P is for Pandemic and Art for Pleasure

 #PostcardsfromthePandemic

I teach a series of painting classes called Art for Pleasure. What used to take place in a classroom; what used to be an opportunity to explore a variety of styles and materials is now all online. Its taken me some time to figure out how to teach in this new way, but, as it turns out, for my students, and especially for me, having our class to prepare for and a chance to spend time, even at a distance, with other artists, is pure pleasure.

Lately, our class has been preparing to paint by creating a series of thumbnail sketches. These loose sketches, focused on shapes, light and composition are a great way to understand what we are seeing. 

This little painting started as a thumbnail of a still life. I decided to explore it further by doing a quick painting with my waterbrush pens. Adding color allowed me to play with the strong lights and darks I am trying to capture. Next step is to transfer this (with adjustments in the composition) to canvas - larger, and to work in acrylics. We will see ...