Carolyn Hancock Newsletter
ART, GOLF . . . and LIFE BETWEEN
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February 2012
Scrumble -- lightly touched to create an exciting blend.
Pastel Art, Golf, Travel, Life - each lightly touched upon, my scrumble.
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Ticonderoga Tour Guide
My Special News: Keeping—and encouraging—art in the school.
The Woodlands High School created an art acquisition program in 2011 to bring professional art into their school. Its purpose is to expose students to art throughout each day and to enrich curriculum in areas such as language arts and social studies. The art trust purchased five beautiful, original works of art that are permanently displayed on the walls of the school. I am extremely proud to have Eyes to the Future presented in the 2012 initial selection process. From the initial 20 paintings, the entire student body will vote on their favorite, the top five of which will be purchased by the art trust for the school. A big thank you to TWHS.
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ART: I Was Afraid to Start the Portrait
I haven't painted many portraits or figurative pieces in the last couple of years; mainly flowers and landscapes. So going back to the face was scarey—could I still get the proportions right, light up the eyes, paint emotion in the face? Self doubt causes fear and the dreaded put-it-off.
But my 2012 goal says: Publish a newsletter on the 16th of EVERY month, leading with a new artwork. Where did January go, with no new work? With a personal tagline of “I paint people,” a portrait it had to be.
The drawing of Ticonderoga Guide started on February 8. Each photo shows the progression of lines, color and correction. My work-in-progress never looks beautiful. Wish I had the knack that the wonderful Daniel Greene does in making every phase of a painting look perfect. I do, however, always have confidence that the finished piece WILL look perfect. Now I have regained my confidence in painting people; the fear is gone.
     
 
1: Initial Drawing. 2: Color Block-in. 3&4: Additional layers of pastel.
5&6: Correction of hands and arm and additional pastel layers
7: Thought I was finished! Changed background and added details
8: My reference photo from Fort Ticonderoga, New York, October 2011
Thanks to great drawing basics learned at Mission: Renaissance while living in Los Angeles, my drawing is a running question of “where is this in relation to that?” All the visible lines and darker spots on the first photo are reference points. They let me align and relate one thing to another. Color Notes: the black hat and open doorway are layers of blue, green, purple, red and black; the red wool vest starts with purple and blue, ends with burgandy, orange and red. The light background and dominant rocks seemed to fight his white shirt, so I changed shapes and grayed them down. Finished in time!
Nugget: A long time ago I wanted to remove a wall in my home to open the space, but hesitated, worried, pondered. Finally, my son said either tear it down or get off the ladder. And guess what, I loved the open space.
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GOLF: “The secret of golf is to turn three shots into two.” Bobby Jones
From 20 feet off the green, the ball fell in the hole! I asked my grandson if he knew what that shot was. “Chip shot,” was his answer. “No, that's the shot that keeps you coming back to golf.” I had set up perfectly, as if the shot would go in the hole, but did I REALLY believe it would. Not in my arena of experience. Maybe if I could remember Deb Vangellows' Pearls of Wisdom:
CHIP AWAY AT YOUR SCORE!
If you are a good ball striker and putt well, you might see even better numbers on your card if your short game stats improve. Knowing what to do depends on where you are around the green.
First, if you can putt, always putt. If the grass is too high in front of your golf ball, simply use a club that will lift the ball over it. This is a chip or a “putt with a flying start.” Pick a landing area and fly the ball to that point, allowing the ball to release and roll to the flag. Experiment with a couple of different clubs to figure out the carry/roll ratios.
As you move away from the green, you need more carry. With more carry and a slightly longer swing, comes a faster moving ball. Additional loft will help the ball come to a stop easier on the green. A pitch and run shot with your wedges will create the cushioned landing you need to keep the ball on the green.
As you move away from the green, your shot may go from chip to pitch and run to cut lob depending on how much green you have to work with and how far away you are from the flag. This long swing/fuller shot will hold the green if you have high trajectory.
Work on your artistry around the green and you will chip away at your score!
My thanks to guest writer: LPGA Master Professional Deb Vangellow is the Director of Instruction at Sweetwater Country Club in Houston. She is a two-time LPGA Central Section Teacher of the Year (2002 and 2009), a Golf Digest Magazine “50 Best Women Teachers in America,” an LPGA “Top 50” Teacher, a Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine “Top Regional Teacher,” a US KIDS GOLF “Top 50 Kids Teacher,” and was continually featured in the now retired Golf For Women Magazine as a “Top 50” teacher. Deb serves as the National Vice President of the LPGA Teaching And Club Professionals and is a lead instructor in the LPGA National Education Program. An educator/coach who offers wellness based developmental programming integrated into her “student centered” philosophy, Deb can be reached at 281-980-4100 X296 or online at www.debvangellowgolf.com.
“Don't be too proud to take lessons. I'm not.” Jack Nicklaus
Nemo Tree, painting of Pecan No. 8: My beginner's nemesis, glad to get through it in my max strokes, No. 8's green is guarded by "grabber tree," a tree every higher handicapper has endured on this hole.
Email me for a special price.
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TRAVEL: Paris and Mona
Reading guide books, looking at pictures and hearing about Paris all your life in no way prepares you for actually seeing the size and beauty of the city monuments. The Seine River divides Paris into the Right Bank and Left Bank. In the middle of the river are two small islands. On the tip of one is Cathedrale Notre Dame, built in 1163; it’s magnificent.
The really special building, however, is a block or so away, Sainte-Chapelle, built around 1250. It’s a small two-story chapel, the first floor intended for servants and poorer class, the second floor built for the king. The upper walls are stained glass 360 degrees and are spectacular. In tiers going up, up, up, each window pictures a story in the Bible. With time and binoculars, one could read the Bible with no words. Maybe the original silent movie? Small by other standards, Ste. Chapelle is a Paris highlight.
The Louvre had the dedication of the rest of the day. It's such a huge complex with so many treasures to look at, your mind finally gets overwhelmed and says stop. Our main goal was the Mona Lisa, but on the way to her we saw the Statuette Victory Nike and the famous one-armed Venus of Milo. So many paintings I had studied as reproductions in my art books. The 140.64 carat Regent Diamond. Then the Mona Lisa, cased in glass. I slowly walked from left to right, around her. I have admired paintings, been stunned by the beauty of some, but never before an emotion to tears. The impact was suddenly that Leonardo da Vinci had played with her lips and eyes to create a different emotion from each angle. She was remarkable.
The response to Art, Golf, and Life Between was great last month. Please help bring more people to my work by sharing this with your friends and family. My art and blog are always hanging out at http://carolynhancock.com
Thanks for reading.
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Carolyn Hancock's Fine Art - Available Works: Click here to go to Portfolio.
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