BMF Art

Landscape with Oil paint sticks

2017-07-28T03:52:00.003-04:00

Playing around with paint sticks on canvas. A really fast process, finished it in less than 2 hours.
Here is an equally fast video showing a few of the steps.

Summer Classes & Workshops

2017-06-16T17:09:00.000-04:00

I'll be teaching Summer classes and workshops at Pointe Claire.

If you would like more information e-mail me or visit Galerie d'art Pointe Claire.

You can call to register.

Types of Charcoal

2017-04-27T16:51:00.001-04:00

Not all charcoal is the same and that can create confusion when starting a drawing. Here are a few things to consider when working with charcoal.

Natural charcoal ( vine or willow) is made by baking thin wooden vines or branches in a kiln. There are special types of natural charcoal made from specific types of wood. It is preferred by artists because of the ability to create subtle tones of grey and deep blacks. Vine does not adhere as well to paper as willow charcoal.

Nitram charcoal is a very high quality that comes in different grades, from H (hard) to extra soft. It will adhere well to paper, it blends well and it creates very little dust. It is the preferred brand for fine artists specializing in charcoal drawing.

Charcoal techniques are additive and subtractive. Additive means that charcoal is applied in multiple layers to achieve different dark tones. Subtractive means that it is lifted off the drawing surface in order to reveal the drawing surface. Lesser quality vine charcoal will be very powdery and will not adhere well to the drawing surface withou a fixative.

Compressed Charcoal is made of charred wood, ground to a dust and then bound together with gum arabic. It will create deep rich black tones.

Compressed charcoal varies greatly depending on the brand. Good quality compressed charcoal (Derwent, General’s, Yarka) will create deep dark tones and will also blend and lift off the paper fairly well. In other words, it will behave much like vine charcoal. It will also adhere to the drawing surface better than certain types of vine charcoal.

Certain brands of compressed charcoal will create very dark tones but it will be very difficult to blend or lift of the surface. The same is true for charcoal pencils. They generally have much more binding material and may have some of wax added. Charcoal pencils can be sharpened to a fine point but it's not easy to blend with them.

N.B.: Black pastel and compressed charcoal are not the same thing although the results may be similar. Black pastels use black pigments which are not derived from charred wood.

Blending tools

The most common ways of blending charcoal is by using hands and fingers, blending stumps and a cloth or chamois (a soft thin leather). Brushes can also be uses to blend and lift off charcoal.

When blending with my fingers or a cloth, I am able to spread the charcoal evenly across the surface. This way of blending will also lift off a large amount of charcoal. The ability to smoothly blend and lift charcoal off the surface depends on the type and quality of charcoal I am using.

Blending stumps tend to push the charcoal into the surface of the paper rather than lift it off. They are also used to define finer details. They can be easily cleaned and sharpened with sand paper sticks.

Charcoal test

If you are not familiar with the charcoal that you are using, always test it before you start a drawing project. This way you are not going to have any unwanted outcomes. A simple test is to do a graduation from light to dark. This will allow you to determine how the charcoal:

Lifts off of the surface, (subtractive technique)
How well it blends to get subtle tones
How strongly it adheres to the surface in order to work towards darker tones (additive technique)

The image above shows different types of charcoal. They were applied, blended with my hands and a cloth. The eraser marks were made with a gum eraser. Notice that the Yarka compressed charcoal and charcoal pencil don’’t erase or blend as smoothly as the natural charcoal sticks.

Drawing Papers

What to consider when choosing paper:

Acid free: Acid free paper will not yellow or degenerate over time. Most artist quality papers are acid free. Nonetheless, verify this before buying paper. If you are going to do quick studies or throw away sketches, inexpensive non acid-free paper is fine.

Archival paper is both acid free and it will not deteriorate or break down over time. Fine artists who want their work to stand the test of time choose this type of paper.

