REAL Life Drawing: My Eye On Washington DC

REAL Life Drawing: My Eye On Washington DC
Photo- Gessoed Hand of MG Stout holding her favorite paint while prepping paper

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Making of REAL Life Drawing: My Eye on the Philadelphia Mummers

 1. Get back stage access.

 2.  Watch the show.


3.  Prepare the materials.




4.  CAREFULLY, THOUGHTFULLY, ARTFULLY go thru about 2000 images and find the most interesting views of club. Then curate a visual parade including 4-6 images of each String Band.

5.  HAVE A COCKTAIL & review the chosen images yet again.

6.  Get to sketching.


7.  Paint the sketches with pastel.



8.  Write about each band and what inspired the painting.

9. Photograph all the images and send to publisher along with text.

10.  Wait for the proof (I should receive it by the end of this week)

STANDBY FOR FORTHCOMING EXHIBITION INFORMATION






Monday, October 24, 2011

Peek-A-Book (get it.. instead of boo, I wrote book)

Yup!  Lucky followers of my scribbles and squawks... I give you a tiny peek of the my upcoming exhibition and new book-
REAL life Drawing Series: My Eye on the Philadelphia Mummers
If you want to be completely surprised then
LOOK AWAY
NOW!
Remember this my friends,  all the new paintings are created on the Philadelphia Daily News.  The paper has been prepared with gesso, spattered with the primary colors, and then spray painted with neon stars to make them Mummer-rific!  

This is an image of a bear shitting in the woods.
GOTCHA 
It is actually the place to be New Years Day - Wall Street!
No seriously, if you don't know what this is then just scroll down to the next image.
Fu-get-a-bow-id?

South Philly Continues the Party!

I can't remember what I named this piece and I don't feel like going downstairs to find my image list.
You get the picture?  The mummers are the stars of our neighborhoods on New Years Day.

City Hall Soaking In all the Glamour of the Gala

Again peeps, I'm not certain of the title but if I tell you the name the mystery will be over.  I refuse to ruin it for you.

So very sleepy and surly.  My dog hurt his foot and I have to take him to the vet in the AM.  Not sure why I just shared that, but there you go.
xoxoxo

Thursday, October 20, 2011

This Summer

July, August and September are a blur.  The days escaped.  The nights were gobbled up. Change was all around me.  Studio 4 lost a boatload of amazing artists.  I moved into a new workspace (I know! Both of you are thinking, "change the f*@king record we are tired of this song" OKAY! is my response, but this was a BIG deal in my tiny little mind).  My daughter was transitioning to a new school.  My son's health was turning into a bloody episode of "Medical Mysteries"(the doctors still haven't given him a definitive diagnosis).  I totally douched the side of my husbands car and learned of a massive leak on the side of my house.  Meanwhile, I was painting a brand new series for ART OUT LOUD 2011 and driving to Philadelphia for meetings to discuss my partnership with the Philly Mummers String Band Association for another REAL Life Drawing Series and book. 
DRAMATIC PAUSE...
 ...Lost my camera in the studio move so that on my Irish expedition I was armed with only an iPhone. Toss in being guilt ridden over not posting on this blog & neglecting my blogging duties for Lorton Patch.  I returned to the states and shit my pants as the publisher's deadline for the new artwork and it's companion text was quickly approaching and I was running behind schedule!
   I'm pleased to reveal that I've finally caught up. 

For your viewing pleasure I'd like to share a few Irish scenes that caught my eye and will be interpreted onto canvas and the Irish Times... just as soon as I complete the remaining two commissions on my schedule.

 
Notice the fearsome look on the little dogs face.  He is tiny and seems to be suffering from a Napoleon Complex.  The Wolfhound is like, "dude, look at the size of me! Nobody is going to try and take our bone."  The little fella isn't as certain and stands watch.

 I just love this busted bridge.  It is a visual metaphor I will probably paint a hundred different ways.

The pattern of the carpet, the relaxed pose, and the empty pint captivated me.  I also really dug the way the light from the window that outlined his upper body.

The way the boats are leaning on each other and the brilliant blue of the center water vessel spoke to me.  The "V" composition of land and sea was what made me record the moment.

 I hate all pigeons, EXCEPT pigeons with character.  This chap looked like a street fighter.  He had such ATTITUDE.  I followed him around and shot a video...or so I thought.  Turns out when I turned the record button off I actually turned it on.  Now I am wild over two birds. The star of  Don't Let the Pigeon Ride the Bus and this guy.  Let's call him Fergus.  I think these two characters would make for a very beguiling book.  *note to self...get in touch with Mo Willems.

Anyone brave enough to sit down and sing will always grab my attention.  Plus I've always wanted to paint a guitarist free styling on the street.

The red building, the yellow panes, and the scrappy characters chatting.  I just need to omit the stupid trash bin.

This guy should be a model.  He was a large as a building and his feet and legs screamed PAINT ME!
So I'm gonna.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Mummers Materialize...See the Series

New Studio 405 - My new Space -
Set up for sketching

 Progress of sketches pinned with reference photos-
notice only 3 are complete

 The wall is slowly filling up

Okay now it is time to move to another wall

Both walls are brimming with sketches 
Now it is time to pastel

 Completed art works - wall A

Completed art works - wall B

Today the artwork is being photographed and sent to the publisher,
SUNBURY PRESS

Sample the COVER friends!



Moving Out...Onward & Upward



My old studio all cleaned up... 
 I spent three years of my life in this space.  Painting, sketching, writing, pacing.
 My voice was found between these walls and it was painful to say goodbye. 
Moving on has never been an issue for me, yet this change has been very difficult for me.  
Goodbye Studio 411.

Big and Boring

Star Struck Lincoln, Mixed Media on Canvas, 5ft x 6ft, MG Stout

I hate, HatE, HATE this painting.  Don't get me wrong it has some very interesting elements.  When  broken down into smaller parts it works.  The problem is our eyes do not read it as a sum of interesting parts, but a BIG BORING BUNCH of VERTICALS.
This painting has thwarted me since day one.  It sits at the end of the hallway in building 4 of the Workhouse Arts Center.  I flip it off every time I walk by it.  I am actually getting angry just looking at it in this post.  Expletives are screaming through my head at such a high volume I can hardly focus on what want to say!  
Let me lay it out for ya... I am painting over this lame ass building.  "Don't do it," you implore!  TOUGH! is my reply.  I've given it ample time to grow on me or to find a solution to make it worthy of living to see another day.  When I get into the studio today I'll be tossing paint right in its big stupid toothy face.
GRRRRRRR!