One Arabian Night

.....................Approx 30 minute life drawing of Laura P in Arabian attire. Love the colors and border details. I chose this angle on the reclining pose because of it's challenges.

RED

.....................I have an upcoming show at Dogwood Gallery in Tyrone, GA. Opening is December 6, 6:30pm. The show, RED, will consist of large works and small, old works and new, mostly new, and works with a wide range of prices. $100 up to $4200. Drawings and paintings alike will feature the color red as the main focus or an essential accent. While planning this show and a theme, I realized that I tend to use red a good bit, either as a major statement or as a way to bring your attention to something in the painting. The painting shown, "Cardinal, Red" is one of the smaller works, just 8"x8". Other small works include still life and landscapes. A series of 9 apples, each an 8"x8" will be available either as a group or individually. The show will include several major works that have been done specifically for this show.

Quick Draw

..............This was a very quick, 10 minute drawing from tonight's class. Alex P model. I think if I'd had time to do the entire pose, it may not have been as nice. Conte and and a hint of pastel. America supplied our music.

Lou Reed Night

.................15 minute sketch from Monday's drawing class. Model, James S. Great model to draw, great poses...he also brought some great music...Velvet Underground(Lou Reed) I liked the partial view of the face from the angle I had.

Bell the Tinker

...............Tinker Bell, aka Laura P, may be our smallest model ever. At just under 4 inches, she beat the previous record held by a bowl of fruit. Lots of fun tonight...and educational as well. We learned that Tinker Bell's name is actually Bell and that her profession was a "tinker"...a maker or mender of metal pots and utensils. The original play was from 1904...the year my house was built. Great poses and appropriate music made for a good time. Drawing shown is approx 15 minutes, conte and pastel. Model was sitting on a stool which I normally leave out.

A Knight in Shining Armor

.................A first for the drawing class tonight..."Knight"(or Night?), a 2 yr old German Shepherd posed along with the model, Alex P. Knight is a well trained dog and held his poses very well! I'm calling him our first nude model even though some of the poses he was dressed like a horse. Great poses by Alex as always! This sketch was 12- 15 minutes.

Young Dancer in White

.............Good crowd on a beautiful night at the drawing class. First time model and young dancer, Savannah L, did a great job! This is a 12 minute sketch in conte and pastel. Takes up most of an 18x24 sheet of paper. I'm also showing a photo her mother took from the parking lot...just so happens to be of this same pose. I'm on the left at the easel.

Boot Scoot Boogie

...........Model Alex P in cowgirl boots. This drawing was 10 minutes at the class but another 15 or 20 at home. 22" x 9", conte and pastel.

M.Pate MPate M Pate Artist Art Illustration...this is only a test...do not adjust your blog

I've got so much work "out there" that is signed "M. Pate", illustration, paintings etc. I wondered that if someone searched that online, would I show up. It appears not. This is a test to see if maybe that search might now bring them to my blog, if I included M. Pate enough. Time will tell...I'll report back...as you were. MPate (M.Pate)

Bye Bye Birdie

...........Approx 10 minute sketch from tonights class. Laura P model came as "Rosie" from Bye Bye Birdie..even brought her own music! While not perfect, I liked this drawing enough to post...always been "drawn" to reclining poses. I've been drawing with conte since the late 70's and just discovered tonight that the sticks are magnetic..at least the "bistre" ones are.

The Meeting Place

............24x30 oil on canvas of girl in woods. Model, Erin. Another in a running series of models in the middle of forests. It's just a combination I like. To me, being in the woods, alone, is very peaceful but slightly scary at the same time. In this piece, the model takes center stage and the "stage", or the woods, is secondary. I tried to keep everything subdued except for the red hat. Available.

Sailboat in St. Marys Harbor

...................This painting came from a recent trip to St. Marys and Cumberland Island Georgia. I realized after I got home and was looking at my photos that the name of this boat was "The Red Witch". The color caught my eye and the composition of the marsh grass and shadows seemed paint worthy. "Red Witch in St. Marys Harbor" is an 11 x 14 oil on panel and is available.

Messenger

.......................This painting started out with an older dancer sitting on one of three stone blocks, outdoors. Later it became colored cubes in a landscape. Even later, it became a group of young dancers on stage with candles. The cubes always remained in some form but the entire painting later took on a somewhat sinister feel to it. In my mind, the child is a messenger of sorts, perhaps she's symbolically bringing light to a dark place...I don't know....just kept working with it until if felt right. 24x30 oil on panel.

