Celeste Vaught Fine Art Blog

Planning Sketches for Julie's Garden Modified

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:44:00 +0000

After emailing the scanned sketches to Julie, we discussed some minor adjustments to be made to the paintings...details that would tie the whole together cohesively, scale corrections, depth modifications, lighting consistency, etc.

Rather than make these modifications with actual paint on the charming little paintings, I prefer to use Coreldraw, and Corel Photo Paint to alter the scanned images. Since I'm "painting" with a mouse, not a very exact tool, it does allow one to get an idea of how the alterations will look in the final paintings. Here are the subtle changes and additions after my "digital" painting session tonight.

Planning Sketches for Julie's Garden Triptych

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:32:00 +0000

Earlier this year, I was approached about creating a painting, or series of paintings in honor of one of my loyal collectors' garden. Armed with lots of photographs, we worked as a team to determine that a triptych (series of three canvases) would best capture her magnificent garden.

It wasn't until I visited the garden in person though that I actually got a real sense of the scale of the garden. Truly a feast for the eyes, Julie's "woodland" garden is a haven full of interesting rock paths, ponds, sculptures, trees and of course a wide variety of plant specimens. Many of these having special, personal significance to the gardener. It's easy to see why this special place is a refuge and the hours spent working in it, keeping it resplendently beautiful are passionately fulfilled.

Mine is the task to portray this lovely sanctuary in a way that captures its spirit and sense of place.

So, to begin the project, we decided on a strategy - capturing a panoramic view of the garden. For interest, we chose the left and right canvases to be 20 x 16" and the central canvas to be 20 x 24". All three are 1.5" thick gallery-wrapped. I rather like the portrait situation of the two flanking canvases creating an ethereal feel as well as allowing the viewer to peer deep into the scene.

I started with simple, very small scaled value sketches to work out the forms and composition of each canvas. You can see that here:

Next, we met to discuss these sketches and refine our plan before going to the color planning sketches. Learning more about the garden, plants that were significant, allowed us to make modifications to improve the composition and better meet the desired goal. For example, in the central painting, the tree peony having special significance was given more prominence with the water fountain moved to the right.

Armed with this information, I was able to move forward and created the acrylic color sketches at 25% scale seen here. Mirrored curving paths on the left and right canvases help move the eye back through the scene and tie the whole group together. Stay tuned for more details as the project proceeds!

Where I've Been...

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:06:00 +0000

Well, strangely, I haven't been in the studio in the last few months. I've heard of artists taking a break and for a long time, I haven't done that. That changed this year.

So why the break? A number of reasons really. I injured my ankle, making it hard to stand at the easel for extended periods of time. Happily that's better. Got engrossed in reading novels...thanks to my hubby and my sore ankle. It's hard to pull oneself away from an exciting read to go paint! Once the record-setting oppressive summer ended, I actually got inspired to work in the garden. And boy did I work. I'm happy to say that we actually have a planned landscape and that I managed to design and plant it all on my own! Well, not exactly, the gardeners at Southwoods Nursery were extremely helpful.

But, finally, thanks to a loyal collector of my work, I'm back in the studio, starting an exciting "garden" project of a different sort...see the next post for more details.

2011 Art in the Square Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:07:00 +0000

It's that time of year again - time to pack up the kids and the dog and come out for a lovely day at Utica Square in Tulsa browsing original artwork from over 90 area artists including me! For one day only, Saturday, October 1, 2011, I'll be set up between Wild Fork Restaurant and Starbucks. If you haven't had a chance to see my latest paintings from this year, now's a perfect time to come out. This year I'll be showing a variety of styles, including my current whimsical still life series (Poppies on a Little Blue Box shown here) as well as pastels from my "Taos" series to name just a few.

I'll be offering special pricing for the event and will accept Mastercard or Visa for your convenience.

Be sure and mark your calendars to join me next Saturday at Utica Square in Tulsa.

October 1, 2011
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Experiment

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:49:00 +0000

While on vacation recently, visiting my folks, mom and I made some painting time together. I had heard that you could use very fine grit sandpaper for pastels. So, after visiting the local art supply in search of real sanded pastel paper and coming up empty, Dad and I went next door to Home Depot and let Mom look around some more in Michaels. A few minutes later and with little money invested, I carried my bag of 220 & 320 grit sandpaper and a long piece of pipe insulation into Michaels and retrieved Mom.

At home, she dug out her art supplies. Fortunately she had some mdf boards cut just larger than our sandpaper. I taped the sandpaper (gritty side out) with masking tape to the boards while mom got us jars of water for the watercolor foundation. I was really curious if the paper would buckle with the water. Amazingly it did not! The watercolors took beautifully to the surface. After they dried, we used hard pastels to start layering our paintings and finished with just touches of soft pastels. Periodically I took my painting in and tapped it off over the kitchen sink so as to eliminate excess pastel dust.

