Girl with a Crystal Earring has been accepted into the OPA Salon to be held at the Beverly McNeil Gallery in Birmingham, Alabama, October 8th to November 5th, 2015.

My Entry Description:

Her quiet demeanor and the lovely way the warm light spilled over her form captured me. Cool soft light filled the shadows; as we painted in the studio that day. I started over again at home fresh with a photo and memories the experience.
12 x 9

$980
Painted with traditional oils on a Raymar linen panel.

Contact:

Beverly McNeil Gallery

I started this piece in a three hour life study session. As I worked on her lovely pose and costume more at home, a story emerged. She is in her  beautiful silky rich colored bathrobe, resting comfortably on the couch. I imagine she worked really hard all day and looked forward to changing into some comfortable clothes and watching a little TV before she drifts off to bed and to face another day in the morning. How many of us can relate to this?

The experience of painting Abigail was memorable. It began in a group life painting session as each of us positioned at our various viewpoints, sought to capture her. There was something compelling about her gaze that immediately drew me in. She had a delicacy and captivating fragility about her. As I looked into her face, particularly her eyes I felt as though I was drawn into her soul. With a few photos, a conte sketch of her, and strong memories of her presence that day, I began anew at home on canvas painting quickly and as much Alla Prima as possible; while using a certain care for accuracy, and handling with a delicacy that would not be overworked... especially her eyes. My hope was to go beyond mere image to capture her delicate expression in those moments while they were still fresh in my mind. I hope I captured an essence of her to share.

Why the title Moon Dance? As I was painting her, I was struck one evening by a large harvest moon rising in the east of our home. The colors in the sky were beautiful reminding me of the background I had already painted. Then as I worked, I imagined that she was at a grand ball. Her beau took her out in the moonlight. He could see the light from inside the ball spill out through the tall Palladian windows over her form warming her skin. The cool moonlight dances in her hair and filled the shadows in her face and neck. What a wonderful night for Moon Dance.

Life painting is challenging. You never quite have all the time you want to work. Sometimes the model moves, grimaces, lose their beginning expression. What a hard job it is for the model to sit so still for so long. I appreciate their willingness to do this.

At the studio that I paint at, we all show up, set up our easels and supplies. The model is put in his/her pose. A flood of activity is taking place. Then suddenly the light goes on, the timer is set and all is silent as we take in what we see and formulate our next steps. Sometimes I feel so honored to have the privilege of standing before a beautiful living human being to paint him/her. The beauty of the colors of light on the skin, warm and cool tones are something that doesn’t show up with such nuance and subtlety in a mere photo. Beyond the imagery is the person hood of the model that seems to emanate into the room. How do I capture it all with mere paint on a blank canvas?

Simple Beauty is hanging in the Rogue Gallery's Members Show running November 21 – December 19, 2014.  The artist reception is held on the third Friday Art Walk, November 21st from 5 – 9 pm. The catering is by Harry and David as well as amazing cheeses from award winning Rogue Creamery. With wine from local wineries, a steady crowd, it was a very nice event.

Rogue Gallery and Art Center
40 South Bartlett St
Medford, OR 97501
(541) 772-8118 x302


"Fields of Gold" is hanging at the Members Show at the Grants Pass Museum of Art from November 19th through December 18th. The artist reception is First Friday December 5th, 5-9 pm.

Grants Pass Museum of Art
229SW “G” Street
Grants Pass OR 97528
(541) 479-3290
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 12-4:00 pm

I am also showing in a special Holiday Show at the Fire House Gallery in Grants Pass November 26th – December 11th. All of the artwork is $100 or less. I have a few original studies, lots of prints and cards. The reception from 5:30- 8:30 on the same evening as the show at the Museum.

Fire House Gallery
Historic City Hall
Corner of Fourth and H Streets
Grants Pass, OR
(541) 956-7241
Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 11:30-4:30
Special Shopping Day Saturday December 6th 10:00 – 1:00 pm

Recently I was chosen to be included in an article in Southern Oregon Magazine, along with my daughter Charity Hubbard and other artists, including Richard McKinley. Here is the quote:

"Sheri Dinardi makes her home in Jacksonville and draws inspiration from nearby Victorian cottages and historic farms. Watching the play of light on golden fields of grain prompts her to capture the effects of fleeting light as she paints women and children in a landscape scene. Viewers are lifted into a sense of timelessness and sacred radiance, as if they have been transported to another world of beauty and hope. You can almost smell the sweet fragrance of lavender and roses. Even in Dinardi’s portraits, viewers are invited to look deeper than the surface, sensing a soul that has been set free. Her love of creation and Creator are evident in every stroke. Her works have been exhibited across the nation and have won several awards."

