travels.

I am in Sunny California. The weather here is so lovely...I forget how bright and clear everything seems out here, and the mountains...sigh. Of course seeing my beloved family, and close friend has been the best part of this trip. I hope you had a great day yesterday with some people and food that you love. This is a painting that was made to clean my palette off before my trip. Happy weekend to you.

french market. lydia host

My parents are traveling around Europe, eating fresh and fabulous fruit and vegetables. My Mom snapped this shot and emailed it to me!

I am teaching a mini-workshop on Daily painting at 301 in December, Jan. and Feb. each class could be taken individually or as a group they will build on each other. This class is designed for all levels of painting and will be laid back and fun! click here for more information you have to scroll down a bit!

I am heading to California for Thanksgiving, not sure if I'll be able to post or paint even...so I will wish you a Happy Thanksgiving now! Happy Thanksgiving!

Lydia

French creamer 2. Lydia Host

I was thinking about my grandmother today when I decided to paint this little french creamer that she gave me...with the fabulous 'weed ' Lantana stuck into it. She is eighty-nine, and just one of the smartest, most classy of persons you could ever know. Lydia

zannie Apples. Lydia Host 8x8

This is not a great photograph of this painting...but when it gets dark so early. ...I will try again tomorrow. I am painting some fruit and veggies for a little show on Saturday at the Paper Wasp Gallery where I will be showing with Lisa Warren, and Ardith Goodwin, it is the last market day of the season, so get down there and get your farm fresh produce! (painted and grown).

Lydia

green chair. Lydia Host painting a day painting 8x10

I have so many pictures of girls in chairs. For my senior thesis I painted a series of chairs and some of them in with people some without! I had fun with this. Lydia

shrimpers. Lydia Host daily painting a day painting 8x8

Today was a fun plein air day. There were three of us....it started out a little chilly but became quite fabulously warm and it was a sparklingly clear day. Joanne Brandt painted a little dingy up on props that was charming somehow, the painting was equally as charming! Conroy Hudlow, is a regular at the figure drawing classes- his work is quite amazing, but it was his first foray out into the plein air scene...so he just sketched ( well it looked more like a finished drawing to me). Click on their names to see their blogs. I wanted to paint shrimp boats and these two were parked together... I am not exaggerating the color of the nets on the boat on the right...bright green. Anyway I liked that there was a real modern fishing boat just visible on the left...not as picturesque as the old ones....better start painting these old guys fast! Hope you have a great weekend. Lydia

Blue chair. Lydia Host painting a day painting 8x10

I painted this from an old picture that I took of a friend....I love the angst! The blue chair is a 'reading chair' that was given to me by a really nice lady, who told me it was from her grandmothers estate ..in San Fransisco Ca. I love that there is a chair made just for that purpose!

Lydia

Sweetness. Lydia Host daily painting a day painting 8x8

I took some snapshots of this little girl at a local exploreum (with her mothers permission!). I just loved her whole look, and her expressions, the headband was the perfect finishing touch. Lydia

Tea. Lydia Host daily painting a day painting 8x8

Something emerges from the chaos! I actually love it when that happens. There is a painter who kind of took off on pointillism and creates these images that seem to emerge from the fray...Chuck Close kind of does that too, although his have a technical or computer generated quality. I will see if I can find the other artist that I am thinking of and post a link to his work.

Lydia

Pre- Raphaelite= Waterhouse copy.

Sometimes when I need to just paint something that makes me happy....I will paint quick copies of some of my favorite portraits. This is actually a really poor copy ( I know I am only supposed to sound positive for posterity...but its true) but I liked the way it turned out anyway. This is from 'The Lady of Shalott' 1888 by John W. Waterhouse. I just have always loved the Pre-Raphaelites and their lovely models full of angst and drama! They are sort of glazed over in Art History classes that I have taken, but there is a class that is offered occasionally at Spring Hill College by Dr. Patricia Neal that is about this movement, last year I signed up, but the class didn't make and so I am just hoping to see it again and when it does I will start canvasing for people to take it with me! Lydia

tilted. Lydia Host daily painting a day 11x11

More beautiful persimmons. You may or may not know this, but there are two kinds of persimmons grown around here; stranuous and non -stranuous....if you've only had the stranuous you might think that you don't like persimmons. I had only had the stranuous and recently tried the non...boy are they sweet and delicious- almost like an apple in texture as opposed to the stringy weirdness of the other. Lydia

Piled up. Lydia Host daily painting a day 11x11

Had to give these lemons another go. I went to see Lyle Lovett this week, and it was so great, watching people do what they do best is so inspiring. Somewhere I read or heard that all visual artists are jealous of musicians, because they make such ethereal art that can be so infused with emotion that a listener hears it and weeps, or is elated or charged up, invigorated. I think about that idea a lot. I love to listen to music and it has a great effect on my mood...visual art can also evoke emotion, trigger a memory etc. I guess its the ethereal, or intangible part that is most intriguing. Have a great weekend- give out lots of candy! Lydia

Cupcake conference Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

I painted with Mary Elizabeth, she has these lurid cupcakes that were a blast to paint. Lydia

Camellia. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x8

I thought I'd give these classics a try! Pink camellia's .....sigh.... what a symbol of the south. Lydia

Lemons in a bowl. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

I painted with Joan E. W. this morning. We are having fun painting together. Lemons are a classic subject that could be painted over and over with something learned everytime.

