Category: Life in general

From 2008 to Blank Slate: A Year’s Work

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date January 3, 2009
15 Comments on From 2008 to Blank Slate: A Year’s Work

I spent New Year’s Day sorting through the piles of sketchbooks and paintings I completed in 2008 and preparing the studio for 2009. My bulletin board is now a blank slate, ready for new work to go up. I gathered all the oil paintings that hadn’t gone directly to the garbage (121 survived) and sorted them into the piles you see above.

On the left are the 68 paintings heading off to the garage as a sort of purgatory zone. Next year they’ll probably go in the trash.

The middle stack of 42 are now shelved in the studio. These are the paintings that show progress and bits of success, but that I don’t want to hang on the walls.

The last pile on the right (plus the standing canvas of me) are the 11 paintings from 2009 that I like, imperfections and all. Also shown above is the presentation folder into which I inserted my oil paint color studies. I refer to these charts quite often and will be making more for new colors I’m experimenting with. It’s handy having them in this binder.

Above are the sketchbooks I completed in 2008 (and cheating just a bit, the first week of 2009). Half of them were actually started in 2008, but the other half were left over from previous years, when I was working in multiple sketchbooks at one time, without finishing any of them.

2008 and 2009 Art Goals

I just reread my January 1, 2008 art goals:

“My art goals for 2008 are also very simple: to enjoy myself by exploring whatever directions I find interesting, challenging, exciting, pleasurable, fun. No lists of shoulds, no rules other than play, practice and enjoy the journey.

My hope is that by this time next year I will have earned enough competence with oils that I can comfortably and freely work in the medium most fitting to the subject or idea I want to express, whether it be ink, watercolor, oils, goauche, or monoprint.”

I think I did pretty well in following that plan, pursuing many art adventures, including a considerable amount of plein air painting, sketching and and lots of study and practice in oil painting. I studied independently, with books, videos and with teachers and just tried to put those “miles on my brushes” as they say.

I still don’t feel completely competent with oils; I know what I don’t know, but I know what I do know too.

Goals for 2009:

1. Begin my 10,000 Days of Art project and make each of those days count. And again, the same hope as last year… “that by this time next year I will have earned enough competence with oils that I can comfortably and freely work in the medium most fitting to the subject or idea I want to express, whether it be ink, watercolor, oils, goauche, or monoprint.” Also I’d like to do morewith goauche and monoprint this year.

2. Do something I learned from my best friend Barbara, an amazing ceramic artist and art blogger:

Ask each day: “What can I do to enjoy myself today?
(I know this sounds a bit self-indulgent, but it’s often hard-earned and provides the “filling of the well” necessary to be able to do good for others too.)

Since enjoying myself always involves drawing, painting or other art-making, I intend to have a very enjoyable and artful year.

Tags art goals, resolutions, sketchbooks

Gardening Life in general Oil Painting Painting Photos Plants Still Life

Humble Hydrangeas; Antidote to Procrastination

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date January 2, 2009
12 Comments on Humble Hydrangeas; Antidote to Procrastination

These humble but persistent hydrangeas were still blooming outside my kitchen window, despite suffering through drought then rain and cold. Their leaves were few, gray and blotchy and the stems were bent and woody but the flowers just weren’t giving up.

While I worked on the painting I was thinking about humility. I’ve discovered that being humble is a good antidote to procrastination.

When I think that I have to be “good” at something (especially painting), it creates fear that I won’t be. Then I find myself either procrastinating or, if it strikes while I’m painting, reworking a painting again and again because it’s not “perfect” yet.

I’ve found that the best way to step out of that rut of perfectionism is to focus on being honestly humble and not worry about being good, better, best, or perfect. All I have to be is humble little me and like the hydrangeas, just hang in there and shine forth.

About the painting:

I was trying to see and paint light and make good use of color temperature and value contrasts to model the form. I started by doing a monochrome underpainting in acrylic, but didn’t really like the way the acrylic paint kind of ruined the wonderful texture of the ArtBord. Here are the steps along the way:

1 & 2 are photos of the still life set up, the second in black and white to look at values.