Material: wood fibre (cellulose) or cotton?Wood fibre is most commonly used for all types of papers. Unless the paper brand specifically states that the paper is made with cotton you can assume that it is made from wood fibre. Sometimes papers are made of a mix of the two materials.

Cotton is considered the best paper to work with because of its durability and permanence. It is generally more expensive that wood fibre paper.

Cotton paper used for drawing: Stonehenge, Canson edition, Arches drawing paper, Arches Ingres

Paper WeightThe thickness and heaviness of paper is measured by its weight. A heavier paper is thicker and more resilient.

Sketch paper: 60 lbs
Drawing paper: 80 -90 lbs
Watercolour paper 90lbs, 140 lbs, 300 lbs.

Paper texture:The texture of the paper is extremely important. Texture is commonly referred to as tooth. A paper with less tooth is smooth (Bristol) whereas a paper with a lot of tooth is textured. The tooth will determine how the drawing material will behave and adhere to the surface. It will also determine what types of material techniques will work best for the paper

If you are not familiar with the type of paper you are buying, lightly run your hand across the surface to feel the texture. Papers range from very smooth to vellum (velvety feel) to increasing types of textures. If you are drawing with charcoal or pastel, and if you are building up layers of drawing material, a vellum or textured paper is often preferred.

The textured surface will allow for adding multiple layers of drawing material before reaching the point of saturation. Saturation refers to the maximum amount of material that you can add to the drawing surface. After saturation, it is difficult to add anything more to the surface or to make any changes to the drawing.

Pastel papers: Canson ( Mi-teintes, Ingres) and Fabriano (Tiziano) have a rough tooth and are available in different colours.

Strathmore Charcoal 500 is a slightly textured paper designed for charcoal and pastel. It is made of cotton, so it will be quite resilient to the additive and subtractive techniques. It comes in white and muted colour.

Night Fishing: Analogous colours & Impressionist technique

2017-01-29T21:24:00.000-05:00

This is an analogous painting exercise for my Impressionist painting class. Working from a black and white photo, the aim is to work with a limited palette of analogous colours and create the gradations of light to dark. The logic behind the palette is to choose the darkest colour and the lightest colour using colours that are in the same family. In this case I was using ultramarine blue, phthalo blue and phthalo green. The sttongest highlight was a cadmium yellow for the moon and water reflections.
The images below show the progression of the painting. This first stage of the painting was created with just ultramarine blue. When the paint was dry, I mixed a palette of analogous colours (see on the bottom).

The drawing is kept very simple. Small individual brush strokes are used to loosely indicate the major shapes of light and dark.

I continue to build up the surface with the different tones of ultramarine blue. I let the paint dry and then go on to recover the surface with the analogous colours.

I start with the sky, using the phthalo green mix for the moon and then progressively lay in the the relatively darker colours in the sky then in the water.

Once the whole surface is equally covered with the blues and blue greens, I finally add the pale cadmium yellow in the moon and water.

Analogous colour palette:

Here is a close-up of the surface showing the individual brush strokes and the texture created by superimposing the paint:

Oil Pastel Study with Holbein Oil Pastels

2016-10-11T16:13:00.000-04:00

This is an oil pastel exercise that is useful way to explore how colours can be mixed by layering. Rather than use blending tools, the point is to use hatched lines.The lines are spaced apart to allow for the colours to show through. This also leave the surface area open so that I can continue to add more layers of colour. The effect is both a physical mix and an optical mix of colours.

I am using two analogous colours that should mix to create a colour that is found in between them. In this case I used cobalt blue and red violet with the expected result to be a blue violet. I wanted the final image to have a coherent colour. In other words, the different areas should achieve the same colour so that the final composition looks like a monochrome. Here are the steps that I took to do the demo drawing using three tone of cobalt blue, red violet and white.

For each layer of colour, I alternated between doing a red violet layer, then a blue layer.

A key element when doing oil pastel is to always work from lighter to darker and to use a medium to light pressure. As you can see from the steps above, the composition gets progressively darker as more layers of colour are added.

