An Endless Fascination

 "Jeannette", 9x11", oil on Raymar Linen

Last night, I painted with my regular portrait group at Bill's house.  Jeannette tucked a red rose behind her ear, which gave our paintings just the right pop of color.  My painting is unfinished and has lots of little drawing errors that I would love to attack, but for now, I'm enjoying the spontaneous feel of it.  I may even leave it like it is.

Here we are in Bill's studio.  Jeannette was wearing a fabulous turquoise blouse that I didn't have time to get to. Bill chose this color combination because the red and blue were positively vibrating against one another.

The other day,  I was going through some old paintings stacked in my studio, and I came upon this one.  It is my very first portrait painted in oil, oh so many years ago!  Miles of canvas later, I'm still enjoying painting people from life.  In fact, nothing gives me more joy than capturing someone in art.  I have no idea why I'm constantly driven to do so, but I'm still loving the journey and the endless challenge.

"Cassidy", A Portrait From Life

 "Cassidy", oil on linen,  9.5" x 15"

I've been away from the easel for a few weeks, and was feeling rusty when I went to my friend Bill's studio to paint Cassidy last night.  I decided to make things as simple as possible for myself, spending time on carefully drawing the underlying shapes and finding my darks and lights with a neutral color before adding any color.

I used Burnt Umber, thinned with a bit of mineral spirits to lay down the drawing and find my darks and lights.

Gradually, I built up the color in thin layers, using the initial drawing as my guide. Approaching the portrait in this measured step by step approach kept me on track and in control.  

We Have History

Jen With Glasses, May, 2017

I've been painting portraits from live model sittings for many years now.  Heaven knows I don't do it for fame or fortune; I rarely sell one of these paintings, and I have dozens of them stacked high in my studio.  On the evenings when I get together with my fellow artists to gather around a model, it's often snowing or raining hard, and I don't get home again until around 11:00pm.  

Painting Jen in the Studio

So why do I do it, week after week, year after year?  Because no other subject gives me a thrill the way capturing a person's likeness, and sometimes even their personality on canvas does. I can paint a really wonderful apple or bunch of flowers, or even a sunset and be happy with it, but I'm never as fulfilled as I am after a session with a live, breathing human being in front of me, surrounded by like-minded artists who are my friends.  

We are all after the same thing-- to describe and translate the uniqueness of the person sitting before us onto canvas.  And when we come close, we feel that thrill.

And we will be back next week!

Jen, 2013

Jen, 2016

"Produce From Limoux" and a Presentation in Saugatuck

"Produce From Limoux",  14x11"  Oil on Linen

I started this painting on a rainy day in France.  The produce stands in Limoux' central square were brimming with the most beautiful fruits and vegetables, so we loaded up our baskets with the intention of painting them when the weather turned inclement.  Luckily, we had a spacious basement with good lighting where we could spread out and paint whenever we wanted.  Some amazing paintings were produced in that basement that week!

For purchase information, please click on Ann Feldman Limoux

Do you have plans on April 16th?  Consider a road trip to Saugatuck, Michigan to visit me as I paint at the J. Petter Gallery from 3 to 6pm.  Enjoy tasting some new wine and meander through the gallery to see all their beautiful new art.  I would love to see you there!  The details are below:

J. PETTER GALLERIES April 2016 Events Petter Art Gallery & Petter Wine Gallery One of the largest and oldest fine art galleries in West Michigan with a cozy boutique wine bar and gourmet retail shop. Sat. April 16th 3 to 6pm - Artist Demo & Reception, Ann Feldman All Month April 1 to 30 - Art Exhibition, Still Lives in Focus Sat. April 30 4 to 6pm - Wine School, Spring Sips and Picks ARTIST DEMO & RECEPTION with Ann Feldman Still Lifes, Landscapes, Portraits Saturday - April 16th from 3pm to 6pm We are pleased to invite you to an artist reception and open house for Ann Feldman.  Meet Ann and enjoy delicious refreshments while she paints on site.  Stop in to see how her varying techniques with pallet knife and brush allow her to convey light and shadow. STILL LIVES IN FOCUS Featuring art from Philomene Bennett, Ann Feldman and Cindy Peterson A still life experience. On exhibition all month - April 1 to 30, 2016 This April we celebrate our artists who live in the moment at our 'Still Lives in Focus'.  Philomene's large scale paintings are splashed with vibrant and bold color.  Ann's work is filled with touches of light and composed of rich beauty.  Cindy creates still life contemporary work with an 'old master' feel.  Join us as we celebrate 'Still Lives in Focus'.      Live in the moment this month at J. Petter Galleries. ____________________________ WINE SCHOOL Featuring Sommelier Stuart Spring & Summer Picks Saturday - April 30, 2016 from 4 to 6pm It is time for our April Wine School with some exciting wines for the upcoming spring and summer season.  Join us with Sommelier Stuart for a fun and educational afternoon of tasting wines.  Price is $25 per person, includes wine tastes and appetizer pairings.  Take advantage of special pricing on wine school selections. To RSVP phone 269-857-2230 or emailinfo@jpettergalleries.com with name(s) and contact information to save your place at the table. Cheers wineaux!

"Tiny White House, Limoux", 7x5" (study)

 "Tiny White House, Limoux", 7x5"  oil on linen

"Early Fall, Vineyards of Limoux", 7x5", oil on linen

Painting in the vineyards near Limoux was so easy with the help of our hosts at Montfaucon.  Penny and Nicolina knew which vineyard to visit in the morning, and which in the evening, because the light was best at those times of day.  They made arrangements with the landowners for us to set up amongst the vines, and plopped us down in the most incredibly picturesque areas we could imagine.  From there, we would hike about and eventually settle on the view that spoke to each one of us.

These two studies were painted on the spot, and I'll be using them to develop some larger paintings.  I tried to capture the feeling of the light hitting the vineyards in the foreground and the misty foothills in the back.

More to come, mes chers amis!  Next, I'll tell you about painting in a secret garden...

"Selena", 16x20"

Earlier this month, I had the great fortune of taking a workshop with Daniel Gehartz.  To say that there were a few "Aha Moments" during my time with him would be an understatement!  I especially came away with new understandings about turning form using temperature control and making my portraits more powerful through edge variation and value separation.  I know that's a lot to take in, so I will elaborate on these concepts more in future posts.

Selena came to model for us on the first day.  I experimented quite a bit with "warm and cool" temperatures in this piece.  Notice the warm red tones in the shadow side of her face.  That was new for me.  Dan encouraged us to really squint and see that these tones were actually happening, so it's OK to go ahead and put them in.  

I guess all this squinting and experimenting paid off.  Selena's grandma purchased the painting!

Charlie's Angels, 28x24"

You guessed it-- Dad's name is Charlie!  This is one of those projects I was sorry to see end.  I will miss their smiling faces in my studio.  The painting is home now in New York City.