Guest Artist: Jean Smidth

While in central CA a couple of months back we reconnected with Peter and Jean — great friends from WAAAY back. I knew Jean’s creative streak ran strong. Everything she touches — food, decor, gardening, art — exudes a warmth of nurture. I finally got to view her home gallery of oil painting ‘experiments.’ Wow!

Methinks the next addition on their sprawling property needs to be an art studio so this gal can get to business!

(Click any image to enlarge)
Jean Smidth, San Luis Obispo artist.

Her various styles and experiments in oil…

I’m stealing this guy next time. Love the spontaneous strokes.

(various sizes, oil on various media)
Displayed artwork © 2017 Jean Smidth. All rights reserved.

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Snowball Juggler

The little girl on this New Yorker cover is so uninhibited and carefree — not a worry in the world. She’s surrounded by focused adults all trying to push somewhere through the seasonal chill. The little girl pays them no mind. She’s in a world of her own, too. A very different world. This is what I suspect she may be imagining in that playful brain of hers…

 

 

(click image to enlarge)

(5″ x 5″  pen and watercolor on sketch paper)
Displayed artwork © 2016 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

Hat’s On!

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Normally we “take our hats off” to someone we salute. In this case we “put our hats ON” in support of a mutual friend and soon-to-be-divorcée—and PARTIED through a 4-course gourmet-catered dinner hosted by our hat aficionado and hostess with the ‘mostess’, Kay.

This super addictive technique (learned from Carla Sonheim) involves quickly drawing with ink using droppers, and immediately blotting the wet lines with toilet paper. The uncontrollable results make laughable caricatures. None of these resembles its reference photo, but that’s not the point. It’s all for the fun of it—just like the party. Cheers!

Displayed artwork © 2016 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

Garden Hug Doodle

You just never know what an aimless session of doodling will turn into.

(click image to enlarge)

(4.5″ x 5″  pen and watercolor on sketch paper)
Displayed artwork © 2015 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

Linus

Another eyedropper creation. Took all of about one minute.

This is based on a favorite old photo of my great-nephew Linus. This makes him look older and indeed he’s a much bigger boy now but still carries that look of wonder on his face. Alway a curious little guy.

I like the simple black and white here. But, I’m tempted to colorize it using either pastels or digitally. What do you think?

(click image to enlarge)

(7″ x 10″ india ink on plain paper using an eyedropper)
Displayed artwork © 2015 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

(Here is his reference photo.)

Belly Laugh

Here’s a belly laugh to start your work week. She’s shrieking with delight over something. Can’t you almost hear her unsolicited spontaneous outburst? Make your week fun, everyone. Belly laugh at least once!

(click image to enlarge)

(5″ x 5″  pen on paper with digital gray background gradient)
Displayed artwork © 2015 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

Kids Art Week – Modigliani Portrait

I could study Amadeo Modigliani‘s portraits for hours. Though he stretches his subject’s features to caricature, a likeness of the person remains and their  personality seems to project.

Final lesson #6 of Kids Art Week introduces a simplified version of his technique. My reference photo was a poor one of me hiking with my favorite sun hat. I look NOTHING like this lithe, blue-eyed young woman, unfortunately. So, on that score I did not succeed as Modigliani may have. The hat, however, is quite believable.

(click images to enlarge)

(4″ x 5″  graphite and Caran D’Ache® water soluble sticks on sketch paper)
Displayed artwork © 2015 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.