MICROART: Olive juice xo

"Olive juice no matter what"

oil on board, 6"x8"

SOLD

"Olive juice so much"

oil on board, 8"x6"

$175 plus $6 s/h

To purchase: email me at jbalkan{at}grandecom{dot}net

MICROART!

"My cupcake bleeds for you"

oil on board, 8"x6"

$175 plus $6 s/h

to purchase: email me at jbalkan{at}grandecom{dot}net

Portrait Workshop and more classes!

I'm excited to be teaching my very first weekend workshop: Portrait in Oils at the Georgetown Art Center Sat/Sun April 5-6.

I have been teaching classes to private groups now for a number of years.  However, I feel myself to be at an exciting turning point.  I've decided to make some changes in the format of my classes in order for my students to be able to get even further in their work.

In my intermediate figure class specifically, I was feeling like we didn't have enough time to be able to methodically move through value study adding color, temperature and edges as we go in only four weeks.  Not wanting to take too much class time, I have made my demos very short.  But I'm realizing that there is so much more I need and want to show my students.  So, alas, the class will now be six weeks instead of four.  Yippeeeee!!!

As for the portrait workshop, I hope that students will be able to improve upon their overall approach to painting portraits with an emphasis on rich, harmonious color.  We will approach painting by learning to see our environment as composed of simple shapes and values, which will lead to stronger color statements and weightier paintings.  

So, come one, come all!!!

Oh and to see a list of my current classes, check out this link: http://jenniferbalkan.net/classes/.

My boys

I'm still slowly working on this painting, slowly because I keep getting sidetracked with my compulsion right now to do little studies.  I've been reading so much lately on color and painting methods that I've found myself in a bit of a crossroads.  That is, I've been working a certain way for some years now....but I'm yearning to try out some slightly different techniques.  There is so much to learn.  It is all so exciting yet often mind-boggling.  I'm constantly in awe by the phenomenal work by artists whose work I know far and wide.  It keeps me inspired and curious.  

Playin' around with flesh tones

 

 I thought I'd play.  I wanted to stay loose with juicy paint.  I envision doing some larger ones in this theme.  

Getting naked

I will be showing two drawings and one painting in a juried exhibition entitled "Explorations of the Nude Figure" at the UP Collective in Austin, Texas.  The show opens Saturday, February 8th at 7pm.

These works were originally part of my Disguised Nudes project back in 2008.  I had so much fun doing this project.  I learned that many of us want a legitimate excuse to be naked around others.  Art is such an excuse. 

Flirt, charcoal pencil on paper

 

Line-up, charcoal pencil on paper

 

Eve, oil on board

another figure study

"Strokes that started bravely but don't know where to go. Sometimes they bump into and spoil something else, or they may just wander about, or fade into doubtfulness." Robert Henri This is last night's 40 min. study ..... I think a lot about Henri's words when I paint. I love this path I've chosen but it's dang hard.

very short class demos

These are quick demos I have done over the month.  They present an alla prima manner with which to get down value information quickly and clearly.  We start with simplifying all information into three values: flesh in light, flesh in shadow and transitional half-tone.  

When working in color, we start with the same method: mixing a flesh color/value for the light; one for the shadow; and one for the half-tone.  Then, we begin making adjustments to the light and dark information.  

 10 minutes: monochromatic

 15 minutes: color start; red-orange / green-blue palette

 15 minutes: color start; purple yellow palette

15 minutes: color start; red green palette

another figure study

This is a figure study that I decided to do for a friend.  It ended up being much more literal than I intended.  I find myself struggling between too much literal representation and abstraction.  I strive for being more abstract.  Ugh!!!  

figure study in stages

self-portrait study in stages

I've been having fun working on self-portraits.  On this one, I was having trouble with my shadow side, specifically, the eye.  The hardest part of doing a live self-portrait is my need to squint and simplify the shapes and work on those squinty eyes in the process!!