Sola World

The Art Years of Sola: SF Open Studios THIS WEEKEND!

2011-10-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Art Years of Sola

I am back from my art hiatus! If you have ever wanted to own a piece of my art, this is the perfect time. I will be selling all of my art from the years when I was still a math teacher through my last year in my masters of art program. All pieces will be affordably priced. The paintings range from studies to finished pieces. Help me reduce my inventory as a start to my 2012 art year while finding something unique and interesting to put on your wall or walls of friends and family.

Stop by my new studio during SF Open Studios to shop and browse through the paintings that represent my past years as an artist while enjoying yummy food, good company and many other talented artists in this great studio. Here is to starting the "2012 Art Year of Sola" off with a bang!!

2011 Fall Open Studios

South Beach Artists Studios

340 Bryant Street

Suite #320 Studio #1 (By Kitchen)

San Francisco, CA 94107

THIS FRIDAY October 14 6:00pm-9:00pm (Opening Night)

THIS SATURDAY October 15 11:00am-6:00pm

THIS SUNDAY October 16 11:00am-6:00pm

Free SOMA Studio shuttle bus on SATURDAY 12:00-5:00pm

Thank you for your continued support and interest over these many years!

Sola

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Website: solasawyerr.com

INHERITANCE Exhibition Photos by Guerilla Galleries

2011-02-17T21:53:00.000-08:00

INHERITANCE Exhibition Photos by Guerilla Galleries

Unfortunately I was not able to go to the reception for INHERITANCE in Newark, New Jersey but these photos by Guerrilla Galleries reveal the success of the exhibition. I am so proud to be a part of such a beautifully curated show with so many talented artists.

All photos are from GUERRILLA GALLERIES
(Click to see more of the beautiful photos and art.)

U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg hosted the reception.

INHERITANCE

2011-02-17T16:56:00.001-08:00

"An exhibition of African-American artists drawing on traditions, experiences and views of the world passed down from parents and grandparents."

Hosted by U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg
Dates: February 4- March 6, 2011
Opening Reception: Friday February 4, 2011: 6:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Guerrilla Galleries @ One Gallery, 1 Raymond Plaza West, Newark, NJ 07102
Gallery Hours:
Thursday 6:30-10:00, Friday 12:00pm-5:00pm, Saturday 11:00am-3:00pm
and by appointment guerrillagalleries@gmail.com

Participating Artists:
Alphonso Dunn
Armisey Smith
Delphine Diaw Diallo
Lanre Buraimoh
LogikOne
Sola Sawyerr
Whitney Newson
Will "KASSO" Condry

The Hennessy Artists Showcase benefiting The Newark Downtown District:
Thursday February 17, 2011: 6:00pm-8:00pm

15TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF ART FACULTY & ALUMNI AUCTION

2011-02-17T16:55:00.000-08:00

Date: November 6, 2011

Reception and Auction: November 6, 2010 2pm
Location: 79 New Montgomery Street Gallery, San Francisco, CA 94105
Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday until 5 pm

CALIFORNIA PACIFIC MEDICAL CENTER ART SHOW

2011-02-17T16:53:00.002-08:00

Dates: September 7-24, 2010 and September 28-October 30, 2010
Location: St. Luke's Monteagle Atrium and Davies Gazebo San Francisco, CA

WHAT LIES ABOVE, BELOW & THROUGH

2011-02-17T16:53:00.001-08:00

WHAT LIES ABOVE, BELOW & THROUGH
"An exhibition about surface, depth, opacity & transparency."
Dates: May 14 - June 19, 2010
Opening Reception: Friday May 28, 2010: 5:30-8:00pm
Location: Ryan Fine Art Gallery, 171 S. J Street, Livermore, CA 94550
Gallery Hours:
Thursday 11:30-1:30, Friday 11:30-1:30 and 5:00-7:00, Saturday 11:00-2:00
and by appointment.

My Art outside of San Francisco

2010-04-03T15:21:00.001-07:00

My friend Samantha Buller (fellow artist) lives in Kansas City where she saw one of my paintings in an interior design store associated with the Blue Gallery and sent me this picture.

This is her in front of the interior design store.
Thanks Samantha for sending these to me. What a surprise!

Night and Day: Two woman exhibition at Ryan Art Gallery Photos

2010-04-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

In front of some of my art.

Courtney and I in front of our work!

Some fun shots after the crowds left with fellow artist RogerSF wearing one of his shirt designs. It was a great show with a lot of nice people and new friends. Linda Ryan did an amazing job with the show and the wine and art crawl in Livermore. Thanks Linda!

Two Woman Show Starting This Month

2010-03-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

I will be participating in a two woman show at Ryan Art Gallery in Livermore starting this month with fellow painter Courtney Jacobs. I hope that you might be able to make it by the show at some point or come out to the reception on March 26th during the Livermore Art and Wine Crawl.

March 16th to April 10th

A two woman show juxtaposing the fluid color of abstract painter Courtney Jacobs with the gently muted layered figurative and abstract paintings of Sola Sawyerr.

End of the Black History Month Exhibition Hiram W. Johnson State Office Building

2010-02-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

The Black History Month Exhibition was a success and will end this month. I recently went back to present a talk about my art with fellow artist and photographer Nancy Duranteau. Below are some photos from that day.

View of the exhibit on the day of the art talk.

Day of the art talk at The Hiram W. Johnson State Office Building.

Nancy Duranteau was one of the other artists presenting. She is a very talented photographer. Check out her work.

