Skip to main content

Stanka Kordic Workshop, Day 2


Rubbing elbows with The Master, Stanka Kordic, who's work is at top left. Today we painted alla prima (meaning wet on wet, in one cohesive session) from a live model. The approach was a little different than previous efforts set down overtop prepared grisaille underpaintings, but the expressive potential was just as enormous. AND, I got so excited watching her paint, I decided to try my hand at oils again. It's your job now to hold me to that. Just let me ride The Derby Wave first.... (I know, famous last words)

My Brain Has Officially Exploded. Good News? Gray Matter Doesn't Stain.

The most important thing I left the workshop with? Ironically, it is something I already knew.

"Paint what you see, not what you THINK you see." 

If you've painted with me, you have heard my broken record version of this.

Stanka gave it an entirely zen-like twist, one which resonated deeply, followed almost immediately by impact from The Irony Truck. She said (and I paraphrase), "Don't think of the item, think of the shape."

Meaning, it's not a nose with a crisp bridge anchored by a round nostril. It's a wedge of purplish shadow with a sliver of watermelon at it's base that gently dissolves across the inner edge into the warmer gray of the cheek's flesh.

That's why she makes the big bucks and I am merely a minion. And her painted noses are glorious and believable, and mine are, well, triangular with nobules at the base.

More workshop photos are here - and I have to thank Stanka again for her mountains of inspiration. A fantastic teacher presents fresh ideas and nudges their students into eager exploration. She did just that, and I left her workshop with an eagerness to continue experimenting with edges, surface texture, and layered marks.

And finger painting.

 And moving directly into a new adventure, The Princess and I are heading to Kentucky for the weekend. I'll be speaking at The Kentucky Derby Museum on Saturday. We also hope to try Buckeye ice cream, go spelunking, hit the Louisville Zoo, take in a day of racing at Keeneland, and shoot random pointe (ballet) pics along the way (her in pointe shoes, as I'm sticking to my Converse). If the Gods smile upon us and I can bribe her with promises of bacon and sushi, I may even be able to fit in some creepy doll shopping too. Pics will be added here as our adventure unfolds, and it'll be back to the studio and routine come Monday.

Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork,
Warmly, Kim 
ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear Copyright Thieves

Dear Copyright Thieves,   Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's free for the taking. So let's just stop pretending the internet is a free-for-all.   Don't play the card that you didn't know - that's insulting. And don't also tell me that you meant to follow up and get permission but never got a chance to. That's insulting too. And by the way, don't you have a copyright protection notice on your own site?   And don't even try and point the finger at a third party who commissioned you to make a copy of my painting - again, an insult - you and I both know the difference between a reference photo and a painting.   And don't tell me that I asked for it because I share my artwork on the internet. I share my paintings and ideas and the stories behind them so as to encourage others to pursue  their own passions . I do not share so that those lacking integrity and morals can copy and market the images as their own...
33 comments
Read more

Fisher Price Little People Puppy, Toy #10

"Little People Puppy (Toy #10)," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a spunky little spaniel with jointed legs made by Fisher Price This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . I didn't play with this particular version of Little People toys, but I find them very sentimental never the less. They are well designed and charming. I tried to figure out what year Fisher Price made these particular jointed toys which I own (via ebay - I have circus characters too!), but got distracted learning about the history of Little People in general. They have seemingly been around for 50+ years! The Little People barn was a HUGE part of my childhood. The barn doors opened with a "mooooo," but in my head I heard welcoming nickers. Those horses and chickens were real. The brown and orange shag carpeting of my parent's family room became lush rolling pastures of green, and the Little People...
Post a Comment
Read more

Golden Open Acrylics

I get all sorts of process oriented questions. Most recently I've been getting asked a lot about my paints and palette, which made me realize what a nice blog topic this would make! I use a Masterson Sta-Wet Premier palette box . This is comprised of a box (think Tupperware) with a sponge liner and a slice of palette paper that work together to keep my paints wet. This setup allows me to work with the same palette for about a full week, having the box open for multiple hours every day. You can see what the palette looks like at the beginning of a new session above - below the exact same palette after this week's work. For the last 25 years I have used Golden brand acrylics, mediums, and varnish. I love the overall quality of these paints and the fact that, when I have a question, their customer service department is made up of artists who actually use the products. Until last year, I used their Heavy Body paints exclusively. They have a buttery consistency, a little loose...
11 comments
Read more