Another Approach / Experiment

Recently, Stephen Quiller introduced me to another angle in watermedia painting. I do not know why it hadn’t occurred to me before now because I use a similar approach in oil paintings frequently. That is the idea of coloring the ground on which the painter paints. In oil painting, or acrylics, orange is often used as an undercolor, letting that color peek through in non deliberate places. It can make for a very unusual spark of energy in an otherwise mundane subject.

In this case, I painted a very thin coat of diluted acrylic paint onto the paper and allowed it to completely dry. Then drew my image onto that orange paper and set about painting the painting using sometimes opaque pigments and sometimes transparent pigments. The results are startling!

Here I have included a landscape with a very dramatic oblique dominance and a brilliant orange underpainting. That orange shows through and helps much of the foliage in the (lower parts of the painting) glow. The opaque gouache used in the sky and a few other spots causes the transparent passages to sing out.

Also, as a class demonstration, the still life (number 103, I believe) was used as a subject. A calmer orange was used in this painting and grays employed to cause the oranges and blue violets to appeal more to the viewer. This piece was literally slapped together to show how the underpainting could be used. Later, line was used through the piece to deliver more texture and interest.

The nice part of doing this is that it sets a color harmony through the entire painting establishing a strong unity. Even subconsciously, we see the orange shining through other colors, which sets a close relationship between all the colors used in the painting. It is a very effective tool to build dominance and unity.

Sort of fun and spectacular at the same time, eh?

The Chase

"Sentinel Haze"
watercolor, 18 x 24 inches

There is a big message here if you are a painter. Read all the way to the bottom.


As an occasional art instructor it is my job to enlighten about the elements and principles of design. Enlightenment is one thing but applying that to which one has been exposed is quite another.

There are 15 words to wrestle with. The elements have 7, the principles 8. The elements: line, size, shape, direction, color, value and texture. The principles: Unity, Harmony, Dominance, Conflict, Repetition, Variation, Gradation and Balance. (Comment: others may argue the selection of words to be included or traded out, but we are all really focusing on the same things.)

Often, the student complains (as do I !) “How do you think of all these things when you are painting?” My truthful answer is really something to the effect of ‘that is what divides the novices and masters.’ And . . .as we all know, there are very few masters out there. . . . . . .but it sure is a wonderful chase to try to touch mastery every once in a while!!

Sometimes, execution fails miserably. The technique completely collapses in favor of some other dominating thoughts while in the act of mushing paint around. Other times, the technique is extraordinary, but the design has a major, uncorrectable flaw . . .and all who see the painting know it. They may not be artists or know anything of painting, but they can sense a design mistake in the pit of their gut.

The challenge to get content, technique and design all working together is mostly overwhelming. When they all come together, the high that an artist experiences is, I suppose, the entire reason for the chase. It is simply temporary nirvana.

On the last day of my trip to Yosemite 6 weeks ago, I stood in awe of the view of Sentinel Rock in a slight haze. I decided to exaggerate that visual effect . . .or at least TRY to . . . .and to experiment once again . . . . .let multi colored washes drain down a vertical page, then define the positive shape (the rock) by painting the negative shape (the sky) in an opaque (using gouache) colorless wash. The contrast of opaque and transparent would be opposite what one might imagine . . . . .that is the transparent atmospheric nature of watercolor would probably best be used in the sky (the illusion of air), while the rock would be thought of as a solid, dense mass (opaque.) I deliberately reversed that idea to see what would happen.

While completely absorbed in all of this stuff, mentally, while painting, I forgot my design principles. Yup! I became sidetracked with the experiment and paid no attention to the ridiculous design error that I had made and was constructing right in front of my eyes. I happily just kept painting. It wasn’t until completion that I realized that I had divided the space evenly (dammit!!!) and created two separate paintings on one piece of paper (double dammit!)

Oh well! It was only a piece of paper to begin with . . . .and now it is still only a piece of paper. However, I am saving this painting because it revealed an extremely successful experimental result which I will employ in another painting later. Lesson learned (again!!)

There is one last comment for the painters out there who read this blog . . . . . . it is the failures and the mistakes that give us painters the best lessons. While we relish and seek the successes, our best friend in the chase is those mistakes that spank us into those, “OOoohh! Now I get it”moments. I have learned to court failure in the chase. In painting, failure really is a friend and not something to fear. No one ever has been hurt or ever died from making a painting mistake. Through failing, we learn and grow!

Disdain for the Ordinary

"Sentinel Autumn"

watercolor 15 x 22 inches

I suppose it is possible to tell much about a person by the way he paints and the paths he or she chooses. In fact, in my own case, it seems my disdain for ordinary work is written all over me and my work (at least, I hope my work shows that!)

There are many paintings out there of the same tired subjects. Half Dome in Yosemite is, perhaps, an icon, but it is also in soooo many paintings that I try to avoid it. That isn't to say that it is a bad thing to paint. Again, it is HOW it is painted . . .NOT WHAT was painted.