View of the exhibit from the third floor walkway.

Nancy and I with one of the committee members for the
Black History Month events at the state building.

The East Bay Area Figurative Exhibition Photos

2010-02-01T01:05:00.000-08:00

The artist reception for The East Bay Area Figurative Exhibition at the Ryan Fine Art Gallery in Livermore was great. Linda and her staff did a wonderful job with the show. There were a lot of people in and out of the gallery all night despite the rain. Here are some pictures from the end of the evening.

Courtney and I in front of our work.

With Linda, the gallery owner.

My supportive artist friend.

Earlier in the night. (Picture from the Ryan Fine Art Gallery's website)

Black History Month Exhibition

2010-01-28T11:05:00.000-08:00

Six of my paintings, along with art work from other African-American artists from the Academy of Art, have been accepted into A Black History Month Exhibition to celebrate Black History Month in
San Francisco.

Great Hall of the Hiram W. Johnson State Office Building
455 Golden Gate Avenue, SF, CA 94102
(btwn Polk and Larkin)

Opening Reception: Tuesday, February 2nd, 12pm - 1pm

Exhibition Dates: February 1st - 28th

Hours: Monday through Fridays: 9:00am to 5:00pm

The East Bay Area Figurative Exhibition

2010-01-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

Two of my paintings, along with many others by talented painters including my friend
Courtney Jacobs, were juried into The East Bay Area Figurative Exhibition that is celebrating The Bay Area Abstract Figurative Movement that was spearheaded by many famous artists from The San Francisco Art Institute during the 40's and 50's and how this movement might have influenced various artists or started them working on their own figurative journey.

During the exhibition the city of Livermore
will also be having their Art & Wine Crawl.

Exhibition Artist's Reception and Art & Wine Crawl:
Friday January 29th, 5:30-8:00pm

January 29th to February 27th

R yan Fine Art Gallery

171 S. J Street, Livermore, CA 94550

Gallery Hours:
Tues through Thurs: 11:30am to 1:30pm & 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Fridays: 11:30am to 7:00pm
Saturdays: 11:30am to 3:00pm

2nd ANNUAL ENCHANTED ITALY GROUP SHOW

2009-12-24T01:59:00.000-08:00

I met of some friends from our first year. Good old Sean and Jeff!

I did this painting this year before the show and it was accepted.
Un Albero #3
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Painting accepted in a juried exhibition at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago

2009-11-10T04:00:00.003-08:00

I am happy to announce that I recently found out my painting, "Only Hers," was accepted into a juried exhibition called Family Album at Woman Made Gallery. Karen Irvine juried over 450 images that were submitted for "Family Album" and chose 31 pieces of art for the exhibition. The exhibition runs from November 20-December 23, 2009 in Chicago, IL at 685 N. Milwaukee Ave 60642 for anyone who is in the area. Hope you can check out the show or the online gallery.

Some Write-Ups

2009-11-10T00:57:00.000-08:00

A beautiful write up by Sarupa Sidaarth about the Poetry of Family exhibit on her blog, Art Acts, for the Academy of Art University. Sarupa is an amazing artist and writer. Her blog is so well done. I hope you get to check it out.

Maura Cluthe, one of the many talented artists I showed with at Blue Gallery wrote a little bit about our work on her blog.

Gourmet Girlfriend briefly mentioned me when she wrote about living artists on her blog that covers the gourment community supported (CSA) meals that she makes.

(Added 1-2010)
Bill Guy visited the Woman Made Gallery show in Chicago and listed some of the paintings he enjoyed on his blog.

Pictures from opening night of the Poetry of Family Show

2009-10-24T02:08:00.000-07:00

It was a great show for all the artists; myself, Kimberly Mowbray, and Justin Borsuk. I am very happy that so many people came out to see the work and support me at this show. It was also nice to meet so many new people. Thank you to everyone!

BELOW ARE SOME PHOTOS FROM OPEN STUDIOS AT GALLERY ON OCTOBER 24TH

I had a great time and met a lot of new people who were enjoying my paintings and was also able to see friends who were not able to make it before.

She was so sweet and we had a long conversation about art.

Open Studios Today (Saturday) at 79 Gallery

2009-10-24T02:06:00.001-07:00

OPEN STUDIOS

Date: Saturday, October 24th
Location: 79 New Montgomery Street Gallery, San Francisco, CA 94105
Hours: 11am-5pm

Poetry of Family "My Friend" Oil on Canvas 48" x 60"

2009-10-24T01:39:00.000-07:00

Poetry of Family "Through His Love" Oil on Canvas 48" x 60

2009-10-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

Twitter and Facebook

2009-09-11T03:10:00.001-07:00

Finally on twitter! If you want to follow the occasional Sola Studios happenings :) And if you are on Facebook I also have fan page if you want to see my artistic journey there.

Website Updated solasawyerr.com

2009-08-28T01:46:00.000-07:00

So I updated my website with my most recent series...Poetry of Family. The poems that go along with my pieces are also posted on my website.
Many thanks to Michele Haggar for helping me edit my poems.