Tags Flower Art, humble, humility, hydrangea, Oil Painting, Photos, procrastination, Still Life

Ink and watercolor wash Life in general Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Osmosis Spa Sketches & 10,000 Days Art Project

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date December 31, 2008
12 Comments on Osmosis Spa Sketches & 10,000 Days Art Project

2 Doors Down from Osmosis, ink & watercolor — Osmosis Spa Neighborhood, ink & watercolor

To finish the year off well, I spent an absolutely blissful day yesterday at Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary. I arrived in Freestone (near Sebastopol) half an hour early so I could take a walk and sketched the old farm which is two doors down from the spa. When I returned to the spa and changed into a cozy Japanese style robe, I was taken to an ante-room with a view of the meditation garden where I was served special tea and had 15 quiet minutes alone to sip and sketch.

Tea Service at Osmosis, Ink & watercolor

Then it was time for my “enzyme bath,” the most profoundly relaxing experience I’ve had in my life. The bath attendant scooped out and molded the finely ground, fragrant cedar in a deep redwood tub into a perfect hollow to fit my body in a reclined position. The cedar is mixed with rice bran and “over 600 active enzymes that create natural soothing warmth through fermentation.” Once I was perfectly positioned in the tub, she covered me in the heavy, steamy stuff up to my neck. Every 5 minutes she returned with water to sip through a straw and draped a cool refreshing cloth over my forehead while I lay there going deeper and deeper into relaxation.

Next it was time to brush off, shower, and head upstairs for my massage. It was the best massage I’ve ever had; more of a spiritual experience and a healing than bodywork. My massage therapist, Weegi, saw the blissed-out look in my eyes when it was over and recommended that I go sit and watch the creek and walk in the meditation garden before getting into my car.

She was right. I sat by the creek and watched the water flow and hawks soaring above and then walked slowly through the Japanese zen garden and around the Koi pond a while longer. It was nearly an hour before I was ready to return to the “real” world and head home.

I don’t think driving while blissed out is exactly illegal but it definitely wouldn’t have been a good idea. I didn’t even want the radio on in the car; I just wanted to stay in that incredible place of total relaxation. I think the car and I floated all the way home a foot above the road.

To my wonderful co-workers: A huge thank-you for the gift of this spa day back on my birthday in June. It took me some time to get around to using it, but I picked the perfect cool, foggy day in December to use it to finish off my year feeling great and grateful.

Photos of Osmosis used with permission from their website.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

10,000 Days Art Project

As the year was coming to an end I was feeling sad. Since I’m usually a “glass half full” kind of person I did some writing to dig deeper. I realized that each year that ends brings me closer to my own end. Then my practical side kicked in and I calculated how many years I probably have left. I multiplied the number of years by 365 days which came out to 10,000 days.

Wow! 10,000 days feels like it might just be enough to do all the painting, drawing and other art projects in me to do. Now I don’t feel so bad about the end of one paltry little chunk of a year and can even look forward to resting when those 10,000 days are done. But I’m having way too much fun to stop any time soon!

Tags Ink

Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Life in general Painting Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Found on a Walk

One of the advantages of a semi-urban neighborhood is the wealth of detritus that can be found on a walk to bring home and draw. Near the end of my daily walk is the “cat house”: a mossy, old cottage on the edge of small “urban park” (empty lot with grass). The homeowner is a kind soul who feeds the cats who live in the “park”. She also puts out bags of unwanted “free” stuff.

My first find of the day was one of those “free” bags—full of books in great condition. I selected the above, a 1963 edition of “You Can Draw” with dust jacket intact, Joan Didion’s “Year of Magical Thinking” which I’ve been wanting to read, and a funky old edition of “Everything that Rises Must Converge” by Flannery O’Connor. I appreciated the title’s nod to perspective drawing and a quick browse of the book intrigued me to read more.

The little symbols around the edge of the sketchbook page above were my experiments to create a little signature/date symbol after seeing the marks that some of the artists in “An Illustrated Life” used in their sketchbooks.

Found on a Walk #2, Ink & watercolor in large Moleskine watercolor book

When I’m walking I’m attracted to shiny things and remants of life I find on the ground. These bits include the seemingly racist “Pancho Lopez” wrapper for a pre-paid phone card, a losing lotto ticket, a claim check for “Latham Square” and a piece of a dog-walker ad.

Found on a Walk #3, Ink & Watercolor in large Moleskine watercolor book

Lastly, some holiday remains: a bit of an already abandoned Christmas tree, a piece of fluff from a Santa hat or stocking (?), fall foliage and some little seed pods.

