Dear Subscribers,
 
Greetings!
 
Good news. My painting "Smolder" was a June Finalist in the Raymar Art Painting Competition! Check it out: link
 
Continuing from last week's painting-from-imagination exercise:
I like painting old metal stuff. I thought a cannonball would be fun to paint. Problem: I don't have one. Solution: try to paint one anyways.
 
Early stage:

 
Next stage:

 
And the finished painting (to be included in my One-Man show in September), "Cannonball" (8x8):
 

 
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In my still-life painting class we did a drapery study demo/paint-along which resulted in another finished painting.
 
The setup:

 
First stage:

 
Next stage:

 
Next stage:
This is how far we got in class:

 
Students set up behind me:

 
I was liking the composition, so after class I kept going.
Next stage:

 
And the finished painting (to be included in my One-Man show in September),
"Half Dome" (12x12):
 


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On a recommendation from Susan, I recently read Ernest Hemingway On Writing. This book delves into work habits of an artist (similar to themes in my favorite book on being an artist: The War of Art). Here is an excerpt that I love:
 
I happen to be in a very tough business where there are no alibis. It is good or it is bad and the thousand reasons that interfere with a book being as good as possible are no excuses if it is not. You have to make it good and a man is a fool if he adds or takes hindrance after hindrance after hindrance to being a writer when that is what he cares about. Taking refuge in domestic successes, being good to your broke friends etc. is merely a form of quitting.