Anne Leuck Feldhaus Adventures & Art

painting the birdbath...part 2: glorious color!

Here's the color portion of this story...spent a week deliberating if I should have 3 different color schemes/tiers and in the end stuck with it. In the past I would have done a coordinating border like the black and white bones I did in the 'Suite Chicago Dogs' set....but since this is one single piece and that was 4 separate pieces opted to try something different. It might look a little odd here, but wait until you see it with the black outlines painted in....stay tuned!

 

 
Actually going home to finish it tonight as I have to deliver to the autobody show in Westmont that is doing the clear coating...wish me luck!

Sketchbook Project 2011...

I just signed up for the Sketchbook Project 2011. Guess which theme I chose? Big surprise: 'It's raining dogs & cats'. You can participate too..just follow the links. Thanks to Kathy Weller for the reminder.

Studies for new paintings...

Art imitating life...

After 10 days of feeling not at all myself...I'm angry and done with feeling sick, so today I started some new paintings. The image above is really just about my nose and head and the expansive congestion and wanting to fly away from it, but still feeling grounded (not in a good way). My friends this week, scads of kleenex and hot beverages...sorry to be negative but glad that at least it has inspired some new imagery...even if it is on cardboard!

These next 2 pieces actually have paintings on the other side that I'm only semi happy with...interesting I omitted the border without even realizing it...this top one was inspired by a drawing in my sketchbook.

New batch of paintings...

Just varnished 6 new paintings, here's a little peek.... I'll be posting all of them for sale in my Etsy Shop very soon!

Paintings in the works...

 

Random shots from the last two weeks...the bottom one is 3x6 foot commission...it gets it's own post next week...when it's finished! Hope you have a great weekend...

Painting again...

This is one of several commissions that I'm working on. The original 7"x14" painting titled 'Field Days', has since sold so I am recreating it much larger at 24"x48". I created the first one at the 2007 Fields Project Artist Residency, the same year I created my Flower Frolicking Dog Field Sculpture. That experience definitely inspired the painting, that and staying on a farm with beef cattle. It's an amazing program...and I've been fortunate to have particpated 3 different years. You can check out photos here....and here.

 

...And as long as I'm sharing,this is the painting that I created at the residency in 2008 chronicling my entire experience with the field sculpture the year before:

Carbon Black

Just discovered Golden Fluid Acrylics, I've always used Golden Heavy Body Paints but the black does not thin well so I use a different brand...picked this up the other day, I love it - fluid but opaque, perfect for my process...
 

Progress...

Had a nice break this afternoon with a visit from my nephews Noah & Luke.

New Compositions Emerge from Basement

I have a show at the Humane Society of Berks County in Reading, PA opening on August 14th...need to get some new work done and shipped in the next 2 weeks...started these compositions at home and will bring to the studio to finish. I assumed not having any art fairs in July would free me up but the universe has supplied me with plenty of work...I could use a few 28 hour days!

Last week...

The daily painting is starting to work for me...I have lots of new nearly completed paintings to share with you very soon. The sketch above was an after thought right before I turned out the lights...based on this painting that I did at the Fields Project last June. I like the verticality of it...will also tweak the color on this one. Here's a peek at some other new pieces:
      

Title anyone?

Well here is proof I have been painting every day. I'm not sure what this piece is about so a title has not come to me yet - I'd love to hear your ideas! (the image on the left is mid process, always tempting to leave it that way but I can't help it, the black paint insists on coming back in and defining the image.)
I'll post more new paintings tomorrow...

Cardboard...

i love to paint on it. no risk.

Painting...first brush strokes of the year.

One of my goals for 09 is to paint for some amount of time each week day. First day, goal achieved. I'm excited to see what images emerge. Clay class also started tonight so I painted and sculpted today...and did my daily sketchbook page. It's amazing how good that feels. I'll share more about the writing workshop later this week...I smile every time I think of it!

Sketchbook Study for Damen...

 

A recent peek at my sketch book.I incorporated studies of an adorable rescue named Damen for a Pet Portrait Order. (digitally enhanced in shades of gray)

See what's on my easel....

I've been thinking a lot about pink and red together lately...and it's been a long time since I've done any still life paintings, if I can call it that - this one was pulled from my imagination.

Finished! 10/01/08

A new studio assistant?!

I hate cleaning brushes and have many in very sad shape. This contraption could be the perfect solution and save me time...not to mention money - it's actually affordable: The Artist's BrushMate. Do you think it works?

I've been using: Master's Brush Cleaner and Preserver for years...it does work and lasts a long time but takes a lot more effort and old rags. I also use their Artist's Hand Soap, great for removing paint from the painter!

What do you use to clean your brushes? The dilemma of the self taught painter...I've learned most of what I do and use by trial and error. But for me that has mostly proven to be a good thing.

 

Catching up with pet portraits...

