Daily Painting Practice

Daily Painting Practice- stay in the game - painting the North Woods

2012-01-14T16:27:00.000-06:00

I think for me as an artist discouragement and persistence go hand in hand. Often my mind's eye sees the painting I would like to paint, while my physical eyes reveal the painting that I actually produced. They hardly ever match and discouragement follows.

That's where persistence must come in. People who fall off horses have quaint sayings that tell them to
"get back in the saddle" and sports failures are told to "get back in the game". But what words of wisdom do we artists have when things go wrong? "Wipe it off and start over?" ... Not very encouraging. nor very creative.

I am convinced that words of wisdom don't really work with artists anyway. ( even though we love to hang slogans and quotes on our easels). What we really need is tough art love. What we need and what we do best with is being told the cold hard truth..... "Painting is hard and at some point every artist will want to quit." Don't you feel better?

I think someone needs to tell all wanna-be artists - what comes with the territory. A warning label should be required in every first paint set and they should sell persistence pills at every art supply store.
Painting is hard.... but that fact takes nothing away from the enjoyment of doing it. Quite the opposite.

So, for all those discouraged wanna be artist's ... keep the paint on your brush... step up to the easel....keep your eye on the horizon line and relax and enjoy pushing some paint.

Back in the North woods and a little progress. I am trying something different with this painting. Painting the entire foreground in shadow. So as I am working on the background, I am trying to make sure the darkest values of the background stay lighter than the lightest values in the foreground shadows. It's not an easy thing to remember.

I'll need to adjust all the light areas in the foreground as I proceed with the water. Slow going but I'll stick with it.

Oh, I came up with a slogan for the easel. The effort is always worth more than the results.

Daily Painting Practice- Going green - recycling old paintings.

2011-12-11T15:35:00.000-06:00

I was never really keen on this painting. It felt so blah, to me. So instead of letting it sit around the studio I decided to go green and recycle it. There is a danger in this approach however ... hint- always ask if your inventory manager/wife feels the same way before applying any paint. .

I wasn't sure what I was going to do.And since I now spend a lot of time in cubicleville (see my last post), I thought something that could transport me into the woods might be nice. You win the prize if you can guess what I am trying topaint at this point.

Here are some thumbnails I did to try and get a feel for the composition. You probably still can't tell what it is I'm going for can you?. ...That might not be a good sign.... but the truth is, these little sketches really help firm up ideas. I now have a picture in my head and a general feeling for the scene. That 's important. I have to want to spend time in the painting. Would you paint someplace you didn't want to be?

Now I started drawing with charcoal directly on the canvas.

This is a very rough beginning. I am just scrubbing a lot of paint around, mapping out lights and darks. I like the fact that I am spending more time imagining the place than I am worrying about details.

It will be interesting to see if any of the original painting underneath remains when I am finished. The plants in the foreground maybe?

Daily Painting Practice- What was What is and What maybe

2011-11-22T19:46:00.000-06:00

I like reading and watching good mysteries. It's one of my pleasures away from art. Old English black and white movies are a weakness. I especially like ones where I can't figure out the ending. I love it when the plot leads me through the story line with twists and turns and surprising developments.

Well life itself is the greatest mystery. And mine has had its share of twists and turns. The changes in my plot line are getting interesting. I find the best way to handle these changes is to enjoy them in the same manner I do movies and books. Keep going turn the page. Something thrilling might happen!
To paraphrase Sherlock Holmes, The thrill is in the chase.

I have recently joined the ranks of the part time artist. Yes, full time employment after so many years in front of the easel is quite a twist in the plot.

So pictures and views like this ...

get changed to views like this..

Fear not though. It's not like the main character of this story is going to change from the fun loving, tea drinking, blog writing and some what humorous artist into an accountant.... that would be boring.

but the artistic adventures in an engineering office..... now that is a page turner!

Stay tuned for the next chapter of Daily Painting Practice - The mystery of the office sketchbook.

