Sketchbook: San Francisco

 

 Ocean Beach, San Francisco

pen and ink sketch

by Rosa Phoenix

Ah! Nothing like sketching on the beach, on a rare warm and sunny day in San Francisco!

It's important to refresh, renew, and see new sights. Travel is important for artists, to be stimulated by new scenery and experiences. 

This summer, I was thrilled to take part in Urban Sketchers' 2nd Annual West Coast Sketch Crawl in Portland, Oregon.

I'll be posting more sketches from my trip, so stay tuned.

I've been practicing drawing, and I can see that I have made a lot of improvement. Sketching has helped me a lot. I look forward to sharing what I've learned with my art students.

2014 Art Classes in Phoenix, Arizona

 rose

pencil drawing by Rosa Phoenix

I'm teaching drawing and painting classes in Phoenix, Arizona. 

I'll be teaching a kids class at Revival Art Collective: Drawing for Teens. This class begins on February 1. Register before January 18, take 20% off the class. Use discount code: EARLY.

Register here: www.tinyurl.com/teen-art-RAC

For my full class schedule, please visit my website: www.rosaphoenix.com and click on Classes. 

Please contact me if you have any questions. 

It's a new year, a blank canvas we can paint however we like!

Let's make it beautiful!

Lost in Thought

 

watercolor pencil on paper

by Rosa Phoenix

Continuing with my studies of the body, the face and expression . . . and playing with color, of course.

Creative Collaboration

Lovebirds

watercolor by Rosa Phoenix

"Love is, above all, the gift of oneself."  

- Jean Anouilh

A few months ago, in the Fall of 2012, I partnered with the City of Phoenix, Arizona to teach free and low-cost art classes at senior centers.

My first experience teaching, it is the most wonderful collaboration.

Most of my students are beginners. Many have physical disabilities, or are recovering from illness, injury, trauma and grief.

They come to class with an open mind and heart. 

They are shy and embarrassed, because they don't yet know how to draw or paint. 

They are drawn to my classroom because something in them wants to create, express the beauty around them and within them, and to learn the skill of the artist. 

They know instinctively, that creative expression is their birthright as humans.

"We can do better than I can."

- Lykke Li

I think the highest form of creativity is collaboration.

The spark of energy exchange that happens when two or three or more share their ideas, is so much greater than what one person can accomplish alone.

That's why I love teaching so much.

To be able to share my love of art, and to teach people the skills to create their own works of art, makes my heart happy.

My students greet me shyly and say, "I can't draw," or "I can't paint." 

Within half an hour, they are happily drawing or painting, and watching themselves do it with amazement.

Their sense of sight, and their observation skills awaken. 

Suddenly, they are looking around them at their familiar world, now rich with colors, shapes and shadows that they had never noticed before. "It's beautiful!" they say.

Their ordinary world becomes an extraordinary world, because they now have an artist's vision.

Lotus Pond

acrylic painting 

by Rosa Phoenix

Wouldn't it be wonderful, if we could live this way every day?

We can . . .

. . . be the student, with open mind and open heart, willing to learn, willing to improve, aspiring to a higher expression . . .

. . . be the teacher, willing to share the skills and knowledge with others . . .

In my daily work, I do both, teaching and learning, sharing and collaborating.

My students continually inspire me with their dedication and motivation. They inspire me   because they make so many contributions themselves: volunteering, teaching and giving, with all their hearts.

We share our best selves with each other. Let's keep doing this, and uplift the world.

Winter Forest Watercolor Lesson

Winter Forest

watercolor painting by Rosa Phoenix

Happy Holidays!

Believe it or not, it's cold and wintry here in Arizona, and there's snow in the mountains!



We painted a wintry forest scene in my watercolor classes. 

This is a nice lesson for beginners. We learn about wet-on-wet technique, using masking tape, and color perspective (distant objects are lighter in color and appear blurry, while closer objects are darker in color and have more definition).



Step 1

We start by masking off the bottom part of the painting with masking tape, then applying a pale wash of paint (using lots of water) to the paper in a cool blue lavender color. 

This will be our sky.


Step 2

While the wash is still wet, loosely paint in the most distant layer of trees, using a slightly darker lavender paint that is very wet. I use a small round brush, using a quick back-and-forth motion. It doesn't have to be detailed, because the trees are very far away. 

We want the trees to blend in with the sky, to get a misty look.


Step 3

While our background tree layer is still wet, we loosely paint in the middle layer of trees in a blue green color. The colors will blend together and that's OK.


Step 4

We let our painting dry, and then we paint in our final layer of trees that are closest to us. We use a dark blue-green color paint, and we use less water this time, so our trees have more definition.

