Tyvek Portrait and Art Featured at our Church

"Thoughtful"

14" x 12" Watercolor on Tyvek

 

 

Myrna Wacknov demos watercolor on Tyvek

for Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society

I went to a demo by SCVWS member and well-known artist and teacher Myrna Wacknov a couple weeks ago. She was engaged to teach a workshop on portraiture to intermediate and advanced painters. Myrna is so very creative and did a great wonderful demo using Dr. Martin's Hydrus Watercolors on Tyvek. The paint is liquid and very intense and takes well to Tyvek, a synthetic material often used for shipping envelopes. You can use tube paints, but it must be fresh squeezed at each session. I coordinated Myrna's first workshop for us and learned so much from her.  Fellow artists Don and Alison from my South Side Art Club also attended this demo and were so intrigued by her process and results.

Our group paints together Thursday nights, so I brought some Tyvek and the Hydrus Watercolors that Myrna recommends. For the past few weeks we've been working away on our pieces. Penny did two landscapes and they came out very nicely. I've only painted people on Tyvek. Don is working on a musician. Alison is working from a Rose Bowl football game photo. Her nephew played in the Wisconsin band. The photo is dominated by a tuba reflecting the images of Alison and her family. I chose one of my favorite family subjects -- Bob. No copyright or model permission issues, the reason Myrna often does self-portraits.

 

The photo I worked from was quite dark and did not show shadows well, but I like the pose -- very Bob.  My own self-critique is that I should use a lot more dark to create shadows on the side of face and the hands, and I may go back and attempt that. I did some line work, which I like. If I add shadows, I will post again.



 

My art featured at Advent Lutheran Church

during Sunday service

 

During church services a piece of art by masters or world artists are featured on the screen behind the altar, and there is information about the artists and their work in our Sunday bulletin. I was very pleasantly surprised when Pastor Anita called to ask if I would like to supply some images of my art to display this Sunday. I sent five and they selected four. Our cellphone image is not good, but you get the idea. The images were:

 

"Rockport Headlands" (above)

"Franken Vine"

"Fall on Lake Eden"

"My Nepenthe"

 

One of our 8-year old congregants came to chat with me after church because he is an artist. I was blown away when his mom showed me some cards made from his art. I will be buying a set next Sunday. His art looks so far beyond that I would expect of someone his age. His dad told me he goes through three sketchbooks a week! He has taken lessons in acrylic on canvas from a local artist for the past two years.