These last eight months I have
been getting accustomed to living in a foreign country for the first time in my
life. During the fall, I spent the
first semester at the University of Antwerp learning a little Dutch and started painting (“schilderkunst” as they say in Dutch) at the Royal
Academy of Fine Arts. I will continue my
studies at the Academy until I leave Belgium. My professional art career has been on hold
while I have taken the opportunity to “hone in” on some basic skills. I have a minor in art, but my professional
art career did not begin until 2007, so having this opportunity at my age to
hit the “refresh button” has been phenomenal for me! Yes, that means back to the drawing board…
mixing paint… focusing on tones, perception, depth, light, and dark… all the
things I learned in college, but on a much more advanced level. We have live models constantly to work on
flesh tones and the anatomy. Since January, we have focused each week on drawing and painting noses, mouths, eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc. It has been amazing to see the different
styles of painting by everyone in the class!
Some could be portrait artists, while others have a version that looks
more graphic.
A fellow artist told me one
time that she was always trying to re-invent the wheel. Well, I have learned you cannot re-invent the
wheel. To put it in perspective… a wheel
will always be a wheel…a cube will always be a cube… a sphere will always be a
sphere... and so forth. In art, you have to recognize those
shapes in your environment and use them as a foundation while your creative juices start flowing. I am looking forward to attending some art retreats in the spring and fall to experience painting in villages, gardens, and cafes in the south of France. I can't wait!
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I am currently updating my
website with some of my new work and some old favorites, but for the meantime
enjoy watching my journey….
THE BASICS
SKETCHES & ANATOMY
GOING INDUSTRIAL - WORKS ON METAL
New Work Coming Soon!
