Lets see some more dirty

This painting was the result of a friend of mine having a cool prop to use for a special occasion like this. I borrowed his (stuffed)fox and took it to a favorite spot of mine with an awesome view. I waited for the right time to get a dramatic staging, and shot plenty of photos. I started this piece in the studio, but I was able to work on this piece from life a couple of times, plus I did some color studies of the view. Once I got to finish the background, I was able to work on the fox from life. It wasn’t going anywhere.

This painting was made possible not from a trip to Africa, but from a trip a few hours north to a small coastal town named Point Arena. There you will find a place called the B. Bryan Preserve, which raises endangered African hoofed animals, like giraffes, zebras, and antelopes. These beautiful gentle creatures are sable antelopes, which are raised in the preserve. It is interesting to see them in a non-native habitat. I thought the Northern California coast would be an interesting juxtaposition to animals you normally only see in the African savannah.

It took some moving animals around in Photoshop, along with getting rid of some uninteresting pieces of reference to get the composition I liked. You’ll have to click on the picture to get an idea of the thick paint used to render the antelope.

Missed the reception? Click here for a video of the walkthrough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua_gPLLr1AM

Bonus! While dropping these paintings off for the show last week, I did a quick painting of a favorite spot of mine that I’ve not painted in two and a half years. This was my 3rd time painting it, and I believe it’s my best yet by far.

You can see the other painting I did there by clicking this link. http://themainloop.blogspot.com/2010/06/self-critique.html I have definitely improved a lot from the last time I painted there, most notably in design and composition. I would never paint as much of the extraneous foreground foliage today like I did back then, and I simplify much better now than I did back then.

Newsletter
Facebook
Tumblr
Drawings For Sale
Prints For Sale
Google+ http://themainloop.blogspot.com/2013/05/animal-fare-part-2-wild-animals.html

Click here!

I’m not sure if maybe it’s better if I just stay in the shadows, but here I am making a post after all these measurements of time since the last time I’ve posted! I’ve been wandering around…going to faraway places, riding airplanes, avoiding the touch of strangers, crying myself to sleep…

Back in June I quit my job in Singapore and moved to San Francisco to study at the Safehouse Atelier, ran out of money,  went back to Maine while I did some job interviews and more freelance work, and then moved [back] to Shanghai…I need to stop moving so much. Every time I move, I’m telling myself this, and then I end up moving again and again and again.

So, a while back I made a post on my personal artblog that was geared more towards getting presentable thumbnails [i had too many coffees] and then I started wondering… if I could take it a bit further and make a final image with a similar approach.

This has been sitting on my SSD since October already, and overall, I suppose I’d consider it a half-success at best. Maybe 1/3 succcess. I think it’s not really something useful, but I find it’s something interesting to think about.

The end result was hampered by my own ineptitude. Still need to sort out a lot of things in my head, and learn how do things work.  There are also workflow issues if you don’t nail each step the first time.  Going back and adjusting some things can be rather a bit inconvenient.

I think secretly this might have been my main goal, actually…I thought it would be really cool to be able to swap out the patterns and have several ‘finished’ choices…like most things, it was cooler in my imagination.

To give you an idea of what size I’ve done this little creature, here is a working size example.

“Nectar” 33 x 53 cm, 13″ x 21″

Available at close to full size as a print for only $30 click the image to follow through to the shop. Please help me by sharing it if you feel like it.

“Weave” 28 x 35 cm, 11″ x 14″

•

Newsletter
Facebook
Tumblr
Drawings For Sale
Prints For Sale
Google+

I’ve missed posting here…there are so many incredible artists!

https://www.facebook.com/AllenWilliamsArt

www.ijustdraw.com

www.ijustdraw.blogspot.com

Hey everyone, I built this paint box for my studio to replace the way-too-small palette I was using before. How they got the name “French Mistress” I have no idea, other than maybe the folks at Richeson were feeling bawdy in the naming office one day. Anyways, I took some photos along the way so I could tell you how I built this thing. The box holds a 16×20 sheet of glass for a palette.

Materials:

• 2 21″-3/4″ pieces.
• 4 10″-13/16″ pieces.
• 6 17″-3/4″ pieces.

I then cut opposing 45° at the ends of each of these newly-cut poplar squares.

• 1 21″x3/4″ panel.
• 2 10″x13/16″ panel.

