Suzanna Winton's Workshop

This is Suzanna Winton demonstrating painting a portrait of a cute little girl.  I brought her to town to do a four day workshop with the assistance of three other painters.  It was my first experience running a workshop and I must say that it went well.  I must thank my three partners Denise, Jackie and Julie as well a few helpers Mary, Joyce and Dory for putting forth the effort to make everything go smooth as it did.  I need to thank Suzanna as well for her part as a wonderful teacher with a very easy going way.

Each day we worked on a different painting. Suzanna presented the panting demos and inspired us to paint our hearts out.  It was so much fun as well as very informative.  I gathered so much information and it's still in my head ready to be sorted out and utilized.

I really enjoyed the workshop.  I had been a little nervous about how it would go but all the pieces just came together on their own.



I am basically a realistic painter.  I've had success in painting abstract backgrounds and really enjoy creating them.  I have also taken workshops with artists and tryed to "loosen up" but I've only had limited sucesses.
Usually when I try and paint loosely I come out with a painting that looks "sloppy".

 2013 was a very bad year for my family and it took an emotional toll on me. I have been still processing the grief of the losses.  I have been struggling with my painting and I feel like it hasn't been able to develop the way it should.  I keep trying to do new things, try new styles, painting different things and they have all left me frustrated.  But in Suzanna's workshop I felt that I came alive a little bit and felt the muse inside me inspiring me to paint.  I need to learn how to paint the way I'm inclined to paint and not the way I think I should paint.  I need to loosen up mentally rather than dwelling on painting more loosely.  Then I can find the freedom to express myself more fully.

I feel that I have been taking tiny steps on my journey and that I'm on the verge of taking great strides that will hopefully get me closer to my goals.  And then I will have new goals that I will continue to strive to reach!

My First Oil Portrait

I want to say Happy 2014 to all my readers.  2013 was not a very good year and we are hoping for a better year.  I hope that everyone's holiday season was joyful and that we can carry the good feelings into the new year.

I'm not really making any resolutions but there are things that I hope to accomplish in 2014.  I am planning on making some changes with my blog and I'll explain them as they develop.  I am also going to redo my website which is very out of date.  I'm planning on continuing my painting and hope to continue to develop my skills.  I also hope to be able to use my techniques to support my ability to become more expressive in my paintings.  I'm hoping to expand my teaching skills and I have some ideas of directions I can go in.  This is a wonderful journey I am on and I hope it continues a long time.

This is my first oil portrait.  I started it at the workshop with Suzanna Winton.  I had tried an oil portrait many years ago and could not get the skin tones.  Comparing this portrait to the one Suzanna had started her colors are much warmer than mine.  I painted mostly from the photo.  Painting this portrait was so much fun and very frustrating.  I loved the feeling of the oils on the canvas.  I liked that it allowed me to lay down paint and if I did not like the results I could just paint over it.  (Like I did a million times with her eyes!)   But it took so much longer to paint than I'm used to.  I'm sure if I do more oil portrait it will get quicker.  I really like way the hair and the dress turned out.  I am overall pleased with the results being it is only my first but I certainly can see areas that need improvement!

Suzanna Winton's Oil Portrait Demo

I went to Art of the Carolinas this past weekend.  I took two workshops with Suzanna Winton.  This is the oil portrait that she demoed in the class. Isn't it great?

I took a watercolor portrait class with her and challenged myself to use hot pressed paper.  I usually use cold pressed paper for my portraits.  I have used hot pressed paper for other paintings before and it is different as well as more difficult for me.  But with many of my portraits on cold pressed paper the skin is just not smooth enough.  Amy Snowden uses hot pressed paper also and has wonderful results.  I think that I can get used to it with a little bit of practice.  After all I use rough paper for some of my paintings other than portraits.

I was only planning on taking the watercolor portrait class but at the last minute decided to take the oil portrait class and I am so glad that I did.  I've had a recent unrest with where I'm going and have had the urge to try something in oils.  (As well as other media.)  But I kept telling myself that I need to keep working on my watercolors if I am ever going to get anywhere with them.   Then I went into a magic place with the oils and have had so much fun working on the portrait ever since the workshop.  So I guess I made a good decision.  I'm not saying that I'm going to give up watercolors and start painting in oils again. But I think that trying new and different things is a way to unleash my creative spirit.

