Beetle's Day

farewell, spain!

2010-11-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

view from plaza de espana, madrid, 8" x 6" oil on linen

my final day in madrid...the sky was brilliant blue. i got up early to go this park and paint. i love the diverse architecture of madrid.

madrid park

2010-11-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

fir trees, 5" x 3.5" oil on linen

window art

2010-11-09T06:08:00.000-08:00

window in Madrid, 8" x 6" oil on linen

possibly the prettiest way ever to keep one's apartment cool during the summer heat. brilliant!

Madrid!

2010-11-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

view of cathedral, 6" x 8" oil on canvas

i finally made it to spain! this is a view from a park near my friend ivan's apartment. i found madrid to be an exuberant city, filled with fabulous art and culture. :)

back to the garden

2010-11-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

flower urn, luxembourg garden, 5" x 4" oil on linen

late afternoon on a summer day in the garden was the perfect time to paint. the shadows are longer, the light is more mellow and diffused. nice memories for a cold november day!

evening on the seine

2010-11-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

notre dame at night, 6" x 8" oil on linen

i love painting at night...the glow of lights feels magical! :)

escape

2010-10-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

bois de boulogne, 6" x 8" oil on linen

leaving the crowded streets of paris behind, marshall and i spent a morning in this peaceful park. i was in the middle of painting this scene when someone popped up from behind a tree...sleeping bag and all. guess i wasn't the only one who needed a little refreshment in nature!

baroque at its best

2010-10-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

val-de-grace, 6" x 8" oil on linen

i had so much fun painting this gorgeous dome. a french lady stopped me and was interested to see what i was doing. she loved my paint box and even put her fingers in my palette! she got blue paint all over her hands. and being french, she was dressed beautifully. i was worried she would ruin her clothes, so i offered her a towel. she shrugged happily, and went away waving a paint stained hand at me!

c

paris!

2010-10-26T11:42:00.001-07:00

luxembourg garden, 8" x 6" oil on linen

i love these boxy trees that line the luxembourg gardens. you get glimpses thru the trees of that gorgeous parisian architecture where everything is elaborate, but elegant. the white buildings with the scrolling trim...oh, it is a beautiful city.

overlook

2010-10-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

view of sarajevo, 6" x 8" oil on linen

this was my impression of looking over the city from a hilltop. it was a blur of colors...the cool greens and blues of the mountains contrasting with the reds of the tile rooftops.

night in sarajevo

2010-10-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

remnant, 6" x 8" oil on linen

this is a painting of the view at nightfall across the river miljacka near where i was staying in sarajevo. it was bombed during the conflict in the 1990's. i passed this building daily, standing there as a memorial to loss but also as a testament to survival.

painting in bascarsija

2010-10-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

courtyard outside of mosque, 5" x 4" oil on linen

bascarsija, is the trading center of the old town in sarajevo. this enclosed courtyard outside a 400 year old mosque provided a lovely view of the tile rooftops and far off hills surrounding the city.

where world war 1 began...

2010-10-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

latin bridge, sarajevo 6" x 8" oil on linen

Apparently the even that triggered WWI happened on this bridge when Franz Ferdinand (not the underwhelming band from a few years back, but the Austro-Hungarian Archduke) and his wife Sofia were assassinated here on June 28, 1914 by a Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip.

The bridge crosses the River Miljacka which runs through the heart of Sarajevo. I spent a peaceful Saturday morning painting here until a sudden rainstorm descended upon me and I had to flee to the nearest cafe' serving oh-so-delicious Turkish coffee.

europe paintings!

2010-10-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

mosque at night, sarajevo, 6" x 8" oil on linen

as i told many of you i would months ago...i finally am getting around to posting my paintings from my trip to europe this summer. i will begin with images from sarajevo. hope you enjoy!

this first image i began painting at twilight. imagine my delight as the lights from houses on the hill began to flicker on and then, oh bliss!, a full moon rose over the crest of the hill! i was enraptured!! :)

8th ave.

