Feeling Better!! and Needs Sun

I am finally recovering from my cold. I feel like a new woman. Actually had dinner tonight at Butch's with friends and ENJOYED myself. Finished this 16x20 today. It is on hard board. You can see that I am feeling rather spring-esque. Even though it is still chilly in the morning the air smells like spring. I was influenced by the heady scent of these hyacinths. This one feels like it is a bit more abstract than some of my other recent pictures, too. Enjoy. To bid on Needs Sun use this link. Be well.

Food Show at Michael's Downtown Cafe

Today Lydia and I hung our Food Show at Michael's Cafe, in downtown Mobile. You probably know Michael and may have eaten at his new, downtown place, or even his old, midtown place. He is a fabulous cook who makes authentic, local food, from local ingredients. I love to eat lunch there - usually red beans and rice or chicken etouffee. Both dishes come with amazing greens and cornbread, which I might add, does not contain sugar. Upon entering the eatery a table of beautiful desserts will be to your right. Be sure to save room for they are as good as the entrees. Anyway I will post some pictures and some more info tomorrow. I have been sick with a cold and my production has slowed. I am hoping to be back in the studio tomorrow. To read more about Michael and his restaurant use this link.

Divine Bovines

Today I have been to a fantastic Joe Cain day party. I saw so many interesting friends, some old, some new. My host and hostess are a dynamic pair who pull together this excellent and eclectic party year after year. The weather was lovely, altho a bit nippy early in the day. By noon the Gulf Coast sun was beating down and warming us all up. I saw Joe Cain's widows arrive and weep in their black mourning attire. People were dancing in the street! It is just carnival in my home town. Ok this is just me working up to the confession that "I did not paint today! I partied." But yesterday I worked on this picture, which I plan to finish tomorrow. I am also posting the announcement for the Divine Bovine show, which Joanne Brandt was kind enough to include me in. Come by and see it. Mardi Gras will be over. You will have absolutely nothing to do in the early and dreary days of lent!!

With the Addition of Azaleas

I am fascinated by flowers. They are magnificent painting subjects for me because they are ever changing, colorful, and alive. The problems they present are always challenging. Today I took the Mardi Gras flowers of a few days back and added some azaleas from the yard. This is what I came up with. I like the way that azalea seems to be sending its central "antenna" up to the phlox. Enjoy the weekend. For me it is a long one. I intend to finish some big pictures, relax, see some movies and some parades, go to some parties...do you think I can do all that? Ha, probably not but I will give it my best. To bid on With the Addition of Azaleas use this link.

Figure Drawing with a German Accent

You can see by this image that I taught German Expressionism this week. I must be one of the most porous artists ever. If an art style comes close to me, I absorb it like Bounty the Quicker Picker Upper! Whatever I am looking at will find a way to appear in my work. I am chameleonesque that way (and other ways as well). Anyway we had a new model last night. She was fun to draw because she actually had curves. Our fearless figure drawing organizer kept referring to her as having a "sexy librarian look." Ick I tend to hate sexist comments like that when observing the female nude. I will forgive him though because I like him so much. Anyhow after that comment the model replied that she went as Sarah Palin for Halloween. That was funny. I am probably not finished with this. I like it though and feel like I am getting better with my oil pastel technique. I am going to work on it some more and you can give me your opinion later. Be well. Enjoy this marvelous day!! MEK

Seasonal Colors and Technological Joy!

My computer has been on the blink and posting has been impossible. This has driven me almost to drink for the past few days. Today the most wonderful computer guy came over and fixed my machine...I could not be happier! I worked on this yesterday and a little bit today (so I could get out of the room and not breathe down computer man's neck). It is, as you can see, in MARDI GRAS colors. I did not mean to do it! But there it is - green, purple, and gold. I have been doing my underpaint with acrylic and painting over with oils. It makes for a rich surface. This is 8x8, oil on canvas board. To bid Mardi Gras Flowers use this link. And to the three Bs - lovely to see you today! We had lunch at Camille's, a new place by USA, and it was really good. Be well! MEK

Lemons All in a Row

This is a small one, 12x4, oil on canvas, of some homegrown lemons from California. They have a rich color, excellent leaves, and the cast shadow made for some lemon drama. I painted this using artificial light, which is of course not ideal. Nevertheless, when I got it out in to the daylight it looked really nice. What a surprise. I have a friend who always paints in artificial light. This painter regularly experiences this kind of delight when looking at finished work in natural light. I can only equate this to the excitement of opening a kiln after a glaze firing. The colors never cease to amaze me! To bid on Lemons all in a Row use this link. Be well. MEK

Essay Questions

Essay Questions for Exam 1

SHC Spring 2009

Instructor: Kimbrough

 

1. Discuss the origins of Modernism in the visual arts. Make sure to mention specific artists and art works, as well as cultural contributions such as historical events, philosophical, and scientific developments that, in your opinion, affected the development of Modernism.*
   
2. Discuss Cezanne' s influence on the development of Cubism. How did Picasso and Braque appropriate Cezanne's ideas? Again remember to discuss specific artworks, and artists. You may also use the readings that I gave you from the white book.
   