For my paintings, I chose to zoom in on some lily pads photos I had taken from our visit to the local botanical garden. In the first painting, I used a full sheet of 220 grit sandpaper. For the second one, I cut a 320 grit sheet in half. The 220 was definitely better. I found the 320 too smooth for both the watercolors and the pastels. At first I thought I might want to gesso the sandpaper first since it's somewhat see-through, but given our time constraints, I decided not to. Plus I rather liked the warm tone of the paper. It worked out fine. I think these could just be mounted to foam core to be framed if desired. I almost forgot to mention - the pipe insulation? Cut it up and you'll have an endless supply of pastel blending instruments - a must have when working with sanded surfaces!

This is the watercolor and
pastel painting using
220 grit sandpaper.

For this piece I used
320 grit sandpaper.

"All's Well that Ends Well" - SOLD

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:10:00 +0000

"All's Well that Ends Well", 9 x 12" Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord

This spectacular skyscape is based on a photo I saw on morguefile.com, a wonderful resource for free reference photos. I began this painting with acrylics. If you're an acrylics painter and struggle with getting soft blending, be sure to try using Ampersand Pastelbord as a painting surface. It's amazing to see how lovely and soft acrylics can work on such a rough surface. Since this scene was very vibrant and full of light, I thought it would be very striking to complete it with soft pastels. The two mediums worked very well together and as long as you've worked in thin layers with the acrylics, you'll have enough of the sanded surface left to grab the pigments of the pastels.

I chose this photo as a reference for a variety of reasons. First, the horizon is very low with the sky and clouds being the dominant feature. Second, I liked the composition with the dark, contrasting blue triangular wedge of the clouds slicing into and leading the eye right to the focal point of the sun. Finally, the most vivid colors are reserved for that lower third of the painting with the surrounding neutrals allowing those colors to pop.

To me the title represents the feeling I get after a heavy storm has passed at the end of a day and the sun greets us with the reassurance that everything will be okay.

"Awesome Sky"

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:51:00 +0000

"Awesome Sky", Acrylic, 16 x 20" Stretched Canvas

When I saw British Photographer, Adam Brough's photo he entitled "What an Awesome Sky!" immediately I felt inspired to start a series that I've been tossing around in my head - one based on spectacular clouds - skyscapes I guess you'd call them. Adam was gracious enough to give me permission to use his photo as a reference. Thanks Adam!

I really felt like oils would be the way to go with such soft, feathery details in this sky that would take a lot of wet into wet blending. However, since I'm primarily an acrylics painter, I decided to challenge myself to working in my preferred medium. It was just that - challenging as I really had to work quickly to get the desired effects. I found that using really large stiff bristle brushes to blend and blend and blur edges as well as doing some dry-brush scumbling worked effectively. I really had a lot of fun in that tiny little lower strip of trees and land too - just providing enough details to "ground" the scene, while still letting the viewer get that soaring feeling of that amazing sky.

"Yes We Have Some Bananas"

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 03:32:00 +0000

"Yes We Have Some Bananas", Acrylic, 14 x 11 x 1" Cradled MDF

I've been wanting to do a vivid primary color schemed painting for awhile, so when I saw these cute little "baby" bananas, I thought they'd be perfect in a fun little still life. My new blue box + one Cinnabar Fiestaware salad plate + one bunch of baby bananas (less one for testing purposes) = a funky little still life viewed from above.

A Light Summer Bouquet - SOLD

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:29:00 +0000


"A Light Summer Bouquet", Acrylic, 20 x 16 x 1" Cradled MDF Panel - SOLD

I believe I'm having as much fun arranging these bouquets as I am painting them! This one includes fresh colors that I feel reflect the feeling of summer nicely. The more I see the Cosmos, the more I like them. In the garden, Cosmos seem to "dance" atop spindly, long legs. For purchase information, visit my website.

"Light Summer Bouquet", Study

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 02:02:00 +0000

"Light Summer Bouquet", 15 x 11" Watercolor & India Ink on WC Paper

Here's another study in preparation for a larger acrylic version of same...probably on 20 x 16" cradled board.

"Poppy Passion" SOLD

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:26:00 +0000

"Poppy Passion" Acrylic, 20 x 16" Cradled mdf, $375 US

Don't you find poppies irresistible? With their papery, curly petals and starry-eyed centers, who wouldn't? Paired with these cheerful Gerber Daisies, I thought this made for a whimsical bouquet perfectly set in purple glass vase. I hope it made you smile!

"Once Again From the Top"

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 02:34:00 +0000

"Once Again From the Top", Acrylic, 12 x 24" Cradled Birch Plywood, $350 US

A bit of quirkiness in this "Sketchy Stills" series. Be sure to click on the image to see it bigger.