2010-07-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

8th avenue, 6" x 3.5" oil on canvas

this is the view looking south down 8th from columbus circle around dusk.

twilight

2010-07-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

city at twilight 4.5" x 6.5" oil on canvas

possibly even more fleeting than the swiftly changing light of a sunset, there is something very quiet and peaceful about twilight. there is a pause right before darkness closes in; as if the daylight is reluctant to leave, but exits softly.

statue

2010-07-18T09:44:00.001-07:00

columbus circle statue 5" x 5" oil on canvas

the next best thing to painting figures is painting statues! this one is on a fountain at columbus circle near the entrance to central park.

columbus cirlce

2010-07-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

broadway at columbus circle 5.5" x 6" oil on canvas

whittnie (my painting partner) and i have moved our normal meeting spot at central park and 5th ave to columbus circle. there are statues, and fountains and streets jutting off at all angles.

night painting 2

2010-07-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

night empire 4" x 6.5" oil on canvas

i added a book light to my paint box! a painter friend made this suggestion and it has opened a whole new world for night painting, a world i can actually see! very exciting. :) this is the view of the city from outside my apartment building. it's quite breathtaking, and i am sure that i will be painting it again soon.

street scene

2010-07-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

central park south at dusk 6.5" x 4.5" oil on canvas

here is a quick study from a few nights ago. i was painting very fast, to capture the fleeting light! the way the light reflects off the windows is exciting to try and paint.

sunset

2010-07-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

upper west side at sunset, 3.5" x 6.5" oil on canvas

i love the way as the sun sets, the buildings along the hudson catch the light which is then reflected in the water. and it is different every day.

another sultry day

2010-07-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

NYC across the Hudson 4.5" x 7"

here is a study of the view of the city from the promenade close to where i live. you can see the west side highway along the edge of the towering buildings.

cumuli

2010-07-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

cloud study, 7 p.m. 3.5" x 5.5"

i did this sketch a few nights ago before the heatwave came. there are now no clouds. it is fast approaching 102 degrees in NYC and the sky is blazing and empty. i am not sure if i dare to paint outside today, but we'll see...

back to the pond...

2010-07-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

mirror image 8" x 6" oil on canvas

sunset madness

2010-07-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

sunset, west on 57th 5.5" x 3" oil on canvas

midtown on friday night, the perfect place to set up an easel! i was painting so quickly that i think i was holding my breath. :) here are the results...color impressions.

twilight, east on 57th 6" x 3" oil on canvas

summer day

2010-07-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

Pond 5.5" x 7.5" oil on canvas

here are 2 sketches i did earlier in the week in central park. whittnie and i keep meeting here at the same spot to paint. something about being near the water...we can't stay away!

looking up to 59th street 5" x 7.5" oil on canvas

night painting

2010-06-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

manhattan nocturne, 5" x 8" oil on canvas

i did this study the other night. i love the reflection of the colorful lights in the hudson river. i've only painted at night a few times, but one of the things i really like about it is that you have to push your colors so much so you can see them. it is always a surprise to see what the picture really looks when you bring it inside with lights.

green!

2010-06-25T08:24:00.000-07:00

leaf study, 3.5" x 6" oil on canvas

another small sketch from my central park outing. a tangled mass of green, my favorite color.

central park

2010-06-24T06:38:00.001-07:00

waterfall 5.5" x 7" oil on canvas

i spent a couple of hours painting in the park with my friend Whittnie yesterday afternoon. despite the bugs and the heat and the crowds of people who want to stand right next to you while you paint...it was really fun! i would say even peaceful. :) we got to watch some bullfrogs flirting with each other....pretty awesome. after serenading each other like something out of a Disney film, they went swimming right in this pond.

edible art

2010-06-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

mushroom family, 5" x 7" oil on canvas

it's rare, but convenient when one can consume one's painting project! :)

summer in the city!

2010-06-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

manhattan skyline 5" x 9.5", oil on canvas

after a -ahem- rather long hiatus, i am returning to the blogosphere with great enthusiasm! summer is officially here. what with today being summer solstice (hallelujah!), i find it fitting to enter a new season. :) here is a study of the city i did from my garden view.

newest portrait

2010-03-03T08:24:00.000-08:00

self portrait 3, 12" x 9" pencil on paper

i finally finished this portrait. i was trying to get a more developed sense of values. i created a 9 value scale with the pencils i was using to see how far i could push the lights and darks. i placed it next to the picture on my easel. i am always amazed by the fact that i can usually go much darker than i initially realize!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T11:17:00.001-08:00

share the love :)

snow day!