Step 4: I then glued poplar dowels to the freshly cut birch panels. It helps to have C-clamps to make sure they adhere to the panels, if you have them handy.

Step 6: Once the wood finish dried, I applied a couple of coats of shellac to each side of the panel. I then waited a few minutes for it to dry.

Step 7: I then screwed the piano hinges to the sides of the poplars so that the hinges fold inward. This will make sure the box closes shut. Be careful to line up the hinge with the edge so that the box closes straight.

 

Step 8 (optional): I screwed in 8 decorative corners to the box(4 on the bottom, 4 on top). Not only do they help protect the corners from getting banged up, but they add a touch of class to the box.

  Step 10: I like mixing on a toned palette, so what I did was take a mix of white/burnt umber/red oxide acrylic paint(well mixed, no streaks), covered one side of the glass, let it dry, flipped the pane over, then set it aside.

Step 12: I set the pane painted-side-down into the box, let the caulk dry to seal the palette to the box, and lay some paint down on it!

Optional mods: I drilled a screw into the side of the right-hand box lid. When I slide my palette cup around the screw, it makes sure it doesn’t slide everywhere when you’re using it. I also cut 4 foam squares to glue to the corners of the lid. This will cushion the lid when you close the box, as well as help it the box top lay flat while closed.

Let me know if you have any improvements to the set-up! I’m all ears.

Bonus! Link to the Youtube video: http://youtu.be/D1YjqYtqbxg

•

Newsletter
Facebook
Tumblr
Drawings For Sale
Prints For Sale
Google+

http://themainloop.blogspot.com/2013/04/build-your-own-french-mistress.html

My friend Nicole is a vet at UC Davis with a penchant for these small fragile dogs which are super-cute yet require much health maintenance. “Fuu” (Japanese for wind) is a little mixed breed dog which looks like a perpetual puppy. Despite her size and huge brown eyes, her proportions are that of a full-grown dog, just shrunken down. Although her head is sort of chihuahua-esque, her body is a lot more like a beagle’s proportions. She is very well-mannered (I’ve maybe heard her bark once) and incredibly sweet. She has more heart than her little body can handle.

•

Newsletter
Facebook
Tumblr
Drawings For Sale
Prints For Sale
Google+ http://themainloop.blogspot.com/2013/04/animal-fare-pt-1-cute-doggies.html

This is a painting I did at Dillon Beach with the Plein Air Liaison group headed by Carole Gray-Weihman. Does it make you want to squint?

•

I started this painting as a plein air study, but I finished it in studio; something that I rarely do. It was a challenge to match the color of what was going on from life to what I filled in from photo. I tried to be as deliberate with my strokes as possible and create the illusion of a lot of detail with as little amount of paint-over as possible.

I love painting in this area. The light quality is very unique to the area, because of the fog layer never being too far from the coast, no matter how sunny of a day.

I’m submitting this painting to the OPA National Salon show.

•

Newsletter

Facebook

Tumblr

Drawings For Sale

Prints For Sale

Google+

Here is the most current piece I’ve worked on which is a digital study for a traditional painting I’ll be doing soon:

This show is called “The Arts and Crafts Aesthetic.” If you are not familiar, it’s an art movement that started in the 1860′s mostly led by William Morris and influenced many movements that came after it, especially Art Nouveau. Here in the States and especially California, it became the American Craftsman style, and is still quite popular in architecture, interior design, furniture and other decorative arts.

The show is mostly centered around the art of Jack Cassinetto, whose work is highly influenced by early 20th-century California Arts and Crafts artists. His highly stylized paintings are always well-designed and he designs his own frames. He is a real craftsman in the sense of the word. As part of the show, the Christopher Queen Gallery asked us to produce work with the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement.

I did some fun research into the history of the movement and decided on doing some relatively simple landscapes with hand-painted liners filled with patterns based off of William Morris and C.F.A. Voysey textiles. I really liked finding some new patterns to work with, and it gave me some new ideas on future concepts I want to flesh out.

“On The Road To Fallon” 12×16 in. oil on linen board.

Here are the flyers for the show – good lineup:

Christopher Queen Galleries

Champagne Reception

March 3rd, 2013 1 to 3 pm

Also Showing Dave Sellers, F. Michael Wood, Paul Kratter, Sergio Lopez, Bart Walker, Wanda Westberg, & guest artist Terry Sauve.