Poetry of Family Gallery Show

2009-08-28T00:39:00.000-07:00

Poetry of Family Gallery Show
A Series of Portraits from an African-American Family
79 Gallery
October 1st through October 31st, 2009
Opening Reception: Thursday Evening October 1st, 2009 5:30-7:30pm
79 New Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA
94105

OPEN STUDIOS

2009-08-28T00:15:00.001-07:00

OPEN STUDIOS

Date: Saturday, October 24th
Location: 79 New Montgomery Street Gallery, San Francisco, CA 94105
Hours: 11am-5pm

AND

Date: Sunday, October 25th
Location: 603 Tennessee Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
Hours: 11am-6pm

Blue Gallery Portrait Invitational

2009-08-28T00:15:00.000-07:00

Two of my paintings will be in a show at Blue Gallery in Kansas City Missouri from September 4th to October 31st. I will be showing with friends Dan Ochoa and Ray Bonilla. Check out their great work.

Poetry of Family "I Remember Her" Oil on Canvas 48" x 60"

2009-08-28T00:14:00.001-07:00

Poetry of Family "Time" Oil on Canvas 48" x 60"

2009-08-28T00:14:00.000-07:00

Poetry of Family "In Big Distance" Oil on Canvas 18" x 24"

2009-08-28T00:03:00.003-07:00

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Poetry of Family "She Speaks" Oil on Canvas 48" x 60"

2009-08-28T00:03:00.002-07:00

Poetry of Family "Love Story" Oil on Canvas 48" x 60"

2009-08-28T00:03:00.001-07:00

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Poetry of Family "Nothing Like Me" Oil on Canvas 48" x 60"

2009-08-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

Poetry of Family "Only Hers" Oil on Canvas 18" x 24"

2009-08-27T23:55:00.002-07:00

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Poetry of Family "Son of Nigeria" Oil on Canvas 48" x 60"

2009-08-27T23:55:00.001-07:00

I officially have received my MFA. My final review was great. Poetry of Family "Seeing Me" Oil on Canvas 18" x 24"

2009-08-27T23:55:00.000-07:00

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Poetry of Family "The Dance" Oil on Canvas 30" x 60"

Finally able to get a picture of me at the Salon Show

2009-06-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

At the salon show in front of my piece.

So my website is up and running!

2009-05-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

So my website is up and running. You can check it out at either solasawyerr.com or solastudios.com

Hope you like it.

My piece in Salon Show: 79 New Montgomery Gallery

2009-05-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

In Big Distance
Oil on canvas
18 x 24
(Currently on display at 79 New Montgomery Gallery, San Francisco until June 12th)
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Spring Show Salon Piece

2009-05-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

My mom and I did not make it to the Salon show before it closed because we were at the spring show but we got a great view of it from outside.
I am really happy about how it looks even at night.
Close up of it to follow.

My Graduation, Spring Show and Spring Show Salon

2009-05-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! So me and a bunch of other AAU folks will be graduating this year and therefore going through our AAU commencement ceremonies this Wednesday (@ the Cow Palace.)

And then on Thursday is the AAU annual Spring Show (reception 7pm @ 601 Brannan.) There is also the Salon Show (@ 79 New Montgomery up until June 12th.....I got a piece in this show so come check it out also.)

Hope to see you if you are in the area and CONGRATS to everyone! Let me know if you need more information.

African-American Family Tree

2009-05-19T11:58:00.001-07:00

Mom (in progress)
Oil on canvas
48 x 60

Dad
Oil on canvas
30 x 60

Black and White Expressive Paintings

2009-05-19T11:51:00.001-07:00

Black Girl
(From photo found online-photographer unknown)

Oil on Canvas
9 x 12
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Disappearing
Oil on Canvas
16 x 20

Large Expressive Painting (In Progress)

2009-05-19T11:49:00.001-07:00

The Daughter (in progress)
Oil on canvas
48 x 60

Closeup

Expressive Paintings

2009-05-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Black Woman
Oil on Canvas
10 x 12
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Black Man
Oil on Canvas
9 x 12
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Study for a commision

2009-05-19T11:42:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas
Standing
16 x 20
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Quick drawing from class with Zin

2009-05-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

Female Figure #2
Charcoal on paper
18 x 24
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Two small oils (2009)

2009-05-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

Aaron
Oil on canvas
9 x 12
(nfs)

Scott
Oil on canvas
8 x 10
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Enchanted Italy Show: Coming to an end soon!

2008-12-30T03:04:00.000-08:00

So the Italy show will be closed on the 4th and then taken down on the 5th. If you are still interested in seeing the show it looks like January 3rd (Saturday) will be the last day. I know a lot of people are out of state or haven't been able to make it to the show, so here are some photos of my pieces. Thanks again to everyone. It was a great show and your support has meant SO much to me. Happy New Year!

Una Strada a Corciano
11x15

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Un Albero # 2
9x12
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Un Albero # 1
7.5x9.5
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Steps on the city wall at the main gate in Corciano
12x16
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Night View from Corciano
9x16
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Il Ponticello in Umbertide
10x13

Montepulciano
7x7
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Hog Farm outside of Corciano
18x24
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Girasoli Italiani
7.5x12
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Corciano Monastery at Night
18x24

Barn outside of Corciano
7.5x12
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Corciano Hill
16x20
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If you would like more information about the paintings please feel free to email me at solastudios@gmail.com
CIAO!

Open Studios

2008-12-08T02:26:00.000-08:00

I had a great day at our 701 Open Studios. There were a lot of people in and out of our building and a lot of my friends stopped by. It was great to finally be able to show my work to more people up close and personal. Thanks to everyone who was able to come by and see me and to see my work. Your support, kind words and encouragement mean more to me then you know :)

Enchanted Italy Show Was Wonderful! Thank You!

