"Monkeying Around" Beanie Baby Painting #6 and Visitors

Beanie Baby Painting #6: "Monkeying Around," oil on panel, 6"h x 6"w, ©Jill Banks 2011

As my exhibit "100 Faces in 100 Days" draws to a close, I've been encouraging people to come in and take a look before it's gone. (Randy and I take it down next Wednesday, August 31.) That worked today ... especially with Hurricane Irene threatening to swipe away tomorrow's hours.

My first visitor (who arrived before I got there) was Jeff Mizell. I met Jeff at last Sunday's Reston Century bike race (I'd won 1st place in the t-shirt art competition so my painting was printed on the back of shirts given out to all the riders). He'd come to see my 100 Faces project a couple of days ago and in addition to talking about the project and art in general, I pointed out the first five paintings in my series of nine Beanie Baby paintings. After purging our house last year (taking all the extra good stuff to places where it could then end up in good, new homes) prior to a move, I found myself short on what we used to be really long on ... i.e. beanie babies.

The Candidates for #6, #7, #8 and #9. Thanks, Jeff!

Today, he arrived with two very large plastic boxes filled to the brim with potential candidates (from his now grown kids' collections) for my last few small panels. He encouraged me not to worry about keeping too many. If I thought I might want to paint it, it went into the keep for now pile. Tonight I took a photo of all the candidates I kept.

Each time I paint there are so many converging influences. For the Beanie Baby Mini Project, I have a stack of fun-colored scrapbooking paper from Michaels that I select to complement my "model." Those are set on my laptop on top of a sculpture stand I can put at various heights. Today, I paid tribute to another of this afternoon's visitors.

Soon after Jeff left with the non-candidates, two of my special faces (Joan Bell-Haynes and Oscar Haynes) entered with friends visiting from Alabama.  We sat and talked and then the door opens again and Christine came in -- one of my faces and mom of two others -- including my youngest subject, then six-and-a-half-month old Bailey. Part of the fun with this project is that visitors get to find the other faces on exhibit... as in, can you find me ... or do you see anyone you know?

Joan, Oscar, and their friends Lou and Carolyn kept us laughing and enjoying time together. Christine mentioned that her cheeks hurt from "too much funny." Mine did, too.

So, my additional influence ... for this one beanie baby is that Christine, for her day, wore a chartreuse shirt and colorful scarf. Chartreuse is a favorite color for both of us ... and we talked about that.

The fact that I had a shorter time to paint -- meant I had to keep it simple. Thus, full circle, beanie baby #6.

See Beanie Baby Painting #5. Beanie Baby #4.

Events
August 3 - 31: "100 Faces in 100 Days" on exhibit at the Artists' Atelier, 1144 Walker Road, Great Falls, VA. Open hours: Wednesdays through Saturdays, 12:30-6:00pm.

August 3-September 5: 'Scapes Exhibit at the Art League, 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA. My entry, "A New York State of Mind," won Honorable Mention.

Thursday, September 8, 7:30pm: Demo for the Vienna Arts Society, Vienna, VA. More details to come.

Sunday, October 2, 10am-5pm: MPA McLean Artfest, juried outdoor arts festival, McLean Community Park, McLean, VA

Saturday and Sunday, October 15&16, 10am-5pm: Great Falls Annual Studio Tour. Major weekend long event with 47 artists from Great Falls Studios participating in a self-guided tour. I'll be in the Artists' Atelier, the studio I share with 14 other artists at 1144 Walker Road, Suite G, Great Falls. Last year, the tour drew 7200+ visitors from throughout the DC area. Don't miss it!

To read more about the 100 Faces in 100 Days project on my web site (www.jillbanks.com), go to the 100 Faces Project Pages 1 and 2 where you can see all 100 of my volunteers. Click on the paintings, and go to my blog post for that person's sitting.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project Page 1 (faces 1-54): www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
100 Faces in 100 Days Project Page 2 (faces 55-100): www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project_2.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Joan Bell-Haynes is Face #12

"Joan Bell-Haynes" Sat for Me Today, Face #12 of 100.

First comment ... my Internet is down, thus email is down. So, I'll be slow on replies and it'll be trickier to post for a day and a half.

Joan Bell-Haynes, Face #12
I spent a wonderful morning and early afternoon today with Joan Bell-Haynes. Joan is my parents' pastor and also the wife of Oscar (the famous model from last Fall's portrait class and my model for tomorrow's face).  Both are beautiful people and it was most enjoyable to just "meet" Joan as Joan ... versus Joan as wife and pastor.

We don't have "isn't the weather blustery outside" conversations. There's a lot to learn, understand ... a lot of common ground, both ways. Perhaps sometimes we don't think that someone else is interested in what we have to say, or we're never in the right time/place to be ourselves and share what's important to us. But, when we're open to listening and revealing what we're about, it's just easy, comfortable and helpful!

I took this shot in the mirror. (Backwards and there's a streak. Oops.)

I'm having these conversations while painting and I never want to stop either. Today was certainly no exception. What's being revealed isn't what my sitter looks like but who they are. While I care whether two eyes are aligned and a likeness exists, these "Faces" are far more in tune with the person's soul than surface.

In Joan, I felt, saw, heard her spirit. She is wise and full of love.

These "Faces" aren't snapshots of people. These "Faces" are who they are as seen through someone else's eyes.

I think that's what is surprising when each one of my sitters sees his or her painting. They are used to seeing a photograph and just accept that the camera (or the mirror) must be an accurate reflection of what they "look" like to someone else. But, I don't think that's true. (At least I hope not, in my own case -- since photos of me look pretty dreadful.) I know that this painting of Joan looks like her to me in a way a photo never could.

My 100 Faces in 100 Days Project
While we were together for a bit longer, this sitting was probably three-and-a-half to four hours long. (They aren't getting shorter.) To find out more about my project, read earlier posts on my blog ... each day from January 1 to today and the two posts in late December when I revealed my 2011 plans. Or go to my web site to my 100 Faces in 100 Days project page. I'll be updating that ... again ... when Verizon gets our Internet back in business. Sitters volunteer to come sit for me from anywhere to two-and-a-half to four hours ... to help me out, enjoy and learn about the process and be part of a project that I envision as a future exhibit and book about the project ... featuring them.

Tomorrow's "Face" is Oscar and I will get a post up on his sitting ... somehow ... tomorrow night.

I'm actually overloaded with technical issues at the moment. Boo hiss.

"Joan", Face #12 in my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project, oil on Raphael linen-lined board, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435