Category Archives: Austin Hippie

I Painted the Pretty Hipster at SpiderHouse

January 25, 2010 – 9:07 am

We had a beautiful, sunny and warm day here in Austin last week. I went to SpiderHouse with Erin Park-Markert, one of my art students, to meet my daughter. We sat out on the patio, right beside this large group of “hipsters”, as my daughter calls them. They had pulled two tables together to accomodate […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, guerrilla artist, guerrilla portraiture, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting live, painting people from life, portrait sketch | Tagged , , , | Comments (20)

I Painted Her on a Beautiful Spring Day at Epoch Coffee

March 6, 2009 – 7:49 am

I painted her last spring at Epoch, and never posted it, for two reasons.  Technically, it’s not my best, and secondly, this painting makes me sad.  She is schizophrenic.  But, if I am going to be an honest documenter of Austin, she needs to be portrayed.  Anyone who has worked for Mobile Loaves and Fishes, […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, artist, guerrilla artist, guerrilla portraiture, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting people from life | Tagged , | Comments (8)

I Painted Sherry at the Spider House

January 20, 2009 – 10:18 am

I was painting at the Spider House as dusk was slipping out in under the threshold.  My first painting of her was so awful.  I made her move over to the table opposite of me and have her cards read by “Julian”.  His game might have been a  bit off, because I rattled him by […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, artist, oil painting, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting live, painting people from life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (4)

The Seventh Starving Artist Story

December 17, 2008 – 7:26 am

In the previous story, I told you how I got to Cranbrook Art Academy by train.  I also want to tell you about some of the clothes that I packed for the trip.  Since I didn’t have enough money for winter clothes, and had never been in snow, I thought that I would do just […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in art, artist, artists, starving artist, starving artists | Tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

I Painted Two Customers at Quack’s Bakery and Coffee

December 16, 2008 – 7:46 am

She was just lovely in silver-blue, with sun-glasses on her head. I always call these women the “Horse women” – the Barbara Stanwick, no-nonsense good-looks. They always have those fine-bone structures, but these are rock solid, no-nonsense women. They age beautifully, and can let their hair go silver. The student next to her had great hair. I was afraid that he was going to cut out early, but I got him in the painting, luckily. Behind them you will see the first two type-writer buttons of the Italian restaurant, ASTI.

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, art journal, figure painting, oil painting, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting live, painting people from life, portrait sketch | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (9)

I Painted Ashley Dancing at the Spider House

December 14, 2008 – 12:05 am

I loved painting this at the Spider House.   Ashleigh was walking back toward the steps of the deck to place a customer’s order, and she just did this quick dance move to the music.  It was so delightful and free, I just had to capture it.  I must have painted her in less than […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, figure painting, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting, painting live, painting people from life, portrait sketch | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (7)

My Fifth Starving Artist Story

November 19, 2008 – 6:52 am

I was sad when Victoria Donner, Tamsen’s older sister moved out of the Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs.  I found her to be the sweetest and most approachable of all The Donner clan.  Her room was immediately taken by Parivash Shogi’s cousin, who was sent from Tehran to America for brain surgery. Pari was the […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in art, artist, Les Amis, oil painting, painting, starving artist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (4)

My Third Starving Artist Story

November 5, 2008 – 12:23 pm

Stick with it – there are pictures at the bottom! I really didn’t appreciate my coworkers during the times that I worked at Les Amis (I worked there at two separate times).  There were the itinerates that had worked there for years, and the college students that were working for pocket money.  I was already […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in Les Amis, starving artist, starving artists | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (8)