It was a great walk; a bit blustery and it started to sprinkle as I reached home, ready for a hot cup of coffee and the drawing table.

Tags Ink, Ink and watercolor wash, Moleskine, sketchbook, urban sketch

Drawing Every Day Matters Ink and watercolor wash Life in general Painting Plein Air Sketchbook Pages Still Life Watercolor

Sketchcrawl of a Day: Racing to Complete Sketchbooks by January 1

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date December 26, 2008
21 Comments on Sketchcrawl of a Day: Racing to Complete Sketchbooks by January 1

Bedside Table Morning — Bedside Table with Coffee & "An Illustrated Life" - Morning

Poodle Waiting at Trader Joes, El Cerrito - Midday

Busby Napping After Dinner — Busby Annoyed, Trying to Nap - After Dinner

Fiona "As Seen on TV" Evening — Fiona "As Seen on TV" (literally) - Evening

Messy Desk - Evening — Messy Desk - Late Evening

I challenged myself to do a sketchcrawl of my day, making a 10 minute drawing (almost) every hour, wherever I was at the moment. I was surprised by how many times during the day I saw things I’d like to draw. But I waited for my timer to tell me, “Now!” and then started drawing. If I was out and about, I added the watercolor at home in the evening.

Reading Danny Gregory’s book, An Illustrated Life, inspired me to get back to my sketchbooks which I’d been neglecting while I focused on oil painting this past year. As a result of that neglect, I had half a dozen unfinished sketchbooks that I’ve challenged myself to complete by the end of the year. Hence the sketchcrawl above (and more to come as the year draws to a close, or should I say, “as I draw the year (and my sketchbooks) to a close!

More sketching = more fun!

Tags Cats, Pen and Ink, Plein Air

Life in general Painting Watercolor

Wind Up Angel Dressed for Christmas

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date December 23, 2008
5 Comments on Wind Up Angel Dressed for Christmas

Guardian Angel, Watermedia, 8x8" — Angel, Watermedia on Arches paper, 8x8"

My sister has great parking karma. She deeply believes there will always be a parking place for her, and there is. She gave me this little wind-up “parking karma angel” that I keep on my dashboard, along with my Boy Scout “Finding My Way” badge (that I bought at a Boy Scout store I happened upon) since I’m notorious for getting lost. The angel has a knob on the back and if you wind it up, her wings flap and she grants you a parking space.

Perhaps she can also grant New Years or Christmas wishes. Send me your wishes and I’ll wind her up for you. Be sure and let me know if they come true!

About the painting:

I placed a turquoise cloth beneath her and draped a red one to her side, making her silvery gown and wings reflect all that color back. I wanted to paint her in oils but decided to do watercolor first. Since I still haven’t gotten around to replacing my masking fluid (which had turned into a solid lump), I tried preserving the whites but didn’t completely succeed. So I tried recapturing them with gouache (came out greyish), then acrylic (too cool, too bright white) and finally used some latex interior house paint that I’d previously had matched to the color of my Arches watercolor paper. It worked well and matched the preserved whites.

I took photos of Angel Baby (what I call her) with different colored cloths and some of them were quite dramatic. I’m going to try painting her again with some of those other colored cloths.

Happy Holidays!

Tags angel, guardian angels, parking karma

Life in general Painting Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

What Makes Sweaters Itchy?

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date December 22, 2008
8 Comments on What Makes Sweaters Itchy?

This used to be my favorite sweater but I hadn’t worn it in a few years. When I discovered it hiding in my sweater drawer I decided to wear it out to dinner last night. I put it on and was surprised how short the sleeves were. I couldn’t remember whether they were originally 3/4 length (a stupid style I’ve never understood) or if they just shrunk. The rest of the sweater fit fine so I tried lengthening the sleeves by pulling on them which didn’t create a truly attractive look. One stretched longer and one stretched wider for some reason.

It was a cold night and I figured it would mostly be covered with a jacket so I left it on and went off to dine. Within minutes of leaving the house I started itching. First there was a scratchy tag tickling my side. Then it started feeling like a circus of tiny tickle bugs with little claws were dancing around inside the sweater, tickling me everywhere and driving me crazy. I didn’t want to scratch myself constantly so tried raising and lowering my shoulders which sort of rubbed the sweater against me and was better than doing nothing.