Daily Painting Practice- Halloween treats for those who need to step back from the easel

2011-10-31T11:50:00.001-06:00

All artists get stuck in a rut every now and then, or they may shut down creatively and find themselves unable to start the old painting engine. If this happens to you, even a good cup of tea may not be the cure.Sometimes it helps to step back from the easel if you need to get the creative juices flowing again. There is no better way to do this than to search out other creative people. It is even better when those other creative people do something you would never dream of doing.

I thought I would share some creative Halloween treats from various artists I found on the web.

I saw Ray Villafanes's work on Youtube. This guy is the best pumpkin carver around. Check it out.

Next is a unique way Antonio Jorge Goncalves uses a moleskin skin sketchbook.

Artists and food always go together here is a fun video that takes it to another level. Carved Watermelon Art

The last one is an amazing creative commercial.

I hope that helped any of you that needed a break. Now get back to work.

Daily Painting Practice- Texture can be rough... or smooth... But it's always hard

2011-10-04T15:20:00.000-06:00

Glass is a funny thing to paint. Not funny in the ha ha sense. Funny in the way it tricks the eye of the viewer. At least my eyes get fooled. The light and color can be intensified in some areas of the glass and completely unchanged from the background in other areas. There are reflections and distortions to deal with. And of course highlights.

I take it back. Painting glass isn't funny at all.

One good thing you get from attempting to paint glass. You really have to decide on your background early in the process.. And for those of you that have read this blog through the years, you know how I struggle ( procrastinate really) with backgrounds. The photo above shows my progress in tinkering with the background. I'm playing with shadows and thinking about a splash of sunlight. All I have settled is the direction of the light and the tone of the background will be light not dark.

I transfered my drawing back over what I had painted. to see some of the detail. I'm having trouble deciding if the composition as it stands now will hold my attention long term. The detail won't do it by itself. I think it needs more.

There we go. Some texture! The surface of the background needed to contrast with the surface of the glass. My studio doesn't have white bricks so my reference for the brick background is a house a few blocks from my studio. Now that I have the idea sketched out and the basic colors. Let the fun begin!

Daily Painting Practice- Surviving art gods - or life without my computer(s)

2011-09-19T07:41:00.000-06:00

It has been quite a while since my last post. I have several good reasons and even more excuses. But as always I look for the lessons in everything. (that's my positive spin on the events of the last month)

I am beginning to think that the ancient Greeks/Romans/Celts/Norseman or any other early civilization that blamed things on the gods had good reasons. I think these gods still exist and are especially employed to pick on the lowly artist in his/her basement.

First this whole economic downturn thing: Totally created to affect my sales and weaken my resolve to continue painting.. ( OK a few billion other people are affected too, but it was aimed at me).

Then whoever the god is that oversees computers. I hope we meet in Hades. First they give us a place to store our images and records, then they entice us into the world of blogging and finally they create sirens to lure us into listening to music on the web. ( you think naming the company Pandora was a coincidence?).
Then they take it all away.

Oh, I know what you are thinking. Just go to another computer. But you can't fool the gods! Noooo. They play with your mind. They make you think the second computer is safe and working just fine. Then little by little they eat away at its ability to connect with remote devices and the programs you need begin to disappear. You are left in a nether world of black screens and blinking cursors. They even make it so your backup drive isn't formatted to reconnect to your newly purchased .... third computer.

My third and final tirade is to commiserate with the poor guy these gods had pushing a boulder up a mountain all day only to have it roll down again just as he neared the summit ... he did this for eternity. That was just a warm up for these art gods.. They gave me the task of painting peonies. As soon as I get close, I am forced to repaint them. over and over and over... until she who must not be named steps in and ends my misery.

click on the image to enlarge the painting

Too Tired to give it a name

20"x20"

oil on canvas

I've come out of hiding now that we have a fourth computer. I don't consider myself to be a superstitious artist but I did rearrange the studio to face west and I did pour a circle of turpentine around the easel and I only clean my brushes on Sundays.

Daily painting practice- Composing and painting peonies

2011-08-12T16:37:00.000-06:00

Unlike my oil painting, I have not changed anything in this arrangement for my attempt at watercolor. I can't it's watercolor!!!! However, I did not attempt a background, and as you know, that is where I usually begin to fall apart and change my paintings. Nor am I going any further with this study. It's a good first shot at watercolor and I think it is a better idea to leave it alone with that feeling. So as unfinished as it is I'm going to say it's done.

