Colors of Italy; Part II

We’ve spent the last few days in the Lake Como area, going back and forth between Varenna and Bellagio.

In many of the places we visit I go off on my own to find a little corner of inspiration, some color shift or movement in the water to focus on; some small moment of beauty.

Here however it’s literally everywhere and honestly, it’s a little overwhelming.

I only have so many pages left in my sketchbook.

We’ve taken a few hikes up the mountainsides and explored the lake and I’ve tried to sketch when I can, but every view seems to better than the last. I am completely inspired and yet paralyzed by the amount of things I want to sit and paint.

The buildings are so vibrant against the gray clouds, the shadows of the mountains breathe in and out of existence with each wave of rain and though we’re constantly wet (its the rainy season here) - it is easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve been.

In the end I didn’t end up making as many sketches as I hoped, but spent more time outside processing with my eyes and camera instead. Of the sketches I was able to make - I can’t wait to get home and translate them to canvas.

Huge thanks to my sister-in-law for suggesting this place, it was magic for me.

Colors of Italy; Part I

I know, I know.

Not a travel blog.

But so much of my process is rooted in the colors of my surroundings, in the different shades of water and sky that to provide an accurate idea of the inspiration behind my work it’s helpful to share these moments away from the studio.

Plus it’s just really, really pretty here.

We flew into Italy earlier this week and I have been absolutely entranced with the light. Everything is yellow. I joked with my husband that I finally understood the naming behind “Naples Yellow” and am so grateful I didn’t cherry pick my paints for this trip. I’m going to need them all.

We have a few days here in Rome to explore and we’ll do all the regular tourist attractions (though if you have a suggestion of something else please let me know!) before moving northward.

As this is again, not a travel blog I won’t bore you with photos of food and old stonework and get right into the sketching.

On our second day en route to a brewery I found a square sketchbook and it makes my heart happy. I also bought a few paint pens, though I’m not sure what use I’ll have for them yet.

And now to the good stuff.

My internal clock is still all sorts of discombobulated, so I’m napping late and waking up at odd hours. With a bit of extra time because of this weird schedule, I was able to finish a few sketches and get a couple of layers down on canvas before heading out.

These siennas are a response to walking the grounds of the Coliseum and Palantine Hill, just incredible ruins of ancient Roman society. It was breath-taking.

We’re headed northward in a few days, up to Verona and Lake Como by train - and I’m hoping to get some sketching done on the long train rides up.

(Or naps.)

An Afternoon with Contours - at the MSU Broad Art Lab

On October 13th I had the honor of leading a workshop at the MSU Broad Art Lab.

The class was an intro to using contour lines as the basis for an abstract painting, using still life setups as the starting point. (Materials found at The Scrap Box! Read about re-visiting my childhood paradise here!)

It was also an especially meaningful class to teach, as I am a graduate of the MSU Fine Art program. It was just a ‘few’ years ago that I was a student and was a major honor to be invited to back in an instructor role! <3

Our group began by surveying the 3 setups, finding moments in the chaos that interested and intrigued us - and then began to sketch. For the sketches we used water soluble graphite*, so that we could work back into our sketches later as we expand and explore.

Once we had gathered a collection of contour sketches to pull from, we moved into the front area and began to paint. Watching and helping the attendees respond to the sketches with color was an absolute joy.

The workshop was so much fun and I really enjoyed getting to work one-on-one with so many people and watch their paintings come to life. Huge thanks to MSU Broad Art Lab for setting it up!

I’m hoping to offer another class like this soon, but if you have any suggestions on what you would like to see from me feel free to message me or leave a comment.

<3

* Link contains an affiliate code. If you purchase the product from my Amazon shop they send a little money my way! No cost difference to you, just helps support my work and keep me able to find new materials for you to try <3

The Scrap Box; my childhood paradise, my artist playground

The Scrap Box has been a staple in Ann Arbor since the early 80s, and was my absolute favorite place to go as a kid. Whenever there was a special event to celebrate, or I had a few extra bucks from chores - this is where I begged my parents to take me.

The Scrap Box is is a donation-based creative reuse PARADISE, filled with all sorts of odds and ends, like thin-chopped white tubing, fantastic spongy shapes, nylon in every color of the rainbow, green nettings, yarns, papers, pieces of wood…. I couldn’t attempt to name everything they have! It’s all been donated by area businesses/individuals and provides kids/artists/educators/explorers with access to neat materials for very cost.

The bulk room; my favorite place.

As a child I would make 3D paintings, sculptures and scenes out of these bits and pieces - now as a working artist it is my haven for still life supplies. Especially when I’m teaching a class or breaking down my process, having access to all this weird stuff is amazing.

And if I’m setting up a still life for just me, I really appreciate having a cache of items that I don’t necessarily understand (or know what they are!) to scatter on a table. It keeps me from assigning meaning to their placement and sketch.

I usually combine the Scrapbox treasures with a few vases/cups I picked up at our thrift store add some crumpled paper, then get to work.

This is one of my favorite exercises to start the day with, or if I’m feeling just a little stuck - making some interesting (not necessarily pretty!) arrangements and sketching from these tends to yield some results that beg other questions, that warrant more sketching and exploration.

On Saturday I’ll be taking these supplies with me up to the MSU Broad Art Lab - where I’ll be setting up a few of these still lifes and teaching a little workshop on my contour drawing process. There’s still a few spaces left if you are in the area!

It was so wonderful to walk into the Scrap Box this week and gather a few extra items for Saturday’s class. This is the first I’ve been in since we moved back and I already have plans for more of the materials I saw there. Walking through the barrels in the bulk room gave me the same feeling as way back when; (except that now I am tall enough to actually see into the barrels!) endless inspiration, limitless possibility and knowing that I’m about to need A LOT more glue.

<3

Art Studio Renovation (part 1 of what seems like a million...)

I work out a studio in my home. Most of the time I love it; there’s no commute, no dress code, no weather to handle, just a groggy walk across the living room floor to the kitchen for coffee and a slow shuffle into the welcoming walls of my studio.

But it’s not always ideal.

In-home studios come with their own unique challenges and complications, and as I’m currently displaced from mine — I thought I might share a little bit about the current project.

We’re in the process of fixing/replacing the caulked and painted shut windows in the house, and the next batch up is my studio.

I’ve spent the last few days clearing everything out of the room to allow the work to begin, while simultaneously wrecking the living room with an influx of supplies.

Clean and empty studio! (yes, that’s PLYWOOD standing in for a storm.)

Living room explosion….

I know the windows don’t look too bad in the nice bright photo, so here’s a close-up; they definitely are in need of some love.

As an artist that relies so heavily on light and patterns in the light I’m so excited to get these restored. To have the broken glass replaced, the paint spattered panes cleaned, the mechanisms fixed so I can actually open them. The few we’ve already done look so incredibly clear, I can’t wait to see how much light will fill my workspace.

But for now, this means meetings are conducted somewhere else quiet (in the car!) and I’ll be painting outside until the carpenters finish their work.

In the end I know the hassle will be worth it.

Renovation in the studio - means meetings are held in the car!