Looking back at my last post, speaking about having the paint speak up as paint and not something else, that really is another comment about avoiding the obvious.

Sentinel Rock in Yosemite drew my attention for most of the week there . . .and I painted it multiple times. This time, I worked at letting the granulation of the pigment speak up. (click on the image to see it). The tall rock was shaped somewhat like this, but that is where the reality gave way to the paint and let the paint make its statements.

There are one or two more pieces to post from that trip. They'll appear soon.

Experimentation and Inspiration

"Oaks on a Wall"

watercolor, 15 x 22 inches

Often, in execution of the lessons I give in classes and workshops, I am distracted from a deep inspiration to create a specific painting. Other kinds of distractions come up, too, but all of them frequently take me off that inspired track. That is one good reason for taking a week away from everyone and everything to just concentrate on painting. Such was the case a few weeks ago in Yosemite.

Returning to class from Yosemite, I had to give a mindless demo of different ways to create textures or to give a sense of surface in a painting. I say mindless because it was simply a blank piece of paper and a bunch of different examples of stamping, lifting, spraying, splattering, smudging, dripping etc . . . .all with no image or intention of making a painting.

Meanwhile, in the back of my mind was a vision I had seen through the eyes of a zoom lens . . . .the face of one of the sheer granite walls towering hundreds of meters above my place on the valley floor. Full grown trees grew out of cracks on the stone! Yet those trees and the abstract patterns in the rock had me buzzing inside.

I took the demo sheet home and began experimenting with more textures and colors and ‘stuff’ just to see what I could come up with that **might** suggest those walls and their abstractions on that same sheet . . .just slobbering layer over layer.

Often, it is the coming together of sheer experimentations and the visions from inspired ideas that create works which arrest a viewer and hold their interest . . . .much more that a tired scene of something everyone knows.

Clearly, to be different, one must do different things at the easel. The painter must allow the paint to act like paint rather than conform to some notion about looking like something else. Experiments can show us painters new ways to consider our beautiful mediums. In fact, I believe most of our work as artists must be connected to experimenting.

Color Play, Too.

"Sentinel Flats"

watercolor, 15 x 22 inches

I have a goofy, abstract side as well as a side of me that loves the implied realism which emerges when all of the elements and principles of design optimally meet.

That means that for ‘reality’ to emerge contrasts can’t get too far out of hand, shapes must be designed but recognizable, values must have their transitions and appropriate assignments. (by assignments, I mean that the dominant value of a region in the painting must have a dominance which seems to emulate reality.) And, of course, color has it’s place, too. Good color harmonies and gradations make all the difference in a well executed painting.

But!!! . . . . . .there are times when the playful side of me screams to get out. And . . .when that happens, just about anything will show up. In this case, it was more of what I had done earlier in the week at Yosemite. While Sentinel Rock was right out my back door, it’s shape is recognizable from all over the valley floor . . .and above the valley.

With sketchbook in hand in the mornings, I would draw from my previous sketches or paintings and redesign shapes . . .reorient their placement on the page . . .exaggerate or play down some shapes in order to call attention to something special. Set the values so the overall composition worked well, then set about painting it.

I just HAD to Play with color, too! Using a rigger brush with pure Perinone Orange (a brilliant red orange), I lined out all the shapes completely eliminating detail. Focus on shape, value and color. Period. Painting the inner parts of the outlined shapes in opaque gouache, holding down the intensity of the colors until the center of interest, where I played up the saturation, this was the outcome. Yep! It’s different, but definitely Yosemite.

By the way, if shape design is of interest to you, check out Peggy Stermer Cox’s blog (click here). (Check out her "Still Life with A Pony" images. What she does to keep a whisper of reality, yet make shapes leap out of the page is worthy of your time to go look. We could all learn much from her!

Watercolor En Plein Air

"Three Graces"

watercolor, 15 x 22 inches

For many years I painted watercolors outdoors with friends. Some worked and some didn't. There was, however, a certain energy about the paintings that made them very recognizable from studio work.

Perhaps that energy is a result of the difficulty of painting with watercolor outside. I consider myself confident in executing an outdoor piece, but I must say that in spite of my confidence and speed of delivery, there is just something that keeps me in the studio. Plein air painting is a giant pain in the rear, if you know what I mean.

While I have worked out the kinks and the difficult processes of setting up and operating in a 'studio' outside, in the wind and blinding light, it is still a love / hate relationship for me.

While in Yosemite, I made, at least, one plein air piece per day . . . .and usually did a studio piece each day, as well. This piece, of the 'three graces' (I think that is the name) was one of those incredible days where every wash behaved, every color did what it was supposed to do and the wind only come along at the finish. Out in this meadow, near the base of El Capitan, the light sparkled on the edges of this giant set of rocks, while in the crevices the light hid in mysterious darks. The light coming through the yellowed trees at the base of the rockwalls were luminous. It was a blast to paint! But inside all of the processes, more lessons came forth which reminded me what I should be doing in the studio.