I had a lot of strange lessons with this watercolor. I kept loosing patience and wanted the detail to just "appear" so I could move on to the next section. When that did not happen I almost lost it, in fact, I was so impatient I quit painting the flowers and mixed a big puddle of dark color and just wiped in the jar. I guess the lesson there is sometimes you just need to act and not think too much because I finished the jar in about 20 seconds.

After deciding to quit on the watercolor( I taped it to the door) I went back to the oil painting. Some of the comments I had in the previous post on this painting were very helpful. Especially the ones that mention the need for leaves. Peonies have such interesting leaves. The painting didn't feel real without them, so I went out to my garden and cut some peony branches (the flowers have long since died.) I set some up in the same vase and will use them for reference.

White Peonies - work in progress

20"x20"

oil on canvas

This painting has really been a struggle. There are moments I feel things are working fine and there are more moments when I paint over the entire flower arrangement and start again. (can't do that with watercolor!)

Daily Painting Practice- Bird Studies

2011-08-01T19:31:00.000-06:00

Gold finches are attacking my sunflowers!
This is just the type of scene I want to capture and paint. I love birds and have always been a bird watcher. So now I want to paint them. But how do I start? This sketch is an idea but I need to practice, practice practice.

I started doing bird sketches at night from photos I found on the web. I think this is a great way of getting familiar with their anatomy, form and detail. Rather than just sitting there watching the TV, I can keep busy sketching.

The next step was to start watching the birds outside and taking my own photos for reference. I set up our feeder outside the kitchen window and waited. At first, about 90 percent of the birds at my feeder were house finches. But eventually we started attracting cardinals, blue jays, nut hatches, chickadees and morning doves. You can see the light sketch of an idea for a daily painting in the middle of the sketchbook page above.

Just like my new approach to creating compositions with individual flowers, it is my goal to create compositions for these birds by using multiple references not just copying a photo.

I found I need to keep thinking of form while painting these little guys to prevent things from going flat.
I appreciate artists who detail every feather but I really want to try to paint the personality I see in individual birds.

Early Birds

5"x7"

oil on panel

Here's my first study. One day I saw young house finches sitting near the feeder still wanting their mom to feed them even though they were completely capable feeding themselves. They really put on an act every time she came near.

Daily Painting Practice- Flower studies in watercolor or oil? - why not both?

2011-07-28T10:48:00.000-06:00

I must be getting brave. I spent an afternoon at a painting get-together at a friends house the other day and tried a flower study..... in watercolor!!!. Since it was extremely hot outside we all sat inside and brought flower cuttings in with us.

Painting Get-togethers are one of the best ways to practice new approaches. You are surrounded by fellow artists, you get plenty of help and suggestions. It's a great way to soak up some encouragement if you are at a low point with your art and best of all when ever artist friends get together.... you eat well!

I started another study of a rose in watercolor back at home. Here's my drawing. I find that sketching always takes a me while to do, Always longer than I expect, with results that don't always seem worth the effort. But it is probably the best practice I can do to improve every aspect of my art. To me, sketching seems to connect me with that core artist inside. I think it has something to do with the concentration of sketching being different than the focus during painting.....Or maybe it's just my artist's brain getting a work out. Either way I find sketching very much like a meditation.

It is a funny thing, after many years of just wanting to get to the painting, I am only now just learning the value of the sketch..... I know,I know... I'm a slow learner.

I thought it would be fun to paint the exact same thing in oils. and see how the results differ. So I traced my sketch and transferred it to a canvas board.

Here's the watercolor study. I am still having a hard time getting the colors I want. Pinks seem to be the hardest color to try and match.

Rose Study

oil on board

5"x7"

I had just as much trouble with the pinks in oils. So it isn't the medium, ...it's the artist!

Daily Painting Practice- New Direction - Part two - Field studies in watercolor and oil

2011-07-19T17:06:00.000-06:00

First, let me start by thanking everyone who commented and emailed me on last weeks post. I am so grateful for all your suggestions, ideas and the encouragement I received for my problem with painting the peonies. Of course, after taking in all those comments and suggestions , I made my decision...
I think it was either Rembrandt or Gandhi who said.
"It is the wise artist who knows when it is time to hang it up."
In my case, that is just what I am doing. I am hanging it up on the wall in front of me until I know what I want to do.