Day One:

Once we checked in; brought in all our easels, supplies, etc, We gathered around Dan to hear him open the workshop.  It was important for Dan to know what we needed to get out of the workshop. What is my current struggle? He also took some pressure off us by say that "no one paints their best in a workshop setting. What he hoped for us is that simple principles would emerge and  continue when we get home and work.

Dan's goal to convey to us was to:

1). See the subject's absolute essence  2). Organize values  3). How to organize, to pull out the essential... what is important to the big picture. He warned us that he will say the same thing over and over. What was reassuring is the things he would repeat are the very same things that he tells himself, every day. Values, edges, temperature, good drawing.
He also strongly encouraged us to work from Life. It does make a difference in your paintings and is worth the extra effort. He prayed for the workshop. :)

Dan's Value/Color Study:

Simply beautiful isn't it? He recommended that we first do an 8x10 study where we set up a simple light and shade pattern. Put what is essential on there... The biggest thing, is to SQUINT! He wanted us to create a hierarchy of values to prioritize. Certainly drawing and proportion is important; but he was more focused on the hierarchy of values, edges, and temperature. For values first we are to squint to find the lightest light and darkest dark. Put those in right from the beginning to compare all the other values to. Then to squint again to simplify the form into 2 basic values by deciding what belongs to the light shape and what belongs to the dark shape. Next squint to look for a variety of hard and soft edges. Where is the sharpest edge? Put that in. Where are the softest edges? Where are they like vapors, disappearing into the form

My color study:

So how did I do? OK, I guess, but not as well as I hoped. When Dan paints and teaches he makes it look so obvious and easy. As you watch, you are sure you can paint better than ever. But this is not bad for a 1/2 hour study on the first day of a workshop. I will improve. Also, the important thing about a study like this is that I get the important notes that I will need to do a larger piece; the simple light and shade patterns, the sharpest and softest edges and temperatures of the light.

Additionally, this was like a quick practice and made the next full size piece go quicker and easier.

My Day One Full Size Portrait:

How did I do? Pretty good as well. It really helped me to do the color study first to practice the drawing as well as  to organize my values, edges and temperatures in the cool north light. (The image looks warmer than the actual painting) Doing the small study first also took some pressure off of being nervous on the first day of the workshop. At home I spent a few minutes to do a few things to improve it. Warmed and darkened the hair in a few places and softened an edge on her right check.

Dan's Finished Painting:
Wow! So beautiful, poetic, so full of emotion and feeling.

To start he tones the canvas and finds shape the best with vine charcoal. It wipes off very easy for making corrections.

Start with the big picture: You don't want the head to be too big. Use the simplest straight angles and lines to get the basic shape of the head. Then a center line and breakdown further to locate the features.

He said "the Biggest Thing is edge variety and simplicity of value". What does that mean? Well, you don't want all of your edges to be equally soft or equally sharp. You want a spectrum of edge variation. As far as the values you want that simple separation between light and dark. Then you turn the form with warmer or cooler color. "If the values are not in range it will kill the effect of light."
Notice there are not lights that jump out of the shadow on her face or neck. Also note: the top left portion of the painting has glare on it, showing up to be blue. It is not in the original painting.

Stay tuned for day 2 and more...

A friend sent a message to my website saying that she had seen my painting Tory's Smile* on Fine Art Views. I am thinking what? My painting that I just posted is on Fine Art Views. I checked and there it was with a nice article written by Carrie Turner and a comment by Brian Sherwin:

Art critic Brian Sherwin commented on artist Sheri Dinardi's artwork, remarking, "There is a soft quality in the way that Sheri Dinardi approaches oil painting -- a certain radiance that projects a sense of spirituality in the way she captures her subjects." Sherwin added, "These works convey a positive message... a reminder of the sacred simplicity, if you will, of the past."