I hope the oil pastel enthusiasts out there will find this useful.

Initial layer of red violet

Cobalt blue layer

Notice that I am establishing the tones.

Close-up showing different colours and tones

Final closeup. The blues and violets are more obvious here.

Les Demoiselles Rousseau

2016-08-05T18:49:00.001-04:00


20 x 30 inches,oil/canvas

Finally finished and delivered, this is a family portrait if the three Rousseau sisters, daughters of Mr. M Rousseau. I composed it from three separate and very different photos. Two of which were selfies, so it qualifies for my Contact Portrait series of paintings. The clouds and balloon play on the profession of their dad. It was quite a challenging portrait, to say the least!

Impressionist Landscape in Oil Part 2

2016-06-13T22:57:00.000-04:00

12 x 16 inches, oil/canvas

Here is part 2 of the Impressionist Landscape painting done in oil. It is a small landscape study done with my Impressionist class at the Visual Arts Centre in Montreal. The focus was on achieving the different planes of the landscape, background, middle ground and foreground, using loose brush strokes without getting caught up with too much detail and looking at how cool and warm colours can create luminous lights and shadows.

Impressionist Landscape Video: Lavender Fields in Oil

2016-05-29T02:04:00.000-04:00

oil/canvas 11 x 14 inches

Yes, another video from one of my classes. I can't help it. When I have a bit of spare time, I really love making these things. Perhaps one day I will do a real movie...when I can afford to get a movie camera. Maybe some crowd funding...or not.

This is a short demo based on a painting exercise in my Impressionist class at the VAC. The aim is paint in a loose style. The focus is not on details but on the large shapes and how they are created with colour and tone. In Part 2 (coming soon), I will add a second layer of colour that will focus on the warm and cool colours to accentuate the feeling of sunlight.

Here are a few of the stages:

And here is the video. You can also see it on YouTube.

P.S. I often have trouble spelling lavender, probably because of French (lavande).

Rose

2016-05-19T09:57:00.000-04:00

14 x 18 inches, oil/canvas

It is my Mom's 80th birthday this month! This rose is for her. It is from the beautiful garden that my father kept when he was still alive. Their garden was a wonderful haven for me that I would look forward to when I would go home in the summer.

Impressionist Landscape in Acrylic

2016-05-08T17:00:00.000-04:00

We were working on a landscape in my Impressionist class this week that focused on a limited palette of analogous colours. It is one of my favorite painting exercises to show how a limited palette can be used to create a luminous composition. It is also a great example of how little detail is needed when the focus is placed on colour.
I made a video showing the process. Here are some of the images from the video:

Here is the video. You can also see it on my YouTube channel.

Painting Class at the VAC

2016-03-31T02:11:00.001-04:00

I'll be teaching an Impressionist technique class at the Visual Arts Centre for the spring session. It's one of my favorite classes. Classes start on April 18th. Registration has already started!

If you want to know more, contact me or the Visual Arts Centre. info@centredesartsvisuels.ca.

I am also teaching:

Introduction to Oil painting on Monday evenings. A great class to brush up on your basics of color mixing and technique.

Oil pastel techniques will be on Thursdays from 1 - 4 pm. Oil Pastel is a great medium that brings together painting and drawing

Coloured Pencil–Red Pepper

2016-02-15T19:56:00.000-05:00

Here are a few photos showing a coloured pencil drawing of a red pepper. As I showed in the last post. I start with a tonal scale to work out how to get a gradation from light to dark. In this particular case, the scale from light to dark is not just one colour but several colours that range from pale yellow to orange to orange red to different tones of red for the pepper. This is not just a tonal gradation but also a colour gradation following the colour wheel.

I chose to work on grey paper because of the dark background of the composition and I also wanted to experiment with the use of lighter colours on a darker ground. The coloured pencil process is one which starts with relatively light tones working towards darker tones. Many layers of colour are added progressively on top of each other.

The basic shape of the composition is drawn in and the lighter colours are added using very light pressure.