2008-12-08T02:12:00.001-08:00

So the Enchanted Italy Show was absolutely wonderful! I had a great time reuniting with everyone from Italy and also seeing all of our work together. There was great work to be seen. It was especially nice to see friends who were able to make it to the show. Thanks to you all for your support, encouragement and kind words. Seriously, thanks so much! If you have a chance the show will be open till January 5th at 79 New Montgomery. I have 12

Enchanted Italy Show PREVIEW!

2008-12-04T05:58:00.003-08:00

Here are a few of the paintings that I will have in our Enchanted Italy Group show this month. The reception is tonight (Thursday December 4th) from 5:30 to 7:30pm at 79 New Montgomery. Hope to see you there.

Open Studios PREVIEW!

2008-12-04T05:58:00.002-08:00

So here are some paintings and drawings that will be available this Saturday at the Open Studios at 701 Chestnut Street from 11am to 6pm. Some of them are studies and some are finished paintings. A lot of the work in my blog will also be available. Hope to see you there.

Last four are Sold

Blog renovation is done!

2008-12-04T05:58:00.001-08:00

Nice and stream lined :)

Most recent in class Head Paintings

2008-12-04T05:58:00.000-08:00

These are the most recent in class head paintings I did and I am really happy with the results.

Most recent in class figure drawing

2008-12-04T05:41:00.001-08:00

Here is a figure drawing that I really like. My instructor Zin helped me with the finishing touches.

Quick Studies from Situation and Environment

2008-12-04T05:41:00.000-08:00

These are some quick studies we had to do to prepare for a larger painting. I like the feel of these paintings, but some of the proportions are off. That is okay though because they are "quick" studies :)

Copy of a Prud'hon

2008-12-04T05:40:00.000-08:00

This is a copy of a Prud'hon that I did for home in my figure drawing class.

Blog Remodel and Website

2008-11-27T03:42:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned for a remodeled blog and a website

Enchanted Italy Show: Reception Thursday December 4th

2008-11-27T01:44:00.001-08:00

As some of you might know, I spent the summer painting in Italy with the Academy. We studied plein air landscape and cityscape painting. I enjoyed being able to focus on a subject different from what I typically paint. We are having our group show in December and the reception is Thursday December 4th from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Here is the information. It would be great to see people at the reception, but if not, I hope that you can check out the show at the 79 New Montgomery Gallery.

701 OPEN STUDIOS Saturday December 6th

2008-11-27T01:24:00.000-08:00

I will be participating in the Academy of Art graduate students open studios at 701 Chestnut Street. Over 30 graduate students will open there studios to the community. There are so many talented students in my program and you are sure to have a great time, see some great art, and possibly find something you can't live without. Not to mention, I will be there showing my studio. So for those who are in the area, I will finally be able to let you in to see my work in person. Feel free to invite or tell anyone else who you think would like to see some great work by some up and coming artists. Hope to see you there.

I plan on having a variety of new and old pieces of various sizes and prices. They will include figurative pieces, landscapes and some semi abstract pieces.

Open Studios
Saturday December 6^th, 11am to 6pm
701 Chestnut Street
San Francisco, CA
94133

Courtney's opening at California Modern Art Gallery with Paola

2008-09-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

After seeing Paul's tree Paola and I went to the California Modern Art Gallery where we saw a couple of Courtney's beautiful paintings. I also saw a lot of people that I have met this month at various art gatherings. The art was beautiful at the show. They had a multitude of different talented artists. Check it out!

Paul's Finished Tree with Paola

2008-09-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

Paola and I went to visit Paul's complteted Wishing Tree in the Yerba Buena Children’s Learning Garden. It was beautiful. I can't even imagine how it would look in the day light. The gold leaves were glimmering so much and the sun was barely out. Look at the great contrast with the SF backdrop. You should go check it out if you are in the area!

Some drawings

2008-09-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

These drawings are from my figure drawing class. I love the full figure one. I was feeling pretty comfortable while doing it and I got some good feedback from my instructor. I started the head in the last hour.....meh! Good to practice though!

Plein Airing it again!

2008-09-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

Rebecca and I went plein air painting on Fulton avenue Wednesday. It was good to be outside painting again, but I can't say I really like the results (AT ALL.) Here come the excuses.

1) I was ridiculously tired (haven't had more than 6 hours of sleep a night)
2) The wind was whipping up Fulton so I was freezing and didn't stay to finish.
3) It seems like I haven't plein air painted in over a month (oh I guess I really haven't)
4) My painting mind is back on the figure (hence going painting with Rebecca.) I need to keep a balance somehow.

The treat in the end was an awesome veggie sandwhich (a la Rebecca), a trip to the Women Impressionist exhibit at Legion of Honor (a la Rebecca), and coffee, a yummy bagel, and good conversation (a la Rebecca and Simple Pleasures Cafe.)

Headed to the studio till midnight after running errands.

Great day!

Working as a temporary assistant to Paul (an amazing sculptor)

2008-09-17T00:31:00.000-07:00

The school year began with a busy start because I started working for a sculptor named Paul (in the middle with the sunglasses. Great guy!) He had a major project to complete for a wishing tree he created that is going to be at Yerba Buena. He had me and a few others assist him for a bit. Here are some pictures from some of those days. It was a great time. He was cool and I met a lot of great people. Paola is in a lot of the pics. Her and I really clicked. We tag teamed a lot of things like bending wires, applying cement and whatever Paul needed us to do around his great studio. I am glad I had the opportunity to work with him and I can't wait to see his finished product. The dedication is this weekend.