2010-02-10T15:08:00.001-08:00

self portrait 2, 6" x 5" pencil on paper

there has been the most wonderful blizzard going on outside today! oodles of fluffy snow!! happily stranded at home, i took the opportunity to work on another small self portrait. of course, i took a break with marshall and thermoses of hot tea to go outside and enjoy the snow.

self portrait

2010-02-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

self portrait 1, pencil on paper

i am embarking on a series of self portrait studies and this is the first sketch. i find that it is rather challenging to draw oneself. i think it is a combination of the fact that the model is always moving (!) and that it is not quite comfortable to scrutinize oneself! however, i have seen numerous artists' self portraits that i just love, so i think it is a good practice.

fruit icon

2010-02-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

forelle, 7" x 5" oil on canvas

a pear in an egg cup? why not! :) surrounding myself with color is helping me fight the winter blues.

some recent work

2010-02-02T17:31:00.000-08:00

Kendace, 24" x 20" oil on canvas

i have been working a lot the last 2 weeks modeling at the art students league and the national academy. although i am happy to have had some work, i have not been able to work on my "painting a day" project. so I thought, until i get back to my easel, i would post some recent work i have done at the league. The above portrait I finished this fall in sharon sprung's class.

Saturday Sketch, 14" x 11"

when the models cancel at school, substitutes are often called. i did this portrait one afternoon under such circumstances. i ended up being glad for a different model, as she had such an interesting face.

Beetle as Art Model

2010-01-31T07:01:00.000-08:00

Sharon Sprung

The Empty Cups, Oil on Panel, 42x40

I had the wonderful opportunity of posing for my teacher Sharon this past summer and fall. I learned so much watching her develop a painting from start to finish. She just dropped this painting off at Gallery Henoch in Chelsea if anyone would like to see it in person. At the risk of sounding narcissistic, I think this is an amazing painting!

Remembering Italy

2010-01-23T06:35:00.000-08:00

windows in lucca, 8" x 6" oil on paper

i did this sketch from a photo i took in italy in 2008 when i spent a wonderful summer studying art history and plein air painting. as i was walking down many stairs in a tower in lucca, i leaned out one of the windows and this scene was directly opposite me. an old italian woman was gazing out the window on the left, but she quickly closed the shutters when she saw me admiring/gawking at the lovely scene! you can see the window is still cracked open a bit. i plan to do a large scale version of this image, but wanted to first do a small study to familiarize myself with the colors. in the meantime, i am dreaming of italy...

January Morning

2010-01-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

slice, 5" x 7" oil on canvas

thus far, january has been a very busy, topsy-turvy month. i finally took down the pink christmas tree just yesterday! i like the idea of a fresh, clean start. i did this little painting yesterday and it coincided with my mood of decluttering house and mind.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-10T11:39:00.001-08:00

Pinecones, 10" x 8" pencil on paper

the pinecone has long been used symbolically in religious and pagan art. the fir tree represents eternal life and the pinecone, the fruit of this tree, symbolizes renewal and rebirth. as january is the month of new beginnings, i think this is a fitting image to start the new year off.

Kathy Series

2009-12-17T10:34:00.000-08:00

Kathy, 17" x 14" pencil on paper

The anatomy lecture I gave last Saturday at the Art Students League went really well! I got a lot of positive feedback from my classmates as well as all kinds of interesting questions. I have been invited by Sharon Sprung to present the same lecture to her class at the National Academy.
After I shared my sketchbook from the Anatomy Lab at Drexel, I showed how i am trying to incorporate what I learned in the lab to what I am doing in the studio. Michael Grimaldi encouraged some of us to draw skeletal and muscular overlays of current figure drawings we were working on. This is my most successful attempt to date. (But I have to confess I have similar drawings of skeletons and muscles all over my wall!)

skeletal overlay of Kathy, 17" x 14" pencil on tracing paper

Once I had a sufficient start of my drawing of Kathy, I took the drawing home on weekends to work on designing the skeleton. I placed the tracing paper over the drawing and used memory, sketches, anatomy books and medical posters to help.

muscular structure of Kathy, 17" x 14" pencil on tracing paper

Next, I did the same procedure as above with the muscles. This time I had two different sources to reference, both the skeleton and exterior. All three of the drawings developed simultaneously, as I worked at school and from home.