One of those lessons was to paint vertically if I want great washes. Having gravity naturally pull the pigment laden water down the page reveals granulations and effects one can never cause on a piece of paper, no matter how expert the painter might be. So, I am doing exactly that. I had forgotten how important it is and allowed the comfort of control to take over. Invariably, the discomfort of a painting getting 'out of hand' is when the great stuff shows up.

On to the next one! Let the paint flow downward.

"Royal Arches"

watercolor, 15 x 22 inches

Depending on who you talk to, SIZE is an element of design. Size actually means “scale” or “Proportion” or “Measure.” That is to say in order for the eye to assess how large something is, there must be comparative objects or sizes to measure against.

We all ‘know’ how big a human being is (roughly) or the size of most trees. When we see a very tiny pine tree next to a large cliff face, we get a sense of the proportion of the cliff side. It is through clues like this that we artists are somewhat able to communicate that sense of enormity.

In this painting (on site in Yosemite) the scene is in the meadow near the Royal Arches. Those arches appear in the cliff side of the rock which stands straight out of the meadow and snuggles close to the very recognizable Half Dome. One simply cannot imagine the size of that cliff side without comparative objects nearby.

So, here is the attempt. In the early morning, the sun rises behind Half Dome and projects its light onto the face of the arches. It is an amazing . . . .and nearly overwhelming sight! To paint it . . . .that is another story entirely. It sure made me feel like a teensy little ant!!

Two Versions

"Downstream Autumn"

watercolor, 15 x 22 inches

"Bottom of the Dome"
watercolor 15 x 22 inches

There is a park in California called Yosemite National Park. If you have been there, you KNOW that it touches the soul. If you have never been, it must be put on your 'bucket list' to go before the end of your life. If you go, you will, no doubt return. One cannot help but be struck with awe by witnessing the immensity of the granite walls.

I just finished spending a week there . . . .painting. The images I have posted during October were of that place. My heart and mind were already making paintings long before I went there. As a result, I had ideas for experiments and trials of different painting approaches when I arrived.

One was to use bright red orange line through a painting to define flat shapes. Another, of course, was to paint en plein air the beautiful Autumn foliage.

At the river bottom, under the shadow of the massive half dome, I painted some reality on my first day . . .and dreamt of the orange line idea for a few nights before springing from bed early one morning to dash out the idea. I rather like the imapact of the pure hues and tints against the near black ridge in the abstracted version. Impactful. But the other version offers a significantly different mood. . . . . A restfulness, I suppose.

It matters not. What matters is the idea was carried out. In later posts I will show similar ideas tried . . . .which offerred interesting discoveries.

It was a wonderful, magical trip with lots of revelations to ponder and try.

Overcoming Big Design Errors

"Blowhard II"

watercolor, 22 x 30 inches

It never fails . . .or, so it seems. When I think I know what I am going to do . . .and begin without a substantial plan . . . . .I end up digging myself out of substantial design problems.

D’ya suppose there is a relationship there?

Okay, okay! The tree part is where I put all the plan time, but the rest of it got the best of me for a good while. First off, after the painting was blocked in and I had established the darks of the tree mass, it occurred to me I would be making two, not one, but two different paintings on the same piece of paper. I had divided the paper right across the midline of the page. Ouch!! As well, I had put a number of small shapes together slightly left of center, which crossed over the dividing line.

Oh NO!!! oh yes! Not only did I need to find a way out of the space division, but also I had created a large to small contrast well away from the center of interest (upper right) and set up a competition for attention. Gads!!

That entire ‘shelf’ on which the trees stood had to be broken in some way and I had to figure a way to have that big dark value bleed down well beyond the ‘shelf’ line so I would have a large, prominent dark holding a large chunk (more than half) of the paper real estate. I had to sponge off a bunch of pigment to obliterate the small shapes then use that space to create an addition to the large dark (the trees). So I did.

All of that has taken almost five days to bring to conclusion. There is a lesson here: Plan First. And not just in the mind. Make drawings and studies first. It seems like the long way, but it really is the shorter way.

Experimenting with the Elements

Line Experiment

watercolor 14 x 21 inches

It has been a while since posting last. To get back into the painting mode I will sometimes take on a familiar subject and ‘let her rip’ by applying the paint in ways that are completely different than my normal painting ‘style.’ In this painting I used wet paper and an oil painting filbert brush to scrub in the paint. This yields wild and brilliant colors but also opened the door to using line in an otherwise different way. In the end, all of the elements (7 of them) are present, but some are emphasized in such a way as to attract attention.

