My class notes from March 5, 2016.

Next drawing class at the Rocky Neck Cultural Center is Saturday March 12, 9-12am. fee: $35.

contact debbieclarkeart@gmail.com; or cellphone 978-652-8273

What to bring: recent drawing(s) paper, pencil, white rubber eraser.
What I will bring: paper, pencil, white rubber eraser, pencil sharpener. Bucky's skull and alternative drawing media for exploration, including a length of crumpled white paper.
No prior drawing experience required.
local folk, kindly consider sharing this link. I am teaching because I have been asked to teach.

                           

                                       

                                       

The space fee is $25/hour. I would like to have the space covered with a minimum of 2 students. any additional will go towards my $30 application fee for the Goetemann Residency on Rocky Neck this summer. thank you for helping with these initiatives by giving yourself the gift of drawing or 'how to see and think like an artist'.

Best, Deb

Time is getting away from me. This is March and I forgot about this as I've been learning important things from my 22 month old grand daughter as she shakes her finger at me to say: "No pooping in the tubbie!" and in my case time to fish or cut bait.

So, Here it is, drawing classes beginning this Saturday at The Cultural Center on Rocky Neck in Gloucester. If I get commitments by Friday am, we're on. If not...later in the year or by private instruction. Onward, with a wet brush or sharp pencil, deb.

Drawing workshop with Debbie Clarke 9-11AM Saturdays beginning March 5th.
The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, Studio Gallery.
Learn how to see as an artist through the basics of observational drawing.
Space is limited, pre-registration encouraged.
$35 per class, pre-paid contact Debbie Clarke via phone 978-652-8273 or email at debbieclarkeart@gmail.com for material list and additional information.

Rocky Neck Art Colony Cultural Center

See these NOW through Nov 15

Showing in gorgeous Lanesville MA. Take a trip along the shore

 to the light filled Flatrocks Gallery.

best always, onward, deb.

ps: I publish on facebook, if you have a fb account

you can see my public posts there.

www.facebook.com/debbie.clarke.5011

The Head Keeps Moving

mid week, last week, I started an observational self 

portrait. below are the 3 stages over a few days.

aluminum leaf and drawing media on canvas

12x14" copyright clarke 2015

gloucester ma

above blocking in the big shapes. the head caught 

between two gestures. I kept changing my mind.

midway, open mouth? closed mouth? where's

the center? lift the head, place it upon a column.

final. changed dynamic to finish, registering

the shock of losing Suzy. ambient light.

onwards,

deb.

Chrome Orange

ChromeOrange is a standing self portrait, started last spring.

Above is the current state. Following are a few of the previous

states. Something kept bugging me. I finally have the figure

firmly planted on the floor and a fair resolution to the lower right.

The black chalk lines will change. It's not finished. I'll set it aside for

now. Paintings happen slowly and since I figure everything out on

the canvas, change is constant until it is signed.

This state could have worked; but the white chalk

bugged me, as well as the fight for space of the reds.

almost; except the painting kept dividing into two,

with a floor plane that wouldn't hold it's space. i loved

this state for about 2 hours.

Slip sliding away and feet of cement.This is where I put 

the brush down last spring. The color bugged me.

This block headed monk is where it all started.

Any one of the various states would have been 

fine. I'm not a millionaire, can you tell?

best,

and onward.

deb.

Dirty Snow

Dirty Snow, a drawing. 12x14" on aluminum leaf on canvas.

copyright clarke 2015 gloucester ma

The snow is melting, turning dirty with the slow melt. Yesterday

I finally finished a drawing of the house up the hill after a long

winter of looking at it every day. Looks pretty simple; HAH! It

gave me a good work out. 

There is another canvas that is prepared with glare and aluminum

leaf. This morning's drawing will be this yellow house, again. The

house sold last fall. I had better have my visual say about this place

before the new owners move in and decide to paint it another color.

best and onward,

deb.

Painting: Cripple Cove lowtide

Every once-in-awhile I have a go at the view towards Joey.

These are the remnants of the pier which burned down sometime

in the seventies. Wally's packing house once stood on these burnt

pilings stubs. I packed whiting there one very cold season when

I was just a girl and money packing fresh fish was good.

There were 2 paintings of this view. I killed one and kept the

best. 20x20" oil on canvas.

copyright clarke 2015

gloucester ma

feet on floor, eyes forward, brush-in-hand,

onward

deb.

FineArtAmerica Metal Print

Yesterday the metal print of A Face I Remember arrived via UPS.

The original 5x5x.375" drawing with metal leaf drawing on the left.

8x8.875" metal print on the right. The drawing is strong enough to

hold the print together. The metal print is laminated onto the metal

then top coated with some type of acrylic. The print does not have

the warmth and depth of the original tile. I thought the metal plate

would be more present in the print. Oh, well. It is still a good thing.

Perhaps I will do a series of the tile under different light and then

order up some prints to use as the basis for new work. 

The original is for sale, if interested contact me at debbieclarkeart@gmail.com.

If you would like to purchase prints, click the shopping cart link in the sidebar.
FineArtAmerica provides lots of choices from paper to canvas to cards to metal
to acrylic to frames, etc. Products are well packed and the ready to hang art looks
very professional. I can't produce this quality at the great prices they offer. All
produced in the U.S,

best,

deb.

Fresh Snow! Fresh Glue.

Turn off the soundtrack, it is a distraction. Good directions. Fresh 

snow is the chill ingredient in the recipe given by Ralph Mayer in

 The Artist Handbook of Materials and Techniques. This glue stays sticky

for a long time. it has been written that if one lets the glare (egg glue) 

go rotten; it can be used on a dry oil painting for gilding or preparation

for painting with egg tempera. 

