Rose Welty

A little break

2009-10-20T06:59:00-07:00

Work in Progress - start of my next painting

Just popping in to say that life has gotten extremely busy for me, so I am going to have to take a week or so off of blogging. Thank you for your patience and I'll be back as soon as I can get a breath!

Fall Bloomers

2009-10-13T19:52:58-07:00

Fall Bloomers

acrylic on gessoed board, 10in x 8 in

In my house, the turn to autumn brings new blooms - copper canyon daisies and Mexican sage. Another part of autumn is bringing out the family dishes and planning their use in the coming holidays. Combining the two for a painting seemed natural.

I have entered this painting in the First Annual Autumn Art Painting Challenge and Competition on Facebook. There are some great paintings there so I'm not too hopeful. It was one of my dreams for 2009 to enter a competition - so I'm living the dream regardless!

Here are a few closeups:

Sketching with Nintendo DS

2009-10-12T21:02:18-07:00

After being inspired by Jo Castillo and her iPhone sketches, I just had to pick up my Nintendo DS again. You can use a homebrew card and a free software program called Colors to create a portable digital sketching machine.

It's certainly easier to upload images with it then taking photos or scans of artwork!

More Sketches from the Zoo

2009-10-06T19:46:29-07:00

Some more sketches from our zoo trip.

When the Kids are Sick

2009-10-05T18:16:24-07:00

The flu has hit our house. Two boys are on the couch with fevers and congestion, buckets next to the couch (although they haven't been used in a while thankfully). During the down times I decided to do a study in colored pencils for that painting I've been working on.

Sure hope everyone feels better tomorrow.

Sketches from the Zoo

2009-10-04T18:20:01-07:00

Friday was a "no homework" day for the boys at school. I asked them what they wanted to do, they all said they wanted to take their journals to the zoo and draw. So we spent a gorgeous day at the zoo drawing. In this post you see some of my sketches.

These sketches were all just a few minutes - with 3 boys to watch over, encourage, and help there isn't time for much form or shading.

Retreat and Gather Strength

2009-10-03T13:54:39-07:00

I've worked a bit more on the mother/son painting. As I was working, I kept reworking the eyes. I still don't have them but I was beginning to get lost. So, I decided to retreat before more damage was done - that is, step back from the easel and put down the brush. The next morning it dawned on me that I just wasn't sure about what was going to go where - so I decided to do a few "study" drawings.

Above is my line study of the little boy. I like the drawing, but I don't think it is telling me much about the eye. I think my next step will be to put a sheet of tracing paper over this line drawing and do a shaded form drawing.

Sketchy Self Portrait Thursday

2009-10-02T17:12:34-07:00

I decided to join "Sketchy Self Portrait Thursday". It's a Flickr group run by Tina Mammoser. Doing a self-portrait every week sounds rather vain. But, I have to say, actually it is more an exercise in self-humiliation.

Why do artists do self-portraits? Isn't it rather vain and self-consumed?

I admit that there are artists who are self-consumed and vain, but also contend that it is a not a necessary condition for all artists.
Artists like to draw themselves because ...they will pose for themselves at a very cheap rate.
...the model is available when they are available.
...if it all goes horribly wrong they can keep it a secret.
...if it all goes horribly wrong it's only their own feelings they hurt.

How does it feel to draw yourself?

When I draw myself I tend to think things like...wow, I am really looking older.
...wow, my face has gotten so much rounder.
...my eyes look very tired above those dark circles.
When I look at the drawing, I think things like...wow, you have such a long way to go to get a likeness.
...you need a lot of practice girlfriend.

So, from the artist's perspective, it is not quite so much an exercise in self-love, rather more just an exercise in drawing a human face from life. But, if you don't believe me now, then we can just agree to disagree on this point. :D

Wildflower Sketchercise

2009-10-01T07:10:05-07:00

Last night I took a walk with the boys in the coolish autumn evening. A lovely breeze just carried us along. We didn't walk far, but it was still nice to get out in the fresh air after a long day at home. My youngest, remembering spring walks, wanted to pick wildflowers on the way. Well, he did manage a few tiny ones. Above is a very small delicate yellow wildflower.

Sketchercise is the name of a group of artists that combine sketching and exercising - they are a very talented group, both at exercise and sketching. It is a privilege to be among them. They come up with some incredible sketches of trees, mountains, landscapes, etc. It's wonderful to see the rest of the world from the eyes of other sketchers.

More Studies

2009-09-29T07:11:57-07:00

Study for my latest painting

Today I wanted to share a few links to useful information.

First, my buddy, the amazing Belinda Lindhardt has recently done a series called Formulas to Help Work, Rest, and Play. That's the link to part 3, be sure to not miss the first two parts - links at the beginning of that post. Belinda does a good job of balancing all 3, she is a great mother and runs her own business.

Second, another of my friends, the talented Jo Castillo posted about her use of color in still life painting. Jo, in her characteristic way, unloads lots of good information in a simple way.

Thanks Belinda and Jo for sharing!

Study for my latest painting