Red String

"Red String"

oil on wood panel, 6" x 8"

Today was a continuation of yesterday . . .flat brights and smooth primed wood panel as a painting ground. I am finding I actually DO like the flat, square stroke marks given by the brights. The extra smooth surface allows visibility into everything the paint is doing on the surface . . .every swirl . . .which imparts a nice surface quality.

I am concerned that not only do I have to learn how to handle this medium better than I am, but now that I am becoming a little more facile with it, do I add more variables by stepping up the degree of unknowns, such as stroke history and surface textures?

As I look over my past paintings I notice that I seem to opt for circular subjects. As I am painting at the easel, I continually check for the appearance of the circles or elipses . . .and they appear to be okay. In the photo, I am surprised that they don't seem to be the same as I saw them on the easel. I guess I am going to need to add another quality control step to verify shapes. Today, I am not sweating it because string balls tend to be lopsided anyway.

By the way, you might have noticed the new photo and format revisions here. That is my studio at the top of the blog. I am fortunate to have such a space. This photo was taken at last year's open studio event. It hasn't been this tidy since!!! I am now stepping over stuff and searching under piles for things. My paints and brushes and supplies are in good order, however. When I am focused on painting, all else takes a back seat. But now it's time to tidy up for the October show. That is what I'll be doing this weekend. Digging, scraping and polishing everything but canvas or paper.

Mental Conflict

"Confetti"

oil on primed hardboard, 12" x 9"

Some time ago I made a promise to myself to open the doors to my studio and let anyone watch my painting process here on cyberspace. That also meant letting everyone who looked see my failures. Frankly, I don't like it . . .showing my failures, that is. Who does? After all, I am a teacher. I am supposed to be the example, right? Well, I have decided to be just that. Be the example that people can follow and not look over their shoulder.

So, here you have it. I do show what I consider to be the poor ones . . . always have. And I will continue to do so. I think it shows those who are learning that failure, or mis-steps, or crummy results is not something only beginners have. Some of the best painters I know destroy as many, if not more than, as they put into galleries or sell. It's just part of the game. No one likes that aspect, but it just is. And it particularly is if you experiment or try new things.

So, I tried a new type of ground on which to paint . . .to show the brush more . . .and agreed with myself to use ONLY a size 8 flat brush. The object was to remain loose and schmutz on the paint in places. Just to see what would happen. I used a subect I used earlier this week because I think it lent itself to the experiment. Petals and surfaces that splay all over the place. And many variations of one color combination . . .green and red. Again, I had fun. And I learned a little bit more . . . . .big chunks of light and dark and medium can be fooled with indefinetely until you ruin em. "Ruin" may not be the right word, but I can see a lot of places that I could take some serious direction from a master painter.

Introducing Bidding on Paintings

New! Bid on Paintings!

Paintings will become available on Ebay beginning today. The first is under the following link.

Check it out.

I will be listing paintings over the next several weeks as I become more familiar with EBay and listing the paintings as available in another section of this blog. Stay tuned

More Paint

"Squash Planes"

oil on linen on panel, 6" x 8"

I was sorely reminded, this morning, of yesterday's fiasco, as I took the spoiled canvas from the easel and was tempted to flip it like a frisbee accross the studio. I just put it away and began today's piece.

If nothing else, yesterday's attempt with a lot of whites taught me that I need MUCH more paint in my highlights. Somehow, the piling on of paint seems to brighten the highlight and the purity of color, if it isn't white. (I am quietly watching, Elio!).

On the other hand, I find myself much more comfortable painting thinner layers of paint. There is no substitution for the textures offered by impasto brushwork, however. . . . .which brings to mind the other question that has been nagging at me. . . . . .

"How do I know when my brushstrokes are "better" or "worse?" There must be a 'standard' of evaluation someplace. I know I have to work on this. Anyone have any help or thoughts?

Don't Be Surprised

Today, after 2 1/2 hours at the easel, I threw down my brushes in frustration.

There is something larger than me at work in this process and I am not getting in touch with it.

As they say in sports, "No Score!"

I have a few other choice words, but shant share them here, tho they can be heard echoing into my yard.