I have 7 12x14" stretched lightweight canvas to gild. There is freshly

made glare from Tuesday's snow in the fridge. There are 500

leaves of 6.24" x 6.24" aluminum leaf. A good day to prepare the 

canvas for drawing upon.

best and onward,
deb

Surprise!

Sorting through old image files and discovered this painting from 2004/2005. It's a color spot painting, a synthesis of Helen WanWyck's color recipes and Hawthorne's color approach, addressed through critiques in Hawthorne on Painting

I'm busy painting, while giving some time to online marketing.

feet on the floor,
eyes forward,
brush-in-hand.

best,
deb.

Cripple Cove Prints

Last fall I started a series of distressed digital prints. I photographed the print on 10/1 and the date is imprinted on the photo of the distressed print. The prints of the prints will be offered for sale through FineArtsAmerica, as soon as I erase the date stamp. not sure why the date stamp was set. It detracts from the whole A link will be posted as soon as the images are available for sale 

Best as always,

deb.

This would look great printed on Acrylic or Metal

glass art for sale

Happy New Year! This is my first post of 2015 and I'm starting off the New Year by offering prints of my art for sale through FineArtAmerica. Spoons is a detail of a much larger painting that I frequently use as a 'source' for new compositions, etc.



Please take a moment and click through to the site. The bio has been updated, as well as, new offerings of the Ghosts of Versailles in the various work-in-progress states loved by so many, until i changed it. Seems change is the only constant in my art production.

There are no new shows in site, so I've decided to focus on some on-line marketing. I've spent most of today and yesterday updating, uploading and providing a few words to the tags, descriptions, etc. If you have always wanted a piece of my AHHT, here's your chance (at very reasonable prices).

BTW: If you are local and decide to purchase one of the prints, but want an original...get in touch with me. I can add an original signature, as well as, a few original brushstrokes, or metal leaf to the work so that you can have a 'one of a kind'.

Best to you as always,
feet on floor, eyes forward, brush in hand,
Deb

ps: I want to bombard the site with my work; but, have opted for a teaser. My plans are to update with new images once or twice a week. Maybe I can garner some interest and earn some dough to buy art supplies. onward. spoons acrylic prints and spoons acrylic art for sale spoons metal prints and spoons metal art for sale

New Work

 Another Face I remember, m/m with aluminum leaf on canvas.

10x10". I don't know who this is. a composite of many faces

observed throughout these many years. I had just finished this

when I heard news of a friend's passing. Then, a lone seagull

glowing pink and orange in sunset light passed overhead.

blessed dreams Susan Mackey. 

Self Portrait, sort of an encounter with a personal

art history. 10x10" m/m on aluminum leaf on canvas.

This is an outgrowth of earlier 'tape' constructed drawings.

best to you with the Light of the Season

with blessings for a healthy and bright New Year's

to you and yours.

deb.

color or not

 the color and the gesture didn't get along. i've gone through work i've done during the past year and realize that the work i am happiest with has a limited palette and a strong gesture. i'll let up on myself know. the painting can use a bit more warmth. for the moment it has to dry.

detail of the center. there is magic here. the paint brush glides.

best and onward,

deb.

Ghosts of Versailles continues

Have been working on this steadily since October 18 or thereabouts. It has been scrubbed down many times to the initial drawing. The sizes kept getting away from me. sometimes i got artsy, and the paint got sloppy and dirty and the medium wasn't right for a while, the paint was curdling. so, that had to be scraped down. Sizes feel right. still working out the gestures and twists. the feet look clumsy here, the painting looks more solid. there are some color changes that aren't showing up in this. will clean the brushes and give it one more go.

I never expected this baby would take this long to deliver. every day i wondered if this will be the day that it all comes together. it's not something that can be foretold. 

best and onward,

deb.

Another Ghost of Versailles

still working on the Ghosts of Versailles.  This is a 20x20"  oil on canvas that I banged out late yesterday afternoon.  now, back to the other painting.  It just isn't coming together in a way that feels right.  This other painting gave me some clues.  Will see how it goes today.  changed up the palette with addition of alizarin and phthalo green to give some punch to the values.

best, and onwards,

deb.

Signed/unsigned

i signed it today then crossed it out  there is a freshness to the drawing that appeals to me.  i will turn it to the wall and let it it dry for a few days.  there is a fresh canvas that is triple primed with a burnt sienna imprimatura ready to go.  will put it on the easel and move onto the next one of the ghosts of versailles.  i think this painting feels very french.  what do you think?

best and onwards, 

deb

Ghosts of Versailles, continues

I've moved some stuff around, enlarged a few shapes.  got the big brush out yesterday.  today i am glazing with raw sienna.  oil on canvas 24x24"

So what have you been painting lately?  having any more luck than i am?

best and onwards,
deb.

Ghost of Versailles re-grouping

Added a new few new colors to the palette:  manganese blue ad citron yellow.  The manganese blue is not a true manganese, which darkens to green, it is a pthalo blue mixed to the hue of manganese.  good in tints.  the citron yellow is a chrome or zinc yellow, not sure.  used to brighten ochre. raw umber:  a very dark yellow, burnt umber is the darkest yellow.  burnt sienna, the darkest orange, grumbacher red, a true red, neither blue, nor orange in tint or mixture. titanium white. french ultramarine dark.  i can bust out a lot of color with these babies.

This morning the grid was returned to, re-sized the masses, eliminated some stuff, beefed up the whites. This is the oddest painting I have ever worked on.  Still trying to live up to my potential.  

best, and onwards,

deb