I'm way behind on my pet portrait and illustration commissions...catching up this week: Preliminary sketches above for Pippin, an Irish Jack Russell pup and Izak, a very sweet shepherd who sadly passed away this past year. I generally start by making drawings from their photos in my sketchbook, then I pick the best one, scan it and digitally clean up the lines, add the name and colors before the first presentation to my client. From their feedback I make any neccessary edits and color changes before actually painting the portrait on canvas. Here is a good link to my process, links to completed Pet Face and Narrative Scene Portraits and more info on how you can Order a Portrait of Your Pet!

Art Re-Treat

Back from an amazing art retreat weekend in rural Wisconsin with Rachel and Erica ..and remotely our dear friend Lois Keller. 

Rachel started this amazing new series of paintings and created several lovely water colors...

Erica pulled this one out of her hat...this large piece consists of 10 separate panels:

Lois shipped us a box of treasures, included for each of us was a lovely drawing (this is the one she sent for me) with sentiments and her wishes for each of us and our creative lives for 2008.

And these are some of my pieces - I did paintings on cardboard:

These 3 women have impacted my life and art in so many ways, we have a very magical connection that has only strengthened over the last 7+ years. I'd love to share more as so many wonderful things transpired...but I'll just have to leave you with these snippets since I'm scrambling to get myself and things together before I leave Wednesday for my trip up to Minneapolis for the Uptown Art Fair. Not an easy thing since I've had a non-stop whirl wind of fun, adventure and travel over the last few weeks. I feel so lucky to be taking all these trips and for the chance to reconnect with so many wonderful friends and family.

From the archives...Still Life With Pears.

At a recent art fair I ran into some lovely customers that I have not seen in quite awhile. This is a commissioned painting that I created for them back in 2004: "Still LIfe With Pears". I started drawing still life compositions at an art retreat with my friends Erica Huntzinger and Rachel Weaver-Rivera in 2001...that was the start of a whole series of new work. Tomorrow I head up to WI for another long over due art retreat weekend with them. It's exciting to know that some other new theme may develop on this trip so many years later...

secret project...deadline looms

More to be revealed at a later date....

Back from the farm...

And just like that it's over....was it a dream? A beautiful week of blue skies, big puffy white clouds, endless gorgeous hilly back country roads, cows, pigs, goats and corn. I wish I could hold on to this feeling of completeness and happiness. No tv, no computer, a lot of times no phone (my outdoor studio at Castle Rock State Park had no cell phone reception). But it wasn't all sunny skies for me. I had some very real creative challenges and no where to run away from them...I seriously considered driving back to Chicago one morning. But I stayed and battled it out with myself and am very happy with the few pieces that I finished...I think what I accomplished out there mentally in a week would have taken me 3 months here in my studio with all its distractions.

The other magic that happens as an artist at a program like this is you are PRESENT the WHOLE time, I mean visually and creatively, MENTALLY PRESENT. Everywhere I went and every road I traveled I was scanning the amazing lush green vistas all around me...appreciating every field, cow, pig and hay bale..stopping, sketching, taking photos.

The community and group of folks that make up this organization (The Fields Project) are so amazing, they are like a second family after my 3 different years of participation in the program. I also met a group of wonderful artists from around the country and a few right here in Chicago (I had this silly idea that I knew all the aritsts in Chicago!)

The field sculptures this year were so vivid and beautiful thanks to a new grass field and all the rain of the past few weeks. Another huge highlight was Cathi Bouzide & Danny Mansmith's collaboration on the wrapped corn bin. PHENOMENAL!

I'll post more photos and notes soon but in the mean time I did upload my photos to my FLICKR page so please check them out.

Urban House Bird Painting...Live

Music by Kelly Joe Phelps: "The Black Crowe Keeps Flying".

Thursday in the studio...live

As I mentioned the other day, I've been using Gawker to capture my live painting sessions in the studio....the hard part is the editing with imovie and then getting all of that to show up here, Typepad had good instructions. Kate and Rich and of course Lynda.com have both taught me a lot...I'm using Viddler.com to host the video. So here goes the first one: Music: "Run On" by Moby from Play:The B Sides

KC ...my afternoon at the easel

We head to Kansas City at the end of this month to do the Prairie Village Art Show. I was very happy to be one of the 90 artists selected from over 600 that applied. In conjunction with my new road trip series of paintings I also want to create similar works that encompass  places & landmarks of specific cities and neighborhoods (stay tuned for Chicago neighborhoods this summer!). Talented artist & my good friend Laura Nugent (who resides in KC and will also be exhibiting at the show) supplied me with a list of such items and with the added help of google images for reference I created this composition. I even taped it's creation with a webcam but you'll have to wait on that as I'm still challenged when it comes to editing. And of course I must finish this painting, (which I am confident I will do soon) now that I have this ability to document it. Curious? I'm using Gawker.