Asking for help ...

I'm in the process of updating my files and organizing my database.  I'm not sure under what category I'll put this painting in but I would like to give it a title.  I should have named this when I was painting it but just couldn't think of anything but getting paint on canvas, and, now nothing comes to mind.  

So, will you help me and give me some suggestions, please?

Summer Heat and Dry Grasses

Summer Dry Grasses © 8" x 6" ~ oil

Gessoed primed canvas panel

Last summer, on our way to Murphys California for a workshop with Kathleen Dunphy, we encountered a lot of country that the grasses were parched by the sun and you'd feel like you were in an oven.  Once in awhile you'd find a gentle wind but more often than not there wasn't even a flutter of a breeze.

I used one, of many, of my photos as reference for this painting and it brought back a lot of memories of just how hot and dry it was.

A Study for a larger painting

Almost Home ~ oil 9" x 12" 

I'm calling this one done, I'm also calling this one a 'study'.  I've been wanting to paint this snow scene  for a while now but on a larger format perhaps a 24" x 36" canvas. This one is 9" x 12" and large for me considering most of my oils have been 8" x 10" or smaller. I started out by doing a few value studies (below), just thinking of where I wanted to go with this one.  I know it helped to do the studies in marker and the Bic pen because I was mentally prepared going in and now I think I will feel much more confident going into the large painting.

Value studies from my sketch book.  On the left I used a sepia Bic pen and on the right a black Sharpie and a cool grey Prismacolor marker.

Below a little collection of heart shaped rocks I've collected, to tell you Happy Valentines day.... Yeah I know I'm early, but I'm going to spend my Valentines day getting my teeth cleaned and saying hello to my dentist.

Sea Shell Study #2

Since I have few more of these little wood blocks I thought I'd do another Sea Shell Study.  Again it's on a 3.5" x 3.5" x 3/4" block.

I used basically the same color palette, although in this one I saw that while looking at the shell there was a tad bit of green on the upper right hand part of the shell.  I thought of it as a little prize when I found it.  An unexpected surprise.

Each shell, even though they may look the same at first glance, has something a little different than the other.  I also liked this one to use as a prop because of the small chip in its other wise beautiful shell.

Sea Shell Study #2 - oil on wood 3.5" x 3.5" wood block

         

                                                              

And then there were two.

I really like these small paintings displayed on the small wood easels.  A great way to show them off.  I was so excited to paint another shell study that I completely neglected to do some thumbnails before I started painting.  I think it really pays off for me to sketch before I start painting.

Sea Shell Study

This painting is pretty small, only 3.5" x 3.5" on wood, approximately 3/4" thick.  I purposely left them sort of rough to give them more character.  I have a number of these small blocks that I gessoed a while back.  I love how they really showcase a single object like the sea shell below and how they look on a small easel.  I think these would make a great small item to give as a gift.

Sea Shell Study 3.5" x 3.5" oil

The photo above shows the depth of the painting on the easel. 

This photo gives you an idea of size. 

Here you can see some of the sketches I did prior to working in oils.

Re-works

I decided to work on some paintings that I didn't think were painted as well as I had hoped.  The first one  I had started a long, long, time ago, back in 2007 (make sure and read both the blog post from the 24th and the 26th ... funny thing happened... has that ever happened to you?)
I worked on it a little yesterday and just couldn't seem to get the sky and the trail into the dense wooded area to look right, so I eliminated that darn awkward fence that was in the middle of the painting and just made a path and more brush.

  
8" x 10" oil

I like the bottom one - the after one -best, but I'm still not sure this is what I was hoping for when I started it back in June 2007.

6" x 8" Potted Primrose - oil

Also, I thought my primrose painting looked awkward with the blossoms and the leaves in the back upper left sticking up... even though this is what the plant looked like with I started painting.  I painted over what I didn't like and reworked a couple of flowers.  What do you think?  Maybe now its too perfect?

So what about you:

• Do you always let your painting set for a week or more to see how they read to you before you post them either on your blog or web-site?
• So you ever re-work a painting that is from a couple of years ago?
• Do you just put the paintings you don't like into the garbage or do you save them and try to do something with them at a later date?

The latest goings-on

Surrounded by Vines 7" x 14" oil on gallery wrapped canvas

This is a painting I just completed.  I took the reference photo a few years ago while we were boating up in British Columbia.  The original photo shows a lot of water below, but this was what I was thinking when I took the photo.  All that green with the bright white of the house in the sun just spoke to me.

