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Friday, September 15, 2017

A Day in the Studio

'Pink Poppy Profusion'        8x8       ©Karen Margulis
available $145
It is great to get back to normal. But what exactly is a normal day in the life of a full time artist?  Join me as I share my day. (which didn't really turn out to be so typical) I was excited to get down into the studio today. I had two commissions to work on so I wanted to get to work early. I was off to a good start. After answering emails it was time to clean up my trays of working pastels. Every week I clean and put away these pastels so I can start with a fresh palette. I was just getting into the groove when BAM...the power goes out. No rain, no wind. It is a beautiful day. When a few minutes went by with no power I looked on my phone to discover that my entire neighborhood was with our power.

Plan B.....I get changed and head to the thrift store for a little mindless treasure hunting. There was no sense hanging out in the dark waiting for power. After a couple of hours I check and see the power is back on so I head home for lunch. I get back to work.

choosing my palette in advance
My commission was to paint some pink poppies. I had several references from a meadow filled with beautiful pink ruffled poppies. I select one and paint my commission. When I was finished I was reluctant to put the pastels away. I loved the colors! So I decide to paint another variation of the poppies. This is something I do often. If I like the subject I take the reference and try to interpret it in another way. 

using a piece of demo paper Uart 400...photo reference of a past painting

I spot the piece of Uart that I used yesterday to demonstrate the wet paper and pastel technique. I am not one to waste a perfectly usable piece of paper so I decide to use it for my poppies. It is 8x8 so it would be a fun challenge to make an interesting square composition.

Since there was a blob of thick green pastel in the middle of the paper, I had to decide how to start the painting.  I choose to draw my poppy shapes around the blob and block them in with the darkest pinks from my tray. This was just playtime. I had no real plan and that is OK sometimes. I decided to just let go and feel my way around the painting. I work back and forth between the flowers and the background until I feel it is finished.

feeling my way through the painting....blocking in big shapes
finished!
I finish the painting around 4:30 in the afternoon.  I take the final photo and download the photos onto my computer. The next thing that I usually do is take a snack break and work on my blog post. I crop the photos and add them to a new post. And that is where you find me at 6:19 pm...putting the finishing touches on my blog post before heading upstairs to begin my evening.

Hmmm, I wonder what tomorrow will bring!?

8 comments:

  1. I think I need to break down and find a system to layout all my pastels in color groupings as you have. I have kept them apart and I like it sometimes because I want the harder ones first then onto softer ones. But I know them now by sihape and feel. It's just hard for me to mix them! Can you offer any advice!? My husband bought me 525 Senneliers for my birthday last April and I've been painting almost every day since. I cut off about a third of each one I use and remove the paper from that one but it is time consuming in the middle of a painting. Should I just jump in and remove them all now! I could maybe use those trays without the foam "coozies" to put all my stick pastels. Oh what to do!!!

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  2. Hi Linda!
    Thank you and yes you should come for a private class!!! We can cover a lot if information. My advice.....organize your pastels in one box by color and value. It will make your painting time more productive, efficient and FUN!

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  3. Thanks Karen! I'd love to come and have a lesson or two! My best friend's daughter just graduated from Clemson with a degree in art
    And is just getting into pastels as well. She said she'd come with me. What's your scheduled?

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  4. Great! Send me an email at karenmargulis@gmail.com

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  5. Stunning painting! Those little lines of bright accents really capture the "ruffles" - I'd attempted a watercolor sketches of these delightful poppies in a friend's garden this summer but wasn't very successful in capturing their whimsical and delicate appearance as they swayed in the breeze looking like Mexican dancers in their frilly skirts. But you really caught their essence!! Inspired by your painting, I'm now looking forward to sketching them again next summer. I don't comment very often on your delightful blogs..but want to say that yours is one I most look forward to. I enjoy each one SO MUCH and thank you for sharing.

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  6. Love the poppies painting! That makes sense, you're done but still energized about the subject and then use the leftover paper from the demo!

    I've been drooling over Uart Dark and will have to get some, since I love dark substrates so much. Can't wait to see what you do with that!

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  7. I love this pastel painting!

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  8. The poppies are absolutely stunning! A.b.s.o.l.u.t.e.l.y!! ;)

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