Finally, we remove the masking tape and paint the bottom part of our painting. I painted a wash of icy, light blue color.

My students used their imaginations to create a scene here: one painted snowy hills; another painted a deer, and another painted a river with fish jumping in it!

Remember to stay creative and open to possibilities. It's a wonderful way to live life!

Sara

pencil and watercolor by Rosa Phoenix 

I used graphite pencil, watercolor pencils and watercolor crayons, and a paintbrush with water.

Autumn Colors: Watercolor Painting Lesson

It's Autumn in Arizona! 

What better way to enjoy the changing season, than by walking in Nature, and seeing the autumn colors?

I took these photos on a hike to Horton Springs, near Payson, Arizona. 

Up in the mountains, the trees grow tall, and their leaves put on a spectacular display of color, illuminated in the sunlight!

the creek from Horton Spring

The change of seasons gives us a chance to reflect on the changes in our lives. 

It's a time to celebrate our growth and progress! 

Autumn is a colorful reminder that we can make a brilliant impact here on Earth.

I'm very excited about a new change for me this season: I'm teaching art classes!

I love it, because I am sharing the joy of creativity with others.  

*****

Here's a beginner's lesson in watercolor painting and color mixing, inspired by autumn colors:

First we learn about the color wheel. 

By mixing the three primary colors (red, yellow and blue) we can mix all the colors we need. Do you see the beautiful colors of autumn?

It takes just 3 steps to make our painting of autumn foliage:

Step 1

First we wet the paper, then start dabbing primary colors onto the paper. 

The colors mix together right on the paper. (This is called wet-on-wet technique in watercolor.) 

Then we let it dry.

Step 2

We use a cut piece of sponge, dip it in more paint, and dab the paint on the paper with the sponge.

Here is what it looks like, after we have added color with the sponge. Do you see how it creates texture?


Step 3

To finish the painting, just use a small paintbrush to make the tree limbs and branches. The brown color was mixed using all three primary colors: red, yellow and blue.

And we are done, in 3 easy steps!

Lotus

Lotus

painting by Rosa Phoenix

Inspired by Agnes Martin

mini paintings by Rosa Phoenix

I've returned to the desert where I grew up, in Phoenix, Arizona. 

The desert of the American Southwest has always attracted artists, 

who are drawn to the open skies, raw landscape, sculpted rocks and dazzling light.

A couple of years ago I visited the Dia Arts Center in Beacon, New York. There I encountered for the first time, the works of Canadian-born artist Agnes Martin (1912 - 2004).

Her paintings couldn't be simpler: stripes in the palest colors, painted on a pencil-drawn grid.

Gratitude

by Agnes Martin

In concept, it seems one-note and one-dimensional, but actually, to be in the presence of these paintings is a transcendent experience. It's not something that translates as a reproduced image. 

Paintings emanate with the energy and intentions of the artist.

A painting is a lot more than just colors on a surface.

 Agnes Martin gallery at

Dia:Beacon

photo by Bill Jacobson

I still keep Agnes Martin's paintings in my heart.

I learned that she lived and worked in Taos, New Mexico, just like another of my favorite artists, Georgia O'Keefe.

The desert is a harsh environment. 

It is a huge, open space that makes a person feel 

very small, insignificant and vulnerable.

How do you capture that sense of space? 

The desert invites a different kind of artistic approach.

Lots of decoration and embellishments don't work. Ornate patterns don't work. Realism doesn't work. 

I think the maxim "Less is more" applies here.

Agnes Martin had a particular genius for this.

Agnes Martin

Here in the desert, I'm clearing my mind.

As an exercise, I created my own works, inspired by my desert surroundings, and Agnes Martin.

Using some small, square canvases, I used masking tape and latex paints to create a series of striped paintings. Here are some in progress, with masking tape on:

mini paintings in progress 

by Rosa Phoenix

I used desert colors.

When I put them together as an installation on one wall of my room, I was pleased with the result. It is a suggestion, rather than a literal interpretation, of desert beauty. 

I wake up and see the colors of the desert. I see the sky, the clouds, the earth, the light. I see Indian blankets. I see the striated colors of the rocks. I see sunrises and sunsets.

 This wall of mini paintings keeps my mind clear and creative.

I like the rhythm of the stripes.

wall of mini paintings by Rosa Phoenix

I feel so inspired by the beauty that surrounds me. 

Like Georgia O'Keefe and Agnes Martin before me, I find myself challenged to create in a whole new way.

Here is a video interview of Agnes Martin, where she talks about the painting process. It is quite enlightening.

Mini Minimalist Paintings

grouping of mini paintings 
by Rosa Phoenix

The desert whispers:

Strip away what's non-essential.

Embrace space, sunlight, solitude, silence.

