FIBER MOVING SALE!!!!

To all my fiber friends who may be interested. I am cleaning out for moving. Please see the details listed on my weaving blog here.
School starts up next week so stay tuned for the final term!
-Renee

Third Term Finished!

Well, that went fast. It was a very interesting and transitional term for me. Before I get started on that and what is next here are the final two pieces from the term:

This was a 36 hour figure study done in charcoal on Canson Mi Tientes paper in sky blue. I am enjoying figure drawing tremendously. It is very challenging and demanding but also very satisfying. There is something about the energy of a live being that is much more fascinating than an inanimate object. However, that said, I do understand the need for drawing and painting beautiful objects too. So, here the final grisaille. It was my first one so the learning curve was steep yet again. I have never used oils and, even though I was using them in a manner very similar to charcoal, it still was a new medium to get used to.

It is far from finished but I accomplished the learning goals on this study. More will be coming for next term.
Even though the term whizzed by, it was strenuous. I had my share of struggles and growth. That is always a good sign. I feel like I have come a long way in my understanding in the last few weeks of the term. That is priceless. We have a two week break before the fourth and final term. I am certain that it will fly by at a terrifying pace. There is so very much I still need to learn! What I will be learning is part of my homework for the break. I will be sitting down with my design journals and revisiting the ideas I have recorded there. I will be clarifying the direction I will be going in. I know what I want and where I want to go so I will be focusing and sharpening that. When the final term starts up on July 6th, I will know what I need learn for the final push. This is such an incredible opportunity for me. Even though it wasn't as long as I had hoped or planned, I am so grateful for what I have received and achieved.
At the moment, I am with my husband and dog, Twill, in our future hometown of Manzanita, Oregon. We are here partly on business but also to relax, celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary, and start to get to know our town more intimately. Sunday morning I enjoyed participating in a Life Drawing session at the local art center. I met some wonderful women who are passionate about art and working at the study of art. Here is a rather delightful picture of the exterior of where the life drawing was held. Folks here have a good sense of humor:

The building is on the main street of town so all who drive by can see. The evening before this we went to a book reading across the street. We are definitely smitten by this little town and can hardly wait to be settled in. That will be happening the first week of September. Here is a final picture of the town, actually, the ocean at the end of the street!

This is where we will be come September. We will get settled in and I will take a small rest break and then I will get to work. What will I be doing? I will be continuing my art studies on my own. In addition to that, I will be taking up my jewelry making again to hopefully fund my art making. There will be plenty to blog about in addition to pictures and reports of this beautiful little village snuggled on the northern Oregon coast...
We will be heading back to Ashland soon and the final term of school. Stay tuned!
-Renee

First Grisaille

As you can tell by the time between my posts, my assignments are taking longer and longer to complete. I finally got to start grisaille painting! This is a picture of the work in progress. I  have two more sessions before I will stop. I have never painted in oil paint before so not only am I learning a new process but I am dealing with a new, to me, medium. It is getting easier though!
For those of you who do not know what a grisaille painting is, here is what Wikipedia has to say about it:
"Grisaille (grɪʼzaɪ, -ʼzeɪl; French: gris, grey, French pronunciation: /ɡʁi.zaj/) is a term for painting executed entirely in monochrome or near-monochrome, usually in shades of grey.A grisaille may be executed for its own sake, as underpainting for an oil painting (in preparation for glazing layers of colour over it), or as a model for an engraver to work from."
 As you can see by the picture my grisaille is not grey but earthtoned.
School has become quite intense. At the moment, I am the only one in my first year class. All but one other student has departed. The other student is visiting family at this time. In fact, as the school year heads to the final term, the remaining students are mostly those who will be going on to study in Maui. As a result, the atmosphere in the school has become more serious and intense, in a good way. All of us are aware how little time we have left here. It goes by so fast. We have one more week of school before break and then on to the final term.
I will be visiting my future home town over the break and will post a few pictures from there. I will have a few things to say about the town artistically as well as I will be participating in a life drawing session up there. I definitely feel the need for a break. Not only is the atmosphere intense but there is so much learning going on for me personally that it is a bit overwhelming at times.
So, I will have the finished grisaille to post as well as another figure drawing next week. I will have a few things to post over the break as well, then, on to the home stretch!
-Renee