Leonardo Da Vinci at the Getty, a finished painting, and some sketches...

It has been a while since I've completed a faerie painting, but here she is. This acrylic fantasy fairy painting is 8"x10" and is titled Lace Wings, referencing the Lacewing butterfly on which the wings are loosely based.

I also recently had the opportunity to visit the Getty Center. Currently, they have a Da Vinci exhibit focused primarily on his involvement with sculptures. I enjoyed the sculptures, but what really wowed me were his sketches. They are tiny and amazing gems. There was also a painting there that was incomplete, it was a very rare chance to see a painting that he was in progress with. Overall the exhibit was fantastic. I also saw some illuminated manuscripts in the Research Center that were very interesting. That exhibit has now closed; but, the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit will be on until June 20th I believe.

I don't always go to so many exhibits, but the ones up right now are fantastic! I did some searches on Thomas Wilmer Dewing and found some pieces of his on Bert Christensen's site at:
http://www.bertc.com/g4/index.htm
I love how this artist used color to create moods.

Below are some of my sketches for the week. I've been focused on faces and will likely remain so for quite some time. This doesn't mean that other subjects won't sneak in, but my sketching focus right now is women's faces.

Saturday... nada
Sunday...

Monday...

Tuesday...

Wednesday...

American Stories at LACMA and the good, the bad, and the not so pretty...

Today I returned to LACMA to see American Stories, I'm so glad I did. There was an abundance of luscious art. Being able to see pieces in person that I've prior to only seen in books is such a treat. It is also quite nice to see art that I've never seen before. I was completely taken in by a painting by an artist named Thomas Wilmer Dewing. I am completely unfamiliar with him, but I intend to look him up.

I have some sketches; some good, some bad, and some not so pretty. It is my intention to share some sketches that I do even if they are not always my best work. Some days are better then other days. What they are is a slice of my day. I thought I had finished a painting I started quite a while ago, but when I came home and viewed it with fresh eyes, I noticed some touching up that I need to do. As such, I will likely be able to share it the next time I post. Anyway, here are the sketches...

Friday... a California poppy

Saturday... bonus

Sunday... bonus

Monday...

Tuesday...

Wednesday...

Thursday...

Friday...

Faces and more faces

This week my sketches are largely faces. There is one sketch that includes more of the figure, but that is the master study sketch. Once again I've found that I skipped Saturday and Sunday. I believe that I am going to make those days bonus, since I seem less likely to sketch on those days anyway.

Friday... side profile

Friday... after Rembrandt van Rijn's "woman with clasped hands"

Saturday and Sunday... nada
Monday... a girl

Tuesday... another girl

Wednesday... a girl at a slant (I have no idea why I sketched her sideways)

Thursday... a girl

Renoir in the 20th Century at LACMA and some sketches

Yesterday I had the tremendous fortune of being able to attend the show "Renoir in the 20th Century" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It is lush and gorgeous and fabulous! His use of color is so fantastic. Some of these paintings are works that I had seen prior to in books, but having the opportunity to see them in person was just phenomenal. The scale, the brush strokes, and the intensity were well worth the visit. They had a couple of brief films (2 minutes possibly) of him painting. He had rheumatoid arthritis, but he was still so driven to create. I almost considered missing this show because of the expense, it's a special exhibit so it's pricier then the standard admission, but I'm very glad I opted to renew my membership and take in this show. It was uplifting and inspiring. I'm also going to see their show "American Stories," another special exhibit, but I felt like seeing the one show was as much as I could absorb in one visit. Actually, I think it would be great to see it again, but I am glad to have seen it at least the once.

I have some sketches, short one and not yet done for tonight, but this is what I have for the week:

Friday... an orchid floral

Saturday... nothing at all
Sunday... a girl

Monday... another girl

Tuesday... an additional girl

Wednesday... a flower

Thursday... a girl

The cover page...

Well, only a handful of sketches today. I'd hoped to finish my little faerie that I'm working on, but I'm not sure when I'll get the painting time in to finish her. Next week is flush with appointments, so it's not looking good. I did do a sketch from the book last night. I was considering skipping that one, but it was the one they chose as the cover page for the book itself, so I decided to give it a go.

Tuesday... two nestled snowdrop flowers

Wednesday... a girl

Thursday... another girl

Thursday... after Albrecht Durer's "head of a man"

All girls...

Well, today my group of sketches is composed entirely of girls. For my fantasy art, I'm mainly focusing on faces right now. Not every sketch ends up being a painting, but it enables me to try faces that I don't think are necessarily suitable for painting in sketching form. Some of them are, some of them aren't, and some of them surprise me. It's been a while since I've completed a fantasy painting, but I am working on one right now.

This weekend I watched season two of "Breaking Bad" on dvd. It's such a suspenseful show, I have no idea how people watch it week to week! Much like the first season, season two definitely hooked me from the start and I wanted to watch each following episode immediately. What surprises me about it is how Skylar manages to be generally unsympathetic to me, I think she's in the right a lot of the time, but my sympathy isn't with her as much as I would expect.

Anyway, on to the sketches:

Friday... girl 1

Saturday... girl 2

Sunday... girl 3

Monday... girl 4

Only a small handful of sketches...

I'm afraid it has been a very poor week for art. Between losing track of time, many appointments, and general malaise; I just haven't done nearly as much as I would have hoped. It has, however, been a very good week for culinary adventures. I tried a new to me restaurant called Phoenicia in Glendale at 343 N. Central Ave. that serves Lebanese food. I've never tried Lebanese food before and I quite enjoyed it. There really isn't a main course item for vegetarians, but there are plenty of delicious side dishes that when combined can make for a wonderful meal. Apparently they also have a live belly dancing show on Friday and Saturday nights; but, I went during the week. It was nice. There's valet parking, but if you don't mind walking a little, street parking when I went was plentiful. Anyway, on to the sketches. I didn't manage that many, but I did do one from the book yesterday.

Saturday... lost track of time
Sunday... let time get away from me again
Monday... a Hibiscus flower

Tuesday... tired and crashed
Wednesday... a bunny

Thursday... an orchid floral

Thursday... after Raphael Sanzio's "Fight between man on a horse and two nude soldiers" (cropped)

A big bundle of sketches...

I didn't get a chance to upload any sketches earlier in the week, so today I have a big bundle. I also have my first sketch from the book in a while. I feel mostly better from my cold, so I was a little more ambitious in my subject matter today.

Friday, last Friday... a girl

Saturday... a Magnolia bloom

Sunday... a Pansy

Monday... a girl

Tuesday... another girl

Wednesday... a lone Snowdrop flower

Thursday... an Echinacea Coneflower blossom

Friday, today Friday... after a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci's "head"

California coastline painting & sketchy sketches

Today I finished the painting above, it's the project I was working on. I wasn't sure I was going to get it done on time, but it's done, and on time too! It measures 8"x10" and is an acrylic ocean seascape titled "CA coastline" and is of Zuma Beach, Point Dume.

I also did a few sketches. I still have a cold, it's nothing major, but I am so ready to be done with it! Some people are stoic when they're ill; not me...

Tuesday... a girl

Wednesday... a flower

Thursday... another girl

Sketches and the sniffles...

I have a few sketches to post, but didn't sketch on Sunday. I have a bit of the sniffles and just didn't do it. Anyway, here's what I have:

Friday... a calla lily flower

Saturday... another calla lily floral

Sunday... nothing at all
Monday... a girl