"Brothers on a Sunday Morning"

12x18

(18x24 framed)

Pastel on paper

I started this so long ago I can't really remember when.  I think it was three years ago.  It sat on my easel in a mostly unfinished state until this fall.  I worked on it a little bit about a month ago, then finally finished it two days ago.  It had been taped onto the backing board for so long that the tape wouldn't come off the board.  Sigh.

Why did it take me so long to finish it?  Because I wasn't satisfied with how it was turning out.  I've had several positive comments on it from other people and that makes me feel good.  But it isn't how I had envisioned it in my head.  The colors aren't as unified and pure.  The proportion and rendering is too tight.  I tried to explain to Bill tonight how I struggle with my art, and I'll try to voice it here... if only for myself.

I want to loosen up on the rendering.  I don't feel like I need to be quite so obsessed with accuracy.  I'd like to push it to a more impressionistic level.  However, I also want to tighten up on the color palette.  The colors need to be more vibrant and unexpected.  I get so bogged down with shading that the colors get muddled.  And I definitely need a stronger light source.  More chiaroscuro. 

But most of all, I want to find my voice.  What am I trying to say with my artwork?  Is there a message I want to leave for the world?  Is there a theme I could focus on?  These aren't questions that anyone else can answer for me.  I have to do some soul searching, break out my sketchbooks, and start scribbling away at some ideas that have been marinating in my head for a while, now.

Hopefully I will find some answers.

The 2011 Art Show

The American Fork Steel Days Art Show was held last week.  This year I volunteered as the Youth Division Director.  If you remember, last year I was the director over the whole shebang.  This year Heidi B. acted as director over all.  We agreed to take turns being the head of the show so we could each have a bit of a break every other year.  I was glad to be able to step back because, really, this thing is high stress and a whole lot of work for very little satisfaction.  What do I mean by that?

Well, every year we have to hunt down lots of volunteers to help run the show and many of them flake out on us.  In fact, this year the Adult Division Director fell through and Heidi ended up running that division on top of organizing everything else.  The person she lined up to do data entry also flaked out, so that became an added stress this year.  Then, of course, there are the comments and critiques from others who are sure there is a better way to run things and are quick to point out all the ways we are doing it wrong, but they are simply too busy or their health won't allow them to volunteer and do it themselves.

Still, we had 452 artworks entered this year.  Most people seemed happy with it and there were only a few minor mistakes (in spelling on certificates mostly) to correct. 

 Helena entered a couple of photos and this one received first place it the HS Black and White Photo category.  One of the judges asked if she really took the photo herself and wanted to know where the shot was taken.  It was good to be able to assure the judge that, yes, she took the shot in Venice, Italy. 

Here is a photo of the Adult Division set up in the Library Rotunda.  The entire show is only on display for 3 days.  It is just so much work for so little time!  Now the show is over and the work should be over, too, right?

I still have to input all the contact info from this year's show into the e-mail account and there are still several unclaimed artworks waiting down at city hall to deal with.  Oh.  And the corrected certificates to print and mail.  Fun, fun.

Still, I have to thank both Helena and Will for their volunteer time on this show!  Will helped set up the display panels and Helena was my assistant director and did some of the data entry for us!  Thanks kids! 

Skin color

What a misnomer!  The color of one's skin.  It really should be 'skin colors' because there are just SO MANY colors found in flesh tone.  And I am not talking about colors from one person to another.  I am talking about the colors in ONE person's skin.  It is boggling and daunting to try to mix together the correct tints and hues of reds, yellows, and blues to come up with the right highlights and shadows to represent just one person's skin.  And do it without making the skin look muddy instead of luminous.

GAH!

I am not that happy with today's work on the painting.  I worked on Matt's arm and shirt today.  The preliminary work on the shirt is okay, but the arm.  Grrrr.  The arm is frustrating me.  I have gotten to an acceptable stopping place with it, but I am still not happy with the results.  Maybe tomorrow will be a better day for art?

Neglected Artwork

I have a confession.  I have had the same picture stuck on my easel now for over... um..... I think 3 years?!  It sat in the same unfinished state for so long because I was really not very happy with how meticulous I was being on the background and I just lost interest in it.  I have done a few other things off of my easel, but those were mainly example artworks for my students and I don't really count most of those as serious efforts.  But lately, I have had several painting ideas floating around in my head and I need my easel back.  So, it is time to revisit this artwork and finish it.

 I am going to rework the background into a more painterly, impressionistic looking style, and I think that will help it out.  It is a picture of my two boys one Sunday morning putting their ties on.  I thought it would make a good subject matter in a sort of Norman Rockwell sort of way.  This is being done in soft pastels, one of my favorites!  Technically, pastels are considered a drawing tool, but I can't help but think of it as a painting.