Head painting and first workshop.

2008-09-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

So on Monday I did a head painting that I kind of like. We used a limited palette composed of only, white, yellow ochre, and burnt umber (hence the yellow feel to the painting.) Can't say I really like this paint combination. It makes the model look somewhat sick. Well at least mine does :)

I did the other painting during part of a workshop the same day (I was exhausted by the time I got home around midnight.) I really like the way this one turned out because I had felt my classwork wasn't that good. It was redemption. Not to mention, I felt like I got it done in a timely fashion. Granted it was a limited palette.

Very quick landscape that I did after the workshop yesterday. I was sticking with the limited palette theme.

Today I had my figure studio class (I am taking it again because I feel like I need to get back to drawing after not having had a drawing class in over a year.) Jason asked us to do a sketch book this summer in Italy and I had such a hard time getting myself to draw (I did little watercolors instead....maybe I will post some of those on my Italy blog at solainitalia.blogspot.com ......later....much later.) So I decided another drawing class was in my future so that I could improve my skills, speed, and enjoyment of it. I just love painting, so much better. But this will definitely improve my painting skills.

I went to another workshop today after class and felt so much better then I did in class because I stopped fighting what I already new and just went for it. I did this one fairly quick at the end of the workshop. I like it's graphic nature. I am really enjoying this going to class and then to a workshop. I just have to make sure I get enough sleep. One can only drink so many Rockstars....

back, back, back to school again. Whoa, whoa, I gotta go... back to school again!

2008-09-13T03:21:00.000-07:00

I am back from Italy and back in school again. Check out my Italy blog if you would like at SolainItalia. blogspot.com I haven't quite finished the last two weeks of it though. Soon, very soon.

So here is my first homework for Situation and Environment class. I am taking it online. This is my first online painting class and I really like it so far. For this assignment we were supposed to use a limited palette of four colors and spend about three hours painting from a photo my instructor provided. He wanted us to focus on a two value painting and not to worry about too much detail which is why the time was limited. Not to mention, it is supposed to simulate a painting that we would have done in class.

I like the head but I feel like my colors could be better and the proportions and hands aren't good. I have to work on that. I didn't spent much time on the hands. Overall I like it, especially since it is my first painting of a figure since last semester. All those landscapes got me rusty......but not too rusty :)

Finally: My Surrealism Final

2008-06-12T05:09:00.000-07:00

So we were supposed to do a truly surrealistic painting for our final. I decided to really push it and not hold back at all. A lot of the examples from other artists that he showed us had scenes in them that were very busy and some were simple with only one main focus.

As you can see I went for the very busy. I wanted to go with my cupcake theme from my past work. My instructor said that sometimes you just start with a scene and go from there and then things just start flowing and take on a meaning for the artist. That is what happened with me....a desert, then cupcakes, then babies, then women etc. This painting was a labor of love. It took up so much of my time and by the end I just wanted it done, but I loved it. I actually ended up cutting out some of the elements I wanted to include (see initial sketch.) My instructor suggested that I add in cast shadows...DUH! I am an idiot. I don't know why I didn't, but I will probably go back and add them in later.

Ultimately, I think the piece is a commentary on parenthood, children and relationships. I will keep the specific meaning for me to myself :)

All I can say is this is THE CRAZIEST piece I have ever done and I am glad I had to do it. I learned a lot from it and it was fun.

The other part of our final was to do another surrealist piece or to do a painting that we feel could be showcased in an unusual "gallery" situation. So I did a cupcake. Surprise and would put it in a bakery. I am also interested in doing other sweets, candy and cake. I LOVE DESSERT!

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Close up and the painting in my studio.

Quick Study Homework Assignments

2008-04-11T01:50:00.000-07:00

These are four of the six quick study homeworks I did for this weeks class. My instructor really liked the first one and so do I. I included some of the in progress photos for that one. I also did one of the same photo of my friend Linda. As you can see it is not as good as the one I did to give to her, but I also did it in less time. My instructor liked it though (as do I.)

Linda/Hotel in New York on New Year's Eve/Cops in either Italy or Spain

Plein Air Quick Studies in Marin

2008-04-11T01:44:00.000-07:00

This is one of the quick studies I did when our class went to Marin for the day to paint. It was a beautiful day and a great place to paint. I would like to go back and paint there again sometime.

Gifts for Friends

2008-04-11T01:21:00.000-07:00

So these are a couple of paintings that I did for my friends.

The first one is of my friend Linda in Coit Tower where we went a few weeks before she left town in March. I knew I wanted to give her a painting and I thought this pose was great. I have to say I really love the painting and will have a hard time parting with it :)

The other painting is of my friend Sarah. It is a painting of her dancing and flying through the air during one of her dance performances. I didn't take the picture though....I got it from her brother. I loved the picture because it is so blurry and obscure and I knew at some point I wanted to paint it. I decided to do two little paintings. I did one in reverse and then mounted them together. I like this because they made another graphic picture when together. I see eyes or someone's face when I look at them together. Like a picture in a picture. I decided to paint it and give it to her the other day after her first (AMAZING) dance performance in San Francisco.

Both of them said they loved them. I hope so cause I do.

