Debbi Friedman’s Blog

I returned from the annual CPSA convention in Seattle last Sunday, which is held in conjunction with their juried International Exhibition. There was so much to do: I took an all-day workshop with John Smolko, attended the member’s meeting, awards banquet and opening reception and got to spend time with artists friends and made many new friends from across the country. Above are photographs of artist Lynda Schumacher and myself at the awards banquet, and me beside my artwork on display at the Seattle Convention Center. It was also great fun to explore the Seattle a bit; walking the many hills between Pikes Place Market, the Space Needle and Chinatown for starters!

Below are photographs from the morning phase of the John Smolko workshop. We worked using expressive line and scribbles. Everyone had a different letter of the alphabet to block out and develop using line and contrasting warm and cool colors. The “K” and “I” are Lynda’s and my letters respectively, and the entire wall of letters is the morning group’s work on display. It was so much fun to see how differently everyone approached such a simple assignment. It really allowed everyone’s distinct ways of making marks to shine through. In the afternoon session we applied our “new” use of line to an actual drawing, choosing an object from life, a portrait, or working from a reference photograph.

This final photograph was taken on the platform of the Monorail at the Space Needle, waiting for the train to arrive. I think the color contrasts are so amazing. When do you get to see these colors  juxtaposed outdoors in a cityscape?