Frida in the Making

Some pieces we produce are special, this is one of them. 

I resisted this exercise from my art class with every fiber of my being, perfecting the art of procrastination even more than I thought possible. Though I'd tried before (and never finished), painting Frida Kahlo was way too intimidating.

When I finally marched to the art table and started, I hit a SNAFU with the materials. Determined to push through my anxiety, I started over. Luckily it was early on in the process.

I am so happy I pushed through. 

I am thrilled to bits with the results, unimaginable to me before this course.

Here are a few shots of her progression... 

Frida (18"x24", acrylics, charcoal and soft pastels on watercolour paper)

Pauline Agnew, the teacher of this art class, will be hosting an open studio on Facebook next weekend where she'll showcase all the amazing work produced by the group and offer samples of her teachings. She has a great energy that's palpable even virtually! Her last open studio is what convinced me to sign up for her class in the first place. Check it out.

Art Class Week 4: Learning About Colour

Remember the art class that was prompting me to bust out of my artistic comfort zone? Last week's lessons were all about colour. 

Thanks to guest teacher Melinda Cootsona I learned how to use a colour wheel, discovered just how many shades I can create out of only two or three base colours, and saw that neutrals can be beautiful! 

Here's a bit of a photo essay capturing the colour play that took place in Week 4 of Draw and Paint What You Love:

I love how the colours mesh on my paint palette. And how vibrant is that green on the left?! 

Two exercises in colour mixing that led to pleasant surprises and interesting palettes. 

A low intensity colour study based on a photo I had. I never thought I'd ever use so much grey in a piece and enjoy the results!

A second study of the same photo, this time using high intensity colours. I don't like this one as much, but it's neat to see the juxtaposition. 

Then we launched into a seasonal colour study. This one is spring, inspired by green shoots, pink blossoms and blushing new love.

Summer. This one started out softer, but it changed. It's inspired by the ruggedness of the Canadian Shield and a particular, somewhat rugged landscape in New Brunswick (my home) where the wild blueberries are abundant.

And my last seasonal colour study: autumn (I didn't get to winter yet). Though I pulled out the crimsons and the oranges for this one, I drifted to later in the fall with its rusty oranges and rich skies, the smell of pine needles and decaying leaves. I really like this one.

I am learning so much, I hate to see the class end. But I still have one more week to go and a few more exercises that will nudge me even further into artistic growth!

Till the next update...