This all goes back to how we cannot limit our growth by listening to that little voice inside our heads that says be careful don't go too far from your place of familiarity.  We need to sometimes listen to that loud voice that screams get out of your box and explore something new.  It's the only way we will continue to grow.

The Queen

Here's the Queen.  I painted her again for one of my classes.  Each time I paint her she looks a little better.  The photo is a little dark as I don't have that much sun.  I cannot wait to get a new camera.

I took another workshop with Suzanna Winton down at Art of the Carolinas.  I think she is a great teacher.  She has really been able to clarify the process she goes through when painting watercolor portraits.  I am anxious to be able to study with her again.

Katherine

I finished this portrait after going to Suzanna Winton's workshop at Nancy Couik's studio in Raleigh NC. It is of her niece Katherine. She is a great teacher as well as a very nice person. She really has developed a very good teaching method of her way of painting portraits.

When I first came home from the workshop my brain was on overload. I took in so much information in such a short time that I could not even think about it. I was a little frustrated with myself for not being able to produce anything that I considered to be successful and was a little concerned about not having really absorbed anything. But then I started to paint and I felt like the floodgates opened and I was able to experience painting portraits on a whole new level. At times when I was painting I felt like I was in the "zone". It's that place that my painting comes without the interference of thought. I am satisfied with the painting and the process of creating it. Not that I think its the greatest painting I've ever done but I really feel that I have taken a step in the right direction. And I only have to continue on the same path and hopefully my portraits will continue to grow.

Portrait from Suzanna Winton's Workshop

Here is the portrait that I worked on in my class with Suzanna Winton. I took a worshop with her at the Art of the Carolinas a couple weeks ago. She is a wonderful artist and a great teacher.

Yesterday I posted a photo of the painting that was way too pink. I took it again today and I think the colors are a little better. I'm certainly not 100% satisfied with the results but it was so much fun to paint and I did learn so much along the way.

I found myself seeing values on a new level. I took my glasses off and I could really see the shapes and darkness of the skin tones. I wonder if that is like squinting? I saw the larger shapes of dark values as well as the smaller differentiations in value changes within the larger shapes.

I also worked on softening edges and blending the colors from darker to lighter. And I had so much fun doing the background with little circular and squiggly shapes.

I'm going to keep working on painting portraits. I really enjoy capturing the looks as well as the spirit of the person I am painting. I feel that I have a sensitivity to people that I can use to express their personalities and try and capture their essence.

Also a while ago I heard or read that painting portraits is similar to painting flowers by capturing the curves and value changes that represent the soft changes that they both have. I think it is true. I am certainly more comfortable with painting flowers than portraits but am ready to step outside of my comfort zone and work on something more challenging. Maybe that is why I feel I am ready to start working on my portraits again!

The next portrait that I work on I will post it in stages so that you can see the process.

Santas Stocking and Suzanna Winton

I was in the Santa's Stocking show this past weekend. It is a holiday arts and crafts show and it was alot of fun as usual. I painted this poinsettia last year and I took it out for the show. It is certainly festive for the season.

At Art of the Carolinas I took a portrait painting class with Suzanna Winton. It was a great class and it really has inspired me to start working on my portraits again. I really liked her as a person as well as a teacher. She is very down to earth and easy going. She presented the material very clearly, answered questions, gave encouragement and feedback as needed. The one thing I really liked about her is that she gave advise on how to do things and what colors to use but encouraged the students to find the best way for themselves. This is something I try to do in my classes. I believe it helps students to develop their own style. I understand that teachers can only teach from their own experience but I dislike being told that things need to be done the exact way the teacher says. Wouldn't doing things just like an instructor make you into an imitator of the art the teacher is presenting? How can you develop into an artist if you are simply reproducing someone elses paintings?

Today I have been working on the portrait we started in class and I have been in heaven. I think I am finding my new direction!