Slideshow from Art Camp 2011

Hello all!   Please enjoy this slideshow of images from the studio this summer! I know I've missed a number of you.... (some things were inadvertently erased from my ipod :( ) I would love to share everyone's work, so if you would like to include yours just let me know! 

The music on this video is by Brooke Fraser, a musician I love. Check out her stuff on itunes.

Comments and compliments for and by students are welcome!

Cheers,

Lisa

Plein Air!

It has been forever since I've done a plein air painting--someone was just asking me about it too, and I hoped I'd get a chance to do one or two while up north for Thanksgiving weekend.

I have a rickety outdoor easel--(a Costco special, anyone?)--that now needs my hubby's trusty Leatherman to set up properly. But no amount of mechanical frustration could surpass the beauty of this place and the excitement of capturing it in the moment.

The weather this past weekend was incredible, and this gorgeous landscape was literally in my lap that whole time. My husband might testify that I was a somewhat neglectful mother while working on this. Annie spent far too much time "napping"...or chit-chatting to herself the tent trailer behind me... Hopefully she thinks the painting was worth it! :)

"By the Boat Launch" Sandy Beach Resort on Balsam Lake, Ontario.
Oil on board, approx. 12 x 14"  For Sale $275 tax incl.
Copyright 2011 Lisa Smouter

Happy Fall!

It has been a while since my last post--Art Camp was a hit, and I'm thankful that it ran so smoothly!  I'll be putting up a slideshow of student artwork soon, so you can see what we were up to.

A snapshot of Annie, behind the couch, getting into my paintbrushes that I thought were safely hidden away!

I've also recently completed a large pencil drawing in collage style which I hope to show you soon. Thanksgiving weekend spent on Balsam Lake also gave me opportunity to do some "plein air" painting while Annie napped. A photo of that will be up asap.

Lisa

Art Camp 2011

art that gladens the heart...

Isn't this little guy just over-the-moon happy? His expression of glee is super contagious. 



Graphite on Stonehenge paper, 8 x 10"
copyright 2011 Lisa Smouter


Capturing babies at about the one-year mark is great because they're developing many characteristics unique to them--both in appearance and in spirit! On days spent conjuring a face like this out of soft white Stonehenge I really, really love my job.

Who can resist that glint in his eye? My Annie certainly couldn't--she giggled and waved at him any chance she could while I was sketching him out. To her, I think he became like a character in a book.

And doesn't he have a great story to tell! 

Have a cheery day,

Lisa

Tonight's the Night!

The official reception for the BCI show is tonight! It's pretty snowy out there, so hopefully we still have a good turnout without any accidents on the roads.

If you can't make it tonight, the HCA is displaying the show until February 5th. Their hours are:

9am-9pm Monday-Thursday
9am-5pm Saturday
CLOSED Fridays and Sundays.

Cheers,

Lisa

tanks and trucks



SuperSucker Hydro Vac commission. 24" x 36" Acrylic on Canvas



Painting around a big pregnant belly is not always fun. Somehow you end up with multi-coloured blobs of paint across your stomach just below your line of sight. A year ago, while I was expecting Annie, I was asked to do this painting. My paint shirt no longer fit, so I ruined a few shirts before I gave up and switched to an old sweatshirt.

It was a very exciting and challenging project, especially because I had to work with someone else's photos and dramatically alter the surrounding landscape of the truck. The reference photo was taken in a typical construction yard with nothing around but bland gray gravel and a couple of dirt piles. So maybe I romanticized it a bit...

The process is lengthy but fairly simple. Here are a couple pics taken at various stages.

 

Tonal Rendering stage (values painted in one colour)



Photo of myself painting the final stage,
using the reference photos.

 

Detail of Kenwood commission.  Acrylic on Canvas.


 I have painted some trucks before in a large scale work for my Dad's office, but nothing as detailed as the SuperSucker painting. This is a section of that huge painting (see below for full view). The style is more impressionist, partly because the equipment is in the background of the painting, but also because I liked the effect of obvious brushstrokes showing various textures.  I think it helped to keep the subject matter interesting even for construction-illiterates such as myself.

This is a view of the entire painting.

Kenwood commission, 4' x 8'  Acrylic on Canvas.

 Till next time!

Lisa