Drawing in the Reston Town Center

"Reston Town Center," ink wash and pen&ink on Zecchi's paper, 4-3/4"h x 13"w, © Jill Banks 2011

"Reston Town Center Fountain," ink wash & pen&ink, 13"h x 9"h, ©Jill Banks 2011

Today was all about trying something new. Usually, my "Portrait Painting and Drawing" class involves a model for the day and painting at the school ... but this term, all my portrait painting students were taking a break for a session and my class was filled with my still life students looking for an extra painting day in class. (They are taking both still life and portrait.) So, the class is morphing into ... all those other things they'd like to learn to paint/do. (We did spend half of the classes working with a model ... the second half is the doing something different half.)

This morning we met at the Reston Town Center to work on ink washes and pen & ink. In the shade. The major lesson is in just suggesting the form versus drawing a contour and filling in the blanks. This was the first time the class tackled this new medium... one I love to use while traveling.

"Lamp Post," pen&ink and wash on Fabriano Artistico paper, 10" x 6", ©Jill Banks 2011

Drawing quieted my usually rowdy group. It's so different from painting ... which is fast-paced and social. Drawing is slow and introspective. It requires careful observation and continual decisions about what to include and what to leave out. A great idea to carry over into painting.

It was wonderful to sit there ... with this nice group ... listening and watching the fountain and the area fill with people and constantly change. A singer entertained the stroller set under the pavilion across the street. Not a bad place to be ... at all.

What I would like to do ... soon ... is to set up to paint, in oils, in Reston Town Center and all around the area and beyond. I want to paint urban spaces, concerts on the green, ballgames, farmers' markets and life in my neighborhood. The pools have opened and everyone seems to have spilled outside. Time for me, and my paints, to join life in the open air.

I have a ton of deadlines coming up ... rapidly ... shows to apply to, paintings to pull together. I think that's up next for today.

Tomorrow evening, after still life class, Randy and I take down my 100 Faces in 100 Days exhibit at the Great Falls Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. The library opens at 1pm tomorrow so there might be a few hours to catch it if you haven't. Go to my web site: www.jillbanks.com and the 100 Faces in 100 Days project pages to find out more.

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

View from the Pantheon Steps

Still a short blog ahead. There's just too much I'm busy doing and taking in to type much. But, here you're in the thick of the action ... maybe you can't tell ... but imagine huge crowds around you, behind you, in front of you and you'll get the picture. As we approach Easter (tomorrow), the already thick crowds have increased ... it seems each and everyday. Then, decide to sit on the steps of the Pantheon ... an obvious major attraction and sketch. I stood up for one second (I swear) and someone took my seat. I still sat back down but with about an eighth of the room ... in hopes that the interloper would be sympathetic and stand up. Nope. Eventually, I regained my whole rear-end's worth.

Randy and I have had an absolutely amazing time. Traveling here just opens up the senses. I'm more alive. Inspiration on this trip tops any others. There's a sense of trepidation and excitement that prevails before seeing what develops. Let's HOPE ... and then I'll promise to work.

One more day and then home sweet home.

"View from the Pantheon Steps", ink and sketch and wash, copyright Jill Banks 2010.

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

Field Trip to the National Gallery of Art

Today I joined Loretta Cassidy and Shanaz Asasi from my Great Falls School of Art Still Life class at the National Gallery of Art to spend a fun day viewing the Luis Meléndez exhibit (phenomenal still lifes of food -- right up my alley) and drawing some of the sculptures. The drawing shown above is done with General's Multi-Pastel Chalks in Scarlet Red on Gutenberg Laid paper. I drew it in a sketchbook that I had made myself for a 2006 art historical trip to Florence, Italy led by Robert Liberace. The second drawing is an earlier page in the sketchbook ... done in Florence of the Duomo. It's done in a brown ink wash and pen & ink.

"Drawing from Auguste Rodin's Sculpture: "Victoria Sackville-West, Lady Sackville" 1913-14", multi-pastel chalks, 8"h x 10"w (page dimension), copyright Jill Banks 2009.

"Duomo", ink wash and pen&ink, 10"h x 8"w (page dimension), copyright Jill Banks 2006.

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

New Ink Wash Drawing "Gondolier"

This past week, I created two new ink wash drawings of Venice that were displayed for the first time at the Farmer's Market yesterday. I used black ink (versus the brown ink used for previous ink washes), and was pleased with the effect.


I've been creating drawings more frequently lately. A few reasons for this new development is that I've been drawing and sketching to figure out compositions and plan out my portrait commissions (I have many of those) so that has put me into the drawing mode -- and brought my boxes of drawing materials into view. (A good visual reminder to get to work.) Another reason is that many of my paintings will be leaving my gallery & studio spaces this week to Chasen Galleries in Richmond, VA and in July and August for my solo show at the Great Falls Library. That means I have wall space to fill with beautiful new pieces. More incentive to get to work. Another reason is that other people appreciate the beauty of drawings -- as evidenced with a recent acceptance into NYC's Salmagundi Club's Annual Juried Art Exhibition with two of my drawings (see previous post to see those), a sale of a "Horse and Carriage" ink wash yesterday, and many compliments for another drawing I had in the exhibit, "Thumbelina".

"Gondolier", 8"h x 10"w inside mat dimensions, black ink wash, copyright Jill Banks 2009. Available through my studio.
"Horse and Carriage", ink wash & pen & ink, copyright Jill Banks 2009. Sold.

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