Out Wandering

Out Wandering/ oil on canvas on board/ 7 x 13/ SOLD

I started a new class. We began with values. My assignments this lesson included converting master paintings to grey scale, creating both a 5 and 9 value grey scale  and then taking photographs, simplifying them and assigning vales to the simplified images. With value on my mind, I worked on some of the problems I had been having with this little study and was delighted to find solutions,


Here are my value scales. Next post I'll show my source photo, value pattern and the study I did.

These were painted on old mat board on which I had applied quick layer of gesso. Not beautiful but cheap and it works.

Why I practice with Fruit and Oil

Study Peaches and Cherries/ oil on re-used board/ 6 x 8/ Low Country

You know that I have come to painting late in my life. Not the interest in all things art but the practice and learning "how to". You also know that my primary medium is watercolor and yet most of my small study paintings, most of my recent workshops/classes and books are about oil painting. This is because I find that oil painters, in general, have done a better job of describing what I need to learn to become better at painting. Most of my favorite watercolorists paint first in oil and describe their methods from that beginning.
 I know my heart wants to paint loose, abstracted lost-edged but still realistic paintings. Painting small oil painting exercises of fruit seems to be my way to make progress toward these goals. Thank you for sharing my progress and for supporting my learning.




 I am so excited and honored to share that my painting "Vigilance" was chosen by juror Judi Morris to hang in the Northwest Watercolor Society 75th International Exhibition opening in Seattle tomorrow.

Beach Front NC

Beach Dunes/ oil in canvas mounted on board/ 7 x 13/ SOLD

This is a painting of a beautiful beach in North Carolina. Piled sand dunes with gorgeous seagrasses are seen in many locations. I liked working on the subtle colors that are visible in the white sand and the blue skies.

Musing about Color Interactions: Bengal

Bengal Study/ oil on board/ 6 x 6/

Here is the original and repainted little cat painting from this week. Again, the cat is unchanged in these paintings and you can see the effect that colors placed beside each other have on each other. To my eyes, the green background makes the orange fur "oranger". This effect is discussed in books about color (an excellent discussion about simultaneous color modifications can be found in "Color Right From the Start by Hilary Page).

Rooster Study of Vibration

Rooster: Vibration Study/ oil on board/ 6 x 6 / HH Gallery

This is one of a series of chickens that I am working on, The challenge in this one was to create a vibration. One way to achieve vibration is to place colors of the same value but opposite color temperatures in juxtaposition. Look at the chest of this guy to see that illustrated.

Striped Pitcher Still life

Striped Pitcher Still Life/ 6 x 6/ oil on canvas board/SOLD

The hydrangeas are starting to bloom in the garden. The geraniums have been blooming because I bought them from a great nursery earlier this spring. I thought they looked great in this new e bay vintage pitcher. This was not painted with a transparent under wash because it had to cover a very poorly done painting of trees so lots of opaque paint was needed.

Three Apples Study

Three Apples Study/ oil on canvas on board/ 5.5 x 13/ HH Gallery

This is a painting I have worked on and seen progress over the last months. Compositionally, this used to be five apples that were boring and fairly realistic. I love cutting through the edges and adding bits of color into the background. It makes the apples feel more interesting to me and even makes the painting have some movement.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes

Tomatoes 1/ 4 x4/ oil on board/ Gifted

I have been reworking old tight paintings (again). This little 4 x 4 painting (left) is much better with the looser brushwork.

As I was reworking the 5 x 5 tomatoes below, I was reading a book on drawing. The author  likened shading changes to pixels in a photograph. He suggested that to render the shapes in a human form, gradual (pixellated) changes in value were required. I raced to this lower painting which was on my easel, failing for a second go. I added tiny steps of color changes (thinking of the pixel analogy) with the goal to achieve realistic rounded tomato forms.

Tomatoes 2/ 5 x 5/ oil on board/ HH Gallery

I have posted both to FB and asked for preferences. I predict that the artists will like the more (though very slight) abstracted version above.

I am off to buy some green pears...

The book on drawing is: The Artists's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing by Anthony Ryder. It is excellent.

Watercolor of Bluejay and Pretty Pink Iris

Bluejay Study/ watercolor/ 10 x 8.75/ SOLD

This is a study for a larger watercolor of this blue jay. Like most of my paintings, I am working on the abstract/realistic parts of each painting. The red Chinese mark is a stamp that reads my name in Chinese (at least that is what it is supposed to be..could be anything, I guess). I love how pretty it is, regardless of what it says.

Pink Iris Study/ oil on gesso board/ 7 x 5/ HH Gallery

This is another oil painting of the beautiful irises I had in my garden this year. This variety is named "Beverly Sills" and is a no fail for annual flowers. Also, the pine voles that eat the newer iris hybrid tubers seem to not care for this variety (yeah). This is painted with transparent underfloors of indian yellow, quinacridone rose and sap green. This the over layer has white (over the yellow), mixes of quin rose, cad orange (some winsor orange) cad yellow deep and white for the pinks; caribbean blue, olive green, lemon yellow and white in the foliage. The thin lines are made with the sharp edge of a flat brush.