Anatomy Day

2009-12-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

arm study

I have been asked by one of my teachers, Sharon Sprung, to give a brief lecture in class on Saturday about my recent anatomy studies at Drexel University. In preparation for it, I am doing a "trial run" via my blog! All of the images in this post are from my anatomy sketchbook. Here goes...

cadaver sketch

upper leg study

I have been studying figure drawing with Michael Grimaldi and he invited 12 of his students from both the League and his school in Harlem, Janus, to be a part of an Anatomy Lab at Drexel University in Philadelphia. We were able to join first year medical students in a semester of Gross Anatomy. We attended weekly labs at Drexel where we were able to observe the medical students performing dissections as well as join in discussions and sketch. We also were allowed to have the lab to ourselves on many occasions where we could draw from the cadavers for hours.

chest and upper arm

I believe the purpose of studying anatomy is not necessarily to memorize every muscle and bone in the body, but to help you gain deeper understanding of what is going on under the surface of the form. This helps your to get a stronger visualization of gesture, proportion and perspective. If you can start to identify the subcutaneous points (or bony projections) as well as the superficial muscles (closer to the surface) you will begin to see the rhythms of the body. The course I attended was a truly profound experience. Although I knew a small amount of anatomy, this opportunity opened a vast world to me and I have become enthralled with learning more about the human body. Seeing how muscles connect firsthand was incredibly informative.

lower leg

forearm muscles

2009-12-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

orange pair, 6" x 6" oil on panel SOLD

hooray! i sold this little painting today at the Art Students League Holiday Show. good news, indeed. :)

2009-12-04T06:04:00.000-08:00

icebot, 7" x 6" graphite on paper

we all know robots are cool. but mini, modish, artist designed japanese kidrobots are cooler. :) i have a few of these little guys scattered throughout my apartment. such good models, too. brian, my brother-in-law, keeps me well supplied.

2009-11-28T17:52:00.000-08:00

elf! 8" x 10", oil on paper

here to usher in the christmas season is sneaky little elf. :) elf has been around since my mom's childhood. he was kidnapped before marshall and i moved up north. we put up our pink christmas tree last night and... i'm in love! we sipped cocoa while our little tree sparkled with all of its vintage baubles, making me so happy.

2009-11-25T12:41:00.000-08:00

ollie the onion, 4" x 6" oil on panel SOLD

adorably named my my brother in law, brian (who along with his wife anna are my house guests for Thanksgiving) ollie the onion has dual purposes. now that he has been commemorated in paint, he will be chopped tonight and added to the squash casserole that anna is making for tomorrow's festivities. happy thanksgiving to all! :)

2009-11-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

little acorns, 6" x 5" graphite on paper

i scattered this little family of acorns across my table and loved the composition they made.

2009-11-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

lanier's sheep, graphite on paper 7" x 11" SOLD

i just bought my plane ticket to come home for the holidays! i was thinking of last Christmas when i got to stay for one night on my sisters farm. i snapped a picture of some of the brood, which is where i got my idea for this little drawing.

stolen pansies, 5" x 7" oil on canvas

my mom always says "the more you pick them, the more they grow." so i prefer to think of myself as a gardener, rather than a thief! i couldn't resist grabbing a small handful of these smiling little flowers in my neighborhood.

2009-11-15T18:23:00.000-08:00

My Kokeshi, 14" x 8.5" graphite on paper SOLD

i have been looking at the work of Alphonse Mucha and i adore his patterns. i wanted to try and create a decorative background for my Kokeshi doll that i bought from some neighbors in my old neighborhood, Sunnyside.

2009-11-12T18:04:00.002-08:00

funny tomato, oil on canvas 7" x 5" SOLD

i am starting this blog to create small works on a daily basis. during the past week I completed a few images to get started. above was my first painting. this was a quirky little tomato residing in my fruit basket. :)

yellow leaf, oil on canvas board, 8" x 6"

i found this leaf on a walk through Hudson Park near my apartment. it commemorates a perfect fall day!

dried leaf, curling graphite on paper, 7" x 8.5"

this little leaf was another gem from my walk.