Spring classes!

Coming up with a concept

Ross, Diana Ross, 1983

i discuss the first step to coming up with a concept for a new painting. i've been influenced by diana ross, batgirl, to a forgotten sci-fi movie of the late '80s. check out my website for more.

swartstudio.com

Latest work

"severe tranquility abstract", diptych, mixed media, 2011-12

this poor painting just gets no love. originally it was commissioned by a friend of a friend for her cape house. she was determined to display something completely modern and i was eager to create something purely abstract. after several preliminary sketches, we seemed to find a happy medium. as with most clients i ask for half the fee up front, and the remaining upon delivery. the latter never happened and i've kept the painting in my possession for several months.

 every once and awhile i would add or take away, slowly modifying it. then, just recently, i was offered a part in special one night show. i dusted this off, tweaked it a little and was preparing to have this sent to the gallery. then last minute, well almost last minute, i checked the fine print of the contract before signing and realized that the venue was not something that would benefit my career as an artist. it looks like this painting will have to go back in storage another few months until i find the right time to have it on display.

Continued work in progress --

two months ago i blogged about a painting i had begun and since that time i've continued working on it on odds days off or when time allows. hopefully the summer will afford me greater opportunities to work on my art. to date i have three paintings uncompleted. i would like to see at least two finished before the end of august.

"Buddha Glam" work in progress

Latest masterpiece in the making

i've begun laying down the groundwork for sky and mountain scape with my latest untitled painting. it's become regular practice for me to use newsprint, newspaper, or even pages of magazines to create a sense of texture and depth. once this dries in a few days i'll begin layering on paint and building up the background. in the middle and foreground will be busts of buddha, the focus of the piece.

oil paint on newspint and canvas, 24"x36"

 UPDATE 4.9.12

 

in the end i opted to take away, rather than build colors and layers of paint. i also decided to do one up close image of buddha.

UPDATE 4.13.12

i can't seem to capture the brightness or detail shapes within the headdress in a photo as the sun continues to hide behind clouds. The lips will are also yellow/gold.

My latest painting

 laughter, 18"x24", oil on canvas

 

A new painting

in between wrapping up current drawing and painting classes i've been trying to get my own painting in. i've been semi-successful. pictured here is a new piece ready to be painted. working title, Pure Joy.

i hope everyone has a wonderful end of year. its always this time where we reflect and think of the ups and down of months past. ultimately this has been a successful year for me with a new boyfriend, a new (and improved) home for the dog and i, even a new car, and many important lessons learned career wise. i still have a ways to go to where i want to be, but i'm looking forward an even more succesful year in 2012. cheers to all!

Summer schedule

i can't believe summer 2011 is already here! here's a partial list of classes i'll be teaching for the worcester art museum.

June 27-July 1 (Northborough Recreation Center)

Art Safari (5-7 years old)
Go on an amazing exploration of creativity and your wildest imagination! Students, using a multitude of various materials, will develop a stronger sense of the elements of design by creating 2D and 3D projects culminating in semi-life like make believe jungle composed of real and mythological beasts. All art classes have a basis of art history and self-esteem building.

FUNdementals of Sculpture (8-12 years old)
Students will start with basic sculpting materials and tools to produce individual pieces of art inspired by various works exhibited at the museum or favorite personal artists. As the week progresses so will the creativity! Surprises are in store for all involved as this learning experience expands a child's imagination and basic understanding of the fundamentals of sculpture!

July 11-22

Draw, Sketch, Create (5-7 years old)
Explore artwork in the galleries and learn to sketch what you see. Then, create your own drawing masterpieces in the studio.

Drawing (8-10 years old)
Experiment with drawing materials and focus on basic shapes, composition, texture and volume. View art and learn how to draw the world around you in new ways.

August 8-12

Drawing Your World (8-10 years old)
Explore landscape, cityscape and dreamscape in the galleries. Then draw your own beautiful world using inks, watercolors, oil pastels and other drawing materials.

Express Yourself! (8-10 years old)
Get inspired in the Museum and let loose your creativity. Experiment in sculpture, printmaking, paint and other materials to develop fun, colorful and experimental projects.

Private art teacher

as of february 1st, 2011 i'll be accepting new clients for private art lessons in drawing, painting, and art history! i have been an independent artist and instructor for over three years, with a bachelor's degree in studio art, and i am currently pursuing my master's is art education. my paintings have been shown in galleries and art shows in and out of boston and i am enjoying a second year contract position as an educator of the worcester art museum. i bring an enthusiastic, professional, and detailed approach to any lesson. for more information please contact me at, swartstudio@gmail.com.

Holding nothing back

a key point in the process of a painting for me is the initial jump start, usually inspired by a song or image that germinate an idea for a stellar piece of art all my own. often times it's several songs and the music videos that correlate with each that become a play list for a series of several pieces that come together in my studio. this past weekend was intense in the regards that i've learned a lot about who i am as i've begun putting myself out in the world again after several weeks of breaking up with my ex-partner of three years. what follows is how i divided up my weekend into music. some songs absolutely describe what was pouring out of my brain or heart, others are more for the mood that can be used to describe an experience, and some songs are used for the narrative of others who were participants of my friday to sunday excursion. i'm curious to see what develops in my sketchbook and on blank canvases as i continue to listen to this weekend play list. the list is still a work in progress, but for now, this is what has developed.

friday morning

1. 'Since You've Been Gone' - Kelly Clarkson
2. 'Spotlight'- Jennifer Hudson
3. 'Looking For a New Love' - Jody Watley

friday night

4. 'Can't Handle Me' - Flo Rida
5. 'Speak 'N Spell' - Elin Lanto
6. 'Not Myself Tonight' - Christina Aguilera

saturday morning

7. 'Can't Beat the Feeling' - Kylie Minogue
8. 'Upside Down' - Diana Ross

saturday night

9. 'Take Your Time' - SOS Band
10. 'Go Deep' -Janet Jackson
11. 'Cooler Than Me' - Mike Posner
12. 'Whatya Want from Me' - Adam Lambert

sunday morning

13. 'Love Don't Live Here' - Bananarama
14. 'I Hate You So Much Right Now' - Kelis
15. 'Behind Those Hazel Eyes' - Kelly Clarkson
16. 'We All Sleep Alone' - Cher



August Weekend Playlist '10

The evolution of my painting process

recently it seems friends have grown more curious to the evolution of my paintings. unfortunately, there's no easy way to explain as every painting's origin is different. i've promised to document the creation of my next piece in more detail, but for now you can see the formation of my oil painting on canvas "My Real" which was on display at the worcester art museum the winter of 2009. i'm not normally a still life artist (i prefer the human form in one fashion or another), but this was an attempt at getting back to form (well, sort of, obviously i added my abstract twist). i was successful in some aspects and ultimately failed in others. one never stops learning. what's not shown are the original painting and photographs of the pieces i used for reference. in the future i'll post a strict still life painting i did using the actual objects. i'm sure you'll see a difference between the two.