I love the size of this one.  I had bought a couple of these to try awhile back.  I think I'll be buying a few more to have on hand when the right scene comes along.

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Cherries from Chauvet's Orchard

by Ruth Phillips

Recently while reading an art blog (I can't remember who's blog it was now) I read about a book they were in the middle of reading.  This is a book written by the wife of Julian Merro-Smith of the Postcard from Provence blog, Ruth Phillips.  

After reading an excerpt of the book on Amazon I decided to purchase it. As soon as it arrived I found I could hardly put it down.  She is an excellent writer.  If you are looking for a new book to read I recommend this one. I know I will re-read this one a few times.

This is the book description from Amazon:

This is When an English painter moves to Provence in search of the muse, he is looking not only for artistic fulfillment but also for love, family and community. This funny and touching memoir chronicles his unconventional route towards almost everything he desires, whilst painting a vivid picture of how hard it can be for one man to face a blank canvas - even in paradise.

Potted Primrose

Potted Primrose 6" x 8" canvas 

I bought these primroses day before yesterday, when I was at the grocery store, for $1.50 apiece.  I only bought one ... now I wish I would have bought a yellow and a blue one also to use as a prop.  Wouldn't that be a nice to have all three framed on a wall?  I like how I can see some of the toned canvas here and there through out the painting.  Dang, I may need to go back to the store for the other two colors ....

Hang it, Dang it!

Click image to enlarge ~ Arakawa wall hanging system

My husband has always wanted me to hang more of my work in our home, but I just didn't want nail holes all over the place. I have one large painting in the living room, a group of 3 small ones in a guest bedroom and thats it. This year, for Christmas, we bought a wall hanging system to hang my work from and I love it. I can change my paintings as often as I want with out worry of damaging the walls.

When we lived in Oregon, the local Columbia Center was where the local art guild had all of our art shows.  The Center researched hanging systems and found Arakawa, in Portland Oregon to purchase a wall hanging system. We could have monthly shows with out hurting any of the walls.  Because I knew the quality of the product, when we were ready to purchase a hanging system I thought of Arakawa.   The rail is hung high on the wall, wires are slid into the rail and placed anywhere you want.  You can use as many wires as you need to hang your work from.  Its a great quality hanging system and if you are in the market for such a thing I highly recommend them.  I'm thrilled with it.

Wishing you the very best for 2012.

Back Yard Snow ...

Back Yard Snow 8" x 6" Oil

With only a few days left until 2011 comes to an end I wanted to paint one last painting before the new year, something wintery.  Looking through a stack of old photos I found a view of our back yard in a house we lived in before we moved here, a winter scene filled with snow.  Our back yard (at the time) butted up to a 20 acre forest and a trail from our back yard ran through the forest and led to a creek then on back home.  In the summer time the forest was a cool place to hike when it was hot outside.  This view is just to the left of the trail.

All comments and critique are welcome.

Before the end of the year...

I'm pretty happy with myself in the fact that during this busy time of year I have not used that as an excuse not to paint.   I am still going forward and working toward becoming a better oil painter.  During this last week ... well, since I completed the red ornament painting, I now have another finished oil to add to the first.

Reflections of Silver ~ 5" x 7" ~ oil

After I completed the red ornament painting I thought I should start another one right away so that what new skills I had used wouldn't be forgotten.  Again, I'm happy with what I've produced.  Although the painting I did with the red was nice, I think I'm liking this one better.  Maybe its the warm browns and blue combination.  Then again maybe its because I had so much fun seeing shapes and painting what I saw.

I think I may try one more holiday painting before the end of the year ..... but not until after some gifts are wrapped.

On another note, one of  the blogs I frequent is by a wonderful Oregon artist named Marla Baggetta, her work is beautiful and I love the way she writes.  In this post I really felt she was talking to me ....

Being Kind to Yourself

We beat ourselves up most of the time. If only we viewed ourselves like we view our own friends, we'd be better off. Quieting our voice of judgment and giving ourselves credit for what is working in our work and building on that. We are quick to find what is "wrong" and then discount the whole. We are fast at niggling away at those areas in our work and in life that aren't perfect. Well, perfection is a state of balance that to me, simply does not exist... Be nice to yourself, be slow to find error and quick to find the good. Be as patient with yourself as you would be to a good friend. You are your own best friend. Then, remember to paint, paint some more and then after that, paint!!!

