Yes I'm finally going to do an update on this page. I'm sorry for letting it go so long between postings but one does have to live life, so we have something to comment on. If I gave you a minute by minute update, we'd be on twitter! Personally, I like catching up with my friends and hearing about their adventures, trials and triumphs in life occasionally. People can only do that so often though or else it seems like your married and you might as well move in together. I see this as an opportunity to share a cup of coffee, listen to some yarns, experiences and general BS. It's a tradition down here in the South to tell tales and stories and to make them somewhat larger than life or at least have some small pearl of wisdom that your grandfather or grandmother would have shared with you. This blog is really about living life creatively, filling your days with the making and enjoyment of art and passing along those thoughts and stories we all come across while traveling this creative path. I hope you enjoy my tales and I'd hope that I'd get to hear from you, share a cup of coffee and pass some time getting to know each other. I suppose I've not heard much back from many of you and sometimes I get the notion that no one is reading this. I suppose that's not the case as several of you have asked when the next installment was going to be posted. Thanks for that, the encouragement is a big help!
So what's been up with me? Well a lot really! In the last few days I've been at a great little event at the Smith-Gilbert Gardens in Kennesaw GA. These are a well kept secret that I'd personally like to let out of the bag. The gardens have only been open to the public a couple of years. The gardens them selves have been around much longer and are a fully mature garden with some spectacular sights and sculptural art work. I'd encourage you to check them out and they are fairly close on Pine Mountain Road in Kennesaw GA. The event was a plein-air paint out and many talented artists and good friends attended. There was some fabulous artwork made there and we had a small show and sale afterward. There were seven prizes given and the event came out as a wonderful experience for me. Keep an eye out for upcoming events and if you get a chance be sure to check this place out!
What you see are the 5 paintings I completed in 2 days. Hope you enjoy them!
This was the first of the 5 painting I did during the two day event. It's of the Bonsai garden and nursery. This is also the painting that picked up an award from the judge, Bill Davidson. I especially like the fact that Bill gave his time to tell people why he picked certain paintings and the things that worked with each. It's been a while since I've been on the side of receiving a critique and it felt good to hear.
This is the 2nd of 5 paintings looking at the south side of the house on the property. It's an old house with lot's of brick, high ceilings and a bit of that Victorian charm.
This is the 3rd of 5 paintings and was my last painting of the first day. By this time I was tired and ready to pack it in. The light was fabulous though by this time of day and I couldn't walk away. This sculpture seems to be the image the garden uses most to identify themselves with.
I personally don't think much of the sculpture as it reminds me of a Chinese or Japanese letter form or I suppose it could be a dog exhibiting the play stance! For me it was all about the light, shadows and trees which were electric!
After a nights sleep I picked up with this painting of the greenhouse and a huge oak tree at the edge of the main lawn. I had a time limit though as I had a date with my next painting! This piece was 4 of 5 total.
This is the painting I came to paint after looking around the weekend before to scout locations. I kept my motivation level high by saving this for my last. When I saw this tree the canopy was lit up and bright yellow. The tree shape reminded me of the character Medusa in Jason and the Argonauts. That's what I named it (The Medusa Tree). I really pushed the color on this painting as well. There is a lot of color here and seeing it as a reduced photo is not enough. Click on the image and give it a closer look! Enjoy!!!
So that's the past few days of my life! Hope you get a chance to push a little paint around as well!
Best wishes,
Chazz
PS. Leave a comment so I know you've been following this page. It helps inspire me to write a bit more!
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