In the mean time-
I mentioned I was going to try studying nature (plants and birds) and try to use watercolor. TRY is the key word here. I am out of the comfort zone with watercolors, but why should that stop me? I am using my plein air box that I bought for oils. The turpentine can works great with water but the plastic watercolor palette I had was 1/8" too wide to fit the box .... so I cut off the end with a hacksaw.

You can see the watercolor palette now fits perfectly. I sketched out the tomato leaf then laid in a wash of yellow. I thought it was a good beginning. It's 95 degrees outside, so the watercolor dries very fast.

The hardest thing I am finding with my first watercolor...thinking ahead. I'm not used to thinking in layers of color this way. I'm using my brain in the opposite way I do when doing oils. Figuring out how to mix the correct color is very tough too.. I keep reverting back to painting like it was oils. My mind is getting fried ... and it's not from the heat.

Since my oil painting composition of the peonies isn't working I thought I would try another idea....in watercolor. A simpler arrangement... Here is what my beginning looks like.
I know , I know. What was I thinking! It looks so easy when people who know what they are doing paint this way..... my artist's brain is throwing a fit. It wants to apply the paint like oils, but my eyes are enjoying the subtle values of the watercolor. This will take a while for me to get used to.

So in the mean time-
I'll fall back to the familiar

Rose Study

8"x8"

oil on canvas board

Daily Painting Practice- New Direction -Solving Painting Problems Often Creates Others

2011-07-09T22:50:00.000-06:00

Here I am back from my "bolgcation" a month earlier than I had planned. I left the landscaping job. (It seems working in 100 degree heat doesn't do good things for my body.)
Before I took time off from blogging, I said I was thinking of taking my art in a new direction. I am still working that out as I type this, but here's a hint... I actually took out my watercolors!!!! I know... I was shocked too! But let's not get ahead of the ourselves. This is about a new journey. A new direction for Daily Painting Practice. ( with some familiar bumps in the road.)

I have always had a deep love of nature and have always had a special place in my heart for birds, flowers, plants and trees. I have been a bird watcher since I was a child, I remember illustrating my own book of birds in the 4th grade. Botanical drawing and painting has always fascinated me as well. The Dutch flower painters from the 1600's.have also intrigued me. The exquisite quality of their work is fascinating but what interests me is the study and knowledge that is behind those paintings. So that is where my journey will begin.

When I say begin, I mean I am a beginner at this. I have piles of sketch books in the studio... all empty, waiting to be filled with plant studies, bird sketches, and flowers... lots of flowers.

My idea is to do as much study from nature as possible, then take those sketches (and photos) and develop compositions from them instead of copying still life set ups in the studio. I will create the arrangements in my head and work them out on paper like the Dutch Masters did. I often wondered how they were able to put flowers that didn't bloom in the same season, in the same picture.

I am finding that the sketching takes so much longer than I imagined. However, I have discovered one of the gifts that comes with this practice.... It generates ideas. The time spent sketching frees space in your mind that allows creative thoughts and ideas to flow in. Think of it as yoga for your brain.
Above is a thumbnail sketch of an idea for an arrangement fora painting of peonies.

I took a bunch of photos of different peonies and did some sketching and arranged the composition.Some of the peonies are the same flowers turned and only a few days older so they opened up more. (can you find the peony bud I used from the sketch at the beginning of this post) So far so good, right?

I decided to transfer the drawing to another piece of paper and try to do a complete tonal study in pencil and charcoal...but I ran out of patience ( need to work on that). I just want to start painting!

Here's my first mistake. I started playing with the arrangement of the flowers and changing the drawing. I thought the flower on top should be a little higher.....and lean toward the right..

Now the flower pot looks too small.... Creating your own reality is harder than I thought.

Made the pot wider at the bottom and changed some of the flowers.... funny thing, after doing all that work on the sketch, I am now making changes with the brush directly on the canvas.

I start adding cooler colors and I change the location of the buds several times.