 Will

 Matt

The reference photo was taken years ago, when Matt was a teen and Will was still in Elementary school.  Now Matt is 23 and married, and Will is going into high school and will get his driver's permit next week!  Ahhhh!   Time goes so fast!

I'll post more updates as I continue to work on this one!

Dad's Christmas Present






"Sailing Lessons"

11" x 14"

Oil Pastel on Paper

2010   

I have wanted to write about this for some time, but since it was a Christmas present, I had to keep it under wraps.  I decided that it was time to make an artwork for my parents.  I had some pretty good photo reference shots from our trip to visit them last June, so I chose a shot of Will and his Grandpa prepping the sailboat for an outing.  The original photo has all the other boats in the marina as a background, which I felt was just too busy and detracted from the simple message of grandfather/grandson bonding.  I used some artistic license and replaced the marina full of masts with a serene forest.

I started this project before Halloween and finished it on December 23rd!  None too soon!  I didn't frame it because Mom and Dad flew into town for Christmas, and I didn't want to make it too hard to take back home with them.  Unfortunately, they'll have to frame it themselves.

Dad seemed happy when he opened it.  I hope so!  Will wants one, now.  I told him that he'd have to wait for Grandpa to give it to him.







    

unfinished...

The Steel Days Art Show

Years ago, the kids and I entered our artwork into the Steel Days Art Show as a way to participate the the city wide celebration.  We all won something, and the ladies in charge were quick to ask me who I was and what was my background in art.  They were thrilled to find out that I teach art to elementary school aged students and were soon asking me to teach city arts council sponsored children's art classes.  I have agreed to do so from time to time, since it isn't difficult and makes for a nice little side income.

A few years ago, I helped some with registration.  Before I knew it, I was asked to be the Adult Division Director (notice the capital letters?  Don't worry, it gets worse!).  When I agreed, that apparently put me on the city arts council.  Who knew?

So, last year, I ran the Adult Division.  That wasn't too bad.  I did my thing, then went home.  I wasn't able to enter that year, because it felt inappropriate when I was in charge of the division.

The woman who ran the show last year is named Heidi.  She has small children and really stressed out about it all last year.  She said she didn't want to do it again, but there was no one else to do it.  Here is where I open mouth and insert insanity.  I said, "I'll be 'in charge' if you run it with me... so we'll both do it... I'll just take the spearhead so your husband won't freak out."  That was one of her complaints, that her husband begrudged the time away from the family.  So not a problem around here.

Here we are in 2010.  I didn't know when I told her I'd step in that it involved Steel Days Committee meetings every month ALL YEAR.  AND arts council meetings each month ALL YEAR.  Oi!

Still, it didn't get intense until just a week before show time.  I will not give you a blow by blow, because that would be tedious.  Instead, I will just say that I completely understand why judges dole out community service as a punishment in the criminal justice system.  HA!

It was hard to get volunteers, though most of them did a fantastic job.  It was the regular arts council members who were the most frustrating.  These ladies are so right brained that I think their left brains are in a permanent coma!  Grrr!  Yet they were all volunteers and council members, so I couldn't tell them to go home.  I had to just follow in their wake, trying to minimize the damage they caused.

The show was smaller this year than last, by half!  Last year there were over 500 entries.  This year there were just over 250.  I think it was because Steel Days got moved to the week immediately following Independence Day.  The federally observed holiday was the 5th, so we couldn't start registration until Tuesday, the 6th.  The carnival blocked off the road to set up in the park next door (as they do every year), so many people couldn't get back to the library.

Still, it was a good show, and had very few glitches.  At least, there were less than last year.

A man came to me during registration and asked to speak to me privately.  He said that he and his wife had fallen on hard times and were both unemployed.  He then asked if I would be willing to waive the entrance fee for his wife's artwork and in exchange, he would volunteer in as many ways as I needed him.  I said 'yes'.  The statues above are his wife's artwork.  She was the only sculpture in the Experienced Adult division, so she won First Place.

The High School Division.  At least, part of it.

This sculpture was made by a young man named Danny Russon.  He graduated from High School this year and is planning to attend BYU in the fall on scholarship.  He won Best of Show in the Youth Division, First Place in HS sculpture, and People's Choice in the Youth Division.  A tall and shy seeming young man.

This is Helena's entry in the HS B/W photo category.  In the background on the right, you can just make out a red Second Place ribbon hanging on another of her photos in the Digital Art category.  Mom, can you recognize the image?  It is West Beach Resort!

Now it is over and there are just a few last details to tend to.  It is time to turn my attention to moving my classroom.  And helping Helena get her license.  And overseeing Helena and Will's summer online courses.  And Will's merit badge.  And Helena's Honors English packet and readings.  And the yard and garden.  And exercise.

I am glad life is so busy!  It makes me feel alive and useful!  The kids probably don't see it that way.  They probably think I am meddlesome and a nag.  But I like to be of help to them.  I hope they will continue to let me.

