Paint Party Friday: Week 27, Year 2 Check In Featured Artist: Lynn Cohen

image courtesy of Lynn Cohen

Welcome to Week 27 of Paint Party Friday (Year 2) and to the next edition of our Featured Artist Series! (Would you like to be a PPF Featured Artist? Please click here for details!) This week's featured artist inspires us with her amazingly fearless and adventurous spirit that shines through in her drawings and paintings. Please welcome Lynn Cohen!

1. Please tell us a bit about your personal history with painting. (When did you start painting? How has your painting evolved since you first started?) I started drawing a few years ago after taking a one day class at the community college called: “For people who think they can’t draw” (or paint) actually the painting class came after the drawing class. But I was surprised and amazed that I liked some of what I did in those two all day classes. Then I later took a four hour workshop from a local artist here in town. In that class we did drawings outdoors of buildings in our downtown area. I remember being amazed at how good they looked, when after painting them back in the studio, the teacher framed them with a mat. Those were done using cheap acrylics from Michael’s, our local craft store.

2.What are your favorite techniques, media, and tools to use in creating your paintings? I like ink pens and watercolor paints. I use fine point Sharpies, Castell-Faber PITT Artist pens, and ZIGs. I like XS, S and M sized pen points. My watercolor kit is flat paints (Talens) I got at a garage sale for $2. My paint colors did not come with fancy names I could not pronounce. I looked them up on line and they retail for $40. They serve me just fine. I use Canson drawing art journals with 90 lb- 130 lb paper. Yes, it curls a bit when wet from paint. My latest art journal has thin brown paper. I like trying new things. I do not use pencil first and I do not erase. It’s just my personal preference.

"One Guy, Two Poses", image courtesy of Lynn Cohen

3. What is your favorite thing to paint? Why? I heard about a plein air art contest in a town about an hour’s drive from my house. I decided to enter the contest. Since I really had never done plein air painting before I had to get past a lot of fear first. I started practicing in our down town area. I bought a fold up camping chair with a fold out tray and took it, my sun hat, water-bottle and art supplies and sat outside and started painting. My two favorite paintings from that foray are two Victorian houses. I used a lot of mask to make the bricks of one of the houses. I went on to paint several other historic buildings in our downtown area.

"Red Brick Vic", image courtesy of Lynn Cohen
 

I really pushed through the fear by going to that other town and joining many accomplished artists in that contest. I did not win any ribbons, but I won self respect and new courage to draw in public.

Right now I am enjoying drawing/sketching people in restaurants when I go out to eat. I started doing this in November 2011. I particularly like a Mexican restaurant near my office where I go for lunch once or twice a week called Taco Jalisco’s. I have become friendly with the owner’s son, who happens to be an artist and who has his paintings hanging on the walls in this family run business. He saw me drawing there and told me about a guy who used to come in and draw. That guy self-published his book of drawings (nothing like mine), which gave me the idea to draw there for a year after which time I intend to self-publish a book of my drawings of the people who come and eat there. (Projected date is Dec. 2012.)

"The Couple", image courtesy of Lynn Cohen
 

I sit at the table. I take out my drawing journal and pen. I draw the people at the next table or two or three tables away from me. I try to capture the mood, body postures, expressions, but I don’t think much about what I am doing, I just do it. I am definitely “in the zone”. I have a finite amount of time to finish a drawing and they can be done in 20 minutes. If I stay a full hour I’ll usually have finished two pages in my art journal. I’m fast. I use pen directly and do not erase. I eat a few bites while drawing. Sometimes the food gets on the page. It adds to the texture, mood. I also write on my pages to tell the story of what I am seeing or at least to note where I am and when it is done.
 

"Salsa Dances", image courtesy of Lynn Cohen
 

I do the painting later at home. The more I do this the more comfortable I become doing it. Very few people have even noticed what I am doing. Fewer have come up to me to talk about it. I feel pretty invisible.

I also draw at the downtown bakery where I go for lattés and cookies and sometimes lunch. The town square, other restaurants in town, the farmer’s market, the city park, waiting rooms, waiting in line for gas all have been spots I’ve chosen to draw. I take my art journal everywhere I go, as anywhere can be a drawing opportunity.

So for now people in these settings are my favorite thing to draw…and they are definitely sketches that may or may not actually resemble the people I am drawing. I think they have a cartoon quality to them.

The people are wonderful models because they sit fairly still while they are eating and talking. And I have the accoutrements on the tables down well too: basket of chips, salt and pepper shakers, napkin containers, glasses and straws.

"Class of 2011", image courtesy of Lynn Cohen

4. What is your proudest painting moment and/or greatest painting achievement so far? I really got excited when a watercolor and ink painting from a photo I took of four girls walking in front of me was accepted into a juried art show at our local art gallery. It won second place. The teacher who had taught that 4 hour workshop won first place! I was starting to think I could draw and paint. This has been my proudest painting moment to date. (It also won 2nd place at the Dixon May Fair 2011)



image courtesy of Lynn Cohen

5. What's next in your painting future? Like I said, my next painting venture will be the book(s) I produce from my weekly drawing/paintings at the various restaurants. In the meantime, I also draw nearly daily the things around my house, office and anywhere else I happen to be. It’s become a true passion!

I make trip journals when we travel. It’s a great way to save the memories of what I experience and a fun way to pass the time especially when we take long road trips across the country as we are want to do. Some of these can be seen on my blog. (July 12, 2012 post and a few before and after that one are from our most recent trip).

I have enjoyed seeing my progress over the past year or two and am excited to watch it grow as more time goes by. You can see what I drew in 2011 and some of what I have drawn in 2012 on slide shows on the sidebar of my blog.

I encourage people of all ages to pick up a pencil or pen and start to draw. Like I said in the beginning I did not know I could do it. I just knew I was getting old(er) (now at age 71) and wanted something more to fill my life and this was my venture. The more I do the better it gets and the opportunities are endless. I think of myself as a Grandma Moses, who also started her art career late in life. I am Grandma Lynn. And I am ARTIST! Hear me roar!

My blogs:
http://lynn-nonameblog.blogspot.com Getting My Feet Wet
http://artquiltsbylynn.blogspot.com

Thank you, "Grandma Lynn" - Wonderful what has developed from that initial class! We look forward to hearing more about your upcoming book!

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Another wonderful and creative party last week!

By the way, several of you have again mentioned how much they would like to reply directly to your comments on their blogs, but Blogger's default setting is "noreply-comment@blogger.com".  Jenn of "Just add Water, Silly" has a great explanation on getting replies so you are not a "no-reply blogger". (Dashboard - Edit Profile - check "show my email address" and enter it - SAVE profile.) We changed our settings when  we first realized the issue and it is great to hear back from someone who has appreciated your comment. If you are uncomfortable with sharing your personal email address then email us (link on sidebar) and we can send you an invitation to get a gmail account which you can forward to another address.

Now, here is our check-in for this week's party:

As always, please make sure to use your post URL address NOT your blog home page URL address as there are many late visitors who get confused as to which post is for PPF when they arrive (after Friday) at your website. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Linky, an explanation of how this tool works can be found on Week 1 and Week 2 Check-Ins.

Have a fabulously creative week everyone!