Now I am actually relaxing with the paint and enjoying the process. I don't like the handles onthe vase.. Change them. Change is my friend...I love change...

But then that voice...something is not right or is it right. I can't tell anymore . My reality is slipping away....
I ask she who must not be named " What do you think? What's wrong with it?"
" That flower on the top is too high for the vase it would fall over."
Now I can't decide. so I took it out.

I have a painting problem. Every problem I think I solve I cause another to appear. I'm hoping those of you still reading this can help me solve some... take a look at the last two photos. Was there anything wrong with the top one? Does the arrangement feel right or should it come out? Any ideas on what to do?

I love change... change is my friend....change is good.... I need a cup of tea.

Daily Painting Practice- Changing perspective in art and why I am taking a blogcation

2011-05-21T11:54:00.000-06:00

Perspective (a big word for artists) has different meanings and methods in art. You can find a lot of information on the subject if you just take the time to look and study.

There is the perspective you first learn in school when you try to draw a house that looks 3 dimensional. You learn some tricks to drawing and stick with it. Soon your grandparents are bragging to their friends how talented you are.( The first lesson in perspective then is that it draws attention )

Then there is the chapter on perspective you skip past in the first art book you actually buy. You learn it's a corner stone of realism, yet a lot of us seem to not give it the attention we should.
( Second lesson on perspective: It takes practice and study... Not the thing to put in a beginner's art book)

You discover there is one point, two point, three point, and four point perspective.

( image from Wikimedia)

Then you start to see how Master artists have created masterpieces with it. This should inspire you, but of course we artists are sensitive creatures.
( Lesson three: Be afraid be very afraid. Perspective can be scary!)

School of Athens by Raphael

Perspective is one of the tools artists use to trick the eye. Here's a great example on video:

I found this on a great blog piece by (Karin Wells)

(Lesson Four: on perspective: it's all about illusion )

But there is another side to perspective that every artist should know about and experiment with:
Personal Perspective
I have recently looked into this particular art lesson and thought I would share my experiment and the results.

First, you may have noticed that the posts on this blog have been rather thin lately. Well, a lot has happened in my art world . Another gallery closed, sales have not been there, my studio is starting to accumulate too many old paintings, some of which are rather large. All of this has added to the feeling that my contribution to the household has not been... .adequate.
My solution was to take on a full time (real job).....landscaping! No, not painting landscapes, working as a landscaper. You know, hauling, digging, weeding, planting, fertilizing, and wait for it.......killing dandelions. Ughhhh! The ultimate sin for a painter of flowers.

First Pick

Daily Painting from 2007

At first I thought it would all work out great. I would earn some money over the summer, get into shape, and of course paint at night. But then reality kicked in.

( Lesson One in Personal Perspective: Seeing reality is different than experiencing it.).
At 56 my old body needed a while ( several weeks actually) to... let us say , adjust, to the new regimen. My exercise before this was stepping back from the easel and walking up stairs to make tea. I must admit I am in great shape now. I have lost a lot of weight but the benefits are quickly being replaced by deterioration... I broke a tooth at lunch.
(Lesson two: Money is not all that matters)
The money ended up paying for an old truck to get me back and forth from the job and for the dentist who fixed the tooth.
My contribution to the household, I have discovered, has more to do with having the time to paint and take care of my counselor/wife, then it is to make the money.

(Lesson three: You don't get perspective unless you go out to get perspective)
Just like the illusion lesson in art, things in life aren't always what they seem. I learned I needed to get away from the painting in order to see how much I wanted to get back to it. I gained fresh ideas in what I want to express and how I want to paint.

The result : I discovered perspective is related to appreciation and gratitude. I have been wanting to try a new approach to my painting for a while. Now I clearly see what it is I want to try......and will start soon .... ....That is as soon as I have quit my day job.

I will be taking a Blogcation ( vacation from blogging) for the next month or so. Please check back in August. ... by then I will have more to share about my new approach to Daily Painting Practice!