"My Beautiful Blue Boy"

Sorry, Will. I know you'd rather have this named "My Avatar", or "Will, the Smurf", but I chose to title this one "My Beautiful Blue Boy". I know that boys don't like to be called 'beautiful', but you are beautiful to me!

I did this portrait as an example for my sixth graders this year. It was built on the front board while they were working on their own. The image is upside down on purpose. It helps students to draw more accurately to have the image upside down. The painting was done in oil pastels and in a 'paint-by-number' style. Now I need to go get a frame for it. I finished just in time for my school art show (can't wait for that to be in the past... yet another thing to stress me out!).

"My Beautiful Blue Boy"
by Katharina
oil pastel on pastel paper
16"X20"

Helena's Anc. Wld. Hist. project

The teacher for Ancient World History at the high school set a final project to create something that has to do with anything learned that semester and bring it to class. Talk about vague! Helena has a hard time choosing and executing when instructions are that vague. So she put it off until the last possible moment. That is where I come in.

I suggested she make an ancient Roman vase. I have clay, glazes, and a kiln. And just enough know how to get started. So, we went to my classroom one weekend and built! Actually, the whole family came. Will 'snow boarded' down the steep hills in the back playground while Bill recorded him. Helena and I worked in the classroom. The picture above is of Helena's vase. The picture below is mine. I decided it would be best to build two, just in case one of them exploded in the kiln. A plan B. And, actually, my plan B is the one that bit the dust! Someone knocked it over on Monday and broke off the right handle. So...

I built a Plan C! In the end, we fired all three, glazed them, and fired them a final time. Helena's original piece was not attached (meaning that it was made of 3 parts that were supposed to fuse together with glaze during firing). During the final firing, the pieces slipped apart and it didn't turn out. She turned it in anyway, along with my two pieces, which she had helped glaze.

Do I think it is cheating that she turned in a pot that I built? No. She turned in hers as well and told the teacher she had help from a parent. I have seen some of the 'student projects' turned in, and believe me, this one is really low end! There was a Hanging Gardens of Babylon built to scale. There was a tableau of Barbies and Kens in full Egyptian costume, complete with an Osiris headdress on one of the Kens. Those Barbie clothes looked professionally done in every way! And that miniature papier mache?! Oi!

Nativity Backdrop

RuthAnn, the Ward Activity Director, asked me to paint a stable backdrop for the annual Primary children's Nativity that is enacted each year at the Ward Christmas party. I was not thrilled about being asked to do it. I felt something like how the main character in Single's Ward feels when the Ward Activity Director calls him and asks him to do stand up comedy for the Ward talent night since that is what he does for a living. Yeah. Not thrilled!

Anyway, I obviously said I'd do it. I toyed with ideas for a while, and put it off until after Helena's party was over. I simply couldn't deal with both at the same time. And, of course, it had to be WAY below freezing this week when I needed to spend several hours in the garage in order to paint it! The Ward party is tomorrow, otherwise I would have been tempted to wait for milder weather. It was about 12 degrees out when I was painting this. My hands are chapped and sore now, but I think it was worth it. I am very pleased with the results.

Here is the finished product. The top picture has the additional lighting of my one poor pathetic garage light that still works (three of them are out of commission), while the bottom picture shows the backdrop with only the flood lights shining on it. The strong contrast between light and dark was intentional. I wanted to get a strong feeling of the love of God shining down from the Star of Bethlehem.

There you have it. I could have a future in prop painting if the teaching thing ever fell through.

Evening photo

I took this shot this evening in my back yard. I couldn't resist it, but I wish I had a tripod (and that I had a better camera on me at the moment than my cell phone) so that the moon would have shown up better. Ah well. It is still a pretty shot!

Helena, the famous artist!

Helena got to paint the final portion of the portrait herself! I promised her she could. She was very happy and we are both pleased with the results!

The Portrait is Finished - sort of

Here is a photo of Helena's portrait. It is sort of finished! I say 'sort of' because I may make some small alterations over the next few weeks. The red square that covers part of her mouth is not that bright in reality. It just shows up like that on camera. I am not sure why, but I think I need to re-evaluate that one.

I know that mom doesn't like this painting much. It is not her style, I think. Fortunately, Helena loves it and can't wait to put it in her room. That will have to wait at least 6 months, however, because that is how long it takes for oil paint to dry completely (at least, when it is thin like this. If it was thicker, it would take a year)!

Portrait update

I am trying to finish this in time for the art show next Friday. I am having a hard time staying motivated to do it, though. I hate deadlines!

Another 'Know thyself' moment.

I will never be a successful artist.

I am not dedicated enough.

I am actually okay with that. I am happy being my children's mom and wife to their father. Everything else in my life is just extra frosting on the cake.