This painting of half dome in Yosemite was more of an experiment than a painting. It may never see a frame or a mat, but it certainly allowed me to ‘get off the leash to run’ and get the crazy urges out of my system. It served another purpose: discovery. While fooling around in a free fashion, I found a few little ideas (like red shadows) and using dense, opaque colored line (integrating gouache into the watercolor pigment) atop the trees. This shifted the focus from the dome to the trees and the white shape behind them. These discoveries of how to exploit the different elements of design can often lead to new approaches in more serious paintings.

Open Studio is finished for 2009. Now I am putting everything away for next year and attempting to get back to living a normal life. Thanks to all who came and a special thanks to all my enthusiastic patrons.

More Self Promotion

"Yosemite Awaiting Winter"

watercolor, 21 x 29 inches

There are just weeks where everything seems to work right . . . .that is to say work properly. And these last few weeks, have been very very exciting and rewarding . . .all the efforts are bringing wonderful rewards.

Over the last several weeks, I have been planning a trip to Yosemite while preparing for open studio. To say the least, I haven’t been able to get Yosemite out of my thoughts. A special about our National Parks on TV hasn’t helped, either. It served to hammer me into a mental place of craving to paint. So, this is another of the Yosemite pieces done while prepping for Open Studio.

Oh! Did I just say OPEN STUDIO again? I did. It is only half over. If you didn’t make it by my home and studio last weekend, there is still one more weekend . . . .October 17 and 18 from 11 AM to 6 PM.

The first weekend of OPEN STUDIO was exciting! We had approximately 500 people come to visit. Not all at once, but it was a steady flow of people for both days. With over 70 framed pieces up and my studio set up to accommodate lots of interesting art thoughts and demos, people were glad they came. Won’t you join us on the 17th and 18th?

Shameless Promotion . . .

"Low Water"

Watercolor, 22 x 30 inches

SOLD

That time has come again. OPEN STUDIO at my house and studio.

In the haste to prep for OPEN STUDIO over the last several weeks . . . . . . .(Oh, yes! There is a ton of work to be done; framing, cleaning, setting up, arranging everything, cleaning and tidying and . . . .gads! The work is overwhelming! ) (Yes, I mentioned cleaning more than once.) . . . . . . . . . . .but where was I? Oh yes, In the haste for prepping for OPEN STUDIO, I found myself terribly distracted; to hell with cleaning. I wanna PAINT !!! I couldn't resist. So, I managed to sandwhich it in while I was doing my diligence.

This painting came as a result of several small studies I did at the easel while I was procrastinating getting ready for OPEN STUDIO. My mind was on a few other things, like lessons in value organization and composition for my classes. Those studies revealed this composition which has some merit, I think, for value discussions. But that is another subject . . . . . . . .

OPEN STUDIO IS THIS WEEKEND (OCTOBER 3&4) FROM 11 TO 6 PM. If you are in Santa Cruz, go toward Felton on Graham Hill Road. Once past the horse grounds (2.5 miles) you will see the green signs, with "BAILEY" on them, directing you directly to the house. Coming from San Jose, take 17 over the mountain and get off on the Sims Road / Graham Hill Road Exit . . .turn left on the frontage road. Proceed to the stop sign at Sims and turn right. At the end of Sims at Graham Hill Road, you will see the green signs. Follow them.

Can't make it this weekend? We are also open October 17 & 18 11 to 6.

In addition to OPEN STUDIO, my work is on display at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz and County Bank of Santa Cruz. There is a reception at the bank's main office the Friday evening.

Okay. I admit it. I am promoting myself and my art here sans shame. (Last nite I was a guest on a local radio program to promote it, also). Nope!! My modesty could be noted as a weakness, I suppose. But Hey! Let's forget all that and let's party at my Open Studio!! Be there or be square, as they say!!! :-))

Resurrection

"Edge of Summer"

watercolor, 22 x 30 inches

SOLD

At this time of year, I clean out my flat files to find what to exhibit at my annual Open Studio.

There are always a few unfinished paintings on which I became stuck, or unable to finish for one reason or another . . . . .usually it is some design indecision and huge doubt about continuing that causes me to stop and put the painting away. Often times, the painting will lean against my studio wall where I can see it. Eventually, the idea becomes stale and the painting ends up languishing in the flat file . . . .sometimes for 5 or more years!!

In the clean out process, I will invariably come across one or two that yell out to me to finish. And they do so with instant knowledge of what needs doing. You might even say that this is a resurrection from the boneyard because many simply wait to be destroyed and thrown out.

It is nice to be able to pull one out, now and then, which speaks to me so loudly. This one did . . . . . . .and I'm now happy that I saved it for the time to let my knowledge catch up to what was needed in the painting.

Elhorn Road Value Experiment

oil, 8 x 10 inches

I recently watched and listened to an artist do a demo (in oil) and sat bolt upright suddenly, as if I had been slapped, as he mumbled something about value relationships in landscape painting.

Huh? What did he mean by relationship? Oh, did he ever explain it and demonstrate it!

