Wandering Artist's Journal

iPad Sketch, "Porch",©2011 Anna L. Conti Do you know anybody who got a new iPad recently? Someone who maybe downloaded an art app, made a few squiggles with it, got frustrated and quit? Come on over to the Oddists Art Classes and I'll get you all jazzed up again. Only this time, you'll know what you're doing. Seriously, this little device is an art studio in your pocket/bag/hands. It's even more fun than a paper & paint studio because it's free of expectations and consequences. Throw that paint around! (No need to worry about the carpet or the curtains.) Do something crazy - didn't work out? Hit delete and start over again (unlimited paper, canvas & supplies.) Nobody sees it but you, until you're ready to share. iPad Sketch, Ferry ©2014 Anna L. Conti You may have noticed that there are a zillion art apps out there. Which one should you pick? I've tried almost all of them (I know, somebody had to do it) so you don't ha...

"Gull Patrol", 10" x 20", acrylic on canvas, ©2013 Anna L. Conti 2013 was a pretty good year for my attempt to document the marine traffic on San Francisco Bay. I finished 12 paintings, a few watercolors and a series of etchings. I expect this coming year to be even more productive. It's been a fascinating learning experience for me. I've been combing the used bookstores, looking for old military, shipping, sailing, and other maritime manuals. Today I really lucked out at the Book Bay in Ft. Mason: I found a copy of the Saga of the Delta Queen (sister to the Delta King, now berthed in Sacramento.) The Queen was once the "most lavishly appointed and expensive sternwheel passenger boats ever" built and she carried passengers between Sacramento and San Francisco. The book was written in 1951 by her captain and it is loaded with insider info!