Christmas Boutique at American Plant

Today I took over five pieces of work to American Plant at 10106 Georgetown Pike (Great Falls, VA 22066) -- a beautiful nursery on Georgetown Pike in Great Falls that offered to sell work by local artists and artisans for the holidays. There's a cozy little outbuilding on the premises where Great Falls Studios artists have set up pottery, quilted pillows and art quilt hangings, photograms, and paintings. This may be an odd venue, but many of us find it difficult to make what we do accessible to the public for extended hours. This seems a perfect opportunity to make holiday gift shopping a little more enjoyable for local residents.



My five pieces are "Tony", 36" x 30", oil on linen; "Banana Bread", 14" x 11", oil on linen; "Lilacs", 14" x 11", oil on linen; "Sidewalk Sale", 8" x 10", oil on linen, and "Cherub", graphite on paper. Copyright Jill Banks. All rights reserved.

Contact American Plant at (703) 438-8880 or www.americanplant.net

Commissioning a Portrait

There's something about turning the calendar page to November that triggers an almost Pavlovian portrait commissioning response. As an artist who accepts commissions, I can feel the earth rumble. Soon, the deluge will come.

If you're thinking about commissioning a portrait, I want to talk to you about your ideas, but I also thought I could help with a few pointers and ideas of my own. Please also visit my web site: www.jillbanks.com and see the Gallery pages (Portraits & Figures and the Places pages) plus the Commissioning a Portrait page. The Places page shows my unique approach to painting people. I am painting a whole series depicting real people (husband Randy and me included) dining in restaurants and just enjoying special, relaxed moments. These are paintings that weren't actually commissioned -- but many (a whole lot) of them have ended up in the homes of the pictured subjects (or their relatives). Some are still for sale -- through me or through Chasen Galleries (in Richmond, VA and Charlotte, NC). Give me a call at (703) 403-7435 or email me at jillbanks1@aol.com if you are interested in a piece.


In the Places gallery on my web page you can see that I love depicting people as naturally as possible... and particularly enjoy showing relationships and interactions between the painting's subjects. I could work with you to achieve a similar portrait of you, your family and your friends. This isn't the simplest approach to portraiture, but it is a great celebration of life. (I can and do paint more traditional portraits -- they can be the right way to go, too.)

For each of the paintings depicted in the Places gallery, I used photography that I had taken myself -- often using many photos as references, and then recreated some portion of the painting to work from life. An example is on "Randy and Me" shown above. This depicts my husband and I at a great restaurant in Santa Fe where we managed to garner the window table. Randy walked outside and took my photo, and I did the same for him. I used a composite of the two to understand how we looked together and to capture the background. Then, I painted myself looking at the mirror (didn't use the photo at all) and had my husband pose for me sitting on a stool. While that's a lot of juggling to pull the portrait together, the result is one that really rings true for the two of us. It's us.

Start thinking. What would be right for you?

By the way, I am dying to paint a dancer or dancers. This image has been "dancing" around in my head for about a year. This stems from my personal attachment to my "Bellydancer" paintings and seeing John Singer Sargent's "El Jaleo" painting at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. (This is the second time I've mentioned this ... hmmm.) Maybe Flamenco dancers, a scene from a wedding reception ... something exciting. I'm a collaborative painter -- I welcome other people's ideas. You can comment on this post or drop me an email at jillbanks1@aol.com.


Coming posts will give ideas for Christmas gifts, and much more about commissioning a portrait. Stay tuned.

"Randy and Me", 30"h x 40"w, oil on linen; "Jason", 16"h x 12"w, oil on linen-lined board; "Friends (in Florence)",11"h x 14"w, oil on linen-lined board. All paintings copyright Jill Banks. All rights reserved.

More Local Press

Last week, the Great Falls Connection ran a wonderful article, "Great Falls Takes Art Tour" on the Studio Art Tour. Mollie Vardell, fellow studiomate, friend and the head of the Great Falls Foundation of the Arts was on the cover, painting away in the Atelier! Adrienne Kralick and I were interviewed and pictured on Page 3. The reporter, Mike DiCicco from the Connection was over in our area when a group of tour goers were asking about portraiture, working from photos, how long it took, etc. That was great timing because it allowed the reporter to witness just what the Studio Tour is all about -- introducing the public to how and why we do what we do. Read a copy of the article here.

There was another article run in the September 23 edition, with a photo and caption, "Great Falls Artists Gear Up For Tour". To read, click here.

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!

Making Sargent Jealous

John Singer Sargent would have been in painters' heaven painting the gorgeous setup in today's portrait painting class. Me, too. (I spent the class dying to paint...) Fellow artist extraordinaire, Brenda Drake, not only agreed to model for my class (taught through the Great Falls School of Art) for today's session plus two more -- she brought along some magnificent props as well. Colorful parasols, Brenda's unique chair, pillows, beautiful fabrics, and Brenda's grace inspired everyone.

The work done today by the whole class was fantastic. I can't wait to see what they do in session 2.

By the way, Brenda was taking time out from her significant duties as the Chair of the Gala for the Great Falls Foundation for the Arts that is taking place November 21. The Gala is a fundraising effort for the school -- to provide some much-needed funds for equipment, space and supplies so that courses can be expanded to serve the art educational needs of aspiring artists of all ages. Tickets cost $75 per person for a wonderful night celebrating the arts, a silent auction with artwork donated by local and regional artists (including me), and a chance to help turn a dream into reality. Download the Gala Invitation and Reply Cards on the Foundation's Events page here.