I like what he said about my work... "the radiance, a sense of spirituality... a positive message... a reminder of the sacred simplicity, if you will of the past" What a joy that he said these things as they are what I hope to capture... a sense that will uplift people. We live in a day of such complexity. In my own life I strive for simplicity as much as is possible in our technilogical, busy lifestyles. Thanks Carrie and Brian for your interest in my work. See the full article: FASO Featured Artist Sheri Dinardi

*(I have since changed the name to Quiet Hope.)

More about this painting coming soon.

I just got back from an amazing five day Workshop in Dan Gerhartz's Studio.

I bought a couple of his video's about 6 years ago, learning so much from them; and adding to principles I already had in place. Then I took a one day workshop in 2010 at Week End with the Masters from Dan, Carolyn Andersen and Sherry McGraw. That was really an amazing trip, with so many well known artists walking about and milling around. I also met many other attendee's. The workshops and evening programs were amazing but very crowded and lacking in personal attention. Two of the gals that I met had each been to a workshop in Dan's Studio. Both of them said, "Oh, you have to take a workshop from him in his studio. Since then, I have met two other gals who said the same thing. Four people recommending a workshop in his studio. So now here I am doing the same.

I highly recommend taking a workshop with Dan Gerhartz in his Studio!!!

After seeing Her Mothers Locket video so many times, walking up the path and entering the doors was surreal... like, wow, I am finally here. I was very excited, but determined to remain calm and clear thinking. There I met Jennifer, Dan's wife... a wonderful person; and later Dan; also a wonderful person. Then I met the other fellow students. Everyone was so nice, truly good people that we quickly got acquainted and really enjoyed one another during our time together.

What is so different about being at a 5 day workshop rather than learning from a video or one day workshop? For me, it is one thing to know something and another thing to do it... to experience it. As we sat around Dan and watched him paint; he made it look so easy. We were all sure we could paint better than ever. Then reality hits. Now it is me... and the other students each standing in front of a blank canvas and a beautiful model lit up in front of us. We saw the master paint and now it is our turn... our turn to put what he said into practice. I kept thinking of a teaching of Jesus all week as I was painting. He said, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock." Now it was time to put everything I learned from watching Dan into practice and build a solid foundation, one brush stroke at a time.

I have known about squinting, values, and edges for years and I even though I thought I was using them, I had some growing to do. Here's what really helped me. Dan would come by while I was painting and point out on my own work how I need to squint harder to separate the light from the shade.  My three hour paintings were not great, but each day I improved. (Except Wednesday... it wasn't so good so I painted over it.) I will do future posts about these pieces and how I was able to work on them at home as well.

Life painting is always an adventure. It has been difficult for me; but I am more encouraged and energized than ever before. This will change my painting and I look forward to the work to come.

See you next time,

Sheri

Coming Soon!!!

Masterpiece Christian Artist Conference
Made in His Image, Designed to Create
May 16th thru 19th
Come and be refreshed, renewed and grow in your art making.
This year we will have great instructors
Chris Hopkins / Dennis Lewis, Michael Dudash, and Stephen S. Walker
will teach oil painting, portrait and figure as well as landscape
There will also be a fiber art class taught by Jan Hopkins,
as well as Drawing and Marketing by Jan Hopkins.

This is a great place to come, refresh and be inspired on an amazing ranch set high in the Oregon Cascade Mountains. There are log cabins, and other accommodations near by and the Great Western Hall where we meet. Check out this amazing photo of the ranch and a snow capped Mount Shasta faintly looming off to the right in the background.
Hope to see you there!

Awarded 2012 Painting of the Year with Southern Oregon Society of Artists

This beautiful work was painted by my daughter Charity Hubbard. She writes the following description about Grandfathers First Job:

"The photo reference for this painting was taken in Madeira Portugal.  This was a very meaningful trip taken with my Grandmother, Parents, Sisters and Aunt and Uncle.  We have family that live in Madeira which we were able to meet, and we were able to see many places significant to our family, including the job my Great Grandfather worked to earn money to come to America. This unique job is still held by Madeiran young men.  We took a gondola ride to a very high place on the island where there is a hotel that operates the sliding baskets that are run down the streets by the men, offering a very unique tour of the city.  Then the baskets are trucked back up the hill for more patrons.  This was very special to see this profession run in exactly in the same way as when my Great Grandfather was a young man in the Old Country."