Salty

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I am all done with my second 2017 workshop. For this we used the classroom space at Vistra Framing & Gallery here in Eugene, OR. Not only was the space ideal, and the hosts lovely, my students were awesome! Here you can see them working hard, but also having fun. : )

During the week, the framers gave us a short presentation about their online frame business, webpictureframes.com, and then made up some custom frames for us based on our feedback (some lovely floater frames for panels, since that's what we were using - below, right), at incredibly fair prices. They are a family business, and just the best kind of people.

On the last day of the workshop we had a group critique. You can see them setting up their work for this above, left. Below is my whole group (minus 2 who had to leave early). You gals were fabulous!

At Attention

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I am home from my San Antonio workshop and slowly catching up with things here. It took me a couple of days to recover emotionally. These kiddos (to the right) may not look rowdy, but they definitely kept me on my toes. The great food and wine helped keep my strength up, but by the end I was a puddle on the floor. I'm hoping they didn't notice. Oh shoot, did I just admit that?!

Here are a couple of my demos from the class, and a couple of partial demos too. I was especially happy with the bacon, and plan to paint it again. Not the actual bacon - I ate that.

I'll post the group photo soon. Meanwhile, I need to let you know that I'll be heading to Germany at the end of the week, and we'll be there a month! I'm hoping to get some new reference photos, and maybe paint some of them too.

Circus Roses

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I just got done with my last spring workshop. I won't be teaching again until October, in San Antonio. People ask me all the time how to get into my workshops and the answer is - watch out for the announcements and sign up asap (they fill fast!). I'm only doing 3 workshops a year now, and I usually announce for next year in the fall/winter.

To the right are some photos from my class last week (I remembered this time!). As you can see, my kids were very studious and hard-working. They did some really great work and I hope learned a lot. We had a super fun time together!

On the last day, as usual, I took them outside to demonstrate how I photograph my paintings, and we took a group photo right afterwards. We snagged a guy from a nearby office to take our picture. Max did great, but he was shy and didn't tell us exactly when he was going to snap the photo. So we weren't all prepared. : )

Just Looking

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Home again! I know you're all dying to hear about my workshop in Texas, but first for the painting above. It's another one from NYC. This is a scene from the Hell's Kitchen flea market. This guy was totally baffled by what I was doing, and I took advantage of it.

And now for TX. So, I took a TON of photos, because it's a really beautiful place that I was teaching. This first batch are from around the place, inside and out. The food was awesome!

This next batch includes a few of my demos, students on a break, perfect grays, heart-y leaves, and a few of our furry companions.

This last batch is student work, because I've had a lot of requests to show it. Some are finished and some are in progress.

And lastly, here are the people who made last week so special! Sure, they complained when I made them work hard (the stinkers!), but all-in-all, we had a total blast - lots of wine drinking and massive amounts of belly laughing. I hope to see you all again in a couple of years! : )

Wiggly Walk

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I think I am setting a new personal record - fewest posts ever! And I hate it because it means I'm also not painting much. BUT, the reasons for it are all good. My excuse this past week was a workshop in Springfield, OR. I had a great group of kids, mostly well behaved, all willing to go out on limbs and try new things. This group wins the most-courageous award!

(click to see larger version)

Above are a few pictures of my kids hard at work. If you click to see the larger version you will notice some squinting, which I made sure to tell them to do at least 13 times (the magic number)!

To the left is our group shot. There was no one else around so I had to rig my camera to take the picture and then run in. They waited so long on those stairs I decided to only take one picture - and then it turns out I stuck my head in front of one of my kids! Sorry!

I had a great time with you guys - thanks for everything!

"Blue Door" & workshop recap

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My workshop last week went really well. But before I tell you about that I have some news that will affect my painting habits for a little while. Over the weekend my husband broke his ankle, and unfortunately it's bad enough that it will probably require a surgery or two. So while he's healing I will be full time nurse and single mom, which means my painting time will be limited. I love my husband, and if he's a good patient, we both might live through this.

On to my workshop in Springfield last week. The Emerald Art Center turned out to be an ideal space, with a separate room for my demos, and a camera and screen to project them on. I'm happy to be doing 3 more there this year (more on that soon)! My kids were pretty typically wonderful, though I did have to yell at them a few times (I tell you - it's like herding cats!). <- Here are some pictures of them working.

It was nice to be able to recommend the restaurants for once, ones with really fantastic cocktails, which was a great way to relax at the end of each day. My kids and I -> had tons of fun together and I miss them already!

Simple Cup 4

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Here is my fourth and last cup from my 4 in 4 challenge/series. And I am finally able to report about my recent workshop. But first, quickly, a reminder about this month's DPW contest, AND, a heads up about a 2014 workshop in San Antonio, Texas (to be announced Thursday, 10/24/13 at 8pm, CST), FYI, SYT (see you there!).

So, I flew to Wisconsin last weekend in time for a gorgeous show of fall color! You can see a tiny bit of it through the window (my view while doing demos) in the bottom left photo below. My kids were a predictably troublesome bunch, but redeemed themselves every evening by plying me with wine and dessert (apparently my reputation proceeds me)! Here are a few shots of them working:

And here is the final shot of the bunch of us, me in the Maine sweatshirt (in case you don't know me yet). Honestly, they were great kids and made some really great art. I will miss them all!

Rose with Tea

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Lots to report! First of all, the reason I haven't posted in a while is I discovered a new weed in our front yard that turned out to be poison oak. For those of you who've been with me a while, yes, this has happened before, but I swear the Oregon version is totally different that the Texas version! So I've been dealing with that for the past couple of weeks.

