Sherrie McGraw Demo At The Salmagundi Club

Last week I was lucky enough to see Sherrie McGraw do a portrait demo at the Salmagundi Club here in New York City.  I've seen Sherrie demo many times out in Taos, but it was great to have an event close to home.

It was a packed house and I was about half way back so the pics I was able to get are not great, but I know I have many Sherrie and David fans here, so I decided to post them as I thought you guys would like to see the demo.

The Art Renewal Center exhibition was also hanging, so it was great to see that.  I had seen many of the paintings online, but it is so different seeing them in person.

Tim Newton, Chairman of the Salmagundi Club, introduced Sherrie to the audience.

Sherrie told us a bit about what she was going to do, and then got to work.

The block in.

There were screens set up so everyone could see exactly what was happening.

On the model breaks we were able to check out the exhibit.  There were so many beautiful pieces hanging.

The model, Henry, during a break.  Such a great costume!

Here is the finished demo.  Sherrie is amazing.  This was done in less than two hours while answering questions.  It would have taken me that long just to do the block in.

I'm so glad I got to see this, especially as I am headed out to Taos to take a workshop with David, Sherrie and Jackie Kamin very soon.

Next up at the Club is the American Masters Show.  David and Sherrie, as well as many other great artists, have work in the show.  Check it out if you are in the area, but if not, I will have a post here soon.

Rose Painting Demo With Katie Whipple

Over the winter I got to spend a dreary, rainy day in the best way possible:  watching Katie Whipple demonstrate painting a rose.  If you are not familiar with Katie's work, she is the best floral painter out there.  I was lucky enough to take a floral class with her a few years ago ( see here and here ) and I learned so much.

The demo took place at Grand Central Atelier, and was an all day event.  In addition to the demo, Katie brought some of her floral paintings to show us, as well as her supplies and the products she uses to keep her flowers going for the duration of painting time.

The demo was a single rose.  It's hard to see in the picture, but it was a white rose with pink and yellow undertones.

This is where she left off at the end of the day.  To me, the rose looks done, but Katie said that under normal circumstances, she would have worked on this much longer.

Aren't these paintings amazing?  Katie was so generous to bring these in for us to see.

I have a workshop with Katie coming up this summer and I can't wait.  Thanks to Katie and Grand Central for a great day!

My Biggest Painting Adventure Yet: Havana, Cuba!

Hello from the frozen tundra that is New York City!  I'm hoping my modem holds out so I can complete this post.  On top of the unrelenting cold/ice/snow,  Mercury in retrograde really hit me hard this time around.  However, I'm quite happy to report that my planned trip to Cuba went off without a hitch.  My teacher, Gregg Kreutz, and a group of 24 of us went to Havana to paint and photograph the city.

I started planning this trip last August, so it was a long time in the making.  We started planning our trip well before the US loosened travel regulations, so there was (and still is) a lot of paperwork and planning to be done before you can get on the plane.

We had to get a visa to travel to Cuba and there was a host of other paperwork, but it was relatively easy.  In the US, you take a flight from your home to Miami or Tampa, then after much paperwork and luggage weighing, you get on a charter flight to Havana.

This sign greeted us outside the airport.  I expected to see many more of them, but there were not many around.

Upon arrival in Havana, we boarded a bus to our hotel in the Vedado neighborhood.

The hotel kitty.  Everyone stopped to talk to him, but his only interest seemed to be what time the dining room opened.

After resting up for the night, we set out to find our first painting spot.

This was where we settled the first morning.  The streets and architecture reminded me very much of New Orleans.  Even though many of these buildings have not had any repairs in years, they were still very colorful and beautiful.

To start off the workshop, Gregg did a demo for us.

Gregg starts his cityscape paintings by taking a paper towel and some turp and blocking in the buildings (the paint is usually a combination of ultramarine blue and transparent red oxide).

Next, he puts in the sky and then gets to work on the buildings.

After just a few hours, Gregg finished the painting and it is beautiful.

After the demo, we each found our own spot to paint.  I chose the coconut seller just across from where we were standing.

The Coco Loco coconut sellers

I'll give you the details about this painting in another post.  It was great fun and the guys at the fruit stand were incredible to me.

I'll be back with many more posts about my Cuban adventure.  It really was the trip of a lifetime!

The American Artists Professional League's 85th Grand National Exhibition

A while ago I mentioned that I had a painting accepted into the American Artists Professional League's 85th Grand National Exhibition.  The exhibition is usually held at the Salmagundi Club, but since they are undergoing renovations, the exhibit was online this year.

On Saturday they had an awards ceremony as well as a portrait demo by Gregg Kreutz.

Gregg completed this painting in 1 hour and 15 minutes!  I was sitting there and I couldn't believe it.  I'm working on a portrait now and I'm about eight hours in and still need one more session.  I'm so glad I was able to see this because it really helped me with the painting I'm working on now.

After the demo and a musical performance, it was time for the awards ceremony.  I was lucky enough to win the Colonel George J. Morales Memorial Award, so it was a very exciting afternoon for me.

Sorry this photo is so dark.  I didn't have a chance to ask anyone to take a photo at the ceremony, so this was taken after while out celebrating.

It was a great afternoon.  Thanks to everyone at The American Artist Professional League.

Update:  I just realized I forgot to show you my painting!  Here it is.

Peonies In A Blue And White Vase, 16x20, Oil