Sunlit San Miguel

Sunlit San Miguel/ 8 x 10/ oil on canvas board/$145
Purchase here 

This is the same image: actually the same painting as the last San Miguel painting, now, with a new knife-layer of paint. The goal today was to "light" the scene. My sister suggested that the last little painting expressed "the rainy season" because of it cool greys. To accomplish "light" in this painting, I studied paintings that successfully "glow" by Kim English and David Cheifetz and made small color studies to figure it out. What do you think, is this one "sunnier"?

Radish Study

 This painting was inspired by a recent painting by Julie Ford Oliver (link). Julie has an art byte on Daily Paintworks about her fracturing technique. Fracturing is a neat way to alter the edges in a painting. In addition, this process physically moves the color of the subject into the background and vice versa. I find it works best (for me) when I have reds and greens in the subject. The recent Julie Ford Oliver painting was a wonderful still life with radishes, green onions, garlic and a well-placed mustard jar.  It sold before I could think about adding it to my collection. The radishes stayed in my mind. Unfortunately, where I live, the produce is limited. Radishes are available in plastic bags, cut and prepped.  So, on a trip to Durham, we ran into their grocery store and found "overwatered", slimy -topped radishes (and I wondered whether these radishes don't get topped, bagged and sent to our branch of the store when the tops have totally melted away). Armed with radishes, I then worked on this little study. It took a couple of wipes, but I think I like this version.

San Miguel

San Miguel/ oil on canvas board/

This is the same study but done in a higher key (lighter overall) than the one completed two days ago. This little painting maintains the same value relationships as in the smaller study (but they are lighter). Next thing to consider: to give some atmospheric perspective (ie. to make things go back), things become lighter, greyed and less sharp. Here, I added the correct value of neutral grey into the color that I wanted to be further in the distance. This maintains the color hue (i.e. orange remains orange), but as it goes into the distance, it is a grey-er orange.

Cafe in Europe

Cafe in Europe/ oil on board/ 8 x 8/ $145
Purchase here

I loved the colors in this photo. It was taken by me in a courtyard  (I think it was in Rome) and the sun's shining on the building and the bright table cloths. Working on landscapes, I decided to try this one. Remember, all the vertical element have to be the darkest value...
The gorgeous bricks are underpainted with Indian yellow, and then while wet, painted over with ice blue mixed with transparent oxide brown or transparent oxide orange  or cadmium orange...I love the color these mixes create.

Sketch San Miguel de Allende: Learning to think about landscape painting #1

This is a small (5 x 7) study from San Miguel de Allende, an amazing place to visit.  Donkeys carrying things are a common sight.  Learning to paint landscapes is one of my 2015 goals.  I had read the wonderful resource book: Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting (link) a couple of years ago, but I wasn't ready to understand it then. This painting is my first  2015 implementation of his breakdown of a value plan of a landscape.
Simply: 1. the sky (which is the source of light: even on a cloudy day) is the lightest value.
2. flat, horizontal ground receives the light and therefore, is the second lightest value
3. vertical element (trees, buildings (people and donkeys)) don't receive light, so they are the darkest elements
4.slopes (mountains, slanted rooftops) are in between the ground value and the vertical (dark) value
Don't break up values

Try a small sketch with a pencil thinking this way: simplify like valued-shapes (i.e. link all the trees in the tree line and define only by the shape of the tree tops). Great way to start, isn't it?

Squint at this painting now and see if you can see the basic values...
So, I am off to work on this further

Cheerful Geraniums

Reminding myself about color mixes and choppy brushstrokes with this little painting. This was very fun to paint after a day "drawing with scissors" (see below). I think this type of painting is mostly a color exercise. I believe the attractiveness of this type of painting is the "mood" the colors evoke. For example, this makes me feel warm, cheerful, happy. What about you?
FYI: I did an experiment measuring comments/ interaction on FB compared to this blog and unfortunately, FB is ahead....

Here are some silk cut outs.
It is interesting, to me, that while I am working on "movement" and the transition of foreground into background in my watercolors, I am also compelled to work on these silk pieces which are the complete opposite: static and graphic. So fortunate to be able to create....