Right now, I am thinking to hell with it!

Surprised? Why? Ya think I am always positive? Fagedaboudit! I am just as subject to disappointment and failure as anyone else.

It had it's way with me today, but I am darned if I will give in to it. I just need to heal a bit.

Just Color Spots

"Hydrangea"

oil on linen on panel, 8" x 10"

Wow! I went to the studio this morning with my wife's table centerpiece of a hydrangea in a glass block. This flower has held my attention every time I sit at the table . . .the mauves and odd magentas reveal greens mixed in with them in every petal!

So, this morning, I am thinking "Loose smudges of mixed color . . . forget the detail."

And so I did. I had fun!! This flower (actually two of them) is so full of small shapes and angles of so many different colors, I didn't dare try to represent. Just make impressions. What fun!

This one gives me more ideas.

(Don't they all?)

Size Matters!

"Blue, Orange and Silver"

oil on stretched canvas, 16" x 20"

A big Epiphany hit me this weekend!

I began this painting Saturday afternoon, late, on a 16 x 20 stretched canvas. Using charcoal and a fixative to sketch before I began painting, something felt easier. As I progressed through the piece on Sunday morning, I could feel a freedom with the brush I hadn't felt in a while. Then it struck me; this painting was bigger than the others I had been doing by at least four times!!

Now, mind you, when it comes to 'big' 16 x 20 is still considered small in my book, but by comparison, this painting was much bigger . . . . . . . . .I could moooove!! . . . . .my arm was in the action . . .not just my finger tips on these little guys I had been working on. A stroke now was much more than a tiny smudge. I had room to work color variation. I could P A I N T ! As you can see from the quality of this work versus some of the previous small ones, this painting is an order of magnitude better. Size does matter. . . .at least for me. While this painting looks like it was done 'tight' I could feel a looseness as I was massing in the subject that I am not able to do on very small stuff.

I have some more thoughts about this and the small, daily work. I am going to think those ideas through a little more, beginning with the type and sizes of the brushes I have been using on those lil rascals. But that is another subject.

Caught Between Impressions and . . . .

"Ripples and Light"

oil on linen on panel, 8" x 10"

SOLD

Last night after work, I scooted out of the office and went directly to the yacht harbor here. This place probably contains over a thousand boats of all kinds. The working boats are my favorites. The problem with painting in the yacht harbor is the challenge of simplifying. There is such a twisted morass of shapes and lines and different whites that it boggles the mind . . . . . .especially if you are painting it!

I had only an hour and a half to get something down on canvas. We were to be dinner guests someplace, so I couldn't fudge the time. The fog was rolling in and had half covered the harbor. I set up and went to work. 30 minutes later the fog lifted magically and the light was frying my eyes. I already had a grey sky and backdrop in silouhette . . .when suddenly there were contrasts and colors that weren't there 20 minutes previous! The pleasures of plein air painting!!

This painting has good spots and not so good spots. I see now that I really need to work on my whites and the light and shadow therein . . . . . .not just on this painting, but any other that has a lot of white. Maybe that is why Ken Auster is so good at what he does. I should spend some time studying his work. . . . . .and making more paintings with a lot of white in them.

In one and one half hours last night I was able to make enough to walk away and make a few adjustments in the studio this morning. I think, however, the next adjustment should be done in the fireplace! In looking at this, I find I am caught between impressionistic brushwork and detail. I need to land at one place or the other.

Catching a Goal

"Terracotta and Cobalt Blue"

oil on linen on panel, 8" x 6"

That little voice is going off in my head about 100 by Sept 1. I am close, but I don't have much time left . . . and I have been out of the 'zone' for a while.

It is time to double up and make up for missed days of painting.

After fixing (yeah, Mike! You fixed it, for sure!! ;-) ) yesterday's painting this morning, I returned to the studio to quickly make a little still life study from my still life box of goodies. None of these goodies is particularly valuable, but the little pottery piece in the foreground of this painting was made by my oldest daughter. To me, it is a treasure. It is one of the few things I have of her 'doings.' She is an artist in her own right. Brenis Thompson is her name. Give her a click. She is doing some very cute stuff. You'll be surprised, I am sure.

