Better Late Than Never

To accommodate Molly's schedule, we decided to postpone the June critique group meeting for a week. The changed date seems to have worked out, as 10 people brought art (including two first time visitors) and 2 additional regulars came just to hang out and be part of the discussion.

The photo above shows several of the works brought in. The two colorful pieces on either end are paintings by Sheilagh, between them is a pen and ink/wash drawing by Ginny (both new to our critique), and this view includes two mixed media pieces from Edy and Michelle's ruby slippers in a glass box. The photo below shows my smoker block and two oversized sculptures (bag with donut and coffee cup) from Lisa.

At one point we moved down the hall (to the space that has become our unofficial gallery annex) to view Vince's figure based paintings and Jane's clay tree forms.

I don't have other photos, but we also looked at Molly's plans to use her monocle bear image in a full color work, and Adelle's prototype for a poster, each an image that is designed to be reproduced for publicity purposes.

As for my work, I quickly showed the 2nd proof of the shower room scene to everyone, just seeking feedback on the color. There was a general agreement among those who spoke up that the new colors work fine (even if some aren't balanced with a matching piece elsewhere in the composition), and so I am going to declare it done. I'll finish the 3rd proof next time I'm there and be done with it. I also brought out the smoking block, first seeking reaction from those who were unfamiliar with the piece. Again, it was obvious that the woman is smoking outside, but after that people have wide opinions about everything else. At least one new viewer saw her as a person on a break (perhaps from work), but within the group there were disagreements over whether her way of dressing matched my concept of someone on a job. No one liked the name tag idea, feeling that it's better to let the figure stand as is and let people interpret it as they see fit. A few suggested that some kind of adjacent ashtray might do the trick, indicating a destination location for smokers, not just a random person on a street. People generally like the figure, bringing up just minor suggestions for modifications. I'll look into those areas and consider those suggestions next time I'm there.