Sue Flanagan’s Website

In August, I will be showing about 35 paintings at the Vogt Visual Art Center (VVAC) in Tinley Park. My friend, Marcia Duff will also have her watercolor paintings on display. Both of us are representational artists and we particularly enjoy landscapes.  Here are some pictures of the Vogt Center which is the art center for Tinley Park. It has a gallery on the ground floor and classrooms upstairs. On August 13th, there will be an artist reception at 7 p.m. There will also be free music in the gazebo outside and plenty of refreshments. 

We have had a lot of rain lately, so I haven’t done as much plein air painting as I would like. Here is one of my most recent outdoor paintings.

I recently painted Lake Marmo from a winter plein air study and a photo. Here is the far from completed study on location (I was frozen) and the photo I took.

Here is my painting from these two sources. See My January post for the details of this trip to the Morton Arboretum.

I hope you are enjoying the summer. Until next time,
Sue

The first Great Lakes Pastel Society convention was held in Ypsilanti, Michigan at the Eagle Crest Resort. It was a very well organized event and an enjoyable weekend. I arrived on a Friday evening to register and enjoy the reception for the participants. It was stressful driving across Michigan because of the heavy rain. This unfortunately made it challenging for the artists who were participating in the plein air painting near the resort. However, it did not stop them and their paintings were hanging in the reception area. There was a computer slide show of paintings for the artists who were in attendance. It was a humbling experience because there were so many beautiful paintings.

In the next two days, I attended 3 sessions. The first was on how to digitally photograph your artwork. Now I have to learn more about my camera-ouch! The second session was a landscape demonstration by Larry Blovits. He is an accomplished artist and you can tell that he has a lot of teaching experience. Here are some photos of his demonstration of a fall scene. His photograph is his reference.

The third session was a portrait demo by Vianna Szabo. Vianna has a great ability to see color. Here are some pictures of her starting her drawing, doing an alcohol wash after blocking in with pastel, and then with pastel application. She did not finish but accomplished a lot. 

What did I learn from these great artists? There are many things but I was certainly reminded to be patient! There was a banquet Saturday evening. Richard Rubenfeld, an art historian, gave a commentary of modern pastel art. It included an interesting slide show.

It was a very pleasant weekend that was followed by some time in Saugatuck, Michigan. I painted an iris, beach and water scenes plein air. I hope you are enjoying summer and keep in touch with your creative side.
Sue Flanagan

Some of the very talented collage artists at the LaGrange Art League (LGAL) made a book. Each artist took a page and made it her own. When I saw a book of handmade watercolor papers at the local craft store, I decided to give this a try. Each page is like a little painting and this is great for my limited attention span. My friend is a writer. When I am done, she is going to write the text for the pages. It will be interesting to see how my art inspires her. Here are a couple of the pages in the book.

Now, what about a project? The LaGrange Art League participated in a community fund raiser called Empty Bowls. The proceeds went to local food pantries. People bought bowls and anyone who came to the gallery with a bowl received a chance to win an apron that was decorated by our artists. Now, fabric painting is something that I have never done but I was asked to participate. I couldn’t say no. So, Suzy came out to play and I painted one of the aprons. This is what I came up with. I wanted to keep the cost down so the palette had to be minimal. I did not have fabric paints or fabric dye. It is called Celestial Happenings.

I have not abandoned my pastel paintings. Every once in awhile I feel like painting a flower. I took a photo last summer of a rose that I think is very interesting. It is a combination of yellow and pink. I started with an oil underpainting on paper and then added the pastel when that was dry. This month’s theme at the LGAL is the color called rose madder. I hung this painting in the show and called it “Does a Rose Matter?” Here is a picture of the underpainting and of the final painting.

I have completed other paintings from my trip to Taos, NM. I will be updating the landscape gallery soon to show you some of those. I hope you are enjoying the spring weather. I am. For all of you who are mothers, have a great Mother’s Day!

Sincerely,
Sue or Suzy?