I continue to add the lighter tones of colour on the pepper, stem and background.

I use light pressure and I am weaving one colour into another to create a smooth transition.

I have focused on the lighter tones of the pepper using the oranges and red orange colours. Once enough of these colours are applied and the background colours are added, I can start to slowly darken the shadows of the pepper.

This is the finished study. The darkest colours were added during the last half of the drawing process. Colours are constantly layered one over the other to get smooth transitions.

Working is layers is a slow process that demands much patience. The pay off is that layering dark over light creates a more dense and rich depth of colour.

Drawing with Colour

2016-02-14T18:15:00.002-05:00

I introduced colour into my drawing class last week. We worked with coloured pencils and soft pastel. In my opinion, it is easiest to start colour in monochromes. I asked everyone to bring a couple of tones of one colour plus white and black. Here are a couple of demos, one in coloured pencil and one in soft pastel.


coloured pencil	soft pastel

Here is a short demo explaining each process. When starting with a new material, I like to begin with a simple tonal scale. It allows me to understand how to create gradations and transitions from one tone to the next.

Coloured Pencil:
For the coloured pencils, I worked with three tones of blue, a pale, medium and very dark tone as well as white. The drawing is done on smooth bristol. Here is the tonal scale.

Coloured pencil is best work up in many progressive layers, using a constant pressure of application. Since it is not an opaque medium, it is also better to work from progressively lighter to darker. In order to get a smooth gradation of tones, I will apply the lighter tone first, then the darker tone over top. When I want to get a subtle change in tones I will layer the coloured pencils very progressively, interweaving the tones. Here is the pear drawing in its stages:


The lightest blue is used to block in the large shapes. Attention is paid to the shape of light and shadow.	The light shade of blue is applied in several layers before starting to add the darker blue coloured pencil.


The darker tone of blue of blue is used to strengthen the shadow on the pear, while the lighter tone is applied again in the background.	The darker tone of blue is applied to the background. The darker tone appears lighter because of the many layers of lighter tone beneath it. The lighter tone of blue is also added to the area between the light and shadow of the pear.


I repeat the layering of light and dark tones on the pear and background until the paper seems almost saturated with the coloured pencil.	In the last stage I add the darkest blue into the shadow of the pear. I also add several layers of the lighter tone of blue to soften the transition between light and shadow.

Soft Pastel:

Soft pastel is worked differently then coloured pencil because it is an opaque drawing medium. This means that I can apply dark over light or light over dark in order to achieve different gradations of tone. I am working with Prismacolor Nupastels using several tones of blue plus white. I am using Canson Mi Teintes paper in a creamy off-white. Here is the tonal scale:


The drawing is blocked in with white.	The lights and shadows and blocked in with white and the lightest blue.


The light tone of blue is added to the background. The middle tone of blue is added to the shadow side of the pear. The drawing becomes sharper by working the different areas of light and dark.	Blending in the colour: This is an optional stage. By finger blending the tones the colour of the paper is covered up. I will generally do this only at the beginning of the drawing because over blending will make the colours dull and lifeless.


I add white and the light tone of blue to the background and foreground using loose cross hatched strokes. I put more white over the blue in the foreground to make certain it is lighter.	I strengthen the shadow of the pear with the middle tone blue. I continue to cross hatch the light blue and white in the background and foreground.

Here is the finished pear drawing. Although I was using only three tones of blue plus white, I am able to get many different subtle tones of blue by applying multiple layers of colour.

Soft pastel is a unique drawing medium because I can create drawings that are graphic and painterly at the same time. Because of its opacity, I can layer light of dark and dark over light to create different tones.

Glazing in Oil

2015-12-17T22:53:00.000-05:00

Glazing with oil paint has an incredible mystique to it. It dates back to the earliest oil painting practices and as a technique, it is probably derived from egg tempera painting, which applied colour in thin transparent layers.

