New painting in progress

I have a degree in art from Siena Heights University (then it was College), in drawing and printmaking. While there I took a few classes in clay, one painting class with Teng Beng Cho, but most were in design and drawing. The thing about it is, they never really taught you how to paint, or draw, you just did it.

It wasn't like going to a painting workshop. Here's what you do and why. It was paint and I'll tell you what's wrong with it.

What I came away with was a great sense of design.

They said, pick a medium and stick with it.

So I did.

I worked in pencil and did various types of printmaking after getting out of school. I took my work to outdoor shows across Michigan and northern Ohio.

I can't say my work was fabulous, but I did sell it. Once in a while a  kid would come along and say "I can do that!"

One day a kid came along and said, have you ever used a Rapidiograph? No, I said and went home and bought one. I used it to do pen and ink drawings, generally of architecture, exclusively for the next 15 years, still use one on occasion.

When Michael and I moved to Aspen, Colorado I continued working in ink but started drawing birds in addition to architecture.

Towards the end of our time there I began toying with the idea of adding color just to the bird.

We arrived in New Bern in 1989. We lived on a boat on the Trent River. I started drawing our skyline out of the window of our boat.  Shortly after I began to add color to my drawings of New Bern. I was nervous about it, I hadn't mixed color in 20 years!

This is turning into a longer story than I intended! I'll finish it in my next post.

The question here is. Do I put a guy on a bicycle in this painting or leave it alone?

I'll finish my story on Sunday!
- Janet Francoeur