A couple of weeks ago we had our first 65 degree day in months. So, I packed up the easel and art supplies and headed to the Morton Arboretum. I knew it would be too early for blooming flowers and trees but I had to get outside.  Here are some of the earliest signs of new life. The daffodils were just sprouting.

I set up my easel next to the car because I did not realize how windy it would be and the wind was cold! I anchored the easel so it was secure but I was constantly holding something else down. I was attracted to some trees that had red grass in front of them. Here is the set up. I first put pastel down for the major shapes and then used Gamsol (mineral spirits) to spread the pastel. When it was dry, I applied some pastel. I did not finish.

Unfortunately, this was not fun so I gave up and went to the visitor’s center for some hot tea. I was so cold! I spent the rest of my time driving through the grounds. Today it is an unusual 80 degrees and many things are blooming. It is still windy but I am looking forward to a return trip.

One of my pastel paintings, “Running Out of Titanium White” has been accepted into the Great Lakes Pastel Society National Show. This will be at the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art in Midland Michigan from May 8th to August 1st. In August I will be showing a large number of paintings at the Vogt Visual Art Center in Tinley Park with Marcia Duff, a watercolorist. So I am busy painting in my studio and framing.

Have a great Easter.
Until next time,
Sue Flanagan

Thank goodness that the days are getting longer and the snow is melting! It is time for some plein air painting.

I have started a series of pastel paintings of a nearby field next to a bike path. I took several photos of the process. Since there was a lot of green in this summer scene, I did an underpainting with orange and red gouache. I used U Art paper for my support. You can see quite a bit of the underpainting in the first photo. The next two photos show the progression where I started to build up the soft pastel from the background to the foreground. The underpainting continues to show through even in the final painting. The fourth picture is the final painting which is 12 x 16 inches. Click on the image to enlarge.

The painting was hinged with tape to a backing board. Then it was framed with a gold wood frame using clear spacers between the glass and the painting.

I just finished taking a class in Photoshop Elements at the LaGrange Art League. Sarah Rehmer was the instructor. I took the class so that I could fine tune the photos of my art. However, I have found it to be another creative outlet. It is easy to spend hours playing with this program. It is a lot of fun but the learning curve is high-at least for me. Here are two examples of what I did.

The first piece is the result of creating shapes, filling the shapes and using the other tools to modify on a blank canvas. The second piece is from a photo the instructor gave us. This one included selecting, moving, resizing and then using filters to obtain the final image. It will be in the LaGrange Art League Student show. All of the students were to start with this same photo and create something from it using the skills we learned. I’m sure there will be a quite a variety!

Peace,
Sue Flanagan

I have decided that I have at least two personalities when it comes to art. I think the second personality is called Suzy. Every once in awhile, I depart from my representational work and have to work an abstract piece. Here is my departure from representational pastel art. Click on the image to make it larger.

The first one is called “Faith” and I had a clear idea of a theme and design when I started it. The theme is clear from the title. Strong value contrast was used to lead your eye around the painting and a pop of red color brings you to the focal area. I call the second one “No Decision” because I just kept adding paper and acrylic media until I was happy with the look. The center of interest changed many times. I like the 3D nature of this piece.

Patricia Kellner is an artist that was in the Paul Murray workshop in Taos with me. She recently sent me a few photos of me painting en plein air with the group. I am using a great umbrella that she designed. Go to her web site at www.BestBrella.com for more information. The scenery near Taos is fantastic. Don’t you agree?

Be creative and enjoy.
Sue Flanagan

Well, the PAPC-SW has not been painting but I did get myself out to the Morton Arboretum. Most of our country is in the deep freeze and the Chicago area is no different. However, we have had some beautiful days with snow and sunshine. So, I packed up my gear and donned my winter clothes. I have a couple of layers of clothing under an old ski jacket and ski pants. I put on hiking socks, chemical toe warmers and boots. I have wool gloves that have the fingertips removed and that have a flap that I periodically put over the fingers to warm them up. I will spare you a picture of this get up and just show you the beautiful scene that I chose to paint. Click on any of the pictures to enlarge.