As for this piece. It is more practice. Aren't they all? I am curious to see where this will be leading in another year. I can see changes already . . .even though I slop through some of them.

Now it's off to work!

Trying to Restore Rhythm

"Knuckles & Strands"

oil on linen on panel, 8" x 10"

After nearly a month . . . .actually, it HAS BEEN a month! . . . .of breaking the habit if daily painting, restoring the rhythm has been difficult. Especially, since I have a JOB, too! Sometimes, the demands of my occupation as a realtor simply make daily painting impossible.

Yesterday, after a full day with a client, I shot out of the house to a place called "Lighthouse Field," which is very near the bluffs over the sea, for a return to plein air painting. I could hear the seals barking and the gulls calling. (nice!) The fog had come in, which took all shadow and highlights out of my painting subject. (not nice). And it was cold . . . . . and this is August!!!! . . .

I stuck it out . . . .or should I say I struggled it out. I can always tell when I am not in the zone if I get lost in textures . . . .and get lost I did!! In the end, I found that there wasn't enough value contrast between the top edge of the old log and the grasses behind it. So, I had to resort to some alternation and value changes along that edge to bring it to life this morning. Overall, I think I chose a tough subject and should probably go back for another attempt . . . and take a jacket with me!

In the meantime, I am settling back into routines that are more conducive to a painting every day. Diana is up and around and back to teaching and other distractions of the summer have settled down. I am ready to move ahead!

Back in the Studio

"Crooked River Ranch"

watercolor, 11" x 15"

Okay! So it is a watercolor and not oil. Having come back from this spectacular location, I couldn't get the images out of my mind. A horrendous canyon this is probably 1500 feet deep or more (am guessing) cuts through central Oregon lava fields and screams with geological history. This golf course, called Crooked River Ranch, is on sort of a mezzanine . . .or intermediate level . . . .between the top of the rim of the canyon and the river below. We played this course out in the sage brush and marveled at the canyon walls and how the light in the late afternoon played all sorts of games with the canyon walls. The contrast of the dark, harsh walls and the soft color variation of silvery greens has been nagging me since I laid eyes on it. I did this piece for our host. I will be matting it and sending it off to he and his wife. I have a hunch he'll like it, being the golf nut that he is.

Excuses . .

I hate excuses. And whenever Ihave one, I always feel the guilt about it.

Last Thursay morning, I flew to Portland, Oregon with a friend to meet two other friends to play golf for four days. My stomach hurts from laughing so hard for so long. My throat is scratchy from yelling and laughing. My voice is deep and hoarse from over use.

Who can paint in that condition? Hmmmm???

I have to work today to catch up on the goings on there. So no painting today.

I want to, but I gotta clean up after myself!

New Links

This blog enterprise offers an amazing view of the art world and those artists who make it all work.

Obviously, there are thousands of artists out there. I have just added 5 links of artists whose capabilities I admire greatly. Check them out. While you are there looking at their work, also click on their links. You might find some who set your pulse to a sudden jump.

Here they are: Mick McGinty, Paul Ziakin, Louis Boileau, WK Moore, Keewon Hong and Edward Gordon.

For you watercolor fans, Mr. Moore has an extremely unique view. It is worth seeing.

For those who enjoy abstract / non objective work, see Mr. Ziakin.

Mr. Hong's works are positively radiant. A true color master.

Edward Gordon's work is a study in shape and composition.

They are all different, but each is extraordinary!

These artists deserve your attention. Enjoy!

Cobalt Blue Light

"Cobalt Blue Light" Oil on linen on panel, 8" x 10"

Today I got a late start. After attempting to paint this cobalt blue vase and all of the light going through it, it had gotten later than I planned. This li'l bugger was a challenge.

Am starting to have pangs about being outside now, so I better git busy and wip my plein air gear into shape. I haven't done any of that in oils for over a month.

There is a shade of blue violet that I just could not come up with. I figure that I needed the warm blue of ultramarine, but transparent. Of course, I don't have anything like that , so I improvised. Why the read block? Well? Doen't it fit nicely? After all, this is painting practice, isn't it? It must be, because I learn something every time I do it!

