Kitty Wallis

'Waterfall'

2011-09-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

'Waterfall' 36"x24" Pastel on Sandpaper

We painted at Crystal Springs today. Although it was predicted to be cloudy the sun shone all afternoon. It was a beautiful day.
Thanks, Celeste, for this photo.

Park

2011-09-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

'Park' 18x24. pastel on sandpaper with a pigment dispersion underpainting

Furthering the quest for expressive work
I was forced, by being unprepared, to sit down with this subject. I wouldn't have chosen it. I was in the mood to paint water. (when am I not in the mood to paint water?) I was happy to find that my paintings are not so much empowered by subject choice as they are by what I do with the subject. I didn't even realize how good this was until I got over my frustration. That took a whole 24 hours and many positive comments from viewers.

Deleted Oil practice phase.

2011-09-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

I just deleted all the oil and acrilyic experiments. Vanity? Professionalism? I couldn't bear to be represented by all that mediocre work.

2012 Class schedule

2011-09-18T01:26:00.000-07:00

My Class Schedule for 2012 is up. I'll be adding times to the color classes when they are set. I have some information about lodging as well. Please let me know if you are interested.

I kept the price low since artists aren't flocking to classes these days. There will be a small additional model's fee for the figure class.
We will be working in a different studio for these classes. It's an idyllic, peaceful country setting near Oregon City, with all the facilities. I painted 'Light Corridor' there, (previous post) which gives you a glimpse of the place.

I'm back to pastel

2011-09-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

'Light Corridor' 36"by 24" Pastel on sandpaper with a wet pigment underpainting. Plein Air, done this afternoon.

I'm back to pastel. My first love. My explorations in oil and acrylic taught me that I already am where I want to be. Loose. Expressive. Looking forward to a whole new body of work.

Portrait demos at IAPS

2011-06-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

We attend the International Assoc of Pastel Artists trade show every other year. It was in Albuquerque 6/2-6/5 2011. I look forward to it. We set up a booth and I do Portrait demos to show the artists how I handle my underpainting and pastel technique on my Wallis paper.

I like to do 1 hour portraits of those artists attending who are willing to spare the time.
The first one is Dawn. The next one, showing the underpainting and the finished portrait, is Connie.

I wish I knew how to do a layout on this blog post thingamajig. I would have put the underpainting before the finished piece. But it's what it is.

I have a few more I'll post later.

My new drawing class worked.

2011-04-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

I taught my new curriculum last weekend. I was higher than a kite for days afterwards. It worked even better than I hoped. Here's one student's feedback.

Thanks, Barbara, for sending me your response to the drawing intensive. I appreciate you.

Hi, Kitty--
I went to Hipbone today for the first time in a few years. ... Compared to what I was doing at Hipbone the last time, today's drawings are leaps and bounds better than those. It's all due to that workshop, Kitty. For the first time I liked my gestural drawings, and the foreshortened long pose actually got some good words from Jeff. For the first time I covered the paper with the drawing instead of sight-sizing the model onto the paper--I knew how to do it!! It was FUN, I was excited, and I like what I came home with. There is still, of course, a long way to go but your workshop vaulted me over into the high-speed lane and learning should go on as long as I work with the lessons you taught me. Many many thanks--again--for your patience, your knowledge, and your dedication to passing on what you learned so long ago. We are all so grateful to you!
Barbara

CPAP success

2011-01-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

At the sleep center last night, although I didn't sleep much, 3 hours, the doc pronounced me well wedded to the machine and all signs are go. Who can sleep in a doctors office? Even if it is disguised to look like a motel room.

Back to the easel.

I don't check my gmail

2011-01-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

I haven't checked my g-mail for months. I might have to start checking it since I just discovered that I have a lot of comments there about my blog posts. Especially since
Please excuse me, all who commented, that I never answered or acknowledged. I tried to figure out how to answer some of those months old questions and more recent ones but cannot find the 'reply' button.

If you have a comment or question you would rather keep private, please use my email address: walliscorp@yahoo.com

Jack

2010-09-08T23:56:00.000-07:00

Pastel on Sandpaper with an underpainting of wet pigment. 36"x28" Ala Prima, done in 95 minutes with an audience and while making comments.

My favorite portrait to date. Everything worked. Jack was a perfect model. Have you, when doing a portrait, had the sense of interference on a vibe level, coming from the model. I believe some models are compelled to attempt to control the process, although I don't think it's a conscious impulse. Sometimes I feel it so strongly that I can hardly see the model. Jack was the exception that proved this is true. I was relaxed and free while I painted him. I learned to identify this interference and, I hope, to be able to deal with it with more awareness when next I encounter it.

