"Garden Painters" oil 8 x 10

I met up with some friends to paint today, maintaining social distance.  It was a treat to paint with some friends, to have conversation and create.  This spot has a building behind it with beds of lilies.  I was most interested in the gathering of women, so painted them.  As you can see in the process photos, I was undecided about the background; leave the building in, take the building out and use a building or two from down the street, take all the structures out.  I opted for the latter.  Thank you for looking, as always.  You know I love your comments.

Fundraiser - Protest Art Limited Edition Prints

"Keep Listening" ink & watercolor

  

"Time to Listen, Time to Act" ink & watercolor

 I created these images after my daughter and I attended peaceful protests against systemic racism.  We can each listen intently, drop our defenses, and listen some more, then find our own way to make a difference, small or large. I have so much to learn and continue to work at it each day.  I want my middle-school students to live in a world where the color of their skin does not put them in danger. 

Each of these two limited-edition prints is 8 x 11 inches, signed and numbered, and shipped unframed.  100% of your purchase price will be donated to one of two funds, the DJ Henry Dream Fund, or Campaign Zero.    So, if you were considering making a donation to a worthwhile cause, here is a way to make your contribution  while receiving a limited edition signed print in return.

The prints are available on my web site, jodyregan.com.

Thank you for looking, and you know I love your comments.  Please continue to be kind. 

 

Urban Sketches - Present and Past

 During this time of quarantine, I am reminiscing about the joy of sitting in the city, drawing people as they come and go, with the backdrop of buildings, carving out their shapes against the sky.  The city is fascinating to me.  Often, while looking up at the profile of a building against the sky, I find a carved piece of moulding, a corbel, a detail, in place for a century or more.  I revere these artists gone by who put details in place only to be seen by the few who happen to look in that direction, or who are replicating a contour with pen on paper.  This is joy.
Many of these drawings are now on my website under the "sketchbook" category.  I am donating a portion of each sale to the Elizabeth Peabody House in Somerville, a 125-year old community organization serving via its food pantry and pre-school.  

 As always, I thank you for looking.  You know I love your comments.  Stay well, and be kind. 

"Room with a View" Old Town Portland

"Down and Away Below" oil 11 x 14 - and using a wipeout method for block in

The Girls Just Wanna Paint theme for February was "shadow". This is my take on the theme, and image of the New England Aquarium's Myrtle, grande dame of the big tank.  She cast a beautiful shadow on the rocks and plants below. 
You can see my process photos below.  I mixed a ground of neutralized Prussian Blue, Ultramarine an some Cad Red Light, covered the board, evened out with a paper towel.  Then I used a clean brush and clean solvent to wipe away all the light areas. So, I did my initial drawing by wiping away the ground.  If I make an error in drawing, I could just brush over with the ground color and make the needed correction in drawing. Before any painting beyond the ground was done, the painting was in place as you can see here in the first process photo. Most of my work then went into the dark areas, where I adjusted
the temperature and hue. The benefit of this approach is that the values in the darks are already matched.  Each passage of color I put down was designed to match the values already in place.  I did not touch any of the light areas until the very end.  
Thanks for looking.  Feel free to ask me any questions about this block-in method.  
You can see a recent video post on my Instagram which shows the beginning stages of this process in a still life.
A always, thank you for looking.  I appreciate your thoughts. 
By the way, I named this painting after one of my favorite books as a child "Down and Away Below" by Edwin Rols.  Great story about a child, and his ability to dig deep, find bravery, and save his community.

"Vacation Week" Sketchbook Pages from Out and About

"Lunch Counter" at Bloomy Rind, Hingham Square

"Perfect Vacation Day" at Newsfeed Cafe, Boston Public Library

"Dinner Hour" ink & watercolor at El Sarape in Braintree

"Birthday Gathering" pen & ink at Uva Wine Bar in Plymouth

"Pub Night" pen & ink at Costello's in Jamaica Plain

"Rush Hour" pen & ink at El Sarape in Braintree

 We spent this week's vacation visiting friends and family while staying in town.  I love drawing in a coffee shop or a restaurant as the crowd comes and goes.  Here are several drawings from this week.  I used watercolor or Inktense pencils as watercolor later, except for the drawing of the Newsfeed Cafe in the Boston Public Library where a friend and I spent the day listening to the Boston Public Radio show while drawing and painting.  
These are wonderful days for me.  As always, thank you for looking.