"Tournasol Space"

watercolor on paper, 30" x 22"

SOLD

The nice thing about painting outdoors is that the images of what I paint is sometimes burned into my memory. I find that if the location had a lot to offer in a spectacular sense, new images begin processing themselves in my head. Unknowingly, I memorize much of the character of the place after staring at it and painting for three or four hours.

My stint at the edge sunflower field near the farmhouse where I stayed in France was no different. Also, the vision of the different shaped fields, all tilted and undulating into the distance, was something I just could not shake. At my desk at work, I found myself sketching as I was on the phone. Before I knew it, I had the elements of two or three interesting paintings . . . .each offering different challenges.

The challenge in this piece was to not allow myself to become tight and edgy. In watercolor, looseness can be fascinating, particularly when an image is represented well without actually stating it. I find that more of a feeling occurs when that is accomplished; Thus, the goal of avoiding a tight rendering. Also, green can become very tiresome in a painting, especially if it is large like this one. I had to resort to blues and violets to bring about the sense of greenery here. Those colors set off the yellows and occasional orange, obviously.

Gradations of intensity and textures play a large role in this piece to bring about the feeling of space.

As for the execution, big, really big, brushes were used to saturate the whole page with initial color while the vertical paper gave gravity permission to do the painting. Then, mark after mark with progressively smaller brushes, ‘things’ began to appear in the paint without painfully executed edges . . . .just suggestions. Gradually, over three to four days, the painting developed with a lot of time and consideration between applications of paint.

Enjoy!

Looking For New Stuff

"Imported Olives"

oil on linen on panel, 8" x 10"

As a painter looking to grow, I am always seeking ways to get the paint on the canvas in a more appealing way. I find myself browsing in places I otherwise would not . . . .such as the Good Will store . . . .to find interesting objects, too. Yesterday, I found a few things. These came from another store. I found them interesting because they presented new challenges. A ball of string . . . .very interesting texture and the size appealed to me as a possible interesting contrast object in a painting. This lop-sided, goofy shaped dish with its unusual markings and colors offerred some other possbilitities in the area of shape and pattern. Then, as if I had come to this market with this purpose in mind, I found myself looking for something tall and slender that would offer a compositional balance. When I saw it, I immediately knew it. But what a dumb thing it was!! A jar of olives? Fer gawd's sakes!! And a ball of string? What possible relationship could these two things have? Welllllll . . . . . .the colors of the label offer great interest against the warms of the olives and the ball and bowl. And the rectangular shape of the label in the painting will make a nice counterpoint to the curvilinear shapes in the rest of the painting.

"What the heck!" . . . ."Go ahead and paint it. The only thing I have to lose is a small piece of linen . . .and I can always paint over that, if I want to."

So I did. It is in a frame in my living room (where most of these end up to dry and to continually watch and re-evaluate). And I can't take my eyes off it!!

Watercolor Comments

"Hermetically Sealed"

oil on linen on panel, 6" x 8"

In the last post I mentioned it took about 15 minutes to paint that piece. That always amazes painters of other mediums because, in their mediums, every square inch has to be manually developed and hammered into place. With watercolor, (at least these are my habits and thoughts) if one allows the paint to flow and to mix without trying too hard to control it (impossible for some artists), the painting will paint itself. It is all in the way water flows in the presence of gravity. By allowing what happens naturally to exist, then a freshness and spontaneous feel occurs. It is a much different mind set than oils where the brush work is part of the art. The really cool thing about oils is that the hand of the artist becomes visible.

And speaking of oils . . . .this is the first piece done since returning from Europe. I found myself whistling and singing loudly while I was painting this. The paint was flowing fast and I was in my element. I suppose that is a sign of growing confidence with the medium, eh? That is not to say, however, that I am not of a mind to reach for new levels of painting. On the contrary, this artist is very restless inside . . . .ideas are perculating!