He made something become so very clear that I was absolutely struck by the revelation. Mind you, some of you out there will simply say, “Oh, thaaaat? Of course I knew thaaat,” and wonder why I have been so asleep for the last 20 years. I may have missed it more than once, but this time I really heard it.

The revelation was this: A painting has four kinds of ‘planes;’ the sky plane, the ground plane, upright planes and angled planes. Tall trees can be upright planes or a solid cliff. Just so it is vertical. The ground plane can be the top of a bush, too if it is near parallel with the ground. His mumbled wisdom was that the sky is the lightest valued plane in the painting. The ground plane the second lightest (that is slightly darker than the sky), while the vertical planes were the darkest.

He went on to say that there were accent darks and accent lights which were the darkest of the dark and lightest of the light . . . . .to be used most sparingly.

The point was simply that the ground relates in value to the sky, as do many of the highlights. The angled planes are darker than the ground and, thus, relate. Inside all of these four sets are the values of shadow and light. In the verticals, the darkest shadows occur, while on the angled planes there is a subset of shadow values lighter than the dark vertical set of values, which are related between the ground and the verticals. Another way to say relatedness would be to use the word **compared.**

On he went. And it was amazing to me. I grabbed a painting that I had done en plein air a few weeks ago and put it up on the easel and saw immediately why I wasn’t happy with it. The value relationships were all wrong! In ten minutes I glazed over the painting following the above wisdom and VIOLA ! What an incredible difference! The painting not only worked, but it sang!! Today, into the studio I went to whip up a similar composition using a different color scheme, but promised to paint those relationships of value. Whooopeee!!

This is so worth practicing and making careful note of the values as I mix them on the palette. There is more to this, but for now, I am jazzed to be fiddling with the basic relationship proposition. I can already see that the foreground is much lighter than the sky. . . .and that bluish background shape needs to be a lighter value. What an incredible tool!

The Power of Line

"Sax and Line"

Watercolor, 11 x 15

"Still Doodle 100"

watercolor, 15 x 22

Line has been used for centuries to create various kinds of art. In drawing, of course, much of that discipline is controlled by line. In painting, also, line plays a vital part in causing the mind to ‘see’ the artist’s intention. And, line can be both expressed directly, or it is often implied by ‘points’ or objects, where the mind imagines the connections and, therefore, can ‘see’ the ‘lines.’

As an element of design, line is often the first element put into play by the artist as he or she sketches or outlines objects and placement thereof onto canvas or paper. It isn’t until later that shading (values), texture and color are added to express some visual feeling of form and space. Line itself can be the dominant element in a painting. If used in certain ways, it can suggest, without actually delineating, shape or form through simple gestural movement in the picture space.

It is often challenging, enlightening and entertaining to select a single element from the list of seven elements and bring it to prominence in a painting. What is more, such choices can often set up ideas for new paintings.

I have shown some line ideas here in these two doodles (that’s what I am coming to call experiments that have no purpose of ever becoming a finished or a “work of art.” Notice how shape is merely suggested with line. Also, you may find some of the lines worthy of noting simply for their own ‘beauty’ or character.

Line is used in the still life doodle to show contour, surface, texture, direction and even shadow. . . . . .all of those things without actually saying any those things expressly. The other piece, line is used as a gestural suggestion without defining shape. The mind has to fill in the blanks.
Enjoy thinking about it.

Playing "What If"

"Still Life-98"

watercolor, 15 x 22 inches

As you already know, I have been working on many different versions of this same still life.


Nothin' new, you say?

I would beg your indulgence for just a moment. Playing "What If" is no boring pastime. It is the sure path to discovering something new, something unusual . . . . .and certainly the path to finding one's personal voice in painting. Y'see, when the artist has nothing to lose and it doesn't matter what others think about a piece, that artist is much more willing to take chances and try things that may not make sense or to take risks when more 'serious' approaches would cause risk avoidance.

As this painting was finished today, there was a missing element in the lower right foreground. It was here that the risk was staring back at me and mocking me to go ahead. The pattern of "dotted i's" on the green vase needed another repetition and that lower corner needed some of that neutralized green to balance things. So, there it is. Could I have spoiled the painting? Yep. Was I taking a risk (can't erase here with all that surrounding texture)? Yep. Does it make sense or seem 'real?' Nope. Did it work? Yep.

I think, frankly, that little silly touch is actually funny. The entire tone of the painting (mood) is sort of tongue in cheek. The entire painting is constructed of "what if" shapes and colors and values. Reality is suggested when it couldn't possibly be that way. So, the doodling around with an old theme, just messin' with ideas to see what would happen exposed some new approaches having to do with repeating patterns, gradations, shapes and color intensities. I learned more today!

Isn't that what this painting business is all about? Growth and learning?

