Vase - Painting Progress 8

The doily is very difficult.

Vase - Painting Progress 7

It is moving along, slowly, but moving. I have so much to learn.

Vase - Painting Progress 6

Vase - Painting Progress 5

Today. A pretty good day. Moved the study forward just a tad.

Vase - Painting Progress 4

Still struggling along.

Vase - Painting Progress 3

So this pass really did happen in one sitting. I'm pretty happy with today's work -- on the vase, the background and the shadow. This is the first time with painting this that I have been pleased at all. Finally, a good feeling day.

Vase - Painting Progress 2

Next set of passes. Let's just call it second pass and leave it at that.

Vase - Painting Progress 1

Ugh, here is the result of at least six passes, all wiped off the canvas except for this last one. Oh my. Why is it so very hard?

Vase - Finished Drawing

Think I'll call it quits on the drawing. transfer it to canvas tomorrow, and start the painting process. Makes me nervous! ACK. No confidence have I. But I do keep on keepin' on, and that's what matters, right?

Vase - Progress 3

Today doesn't look like much progress. There were some parts of the set up that I didn't understand, couldn't 'see,' and thus messed them up, had to erase and start again. I guess that is progress. It was a good day, snowy and cold -- perfect for sitting by my little space heater and drawing. And listening to Govi and Ottmar Liebert :-)

Vase Drawing - Progress 2

Today's work. It is moving along. I'm starting to like it. I for sure like the set up. Now the question is whether or not I can capture the beauty of it, first on paper, then on canvas...

Vase Drawing - Progress

Here's the start of the new still life I'm working on. The last time I was at Mama's house in OKC, she had placed this little vase on my dresser in my old bedroom and filled it with her marigolds. She was so glad I was home to visit and so was I and we had a wonderful time. That was the last time I got to spend time with her. She died six weeks later. So I've a special attachment to this little vase.

Reclining Woman - Completed

Finished. Stopping. Leaving her alone! Moving on to a new still life. Please visit my new website at susanbonnell.com. Thanks.

Feet

Been studying and working on feet lately. Next hands, then face.

Reclining Woman - In Progress

I've been working on this drawing for a couple of weeks, now nearing completion. I'll practice with a few studies of hands, feet, and faces before working on hers!

Quick Sketch

Here's a little sketch of a fellow with his wife at the hotel in Giverny. It came out kind of cute and so I gave it to him when they left. I need to do more of these and practice, practice, practice! But I talk, talk, talk instead of do!

Terrace Table

Here's a terrible little watercolor sketch but it was so much fun doing it. We were sitting outside in the sun (see previous post) drinking rose and eating frites. Of course it didn't help when a woman came up and sat in the chair while I was drawing it. I gave her the painting when she was leaving and she seemed very pleased. She and her 'honey' sat at the table for a long time, holding hands and acting like they were really in love. For some reason I imagined it was a secret affair they were having.

The Artists in Giverny

HA! Here we are on the terrace of our hotel, in the sunshine, drinking LOTS of rose, eating frites and drawing, painting, laughing...just having a ball. What a good day. Spent the morning at Monet's home and in his beautiful gardens (if I hadn't been so hungry, and no food allowed there, I could have perched somewhere and sketched forever!)...and then back to the hotel to do some work ourselves. The sun came out and life was perfect.

View from Collioure

Another of Bill's lively watercolors. I like this one a lot too!

Collioure from the Hills

This is one of Bill's watercolors of Collioure. I think it is really energetic and interesting and a fun work.

Reclining Woman

My one and only serious figure drawing during the trip. I do like it though. I think I got the pattern of repeated angles and lines in the drawing which seems to give gesture and order to the work. I think I will continue to work on it from a photograph to see what I can do. I really liked the pose...it seems to have a lot of grace to me.