Lydia

S. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

This is on board again. I took a picture of this girl reading for the reading show, but then didn't get around to using it...but her face is just so beautiful I had to paint it! Lydia

Seated Figure. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

This is from a figure drawing session sketch. I am painiting on hardboard here, which is textured so that paint 'grabs' on to the surface...I like it so far. This particular pose had opposing light sources, one from each side, and one warmer than the other, which was great fun to paint. Lydia

Berry Happy. Lydia Host painting a day 11x14

Painted with Joan again this morning, and it was nice. I have not been happy with any of my previous attempts at painting strawberries, and so I went with a different approach today and it worked. These are definitely my best berries to date! I am learning so much by doing this daily painting exercise, I highly recommend it to anyone who paints, or wants to improve in painting. Cheers, Lydia

Day off . Lydia Host daily painting a day painting 8x8

A day off .... wind in your hair, sun on your face. Bliss! Happy weekend. Lydia

Masks. Lydia Host Painting a day 4x12

I went to the Mobile Mardi Gras Museum yesterday, a friend has a commission for a jester, and so we thought it would be a good place to get some information. If you live near here you probably think you already know everything about Mardi Gras! Still the next time you have out of town visitors....take them, and go too. It was an informative tour and I did learn some interesting things. They have lots of old photographs and some wonderful pen and inks of very early parades. Definitely worth the five buck admission.

I have always been ambivalent about masks, and so it was especially fun to paint these. They are such a symbol of theater, and also they are sort of extreme emotion personified,which is both intriguing and a little disconcerting.

Lydia

pie in the sky. Lydia Host daily

Another pumpkin pie set up. I have tried to paint eggs in the past, and been frustrated with the result...these eggs I didn't really even think about, and I like them....funny. Lydia

Making pies. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x8

I have always wanted to make a pie from little baking pumpkins. I love to make pumpkin pies, and then eat them, I sort of feel like they are healthy...not much sugar or fat etc. Yeah right!

Lydia

Truth Beauty Knowledge. Lydia Host 11x14

This was a painting that I started for the show at the library...but didn't finish in time. I love symbolism in paintings, and even though I don't usually make that a priority, it is something I'd like to explore a little bit. One of my favorite paintings that is filled with symbolism is the 'The Annunciation ' By the Master of Flemalle (Robert Campin?) it is the center panel of the Merode Altar piece. It is positively filled with symbolism from the shape of the kettle hanging in the background representing the womb, to the lilies on the table representing the purity of Mary...almost every item in the painting represents something! Fascinating. Lydia. pomegranate; Fertility, abundance. Roses of this color; love,gaiety. Lemons; longevity and friendship.

Make mine a manhattan. Lydia Host

This is a comission, I thought I'd share it with you anyway! Thanks for all of your thoughts and suggestions about my puppy....I have begun a morning walk (was already doing evenings ...mostly). Also wanted to share this info; a friend Joanne, suggested antler's as chews, they don't smell or get yucky and when they get too small you throw them away...brilliant suggestion...never heard of it, and can't wait to try it. Hope you have a happy weekend. Lydia

Home grown. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x8

Home grown peppers are so pretty, they are always tempting to paint, usually its a big pile which becomes complicated, so this time it was nice to have a manageable amount. I didn't feel overwhelmed.

We have a new puppy,he has been around for about a month. He is the most strangely destructive dog I've ever encountered (well, owned)...the total so far is thus: rung of chair (that was made in the coal camps of West Virgina), Back door ( about four square inches), 40 dollar gallon of paint (spilled thankfully in my studio/concrete floor), corner of my big expensive easel, tube of fancy new 'golden glow' paint and tube of yellow zinc paint (it was old and dry at least) I called poison control about it....he apparently will be no worse for wear. ( he did have a bath in Murphy's oil soap to get orange glow off). And of course countless empty water bottles, rawhide chews, Kong toys and stuffed animals!

I think I understand why his last owner dropped him off without a collar to run loose in the streets! (not that I am considering that...today).

Lydia