Daily painting #67, and Sasha

When I’m in New York, I like to attend at least one life-drawing session at the Art Students League on West 57th Street. I chose a long pose of Sasha, an excellent model. I started with an indifferent gesture sketch of her full figure, then did this 35-minute portrait sketch.

Geoff Watson, “Sasha,” graphite on paper, 6” x 8,” 2019..

Before life class, I took my little portable paintbox and stood on the corner of 57th and 7th Avenue, looking downtown, toward Times Square. I had trouble concentrating: there was no place to sit, it was hot, and it was crowded. But at least I got a few ideas down on the canvas. I was interested in contrasting the dark mass of green (the backstop for the 57th Street subway stop) with the very bright buildings on the left. And it’s always fun to sketch figures in the city.

Geoff Watson, “Sketch of 7th Avenue at 57th Street,” study, July daily painting #6, oil on canvas panel, 6” x 8,” 2019.

Study of Natalya

Natalya is a striking model with high cheekbones and scarlet hair. Alas, I ran out of time before I could finish modeling her ear and neck, I only sketched her hair, and I never got around to detailing her eyes. Even so, it’s a reasonable likeness.

Geoff Watson, “Study of Natalya,” oil on canvas panel, 11” x 14,” 2018.

House in Wesley Heights

I had a great time painting this house today!  The weather was perfect, and the passersby were friendly and supportive.  I'm happy with this painting, but I'd like to try this subject again from a different angle, and I'd like to experiment with softer edges everywhere except at, say, the chimney and circular turret.  Anyway, what a great day to be outdoors!

Geoff Watson, "House in Wesley Heights," oil on canvas panel, 11" x 14," 2018.

Concord-St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church

I've long wanted to paint this church, and especially its steeple. I set up my easel in the church parking lot yesterday, under a beautiful sunny sky. A few parents came by to pick up kids from school (or was it daycare?), and then I seemed to be completely alone. 

After I'd drawn a couple sketch lines, a large group of elderly folks appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. They walked by me on their way to an exercise class in the social room of the church. They were friendly, and a couple of them asked me how long it would take to make the painting. So I was hoping to show it to them when they finished their exercise.  But when I stopped painting, the exercise group was nowhere to be seen. The group must have exited in a different direction. Rats!

One nice thing about keeping a blog is that it helps me remember little episodes like that. (Like the time my easel blew into a lake.)  I used to dread that passersby would watch me paint. Now I kinda like having an audience!

Geoff Watson, "Concord-St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church," oil on canvas panel, 11" x 14," 2018.

Cherry trees just after "peak"

Our cherry trees reached peak bloom yesterday, I'd say.  Today we see more green in the trees, and fallen blossoms at our feet.  They're still pretty glorious, though. 

In this picture, I was interested in the "arch" formed by the trees dueling each other from across the street.  But I also sought to convey the subtle gradations of color on the street and in the sky, and I experimented more with the palette knife. I think I'm just starting to get the hang of these cherry blossoms -- just in time for them to disappear for a year!

Geoff Watson, "Cherry trees just after peak," oil on canvas panel, 16" x 20," 2018.