A Note To Followers and Visitors

Go visit http://www.chriswillwalk.com/

Chris, a young father of two and loving husband, sustained a severe spinal injury a few weeks ago through a freak accident. And, he had no health insurance.

Read the story for yourself. Visit the blog. And do him and his family a favor . . . .just a small one:

If you have a blog, put the web link on it. . . . .and call attention to it.

Through whatever means you have, spread the word to others to visit Chris's site and blog.

This action will help make contact around the world and will implore those who see his and his family's plight to contribute or help . . . .even a little bit.

Just IMAGINE how many people COULD be helping if you put in a little bit . . .like a link.

The multiples that are possible really are mind blowing. Let's all pitch in with just a little help.

Link to http://www.chriswillwalk.com/. What have you got to lose?

Series Article

Still life 93

Watercolor 15 x 22 inches

You have, no doubt, heard about the idea of 'working in series.'

There are tons of reasons for it, one of which is to improve on a theme. The least obvious is that through the confinement of doing some single thing over and over again is that the artist's creative mind is awakened and begins to work overtime. I say that it is liberation through confinement.

In fact, if you'd like to know more about the process of series work and what it can do for you and your art . . . . .or if you are a lay person and want to truly understand what the mystery is inside of an artist's work process . . . . .pick up a copy of the October issue of "WATERCOLOR ARTIST" magazine.

In that magazine is an article entitled, "Play it Again" authored by yours truly. I hope you find it interesting.

Oh, the painting above is another in the long series of still life experiments. This one was done yesterday. I do these when I yearn to paint but have no specific idea of **what** to paint. This helps me loosen up for paintings to come, exercises my creative muscles, opens thinking channels, allows me to experiment without danger of failure and on and on and on. Thought you might like to see how I 'doodle' with my paints.

On Glazing and Mist

"Elkhorn Neighbors"

oil on stretched canvas, 16 x 20 inches

This painting is a breakthrough to new territory for me: the use of glazinng and also painting a convincing illusion of haze or atmospheric mist.

To date, most all the oils have been painted ala prima . . . .or directly. The great thing about painting watercolor effectively is that one must learn to mix value, as well as color. That skill has transferred nicely to the oil world and has helped in the setting up of atmospheric perspective. In this painting, however, so much was necessary to establish a sense of space and forms disappearing up the background hill that repeated adjustments of value and color (cooler tones) had to be progressively overlaid on dried coats of paint.

I am finding another world in oil painting . . . .one full of variables and methods, not to mention substances and mediums. It is a maze, indeed. And while I am foolin' round with this stuff, I am still plugging away at my watercolors . . . . . because . . . . .well, (ahem) it's "Home" to me.

Square Deal

"Elkkhorn Backwater"

oil on stretched canvas, 12 x 12 inches

Having never painted on a square format before now, I have always shied from it because there was no dominant direction in the format. That is, neither dominantly horizontal nor vertical. Considering the golden mean, there is no way to express it in the square, at least, as far as I am aware. So, it is very important, in my opinion, to place dynamic, unsymmetrical, 'moving' shapes inside the square to excite the viewer. Otherwise symmetry leads to boredom.

The long, leading linear light valued shape on the water's edge leads the eye deep into the square in an oblique direction, thus giving the internals of the square some tension and movement. The end of that shape, or line, the viewer is immediately attracted to the orange shapes lying out in the distance. Much is going on in this seemingly quiet, static square.

On the way to another painting site a few weeks ago, we stopped at this location to photograph the beutiful contrasts of the hills, the swarming green succulent, the orange fungus ( I think it is a fungus), and the water / reflections. Having just finished painting for the day, we only had time to photograph and go.

Working from my computer monitor in my studio, I was able to take a few days developing this painting . . . .glazing, reshaping, refining, recoloring . . .what ever was needed to refine this to the art piece that it is. I enjoyed it and like the result!

Meanwhile, I am painting the interior of our home and removing old "popcorn" ceilings. the labor is abusive, that is for sure. What's more, the abuse doubles because I am away from my beloved easel. Some deal!!

More Amazement

Click on this . .then compare

Okay. So you didn't believe that the color was the same in the last post? I understand. I didn't either, though I suspected it might be true. I teach color and judging color in the context of other colors is something which is taught and emphasized. I still wasn't sure.



So, Here is another shot for you to check out. Click the image. It will enlarge. Then, use your fingers or two pieces of paper to isolate the blue / blue green by forming a narrow slot through which you can only see the blue / blue green. You'll see.



I am still bowled over by this illusion !



I am painting. But this is really important to all painters to understand what happens to color on their canvas. I'll be posting some paintings to see in the next day or two. In the meantime, be well!

Much To YOUR AMAZEMENT

Color Illusion

Those of us who are painters know that color is judged in the context of the colors surrounding them. That is to say that the way we, as humans, process color every color looks different when surrounded with other colors.

