Pat's Blog

Kids having fun at The Playground

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Pat

Below are some of the photos I took this week, with the exception of the last one which was taken last week. We all have such a good time, that it is hard to stop and clean up.

Elsa, above left, made a beautiful sign. She is not a sloppy dresser, I asked her to show off her beautiful top and she had already put her coat on. Thank you Elsa, I love your top, it looks beautiful on you. On the right is Catherine, holding her joyful circle painting. Wow, what gorgeous colors. Her painting took 2 weeks to complete but I think it was worth it. Great job!

Above is (left to right) Katherine, Kate & Annie. Kate and Annie were doing the shaving cream project for the first time and loving it. They usually do serious professional looking work, but Monday they decided to take a break and just have fun.

Heather (above, left) looks very focused as she paints at the easel. Viive is peeking in from the right, smiling proudly. She did a great job of drawing a horse.

Shalin (above, left) is very pleased with her vase and flowers. Well done! The two girls on the right are enjoying painting (Avery on the left and Viive on the right).

Last but not least is Allison, above, and her flower painting. Beautiful color combination!

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy seeing some of what goes on at the studio.

Posted in artwork, kids, painting | Tagged Allison, Annie, Avery, circle painting, Elsa, Heather, Kate, Katherine, Shalin, shaving cream, Viive | Leave a comment

More Prints

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Pat

Rachael Forest-Ray came to class Tuesday morning and when she learned Linda had left some gelatin in the refrigerator she was thrilled. The prints below are some of her new ones. Rachael was part of the Saturday afternoon Gelatin Printing class.

Hopefully Rachael will frame some of these up and hang them in the student art show this year. Wait until you see them in person.

I just added two more. Robert did these in the Saturday class. He said he had such a good time he is planning on buying all the supplies. He wants to try painting on the gelatin. I think that is something I would also like to try sometime.

What do you think? Aren’t they all sooooooo interesting?

Thanks for reading. Have a great day!

Posted in adults, artwork | Tagged gelatine prints, Rachael Forest-Ray | Leave a comment

“Joys of Gelatin Printing” Workshop Part 2 – Sunday, March 4

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Pat

Below, is Linda Germain, the printing “queen” and one of her demonstration prints.

Below are the attendees of the Sunday workshop. It was a fun group! Full of laughter.

Next are some of the prints. I don’t remember everyone’s name or whose prints belong to who, but they sure are gorgeous!

The next two images below are what Linda calls the original (right) and the ghost (left). Both are beautiful and have much different feelings.

The three gals below are mother in the middle and her two daughters. They’re out having fun together to celebrate the birthday of the daughter on the right. Don’t they all look happy! Beautiful smiles along with fantastic prints.

Below are Karene and her daughter Sophia, who is a student of mine. Her mom, loved printmaking in college. She graduated from Mass College of Art before she settled down to have a family. They had a great time sharing this experience together. What a joy to see families having fun doing something so totally different & creative.

The last print, below, sure is interesting and Karene above said she would be hard pressed to tell us how she did it. As people moved deeper into the experience they lost track of time and the methods they used. They just seemed to be on a different plain. They were ‘in the zone’ as they say.

Thanks for visiting. Hope you visit again soon!

Posted in artwork, classes, Workshops | Tagged gelatin printmaking, ghost, Linda Germain, mothers & daughters, original, Sunday, the zone | Leave a comment

“Joys of Gelatin Printing” Workshop – Saturday, March 3

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Pat

Above, Linda Germain, our fearless leader, demonstrates adding string to the inked gelatin plate. Below are photos of the participants listening to Linda’s approach for starting to play with objects laid on top of the ink. The photo on the right is Linda lifting one corner, which she calls ‘sneaking a peak’. If you want a crisp edge around the objects, this is the time to see if you need to press down more.

There were 14 people signed up for Saturday and a waiting list so Linda decided to offer another class on Sunday. I wasn’t able to stay so I only got one photo of everyone working on their prints. I hope they bring a few of their favorite finished prints back to the studio so those of us who didn’t get to participate can see their treasures. Hint! Hint!

On Sunday I was able to come back at the end of class so I do have some photo’s of their finished prints on the next blog. I will post both today.