Surrealism Class: Image on an Object

2008-04-11T01:03:00.000-07:00

This is the result of a homework assignment where we were supposed to find an image and paint it on an object in order to make a statement. The object one chooses to paint on can add to the meaning of one's piece. So he wanted us to pic an object that would, once again, be juxtaposed to the image. Our intent and meaning should spark a conversation where the viewer could see both the positive and negative.

I chose to paint the Gerber baby on a TV. Any guesses as to why I did this.? I really enjoy looking at this piece. I think it is because it is so small and it was such a pain to do (painting on glass is no joke).....so I am proud of how it turned out.

My Intent:
I decided to juxtapose a picture of the Gerber baby on a television. I chose a television because I am addicted to TV. Up until a couple of months ago I had to watch it all the time and had to watch it when I ate and whenever I painted. I don't watch it as much anymore but that is only because it is more convenient for me to watch movies on my computer. I wanted to show how television can be and is both a negative and positive thing in our American society. I thought a good way to do this would be by painting the Gerber baby on the screen. This trademark is a universal symbol in

America

and around the world. It is a household name and picture even for people without children. Most of us were probably fed Gerber foods at some point the same way we might have been fed TV growing up. So the question is, "Is this a good thing or not?" I think TV is a positive thing to a certain point, but there is a fine line. [I have more thoughts and examples but no need to list them all...the above is pretty much the gist of it.]

Surrealism Juxtaposition Final: Cupcakes and Women

2008-04-11T00:23:00.000-07:00

These are the final two paintings of my Juxtaposition assignment (don't have a final picture of cupcakes cause the finished version was swiped :( in my surrealism class.
We were supposed to paint two images that aren't our own and juxtapose them in order to make a specific statement that can be argued to be both positive and negative....no propaganda. He wants us to spark discussions with our work.

So what do you think? What am I trying to say by choosing these two images? What statement am I trying to make by the way I painted the images and how I painted them? What do you think my intent might be. You wouldn't need to get the exact meanings and reasons that I have but hopefully I did my job well enough so that you can be in the same ballpark.

I wanted to juxtapose beauty and women in our society and how beauty is sometimes seen as something that should be placed on a pedestal and as something that can be consumed and as something that everyone wants to be or to have. So I decided to do this with a painting of picture perfect cookie cutter cupcakes and a black and white painting of very beautiful women painted very flat. I think that this piece shows both the positive and negative of this concept.

Recent Quick Study In Class Work

2008-03-27T02:49:00.000-07:00

This was my favorite study from the day when we did unique point of view/composition

Quick Study Final Painting.

2008-03-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Like I said before it has been a while since I have posted, but for now I have a homework assignment to show. We were asked to take one of our small studies and make it into a large painting. I chose this one which I really liked.

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I was excited to see it in a large format and to really take advantage of color. My study was very muted. This is what I came up with for the final. (I still have some things to change but otherwise I love it.) My instructor also had some good things to say about it and was very encouraging. He said that I should be very happy with it....and I am.

I did not like the fabric color so I decided to glaze it to change the color. I had always wanted to glaze something that had already been modeled in order to change the color like some of the old masters would do. Word to the wise, DO NOT TRY SOMETHING NEW on an important painting, PRACTICE it first. I ended up not being able to get the glaze to the consistency I wanted. I accomplished the color change I wanted (pale green to red) but for some reason the glazing mediums (ended up trying two...prefered Galkyd but will try something different next time) caused a tacky gooey consistency. I messed it up, but I think I was able to salvage it. I am excited to master this technique.

Anyway, here are photos of the process to get to the final painting I have now. I am VERY happy with this painting and what I learned from doing it.

You can see the original study in the background of the second photo.

Notice the various changes in the fabric color. What a chore but I learned what TO do and what NOT TO do :)

Surrealism Juxtaposition Part 1: Cupcakes

2008-03-26T23:09:00.000-07:00

So it has been a long time since I last blogged and I am not quite sure why. I think life just happened and I also don't think I had very many things to show or that I wanted to show. I have been working on a few big pieces and I finally have photos to post of the progress.

These are various stages of a juxtaposition painting that I am doing for my Surrealism class. My instructor has asked us to take two images that aren't our own and juxtapose them in order to make a specific statement that can be argued to be both positive and negative....no propaganda. He wants us to spark discussions with our work. More on this later. This is my first of the two paintings to be juxtaposed. The above is where I am with the painting now.

Cupcakes....I LOVE cupcakes!!!!

I still have some final touches to make.

UPDATE:

Final cupcakes.....one of my favorite paintings EVER! Was stolen (or something else) from the building. OYE! It pains me so. I just hope that they are hanging on someone's wall versus under a layer of someone else's painting. I really loved them and got such great feedback on them AND it took me FOREVER!!! Oh well I shall do another set at some point!

Quick Study Practice

2008-03-01T00:33:00.000-08:00

I really like these first two pieces. I think I like the first one because of the red Illy label and since it reminds me of Amsterdam (where I took the pic.) They just pop for me too...and they were fun to do. I really like them from far away (second pic.)

(Me grabbing my tiny cup of coffee :)

Painting with anything we learned so far in Surrealsim class.

2008-02-26T00:34:00.000-08:00

Here are the two paintings I did today in Surrealism class. Kevin was doing individual critiques of our homework (which I like) while we painted our final live model. He told us to use any of the things we learned in class so far. I decided to do my version of Cubism.