Collioure

This is a copy I did of a painting by Collioure artist Marie Opper. Her paintings are lovely, colorful, simple, but not easy to do. And she's a very sweet and open woman. She and her husband Howard have a beautiful shop, studio and home about two minutes walking from our flat. She paints and he makes the most remarkable glass beads for jewelry. I'll post a link if I can find their card.

Bowl and Peaches

The third of my bowl series. The peaches were so good!

Bowl and Grapes

The bowls in the flat in Collioure were so pretty and colorful. And fruit from the market was beautiful and delicious. I didn't do either one of them justice, but I worked, as promised!

Bowl and Oranges

Sorry to have been gone so long. We had a wonderful time in Collioure with time also in Amsterdam, the Dordogne Region, and Giverny. For the next few days I'm posting some of the work we did while we were traveling. We had a LOT of trouble with the medium....mostly acrylic in very warm weather with no retardant to use...dries way too fast! Like as soon as it touches the paper. But anyway, we worked, and some things are kinda cute...(the shelf in this pic is not crooked...the paper is warped)

I'm now back to serious drawing study and starting on color paintings as I promised myself. Am setting up a still life today to begin.

First Figure Painting

OK, OK I know there's a LOT of room for improvement, but this is the FIRST time I have ever painted a human being. And from life too. I probably put about 15 hours of studio time into this work. I'm very happy with all I learned from the week with Jordan. So onward from here...

What FUN!!!!

Whew. Just finished a week long, all day workshop with Jordan Sokol, an advanced instructor from the Florence Academy of Art. It was absolutely amazing. And so much fun! Jordan used the sight size approach which I've not encountered at the Gage Academy (but I was familiar with it from working on my own). I actually liked it a lot! I'll post pictures later, but I wanted to get this posted so you'd know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Click HERE to see Jordan's fantastic work.

AND, I managed to buy his demonstration painting. It was a must! He and I used the same easel space and footmarks on the floor, so we painted the same pose, same light, same vantage point. A once in a lifetime opportunity. How fun. I even saved the tapes from the floor with my name and his name to mark our feet positions. I know crazy, but I couldn't resist. What a wonderful instructor and person he is! We had a great end of the workshop party and Bill came too, to see everyone, their work and to meet Jordan. A perfect week.

Now the mad rush of packing and preparing for our six weeks in Collioure, all of September, then home mid-October. We plan on painting and drawing in addition to all the beach time, swimming, wine drinking and cheese eating :-)

Katarina #2 - Finished

Think I'll call it quits on this second drawing of Katarina. I've done as much as I can without actually seeing her in the pose again. Remember to double click on the photo for a larger version. Let me know what you think of it.

Alexis, Sketch

This is a quick drawing following Michael Grimaldi's instruction during the class a few weeks ago.

Another Katarina, Progress

Here's Katarina after a few more hours. Double click on the image for a larger picture.

Another Katarina

Since the Grimaldi workshop, I've been doing some practice work on a drawing of Katrina, using what I learned from both Michael and Juliette (Aristides whose workshop was in January, my first figure drawing efforts). Let me know what you think. It's only in progress, not nearly finished.

Recovery!

Sorry I've been gone so long... I've finally recovered from the two weeks with Michael Grimaldi in the life drawing class. It was incredibly helpful and extremely intense--at least for me it was lots of hard word mixed with some fun and some really nice people from all over the country. I was exhausted after the first week...one day I even slept in the car at lunch and one afternoon I skipped out completely to go home and rest.

Besides the workshop being very focused and concentrated, there was so much information that I couldn't sleep at night for thinking about all the 'stuff' from that day's session. It was listed as an advanced class, and believe me, it was. I can't help but think that much of the information went right over my head. Now I'm reading and re-reading Anthony Ryder's book and it's reinforcing and repeating what I heard from Michael.

I don't have much to show from the two weeks, since it was not directed at a finished product, but at learning and practicing. The little sketch above is just a small 'composition' drawing, i.e. a quick drawing to determine if you like the arrangement and composition of the pose and your work. This model was so very beautiful. Alexandra. Peaceful and calm.