Daily Painting Practice - What to do next??? Continued

2011-04-30T17:50:00.001-06:00

I had a lot of great comments on the last post. Seems I hit upon something we artists all have in common. I forgot to mention one other option in my list of choices of what to do next...
Finish something that you started!
I know what you are thinking, it's probably not the most imaginative choice but hey... it has been a long week. My arranger/idea person/wife had a busy one too so I am off the hook... Actually she came up with a good idea ( don't tell her I said so) But I will save that for another post.
Oh before I begin, someone commented last week that it looked like I was using a pink toned canvas before I began. Close... I actually added acrylic paint to some gesso .( burnt sienna and ultra marine blue). The result is a cool muted lavender. works very well as a base instead of white canvas.

So, back to what I chose to do next...I decided to take this small (14"x18") beginning of a painting I lost interest in and see if I could paint some life back in it.

This is how I found her. ( funny I didn't realize this painting was a female). Very blue ...too blue for what is supposed to be a sunny day. And the shadows are stiff and dead looking. I must give myself a break here though. This was only at the under painting stage when I abandoned her ( there 's that gender thing again).

I decided to warm it up a bit but keep the palette simple. I used Cobalt Blue (not shown) Cobalt Blue and Burnt Sienna for the dark. then Burnt Sienna, then Cad. Orange, Raw Sienna, then a tint of Raw Sienna and white with a little Cobalt Blue, and finally Titanium White. I mixed combinations of just these colors to warm up the painting.

Much better beginning now. I am not being very careful at this point with my brush strokes , which actually helps me keep it looking fresher for a longer period of time... before I tighten up.

Geraniums-

work in progress

14"x18"

oil on canvas

I punched up the intensity of the flowers an decided to call it a day. I'll be back to do more tomorrow. I smell homemade pizza in the oven!!!

Daily Painting Practice - What to do next??? You're in good company

2011-04-24T12:33:00.000-06:00

This happens every time I finish a painting which I had been working on for a long time. Especially if that painting turned out well. The question of " What do I do next?" always pops up. Thoughts like " Do I do something quick and small just to knock something out?... Do I just paint one for fun?... Should I try experimenting with some new style or approach?... Do I try to top the last one? How would I do that? What should it be, landscape, still life? If so, what flowers are in bloom? Would my wife notice if I took her new tea pot from the hutch for an arrangement?

These are important questions that take time , deep analysis, meditation.... But,
what really happens..... I go ask my arranger/wife for an idea.

Norman Rockwell's "Artist Facing Blank Canvas"

I'm glad I not the only one who has ever been up against this question...I think I am in good Company.

Daily Painting Practice- For Miyako completed

2011-04-15T21:02:00.000-06:00

click on image to enlarge

For Miyako

24"x30"

oil on canvas

Completed!!!!
Just in time too. Today was the final day to enter it in the Artist Magazine cover contest.
These simple backgrounds aren't as simple as they seem. I must have gone over this one at least 10 times. But I am calling it done... it's official... I signed it... really, I'm not doing any more... Somebody stop me!

Daily Painting Practice - something for Japan

2011-03-24T17:38:00.000-06:00

I'm almost there. About 98% complete. The cloth still needs work and a few other areas need to be sharpened or cleaned up. Can't help continuing to think about the Japanese people this week. Especially while I work on this painting .
I came up with a name for the painting in the process. It seems appropriate to make this painting a tribute to all of those who have and continue to suffer in Japan,and to all who are working to put their lives back in some kind of order. I find it helps me to remember that beauty can be created even after such horrible events and that is one of the best parts of our human nature.,, to make beautiful things and share them with others.

click on the image to enlarge

For Miyako

work in progress

24"x30"

oil on canvas

here are some detail photos.

daily painting practice - Prayers and Thoughts for the people of Japan

2011-03-15T09:20:00.000-06:00

Maybe it is my subject matter but I am sitting here in my comfortable studio painting this piece and I can't stop thinking about what the people in Japan are dealing with.
They need more than our prayers and thoughts though that maybe the first thing we usually do. Find a group and or organization and donate today.
Then in a month do it again. As we have seen in the past, these disasters tend to get far worse before they get better....so do what you can....