That is, if cubism is about time, we can only truly focus on one thing and one part of a persons body at a time. So even though I am only seeing the front of the model, I can still only truly see certain body parts at a time in this front view. So I decided to show this. Ultimately, I guess it ends up being a collage to create a sense of time (like Kevin shared with us) in paint. But I would like to think it is different from what David Hockney (Kevin introduced me to this artist) has done in a way because there are "separated" squares of the bits and pieces of the model verses one big picture or scene created from parts of a model or situation.

Mine is less cohesive I guess but still a version of how time is not stagnant. To me it shows how time is necessary to truly take in the whole person. I have NO IDEA if this is making any sense, but it makes sense in my head.

BUT now that I think about it, this might lean into the realm of little vignettes which he told us is not the same. I will have to ask him. Oops.

This last one I did in terms of some of the first things we did in the class where we just pushed the figure more towards non objective abstraction. Mine is obviously still a figure, but I pushed it and I LIKE IT! Anyone else ;)

Rave Reviews for my painting of Mike!!!!

2008-02-25T23:35:00.000-08:00

Today in Surrealism class we had our homework critiques. Can I first begin by saying that the work that the other students created was AWESOME! I love seeing from week to week what people do in this class. So original and very talented.

I am so freakin excited! I can't even tell you how excited I am. I have been walking around with knots in my stomach for the last few days because I have been so happy with my painting of Mike and yet I have received some interesting feedback from some of my peers and friends. I kept getting what seemed to be the same response when people would look at the piece while I was working on it and when it was finished. Not the response I wanted....

Here is the typical scene:

--I say "Here it is," with a huge smile on my face.
--They look and then stare IN SILENCE and then say "ohhhhh, wow he has a green face" or "that's interesting."
--(See my smile fade.)

But now that I think about it my smile shouldn't fade because I want them to be somewhat wow'd (but I want it in a positive way) because Mike makes me go WOW (in a positive way :) Cheesy but true.

No worries though....I am here to learn, experiment, improve and become the artist that I need and want to be and create art that I LOVE and hope that someone out there (IS IT YOU!!!! :) loves it too....not to mention this was an assignment and not exactly how I want to paint.

I told myself that I was just going to see what my instructor had to say. I worked my butt off and put so much thought and care into doing the assignment correctly. I was happy with it (very happy) so now I just needed to see if in his eyes I accomplished the goal. I DID! Kevin said he really liked it and that I did a great job using the paint application, brushwork, color and design to show the story behind Mike. He said that it all made sense and that I handled it well, especially with showing the layers of Mike through the physical peeking through of his black and white layer.

He only had one criticism (of which I was aware....one of my instructors said we should be able to give ourselves the same critique as our teacher.) The issue was that my background was TOO saturated and competing with Mike who was supposed to be the thing popping out. And he also mentioned that there were some minor issues that I could have fixed like making the shape of the eye better, but that this was minor especially in light of the assignment. But I think I will go back and make these changes, especially since I agree with the suggestions.

Check out Kevin's book. You can get it at Blurb.com It is called ARTITUDE (Kevin Moore.) It will give you a taste of all of his great insights and what I am learning in his class. I highly recommend it.

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/167290

Oh and yes, I would have recommended his book despite being very happy about the critique I received.....come on, who do you think I am ;)

UPDATE:

Here is the most recent version of this painting.......

VERSUS

Painting of Mike-- 1st Surrealism Homework

2008-02-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

So here they are....finally. These are pics of the progression of my first Surrealism homework and then the final piece. I am pretty happy with the results because I accomplished my goal. Granted the colors are quite vibrant and wild, but so is Mike :)

In most of my classes this would be considered too loud and it would need to be muted, but I went out of my way not to mute the colors because Mike is not muted. He is vibrant, humorous, outgoing, and crazy cool :) while at the same time serious, calm, somewhat stubborn and serious. And I have the luxury of knowing all of these characteristics of him. Yea me!

So in summary, I know this painting is out there, but I am SO proud of myself for having a plan, following through and experimenting with painting in a way that I typically would not. I am so glad that I am in this class with an instructor who is challenging us to do this. Oh and I have so many ideas on how I would like to do this painting again. I would like to see it without the green and using more analogous colors (more like what you see in his clothing and background) and not much if any of the complements....but this would not have worked for me in this assignment. I also like the third picture where only his face is left black and white. For myself, that is what I would have wanted on my wall assuming the beard was finished....

Oh and I purposefully only made the paint on his body thick because he stands out from the back ground and he is the one with the layers.

Ohhhh and I also included some close ups so you could get a feel for the texture.

And I am out!

First Stage of my Surrealism Homework

2008-02-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

So here are two pictures of my Surrealism homework so far. The assignment is to do an over sized portrait of someone we know and are close to, so of course I am doing Mike :) The portrait is not supposed to be academic in fact he wouldn't mind us pushing towards abstraction and potentially not making it looking like the model. The painting is supposed to be about the paint application, brushwork, color and design. He wants us to be able to show the story behind the sitter through the paint and not through the expression on the model.

My plan so far is to show the two layers of Mike. The serious (black and white), sensitive, calm (smooth and thin), stubborn, in his head layer compared to the vibrant, wild, crazy, humorous, outgoing side. In this first stage, I am showing the former layer and now (today) I plan on showing the latter layer via thick, colorful, vibrant, expressive stokes. BUTTTTTTT I plan on (somehow) having parts of the black and white version showing through to represent how if you are close enough to him and are able to get through the thick outgoing layer that you will also have the pleasure of seeing his other deeper layer.

We'll see how it goes. This is TRULY an experiment.
Wish me luck!!!

