"Azalea Heaven" (pen and wash; 10" x 8")

"Azalea Heaven"

My family had a health scare recently.  My husband has been sick for a while and was hospitalized for three days.  He is now on the mend and recuperating at home while trying to catch up with his work.  My quiet life was turned upside down briefly, leaving me with little time or energy to make art.

But who am I without art?  I draw/paint, therefore I am.  I sketched in the hospital room, during my daughter's flute lesson, and at night at home, which calmed my nerves.  I believe in the healing power of art!

"Red Sailboat" (pen and wash; 8" x 5")

"Peter's Sickbed" (pen; 5 1/2" x 7")

"Two Sabrinas" (pen; 5 1/2" x 7")

"Lavender Fields of Provence" (pen and wash; 10" x 8")

Hands and Feet (graphite on newsprint; 18" x 24")

"Hands" (graphite on newsprint)

When I was painting "At the Aquarium", I had a hard time painting the hand of the figure.  Initially it looked like a rubber glove, not a hand.  The great masters are famous for their hands (and feet); you can tell an inexperienced painter from her awkward hands.  This year I decided to improve my figure drawing by taking classes, and to kick off my plan I took the Hands and Feet Workshop with David Carter at the Art League School in Alexandria, VA this weekend. 

In the mornings the five students diligently studied bones, muscles, and tendons; in the afternoons, we drew hands and feet from slides and a model who happened to be also the instructor.  The above drawings are results of the workshop.  There is no way one can learn all there is to know about the drawing of hands and feet in one weekend.  But I am happy to report that I no longer have the phobia of these extremities.  As David said, all it takes is knowledge, observation, and practice.