Work in Progress

30"x24"

oil on canvas

Daily Painting Practice - orchid still life

2011-02-27T16:15:00.000-06:00

Last post I talked about painting over and into old paintings to hopefully improve them and then try to sell them again. I had a few comments and emails asking how do I go about this. Well, I just paint as if I am continuing the process. I don't varnish my paintings any more so there is nothing to remove. Other than using spray-on retouch varnish ( a few coats) to protect the painting before shipping to the gallery, my last step in painting is usually brushing on a thin coat of Liquin as my last step, this way I can always paint over or correct at any time.

Now onto something new

This one has several interesting challenges for me as a painter. (why make it easy?) Mainly, the challenge is all about the textures of the objects and how they each catch and reflect the light differently.

My mind understands that the wood or cloth (in this case a silk scarf) is made of different material than the porcelain figurine. My mind tells me the whites of the orchid should reflect the light differently than the hard surface on the porcelain....but does my brush understand this? ... too soon to judge

I think it was Gandhi who said "Be the change you wish to see"
If he was an artist he might have said, "see the surface you wish to paint."
In others words, it helps to think like a sculptor when you paint. imagine you are touching the surface of the object. How does it feel in your hands? How does the form and texture feel?

White Orchids

- work in progress-

24"x30"

oil on canvas

That type of thinking helps me when all the textures start to visually blend together.
Now if someone could just tell me , How does the light in the air feel?

Daily Painting Practice- take an old painting and improve it.... add a red canoe

2011-02-23T14:54:00.001-06:00

I have question. What do you do with older paintings that for one reason or another have not sold?
I have a few paintings hanging around. So, what do I do with them? I could paint over them( done that), give them away (done that but...not any more), donate them ( done this), store them and take up studio space ( doing that now).

Here's another idea. Rework them, change them, try to improve them... ( then maybe rename them and try to sell them again.)

This one came back from the gallery it was called "Along the Bank".
I always thought it was missing something. The painting didn't give me,as viewer, any reason to stay and look at it.

click on the painting to enlarge the image

The Red Canoe

30"x24"

oil on canvas

Now with a few new touches:
I added the canoe, some birch tree trunks in the background and highlighted details of the grass in the back, also strengthened the fallen tree in the fore ground, and played a little with some stones and tree trunks.
Oh, and I gave it a new title...pending approval from you know who/wife.

Daily Painting Practice - One Painting finished One just starting.

2011-02-09T23:10:00.000-06:00

click on the image to enlarge the painting

The Book Seller's Favorites

14"x18" oil on panel

Completed...titles and all. Now on to the next... no time to rest in an artist's life.
More Mums...

blocking in stage . Trying to decide on what do with the background and what needs to be on the table. I call this my "compose as I go along" kind of painting.... I live dangerously.

I'm adding flowers (just paint smudges) to the bouquet and playing with ones on the table.

There was going to be a white table cloth but I changed it to a wood table top.

Needs something on the table.

Just the thing. In real life the cup is a little larger. I scaled it down a touch... We artists have the power to change the world....well, at least within our own studio walls. Not a bad beginning.

Daily Painting Practice - Did Vermeer wear glasses?

2011-02-07T20:33:00.001-06:00

How close to your work do you get? My nose gets paint on it.
Thank you to all who added their comments last week. One hundred percent thought the titles should be painted in... easier said than done.
Did you catch the broken glasses I am wearing. ($1.50 magnifying glasses from the grocery store). I am scratching into the paint with a quill pen.

This is Norman Rockwell's "Art Critic". I have been caught numerous times by art museum guards getting my nose too close. Now, thanks to Googleartproject and several museums around the world, we can all get our noses closer than ever before.GO TO
http://www.googleartproject.com

Then visit the Rijksmuseum and scroll down to a still life by Jan van Huysum(click the link)

http://www.googleartproject.com/museums/rijks/still-life-with-flowers-and-fruit-59
keep zooming in to find the bugs crawling all over the painting.
I love this site.I can't believe the detail!....and I don't need my glasses.

Meanwhile back at the easel...I've started adding the titles. The one leaning on the left was supposed to be "The scarlet Letter" but I don't think it goes with the painting so I am looking for a different one... Any suggestions?