"Poppies on Little Blue Box"

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 22:42:00 +0000

"Poppies on Little Blue Box", Acrylic, 14 x 11" Cradled Hardwood Panel, $200 US

When I saw this little painted wooden box in the store, I immediately wanted it. Picked it up, put it down, picked it up, put it down. Asked myself "do I really need this box"? Put it back down and left. A couple of days later, I returned to the store for other things, saw the box again and bought it. I don't know, something about the rough painted texture gives it a feeling like it's been places. So, naturally it had to be a dominate "player" in this next "sketchy" still life.

As I'm experimenting with this style, I'm finding that I like combining a bit of realism with the drawing features too.

"Cosmos and Tulips"

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 01:22:00 +0000

"Cosmos and Tulips", Acrylic, 24 x 24 x 1.5" Gallery Wrap Canvas, $500 US (purchase info on my website)

Here's another in the new style. I just love the combination of painting and "drawing" with the brush in the pen and ink style for the nice movement and rhythm, but with the excitement of color!

I really like the twirling of these lovely red-violet tulips, paired with the happy, "care-free" Cosmos. And what better container than my amber glass, twirling patterned vase? The colors really pop against that blue-grey background.

"Cheerful Bouquet" - SOLD

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:46:00 +0000

"Cheerful Bouquet", Acrylic 30 x 24 x 1.5" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, SOLD

I liked the study of this so much from a few posts ago, that I decided to do a large, acrylic version. I really like the crisp "graphic" style of this piece and it looks great as such a large piece!

"Aqua Trio" - Sold

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:36:00 +0000

Here's a recent commission I just completed. This trio of paintings will be framed in simple, dark frames and hung in a cozy den where family gathers to relax. This project was a very collaborative effort between myself and the client. Through the planning/mock up process, we were able to achieve just the look we were after. That stage is perhaps the most critical as it serves as the basis for the finished artwork.

Once we decided on the style, it was just a matter of determining the color scheme and background color that would look best in the room. Small to scale mock up paintings were created and from there, I photographed the mock up and modified it using Coreldraw as you can see here. "A" was the original watercolor, acrylic and ink mock up and "B-E" are the versions digitally "painted".

Nursery Jungle

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 02:19:00 +0000

Some friends of ours are having their first baby soon and when I saw the bedding and nursery decor they'd chosen, I just LOVED it! I decided rather than buy them some of it, I'd surprise them with an original painting trying to match the set. Aren't these little jungle creatures irresistible?

This painting was done with acrylics on a 20 x 16" x 1.5" thick gallery wrapped canvas with the edges painted the soft green of the background.

Looking for a unique gift for expectant parents or your own nursery or kids room? What about some fun, original art? Drop me a line at celesteATcelestevaughtDOT.com

"Something to Crow About"

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:23:00 +0000

A whimsical piece. Acrylic on 14 x 11" stretched canvas, painted from life in my studio.

"Scribbled Still Life" - SOLD

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 10:44:00 +0000

Watercolor & India Ink Still Life Study on Watercolor Paper, 15 x 11" Unframed.

"Passing Storm" - SOLD

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:33:00 +0000

"Passing Storm", Acrylic 12 x 16" on Ampersand Panel - SOLD
(Based on this photo by permission.)

"Another Rainy Morning at Phoenix Cleaners"

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Tue, 10 May 2011 03:11:00 +0000

Yes, this is a redo of a previous painting - only this one is much larger. It was painted as a 6 x 6" canvas two years ago this month. Now I've revisited the scene - complete with raindrops on the windshield, this time acrylic on 18 x 24" stretched canvas. I liked painting it as much this time!

Tulsa Art Studio Tour Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 02:56:00 +0000

Visitors to my art studio during 2011 Tulsa Art Studio Tour

Thank you Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, sponsors of the tour, volunteers and all who supported the tour by purchasing tickets and visiting our studios. It's very encouraging to visit with people from all walks of life and from near and far and receive such positive feedback from our local community.

Thank you too for purchasing my art - that means I get to keep doing what I love!

Come See my Studio during the Tulsa Art Studio Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 22:32:00 +0000

Ever wanted to visit an artists' studio and learn about different artistic approaches? Now's your chance - for one weekend only, April 9 & 10 from noon - 5 p.m., nine Tulsa artists have been invited to open their studios. I've been busy getting things ready for this event and hope you'll come by. Tickets are available at the door for $10 or in advance for $5 - see the Tulsa Art Studio Tour website for details.

Tulsa Art Studio Tour Preview Exhibit Opening Reception Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:02:00 +0000

Paintings from top left: Yang, Kountoupis, Rosser, Vaught, Frakes

What a wonderful evening we had last night at the Opening Reception at the Circle Cinema Gallery thanks to the hard work of all the folks from OVAC, Circle Cinema as well as the many, many others involved in making our night so special. The food, wine (courtesy of Old Village Wine & Spirits), and awesome live music by Mark Kuykendall, were extra special. In case you weren't able to make it out last night, don't forget the Preview Exhibit continues through April 4...so there's still time to get a sneak peak at some of the artwork from the 9 artists on the studio tour. You'll see some glimpses of their work in these snapshots, but to really appreciate it, the best way is to see it in person. The exhibit is free and open to the public, so be sure to stop by the Circle Cinema Gallery at 12 S. Lewis in Tulsa.