Gerbera Daisy Done

Gerber Limited Color Study/ oil on board/ 8 x 8/ $125
Purchase here

I can't seem to get this one to photograph well. However, I am now happy with this little painting . It glows. The flower has"'presence" and it was done with only three colors: so I met my challenge for the painting.

Now, to push forward on the silk compositions. I had a day of green hands while I worked on "missing" colors. i am not sure that my fingernails will get clean...but I despise gloves...

Will post this now so it is ahead of the noon publish deadline
Hopefully, I'll be back later with silk images

New Workshop

I just added a new workshop on my web page.
Details are here
This is fairly short notice, however I hope the "end of winter" will make this appealing. Later this weekend, I will post more of my silk progress and the completed gerber daisy...

Gerbera Daisy: Limited palette

This was painted over a bright red ground.  I painted with cad yellow pale and deep, titanium white and a red and blue violet (split compliment colors) Purple and yellow created the brown. and a had to cheat and add a touch of green to get a cleaner more lime stem. Fun exercise. I especially like the texture of the petals so I think I will add a little more before I call this one finished (or get disgusted, if this fails...nothing ventured...)

First Tulip Study

Tulip Study/ 8 x 10/ oil on board/ $145
Purchase here

I thought I was editing this post but somehow, I erased it. Sorry. I am completing a personal experiment about traffic: here versus FB. I have been unhappy with FB's recent post changes. I'll let you know what i learn.

Study Blood Oranges

This is a study of blood oranges. I also tested a new painting surface and provider. I will post the information after I try one more painting on this surface but I quite like it on my first try. It lends itself to softer edges and requires more paint than the gesso board surfaces.

Low Country Gallery

Winter Tomato Study

Little painting to "warm up the brushes" for 2015. Yesterday, my class worked on warm and cool colors to give objects form. Can you see the warm and "cooler" reds in these tomatoes? If you are interested details and purchase information are here

My silk work has to wait for more fabric adhesive. Beautiful pieces of cloth remain all over the chairs in the kitchen and dining room awaiting its arrival.

My big adventure today was melting the ice on the hatch door of the pool so I could swim while temperatures remain below freezing...

Series Continues (#3) and little colt study

Moving along now. You can see the "file" of colors (recipes for dyes mixes and silk types) to the right of the flowers. This will be my first study of the poppies that bloomed in my garden last spring. (This season's poppies are all about an inch high and weather permitting, should be beautiful in April-May).

Here is a watercolor study of a colt working with the backwashes of lots of water  and the juxtaposition of warm/cool colors to give the illusion of shine and form. If you are interested in this, details are available here

My oil painting class starts a new six-week series for 2015 tomorrow.  I have a set of color challenge exercises that I hope will help them learn and have fun doing it.

Step Two of New Project and Little Goose

This is not a photo of the current batch of dyed sold pieces. The present batch had to be hung about the house, as it rained steadily outside. This was not the "photo op" that makes for a nice blog post, so you can see step two from a previous effort.  Today, I need to dye a little more since some of the colors I need are not what the first batch yielded (I am pretending that I am an "old master" and that I am "grinding my pigments etc with this prep work (ha)).  I will move ahead on the process while adding to my "palette".

Here is a little "warm up" watercolor for 2015. It is tiny. Details and purchase information can be found here.

Starting the NewYear

I have been absent from blogging while I think about my goals for this year.
I have always been driven. As I stated my second career, I wanted to do it to my best ability. Therefore, I applied what I knew about learning to be a doctor: study, practice, study some more and while I have definitely improved as a painter, I lost a little of the "Fun" of being creative.
So, in addition to more "improving",  re-working my blog and web page, marketing (just to be able to pay for my supplies and learning), I will add back the best part of being creative. Here is step one. These are all silks: velvet silk, dupioni, silk satin, habatoi, silk charmeuse etc soaking a a variety of dye mixes.
I'll show you what I am working on step-by-step.
However, tomorrow, I am off to "Hawk Manor Falconry" (link) to see the beautiful birds that Chip Gentry has.  Wishing you fun in 2015, also!