Iris Studies Continued

Irises and Daisies/ oil on board/ 8 x 10/ revised

I am working on large single iris watercolor paintings. Whenever I am working on large watercolors, I am too tired to post. This little oil is a break from the large pieces. While in watercolor I am working on the glow and the shine and the "feeling" of the iris's beauty. In oil, I am working on choppy brushwork and impressionistic colors. This particular painting has been painted over a failed floral. Some of the yellows and oranges peeking out are from the previous painting.  My garden has moved on. The peonies and poppies are presently beautiful...and the weeds are reappearing..sigh...

Irises #1

Irises #1/ oil on canvas board/ 10 x 8/

The irises in my garden are on the last few days for this year. They have been beautiful and until just the past couple of days the weather has been wonderful to photograph them. I am working on supercargo watercolors and experimenting with more impressionistic oils.
Here is the first of this series in oil.
The darks are rich transparent colors including quinacridone rose, magenta and dioxazine purple.

Here is the latest one to bloom. Beautiful!!

Spring Color!

Beach Rainbows/ oil on board/ 6 x 6/ HH Gallery

I love the bright colors on both of these paintings. They each feel like sunshine. Likely this reflects the beautiful spring weather and the wonderful flowers in the garden right now. I love painting ahead of Mother's Day. I think about color, light and love when I think about this particular day.

Geraniums/ oil on board/ 4 x 4/ HH Gallery

I am going to share some of my beautiful garden with you since a fair amount of time is spent looking after the garden daily now. I also hope to share (soon) some sketches from a weekly figure drawing open studio.









For today, I think this one is called "Black Magic". Beautiful, isn't it?

AHHH

AHHHH/ oil on board/ 8 x 8/ SOLD

I painted this twice. The first was a wipe. Then I underpinned the board with black acrylic paint and allowed the figure to "emerge" . This was greatly more successful.
The mood I was going for was peaceful. Hence the many horizontals in this painting. Makes me wish I was there!!

Duck, Duck, Duck, Little Brown Duck

http://www.zazzle.com/joaquin_sorolla_y_bastida_after_the_bath_poster-228465346972568903

This is an image of a Sorolla painting that is from the page above.
The feeling of intense sunlight in this painting is wonderful.

I wanted this light effect in my recent painting "Duck, duck, duck, little brown duck"

Here is a version before I read an article by  Charles Sovek (link)  about the Sorolla's painting of light and color.

 This article reminded me that

Every object in light should be painted a middle-grey value or above

Every object in shadow is painted a middle grey value or below

Therefore, I adjusted lightened the  values of the shadows of the white ducks and darkened the values of the dark duck

Duck, Duck, Duck and Little Brown Duck/ oil on board/ 8 x 10/HH Gallery

I then increased the chroma of the water.

I like how the little ducks "glow" in this painting.

Mostly Complimentary Colors

Cow Studying/ 8 x 10/ oil on board/ SOLD

This painting is of a cow that was in the path while we were hiking. To create its form, I decided to use warm and cool yellows and purples. These are also compliments which was interesting to work with.

White Ibis

White Ibis/ 6 x 8/ oil on board/ gifted

This is a painting inspired by my recent trip to Charles Reid's workshop. Theses birds arrived each lunch hour and sat in the branches across the waterway from us. I changed the water from the swampy brown to sunny beach.I was fortunate enough to also find a favorite fishing area of green herons, blue herons, pelican and egrets...

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring/ oil on gesso board/ 6 x 8/

My spring tulips and daffodils are up. There are enough that if the weather is nice, it might be possible to paint them outside..

This is a little painting on a gesso board.
 I have been working lately on canvas boards and the slick surface had its challenges. I started with a limited palette of titanium white, cad lemon, cad red medium and ultramarine blue. To add some color, however, I added caribbean blue and naphol red toward the end which allowed for brighter greens and more presence to the tulips. Happy Spring!!

Pair of Apples Study

Pair of Apples/ oil on canvas board/ 6 x 8/ revised

I am working toward integrating my foreground abstractly into my background in alma my paintings. This is an oil that accomplishes that for me.

The design of this little painting required a small adjustment (see below). Although I had originally blocked in two apples of different shapes and colors, they morphed into twin shapes. I think the small change in size adds interest.

Here is the same painting before a small modification is the right apple size.

Purple Finch

I am working on small loose paintings of my friends from my bird feeders. This is a "purple" finch. However, he is quite red in color.
Short post today, too many "things to do" on the day's list...

Beach Colors

Beach Colors/oil on gesso board/  6 x 8/ HH Gallery

We are on the last of the winter weather I think. I wanted (between paintings for a watercolor deadline) to paint some bright colors and the feeling of warm sunshine...
For me, it is a challenge to paint these tiny limbs so I think I will scale this up and see if that makes it technically easier.

Hope you all are warm and that spring is around the corner now