Our demonstrator was Michele J. Kenna, who did a Pastel Semi-Abstraction demonstration.
The meeting was held in the Guild Hall, First Congregational Church (middle side door), Sanborn Street, Reading, Wednesday February 12th, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
Michelle was originally scheduled to do an abstract demonstration, but she decided to do a semi-abstract demonstration instead.
We have some photographs of the event in case you could not make it there in person.
Michelle often works with her reference material upside down.
Doing that allows her to see the basic shapes in the photograph.
She started by sketching in the basic shapes on the paper.
Here is the preliminary sketch.
Then, she began filling in the shapes with color.
She uses soft pastels and uses them on their sides.
You can see in this photo that the shapes are being created.
A closer view of the progress so far.
Still working on the shapes.
Progress.
After a while, Michelle turned the painting right side up.
It looks more like a conventional painting like this.
She used a stump to put in some high key lines for branches.
If you look closely, you can see the white lines which make branches.
A closer view helps.
The painting at the end of the demo.
You can see some of Michele's work at her web site, https://www.michelejkenna.com/
Michele J. Kenna, a transplanted Canadian, has lived in Massachusetts for over 30 years. Growing up in a family involved in art and theater, Michele pursued her own artistic aspirations by completing her degree in Fine Arts at the University of Toronto. After raising two children in Beverly, MA, Michele continued to study with nationally known American artists who taught and mentored her in the pastel medium, her primary influences being Frank Federico, PSA 2012 Hall of Fame Honoree and internationally renowned painter, Wolf Kahn. Michele has also studied with renowned American painters such as Betty Lou Schlemm, Charles Movalli, Ted Minchin, Barbara Moody, Masako Kamiya and many more.
Classes at the Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA, have inspired Michele to reach out beyond traditional boundaries and to challenge herself to more abstract ways of expression. With a studio at the Porter Mill Studios in Beverly, Michele continues to develop her unique style of landscape painting. She has exhibited her work in numerous galleries and art associations in the Boston area and the North Shore. Michele’s commissioned work is part of many private collections in the United States, Canada and Europe.
As time goes by I am being pulled more and more towards abstract expression. Abstract painting gives me a freedom of personal expression which encompasses emotion, gesture, spirit, passion, intensity and tone (perfect words from the Thesaurus). My abstract work can reflect what is going on around me as well as within me.