Thanks again to Linda for sharing her knowledge and so much of herself with us. Preparing for this kind of a workshop is a tremendous amount of work, more than most of us realize. Out of all who participated in the two workshops, only a handful had done print making before so it was a terrific experience. It was an experience that some of them might never have had, and who knows, some of them might start incorporating the prints into their regular art work. Possibly they will frame them just as they are for their home, give them as gifts or donate them to a charity for an auction. So, Linda, thanks again from all of us.You did a great job and we appreciate you!

Posted in adults, artwork, Workshops | Tagged fun, gelatin printmaking, Linda Germain, printing, studio, time flys, workshop | 1 Comment

Week in review

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Pat

We are just starting another 6 weeks of kids classes. What a wonderfully creative week we are already having. The first photo below is of my friend & neighbor Susan and her granddaughter, Lilly, (visiting from Vermont). I invited them to join us for the afternoon on Wednesday. Three kids were absent, which gave us extra space. It couldn’t have worked out better. Susan loves to do crafts so it was a joy for her exploring & experimenting with new material. The shaving cream project is always a lot of fun but sharing the experience with her granddaughter made it even better. Lilly also used the light table and did a circle drawing. She was inspired by Molly’s, circle drawing, below left, who was inspired by Quinn, below right, who is working on a marker drawing of rectangles and circles. Hey Quinn, did you think the project you have been working on would ignite inspiration in others? It sure is something how one persons idea inspires another. Then that persons new idea blossoms and inspires yet another. Each persons creation is totally different and unique. Thanks Quinn!

Next is Eli, holding up a pencil drawing. It sure looks interesting. I’m not sure if he is planning on adding color or not. Sometimes line drawings are works of art on their own. Click on it to see the detail. Great job Eli! I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished.

Below left, is Sophia, she comes to the Wednesday night adult class. She is about 9 years old and although that is the youngest person we have ever had in a regular adult class, she fits in perfectly and the 2½ hours is not too long for her. She is busy creating the whole time. Notice the gift she made for her girlfriend last night. The inspiration for the clay tree-like statue was from the drawing (below, right) she had done in school that day. She even decorated the gift box. It was perfect. Sorry I forgot to take a photo. It was the total gift of love. You are a good friend Sophia! We are blessed to have you with us.

Sophia and her mom will be participating in Linda Germain’s gelatin printing class this weekend. The Saturday class filled up fast so Linda added a Sunday class and I think that class is almost full but for one or two spots if any of you are interested. It is from 12 to 4pm and all the supplies are provided. This class is the most fun many of us have had since we were little kids. Even if you can’t come this weekend let me know if you would like to be on an email list for future workshops. I promise you won’t be disappointed. I’ll take photo’s and post them next week. Please check out the blog I did about Linda.

As always thanks for reading and making my blog a part of your day. I love sharing.

Posted in artwork, classes, kids, Workshops | Tagged Eli, Lilly, Quinn, Sophia, Susan | Leave a comment

Cara Gonier

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Pat

These paintings were executed by Cara Gonier. She is an abstract painter extraordinaire! Last year she studied traditional painting and drawing at the studio on Tuesday mornings. We all loved her and miss her. She stops in every once in a while to say hi and share her news. Speaking of which she will be apart of, “Springtime Floriade” which runs March 9 – April 21 at the Chocolate Church Arts Center, Bath, Maine.

Gray has never looked so good! Beautiful!!!!!!!

website address is www.caragonier.weebly.com

http://www.chocolatechurchgallery.blogspot.com/

Posted in acrylic painting, adults, artwork, imagination, spontaneity | Tagged abstract, acrylic painting, alive, Cara Gonier, colorful, full of life, gorgeous, group show | Leave a comment

John Ellis

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Pat

Some of you might remember John from the Tuesday night class or perhaps from the art show last year. His painting was on the invitation for the show. He painted those beautiful ocean scenes. Although John came to the studio to study oils, he was already an accomplished painter in acrylics so he didn’t need much help from me. His forté has been murals. Below are some of his recent creations. The first photo is of the prep work before he could even begin the creation of the barber shop mural. As always, 60 to 70 percent thinking and planning, whether it is a mural or a painting.