Still Experimenting in Surrealism Class

2008-02-18T15:52:00.000-08:00

Kevin told us to once again push our paintings today towards abstraction. He said he didn't even want it to look like our model in the end. I did 3 paintings of the model.

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I am pretty happy with all of them. I don't usually paint this way, but I have to say I really like it. Oh and the two criteria Kevin gave us was PORTRAITS only and we HAD TO USE A PALATE KNIFE in some shape or form. I never use a palate knife to paint with so I dove right in and decided to challenge myself to use it for most of the painting. I love it!

Copy of a Rembrandt 2007

2008-02-17T20:10:00.001-08:00

This is a copy of a Rembrandt painting that I did last year.

Quick Study of Mattie the dog.

2008-02-13T21:43:00.001-08:00

This is another one of the six quick study assignments that we had to do for class today. It is from a picture my friend took of her dog in the bathtub. I thought it had character. Turns out it would have been a better composition if I had panned out a little bit and shown more of the dog in the tub (says my instructor.....Craig Nelson.)

This is my first painting of a dog and I have to say I like it. There are things I can do to fix it, but I will probably do it over again if anything at all. Mattie is a cute dog though. I hope I have done her justice.

Blown away even "Moore" by Cubism

2008-02-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

In class my Surrealism instructor Kevin Moore (awesome artist, teacher and person...check him out at hespe.com) broke down cubism in a way that just blew my mind. I have ALWAYS loved Picasso and I loved his work even more after I saw the gamut of his ability and mediums at El Museu Picasso de Barcelona. And yet, after our lecture this week I learned so much more about how he created his cubist work.

Kevin told us that "cubism is a collage to create a broader sense of time." It is about being four deminsional. Why paint from one angle? It is not how we see things. "Cubism is NOT a style, it is a way of thinking."

He gave us guidelines and we did some exercises to help wrap our minds around this way of thinking. So we created a painting as cubists. This painting makes me happy! :)

A couple of Quick Study Assignments 2/10

2008-02-12T13:34:00.000-08:00

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These are a couple quick studies that I did the other day. I really like the first one. I like the second one too, but it is not well done. That is, the colors and paint application aren't great, but I am drawn to it for some reason. I was trying to not use any new paint because I only had the last 15 minutes to do it in the workshop. So I forced myself to stick to the paints that were left on my palette from class earlier in the day.

Copies of my instructors paintings

2008-02-10T03:09:00.000-08:00

So I am trying to get better at quick studies so my instructor let me borrow his paintings. I tried to copy them....I TRIED to copy them. Not even close to the beauty of his work BUT I am learning a lot. By the end of tomorrow (night) I should have 6 paintings (OF MY OWN) done for this class. I'm crossing my fingers.

OH and by the way, it is A LOT easier to COPY another persons painting so it shows how far I have to go. When copying another persons painting they have already done the work to edit what they see and interpret it into paint strokes. I am just copying their strokes (well trying to.) My goal is to be able to consistently interpret and create my own beautiful stokes.....which I can, but it is harder to do in an hour or less painting like these and the others from my Quick Study Class. I am learning so much from Craig Nelson. Thanks Craig! I will say it again. These are my COPIES of Craig Nelson's paintings.....NOT my original composition etc...etc.

Old Works (2007)

2008-02-10T02:46:00.000-08:00

2nd Day Quick Study Paintings...

2008-02-06T20:12:00.001-08:00

This is a quick study that I kind of liked today. I like the composition. The class is challenging for me because it really forces you to edit what you see and hone in on creating good color. I am fine with this though because the instructor is great and he is showing us exactly how to be successful.

"In The Spirit of Thiebaud"...

2008-02-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

Today we were asked to do a painting "in the spirit of Thiebaud. That is he wanted us to exaggerate color, brushwork, composition, design, shadows, and color accents.
I wanted to do an extreme crop, but it is not that extreme. Looking at it now it could be SO much better. It is lacking life for me right now. Very dull but I am happy with what I was able to do with it. I might go back after it dries and glaze in some more vibrant colors. Or heck I just might redo it. It is all about learning, right?

Landscape Paintings from 2007

2008-02-03T13:53:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite landscapes from my class with Bill Maughan because I pushed the color. I also love it because the original photo was taken by my good friend Mark (amazing photographer!) I know it is vivid, but it was a lot of fun. [The first picture is the original before I pushed it even more with the red accents.]

Clothed Figure Work 2007

2008-02-03T13:32:00.000-08:00

These are a few of my favorite sketches from my clothed figure class in the spring of 2007. Great instructor!

Gifted

1st day Quick Study Paintings

2008-02-01T16:11:00.001-08:00

These are a couple of 25 minute quick studies that we did on the first day.

Yes, I have a long way to go, but I love the course already and I know that I am going to learn a lot.

My Blog Begins:Expressionism--Pushing Subject Matter towards Non Objective Abstraction

2008-02-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

This is a painting I did on the first day of my Surrealism Class. I love it. The information is great and the instructor is very informative and passionate. He told us to paint the model but to push it towards non objective abstraction. I was fairly conservative with my push because I had to take a month off of painting due to a surgery and I wanted to get comfortable with the figure also. I did 4 other paintings that day too but this is my favorite even though I pushed it to total destruction. But it was about the process.

The last one is still in progress, but the instructor liked the composition. He said it made it less about the figure and potentially more about the paint and brush stokes (which was the point of the day.)

More to come later from this class.