Katarina - Finished

I had the last long pose with Katrina in the life studio and here's the result of 30 hours. All but her hand is finished. I think I'll do some study on hands before touching that. Let me know what you think. I'm pretty happy. It's certainly an improvement over poor Randy last December.

My two week workshop with Michael Grimaldi, figure drawing from life and learning chiarscuro, starts Monday. Guess I'm as ready as I'm gonna get. I'm really excited about it.

Please click on Kat's image above for a larger, more detailed view.

Katarina - Days 1-4+

I've put in four three hour sessions at the studio with Katrina posing live, and probably 10 hours at home working from a reference photo. I'm working at home from the pic because I only have two more three hour sessions with her. What a wonderful model she is.

Cast Drawing - Progress

Still working on this cast drawing...

Katarina - Days 1, 2, 3

Slow but still moving.

Sorry for the lack of posts. We went to Santa Cruz for three weeks and I did NO art whatsoever. Not a good idea. Went to studio Thursday and it was a near non-drawing disaster. Lesson learned. Draw all the time. No breaks.

Katarina - Days 1 & 2

The left is three hours of drawing Katarina last week in the reserved studio. On the right is today's three hours worth of corrections and trying to turn the form. Double click for a detailed photo.

Sitges, Spain - Sold

Oil on canvas board - 9 x 12"
Framed size - 14 x 17"
Susan Webb Bonnell

This painting is available for sale. If you'd like additional information, please email susanbonnell@olympus.net. This painting is framed. Click the picture for a larger, detailed photograph.

Showing at Gaspare's

I've been invited by Dianne Tranni of Gaspare's Ristorante to show my paintings at the Phinney Art Walk May 14 and 15th. We'll show about ten pieces, at least four of which will be for sale. See the sidebar on this blog for the pieces I'm offering. I'm very excited since this is the first public showing of my work.

Gaspare Ristorante and Bar is a restaurant with a full bar and additonal outdoor court yard seating for the summer. It's located at 6705 Greenwood Ave. N. It is kitty corner from the Phinney Ridge Community Center and is next door to the Francine Seders Art Gallery. Parking is available behind the Gallery. Reservations should be made by phone 206-297-3600.

Bill and I will be in Santa Cruz at the time of the showing, so we'd love for anyone who can to go by Gaspares and see how things look!

Clementines - SOLD

Finished. Double click on the image for a larger photo. Thanks for looking and following along.

Oil on canvas - 11 x 14"
Susan Webb Bonnell

Katarina #2 - Finished

Think I'm going to call it quits on this drawing of Katrina. I've done as much as I can do without actually seeing her in the pose again. I'm happy and seeing some progress.

French Watering Can - Available

Oil on canvas board - 9 x 12"
Framed size - 15 x 18"
Susan Webb Bonnell

Some of my paintings are available for sale. If you'd like additional information, please email susanbonnell@olympus.net. This painting is framed. Click the picture for a larger, detailed photograph.

Handpainted Pitcher - Available

Oil on canvas board - 11 x 14"
Framed size - 17 x 20"
Susan Webb Bonnell

I'm making a number of my paintings available for sale. If you'd like additional information, please email me at susanbonnell@olympus.net.

This is a painting of a china pitcher my grandmother handpainted years ago. The painting is framed. Click on the picture for a larger, detailed photograph.

Figure 3

A 45 minute figure drawing as promised.

Clementines

Getting closer and closer to finished. Today I cleaned up edges, reworked the base, added some orange reflections and worked on those impossible legs. They're not great, but I'm also practicing moving on...Next the leaves, then done!

Clementines

Getting closer to finishing...top photo is start of painting, bottom pic is end of session...

Clementines

Now that the oil still life class is over, I'm working to finish Clementines at home. Above is yesterday's start and end...