Click on the photos below to see how fantastic it turned out.

Each of the panels below left are 12 feet tall. On the right is a close up of a portion of the first panel (it was hard to see it because of the light coming in the window). These were commissioned by a company in Quincy. Wow, John, they all look really great! Thanks for letting me share these with everyone.

If any of you would like a mural in your home of office you can reach him at:

John E b_1941@hotmail.com

As always, thanks for visiting, and have a great day.

Posted in acrylic painting, adults, artwork, painting | Tagged acrylics, John Ellis, murals | Leave a comment

More Fun at the Studio

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Pat

Lexi and Maddy are at it again. See what an interesting crayon melting design Lexi created, (below left). The yellow shape is a cut out, allowing the yellow paper behind to show through. Lexie, I love everything you do.

Maddy, “took off” after I showed her how to make bows. I bet she made even more when she got home. She made one for each of her friends. Soooooo thoughtful!

It’s really easy to make these bows. If any of you want to learn I’d be glad to show you. Imagine all the creative possibilities! There is no limit!

Next is Avery, (below), with her interesting crayon art. It looks even better in person, very harmonious and full of movement. Very nice Avery!

Thanks for stopping by and making my blog a part of your day.

Posted in artwork, kids | Tagged Avery, bows, crayon art, Lexi, Maddy | 1 Comment

A Valentine Gift

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Pat

Happy Valentines Day, may this day and everyday be filled with love, joy and giving.

Speaking of giving, this wreath was given to me by Kincaid and Violet (below) last week. Aren’t they adorable girls and so pleased with their creation. They used cupcake papers and twisted them to make this wreath. It was a lot of work but together they figured out what and how to do it. What a creative, interesting and lovely gift. Thank you girls! I love it!

These two creations are Izzy’s. I just found them in my telephone-camera and learned to download them. They looked so creative I wanted to add them to this blog.

I hope you are enjoying my postings.

Thanks for reading. And thanks to all the kids that gave me gifts. I love all of them.

Posted in artwork, imagination, kids | Tagged cupcake papers, giving, Izzy, Kincaid, Valelntines Day, Violet, wreath | Leave a comment

Noelle Sciuto … Exceeding her Expectations

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Pat

Below is Noelle and some of her recent paintings. Several years ago her family bought her a gift certificate for Christmas. She came to class saying she was not good at drawing and didn’t think she would be very good at painting. What she did have was enthusiasm and desire, in spades! Noelle eagerly wanted to learn to paint because she loved color. She started with watercolor but after awhile decided it wasn’t for her. The paintings below are all acrylics. They are lively and full of color. She is still learning and striving to become more satisfied with her work.

The photo above right was taken this past fall on our yearly painting trip to Ogunquit.

The painting below, is taken from a photo of a path near her house on Plum Island. She added a lighthouse for interest. Can you tell looking at her paintings that her favorite color is blue?

The next two paintings below, are her most recent. Noelle has started adding suggestions of people to her finished paintings. The one on the left, below, is a copy of a fairly famous painting so she will not be able to sell it. Notice the sense of depth she achieved! Good job Noelle! Copying paintings we like is a very good exercise as long as the painting is by an accomplished artist. The painting on the right is an original, done from a photo she took at a cranberry bog.

Below left, is Noelle painting outside. She happens to be blocking in the first stages of the completed painting on the right. Noelle, you look like a pro! Luscious looking garden!

Thanks for reading my blog. I love sharing all the goings on at the studio and showing you that everyone’s hard work is paying off.

Natural abilities are like natural plants that need pruning by study. (Sir Francis Bacon)

Our duty, as men and women, is to proceed as if limits to our ability did not exist. We are collaborators in creation. (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin)

Posted in acrylic painting, adults, artwork, painting, Watercolor | Tagged acrylic painting, copying, Noelle Sciuto, Ogunquit, original | Leave a comment

Kids having fun at The Playground

More Prints

“Joys of Gelatin Printing” Workshop Part 2 – Sunday, March 4

“Joys of Gelatin Printing” Workshop – Saturday, March 3

Week in review

John Ellis

More Fun at the Studio

A Valentine Gift

Noelle Sciuto … Exceeding her Expectations

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