There is peace and beauty in simplicity.

Find the rhythm and the harmony.

Take time to live. 

*more about these paintings in this post here

A New Look

painting by Rosa Phoenix

Happy New Year!

It is time for a new look! 


A new look could mean many different things. A clearer vision. A fresh, changed perspective. A different appearance and image. A focus that wasn't there before.

For me, all of these meanings apply.


I got new glasses. As an artist and visual person, it's especially important to make sure my eyes are healthy. With my new specs, I feel I am seeing clearly again, with new eyes! Everything looks clearer, sharper, more true! I am not getting the tension headaches I used to get. Please, get your eyes checked regularly!

I have a new design for my website, www.rosaphoenix.com  I actually made my new site on Blogger. I wanted to make changes easily, and put the focus on my art. Blogger allows me to do this. I can't believe how much work I put into designing and building my old site in HTML, and I definitely could be working smarter, not harder. My new mantra is K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Sweetie) and this is definitely more simple.

I'm excited to announce a new service: writing for artists. This combines my love for art and writing, and my fondness for artists, my kindred spirits. I do all kinds of writing for artists including art essays, artist interviews, press releases, web content . . . whatever helps the artist communicate with collectors and the public!

Please visit www.artistwriting.com for more information.

2010 was an exciting year for me. I launched my business and learned a lot. It was a year of exploration and figuring out how best to focus my energies. I decided to concentrate on creating my own art, and writing for artists.

I will probably be blogging less frequently, and more thoughtfully, in 2011. I hope that I will be able to write more articles about creativity for this blog and 365 just show up, and more art reviews and artist interviews for Artists Up Rising.

Please bear with me, while I'm finding my way. I so appreciate all your kind and supportive comments, as well as the inspiration I get from seeing your art and reading your thoughts. This is really a wonderful experience for me, and while I may know you only "virtually" for me the connection is real and meaningful.

What changes will you be making in 2011?

365 just show up: How to find your Muse

Burst of Blue

painting by Rosa Phoenix

I'm guest blogging on 365 just show up. It's a new blog about the creative practice.

Maybe some of you also follow Audrey Low, who has the fabulous blogs Papaya Tree Limited and Wildhoop Productions. Audrey created 365 just show up to encourage people on the creative journey. (Audrey creates a lot of fascinating work herself, as an ethnographer, writer, photographer and documentary filmmaker!)

Click on the link below to read my post, How to find your Muse:

http://365justshowup.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-find-your-muse.html

Cloud Mini Paintings

3 mini paintings by Rosa Phoenix

I was thinking of the saying "every cloud has a silver lining"

There is a light beyond the storm.

Burst of Blue

painting by Rosa Phoenix

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Van Gogh on my mind

Mission Street Fair and Camera+ for iPhone

Mural painting in the Mission

all together!

Bike-powered band

I took these photos with my iPhone using the new Camera+ app. I applied a couple of effects to the photos and emailed them directly to my blog.

Sketchbook: San Francisco

Tibet Center

watercolor pencil 

in moleskine watercolor notebook

by Rosa Phoenix

I love the colors of Tibet. Bright red, orange, deep blue and yellow. And colorful prayer flags blowing in the wind.

A man saw me sketching and said, that's my house!

He said he lived at the Tibet Center and did the gardening. He wanted to make sure the garden was in the drawing.

this is a tiny door

see the colorful prayer flags

Celebrate Life on Earth!

Rosa Phoenix and Selma Brown

with World Mother painting by Rosa Phoenix

Celebrate Life on Earth! 

I'm sharing some photos from the 2008 "Love Our Mother" Earth Day Art Show. 

The art show was held at Eternity Bliss in Oakland, and it was a benefit for Trees for the Future. We raised money to plant 1,000 trees in Senegal, Africa!

Didjeridoo demonstration

These beautiful instruments are tree trunks 

that were hollowed out by termites.

a well-dressed gent

in the sun, his suit makes

rainbow sparkles

tree art by Rosa Phoenix and Selma Brown

"Leaf a Message" by Rosa Phoenix

people wrote messages on the leaves

for the people of Africa 

who will plant the trees

art by Selma Brown

"Palm God" (made from a palm frond)

"Mother Universe" by Selma Brown

(made from the belly cast of a pregnant woman)

Happy memories of Earth Day 2008.  

Good people, art and music coming together in a beautiful healing space called Eternity Bliss. 

We raised funds to plant 1,000 trees, through Trees for the Future.

Earth Day is a good time for people to gather together and celebrate Life on Earth! 

Time to unite to protect and care for the Earth.

I'm sending my best wishes for peace and prosperity to all Life on Earth!  

Happy Earth Day 2010!

LINKS

Trees for the Future