New Tutu

...................15 minute drawing from tonights class. Great pose, model Robin S. Another good crowd. Conte and pastel.

Back in the Saddle

..............It was great to be drawing from life again. The "art house" where we meet has been undergoing renovation and repairs all summer. A good crowd returned last night and drew dance model, Laura H, during a fierce thunderstorm. This drawing was approx 15 minutes. Conte and pastel.

Just a Memory

...................If you know where this is, you can probably hear the wooden Skee balls rolling and smell the corndogs. The Myrtle Beach Pavilion is a special place to many, many people. Unfortunately, it was torn down a few years ago by someone that didn't feel that way. I can hardly bring myself to go to this area of MB anymore...too sad. This painting is a 16x20 oil on panel. It is for sale...contact me if interested.

The Walk Home

.................................Story of a sale: A couple that I've known for years recently saw this painting in an exhibit in Newnan. She looked at her husband and said, "I love this"...he said, "Well, I like it too!"..or something along those lines. They called me as soon as they got home and asked if it was for sale. What was really interesting to me is that they had never bought an original piece of art before. They stepped out of their comfort zone, I'm sure, and bought out of emotion. A sale is always great, one has to make a living, but just the fact that they connected so personally to the painting is what I'll really remember in years to come.

Cactus Field

...................................................................Another scene from my trip to Austin. This also was a beautiful spot surrounded by buildings and parking lots. I enjoyed the challenge of painting the cactus.

Texas Color 2

Final on this 11x14 from my trip to Austin TX. Previous post showed "block in" stage. oil on panel.

Drawings on Etsy

Life drawing of dancer Emily T. Conte and pastel. For sale on my Etsy site. Here's the link. Only $125. https://www.etsy.com/listing/70910804/female-dancer?ref=v1_other_1 Also see clickable link under my blog "welcome" statement.

Texas Color

Step one of a small painting/study, the "block-in". This beautiful little scene was surrounded by major roads, apartment buildings and a parking lot. Photo does not show true color. Will re-shoot later. I plan to do more of this area and possibly a larger, more detailed version. Stay tuned. 11x14 oil on panel.

Colorful Life Drawing

15 minute sketch of my daughter in a colorful top. Conte and Pastel.

Familiar Subject

Approx 15 minute conte and pastel sketch of my daughter at the life drawing class. Sometimes it's nice to turn from drawing the entire figure and concentrate on a head or face...or even the hands.

Portrait Sample

Recent portrait of my daughter from earlier reference. I'm working on a series of new portrait samples with a looser brush, looser background. This 16x20 bust is also on a new canvas for me. It is a blend of cotton and synthetic. I will probably not buy it again but I do like the smoother texture of a "portrait" canvas as opposed to the heavier texture I'm used to.

Smith on her Shoes

The painting is a "redo" of an earlier painting that didn't quite work for me. There was enough about it that I liked so I kept it for several years and would occasionally take a look at it to see if anything struck me as a possible improvement. It finally dawned on me that it needed drastic action. I changed the tutu from white to black, repainted the background and foreground, worked more detail into the hands and feet and re-cropped the piece from a 30x40 to a 20x40. Most every square inch was repainted. I'm offering the companion life drawing to the buyer of the painting. Email me for a price quote.

Ch-ch changes

Finished this painting several months ago but decided to go back in and make some changes. Search my blog a few weeks back for a look at the earlier example. Took out some of the shadow in the foreground, added some of the wheat grass and made some very minor changes to the building. I'm not positive, but I think the back of this building showed up in a recent episode of "The Walking Dead". I know they have filmed here before(Haralson, GA) and I saw a roof line that looked just like this one. 16x20...currently displayed in Newnan at Fine Lines Framer and Gallery.

Good From Any Angle

"Good from any angle" is what I call a great pose. My drawing class circles the model stand...a great pose looks good to everybody. Sometimes those poses can be difficult to hold for 15 or 20 minutes. The drawings shown here are gesture drawings..2 minutes each but sometimes we try to recreate a good gesture pose in our longer poses. Alex P did that for us for us last night with the 2nd sketch above. These gestures are drawn on newsprint with graphite...two per 18x24 paper.

