"White Peonies" Painting

This is "White Peonies" continued ... from the painting I started last week in Sherrie McGraw's workshop held in Herndon. I absolutely love peonies, but struggled with these in the workshop. I was trying to take in too many new concepts at once that all together paralyzed my painting activities. It reminded me of when my husband tried to give me a golfing lesson (long, long ago). When you're thinking about your shoulders, your hips, your wrists, where you're lining up, how full a swing, etc. ... you're sure to miss the ball. My paralysis and difficulty wasn't  due to Sherrie ... I was just trying too hard.

I'm liking this painting now. I will be looking for some stand-in peonies to replace the originals to finish this up.

This Friday, May 7 is First Friday at the Artists' Atelier, the working studios and gallery space I share with 15 other artists at 1144 Walker Road, Suites D&G, Great Falls, VA 22066. Join us from 7-9pm for the opening reception of the "School Spirit" show of works by students of the Great Falls School of Art -- where I teach. The Artists' Atelier is also open every Saturday, noon-4pm or whenever an artist is in.

Coming soon is information on Summer classes and workshops. I'm going to be teaching five single day workshops on "Painting (or Drawing) the Town" -- capturing the urban scene in plein air with and without models. Students can sign up for a single day or several or all and join me in various locations around the metro area (Great Falls, Reston, Herndon, maybe more) for demos and individual instruction. I'll also be teaching a three-day still life intensive workshop. Class listings will be posted on my web site.

Still on my to-do list is to update my web site. All I can say is it can get complicated. Life as an artist is a lot like playing in a one-man band. Or being a one-armed paper hanger. You get the drift. Still ... check my site for more paintings of flowers (including peonies) in the still life section of the gallery.

"White Peonies" work in progress, oil on Raymar panel, 20"h x 16"w, copyright Jill Banks 2010.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435