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Yesterday I completed the very rough draft for my first Bargue drawing at the Academy of Realist Art, Boston.  I still have work to do on it, including fixing the final shapes.  It is intended to be a two value study, with a miniminal amount of halftones in the drawing. The 'fill in' with the pencil is very rough, and is only to allow me to evaluate shapes accurately.

Going forward, I will fix the shapes and then transfer the outlines of the shapes of this image onto Bargue paper, redraw and shade the image. 

I am enjoying this class tremendously and recommend it for anyone wishing to improve their draftsmanship.

The Academy offers many classes, including some exciting workshops over this summer.

They are having an Open House tomorrow (Wed), from 10 am to 7 pm.  The studio is conveniently located two blocks away from South Station.  My Monday morning Bargue drawing class allows me to take the T in from Braintree with no hassle at all.   

If you have any interest, visit their website: www.AcademyOfRealistArtBoston.com.  I am also happy to answer any questions you may have about the school, the instructors, or the format. 

It's been awhile since I have posted to my blog.  I feel compelled to offer excuses, but instead will show you what I am doing at my drawing class at the Academy of Realist Art, Boston.  The current project is to copy the Bargue drawing shown on the right.  I have gotten as far as an outline of shapes, shown on the left.  With the outlined shapes complete, I will now fill in the shapes with one flat value.   Easier said than done, I might add...

The tolerance for error in the drawing is about 1/32nd of an inch, tighter than what I am used to. 

This Bargue drawing class is dramatically different from any painting class I have ever taken.  The process is incredibly slow, but I am learning so much, including the following:

1. Patience

2. Humility

3. How to sight size measure 

4. How to draw a line (beyond what I learned in kindergarten)

5. How to shade with a pencil (also beyond what I learned in kindergarten)

5. How to map objects, large and small, relative to each other. 

I hope to paint soon but life seems to be getting in the way.  I'm in one of those ebbs where my family is consuming all of my time.  It's a good thing, but I do miss my juicy paints. 

Hopefully next week will present an opportunity to play with the paints. :  )

My show opening was last Thursday, March 1st.  Whew!  Twenty five paintings imagined, painted, signed, damared* (is that a word?), framed, and hung. The North River Arts Society sponsors the show, and thankfully they take care of all the details outside of the artwork. Thank you Sally Dean Mello for showing me how to hang a show, and many thanks to Christine Bodnar for bringing food and beverage for the Opening Reception. (*I typically apply a light coat of Damar Retouch Varnish, Gloss to my paintings as a final finish.)

The evening was particularly special to me because my two 'Southern Sisters' traveled to Boston to attend the Opening Reception and stayed for a visit through the weekend.  What a wonderful time we had!  I haven't laughed that much in a long, long time, and it was great.  

My sisters Gayle Sandeford and Susan Roark live near Baltimore, MD, and Charleston, SC, respectively. Both locales are excellent plein air painting spots so I feel a road trip in my future...and yes, I am the middle child.

My husband and two teenage daughters (Al, Kristen and Jenny) often endure my paining tales and foibles, and they were also considerate to attend and provide emotional support to me for the Opening Reception.  Al has been more than kind to support my painting and works very hard to keep me supplied with canvases and paint, for which I will be forever grateful.  

Many thanks to my friends and painting buddies who attended the reception or will view the show until April 21st. I truly appreciate the kind words of encouragement!  

I am so grateful for art and all that it brings to my life.