2014- A bright year ahead and what I have been doing the past two months

I just got back from San Jose, Calif. teaching a wonderful group of women. Lorri Scott was generous by opening up her home to me on top of the mountains in Los Gatos. I loved meeting Lorri and feel like I made a new friend. Her studio space, her fabrics and creations were such a joy for me to experience. Lexi Grenzer hosted the class and I loved meeting her and the other women in the retreat. Teaching can be bitter sweet for me. I find you can become friends quickly in such settings and by the end of the 2nd day, I always get this feeling of sadness that we all opened up as artists and women, but I never know if I will see them again. The 4 days went by so quickly and then I am on a plane heading home with wonderful memories.
You can check my page on Facebook to see the wonderful class projects.
https://www.facebook.com/kthompsonartist/media_set?set=a.615312758517079.1073741843.100001150812553&type=1
Of course one of the other exciting teaching events going on is Studying Under the Masters online class. My week is coming up on March the 3rd. I am really enjoying the other teachers' weeks in the class. The amount of work everyone has put into their weeks is so impressive and breathtaking. This is definitely a class to savor over the next two years......and yes it is available for two years.
Here is some of the artwork I am doing now. I am planning on two new classes coming up. One is on angels and the other is on the Pre-Raphaelite Artists. They are still in the planning stages but here is some of the work I have been working on in that theme. Being a participant in the Studying Under the Masters reignites my passion for Art History so I have been reading several books on the Pre-Raphaelite Artists, one of my favorite art movements.

 I love Rosetti's work and this painting of. Fanny Cornforth.I love drawing so I first drew this with much detail. This drawing is no longer in existence because I painted on top of it and ruined it! Thank goodness I still had a photo record of it. I made copies and phototransferred this onto a plaster covered wood panel. The next painting is what I painted on top of the transfer.

 Well, I guess it is an o.k. painting but pales next to the original but I did it in two days, filmed it while painting and used acrylics and not oils. I learned quite alot as you will soon learn.
I am just now starting to paint hair on women. Most of my paintings before the women were bald, but for some reason I am becoming curious about painting hair, but did I have to do one with red hair!! That was intimidating for sure. This wasn't my first attempt. As you will see below the first attempt is on the right.

 So the painting on the right was my first attempt. I was fighting the paints,I was fighting the colors and filming it as I went along. I realized that there was no way to teach what I just did because I was struggling the whole process. I didn't even know how I got there, so I realized, it is best to start over. I kind of like the painting but I certainly didn't like the process so bye bye to all the video!!

 This is a drawing of a model that reminds me of the models of the Pre-Raphaelite artists. They called these women "stunners".....pretty cool huh? These models were breathtaking. I will be doing a phototransfer of this stunner on gessoed vintage fabric....and yes, I still have this drawing. I learned my lesson.

So, the Angel class is still getting sorted out in my mind. Here is one image I painted on plaster covered wood panel. I am now trying to incorporate hands more in my work which is really challenging and I have a long way to go, but I kept getting the nudge that I should start studying hands. They are so expressive and can be just as powerful as the portrait. It may show that I am still an amateur but the only way to get good at something is to do it....over and over. My faces didn't look the way they did 5 years ago. The only way I got better was with practice.

I am working with quick sketches which is always a good exercise and can be so much more expressive than long studies.

There will be more to come in the coming months. Now I have signed up for Misty's online class Full Circle and can not wait till I can devote some time to it. She is one of my favorite artists and a fantastic and interesting teacher. She sets the bar high for us instructors.