A couple of weeks ago I took an afternoon workshop with Nashville, TN Artist Erin Jones. The focus of the workshop was "Value Study". I was very excited about this because you have to get the values right to have a successful painting! Erin had several setups and I chose this one because of the swirls in the fabric.

I mixed about 10 gradations of the value scale. Here is my palate with my piles of paint. This was a very good exercise and I did a value scale before I started the 2 value exercise.

2 value exercise--light and dark (shadow)

3 value exercise--light, dark and midtone--a little analysis was done before deciding what midtone I would use--should my midtone be a light or a dark???

My Father passed away on September 19th at the age of 83 after a long battle with Alzheimer's. He was a man that enjoyed life to the fullest, a family man, an outdoorsman that taught my sons to hunt and fish, a dreamer and a romantic, a poet, a songwriter and a singer. My family and I will miss him so much. The following is a poem that he wrote while in the Navy that shows a beautiful spiritual side. I will definitely be thinking of these words as I celebrate the Holidays this year.

"Let Christ be with you this Christmas"

As the bells ring out so clear, spreading joy and Christmas cheer,

Let us all recall the holy birth of Christ our Lord this year.

While the bells of Christmas rings and an Angel choir sings,

May we all praise Christ our Lord and loving Master in all things.

We'll bow our heads in silent prayer, on that Holy Holy hour,

And thank God for all our blessings and the joys we have to share.

May the Christmas spirit be close to every Christmas tree,

And with every gift we give, Oh Lord, Let us give thanks to thee.

May Christ be with you all the way, on this joyful Christmas day,

Let him share the joy you feel in everything you do or say.

Though you be poor or rich with fame, Christ has borne your sin and shame,

So let him join you on the day of days, that bears his Holy name.

written by Marion G. Hartis on December 12, 1954, Memphis, TN

I spent the day with my friend Betty, a fellow artist, to attempt to paint abstractly. I met Betty when we went to New York City to Mr. Kinstler's class. Betty is a fountain of information and very enthusiastic about her art. This is very inspiring to me, thank you so much Betty!

Abstract painting is totally the opposite of my normal thought process so I thought it would be a very good exercise. Betty prepared the panels that we worked on and I just went with the flow. Here is my panel, ok I'm jump starting my creative juices--where is my inspiration??? We are using acrylic paints, which is new for me since I paint in oils.

Ahhhh my inspiration! As I've said many times before, I love fabric and this color combination appeals to me so let's go.

Prepping the surface, looks like the surface of the moon right now, looking for a little excitement. One thing that I liked about the panel is the feeling of movement.

As soon as it dries, I'll start applying color. I can't wait!!!!

I begin applying color and playing with the feel of the panel surface to find my focal point. It's very relaxing and fun!

This morning I was struck with an illness--Spring Fever!!! I took my dear Dad for a little ride in our charming downtown area to see the beauty of flowers blooming and trees budding. Here are a few pictures of my favorite place--Fountain Square Park.

Such a beautiful day. . . we started at the fountain

another shot of the fountain

beautiful daffodils

Fountain Square Park

one last shot of the fountain before heading to campus. . .

This small painting is a little whimsical painted for a beautiful little baby girl. Hopefully the painting will grow with her over the years.

6x6
Rhonda Hartis Smith © 2009