By the way thanks to Amy Mann's comment last week. She spotted that the mahl stick Rembrandt is holding was at a perfect 90 degree angle to the book. I agree it was too distracting. Imagine the nerve I have changing Rembrandt's work...

One more title!...then clean up and I think ...finished.

Daily Painting Practice - continuing Rembrandt's shelf -making progress and changes

2011-02-03T20:55:00.000-06:00

Making progress. I added the candlestick holder to the composition.It holds the burnt match nicely and I think it ties the bottom together... I still painted a match on the table for fun.

Worked on the glass and started sharpening some edges, and softening others. Working on Rembrandt a little too.

Now the big debate going on in the studio is whether or not to put titles on the books.

Daily Painting Practice - Painting Rembrandt's Shelf

2011-01-29T16:50:00.000-06:00

More progress on the Rembrandt's Shelf painting. (My official painting title manager/wife hasn't approved the name. So this is a temporary title)
I like playing with shadows. I think they add interest and to some degree a sense of place.

Bringing up the color intensity and working on the pipe. at this point I am feeling more and more like I will need something in the bottom left side.

I raised the level of the foreground, it seems to work better. Not sure about the match...(in fact my progress checker/wife says it looks "goofy". That's an official registered critique.
The glass ink well is back. Other than relocating the match I think it is close to the "almost" final phase.(clean up and detail)

Daily Painting Practice - painting faster doesn't mean painting looser

2011-01-27T08:59:00.002-06:00

I think I have finally crossed an "it's all in your mind" barrier that I have been struggling with for a while. (we artists have many of these, it's a hazard of the job). This one was the thought form I call - I can't produce good work quickly enough to feed multiple galleries.
Sounds simple to solve, but again, this is an artist's mind we are dealing with, and nothing is more insecure , with the possible exception of a 3 year old's... after moving into a new house.

Anyway, first the good news. My gallery called to say that a couple of paintings sold. yeah! ( the small marigolds) and I need to replace them , they also reminded me that they would like to have another painting similar to one that sold in the past. I need to get this done this week. Yikes! ....
In the past I have always had the thought that a quick painting meant a loose painting. Now I realize ( don't laugh at how simple the solution sounds ) that if I paint smarter or more deliberately accurate earlier I can produce the quality I want in a more efficient manner.
Duhhhh.
I never said I was a fast learner!

Day one: come up with the idea and set up the still life.
I thought I would show the set up from a different angle. It takes a lot of the glamor away doesn't it? Note the tuna can propping up the picture frame.

Still Day one: I started on a rigid panel that I had previously added a second layer of toned gesso. I mixed some acrylic paint into the white gesso and got this muted purple color. I prefer to work on a pre-toned surface. Can you guess who the painting in the frame will be?

Day two: Start scrumbling in color. Scrumbling is using very dry color on a stiff brush,. Think of coloring lightly with crayons only using paints.

End of Day Two: Things starting to come together. Notice I took the glass ink well out. It helps to do the background first. Instead of trying to paint around the glass, pull the lights out of the background. I also started another painting of mums....can't help myself.

Oh, also on Day One: I had to paint a color sketch for the set-up. I researched the Rembrandt painting on-line. I have 3 books with the same painting and guess what? In each one the color is different. Makes you want to see the original doesn't it?
Below are three images I pulled from the web. I will use a little artistic license and choose the color and tone that I like.

That's all for now... I've got o get back to work.

Daily painting practice - the long journey - completing a painting of mums

2011-01-21T15:25:00.000-06:00

click on the image to enlarge the painting

Mum Mum Mia

24"x36"

oil on canvas

Well, here is the final. Completed just in time to enter the Salon International Competition. ( today is the last day to enter)
Painting this has been quite a journey. Here are all of the progress photos again, for those of you too lazy to go back through the older blog posts.

It all started with a trip to Mary's house and her lovely flower beds.

I had planned on doing a lot of individual still life paintings but my still life arranger/wife suggested this. So I did a color study.
(I guess she was rrr rrrrrr ...right)

There were many more steps than these photos show. (some backwards) Some steps were on top of others and redone several times. But over all I am pleased with the result. Remember, it's all about the process ....(I can say that now that it is over and I am breathing again) . Time for tea!