Thursday, July 31, 2014

1st Attempts

In this months Pastel Journal there was an article on artist, Nathalie Picoulet. This link is to her Facebook page, but you can Google her and get lots of pics of her paintings. Be warned that her work is considered nudes. Sometimes I see art work that makes me catch my breath; Picoulet's art does that. It makes me say, "I want to do that!"  I've always been enthralled with painting/drawing people and portraits. Picoulet's nudes are more than portraits. They seem to catch pensive moments in time. I love the light in her art work as well as her technique.  And so I tried one. I searched for a photo on the internet that had good light and yet the model was covered. Nudes are not a problem for me, but I like the drape and fold of the clothes and coverings. And, I do have friends who would be offended if I painted or posted a true nude.  Anyway, this is my 1st AttemptI'm not quite satisfied with this one and will try again. This attempt was a bit over-painted. I do that sometimes trying to get the right color, value, or tone.

Next weekend Midwestern State University is having a bowl-a-thon where they will open up the ceramics department to let students and artists come throw some bowls for a good cause - Empty Bowls of Wichita Falls, a fundraiser for homeless, food bank, sort of thang. Anyway, I took advantage of the cool rainy weather here in OK to go out to the barn (where my potter's wheel is) and practice throwing pots. Here is my attempt. It went okay. My second pot was going great, and then it wasn't. Since it is cool today, I will go out and trim my first pot and maybe practice throwing another one.

4 comments:

Stefan said...

My eyes are pulled to the thigh and leg which seems out of proportion as you go from one side of the arm to the other side. She must be very tall with those legs :-)

The trees remind me of Biloxi, so I imagine her sitting on the back bay, and she is enjoying the dusk and the cool breeze, just before the mosquito's take flight, and the fish jump into the air to consume them. Splish, plop, splash, who-who, who-who, goes the owl, et les cigales chanter...

Bag Blog said...

Hmm, I will go back and look at the photo and see if she is just long-legged or I messed up. That happens.

Jo Castillo said...

So good to see you making art! Nathalie does beautiful figures. I like yours with more color... just me. :) Nicely done.

The bowl is great. We always go to the Empty Bowl and buy bowls! Good for the community. Have fun!

Bag Blog said...

Funny you should say you liked the color, because I asked Jesse if it was too much. She said she liked it too. Sometimes when I look at my paintings, I surprised at how much color I put in. It doesn't feel like I'm that bright/colorful when I'm working.