Can You Do the Can-Can?

With an outfit part 1920's Flapper and part French dancer, fellow Huntsville-based painter Amanda Lyle was a delight to draw at Sunday's figure drawing session at Lowe Mill. As in previous sessions, we were presented with two poses, but because Amanda did not change her outfit for the second pose, I felt encouraged to stylize the second drawing a bit more and was less concerned with trying to fit the entire figure on the page (since I had already created a more "complete" rendering of the outfit and figure). I was also able to scribble a quick #Draw365 cartoon in ballpoint at the end of the session-- it was not the most sophisticated of my daily pen drawings, to be sure, but it was surely interesting to suddenly shift media and styles during the session; it was almost a bit of a jolt, in fact, and perhaps an experience worth exploring more seriously. . .

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Here, There, and Everywhere

A few weeks have passed since my last post; they have surely not been idle weeks. The 14th of May marked the second in a series of summer festivals I have been coordinating with Reflectives in Artisans Cove (our next event will take place on June 11th). Despite the steady drizzle, May's show was able to go on as planned, with art, live music, and chicken dinners.
Yesterday, I was in Nashville for the close of Women's Work 2011 [above], an arts showcase sponsored by the Tennessee Women's Theater Project. I am most grateful to Maryanna and Chris Clarke for their exuberance and dedication in organizing this event. Seeing my paintings showcased alongside the work of many other talented women was also quite an honor. Now the paintings have returned to my walls, but new exhibits and festivals await them. . .

For instance, in addition to the June 11 festival at Artisans Cove, I will also be doing a Sidewalk Arts Stroll on June 16th in downtown Huntsville, and a one-woman show at the Gallery at Sam and Greg's on the calendar for June 20th. This is proving to be quite a full summer, but I never allow myself to become so busy doing such things that I stop making art. The photo at the top of the page is a small detail from the first layers of the painting I am currently working on, based on a drawing I did in March. This painting has been coming along slowly, as the canvas upon which I am working is big enough that I was able to render the girl life-size. This is the largest canvas I have ever attempted so far; would that I had a dozen such canvases to work with!

My #Draw365 sketches, on the other hand, remain quite small, but I find that I am finally wielding clumsy ballpoint pens with a new sense of grace. I am paying more attention to hatching, finding myself having better control over my lines. . . and while the sketches remain of everyday scenes and objects, each is bringing up many good questions about the selection process involved in art. I began by doing very wild sketches; now I am experimenting with a slightly more contained, clear-cut style. . . the project is not only inspiring me continually-- doing a quick drawing on the go each day is marvelously fun!

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Sidewalk Arts Stroll at the Botanical Garden

After a week without electricity, Huntsvillians no doubt enjoyed the opportunity to spend a bright, care-free day in the Botanical Garden surrounded by artists, flowers, geese, and butterflies [above, my tent] during the Sidewalk Arts Stroll/Butterfly House opening.

[Above, Dad and I unpack paintings for the show.]

[Above, a family enjoys being near the lake.]

[Above, brilliantly beautiful clematis.]

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Wednesday, April 27

Despite its mostly non-threatening color scheme, looking at Storm Front Over Dallas Mills Deli [above] leaves me feeling somewhat somber. I have never painted a storm scene of this sort before, certainly not a storm scene related to a horrid outbreak of tornadoes that left Alabama in tatters. On one hand, I tell myself, who wants to look at a painting from such a tragic day? On the other hand, I have explored many scenes of Southern life, so why leave such a poignant one out? [below, a detail]
After several brushes with tornadoes in the past (including a harrowing drive from Montgomery with a wall cloud swirling behind the car, sirens piercing, grapefruit-sized hail pelting the roof, and abject horror mounting), I was feeling rather careless on Wednesday. My father and I were out having lunch with a friend at a deli in Five Points, laughing about the fear-mongering techniques of a local weatherman who often cries wolf, when the front started rolling in. Everyone was standing outside watching the rain and wind-- it was oddly beautiful, awe-inspiring. Those who have been following my #draw365 sketches might recognize the painting from a sketch I did that day [below].
When the electricity went out, I thought nothing of it (not an uncommon occurrence in the area). . . but then darkness arrived and the lights did not return. I was unable to see any news until days later. . . Huntsville remained almost untouched save the power outages. . . many other towns in Alabama no longer exist. The Red Cross and other organizations are still taking donations and volunteers; there is much to consider and much more to do.

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Upcoming Events and Recent Features

Now that schedules are finally beginning to return to normal here in North Alabama (for those who have not yet heard, Alabama was hit with multiple tornadoes last week), I am happy to announce a few upcoming art events which I will be able to take part in. The first will be a pleasant opportunity for those of you in the Nashville area to see my work in person, as well as celebrate women in the arts in general [above image]. For more information on the Tennessee Women's Theater Project's Women's Work Celebration, please click here.

I will also be displaying paintings at two upcoming festivals-- a special all-day Botanical Garden Art Stroll in Huntsville, AL on May 7, as well as the next Second Saturdays afternoon/evening festival [below image] at Artisans Cove on the 14th.
In addition to displaying art, bad weather has not been able to keep me from writing about art. Recent features include a short essay on photorealism for the online journal Escape Into Life and a Huntsville Art Blog interview for which I had the great pleasure of talking to Julie Marateck, Communications Coordinator for Atlanta's High Museum of Art.

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