Mayan Gold, Avocado Painting, by Kim Blair

Mayan Gold

9x12 oil on canvas

We just returned home from a lovely two week vacation in Mexico and while we were there I consumed lots of avocados... in the form of guacamole.  Lucky for me some of the other people on the trip were 'guacamole experts' whipping up fresh batches every few days for the group to consume with corn chips along with their other specialty... lime margaritas!  Another member of the group assumed guacamole duty (and fresh salsa duty) later on in the trip, making sure we were never without this rich buttery treat.

Besides being a staple in Mayan and Mexican cuisine my research revealed that through the centuries the avocado seed and skin were also utilized for numerous health and beauty treatments.  One source suggested blending the soft buttery flesh with some honey and lime juice to create a nourishing facial/mask.

Avocados are 'Mayan Gold' ... a national treasure.

Adios

9x12 oil on canvas

sold

Jester Red

12x9 oil on canvas

During Medieval times the Jester held a special place at court.  He (or she) was allowed to poke fun at the Courtiers and the King... often pointing out the 'Pink Elephants' in the room.  The Jester was encouraged to speak the truth, and because of his lower social status his honesty did not usually pose a threat to the King.  Being the court clown was the Jester's job and his clothing reflected this station in life... often multicolored or striped breaches were worn, along with a floppy hat over their shaved heads   ... a comical character not bound by the social structure of court life. 

Often trained as a musician and/or acrobat they spent their days and nights entertaining the Monarch and his guests, freely offering advise or insights through the power of comedy.

As the saying goes, "Many a truth was said in jest!"

Or as Mr. Shakespeare  wrote in King Lear... "Jesters do oft prove prophets."

12x9 oil on canvas

sold

Suzanne, Life Drawing , by Kim Blair

 Suzanne Thinking

9x12 

Life Drawing, Ink on Paper

Suzanne Side View

9x6

Life Drawing, Ink on Paper

One Minute Poses with Suzanne

7 poses on a 9x12 

Life Drawing, Ink on Paper

The spontaneity of drawing a live model with pen and ink allows me to create line work that I feel is more alive than when I use a graphite pencil.  Using a pencil gives you the option to erase any line that you are not completely happy with while trying to capture the pose of the live model before you.  

There is a certain freedom in knowing that the ink mark you make on the paper is permanent.  No chance for perfectionism to creep into the drawing by fussing with an eraser trying to eradicate any line that you think might be less than perfect.

For me there is real joy and a sense of freedom in laying down vibrant energetic marks trying to capture the essence of the model.

The beauty of each mark stays on the paper...

Van Gogh View, by Kim Blair

Van Gogh View

11x14 oil on canvas

Most of you know that Van Gogh's work is a huge source of inspiration for my art journey.  Most days I have lunch or coffee with him via whatever book on his life or work that happens to be in my possession.  Recently the book, 'Van Gogh Face to Face, The Portraits' has been following me around the house.  Almost every page has an image of one of his numerous portrait paintings...vibrant creamy strokes of luscious color meticulously yet energetically applied to his canvas.

Thick swirls and expressive lines of paint sculpted with his brush to portray his view of the model.  Never meant to be an exact likeness of the sitter, his work was more about capturing a certain essence he saw in the individual person posing for him.

That's how I feel about my work... I am striving to capture the energy and vitality of my subject matter, whether it be a portrait... or a pepper.

Paper Sun, Collage, by Kim Blair

Paper Sun

6x9 collage on acid free paper

Paper Sun is part of my ongoing collage/mixed media series.  I added a bit more definition with some black ink using a nib pen.  My shoe box of paper choices is starting to get a bit limited and I may have to incorporate other source materials for future collage pieces.

The brown seed centers of these sunflowers have multiple layers of paper creating a bit more texture and depth.

* (click on the image to see the texture of the paper)

Carolyn and Darrel, Semi-Blind Contour Drawing, by Kim Blair

Semi-Blind Contour Drawing

Pen & Ink on paper, 12x9

Carolyn & Darrel posing/sitting

 Carolyn & Darrel

 Scribble Gesture

Scribble Gesture of Carolyn

Last night was my night for figure drawing, and you can see from this posting that we had a male and a female model.   Carolyn and Darrel are very experienced life drawing models and I throughly enjoyed all of their poses.

As you can see from the first photo I chose to do a Semi-Blind Contour drawing of them during their final pose of the evening.  This final pose was only 20 minutes in length... (usually the last pose is 30 minutes) but I still enjoyed trying my hand at this drawing technique.

  

When you do a Semi-Blind Contour drawing you get to look at your paper once in a while to reposition your pen to start in a new area, but as with Blind-Contour the expectation is that you will try to coordinate your eye and hand movements by slowly tracing the edges of the subject with your eyes while at the same time moving your drawing instrument at the same speed that your eyes are moving along the edge subject.

Like magic a whimsical image begins to appear on the paper as your pen slowly twists and turns while  you try to fuse a connection between your eye and hand movements.

The end result looks like a quirky fusion of a cartoon and a character drawing.

Self Portrait

18x6 graphite on paper

A Self Portrait is something most artists tackle.  As the model we are always available and don't squirm (much) during the session, although a few deep exasperated sighs can be heard now and then.

