Pastel Class VI

I don't know if I am "improving" with the soft pastels or not, but I AM relaxing and having more fun.

Today I was careful not to just use my index finger for blending so my pointer isn't painful.  AND I wore finger cots on all the fingers of my right hand,so my nails don't look like I've been homeless for a month.

The instructor commented, "It's all about the barn."  

Or possibly the colors.  I find it interesting that when you really overwhelm the frame with a simple shape, it DOES take over.  I may have to mess with the grass some more, as it looks awfully "regular."  Have you ever seen a yellow barn in real life?Last post you saw the sheets to which I applied coarse pumice gesso.  I colored it a deep gray-purple and then surprised it with this bright barn.  I really like the rough look and how the colors over lay each other.  said they were probably clinging to the paper for dear life. 9x12

A Local Artist

This anatomically incorrect crow is definitely a work-in-progress.  This paper was gessoed with the coarse pumice, too... but with a larger ratio of plain gesso.  It was much easier to slather on.

Nevertheless, I have NO idea where his legs belong!  Will do research and then wee about rearranging his/her center of gravity!  Being an artist is a wee bit like playing God sometimes.  You can create something and then change it, and then sometimes it takes off on its own.  This fellow isn't going anywhere yet.

  

The class is beginning to get to know each other better.  This woman, whose pieces are SO dreamy/misty/foggy and soft was telling us about all the places she had lived during her THIRTY years teaching math and physics in the Middle East. Cairo, Beirut, and many places that seemed very exotic.  Turns out that another student's husband was raised in that part of the world because his dad taught in ARAMCO schools.  That student only visited and apparently felt out of step much of the time.

The instructor and I thought that Oslo would be exotic enough for us.

And it turns out that another student in the class is also a psychologist/psychotherapist.  She trained in expressive art therapy, but realized that she had to go back to school for a more robust credential.  As usual, some classmates thought they were doomed having therapists in the class.  I tried to reassure them that THERAPISTS DON'T JUDGE, but my colleague just laughed and said, "Right!  Like we're not human."

We did agree that we don't judge in public.

The instructor's building is getting more solid.  Although we agreed that structurally, there's some unlikely stuff going on.