Art Classes Roswell GA

"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." - Aristotle 

What a wonderful week in art class!  Here are some finished paintings and a few that are currently being worked on.  I continue to be impressed and delighted by what everyone is doing!  I hope that everyone is surviving the super high pollen count!  Happy Painting, Jill 

www.JillSaurFineArt.com

Art Classes Roswell GA

I wrote this for my art blog but I wanted to post it for my students to encourage you to never, never, never give up!

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for". – Georgia O’Keeffe

This commission, “Hawaiian Splendor” is a 36”x48” acrylic on canvas.  I re-painted the ocean at least three times before I was happy with the results.

For me, there are three types of paintings that turn out well.

1.  The first type is the painting that flows effortlessly like a fine tuned symphony producing beautiful music.  I suppose it's like catching that "perfect wave" and riding it all the way to the shore.  I never give up!

2.  The second painting is the one that I wrestle with, painting certain areas again and again.  Actually, the ones I struggle with lead to new discoveries and results that surprise me.  They afford an opportunity for growth.  This struggle reminds me of the grain of sand in the oyster.  The oyster takes the discomfort and spins a beautiful pearl.  I never give up!

3.  The third painting is the one that I have no idea how to do.  I pray, asking God, the ultimate Creator, to show me what to do and to guide my brushes.  The exhilarating part is getting the answer and finding myself doing things with the paint that I've never done before. That’s why I never turn down commissions, they throw me out of my “comfort zone” and that’s where the magic happens!  I never give up!

Sometimes, I think I must be related to Winston Churchill because for better or worse,  I never, never, never give up! -  © 2012 Jill Saur

My website:  CLICK HERE

©1990-2012 Hawaiian Painting by Jill Saur, all rights reserved

Painting Class Roswell GA

It's been another great week.  My camera is acting up on me and some of these photos are not as clear as I would like.  Sorry!

I continue to be impressed by the growth and creativity of everyone in all of my classes.  Thanks for being such awesome students, people, and for being such a joy to be around! - Jill

To see more or my students work, or to inquire about taking art classes, please visit my website.

CLICK HERE

Eliot O'Hara

Eliot O'Hara (1890-1961), Maine Seaside Town in Early Morning Fog, 1927, watercolor

My mother, Sandra Pope, had the opportunity to study with American Watercolorist,  Eliot O'Hara before he passed away in 1961.  He had a tremendous influence on her style and love for painting.  As I study this tree painting by Mr. O'Hara, I can't help but wonder if her soulful tree renderings were inspired by Eliot O'Hara himself!  It's more than likely that his influence on my mother has indirectly impacted my rendering of trees through watching my mother paint!  

"O'Hara was one of America's most widely respected watercolorists and teachers. In addition to an extensive exhibition record, he wrote eight books and produced more than 20 films on watercolor technique. His work can be found in more than 60 public collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Academy of Design, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the OMAA". - The Ogunquit Museum of American Art website:  

Eliot O'Hara (1890-1961), Maine Seaside Town in Early Morning Fog, 1927, watercolor

I suppose that we never truly know the ripples that our lives,  create in the life of another person.  To see my work, please visit my website.  CLICK HERE

Paul Cezanne

This is one of my favorite paintings by Paul Cezanne. I'm always interested in an artists brushstrokes. The following words are from The Art Story; "Cezanne applied his pigments to the canvas in a series of discrete, methodical brushstrokes, indeed as though he were "constructing" a picture rather than "painting" it, thus remaining true to an underlying architectural ideal: every portion of the canvas should contribute to its overall structural integrity".

Although it's not possible to visit a museum on a regular basis to study the works of the masters, it is a good idea to google some of your favorite old masters and study the way they used light, values, composition, and it's even possible to see the brushstrokes they used.

There's much to be learned by looking at Paul Cezanne's "The Card Players", below. - Happy Painting! - Jill  www.JillSaurFineArt.com

Art Classes Roswell GA

It's Friday, and I hope that all of my students are having a great week!  Here are some more photos of finished paintings as well as a few works in progress. 

My first watercolor teacher was Bud Biggs.  I've read this quote from him to several of my classes.  Here it is again for those of you who may have missed it...