Amazing Painting at the Met

I'm taking a momentary rest from showing you what I've been up to (part painting, part actually resting) -- so I thought I'd revisit some of my discoveries, surprises, and happy moments of the last two weeks. That includes the trips to New York for the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club Exhibit and the Studio Tour, plus my classes. So, starting with NYC and the Met.

Admittedly, the fact that I found an amazing painting at the Met shouldn't come as a shock -- but when viewing this particular painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), I was stunned. The painting is "The Church of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule, Paris" by Jean Beraud (French, 1849-1936) and it measures 23-3/8" x 31-7/8" -- so it's not huge. What surprised me was the extraordinary detail it contained. I saw it from far away and expected to see what artists call "mud-heads" -- simplified forms suggesting faces in the crowds -- but instead I found ridiculously well-painted miniature portraits, an entire crowd's worth.

I'm not sure what possessed Jean Beraud to paint this way. I've been accused (I'm sure lovingly) of creating lifelike figures in many of the scenes that I've painted, but there's always a fluctuation in the level of detail -- with the focus of the painting receiving more attention and the "background" elements painted more loosely and less defined. To achieve my level of detail takes an inordinate amount of time for each painting. I can't imagine how long Mr. Beraud took to paint this.

Side note. Randy and I have been watching documentaries on famous artists and art lately. Last night we watched "Stolen", a documentary about the search for the paintings stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in 1990. Randy and I visited that museum last year -- loved it and couldn't believe that someone had the audacity to take these treasures (Rembrandts, Vermeer's "The Concert", etc.) from all of us.

Studio Tour 2008 Kickoff Party

If you ever get invited to a party hosted by the artists of Great Falls Studios or the Great Falls Foundation for the Arts, go! What a great party tonight. It's just, always, a ridiculously fun time.

I took photos -- but not many. I always start off strong, with all good intentions, and then totally abandon my camera once the fun gets in the way.

Tonight was the kickoff party for the Studio Tour. The turnout was fantastic (you can't tell from the pictures -- see above paragraph). There was a hat contest and Jon Fisher, the one wearing a wood sculpture on his head, won Most Creative Hat. Jon's a fellow Great Falls Studios board member and artist who has a sense of humor second to none. He makes three to four hour board meetings amusing. That's a feat.

Jon's also the hard-working, ridiculously successful Communications Chair for Great Falls Studios. If you live in Great Falls and read the local paper, you're aware that artists have overtaken the neighborhood. That's Jon's work.

I hope you visit Jon's studio and the other 39 artists (including me) who are participating in the Great Falls Annual Studio Tour this weekend. See www.GreatFallsStudios.com to download a map and brochure. I'm in Studio #10, the Artists' Atelier, 1144 Walker Road, Suite G, Great Falls, VA 22066. The Tour is self-guided, free, and is taking place all over Great Falls this Saturday and Sunday from 10am-5pm. Come join us! Bring art-loving friends and collectors. And, it's okay to buy before the election. I promise.

I will work at giving you a recap of some of the events of this week as soon as I can. So many things to talk about.

The top picture shows Al Reitan, Carole Fisher, Jon Fisher and Pat Mercer Hutchens enjoying themselves. The blur is courtesy of laughter. The other photo depicts my studio set for the Tour. Come taker a closer look.

I hope to see you this weekend!
Jill

Painting Bob

Here's a glimpse into today's afternoon painting session at my client's condo in Reston. After the portrait's done, you get to see what's on the other side of the canvas. I'm pretty sure that this isn't the most exciting photo on this blog, but I did want you to see evidence that a paintbrush is in my hand -- as it is almost every day.

This painting is a very special project that Bob and I have planned and progressed with together -- a portrait of him and his late wife, Bridget. Bob keeps the conversation interesting -- and I learn something new, totally unrelated to painting -- each session. It's been a journey for us both.

Bob gets a couple of phone calls during the session. I particularly get a kick out of his comment "I'm being painted" -- evidently in answer to what he's doing. I wonder what the person on the other end of the phone is picturing.

Today, his daughter Anne, and granddaughter, Katie Pi stopped in to check on progress. Anne was kind enough to take this photo.

By the way, Bob's condo building is quite elegant. I get to visit in painting attire, with a large canvas; a Trader Joe's canvas bag stuffed with, well stuff; a palette; and a tool box filled with my paints. It would be difficult to blend in.

My blog entries should be shorter this week. Monday is an Atelier model painting session. Tuesday's the day I teach two classes. Wednesday I head back up to New York for the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club Exhibit Award Dinner. Thursday I head home and pick up frames from Frame Masters so I can hang new paintings in the Atelier for the Tour. Friday's the Kickoff Studio Tour party at the Atelier. Saturday and Sunday is the Studio Tour. Busy week.

"Sunflowers II" Still Life -- All Done!

My latest still life is complete and awaiting its frame (from Frame Masters -- my favorite framer). Photo by Greg Staley.

I love this painting! Bob from Frame Masters asked me, after seeing this, whether it sometimes is too hard to give a painting up. Some are definitely hard to let go of, but I still want to spread around all the happiness owning a painting like this has to offer.

This painting will be in the Atelier for next weekend's Annual Great Falls Art Studio Tour. I'm in Studio #10, 1144 Walker Road, Suite G, Great Falls, VA 22066.

"Sunflowers II," 30"h x 30"w, oil on linen, copyright Jill Banks 2008.

Nocturne Revisited

For those who had taken a look at my first plein air night scene previously, here's a revision a little easier on the eyes. This is Deli Italiano's awning seen from a patch of grass in the Great Falls, VA Village Centre. I loved the flowers, twinkling lights and overflowing green vines.

"Night in the Village Centre," 16"h x 20"w, oil on Senso linen canvas, copyright Jill Banks 2008. Photo by Greg Staley.