Special Little Challenges

"Dordogne Pastures"

watercolor on paper, 11" x 15"

SOLD


In teaching folks to paint, one of my most sacred lessons is about value structure and value sketching. Lights, Darks and Mediums . . . .putting them together in a desirable ratio . . .arranging contrasts and laying together an interesting abstraction of light and dark shapes. That's all there is to it. Riiiiiiight! This concept is, ofr some reason, extremely difficult for most people to grasp. The idea is to arrange the values, then essentially go and paint how ever the painter wishes . . . . . .because it usually is not the color that makes a painting work, but the value structure.

After a few days of wrestling with values, a challenge was brought forward to paint our very green landscape without using green. Of course, this turns most people's minds upside down, but it really does show the power of a strong value design.

Here is a little watercolor sketch done without greens in about 15 minutes to answer the challenge.

Today, now that my jet lag is settling down, I am going to the studio and opening up my oil paints again. After all, I have a goal to meet; 100 paintings by Sept 1. I have some 20 to go. Gotta git er done!

Spotlighting

"Tournasol Spotlight"

watercolor on paper, 15" x 22"


Returning from a day's outing to a place called Bergerac . . . .yes, Bergerac of Cyrano fame . . . . . . . . . you know! Cyrano Bergerac, the muskateer who wrote the love letters for his pal . . . .we drove through beautiful rolling hills of fields of grapes, corn, sunflowers and, occasionally, potatoes. On this overcast day, as we wove among the vineyards, a distant hill planted with fields of sunflowers, lit up under a sudden sunbeam. It was an amazing sight! I couldn't help myself. The urge to paint that contrast just could not be resisted. So, out came the soft brushes. Several glazes later, this is what showed up. A texture of granulated cool color underlies the warmth. There is an undulating rhythm to the countryside there that is hopefully mentioned in the painting. Enjoy!

One of Those Days

"Villa Tournasol"

watercolor on Arches 15" x 22"

This day was a "day off." We had been touring The Perigord Region pretty hard for seven days straight. We needed to rest and relax. . . .So, I took a 'busmans holiday' . . . .I snuck away and painted. I did so with the complete support of everyone. I had packed up my backpack and walked a half mile up hill and set up on the corner of this sea of sunflowers that stretched into many, many acres. What a sight! What a perfect spot. No one to bother me. The birds chirping. The sun playing tag with the slightly overcast cloud cover. It was perfect . . . . . . . .except after I had put this whole rig of easel, umbrella etc up in the slight breeze, I discoverd I had left my water at home!!! NO WATER for painting? Now what?

I had a small bottle of water for drinking . . .and it was a warm day . . .I would need it. Or, could I get away with using it? . . .. . . .Rather than fold up the works . . .or worse, leave it sit while I hike back to the house . . . . . .and risk being side tracked by wife or the group requests, I dug in and used teensy bits of water at a time. Someone eventually happened by and I sent them to my wife to send a messenger with more water. It worked.

It ALL worked that day. I love the way the painting came out too.

"One of Those Days"

Photo by Diana Bailey

We are Back!

If you had to spend two weeks with people like this, would that be heaven . . .or what? These folks were soooo special! We really had a blast with each and every one of them!

One of the Medievil villages we spent time in . . .and the wonderful things to see, eat and do during these open market days certainly gave us plenty of painting subjects! I did one of this scene en plein aire . . . .and one of the group took it home toToronto.

Late in the trip, we visited the countess and her stunningly beautiful chateau and winery. This location proved to be a favorite of all of us. It also happened to be the site of the first battle in the 100 years war.

This is the quick watercolor painting I did for the countess as a gift of appreciation for hosting us at here unbelievable home. The scene above is what I was looking at while doing this piece. The attempt was to suggest the colors of autumn in the tightly pruned vineyards. What a place!!!

We are home!! After 3 weeks of looking at phenomenal art, touring, painting, eating, drinking, eating, touring, drinking, eating some more and having a few munchies now and then, with wine, of course, we arrived home and fell into bed. First thing this morning, I pulled up all the photos taken. These are a few that will give you a quick slice of the absolute Nirvana we experienced with some very special people. There will be more to show and tell later.

It's great to be home!