I have been looking for a good introduction to glazing in oil to recommend to the students taking my classes. I haven't been able to find one that explains the process, so I decided to make a video about it myself.

This is a simple glazing exercise that used three layers of paint. I have chosen to do the underpainting using the traditional grey tone.

Underpainting in grey
Colour glaze in red.
Colour glaze in blue.

Here is a recap of the video:

Grey ground with drawing in oil

The canvas is tone with a middle grey to allow me to add lights and darks. They easily blend into the ground to create a smooth gradations of colour.

Under-painting with Payne's Grey & Titanium White

The first glazed is done with a napthol red. The grey underpainting neutralises the red. The glaze is mixed with a small amount of Gamblin Gel Medium. The glaze is scumbled onto the surface and blended with a dry brush. This technique creates a thin transparent film of paint and maintains the integrity of the paint.

Colour Glaze with Napthol red & Zinc White

The second glaze is done with a Pthalo blue green shade, the complement of the Napthol red. The blue is glazed over the dry layer of red using different tones of blue and zinc white.

Partial Glaze with Phthalo Blue and Zinc White

The amazing thing about glazing is the subtle gradations that can be created almost effortlessly. When painting wet on wet, the Pthalo blue and Napthol red could create dull greys and browns, but when the blue is glazed over the dry red glaze, it can be blended into the pink and still maintain the luminosity of the colours. I love the effect, but I admit I don't like the waiting time in between layers of colour. A fast drying alkyd medium certainly helps.

Here is the video.

Lemon Drops

2015-11-16T16:30:00.000-05:00

Lemon Drops, 24 x24 inches, oil on cradled wood panel

Here is a bit of sunshine to brighten up the cool dark November days. It is oil on panel painted with multiple transparent glazes to create a bright luminous effect. Sometimes it's nice to step outside of my regular subjects and paint for fun. Cheers.

Portrait Study in Oil Pastel

2015-06-01T23:39:00.002-04:00

This is a quick portrait study in oil pastel. The aim is to review some of the techniques used in my oil pastel class. In this example, I am using watercolour paper that is sealed with Holbein transparent gesso. This is a granular gesso that adds texture to the paper surface. The preliminary drawing is done with watercolour pencils.

The oil pastels are Holbein Artist Oil Pastels. They have a creamy rich texture that allows me to create a drawing that has a painterly quality to it.

Video for So Says Exhibition

2015-05-04T14:49:00.000-04:00

This is a painting process video for the my painting in the exhibition "So Says..." at Galerie de la Ville in Dollard Des Ormeaux, from May 3rd to May 24th, 2015.

So Says...

2015-05-03T20:52:00.000-04:00


Fragile, Composed, Her Hands bright in a shaft of light, Salon Louis XIV, Chenonceau

This is the work that I am currently exhibiting at the So Says Exhibition at Galerie de la Ville in Dollard des Ormeaux. It is oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches.

The inspiration for this painting came many years ago, a chance occurrence while visiting the Chateau of Chenonceau in France. My daughter, 5 at the time was naturally bored with all the pomp of the historical lieu. In the salon of Louis XIV, she cured her boredom by sitting down on the floor to play shadow puppets thanks to a stream of light coming through the window. It was a delicious moment, given the place and the innocence of the gesture.

Like many painting ideas, this one sat in the back of my mind for many years. (My daughter is now 18 years old.) The phrase from the Mavis Gallant short story brought that chance occurrence to the fore of my mind and became the impetus for this work. I have taken her words and transformed them into something other, interpreting them through my own personal filters, taking me out of my comfort zone of usually painting the landscape.

It is a great show and it is fascinating to see how other artists interpreted the literary quotes that inspired them. Here is a list of the quotes:

Exhibition: So Says

2015-05-02T00:09:00.000-04:00

Galerie de la Ville in Dollard des Ormeaux presents its annual special event exhibition entitled:
So Says.
Fifteen artists were invited to respond to a creation challenge from the Curator: they were asked to choose one of twenty four literary in English and French and then asked to create a work of art in response to it, using any medium at any scale.
Quotes were taken from texts or poems by such authors as Mavis Gallant, Victor Hugo, T.S. Eliot, Margaret Atwood, Shakespeare, and others.