This illustration above is from an article in a Discover magazine blog which is a MUST READ

While you look at the above color spirals, you might be interested in knowing that the greenish and the blue spirals are exactly the same color!!!!!!

Yup! Blue green is the color . . .sort of a teal color, actually. Someone in that blog isolated the colors in photoshop and, sure enough, they are indeed precisely the same color. The color is influenced by the magenta and the orange stripes. Amazing, eh?

Disappearing Act

"Flat Foot"

Oil on stretched canvas, 16 x 20 inches

This scene is a familiar one to me. I used to park at the end of this long spit of rock, in my car, when I was an older teen, to neck with my girlfriend. The road went all the way out to the end. Since then, much has been lost. And even recently, the sea eats away at this spectacular chunk of rock and sandstone.

This subject has been attempted before, several times, but this time my senses were able to add some interest by allowing some colors to be present that most folks would never associate with this grayish rock. Instead, I figured, let’s entertain the viewer. That’s the really cool part of being a painter. I can make that rock look any way I want it to appear. Hope you like it.

Life Can Be Cruel

Please excuse my changing the subject here. This is very important to my family.

Years ago, my youngest daughter met an angel of a girlfriend. They went all thru college together and were each maids of honor at each other’s weddings . . . .and, of course, have been like sisters from the outset. I feel like Christy’s dad . . .she is a dear, dear friend. Her husband, Chris, met with a freak accident a week ago at a neighbor’s pool. The current prognosis is that Chris will not walk again. This is a strong young father who is devoted to his family and recently, because of employment changes, is uninsured and needs help. With surgeries, children to care for, and all the events that attend such a cruel change in life, medical and other costs are mounting beyond anyone’s ability to stay abreast.

I call your attention to this in hopes you may find it in your heart to assist in some way. See the new website www.chriswillwalk.com. This great family needs our help and our prayers!

Ginormous!

glacier 1

Glacier 2

Glacier 3

The “walkabout” is over. I am back. I am painting again.

Back from where, you ask? From the cold, cold north!

We went to Alaska and Canada. And it was phenomenal !!


Here are some pics to see what we saw. Maybe you can get a sense of the immensity of what lies in Alaska. Click on each pic to enlarge it and view what is to be seen there. All three of the photos are of the same glacier.

Glacier 1 is a photo of a glacier as our ship approached it from a few miles away. The white glacier is the obvious. Beyond that, what appears to be a large pile of dirt just to the right of the hill coming into the photo from the left is another glacier (much dirtier) which has pushed huge amounts of rock and dirt ahead of it as if it were a bulldozer. That glacier extends far to the right for over a mile on its face.

Glacier 2 is a photo of the glacier as we drew up to it in the ship. You can see the ‘texture’ of this giant. No place to step. It is far from being innocent snow! This is centuries old, compressed ice with crevasses that are hundreds of feet deep in some cases. One slip and fall on this surface would be certain death. And when it calved . . . .the roar was deafening! This is no playground, that is for sure!

The next photo, Glacier 3 is a photo of the face of the glacier. Look closer!! Midway from center toward the edge of the photo at the 8 o’clock position is a kayak with 2 people in it. They are ¼ to ½ mile from the face of the glacier! The size comparison gives an idea of the scale of that ice face . . .over 300 feet high from the surface of the water . . . .and the glacier extends 300 to 500 feet below the surface!! Big? Heck! This is Ginormous!!

See If You Can Explain This . . .

"Meadow Stripes"

oil on stretched canvas, 16 x 20 inches

Warms advance and cools recede, right?

I have been painting the wildflowers in this meadow over the last few weeks. In meddling with one of the last paintings to make repairs, I decided to take license with color. That is to change several things to see what would happen (the cool thing about oil painting is that you can cover up anything! So you can experiment till your heart’s content and not waste a single piece of canvas . . .you can always go back over it!)

In this painting, the dark tree line in the rear of the picture space is cool red. While the hills in the back are pale, warm blue. The sky is a warm, pale yellow. The big tree on the right is green and the foreground ranges from blue violet to yellow grays to dull greens. My color logic says “no, this won’t work” . . .but it does.

If I think in literal terms, red is warmer than blue. That part is okay. But why does the red recede like it does in the tree line? The two green trees in this piece scream with warm, intense greens in the light, but out of the light they are icy blue in places.

Maybe the key to this piece is the warm, orange underpainting, which leaks through the colors in the foreground giving it an overall warm, advancing presence. Do ya think?

Thinking about the color wheel, I suppose that the yellow greens live higher, more toward warm than does the alizarin crimson based tree line. Whadda mind trick this painting is. Maybe you can explain it to me. ( I am serious!)

P.S. I’ll be signing off for a few weeks. I am going on a ‘walkabout.’ That is to say I’ll be travelling for a few weeks. This time no paints will accompany me (ouch!) Painting has always been my mistress, but this time I am taking the real mistress with me. She gets all my attention on this junket. If you knew her, you’d wonder who’d be able to pay attention to anything else! I’ll prolly be chewing my nails and twitching from the absence of paint and making art when I get back, but we are going where it’s a bit cold. So, there’ll be some snuggling happening, I am sure of it! ;-) (Maybe that’ll help!)