Boy! I'm Good!

2010-05-03T00:06:00.000-07:00

I hung a show today.

After spending the last 15 years making Wallis Paper the success it is, while taking the opportunity to drop out of showing and search for the next level in my work; my breath was taken away by how good the show looks. I wish you could all see it. In my time of hiatus, I have continued to grow. I am happy and proud.

The show is at:
Lexus of Portland
8840 SW Canyon Road
Portland, OR 97225

May 3 thru May 30
Sun 10:00 AM-6:00 PM
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM-8:00 PM
Sat 9:00 AM-7:00 PM

There will be a reception at my studio
10915 SW 37 Ave, Portland
May 8th and May 9th 3 to 5 PM
See what's on the easel now.

2010-03-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Waterlilies, 24"x36" watercolor underpainting and pastel on sandpaper.
A very hot July day at Giverny, standing on the bridge in the full sun, doing just the most essential parts, no finishing, no unnecessary detail. I learned a lot about less is more.

Giverny Spring

2010-01-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

From my painting trip to Giverny.

Playing with color

2009-12-06T17:30:00.001-08:00

Our painters group is working on a winter project. You can see the work at http://subjecttointerpretations.blogspot.com/ Every 2 weeks a new photo reference is posted and we are invited to post our interpretation of it. I'm having fun using colors from my imagination. In this case, changing a gloomy day into a vivid nocturne.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T14:06:00.000-08:00

To celebrate Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, here is my painting of family love.

Chinese Fishermen

2009-11-20T23:57:00.001-08:00

I'm posting this to celebrate the year of figure drawing we just completed. I'm proud of those who stayed with it. and I'm proud of the curriculum. I will do it again, but not for awhile. First, I'll see how it shows in the work of my students.

Portrait of James

2009-11-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

Beginning the underpainting with two yellows. I like to use primaries in layers as I study the subject and the color. Yellow is easiest to start with since it is a the lightest in value. Then red, then blue.

I do an underpainting in pigment dispersions. To find out more about this pigment preparation, go to Guerra Pigments.
When the underpainting is dry, I continue with pastels

with some pastel marks

James, 22"x 17" pastels with pure pigment underpainting, on my sandpaper.

Peoples's choice at my Open Studio

2009-10-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

'Leslie in Hot tub' 40"x26" Pastel on Sandpaper

This piece is about my love of painting water and people. Fun to combine them and see the distortions of the figure under water. I did a series of these paintings.

As I painted it I called it 'Handful of Jewels'. I learned a lot painting her backlit head; remembering the backlit figures I had seen in Maxfield Parrish's work. Making the skin glow with heat in the shadows was satisfying.

At the bottom of the paper you can see the underpainting. I have only a few pastel marks there. Water-based underpainting with pigment dispersions gives a transparent dimension to the opaque quality of pastels, when the underpainting is successful enough to let it show.

Bumper Sticker

2009-10-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

This morning, at breakfast with my art friends, we spent part of our time exploring the ideas :
What motivates you to paint?
Is art necessary for life?

As I drove home I saw this bumper sticker:

EARTH

Bridge at Giverny

2009-10-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

I found two of my plein air pieces painted at Giverny. I thought they were all sold long ago but I just found these. They are in my Open Studio show, today and 10/17-18

2009-10-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

Watch this space for photos of my Open Studio Show. Still getting it ready.

Or come see it. I'll be open from 10 to 5 both weekends, 10/11 and 17/18. And I'll be making new paintings most of that time. Some people come by more than once to see how the paintings are coming along.

Portrait scheduled for Sat morning: Vicki Rohner
And for Sat morning 10/17: James Lusk

Ramping up for Open Studios

2009-10-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

I'm swamped with preparations for our Open Studios show this weekend and next. Preparing pictures, preparing the studio, meeting with student intern, generally making ready. I love this event. I love the energy of art lovers pouring into my studio and giving me feedback about my work. I love interacting directly with folks rather then thru the screen of the gallery world.

Getting to know blogging.

2009-10-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

A portrait showing the person in my cat

After resisting blogging for many years, I realize this is the venue for me. Painting, talking, teaching, listening are all favorites of mine. Here they all are, in abundance. Maybe it was the abundance that scared me.

Beginning as I mean to go forward, I expect to reveal my hopes, fears, and various attitudes, just as I do in my work.