s nice to have a night when drawing comes easily. Well, it’s still work, I have to remember to breathe. One of > read more
Carving the Void: Negative Shapes
Published on 2011-05-12 19:29:46
The model who posed for our figure drawing session at Studio b. last week returned this week. For the past four months, we’ve had a different model nearly every session. That has added to the challenge in that every week we have to become f > read more
Working With Other Artists
Published on 2011-05-07 22:38:22
It is different when working in a studio setting with other artists, as opposed to working by myself in my own home studio. There is no doubt that sometimes being alone is the best way to get work done. But the comaraderie of being with other art > read more
Thinking about Composition in Figure Drawing
Published on 2011-04-28 20:44:15
Having spent nearly two years improving my skills at figure drawing, I think I would like to spend more time thinking about how the figure is presented on the paper, which begins to determine whether the piece can stand alone as a composition. When > read more
Figure Drawing with a Live Model
Published on 2011-04-21 18:58:09
To a figure drawing artist, the title of this post is redundant, but the non-artist may not know that we use live models in figure drawing. To this point, I have been a bit of a fanatic about it, allowing errors and inaccuracies to be a part of the > read more
More Fun with Encaustic Painting at Studio b.
Published on 2011-04-21 18:24:49
I took an Encaustic Painting workshop from Rae Broyles at Studio b. last fall and I had a lot of fun, so I signed up for another workshop by Rae a few weeks ago, again at Studio b. Rae demonstrated a number of techniques, and I tried a few. I use > read more
The Joy of Drawing
Published on 2011-04-15 15:41:09
When I am figure drawing, I am an artist without a message. I’m not trying to tell you anything. I just draw because I enjoy drawing. Well, maybe it’s a compulsion, because sometimes I have to admit, it’s a little uncomfortabl > read more
Figure Drawing: Tension vs. Relaxation
Published on 2011-04-07 06:34:15
Sometimes I am bone tired when I get to my regular weekly figure drawing session after a full day of work. Last night was like that. But it never fails, after the first half hour of drawing, I am energized again. Is it me? Is it being in the > read more
I forgot how to draw.
Published on 2011-04-05 21:48:04
A couple of months ago at Studio b., we drew a model who was 8½ months pregnant. If you read my blog post about it, you know that I was thrilled. I didn’t think anything could top it. But this week, the young mother brought her baby to m > read more
The Luxury of A Longer Pose
Published on 2011-03-26 08:15:10
We had a live model posing for the portrait workshop I am taking from Charlotte Arnold, and for our final drawing this week we had the luxury of a longer pose. When I am figure drawing, I need to try to get the whole figure drawn, or at least muc > read more
A New Model at Studio b.
Published on 2011-03-18 21:22:23
We had a new model at figure drawing at Studio b. this week. Every model brings his or her own energy to the session, which adds to the excitement. This model took a very wide variety of poses, some extremely energetic and ambitious, and others v > read more
Head Studies and Portraits, continued…
Published on 2011-03-15 06:26:57
Last week I had started a portrait in an open studio session I attended in order to get some time practicing for the Charlotte Arnold workshop I am taking on Tuesdays. At right is the finished piece. I am satisfied with it as a finished drawing, > read more
Portraits: More Practice
Published on 2011-03-10 20:47:13
One of the points of blogging about my art is to show my struggles, my occasional two-steps-backwards, as well as my one-step-forward. So I bravely display my struggling efforts towards gaining some competence with portraiture. I attended an open > read more
Making Mistakes Drawing a Clothed Model
Published on 2011-03-10 20:08:54
We drew a clothed model at figure drawing at Studio b. this week. It was challenging. The striped shirt she wore created contours that helped describe her form, so the stripes had to be believable. We had quick poses, none exceeding 30 minutes, > read more
Portrait Drawing: Practice, Practice, Practice
Published on 2011-03-08 19:06:13
Craftsmanship is different from art. Craftsmanship is a familiarity and skill with subject and media. I do a lot of work to try to improve my craftsmanship. I think the craft of drawing is really an exercise in seeing. By practicing, of cours > read more
Figure Drawing without the Model
Published on 2011-03-06 19:34:44
In the last post I showed the drawing above left, which I was unable to finish during the 30-minute pose. I worked on it a little this evening, to give the hair, arms, and hands some form. Without seeing the light on the form, I suppose my effo > read more
A Different Perspective
Published on 2011-03-04 18:51:19
Every week I participate with other artists in the figure drawing sessions at Colleen Duffley‘s Studio b., in Alys Beach, Florida. This week our instructor, Heather Clements, placed the model on a table in front of us. Normally the model po > read more
Slowing Down
Published on 2011-02-18 20:35:16
Sometimes the art of drawing seems very out of place with our high-speed, instant-messaged, texted, digitized, and “shared” world. After all, since the invention of the camera, and then with the advances of the computer, drawing probabl > read more
The Bare Bones of Figure Drawing
Published on 2011-02-05 22:36:02
Heather Clements taught a Saturday-afternoon 4-hour figure drawing workshop at Studio b. today. She used slides to show us where the underlying skeletal structure and muscular anatomy were evident in paintings and sculptures by such artists as Rube > read more
Figure Drawing: It’s a Work-Out!