During that time I taught a workshop on Vancouver Island, Canada. Unfortunately they had to look at my monster face all week, but despite that they were very nice. One gal (named Carol Jean, same as me!) even made t-shirts for the occasion (more on this soon).

The space we were in was huge, so everyone had plenty of room to spread out. I always spend a lot of time reminding my kids to squint, and the best way to do that is to close one eye and squint the other. One gal felt it would be easier to tape half of her glasses instead. : ) Below are cropped versions of most of my demos. (I've been looking for a photo collage program for my pc and so far I'm not crazy about this one. Anyone have a good suggestion?)

Below are my Canada kids. This was a really great group. Honestly, I can't say one bad thing about them. Anyone who can put up with a rashy, itchy istructor for 5 days deserves my full respect! Aren't they cute?!

The New Vase

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I am back from my workshop in San Francisco and ready to report! First of all, the space was a dream! It was held at the Friend's School in the Mission District, and we had plenty of room and (ahem) skylights, which were awesome. Honestly I forgot to take pictures until the last day, and I missed a few who left early, so our room looks less than full here:

We scampered around San Francisco for 2 half days, and painted the rest of the time. My kids were a great bunch, though a couple of them did pressure me to drink a little too much wine on more than one occasion. Peer pressure, I tell you, it's strong. Here are most of them:

I stayed in town through the weekend, visiting/hiking/eating/pedicuring with my good friend Randi, and then headed back to the school on Monday to give a presentation to the 8th graders about our workshop and all the cool things my kids painted. Even though I am terrified of 8th graders (I am embarrassed to admit) I somehow made it out alive and home on Tuesday. Since then I've been recuperating, catching up on email, hanging with the family, etc. 

Black Jaguar

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I think I forgot to mention I was heading out to teach last week in California. : ) So if you missed me, that's where I was. The car above is an old (perfect) Jaguar I spotted and painted right before I left Eugene. I am secretly in love with them - shhh. Below are some pictures from my workshop last week, put on by the small but mighty Debra Huse Gallery.

Above is the room we were in and all our still life crap stuff. And below are my first four demos. I did an egg the last day but completely forgot to photograph it. These were all taken with my iphone because someone (me) forgot to pack my camera. Apparently I forgot a lot of things.

FYI, I posted these photos and more on my Facebook page. Below are all my kids, me, and my disastrously freaky hair. You guys were fabulous! Thanks for the great week. : )

Morning Light

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Lots to report! First my workshop in Texas last week. I tried to bribe my kids with chocolate this time so they would behave. It mostly worked but a few of them still had to do push-ups (mostly for inappropriate language). Artists - pah! Here they are concentrating during a timed exercise.

And here's all but one, at the end of the week, thoroughly brainwashed and scared into submission. "That Carol," they say, "what a tyrant!"

Just one more thing and then I'll save the rest for my next post. I got a new computer and it's really cool, but I'm having trouble getting the colors adjusted just right on the screen. Do any of you have any experience getting a special (expensive) calibration tool and having it be worth the cost? If so, which one? Thanks!

Leaning on Leaning & workshop photos

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I just finished up my workshop here in Easton, MD. I had to cram my 5 days worth of material into 4 days, so it was a bit of a whirlwind experience. My kids were pretty good, though I could tell you a story or two about interesting camera angles and crazy roosters! No chickens in the classroom, though we did have some interesting eggs to paint. Below are my kiddos hard at work. The school is a long, narrow room, so we set everyone up right down the middle, which worked out great (click image to see it larger).

I was so busy I barely took any pictures. But we did get the group shot, minus one or two who had to leave early. You guys were great! Happy Holidays!!

Motley Crew

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Home again and fasting. Trying to lose the 5 lbs I gained in Texas. Honestly, I have never been so well fed! Here's an example of our daily lunch buffet (it was the same for breakfast and dinner, though not pictured are the fabulous desserts, wine and margaritas!!) -->

<-- And here's where we ate together each day (the fun-sized gal carrying the plate is the mastermind behind this place, Sue). This room is in the "big house," the magnificence of which was impossible to capture with my camera.

Here's where we painted each day (click to see a larger view). -->

<-- And here are our two studio cats. Obi tended to curl up in our background material box, while Ms. Clifton had a special pillow set aside in the middle of the room.

I can't even begin to say enough about this special place. None of us could say enough all week, though we tried. Sue went above and beyond to make sure we had every last little thing we could possibly want, put us up in beautiful rooms -- made us feel like royalty. Did I mention the massages on Tuesday and Thursday? My kids are below.

Lucky Ducky

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Please forgive me for not posting at all this last week! I think once you hear about the group I had you'll understand. Let me start by saying, I already knew most of them. Why I agreed to teach them again when I KNEW they were all trouble-makers (?) ... not too smart. You can see in this picture below how they just roamed all over the place, laughing, making friends and having FUN, despite the fact that I told them no fun was allowed! Painting is serious business.

Honestly the whole week was like a summer camp gone awry. We rented a room at the Immaculate Heart Retreat Center, slept in nun's quarters, and were forced to eat breakfast and lunch in a large sunny room together with several photography classes. Every day there was a huge bounty of fantastic horrible food that we had to choke down ... in order to get to the dessert table before the others.

And as if this wasn't bad enough already, every night (of course) they gagged and bound and toted me to all kinds of homes and restaurants where I was forced to drink lots of wine, and eat a particularly unforgettable flourless chocolate torte (OMG!!!). And then they wanted me to perform too, like some kind of trained monkey (below are the demos from class, done under duress).

I have a vague memory of telling stories I may regret later. I think they were drugging me, which may explain how exhausted I am now that I'm home. Here they are, below, my misfits. It was the most horrible week of my life.      Not.