Birthday Celebrating: A Day at the National Gallery

This has been a whirlwind week. I can’t say “Phew” yet … as I have another day in the Great Falls Studios Holiday Show and Sale, tomorrow, Sunday (December 12) from 10am-5pm at the Village Green School in the Great Falls Village Centre.

Yesterday was my birthday and I knew I’d spend it getting ready and setting up for the Holiday show … so Randy and I celebrated it on Thursday, a day early.

Robert Henri's "Snow in New York"

My treat? To go to the National Gallery of Art, have the buffet lunch in the Garden Café, view the Chester Dale Collection Exhibit (outstanding!) and draw for a few hours until the museum closes.

I took photos of the buffet. They will most likely turn into painting ideas with a green quiche cut into slices and neat, sinewy piles of cured meats, and hand-written signs on sticks a la my market scenes. Right up at least one of my alleys.

I loved the Chester Dale Collection exhibit. It is astounding that a couple was able to collect the best of the best spanning artists from around the world through many artistic periods. What in the world did their house look like? Can you imagine living with Van Goghs, Toulouse-Lautrecs, Renoirs, Picassos, Corots, Cassatts, Manets, Monets, Bellows, Matisses, etc …

My favorites in the show are:

Mary Cassatt's "Girl Arranging Her Hair"

“Snow in New York,” an oil on canvas by Robert Henri (American, 1865-1929), painted in 1902

“Girl Arranging Her Hair,” an oil on canvas by Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926), painted in 1886

“Portrait of Sonia.” An oil on canvas by Henri Fantin-Latour (French,  1836-1904) painted in 1890

"A Shepherd Family Resting" by Giovanni Battista Piazzetta

On my way to go draw, I tried to pass the Armand Hammer Collection room of drawings. Operative word: tried. I had to stop in. My inspiration there was a beautiful (red) chalk over graphite drawing by Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (Italian, 1683-1754) called “A Shepherd Family Resting” drawn in the 1740s.

That determined what I eventually sat down to draw. I popped upstairs and sat down at the base of a fountain and started to draw “Cherubs Playing with a Swan” a lead with traces of gilding sculpture by Jean-Baptiste Tuby I (French, 1635-1700). My drawing material? Red chalk on treated paper. I hope to return to the same spot next week and pick off where I left off. Mine just might end up being one cherub … with the hint of another. Perhaps. I was rushing it a bit. Too little time. Next visit ... slow down. Really take it in.

Another post or two to follow … I’m catching up for lost time. Two more art sales today. I’ll tell you more plus more photos from my holiday open house to come.

My drawing start of "Cherubs Playing with a Swan" in red chalk

By the way, the National Gallery is beautiful this time of year, decked out with poinsettias and live trees with sparkling white lights. A true treat. Go if you can. 

Treat yourself to some inspiration. 

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

"Aunt Nell" Red and White Chalk Drawing

This morning I finished up this drawing of husband Randy's Aunt Nell. I toned the paper with a watercolor wash and then drew in terra cotta Verithin pencil. Usually that gives the appearance or red chalk Old Masters drawings ... but only if the paper is then coated with a mixture of shellac and denatured alcohol. Since I didn't coat the paper, the Verithin pencil marks looked too weak. I figured out a solution, though. I pulled out the chunks of real red chalk I had bought from Zecchi's (a fantastic art supply store) in Florence, Italy and managed to get just the effect I was looking for.

The drawing will be gracing the cover of a book being written about Aunt Nell. My drawing is a gift to Randy and his Dad who are going through a very rough time right now. I love you.

"Aunt Nell", red and white chalk, 9.5"h x 6.5"w, copyright Jill Banks 2009.

Quick Draw

This afternoon I went to an Open Life Drawing Session at the McLean Community Center as a drop-in for the second time. Today was so much better than last week mainly because I always need to get acclimated to my environment in order to do decent work. Last week, it seemed whenever I reached into my drawing box, I was missing what I needed. Better prep this week helped and allowed me to change gears when I felt like it.

All the poses for these Open Life sessions are quick. They start with a series of just one minute poses, then go to a couple of five minutes, then 10 minutes, 15 minutes and end with one hour long pose with a break. So, here's a sampling of what I did.

Open Life sessions are most Thursday afternoons from 1 to 4pm and cost only $9 as a drop-in (even less per session if you sign up for the series).

The drawing in black is done with vine charcoal and General's charcoal pencils. The red drawings are done with chunks of real red chalk I bought in Florence, Italy from Zecchi's, plus some conte crayon and a touch of red pencil. I found the red chalk inspiring!