Hilton Head 11.16.11

Every time we go to Hilton Head we have to go the The Jazz Corner which is a fabulous club with super jazz and delicious food. We love Bobby Ryder and that's who was playing this night. I did this totally blind contour drawing, then collaged around it the next morning. Yes, it was a late night and no, I couldn't see what I was drawing. Low lights for atmosphere, right? I am so pleased with what happened here, I hope you like it too.

Hilton Head 11.15.11

Day 5 on Hilton Head found me out for a morning ride on my bike. There are extensive bike paths, miles of beach to ride and biking is a favored mode of transportation by everyone on the island, locals and tourists alike. Here I am at Java Joe's where the 1st refill is free and the outdoor tables are positioned to take it ALL in. I had fun with this one, with several people asking to see what I was drawing. You have to go with the flow, if you want to work outside with people around. I do have friends who keep their earbuds in to discourage interaction, but that's not me.

Hilton Head 11.14.11

Started some contour drawing again, trying to keep my eye off the page, filling in with gouache and collage.Looking at values, how very dark the night seen through the French doors reflected in the mirror behind him were.
A complicated scene I tried to simplify down to bare bones. Monday night football...during a commercial!

Hilton Head 11.13.11

I ventured outside on my bike to find some people for my subject this morning , day 3 of the vacation.Coligny Plaza, named after the 16th century French Admiral who went on several exploratory expeditions in Hilton Head,  is a spot people really flock to. This particular setting is steps from the beach, shops, and restaurants. I sat on a bench (in the sun) watching people come and go on these great wide wood swings.At home, I added gouache and collage.



Hilton Head 11.12.11

Day 2 of our vacation, wanted to do something that wasn't a set up, but just there. The knife rack against the kitchen wall. Showing it to my in laws on Thanksgiving, my 96 year old mother in law, who is technically blind, said, "Shouldn't the knives all be facing in the same direction?" OK, she's way too sharp!

Hilton Head 11.11.11

What a busy time of year it is!Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We've been back from Hilton Head for almost a week, but I haven't had a chance to post until today.While we were there, I brought only a few tubes of gouache,a fine ink pen and the magazines I had bought for the plane. I decided to play with those materials and record our trip in that way. Here is day one, starting with a blind contour drawing.

In Progress

Just starting to work on this, lobster boat on the waterfront of Newport. This stage is just establishing where everything goes on this format of 2 canvases, each 12x24.

I want to compress the space, not showing too much above the dock,but focusing on boat and man.

Caught

I really had fun with this, what else do we do with these little pumpkins and gourds? If we are artists, we incorporate them into a painting. I added the striped cloth to play off the stripes. Working with the palette knife again, which keeps me from being too picky and from excessive blending. This is oil on a 12x12 hardboard panel that I add an extra coat of gesso to.
Opening last night at Spring Bull Gallery, where I am the newest artist member. A wonderful and generous group of people.

Framing 101 continued

Showing clamps in place in 2 corners

I use either 1x2 or 1x3 poplar which I buy at home Depot for the sides of the frame. I use 3/8 x 1 5/8 for the inner part that the panel or canvas will rest upon. I like to use a wider piece for this as I sometimes use Velcro for fastening and a wider surface helps the Velcro adhere better. I do this with the little ones 8x10 and under, as making frames is time consuming and that way I can rotate them easily.

1) Measure the art and add 1/8 all around. Cut the 4 base sections first,measuring twice and cutting once! Glue,clamp, and let dry.

2) Place your art on top of the base and smile at the narrow border that surrounds it! On to the next step.

3)Cut the pieces for the sides of the frame, holding it upright in the miter saw to get the cuts as seen in the 1st photo on left.Measure the INSIDE of the outer frame side to match the OUTSIDE of the base piece and it will fit perfectly. Remember to wear eye protection, hair tied back when you work with power tools.I lay a scrap piece of wood with the 90degree edge on top of the piece to be cut and draw a faint pencil line to mark where I will be cutting. Put the blade down manually to test you are in the right place before you cut. That's the measuring twice part. Cut on the outside of the line or else it will be too short! That's happened many times to me!

4)Glue and clamp the sides using 2 pieces at a time. The top and side together doing that twice. So you end up with 2 90degree corners.

5)Determine what height you need the base to be in relation to the sides so that your art fits in with just a bit of the frame extending above it. You don't want it too deep in the frame, or protruding from it. Use scrap pieces to provide a support for the base while you are gluing the sides together.Check this carefully before you move to the next step.

5)This step puts it all together. You put glue on the perimeter sides of the base and then arrange the  side sections in place, gluing the ends of them and clamping it all together. Give it ample time to dry. I use any wood glue.

6) If the frame is larger than 12x12, I would drill small holes at the corners, 2 nails to each side, sink the nails, fill with putty,dry,sand. You will sand anyway when the glue has completely dried. If you wipe any glue overruns off early on, it will save much sanding later.

This has been quite extensive but so many people have asked me how I make frames that I thought I would put it all down. Maybe I should consider making a video to post on my blog. What do you think? I don't know the 1st thing about doing that!!!

Framing 101

These clamps that I ordered a few years back from Garrett Wade make the job of building frames easier.  I no longer see them on their website, which is really a shame, since they have worked so well for me. I like the look of a floater frame and learned how to make them while I was at  The Lyme Academy. There we had some serious clamps that were mounted to the large worktables in a big bright studio. Now I make my frames in the garage, but they are no less for it.
Basic Equipment: Miter Saw (the miter box and hand saw I found very difficult to get exact cuts, which you must have). Clamps, glue, drill, a flat surface especially if you are doing a large frame.