Stranger in Town

Artist and friend, James S, posed for my drawing class a while back as a cowboy. He even brought a CD of music from the great spaghetti westerns, very cool. I recently sold one of the drawings that I did that night and it inspired me to look back over my drawings and photo reference. I found this one, only he did not have guns or gun belt. I kept the colors warm and threw in a simple indication of a town. 16x20 oil on panel.

Fashion Studies

Often, when I have time that I'm not working on commissions, I go back to an earlier interest, fashion illustration. I came within a hair of going in to that profession back in the early 80's when I got out of art school. I'm still inspired by great fashion illustrators of the past and some recent books on the subject are giving them a nice stage on which to be shown. These studies are done fairly quickly...30-45 minutes usually. Mixed media...conte, pastel and oil on bristol board. These three are inspired by Avedon and Hiro photos.

Final

Details finished, background finished and signed. I'll hang it in the studio and live with it a while to make sure I'm really done. Current title, "Requiem's Repose". 24x30 oil on canvas.

Stage Two

Progress on the painting of Christina K involves mainly blocking in the background underpainting. Establishing the basic, neutral, color to get an idea of how the final will look. Additional work in the tutu is also shown.

Reclining Christina

24x30 painting in progress of dancer Christina K. I did a similar painting earlier from this same photo shoot. This one is a different angle and shows more of the face. Nice arms and hands. I'll show a final later.

SC Bound

This painting has been accepted into the Artfields inaugaral show in Lake City, SC. The show and art festival runs April 19-28. See their site for information about all that's going on. http://www.artfieldssc.org/about/lake-city/ There will be a "People's Choice" award so please, if you're able, go see the show and vote for someone's work that you enjoy. This painting, of dancer Chelsea S, is a favorite of mine and I'm proud to have been accepted. Gotta get it ready for shipping!

Standing Dancer

Studio sketch of dancer Chelsea S. Conte and pastel...approx 22x11 on a toned paper. Nice standing pose. $225.

Back to Cumberland Island

From earlier reference shot on Cumberland Island, GA. It was evening and the colors were becoming subdued in the lower light. I had a good time with the change in values. Note how dark the "white" sand is. Calling this one "Evening's Palette". 16x20. May be for sale later.

Rusty Roof

"Rusty Roof" is a recent painting from some earlier reference I shot in Haralson, GA. Over the years, I've done several paintings from this area of Coweta County and have others planned. It's also a great place for sausage. This is a 16x20 on panel. $950.

Reclining Model

Reclining pose from tonight's life class. Approx 25 minutes. Dancer Laura H posed. Conte...drawn fairly large...approx 22"x8". $225.

Old Tin Gin

If you've ever driven through Sargent, GA, you've seen their most prominent landmark, the Old Tin Gin. When I moved to Coweta County it was a "junk store" of high order..great old stuff, packed full. I don't know the full history of it's use but I'm sure, during it's day, it was the center of activity in this small West Georgia town. As always, the original is a "must see" if you're interested in it. $485 11x14 oil on panel.

Alex with boots

Quick study from tonight's drawing class...Alex P model. Approx 12 minutes, conte and pastel. 18x24 paper.

Ringed in Sequins

Final, I think, on this painting of Robin V in a red tutu. Photographed in a blue tutu, I called an "audible" at the drawing board and went with red. The lighting was what drew me to this as a possible painting. 24x30 oil on panel.

Red over red

Poor photo of an unfinished work. This one, fairly large at 24x30, is painted over another painting that wasn't going where I wanted it to go. I'm really liking this "block in" so far. Gonna try to keep the neutral tones in the skin and background to help intensify the red. Bodice will have some nice detail. Model- Robin. Check back later for final piece and a better photo.

The Coat She Wore

2013 painting of Erin in a red coat. Oil on panel. Had fun with the red coat, the hair and the face in shadow. Difficult painting to photograph. I had to shoot it with a glare reducing filter and punch up the depth and contrast in photoshop to get it anywhere close to the original. 18x24.

Poverty Point Article

Louisiana Cultural Vistas magazine recently did an article on Poverty Point Mounds in NE Louisiana. Shown is my birds eye view of the site as well as a shot of the visitor's center. Included in the display are 5+ paintings that I did showing life at PP during it's occupation. Several are visible in this photo. Truly amazing site...currently up for World Heritage Site classification. Well worth a stop if you're in the area. Not far from I-20. See: http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5246/