Who wouldn't be charmed by this lovely urban landscape? Beautifully colored and so inviting... Eileen's night isn't frightening, but instead offers refuge from the worries of the day. I want to kick my feet along the cobblestones and investigate what lies beyond the bend. I have never been to Paris but this picture made me feel as if I could walk down that street and have a glass of wine or a cup of coffee. I had just lost some weight following (French) Dr. Dukan's diet and was grateful to him — hence the title. ~ Eileen
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| Merci Docteur Dukan |
I can't wait to see Marge finish up this fascinating work in progress. Yet even now, this small excerpt shows how Marge effortlessly projects multiple perspective planes into one harmonious work. The rest of the Salon members would do well to follow her lead in 2012 and begin to explore artistic expression of a non-representational modality. The inspiration for this work originated from a venue of conversation, gossip, giddiness, and the sharing of wild humor by artists who were in the room with me. It is this interplay that I am trying to offer the viewer as I continue expanding this painting. ~ Marge
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| Detail from a Work in Progress |
Julia's dreamy door could not be wetter looking, as though at any moment it might dissolve into a green slick flowing down toward the alley... while on the contrary, the metal lock and hinge appear substantial and time-worn. Sadly, the photo cannot and does not fully reflect the glowing vibrancy of this work. I enjoyed watching this lavish object come into being. "Door in a Dream" attempts to capture fading impressions of an image seen in a dream. Colors and shapes are still somewhat clear but the details are beginning to fade and lose coherence. I used Yupo because I feel that it shows vivid color very well and it evokes the fluid sensation one often "remembers" as an image begins to go out of focus. ~ Julia
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| Door in a Dream |
Glen's year was replete with many amusing caricature portraits of fulsome women, as epitomized by this selection — delightfully cheesecakey, and the wry title still makes me chuckle. Love the details in the chest (of drawers) and the sense of movement rendered in the glamour-puss's hair. Seeking to draw figures, I was captivated by the image of this girl in a drawer. I liked the shape of the bureau, and the girl looked like she was ready for fun. Since the source photo was black-and-white, I tarted her up with some much needed color. ~ Glen
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| It's in the Middle Drawer |
Steve did a fantastic job interpreting the various and sundry glass elements and their reflections in this intriguing still life. Serving up just a few rhythmic splashes of jewel-toned color, this work is a tour de force of shape and value in an essentially monochrome painting. There is no better concoction for unwinding than Yupo and watercolor. It takes you out of your head for a while, but without the hangover of a martini. ~ Steve
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| Cheers |
Selecting works for this post was difficult, none more so than sophie-choosing from my own efforts. I finally settled on portrait #9 (of 12) from my Faces of Evil series. Hopefully it shows some skills I earned by painting the first eight — I feel it captures the smirky and petulant nature of this smug fat bastard. I wanted to paint a series on people who make the world a worse place, depicting them in ways that would externalize their internal ugliness. In theory, by not being invested in "good" outcomes, I would be freed up to learn more from the experience. I regret that several portraits in this series ultimately rendered their subjects more attractively than is the reality. Better luck next time! ~ David
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| Faces of Evil: Erick Erickson |