Do you think she was singling me out?

I'm happy ...

Reflections ~ 5"x7"~ oil

I've painted a holiday painting and I'm happy with it.  Two amazing things when you think about it.

I have two of these small inexpensive panels measuring 5" x 7".  I thought it would be nice to use them both for ornament paintings.

Its amazing all the reflections you can see in a round object.  It really makes you focus your attention on shapes, not named objects.  I really enjoyed painting this one.  I'm happy .....

Reflecting ...

Reflect :   Verb  

1.  The snow reflects light ... (send back).

2.  Their expressions reflected their feelings .... (indicate).

3.  He reflected on his responsibilities ... (think about).

Lately, I'm sure it's because of the holidays, I keep seeing more and more artists painting reflected surfaces in their work.  Bright, shiny objects. Pretty sparkling reflections in shiny objects.  Being new to oil painting I thought I'd better do some practicing before I attempt to paint a reflection on canvas so I decided to do the 10 minute exercise to get me use to painting reflections.  

oil on paper

In the first group of painting exercises I didn't even start out top to bottom or left to right.  I had this lone red ornament sitting on a white paper towel.   Looking back on these now I see my number #1 wasn't as bad as I originally thought and my number #4 wasn't as good as I thought.  I like the reflection in  number #1 best I think.  "Reflecting" on it now, seeing the results, I'm more confident in giving this another try.  Maybe on canvas this time.

oil on paper

Hmmm, what can I say about this second group of reflected surface exercises?  When I showed this to my husband he said he was glad I told him what it was because he didn't recognize it as our sterling silver pepper shaker.  I had placed a piece of cardboard behind the pepper shaker and it was sitting on a paper towel.  Remember that in these exercises you are allowed 10 minutes and no pre drawing, so that is my excuse for having them look like they were bent and broken.  Needless to say, #4 was no better than number #1.  I'm gunna leave these out of my painting.  If you own it and you still don't recognize the object after it's painted ... its best to move on.

Counting our blessings

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

This time of year I need to reflect and ask myself some questions.  Do you take the time to feel gratitude through-out the year, not just on Thanksgiving?  When a friend calls, a loved one drops by, or when you are able to share a meal with others.  The list goes on and on.  I am so grateful for you all ... that you come back time and again and show interest in my life.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Art ... under your feet

Have you noticed, I've been away.  Not doing any art, but instead I've been taking a lot of inspiring photo's.  I thought these three were worth sharing with you all.  Can you imagine living with this beautiful tile work beneath your feet as you go about your business during the day? Even on a rainy day they make life look brighter.

Now I'm back to the real world where my calendar tells me that our local holiday bazaar is this next week-end and I still need to prepare some things for that, orders are coming in for Christmas cards using the note cards from the house portraits that I sold during the local art show earlier this year and I still have a list of works I can't wait to oil paint.  Can you tell I'm going to be busy, busy, busy?

A book that inspires .....

Winston S. Chruchill's book

PAINTING as a Pastime  (click to enlarge)

Do you have a book that speaks to you ... one that gets you excited to paint when you read it?  That makes you want to do as it says?  I do.  Its Winston Churchill's small book titled Painting as a Pastime.  The first time I read it I couldn't believe how he described painting in oils. Although I had been using watercolors exclusively, his words made me want to rush out and buy oils and canvas.

He writes:  "I write not word in disparagement of water-colours.  But there really is nothing like oils.  You have a medium at your disposal which offers real power, if you only can find out how to use it.  Moreover, it is easier to get a certain distance along the road by its means than by water-colour."  "One sweep of the palette-knife 'lifts' the blood and tears of the morning from the canvas and enables a fresh start to be made." "Lastly, the pigment itself is such a nice stuff to handle (if it dos not retaliate.")

This book is so small ... just 32 pages of written text, that you wouldn't think the words written in it could mean so much to someone reading it, but, each time I read it I can't wait to start painting in oils again.

If you are thinking of painting in oils or do already paint in oils, I think this book is one you'd like to be on your book shelf.

Do you have a book that inspires you to paint, draw or sculpt?  I'd love to hear about it.

Overwhelming ...

8" x 6" oil - unnamed 

On the third day of Kathleen Dunphy's workshop we were to paint water. I ended up focusing on the greens of the trees and I became so confused.  All the greens seemed to run together.  Now in the studio with my reference photo, which was a poor photo, I find its still too confusing to me. And working on the painting today is not improving it.   I think I need to pick a bush or two, but not a whole forest yet ... 