Meanwhile, be sure to tell me what you think about this color curiosity in the comments section.

Oil Brushwork

"Henry's Purple Patch"

Oil on canvas panel, 8 x 10 inches

I am not sure this painting shows it off well . . .or that any of the others do either. The reason I am not sure, is that brushwork is actually ignored, infavor of no brushstrokes being evident, in watercolor. I am a watercolor painter learning painting. Yep~! Us artists are ALWAYS learning. Always on the lookout for another way to say what needs saying . . .(or to avoid it).

As an element of design, texture is right up there with Line, Shape, Value and Color. It is clearly visible and adds a sense of tactileness to a painting. In watercolor, one must work to obtain texture. It some cases, texture is almost an after thought. Not so with oil. No siree!! With oil, you get texture with every brush stroke! It is when texture is not wanted that a conscious effort must be made to eliminate it. Just the opposite from watercolor.

I have been scolded and complimented on "brushwork." And it is the least able to be articulated verbally or in print in order to teach how to do it 'well.' It is perceived as good, or it isn't. At least, that is my take on it. Swirls, swishes, schmushes, schlobs and plops all count in the brushwork world. Its when to and when not to that makes the difference (I think). Brushwork expresses texture and edges throughout the painting.

I suppose one must have a sense for aerial perspective to know when and when not to emphasize it . . . .is that correct? Anyone have any ideas about brushwork? Sometimes, I think I am coming to terms with it and it becomes automatic. Other times I catch myself wondering.

Painting these meadow paintings is giving me lots of practice and plenty of room to try stuff. I am learning that holding that long brush by the last end of the handle makes better brushwork. I am also beginning to consciously make an effort to make it all different . . .lots of variation. I know there are some who would argue that, but I sure am not informed about it.

So, here's your chance, oil painters. Tell me bout it, if you can. I can't say I am mystified, but I am not far from it.

Exploiting The Rare

"Violet and Mustard"

oil on canvas panel, 8 x 10 inches

It is a rare thing when nature gives up something so extraordinary that a painter feels he must return over and over and over. That is precisely what has happened over the last two weeks.
The blooming vetch full of violet flowers is under painted with yellow mustard flowers and bright yellow orange poppies. Yellow and Violet? How perfect is thaaaaat?!!

When nature hands us lemons, we make lemonade. When it hands us roses over and over again, we keep making bouquets . . . .and never for a moment taking it for granted.

So, it has been bouquet after bouquet as I trek to the meadow expecting to see the flowers burned out and gone and being surprised each time to find even more color! Normally, at this time of year, such a meadow has turned golden and dried out. I don't know why it isn't happening this year, but it is a rare occurrence. I may never get the chance to see it again. So, I MUST paint it!

I have done ten paintings of this site and may yet do more. Am hoping to produce one of large scale . . .30 x 40 . . . .to truly exploit this rare event.

Painting Wetlands

"Elkhorn Morn"

oil on canvas panel, 12 x 16 inches

Here is another of the painting binge I have been on. Elkhorn Slough . . . .wetlands on the Monterey Bay in California. Just pull the car over and start painting! So much goes on here . . .wildlife everywhere of all kinds . . .birds, seals, sea otters, deer, . . . .and a few people.

As you can see, there is much to paint! Shapes, reflections, textures, shadows, lines . . . more experience to rack up (brush mileage). This was a wonderful day!

Brush Mileage

"Reflected Umbers"
oil on linen panel 8 x 10 inches

A few years back I ran across a group of oil painters who were doing a painting daily. There were a few who were pretty good at it, but most were wrestling with the different painting skills. I have since looked up a few of those same painters and am astonished by their accomplished work. No one injected them with some masterpiece serum or told them “the secret.” (There isn’t a secret, save for one concept.) No one passed along some ancient potion to drink or introduced them to the teacher who could miraculously transform them into master painters. Nor did they arrive at mastery suddenly.

They already knew the secret to achieving mastery . . . .and they exploited it. For us painters, we call it brush mileage. That is to say that the more one paints, the better one becomes. Reaching mastery simply comes from a ton of practice. (Whadda concept !!!)

This painting looked like mush when I finally threw in the towel. Some careful thought, a wise crit from a friend and 15 minutes of patient rework brought what I wanted to say out of it. Those simple minutes seemed almost absurd. It came so easy. It sure wouldn’t have been easy 100 paintings ago! Something came about in the last 100 paintings.

It was the brush mileage that was adding up to bring a confidence with the brush that I didn’t have without all that practice. That’s what the daily painters knew. They knew when they started that a painting per day would deliver extraordinary skills. Amen !!!