The opening reception for this exhibition will be held on Sunday, May 3, 2015 from 1 to 3 p.m.

http://centreartdollard.com/gallery/

Exhibition: Through the Artist’s Eye.

2015-02-13T15:34:00.001-05:00

Galerie de la Ville presents an exhibition demonstrating the artist’s creative process. The vernissage is Sunday February 15, 2015 from 1:00 to 3:00.

The Crossing, 20 x 60 inches, oil on 3 panels, 2015

The Crossing, my latest work along with a documentation of the painting process will be on show at Gallerie de la Ville at Dollard des Ormeaux.

Here is the painting video that demonstrates the painting process:

You can also see it on your phone!

April Reflections Lake Brome

2014-07-04T10:24:00.000-04:00

April Reflections, Lake Brome
16 x 20 inches, oil/canvas

This is the view from our cottage in the Easter Townships in Quebec in early spring. I find the beauty of the mountains and the lake breathtaking, and I never tire of looking at it. There will more paintings of Lake Brome to come.

Below are a few images that show how the painting evolves from the initial under painting to the final work. The under painting is an essential element of my painting process. It allows me to quickly visualise the relationship of composition, shape and tone.

The canvas is toned, wiped down and then large shape are quickly drawn in. The clouds are painted in with a broad gestural stroke to get the feeling of how they sweep across the sky.

Here is the finished under painting. The clouds and their reflections in the water are more resolved This under painting is an initial blue print for the colour that will follow once the surface is dry.

This is the first layer of colour. The whole canvas is worked up with colour. When it is dry a second layer of colour is laid in. Below is the finished painting. The colours and shapes have greater detail and they have evolved from the initial under painting. Painting clouds reflecting into the water was a great challenge!

Mist Study in Blue and Pink

2014-07-03T00:45:00.000-04:00

Mist Study in Blue and Pink
oil/canvas, 11 x 14 inches

In keeping with my idea of painting small studies, I wanted to do a painting that used a limited palette of red (Pyrrole red) and blue (cobalt blue). I am drawn to foggy and misty subjects for many reasons. I can avoid details and focus on large positive and negative shapes. The simple silouhettes allow me to put my energy and attention on the colour. Mist has a dreamy and ephemeral quality that makes places seem mysterious.

I will be showing this painting,along with a few others in a group show at the Galerie de la Ville, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC. The show will run from Sunday, July 6 to Sunday, August 3, 2014. All are welcome! The vernissage is on Sunday July 6th from 1 - 3 pm.

Cloud Study

2014-06-25T13:00:00.001-04:00

Cloud Study, 14 x 18 inches, oil/canvas

It has been a long while since I have posted any paintings or process studies. As you know, sometimes life gets in the way of the things we want to do. Between teaching, organising events like ArtNow Westmount, the Victoria Village Artwalk as well as other things that life demands of me, my blog has had to wait. I hope to remedy this situation in the coming months. Right now, I am just working on small paintings; a good way to get back into shape.

2014 Summer Classes

2014-06-04T14:24:00.000-04:00

This summer I am offering two classes at the Ian Shatilla Studio in the historic Elpro Lofts in Montreal's St.Henri. It is a large and comfortable studio space with easy parking. A great place to take classes.

For more information or to register you can e-mail me at bmf.art@gmail.com or come and pick up a flyer at Avenue des Arts in Westmount.

Art Now Westmount

2012-04-30T02:25:00.001-04:00

I will be presenting my work at the Art Now talks on May 1st at 7 p.m. at the Westmount Public Library. All are welcome to attend for discussions, questions, coffee and snacks.

For more information visit: Art Now Westmount

I have updated my website. Click here to have a peek: BMF Art