I couldn’t wait to get home. Fortunately, after a short postprandial stroll, my dining companion and I parted ways. I pulled that hideous sweater over my head, put on my pajamas and hung the sweater over my drawing table for its good-bye painting and a little illustration of those pesky (usually invisible) sweater tickle bugs dancing around as they do.

Then I put it in the to-be-donated bag. I’m not sure whether donating it is a kindness or a crime.

Tags Ink and watercolor wash, Pen and Ink, Sketchbook Pages

Life in general Photos

Speaking of Insanity….

Along with sketching while Marcy and I were visiting in LA, she had fun taking photos with her iPhone. In the pics above we were playing with my mother’s big magnifying glass. I think these images quite satisfactorily represent our experience.

Now that I’m on vacation, not visiting family or taking care of a high maintenance dog, I’ll have time to draw and paint and post art again.

Tags iPhone, magnifying glass, Photos

Faces Ink and watercolor wash Life in general Painting People Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Sketching as an Antidote to Insanity

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date December 14, 2008
19 Comments on Sketching as an Antidote to Insanity

Marcy calling home, ink & watercolor — Marcy calling home from Mom's porch, ink & watercolor

It wasn’t an easy weekend in L.A. visiting family but sketching really helped me to avoid going completely bonkers. There were some lovely moments: walking on the beach in the misty morning with my sister Marcy, taking a tour with Mom and Marce of an historic house (now a museum) in Santa Monica where a huge retrospective of Milford Zorne‘s amazing paintings were on display (more about that in another post).

Mom cooking stinky cabbage, ink & watercolor

My 85 year old mother doesn’t cook much anymore, but she got inspired to make Pracas (sweet and sour meatballs in cabbage). But despite not having some of the ingredients or being able to see the recipe in the cookbook well enough to follow it, and despite the jar of ancient fossilized onion flakes she substituted for the actual onion in the recipe (demanding that I use a sharp knife to break the clump up so it could be extracted from the jar), and the house stinking like cabbage all afternoon, dinner wasn’t that bad, really.

Guy sleeping holding his boarding pass; hanging out at Mom's — Guy sleeping holding his boarding pass at Oakland airport; hanging out at Mom's

Grateful for my pen & sketchbook — Grateful for my sketchbook

It’s amazing how sketching can calm my nerves and put the whole dysfunctional family thing at a distance while still being physically present.

It’s really good to be back home.

Tags Faces, Ink and watercolor wash, Painting, Pen and Ink, People, Sketchbook Pages, sketching, Watercolor

Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Life in general Other Art Blogs I Read Outdoors/Landscape Painting People Photos Plein Air Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Sketching with Martha & Shirley (St. Patrick’s San Francisco)

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date December 6, 2008
10 Comments on Sketching with Martha & Shirley (St. Patrick’s San Francisco)

St. Patrick's Church, ink & watercolor 8x6" — St. Patrick's Church, San Francisco, ink & watercolor 8x6"

Shirley (Paper and Threads) was visiting San Francisco this week and Martha (Trumpetvine) and I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon sketching with her in the park. Poor St. Patrick’s Catholic Church isn’t really falling over despite the many earthquakes it has weathered over the years. It’s just my usual wonky drawing. Martha and Shirley will post their drawings on their own blogs eventually but here is a snapshot of our work lined up together.

And here we are lined up, with me a head taller and trying to take a photo and holding my iPhone at arm’s length.

We were joined virtually on our little art blogger sketchcrawl by phone from Lisa in Texas and via Facebook (where I posted an update and photo while we were sketching) by Marta (MARTa’s Art) and EJ (Rose-Anglais) .

After sitting on cold concrete steps to sketch we were ready to warm up. We walked back to Shirley’s hotel, and she treated us to a glass of wine on the 39th floor of the Mariott Hotel (also known as the “Jukebox” building because of its unique architecture). Here’s the view from the bar just before sunset.

View from the hotel bar — View from the Marriott Hotel bar

It was such a treat to spend a Friday afternoon with these two very talented and beautiful women. After the sun set in golds and pinks, and the lights of the city came on, I had to leave while they went off in search of dinner. I BARTed to Oakland for the monthly Friday night “Art Murmur” gallery walk where my sister and niece had pieces in a show. Walking from BART I passed the grand old Paramount Theatre and set my camera to “burst” mode so I could capture the changing lights of the neon marquis.

Tags art bloggers, Ink, Ink and watercolor wash, Oakland, People, Photos, Plein Air, San Francisco