Here is my easel set up. The plastic sack is a bunch of newspapers to give me another barrier between the snow and my boots. I have to admit, I was still very cold and decided that I just need new boots. I have used my backpack to anchor the easel in case it becomes windy. Thank goodness it never did.

I am not happy with what I did on the spot but maybe it can be salvaged back in the studio. My fingers were just too stiff to accomplish very much. I’m glad I did it and I did buy new boots.

Here are a few more photos of the beautiful landscape at the Morton Arboretum.

I hope you have had a good start to the new year!
Peace,
Sue

How did I miss November? The year is quickly coming to an end. A couple of weeks ago, Rita Rogan, invited several artists to her home. We created abstract paintings on material that will become curtains for one of her large windows in her home. Joyce Leas provided the structure for the panels and the rest of us splashed, poured, stamped and stroked paint of primary colors. We called it our Jackson Pollock moment. We took a break and had some great chili and other snacks. Here are the results of this fun afternoon.

Back to pastel, I decided to do something that I have been meaning to do for awhile. I painted a still life with white on white with white. I used a statue that I bought in an antique shop. I liked the graceful curves of this statue. I placed it on top of a white napkin with three white rosebuds in a small glass bowl next to it. Here is the outcome.

This was a very good exercise. It requires close observation of color, color temperature, and value. I like the painting. I am currently working on another still life of white objects. However, this one has been more challenging and the frustration level is high.

So, what about plein air painting? It is currently about 25 degrees outside and it is a very gray day. This is the time of year when I find little motivation for plein air painting. It is difficult to find beauty in the barren trees and fields and the wind chill can be brutal. However, I did go to the Morton Arboretum a couple of weeks ago and will return when there is a nice snowfall. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and hope that you have a blessed Christmas.
Sue Flanagan

On Oct. 10th, I went to a plein air event with the Plein Air Painters of Chicago-SW. We had an opportunity to paint outdoors at Ida’s Nursery in Lemont. Here is a picture of the beautiful scenery at Ida’s.

As you can see, the morning was beautiful. Ida’s staff could not have been nicer or more helpful. They provided hot coffee and pastries in the morning and a hot lunch. There were two fires going to keep us warm. The staff helped to unload and set up our equipment. We were allowed to put up displays with our art work for sale. Here are more photos of artists and their set ups.

I was busy visiting with other artists and visitors to the nursery. I started a pastel painting  of potted plants. However, I wasn’t paying attention to the gradual change in weather. I have learned to anchor my easel but I had framed paintings displayed on a table next to me. A gust of wind sent them airborne. Broken glass and a ruined frame was the result. That was the end of my day. I cleaned up and went home. I’m still grateful to Ida’s for the opportunity. Next weekend, the PAPC-SW will be out to paint again. The forecast is for more wind. I will be more careful.

Until next time, happy painting.
Sue

I recently had a great opportunity to go to a plein air workshop that was sponsored by the Taos Art School. Paul Murray PSA was the instructor for this plein air pastel workshop. This part of the country is absolutely beautiful and so different from the Midwest of the United States. Here are some of the sites that I painted. Click on a picture to make it larger.

Taos is an amazing art community. I spent a whole day leisurely going through galleries. I saw an annual art show at the convention center. I saw a “Quick Draw” where a group of artists create art in a variety of media and the works are sold at auction afterward.Workshops are so much fun. I see new parts of the country and I meet other artists who are passionate about art. Here are some pictures of the group.

Here are some pictures of our first day at St. Francis church. Paul is giving me some pointers and he demonstrated.

At the end of the week, Paul critiqued our work. The last picture is of Paul and his paintings of the week.

To see some of the paintings I did in this workshop, go to my plein air gallery. To see Paul Murray’s work, go to www.murrayfineart.com.