I got a bit carried away with the Olympics (Yeah Canada!) so I am scrambling to get these images up for those of you who are following the progress of the students at Hidden Talent.
Many of the students you see here came to lessons with
no prior experience in painting. I am as proud as they are of their accomplishments shown here. To be able to paint is a 'teachable skill'. I hope you will enjoy the artistic journey of these inspiring students.
Kasandra has finished her daughters portrait and really enjoyed the design aspect of the background. She used a dry glaze technique to quickly change the colors of her background without covering over all the detail. I am totally dedicated to realism and prefer an honest, well done painting to one that is all about emotions but lacking in technical skill. Creativity is not sacrificed by having painting and drawing skills, it is enhanced! Well done Kasandra!
Dorothy has got a massive canvas going here! She is refining as she paints and is always looking for something to 'fix'. Dorothy is our best kept secret- she keeps us entertained and happy ( butter tarts help too!)...She's got to stop calling me 'teach'everytime I catch her doing something fun!. We are refining the trees and adding more 'sky holes' for a natural look. The snow shadows are coming along nicely.
Gerry has this commission for his daughter. He had a great reference photo, and can actually see the shine on the fur and the structure of the dog. The chew toy should be finished this week and then off to Calgary it goes. He has some interesting ideas for the next one...stay tuned.
Pat is painting her charming twin granddaughters and brought in the snowman from another reference. The girls will be in bright red PJ's that will go extremely well with the taupe foreground. Jaimie, the girls' mother also attended HT, but you can imagine how busy she is now!
Pearl had a special request to paint this for an office. There is a great overwhelming feeling of tranquility and peace in this painting. Pearl is also a member of our St. Albert Artists Colony and shows at HT and Spot Light Gallery during the summer. She is a very serious painter and because of her dedication and amazing output, she inspires us all. She managed to talk me into participating in ' Career Days' at her daughters school...I LOVED IT! It was so refreshing to see how many grade 4-6 had a career in the arts as a possible choice in life. The students' excitement was so refreshing! I'm already planning to do it again in 2011.
Dee is another artist that keeps on going and going- and she is definaltely a floral painter. These lillies have many layers and she is really seeing all those colors in the white. Dee got alot out of John from Delta Art's talk about varnishing. Dee uses a spray varnish, and boy do you have to be carefull putting that stuff on. You can find Dee at HT on Thurs am making the mornings a fun time!
Luise is a natural born landscape artist. She choses subjects that fit her style so well- including bike paths, a beautful winterscape that ended up as her Christtmas card, and this green paradise. She has a wonderful sense of values that allows her to move certain trees and bushes forward or backward on the pictoral plane. She is slowly covering up her brown monochromatic painting as seen at the bottom. Isn't it amazing that the colors cover the brown so well?
Rana has been working on this 'project' for a very long time....in between studying and becoming a nurse. Her Mother took this photo on her travels and Rana has done a remarkable job of capturing the heat.... and the camels! I am ordering the framing and she is very excited to get this on her parent's wall. She is also gicleeing this painting for a friend.
Check back for more student progress during the next week.
For more art, you can also visit my blog and read about my
artistic process.
Spring session starts in April along with the St. Albert trade show...and the Mona Lisa Show! It's going to get VERY BUSY!