Published on 2011-02-04 10:40:43
You might not think anyone would work up a sweat while figure drawing, but it gets pretty intense when I am strongly focused. OK, it’s nothing like a Spin class, but it can be Work! I draw hurriedly, especially during the “warm-upR > read more
Figure Drawing with Props: Fear of Rejection
Published on 2011-01-27 18:10:15
Sometimes a model will bring props, which can imbue something completely different in the drawing. The model in my drawings shown here brought cuffs and a collar, introducing a sexual component to the poses. For me, the image in my mind’s e > read more
Dueling Pencils, Figure Drawing at Studio b.
Published on 2011-01-22 18:55:01
Last Wednesday evening was “open studio” at Studio b., which is to say that we did not have a scheduled instructor. The tentative plan is to schedule guest artists on the third Wednesday of every month, and open studio if a guest isn > read more
Figure Drawing on Colored Paper
Published on 2011-01-13 15:00:03
This week we again had a new model for figure drawing at Studio b. The young woman had a number of interesting tattoos, but tattoos are one of those things that you see right at the beginning, and then while you are drawing, you forget about them, an > read more
A Pregnant Pause at Studio b.
Published on 2011-01-06 21:45:55
The Wow! factor at our figure drawing session at Studio b. was incredible this week, with a model 8 months pregnant. I had never before had the opportunity to draw an obviously pregnant model. I think the other artists at Studio b. were as excite > read more
Figure Drawing: Going Into the Quiet
Published on 2010-12-29 23:39:35
“Everything that’s created comes out of silence. …All creativity requires some stillness. Going into the quiet and listening will heal and inspire you.” ~Dr. Wayne Dyer My art comes out of the quiet. I require stillness. I > read more
Figure Drawing: Arms and Legs
Published on 2010-12-25 12:45:39
Our instructor, Heather Clements, suggested that we focus on arms and legs at our regular figure drawing session at Studio b. this week. No matter what she gives us as a focus, I feel my overall awareness increasing. I’ve been blogging about > read more
Figure Drawing with Graphite Wash
Published on 2010-12-10 17:31:12
Both the process and the product of drawing are immensely appealing to me. One of the reasons it is always a challenge is because there are so many variables between the nature of the drawing surface and the drawing implement itself. I have start > read more
Strong Light in Figure Drawing
Published on 2010-12-02 15:03:57
Sometimes things go easily in figure drawing. Sometimes my hand-eye coordination is better, I am more focused, my mind is unstressed, and the drawings seem to just flow. This week the figure drawing session at Studio b. was like that. Sessions li > read more
Encaustic Workshop at Studio b. with Rae Broyles
Published on 2010-11-27 21:40:29
I ventured into new territory today, taking a workshop on encaustic painting at Studio b. The closest I had come to encaustic painting was when I was a child, melting crayons and drizzling the molten wax onto paper. I don’t remember very mu > read more
Figure Drawing with Pencil Wash
Published on 2010-11-19 11:15:47
I rarely use color to show “local color”, that is, the actual color of the model’s skin and hair. I have more fun when I draw light and shadow. But this week the model at Studio b. wore a red slip that caught the light in exquis > read more
Seeing in Black and White
Published on 2010-11-11 18:16:54
This week in Figure Drawing at Studio b., Heather Clements instructed us to focus on light patterns and shadow patterns. We worked with strong lighting, toning only the darks, all the same value, and leaving the paper untoned to show the lighted ar > read more
Exhibition of Italian Baroque Paintings Coming to Tallahassee
Published on 2010-11-05 11:35:17
The Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, will be bringing 50 Italian Baroque paintings to Tallahassee, Florida, next spring. Last night, Studio b. hosted the “b+b@b” event to celebrate the > read more