So, who are the nine artists on the tour?

• Michael Benton, wood
• Kim Doner, illustration
• Alan Frakes, painting
• Mark Hawley, furniture
• George Kountoupis, painting
• Steven Rosser, painting/printmaking
• Christine Sharp-Crowe, printmaking
• Celeste Vaught, painting
• May Yang, printmaking

Hawley Chairs, including "Sitting Image" chair

Here's a cool story demonstrating what a small world it is. While visiting with Mark Hawley last night, custom furniture designer, I learned that my brother-in-law, Tristan Vaught, did the upholstery work on this group of chairs on display!


From left: George Kountoupis and May Yang

Here I am with my pastel painting, "Sun Dance" and a little glimpse of one of Alan Frakes' oil paintings from his very popular
"Dumpster"
series.

While I didn't get a chance to visit with all the artists last night, it was fun visiting with Kim Doner, illustrator and hearing the story about the time a buffalo followed her in her house! (Not to worry it was tame.) Her illustrations are charming and full of sweet humor and clever wit. My fav so far is this one of the buffalo at the baby grand piano - demonstrating her meticulous graphite work. Kim said her favorite medium with which to work is pencil - you'll see why when you see this piece.

Also in seen here is a peak at the imaginative work of painter/printmaker Steven Rosser.

Here's a snapshot of my smaller pieces on display - three acrylic paintings from the "Tulsa Brick x Brick" series and two pastels from my "Taos" series.

Bespectacled me happily enjoying the evening and having just heard about the red dot...Yippee!

Also seen here are some of the amazing inlaid woodwork 2D pieces of artist Michael Benton...hmm, he's got a red dot too, nice.

Congrats to all the artists represented - it was a great opening to an exciting event: the Tulsa Art Studio Tour. We have such a rich pool of talent in Tulsa. If you want to see more work by these nine artists, and have a chance to come into our studios and learn about our creative process, why not take the tour April 9 & 10 from noon to 5 p.m.

Tickets information:

Passports to the Tulsa Art Studio Tour are $5 in advance or $10 at the studio door.
Attendees ages 18 and under are admitted free.

Tickets available at:
The Gadget Company, 104 E. 15th St
Dwelling Spaces, 119 S. Detroit Ave
Lovetts Gallery, 6528 E 51st St.
By phone: 405-879-2400.
Or online through Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition.

"Circle Cinema" Sold & Preview Exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Vaught) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:00:00 +0000

"Circle Cinema", Acrylic, 8 x 10", Showing at Circle Cinema

It seemed to be a given that the next painting in the "Tulsa Brick x Brick" series should be of the historic theater: Circle Cinema since it's the location for the Preview Exhibition of the Studio Tour! So, I dug through my photos and finally found the one I had taken one bright sunny afternoon parked across the street in the Whittier Square parking lot.

Doing a little research, I've found out that in 2003 the "Circle Theater" was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Here are some of the interesting details about the building that I learned from the Tulsa Preservation Commission website. It was built in 1928 and was built closer to the street than the other buildings in the area. The reason? Lure passersby into the theater to enjoy that "escape to the movies" experience. Another distinguishing feature is its red and green/brown brick facade, unique among the buildings on the block. The Circle was one of 9 movie theaters operating in Tulsa when built, it was the first suburban theater and it's the only remaining pre-1960's theater. When it opened, ticket prices were 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children! My how things have changed. And the first movie shown? The Oklahoma premier of "Across the Atlantic" starring Monte Blue - who by the way I learned was part Cherokee and was even in the landmark film "Birth of a Nation"....but that's another story, back to the Circle.

The theater is located in the Chilton Building, named after its Architect/Builder William R. Chilton and originally housed the Chilton Apartments on the 2nd floor. They were modern efficiency apartments, elaborately designed and even included electric refrigerators!

Can you imagine growing up in Tulsa and with just 15 cents you could enjoy a movie, cup of peanuts and orange juice? Or maybe in the 1960s catch one of the latest films like "Goldfinger" - apparently the Bond films were among the most popular ever shown at the Circle.

So, why not set a date on your calendar for Thursday, March 10, 2011 from 7-9 pm and join us at Circle Cinema Gallery, 10 S. Lewis, Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the Opening Reception of the Preview Exhibition. Enjoy food, drinks and art by the nine Tulsa Art Studio Tour Artists. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is in the back. More info: www.tulsaartstudiotour.org