The Crit Room

watercolor experiment

2010-06-01T09:46:00.000-04:00

This is what happened when I tried to make the same kind of paintings I've been making in oils but using watercolor instead. It was a lot more complicated and difficult than I thought it would be.

How about some drawing?!

2010-05-27T17:05:00.000-04:00

I see drawing and painting as mark making. Today I just started making marks and this is where it took me. Both are just pen and ink on copy paper.

the woods

2010-05-24T21:12:00.000-04:00

vanishing act

2010-05-18T12:58:00.000-04:00

2010-05-18T12:45:00.000-04:00

more Milton Keynes

2010-05-18T12:19:00.000-04:00

One Bus

Two Bus

Red Bus

Blue Bus

This took me HOURS!

More circus

2010-05-14T08:43:00.000-04:00

UK circus

2010-05-13T09:16:00.000-04:00

I am in Milton Keynes, UK and the circus is in town! I am I'm using watercolors for ease of transport but they are presenting unique challenges! there's a lot more planning necessary, or not :) The good thing about watercolor is that it is very immediate. The sky here is always threatening to rain, and it does here and there unexpectedly. The second painting is out the window of the apartment, looking at the huge mall across the street.

11 days

2010-03-30T19:08:00.000-04:00

I am going to Vermont in 11 days. I am going to do a half residency at the Vermont Studio Center with an Artist's Grant. While I am there I am going to set some goals for my paintings. My goals are as follows:

1. To paint fluidly and directly.

2. To paint the light as accurately as possible using color.

3. To use line as another mark to be made to better communicate form.

These are going to be the main thoughts, but I've been thinking a lot about space and depth, and whether or not to invite the viewer into that space. My winter snow paintings were clearly keeping the viewer at arms length and not letting them really get passed the picture plane, and I wonder if I'm still doing that with my treeline paintings. I may be letting them in past the picture plane, but not that far...This conflict is merely an observation after the fact. I am not thinking about these things while I am painting, but observing them after.

I am also counting down to Thursday! Can't wait to see the thesis show!

getting ready

2010-03-26T12:09:00.000-04:00

The only problem with building up a stockpile of panels to take with me to Vermont is that I tend to paint on them here just as fast as I can build them. The latest are paintings of my parents backyard. I have noticed that backyards are just a great thing to paint :) I have been looking at and reading about Neil Welliver a lot recently and I think it shows.

I am also very excited to go see the MFA Thesis Show round 1 on Thursday!!!

square paintings

2010-03-10T11:06:00.004-05:00

These are some more winter paintings. There's no snow in the air, but some on the ground. This is a triptych of 12x12 panels. The color on the third one is a little yellower than the others but the jpeg accentuates that a little too much. I am getting a little liberal with line. I love it but it may be a bit indulgent. What do you think?

Getting ready for Vermont!

More Snow Paintings

2010-02-25T10:53:00.001-05:00

Here are more snow paintings since it's snowing again. I was painting these in a frenzy since I didn't know when I'd get another opportunity to paint snow, but luckily it started and hasn't stopped for a couple days. I'm busy painting and there is more of this to come!

Visiting artist update

2010-02-18T11:13:00.000-05:00

Susan Jane Walp

coming up!

23 Tuesday Visiting Artist 11am Viewing Room 1

Post One

2010-02-16T13:52:00.005-05:00

Jess Bartlet, Backyard 23, 24, 25, 12x20 each, oil, 2010

The goals of this blog are:

To develop an unofficial online community for, but not limited to, WCSU MFA alumni.
To be a valuable resource for painters to communicate with other painters through academic and insightful critiques.
To motivate painters to paint more regularly.

Here's how it works:

Paintings are posted.
Viewers look at painting and comment. Discussion follows through helpful and kind commentary.
Painter gets academic insight, ideas to ponder, and returns to studio motivated to paint.

What this is not:

A commercial venue for art.

Let's get started! Please feel free to comment, and email me your paintings if you would like a crit.