Show continues through April.

Christopher Queen Galleries

#4 John Orr’s Gardens

Duncans Mills, CA 95430

http://christopherqueengallery.com/

MAP: http://goo.gl/maps/2T4bU

•

Figurative Painting Demo

“Sergio Lopez has been working on the Painted Roses series for over 2 years. In that time he has been developing techniques in order to further refine the sensitivity in his figure paintings. Join us at the Epperson Gallery on Saturday, March 2nd to learn insights into how he has brought together his training in Alla Prima figure painting with his explorations of more refined multi-session paintings. Sergio will paint a model from life to demonstrate and speak about these methods. The demonstration will begin at 1:00 pm and last approximately two hours followed by a question and answer period.” 

“For further information, please contact: gerald[@}eppersongallery.com “

RSVP or REGISTER HERE: http://www.pleinairliaison.com/#!demos-lectures–paint-outs/cen1

•

Newsletter
Facebook
Tumblr
Drawings For Sale
Prints For Sale
Google+ http://themainloop.blogspot.com/2013/02/landscapes-and-patterns.html

Come check these out and the rest of the show at the Epperson Gallery. Official hours are from 11 to 5 on weekends, but call Jerry at 510 787-2809 if you’re in the area during the week and check it out when you can.

Figurative Painting Demo

“Sergio Lopez has been working on the Painted Roses series for over 2 years. In that time he has been developing techniques in order to further refine the sensitivity in his figure paintings. Join us at the Epperson Gallery on Saturday, March 2nd to learn insights into how he has brought together his training in Alla Prima figure painting with his explorations of more refined multi-session paintings. Sergio will paint a model from life to demonstrate and speak about these methods. The demonstration will begin at 1:00 pm and last approximately two hours followed by a question and answer period.” 

“For further information, please contact: gerald[@}eppersongallery.com “

RSVP or REGISTER HERE: http://www.pleinairliaison.com/#!demos-lectures–paint-outs/cen1

•

Newsletter
Facebook
Tumblr
Drawings For Sale
Prints For Sale
Google+ http://themainloop.blogspot.com/2013/02/scenes-of-crockett-upcoming-figure.html

You can check out more info HEREZIES.

xo
N

As with “Aorangi” and “Heliotrope”, these new paintings are moving toward a better sensitivity of the form of the model as well as the handling of the pattern. The more I do of these, the more I learn of shortcuts and streamlining of the process.

For the figures, rather than trying to paint the skin too thickly in the beginning, I will scrape down a lot of the transition areas between light and dark tones. The reason I do this is because I know I am going to paint a cleaner tone that will need to link the light and dark shapes together in a convincing way. In order to do this, I will need it to dry, and if the paint is too thick, the wet-on-dry paint won’t blend nearly as well.

Invest in a good-quality sable if you’re going to do a lot of precision detail work. Rosemary and Co. is famous for making those mongoose-hair brushes but they also make high-quality sables as well. For the thicker areas of the patterns I use a #3 flat mongoose brush, and for the thinner areas I use a #1 sable half-rigger brush.

•

Here is a map of where the Epperson Gallery can be found. It’s not the easiest place to get to without a car, but it you have the means, it’s about a half hour away from most north Bay Area locations.

View Larger Map

•

GET TEXT MESSAGE ALERTS FOR UPCOMING SHOWS!

I’m trying something new out. I sometimes run into people who, despite all of my best efforts to promote my own shows, still miss out on the show openings even when they had every intention of going. Emails end up in spam folders, tweets get missed, Facebook posts get lost in feeds, etc. Well, I have found a way to use an app called Gather to send text messages about upcoming events of mine. If you want to be notified of upcoming shows, I will send out a text a couple of days before the show to anyone who is signed up for it. Please enter your phone number and I will send a text message alert before my art shows so you can show up and have fun! I HATE text spam, so I will never send you spam/bad jokes/cat pictures, just show information. Just click on the picture below and enter your email and phone number you want the text sent to. See you at the show!

•

Newsletter
Facebook
Tumblr
Drawings For Sale
Prints For Sale
Google+ http://themainloop.blogspot.com/2013/02/painted-roses-new-paintings-new-venue.html

Enjoying new techniques and toying around with a new chapter and ideas in Oppidum.
I’ve posted some process shots of these, notes and more over on tumblr: Click !