"If you do not make mistakes, you will not grow.  Your work will be better the second time than it was the first.  The better you get, the worse you will think you are, until you take out your first picture and see how far you have come."  Bud Biggs

My website:  CLICK HERE

Art Classes Roswell Ga

Here are some finished works and works in progress from my Saturday morning class.  I hope that everyone is having a great week.  

For the past few weeks, we've been talking about looking carefully at a photograph if you are going to use it for reference material for a painting.  It's your opportunity to as yourself if you want to put "everything" that you see in the photo, in your painting.  More often than not, it's best to use your artistic license to either leave something out, or add something that is needed.

I fell into this same trap yesterday when I was working on a new impressionistic palette knife painting of an old boat that was abandoned on a small island.  I took the photograph myself when I was in the Keys several years ago.  I decided to leave out some trees, but I hadn't noticed the placement of an old mooring log.  I just painted it where it was in the photo.  When I put it up on the easel, I realized that it took away from the overall feeling of the painting.  Fortunately, it wasn't dry.  I scraped it off and painted it closer to the right side of the canvas.  Of course I had to paint in leaning to the right, which lead the viewers eye right out of the painting!  I scraped it off again and I'm getting ready to paint it for the third time.  Just thought I would share to let you know that I "practice what I teach".

Painting Class Roswell GA

"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web".
Pablo Picasso

It's been a great week.  Here are some photos that I took last week.  These are some of the works that my students have completed.  It gives me joy to look at such wonderful accomplishments and expressions of what's "inside".

To see more of my students work, please visit my website:  www.JillSaurFineArt.com.

The Seven Elements of Art by Jill Saur

THE SEVEN ELEMENTS OF ART

This watercolor painting was one of the first serious paintings that I rendered when I began to study the medium. I set up my art supplies to enhance the seven elements of art; size, shape, line, direction, texture, value, and color. I also used the principle of rabatment, a favorite of mine.

I painted this on watercolor paper that I primed with gesso. The paint doesn't soak into the paper, it actually rests on top. I also applied salt to the wet paint, causing the paint to expand around the salt, leaving the center, white.

This painting remains in my private collection, and will always remind me of first love in art, watercolor!   www.JillSaurFineArt.com

©1990-2012 Art Still Life by Jill Saur, all rights reserved

Art Class Roswell, GA

Here are some fabulous paintings from my students this past week.  I just can't express how rewarding it is to watch people grow in their artistic endeavors!  

To see more of my students work, or to inquire about taking art classes, please visit my website:

CLICK HERE

Michelangelo

Michelangelo

If you could go back in time and spend one day with an artist, whom would you choose?  Today, I’m choosing Michelangelo.  His passion, dedication, and genius forever influenced the development of Western Art!

His visage is not always recognized.  However, his work is immortalized.  Michelangelo was born in 1475, and is known as the supreme Renaissance artist. He was a sculptor, a painter, an architect, and a poet.  He lived a long life and left a legacy that has lasted over five hundred years!  He is perhaps best known for his renderings in the Sistine Chapel.

Contrary to popular belief, Michelangelo did not paint the Sistine Chapel while lying down on his back.  He stood on the scaffolding that he designed himself.  However, this put tremendous strain on his neck and arms.  From his discomfort, unparalleled beauty was born! 

It took a little over four years for Michelangelo to complete his frescoes.  He used the Buon fresco technique.  It was the first time he used this difficult, laborious technique.  Buon fresco is painting with pigment that is mixed with water.  This is applied on a thin layer of wet, fresh plaster.  His assistants helped with the plaster, but only Michelangelo applied the strokes of paint to the ceiling.  He also had to learn some incredibly difficult techniques in perspective in order to make his figures look correct on a curved surface, from sixty feet below!  

The old masters were dedicated, patient, deeply inspired, and exhibited great focus.  I hope these characteristics in future generations; will not be lost to the insatiable desire for immediate gratification.   -  Jill Saur  www.JillSaurFineArt.com

The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel

Painting Class Roswell Georgia

We have a lot of fun on Monday nights!  Actually, we have a lot of fun in all my classes!  Here are some paintings that my students are working on.  To see more of my students work, or to inquire about taking classes, please visit my website.  www.JillSaurFineArt.com