"Nature's Light"
Watercolor on Paper
7" x 9"
Continuing with my art year in review, I will tell you about some wonderful online coaching and critique group.
A couple years ago, artist friend Joan and I met in New Mexico for our yearly art vacation. We attended a workshop in Taos taught by artist extraordinaire, Gwen Fox. I wrote about that 2014 workshop beginning here. After that class, I signed up for a year of individual coaching from Gwen using Web services. I focused on my collages that year and Gwen really helped me along. Gwen began a online critique group and I could not resist participating even though I was traveling during half of the ten sessions. She recorded sessions, so any of us with other commitments could catch up.
Weekly we would meet, able to see and talk with each other via a private group on Facebook. Gwen would give some instruction on design and a challenge for the week. We posted our art, and the following week Gwen critiqued them. There were about a dozen artists from around the country who participated.
Because my collage work requires so much time to complete, I painted my assignments. The first project was to take shapes that Gwen provided and complete an abstract. I did a small one in watercolor while onboard Amtrak between Denver and San Jose. I used existing shapes from Gwen, a different approach than I learned in the Salminen workshop. I will explain her Getting Started method in the next post.
Here is my first abstract for Gwen. I did a second in collage which was decidedly not my best work. My collages are people or objects, not abstracts, and I decided that I prefer to paint abstracts. Gwen's assignments were broad after the first abstract, so we could choose to paint whatever we wanted.
2 comments:
This watercolor is lovely, Mary; you did a super job. I think it can be difficult to produce artistic, interesting pieces "by assignment", so am doubly impressed. Of course, even when the results of assignments don't please us, they are opportunities to learn and grow. Kudos for joining the group and for seeing it through in spite of your travel.
Mary, thanks so much for checking in. I learned a lot and it made me paint and create, which always makes me happy. This year with so much travel I have had difficulty keeping my momentum with my art. I am really happy that I decided to work with the group.
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