Thinking about painting

Here are two more of my figure studies.
Unfortunately, the next couple of pictures I need to have ready to frame, need to be colorful, not figure studies, and a fair size. Some of what I have done is pretty small, and many of the larger ones are figure studies, so not suitable.

I am working on a high desert/red rock landscape with a water reflection, but my first attempt just isn't quite what I wanted to do. It's just going to take a little thinking... maybe something with an ocean view? Some flowers? We'll see. B*B, Ysabeau

We get a few male models, too...

I'm finding it more difficult to express the men physically, just need more practice, I guess. Sometimes they pose so stiffly that I end up just doing a practice drawing with an effort to get their proportions right. We did get one who had a lot of experience, and he made it a lot easier. B*B, Ysabeau

Just keep on painting...

It seems like the mood I'm in affects the pictures even more than what the model does. Sometimes, no matter what I do, I think what I do isn't any good... other times, it seems to flow much better for me. B*B, Ysabeau

Ladies in watercolor

I've been trying to capture something special about each of the models we have been using in class, and some of them are right here...

B*B,

Ysabeau

Watercolors are complex

The first picture is an abstracted landscape of a river and sky, and my teacher asked to have it because it reminded him of a trip he made on the Amazon. The woman in the hat took a lot of layers and glazing, and I think of her as a goddess of creativity, and the last is a large nude I did from a model, which just seemed to flow when I did it. I loved the way the colors merged and blended in the simple lines I used to try to describe the model.

B*B, Ysabeau

Figure studies

I've been enjoying working in watercolor in my Life Drawing class, and I feel like I'm making consistent progress, even though there are days when I just don't see anything happening. Some days I complete a bunch of small sketchy things, and other times I only do one or two larger pieces, but it's an exploration.

I need to just be patient with myself to make progress at my own pace. It takes time. BTW, the green one was claimed by one of my fellow students before I could get it out of the classroom, but I managed to get a photo.

B*B, Ysabeau

Just thinking

My friend Judi suggested that I need to be helping other people, which will help me, in theory. I wonder if by pursuing my creativity, that might be enough? I've been trying to be as real and honest as possible with my artistic endeavors, and have as much fun as possible while doing it. I've also been making playful, interesting, and thoughtful things to wear or use, and in a way I hope people will get a smile or a good feeling from them.

I just don't feel like going out and trying to find a niche where I can help other people with their lives and their choices. I have tools I've developed, learned, or adapted, sure. I don't know if what works for me, is really what will work for everybody else. I have a relatively low amount of energy, and a chronic pain level, and I think it would be extremely easy to get in over my head and make myself really miserable. I'm also really unsure that I know as much about their lives and choices as they do, and I think that people have to respect their own selves.

Maybe if I can just manage to heal my own life, that is the main thing that I am supposed to do right now.

B*B,

Ysabeau