In my ongoing attempt to overcome my discomfort with portraiture, I decided to do the part I really love... painting faces from imagination. First, I have to give credit to my inspiration for the next few paintings: Juan Martinez Parente. He found me on Pinterest and I've fallen in love with the faces he paints. … Continue reading Portrait Project One – Following an inspiration
Self-Portrait Project 4 – I only see myself in my eyes
Again moving the selfie around to get different dimensions of my face... I managed to distort my perception enough o almost lose myself completely. I still see my eyes. I heard once that all portraitists paint something of themselves into every portrait they paint. This comes from the hours spent observing themselves to practice painting. … Continue reading Self-Portrait Project 4 – I only see myself in my eyes
Self-Portrait Project 3 – Looking into my own eye for a memory
I flipped and moved the focal point of one of my selfies to give myself a good staring into my own eye. I needed to see something there... something I was expressing. Without my glasses on my eyes often look very sleepy, old, and tired. But inside I feel very young and curious, especially when … Continue reading Self-Portrait Project 3 – Looking into my own eye for a memory
Self-portrait project 2 – How I feel when painting the unfamiliar.
I warped the selfie on my phone for the model on this one. I observed it for a few minutes and then painted from memory. As soon as the outlines went down on paper I was aware that I was channelling feelings about my age. I couldn't figure out why I let my nose remain … Continue reading Self-portrait project 2 – How I feel when painting the unfamiliar.
Why a Certification as a Home Educator?
Part of how I've been describing myself as a teacher is being an educator with a teaching philosophy based on STEM / STEAM curricula, Universal Design for Learning, Emergent Curricula, and Maker-oriented education systems. If I had to say what theories/methods I use the most, I would be taking about aspects of Reggio-Emilia, Montessori, Waldorf, … Continue reading Why a Certification as a Home Educator?
Self-portrait project 1 – The first selfie
The Winter semester of my painting course will be focusing on portraiture. I must admit that this frightens me greatly. I don't like staring at my own face, much less staring into the eyes of another to paint them. I'm also not a fan of realism in any sense. So, this challenge has many levels … Continue reading Self-portrait project 1 – The first selfie
Still Life Project 2020 – In Hindsight
This project brought me highs and lows. There were days I didn't want to continue painting and got bored of the subject... That's when I challenged myself the most... first to reconsider compositions and then to reconsider materials (or how I was going to use them). I'm glad this project is over. I don't know … Continue reading Still Life Project 2020 – In Hindsight
Warped Two – I gotta move on from this now…
I've added some yellows, deepened the blacks, touched up spots with whites, and lined in some outlines... am I satisfied? No. I can't decide what to add or if I've already gone too far. I'be been staring at this composition in one form to another for over three m months now and I am frankly … Continue reading Warped Two – I gotta move on from this now…
The Creature’s Sorrow
Using a handmade marking brush: The handle is a cut branch off of a beach tree with red thread and jute twine. The brush part is made of steel wool. I must admit that I chose this material partly because I wanted to see what would happen when it rusted... how would that affect the … Continue reading The Creature’s Sorrow
There’s An Evil Spirit In That Wind
Using a handmade marking brush: The handle is cut from a cedar branch with jute twine. The brush fibres are nylon bundling rope salvaged from the hardware store. The India ink surprisingly soaked into the fibres and dripped onto the paper... The fibres got more straight with the ink soaked into them and this allowed … Continue reading There’s An Evil Spirit In That Wind
The New Renaissance Mindset 