Apparently I mostly took summer off

I didn't mean to take summer off, but I also didn't give myself very strict orders about getting to the easel or producing any particular number of paintings.  But today was a happy return to studio painting sessions with my friend and artist Paula Mingolelli.  

I took fewer tubes of paint than I used to, which forced some interesting color mixing challenges.

This is ONLY preliminary... An Ogunquit, Maine view of the Atlantic.

 

And since I got the entire canvas wet, I started another panel.  Believe it or not this is destined to turn into a view of a cranberry bog during harvest season.  (I may get NEW photos in a couple of weeks... but for now, this is what a rough beginning looks like.)

Things are warming up!

The is a view near Rockport, Ma. last summer.  Spring is still young enough that greens are just teasing. But I'm happy that I caught the glow of sun an this inlet, with it's promise of warm days and temperate nights. For now, I'm calling it finished.  Oil/canvas panel.  9 x 12

 

 And in further celebration of the Joy of Spring, here is an emerging, happy (or hysterical) sheep.  Lots more work to make him fully fluffy. Oil/canvas. 8 x 10

Painting Progress x Two

 

I suppose there will come a time when I'll edit my blog and photostreams and delete the works in progress or unsuccessful ones.  But maybe not. I like watching the progress of others and am definitely grateful to see progress in my own technical and stylistic development.

My "art notes" are sketchy at best.  But when I make these entries, I include details that would otherwise be omitted and remember things just by looking.  The canvas panel above (9 x 12) was toned with a combination of Mars red and Cad yellow.  I wish I'd had those colors in acrylic, because it would have dried quickly enough to avoid the green sky strokes!  But I'm liking the drama of the complimentary under-coat.  I took the reference photograph at Nichols Candies on the way to Gloucester, MA:  Shooting from a parking lot across a bit of lawn and sea-grass to an islet and hills on the far side of an ocean inlet.  The vacant spots which seem like they'll be clouds are actually masses of leaves atop skinny, asymmetrical trees.  There is also going to be a more or less vertical white stripe of reflected sun shine  in the "water."  Stay tuned.

 This floral impression is inspired by a florist's portfolio.  My daughter-in-law is enamored of star-gazer lilies and I hope you can see the foundation for two of those beautiful pink blooms.  She's hit a rough patch recently, and I'm hoping this turns out well enough (and dries fast enough) to be a bit of cheer for her home or office (8 x 10 could fit in a cubical, right?).  I need to get the vase cleared up and full of water and stems as well as increase the variety of pinks, and mauves. I've also noticed that I'd better widen the foot of the vase of the whole thing might tip over!

Nomination for best picture (of my weekend)

 Wild and Woolly!

 The value sketch for my first "marsh" painting. 

Lake Pentucket

I'm not sure I captured that the marsh/lake was frozen and covered with ice and snow.  Suggestions welcome.  I am pleased that it looks fairly "cold" though.

Found a studio group to paint with!

Hazy Horizon. oil/canvas  8 x 10

I joined the studio class led by fellow Nashua Breakfast Club Artist, Paula Mingolelli.  And already, I can tell it is a good thing. 

 I had done most of this high key landscape on a hazy day, but had managed to get the house tilted at about a 13 degree angle.  Calling herself the "Horizon Police" she insisted I straighten out the roof lines.  Didn't know I could do it... But I did!  AND it was worth it.

When you paint by yourself, it is easy to slip into denial, depression or just a giant lake of Prussian Blue. I still miss my painting buddies from Texas!  I'm sure it will take a little bit of getting used to a new "leader,"  but I figure it will take a little bit for her to get used to me, too!

After I set the Hazy Horizon to one side, I had enough time and "oomph" to begin another small painting.  SHEEP!

I toned the canvas with violet acrylic paint, sketched in with charcoal, and scumbled a bit with R&F paint sticks.  I've done thumbnails of this plenty of times, but the composition came together better than ever before. I still need to correct some of the colors and contrasts in order to prove it to you!

I wonder if the woman who bought one of my paintings because she "liked purple and green" will like this, too.

Revved Up, Reworked, Roughed In, Rambunctious!

 After watching the demo last night by Stapleton Kearns (photos and comments coming soon), I HAD to paint today.  Even though I got a late start, it was a productive session. 
I re-worked the Texas sunset scene I started the other day.  I don't think the colors are exactly true in the photograph, but I generally like the changes I made.

 Watching Mr. Kearns determine atmospheric perspective, mix colors and compose "in spite of" his reference photograph gave me courage to try some new stuff in this painting.  The mix of evergreen and deciduous trees (not to mention marsh grasses, snow and some ice) was a challenge I would have shrunk from only a day or two ago.).  The slope was intended to look evenly tilted toward the viewer:  I'm not quite sure why it looks as if there is a crevasse on the left of the snowy cleared section.  Otherwise, I'm quite pleased.

