The Final Painting Begins for the 5 x 5 Project
Last night was the beginning of final paint application on a 16 x 20 inch painting of chickens. The first of FIVE paintings I will do in the next FIVE weeks. With a chuckle I begin with chickens. When I was 8 years old I drew a picture of a chicken on notebook paper while sitting with a friend on a cool, cement porch in one of America’s 1960ish suburbs in Idaho. My drawing was smeared and messy, but, I remember thinking, “That was fun!” So began my 50 year art career. The title of this painting is: “Some Left the Meeting at the X with Ruffled Feathers”.
My 5 x 5 Project
There are now FIVE weeks to “show time”. The last FIVE paintings that I sold left room for five NEW paintings to take their place for the four artist storytelling art show at Dixie College’s Sears Gallery in June. FIVE paintings x FIVE weeks = a new adventure in painting. I pulled FIVE ideas out of the idea pile and began last week to prepare them for painting. First I planned each new painting in a small drawing in my sketchbook. Secondly, I transferred the image to the painting surface. I did this by either by tracing an enlarged blueprint of my small drawing onto the paint surface or using a grid to redraw my design to size. Last night I began the painting. Yee-Haw! Of course, the quality of the painting will be the determining fac
tor as to whether it makes it into the show, but, the next 
FIVE weeks wi
ll be an “artist’s ride”!
Getting ready for a 4 artist show in the Sears Gallery at Dixie College in June 2012
I am now focusing on painting for an art show about “telling stories”. I tend to think “allegory” when I paint, so, this is a good fit for me. The title of a painting is part of the poetry of doing art for me. Just finished this one last night: A Happy Man Mending His Fences. 
Working with two young artists in Zion National Park. An Art Project that begins with a Black Line.
An Art Project that begins with a black line in Zion National Park
I had the privilege of trying the Art Project That Begins With a Black Line in a plein aire setting. A family from Ohio was visiting Zion National Park. Months in advance the very wise and energetic mother of 7 had arranged with the park for personalized art instruction for two of her children, girls, 11 and 14. Park officials found me through word of mouth and I was happy to do it. For two hours we looked at one of the main features of Zion National Park, the Watchman rock formation. We looked for straight, diagonal, squiggly lines. Discussed colors and their complements, lights and darks, shapes, and the freedom of expression. For example: The sky can be any color you want it to be, but, consider that if you want it to look like “the sky” you need to make sure the value or lightness in color of the sky looks like sky compared to the mountain. Hence, a light pink sky. The light side of the Watchman mountain was one of the primary colors and the dark side was its complement. Then we anchored the mountain to the ground with a darker value color and added texture. Altogether we explored art elements and really looked at the very mountains and rocks they had come to see while visiting the park. They were great young artists to work with. 
dilleenmarshwomanartistrenaissance 