Time to move on to another painting.

A bit of humor for you: 

While we gone the last five weeks we stopped at both Yosemite National Park and Crater Lake National Park.  Both parks ask you to store your food in bear safe containers.  At Crater Lake National Part this is a sign we saw as we entered the campground ... Someone had a great sense of humor and put a stuffed bear on the sign. 

Correcting a few problems ?

I'm not really sure I've improved much on the painting, but I did eliminate "trying to capture sunlight hitting the metal roof".  I added a little bit of color to the edge closest to the trees, yes, I was nervous trying anything, but like Celeste said "go on to the next Plein Air painting".  Think thats what I'll do.

The above photo is the corrected version.  (I can never get two photo's to look the same as far as brightness, color saturation... neither one looks 'just' like the painting.

8' x 6" oil, unnamed

This was my painting from the first day of Kathleen's 3 day workshop.  Well, actually I forgot to take a photo of what it looked like after my first day, but take my word for it, it looked nothing like this, just some strange blocked in shapes. This is the painting now after I worked on it a couple of days after I got home.  Just in case you can't tell what it is,  (ahem, lie to me please, tell me you knew what it was, ok?)  it is a barn... with two roofs.  

One of Kathleen's suggestions was that after we have worked on a painting and you think it is going south, ask your self some questions like:  Is it the design? Is it the drawing?  How are your values? etc.  When I question this painting I find that the sunlight that is suppose to be on the barn, that lighter line going from left to right about in the middle of the painting, really doesn't look like sunlight on the metal roof.  I have since attempted to correct that, but it still doesn't look like light hitting the metal roof. Also, in the upper right hand corner when I used a color isolator the afternoon of the workshop I found that the hill side really WAS that value and color, but I'm not sure I've depicted what that is in the painting.  What do you think?

Even though the painting has a number of issues I don't find the whole painting bad ...some things that I do like are my trees, how the light is seen around the edges .. back lit.  .  Also I think I conveyed that it was a bright sunny day. 

What do you think, I'd love to hear your thoughts ... How would you suggest I 'fix' this painting?  Do you see some issues that I didn't?

Learning the hard way ...

I think most of the time, good, really good lessons are learned the hard way.  Such as me leaving my paint box palette filled with paint to harden ... for one week.

See the dried up mess on my almost new Guerrilla paintbox palette below?  Ouch, what a mess.

Next photo you see a paper towel with paint scrapings from the above palette. I ended up using a palette knife, odorless turp and a retractable razor trying to remove the dried on paint.  Some big globs, some small smearings of paint.  All very hard to remove from the wood palette.

After working on this for quite awhile I've finally removed all the paint and I've learned my lesson to never leave the paint on my palette this long again.

In Kathleen Dunphy's workshop her palette was a beautiful grey that had accumulated from wiping up the oils.  After time it had turned a beautiful hard smooth surface.  I think I'll try this next time before my paint dries too hard.  I chalk it up to being new at oils, what do you think?  Have any of you learned this lesson the hard way?

My workshop with Kathleen Dunphy

6" x 8" oil

Whew, just arrived home from a three day workshop with Kathleen Dunphy in Murphys California.  Each of the three days was filled with Kathleen's generous knowledge of oils and plein air painting.  

On our first day we started out with a three hour lecture followed by mixing our paints, then after lunch we went out to paint in the warm afternoon, or should I say I attempted to paint.  Geesh, I was feeling so confident when I arrived and yet I froze with I got out in the field trying to put paint to canvas.  Okay, my first day was less than I had wanted for myself but after I gave myself a little pep talk that evening the next day was much better.  We all met at a local winery at nine the next morning and because it was pretty hot after a demo by Kathleen, I chose to set up my easel in the shade of a beautiful grape arbor facing the front of the wine tasting building.  As I started painting Kathleen came by to see how I was progressing and was pleased with how I had started and her words were just what I needed to continue and not freeze like I had the day before.  The above painting was the results of the day.  I still may do a few more things to my painting, but for the most part I was very happy with the light I caught and the shaded of the front porch.  I am thinking that now I may be able to pull the other two out of the ditch and make them better. 

I was more than happy with my three days at the workshop ...  and I think it was just what I needed to more forward with my goal of painting en plein air in oils as well as studio work using oils.  Right now my head is reeling with all the information I received.  

I hope to share more tid-bits of my trip as the week rolls along.