Saturday life drawing sessions

At UAA here in Anchorage, art students meet for a life drawing session

Saturdays from 12noon to 3pm.  It's open to the community also.

The lighting is wonderful, models....wonderful....it's a great opportunity to draw the figure.

Cost is $5 for a session or $15 for the semester....held at the Fine Arts building, room 101.

Okay....just thought I'd let you know.  The Tuesday night sessions have come to a close, so this would be a great option!

Thanks for looking! 

Warm sun......

Okay.....it felt great to focus on this painting today.

Have I told you I'm waiting for spring? 

Have I told you I live in Alaska?... it snowed again today! 

I'm wishing I was in the painting right now.

 I can smell the coconut oil.......and I feel the warm sand  

between my toes......

Out of breath, I'm laying on my grass mat...sun beating down on me.

My bathing suit is still wet from the body surfing I just got done with,

 and my skin is already warming up enough to jump back in.

................ahhhhhhhh............

Okay....that felt good......a mini vacation.

Thanks for looking!

California Oak

"California Oak"

I painted this one a while back. 

 My old computer has been dying a slow death....I bought a new Mac Laptop Pro......*LOVE*........sigh...... So that's where I play lately.

All my older painting images are on my other computer.....so this past weekend I was bored and rooting around in my old computer files....look what I found!  I had forgotten all about this painting.

It was painted about 3 years ago, around the same time I wrote a ghost story called "The Orchard".

When I printed out my novel and put it in a binder....this painting seemed perfect for the cover!

I found the novel on the computer too....February just got a whole lot more interesting.

I always find myself daydreaming of tropical paradise in February.  Winter is long up here in Alaska...these last few months drive me crazy.  I just need to make it to the middle of March and I'm good to go again!   I need something to occupy my mind.

Now I have a story to edit!  I still need to go out to my studio and paint something sunny and warm, 

but I have some new ideas floating around in my head of other projects to take on!

I like the sound of that..."take on" ....kinda like....

"Bring it!"  love that one too :) 

Okay, that's my post for today.....

thank you for looking!  

A Pear...

"Pear" 

12" x 12"  oil

I like how loose and colorful this one turned out.  

I absolutely love the color red.  I almost have to try to avoid using it as often as I would like.  Every time I set up a still  life....the urge to use red as my back ground is always there.   That 50's aqua color speaks to me too.  I'll have to dream up a painting with those two colors dominating the canvas and

I'll be in my own special heaven....

Thank you for looking!

Tavern

"Tavern"

16" x 20"  oil

I think it would be fun to drive across America, looking for old signs, abandoned

gas stations, roadside attractions, diners.....and paint along the way.  

I love old signs...neon the most!  Every town has a few great Motel signs.

Along the California coast......Highway 1, there's so much along that road to paint,  it would be a fun start.  The colors....that 50's aqua color is everywhere.  Old motels, sun-bleached signs and flowers crawling up everything!  The history in small towns is fun too...buildings...cars...the occasional vintage city bus... too cool.  I always enjoy looking at city paintings done by artists that live in San Francisco.  

Trolley cars, hills and ocean....I'm on vacation just day dreaming about it.

The sign in this painting is in Langley, Washington....I think......or was it Coupeville, Washington....hmmmm.  A trip to the area for a painting workshop about 3 years ago, that's when I feel like my paintings really started to take a new direction.  That first workshop, what a big step outside my comfort zone that was.  Painting with other people around...painting faster than I normally paint......painting people.......all very uncomfortable.  But... I'm so glad I had faith in myself and the courage to try something new.  I'm so happy with the progress I've made over the past 3 years.....my daydream from the past has become my life now.  It's powerful to allow yourself to dream....to mentally visualize the future you wish for.  I believe what we think about and daydream about will come true some day.

Think of things you love.....imagine yourself in your perfect world...then start

 walking in that direction, it will happen. 

"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step"

 Martin Luther King Jr

New Website!

I'm excited....I have a new website!

Take a look .......... tell me what you think ...

or just take a look.

www.MarianneElson.com