So I decided it was about time I delved into an ongoing self portrait project.   It is fascinating what you discover as you look intensely in the mirror... studying the subtle nuances of light and shadow along with the 'character lines' that make up our appearance.  The project has its sobering moments when you come face to face with the person staring back at you in the mirror and realize that you have no choice but to acknowledge what you see.

As the session(s) progressed I started to enjoy the process of looking... appreciating the time for a closer examination of the person in the mirror and reflect on what I was seeing.  

Perhaps one of the interesting things about doing self portraits (or anyone's portrait for that matter) is knowing that the artist has the opportunity to discover and portray the multifaceted personality of the sitter.

We really are more complex than at first glance...

Oil Portrait, Copy of Siri, by Kim Blair

(attempted) Copy of the Study/Siri

 9x12 oil on canvas

(attempted) Copy of the Study/Siri

9x12 colored pencil 

A few of years ago I purchased a number of older issues of some art magazines and was instantly captivated by a portrait I saw in the August 2000 issue of 'The Artist's Magazine'.  The american artist Jerry Rudquist ( 1934-2001) painted a colorful 'alla prima' portrait of a young woman... I immediately tore the page out of the magazine and kept it in a folder for a few years before I attempted to copy it for learning purposes.

I was very sad to discover that this talented artist passed away at the age of 67, just a year after the article was published.  It would have been an honor to have taken a workshop with him.  His expressive brush work and unique color choices inspired me to study his style by attempting to copy his 8x6 oil study of Siri.   The colored pencil sketch (see above) I created this past September is a better attempt at copying the likeness of his original, but I had the most fun creating the 9x12 oil color study last week.  

The excitement of exploring color choices took over my brain and I missed the mark on making a better likeness, but I will attempt another copy.  My color choices are not the same as in the original by Mr. Rudquist's, but by observing his study I was inspired to experiment.   

Here is an interesting youtube video of Jerry Rudquist painting his own eye...  

Female Figure Drawing Study, by Kim Blair

Female Figure Study I

12x9 ink with ink wash on acid free paper

Female Figure Study II

9x12 graphite with ink on acid free paper 

Female, Scribble Study

9x4 ink on acid free paper 

The female form offers smooth flowing curves which gives me more opportunity to utilize fluid line work and tonal washes in ink.

  

It's not an easy job being a figure drawing model... you need strength and stamina to hold your pose for 30 seconds... to 30 minutes.  The shorter 'warm up' poses are usually more dynamic and spontaneous which offers the artist a very short period of time to capture the energy of the model's stance.

Obviously the model chooses to pose in a comfortable position for the longer poses which makes complete sense.  But even these more comfortable longer poses can take quite a bit of energy and focus, as the model needs to stay as still as possible, yet not fall asleep... on the job.

Figure Drawing Studies of Shelby, by Kim Blair

Shelby

12x9, graphite, pen & ink study 

 Shelby

4x3, close-up of scribble study

 Shelby Lying On Her Side

4x8, ink study

Shelby in OM Pose

9x6, felt marker study

The time slips by at the figure drawing sessions... from the first few 30 second poses to the final 30 minute pose... the time seems to condense, creating a feeling that the evening was only an hour long rather than 3 hours.

Being completely engaged in the creative process seems to be the key to activating this 'time warp'.  Focusing my attention on drawing the model shifts my brain into auto-pilot, which seems to remove most of my awareness from the conscious level that deals with the relativity of time.

Or at least that's what I think may be happening?

Red Diner I and Red Diner II, Abstract Collage, Mixed Media Painting, by Kim Blair

   Red Diner I

6x6 collage, mixed media

on acid free paper

Red Diner II

6x6 collage, mixed media

on acid free paper

Whether you enjoyed your hamburger, fries and milkshake perched at the counter on a red vinyl covered stool or were lucky enough to procure bench seating in a booth you experienced a piece of American history that began around 1872.   A horse drawn lunch wagon selling sandwiches and coffee to late night newspaper workers morphed into a fixed establishment through the repurposing of railroad dining cars, and acquired the name 'diner'.

What most of us remember and still get to experience is the classic version that first appeared after WWII... a stream-lined chrome beauty styled to express speed and mobility... a futuristic design updating the original box car.

Diner cuisine seems to be going a bit upscale these days thanks to all the cooking shows on The Food Network, but I bet most of us still think of diner cuisine as 'comfort food.'

Enjoy your carbs... and then head to the gym!

NFS

Rococo Pink, Poppy Painting oil on canvas, by Kim Blair

Rococo Pink

9x12 oil on canvas

Spring is only 2 months away... and my thoughts drifted to flowers... frothy pastel poppy blossoms to be exact... and viola, I had a reference photo of some spectacular pink toned specimens from last summer... how could a girl resist?

I named this painting after the Rococo period which developed in the early 18th century in Paris, France.  It was a more playful time for art and architecture and began in response to the heavier masculine Baroque style that was made popular by the Catholic Church.

A more curvaceous, asymmetrical design style Rococo was known for it's elaborate ornamentation combined with pastel-like colours creating a graceful whimsical approach to design whether it be fashion, art, gardens or architecture.

Marie Antoinette enjoyed Rococo, for a while...

Too much of a good thing is definitely not good for your health!

SOLD

9x12 (needs some drying time)