We'll see whether I can give this sheep dreadlocks AND an attitude.

More Chalk Dust and Slightly Less Frustration (for now, anyway)

 I think these trees are "as good as it gets."  They are decidedly lollipop like, but the colors seem tasty!  My plan is to go to the art supply store tomorrow and get some pastel medium (gesso with pumice grit in it) and see if part of my problem is the paper I've been using.

 These trees, also inspired by Richard C. Harrington, seemed to "go" better than the ones above.  Perhaps the pinkish background of the first was overly dark for the final effect I was looking for.  This paper was merely "cream" and I was able to leave a pretty bright halo on the tree tops.  If you double click you can see the myriad oranges, yellows and pinks that are in those flaming trees.

 

This is from a photograph I took around the corner from the house.  I'm pretty pleased because a) it actually resembles reality!! b) it is complicated  c) for how much green there is in it, I don't think it is too acidic or bilious and d) the tree shadow on the boxy white building seems to work.  Maybe you have to squint.

I even got brave enough to block in some sheep.  You knew they wouldn't stay away for long!

Fun AND frustrating

 I've blurred, brushed, blended, drawn and redrawn my feline visitor from last spring.  This is a better likeness in many ways, but it still isn't "right."  I'm not (yet) sure (when it comes to pastels) when to start over rather than repair. 

 I also started another "inspired by Richard C. Harrington" landscape.  (The note card is at the upper left).
Mine is a bit on the garish side-- while simultaneously lacking sufficient contrast.  How can that be? 
Am I missing just the right tint?  Or am I missing the boat?
I read on another blog that it could also be  a poor match up between pastel brand/softness and the brand of paper.
Sheesh!  So much to learn.

Pastel Class IV

 SIMPLIFY! was again the primary mantra.  I seem to have a difficult time with this concept.

 Using a note card from Richard C. Harrington as source material, I tried to "do simple."
     I used tinted and scribbled in some of the bands of color.  Today, at least on this piece, I was also averse to blending.  Perhaps it was because I was using some new sticks by Unison and Mount Vision.  they are definitely softer than any others that I have and thus leave more vivid marks on the paper.





Being free of concerns (mostly) about perspective and accuracy, I laid in the color rather freely and with analogous, complementary and sometimes just "crazy" color combinations. 

I was surprised by:

• how much I liked the final result, and
• how fast it went
• how little I wanted to fuss with it.

Local Artist   did her own work/demo while we did.  She has apparently painted this house many times.  It occurs to me that when you have studied a building LOTS of time, it probably gets much easier to draw.  D'oh!
This was her basic vine charcoal outline.

 Then came LOTS of blue, vigorously applied.  I think she said she thought she would run out of the original color, so she added hyacinth, robin's egg and others to the mix.









I still haven't figured out how one decides where to start.  Back ground?  Top? Lightest?  Darkest?  I recall different answers at different times and don't know if there is rhyme or reason.

The next time I looked up there was a roof , shadows and the hint of foliage.  Not to mention the chimney.She didn't seem the least concerned that she didn't finish.  She was generous with her comments while troubleshooting with the rest of the class.

At home, the previous night, I made an effort to paint a very bold cat which visited us early last spring.  It didn't look quite as juvenile/amateurish as my first attempts, It still leaves a LOT to be desired.  A local artist noted several things right away:

• The red fence piece overpowers the focal cat.
• The cat is EVEN fatter in the reference photo than in the painting.
• His eyes were too close together, mis-aligned, and less wide open.
• His tail needs more definition
• The lights need to be lighter and the darks, darker.

  So I dulled the railing by overlaying a complementary color (more or less).  A problem with pastels is that they don't always "mix" the way you expect them to, and NOBODY ever thinks they have the exact right color for the job.
Next, I obliterated as much as I could of the slanted lines representing the house's vinyl siding.  As Karen said, the lines were neither interesting nor important.
Once again, I was torn between blending and scribbling.  I like the look of the scribbling, but if there isn't a good foundation, the image gets all out of whack.  I will probably brush off some of the pastel, do some blending and then re-scribble over that.  Of course sometimes one's scribbling must be VERY calculated... like the cat's face.

I also need to tone down the green of the storage box he's sitting on.

It is amazing how many more faults I can see when he's "on screen" than when he's on the easel.  Definitely like him enough to give him an eye lift, chin reconstruction, and symmetrical muzzle!!

And a fluffier tale.

 I have been trying to get the Carlisle Cranberry Bog "right" for a long time.  It still isn't right.
Suggestions welcome!
I'm not sure if it is composition, color or technique... OR, quite likely, a combination of all three.

This one is the most simplified of the three I have tried, and yet you can see there is quite a lot of blending.















Below are two  earlier versions, which I thought got too fiddly, or at least too fussy in the wrong places.  Maybe I should brush THEM off, too and start over.

I can't imagine how people do portraits in pastel.
Just saying.