"An Old Pastel Portrait of Pearl Buck"

I was digging through some flat files for something else, and came across this old pastel portrait of the author, Pearl Buck. I do not use pastel much, if ever anymore, but at one time before oil became my main medium of choice, I used pastels and watercolor almost exclusively. This is one of the few paintings with dry pigment that I painted that has survived. Many were destroyed, misplaced, sold or given away. This portrait was used as a fron'tis-piece for a book she authored. It escapes me at the moment, but it is fun to come across an old work that you can still look at, and not hate to much. Might just have to bring out the old dusty chalks, and give them a turn on the old easel to see if we can still get along! I`m sure the results will look significantly different now after all this time. This portrait is a late seventies or early eighties piece.

"Three Day Workshop" Last week at the Venice Art Center.

This ended up being a great day at Spanish Point in Osprey Fl......although it started a little chilly. Here the small group is taking a lunch break in the sun on this beautiful chilly morning. The weather was definitely on our side this day. If all outdoor events were like this, no one would stay indoors. Great group of friends. It was a very enjoyable workshop

This is a view of the Guptill house right on the bay. The workshop painters are lined up facing the water. An absolutely beautiful spot to paint and bring workshops.....I have painted here often and enjoyed it every time. You can turn in any direction, and there is a painting to be captured.

The rest of my small crew!

This is the first day demo at the Art Center of the live model. Thanks Susan for the this phone shot.

This is the quick demo of a large Oak tree in front of the Guptill House looking towards the bay.

Thanks to the participants/friends that always make this fun and worthwhile.

"Ringling "Landscape Demo" Plus a couple more hours Friday.

"Fall Creek" 16x20 oil on linen

This is the same painting from the previous post .....with a couple more hours of studio work the following day. It can still use a tweak here and there, but as demos go, I do not dislike it as much as I could. When I`m totally finished with it to my satisfaction, I will let it sit for a bit, and then decide if it has what I wanted. Most of my demos never make it to a second day effort. I wipe out or paint over many demos.

"Today`s Demo in My Figure Painting Class at Ringling"

My students in my figure painting class at Ringling College of Art and Design requested that I do a landscape demo today. I was not able to complete it, but this 16x20 oil on linen might be worth another hour or so.....to see if it can be saved. The class was a fun one for me, with a lot of relaxed chatter about this and that and things that have nothing to do with painting........and also good questions about painting and illustration etc. I believe these days are as important as the daily regiment of painting......not that what I have to say is so profound, but a lot is revealed by the questions that students ask. I will post the finished painting when I finish it.