3. What was Kandinsky's main contribution to Modernism? What kind of future did he see for visual art? Which of his artworks demonstrate these ideas?
   
4. What influence did Van Gogh have on the development of Modernism? Which artists followed his lead? How did his followers differ from the followers of Cezanne?
   

Your essays should be completed at home and returned at the beginning of class on March 2. The objective part of the test will be done in class. You will be identifying images from the text and responding to the following questions:

1. Title of art work
   
2. Artist
   
3. Medium
   
4. Origin
   
5. Year Made
   
6. Significance of artwork
   

You will have 10 images to respond to. You will have 10 (ten) minutes to respond to each image.

 

Tulips + Paperwhites = true love!

Happy Valentines Day all....I hope you are having a nice loving kind of day. I have had some computer trouble so I could not post yesterday. I did this painting in the bright sunshine and I am really happy with it. It feels so alive! I used some iridescence and did the under paint with acrylics, which I have not been doing lately. I am happy with this size, 10x10, too. To bid on Tulip + Paperwhites, use this link.

Tulips 1

I love to paint an open tulip! The interior of the flower is so much better than the outside. The symmetry inside is very cool to me, all the concentricness makes for an interesting picture. This was painted very quickly, wet in wet, some call that alla prima....thin paint. I have been looking at Charles Rennie MacIntosh's still lifes again and that just makes me want to paint nothing but flowers! Spring is practically here so I should have lots to paint before too long! Hope things are good...and it they are not remember what Scarlett says "tomorrow is another day." Toodles all! To bid on Tulips 1 use this link.

Figured Drawing

This is an oil pastel on paper that I had treated with black gesso. I have been looking a a lot of German Expressionism and early Modernism for teaching and you know how I tend to get influenced by whatever I am looking at. I like the way that the black shows up and serves as an outline for the figure. The drawings are looser than usual due to this medium, which makes me want to scribble all over the place. I am happy with the colors, too, which, although bright, are tart, not sweet. Have a great day and I will be back tomorrow.

White is Not Always White

I am going to be working on these paperwhites for the next few days. It is really hard for me to paint things "white." I am very dependent on color, hehe, that is if you have not already noticed. I did this quick 8x8 study of the paper whites just now. It is getting dark out but there is plenty of artificial light in the studio. I enjoyed the amazing sunshine today! Hope you did, too. To bid on White use this link!

Petite Amaryllis

This has got to be the last Amaryllis! You have to understand though that once I start on something, I become obsessed. The thing that you are painting again and again becomes more fascinating as you continue to attempt to replicate it. At least that is the case for me. Plants really do change, but each and every object changes with the light and with my perception. Anyway it is a beautiful day and I hope you are enjoying the sunshine. This is truly petite, in the painting a day sense of the word, 12x4, oil on canvas board. To bid on Petite Amaryllis, use this link.

Cracked

Lydia had the idea for the egg. I went along with her today and made this odd picture. I went slowly and tried not to use too much paint. I felt like it would mud up very easily if I were not careful. I am ok with the outcome but I have never been a big fan of eggs! I was allergic to them as a child and only started eating them in adulthood. I like them fine now...but if I think too hard about them, I can still get grossed out!

Figure Drawing

We had a good session tonight. We used that same chair but we had a different model. I did three good pictures. This one is an 8x8 oil and oil pastel on canvas board. The photograph is not the greatest but I wanted to get something out today.

Two Part Still Life With Cake

Every aspect of life would be better if it included cake! Think about it....cake just adds a festive note to every activity. Lydia and I painted in her studio today. We set these things up and I brought a slice of red velvet cake at Jimmy Lowe's. I had intended to make two little pictures, and I did do just that. The thing I did not mean to do was to make them fit together. So there are two paintings today, two that can be one. You get a view of each piece and a view of them together. The square one is my standard 8x8 and the oblong one is 12x4. Both are oil on canvas board. Enjoy the picture(s) and enjoy your cake, when you are lucky enough to get some! To bid on Still Life With Cake (in two parts) use these links. And the other part is here, on this link.

Nude From the Top

Here is the last of my little paintings from figure drawing. I worked a bit on her this afternoon and feel she is ready for her close-up! This is small, only 5x5, and comes with a white frame. The picture has a good deal of texture. Because it is hard for me to paint so small, I tend to blob pigment on here and there. I like her pony tail because it reminds me of my first Barbie doll. It seems a bit naughty to draw a nude Barbie. Have fun and let's see if the ground hog saw his shadow. To bid on Nude From the Top use this link.

Seated Nude

I started this in figure drawing on Wednesday night. I worked on it a little bit more last night after I got home from seeing the movie Milk. It is showing at the Crescent theatre in downtown Mobile (also at one of the big theatres in town). The movie is excellent. It is really very positive and hopeful. The theatre was full and that was great to see. I love the fact that we have an art house now! I have resolved to see every movie they show. Anyhow this is our model from the back, with her ponytail showing. She was a small girl but with a big bust. Somehow the fact that she had a ponytail gave her a girlish look. This is small, 12x4 on canvas board. To bid on Seated Nude use this link. Enjoy the day. It is a nice one. I have already been on a long and lovely walk.