Easter Sunday - He has Risen!

Sunset block in, 18x36

I wanted to paint this sunset the other day. I did not have a 'clean' canvas on hand for the size I wanted it to be. BUT I did have a painting that I decided I did not want to repaint and that whatever it was that attracted me to it (yes, I remember what that was) that moment has passed. So I picked up "Rolling Tundra-Guanella Pass" to be the victim:

Rolling Tundra-Guanella Pass has passed on, 2017, oil on board

I thought I would get the old painting covered and then  go back in and refine it. As I have mentioned many times before the block in process is my favorite thing about painting, especially over an existing painting. Repurposing, recycling, whatever. Or making what came before, new. As the new covenant is fulfilled this week.

For now, I am not able to go back in and 'refine' this painting as I like the energy so much (oops, an attachment! we cannot get attached!). My one friend whom I have shared the image with said if I do go in 'only work on the right side. Do not  touch the colors on the left!' The dark colors coming in behind the white clouds I thought would definitely need to be addressed, but right now I am not so sure. It has grown on me. Stay tuned to see where this one goes. As I write this I am getting some ideas on direction. Blessings to All. God is Good.

The Start of A Rainy Day in Paris

Dark/light pattern is the visual approach that I will document progress on over the next several weeks. I started this painting just blocking in the dark pattern which is the large shape. I did several sketches beforehand trying to figure out some areas where I was not sure if I wanted it to be part of the light group or the dark group. I still have a few small areas where I will decide which pattern they will go into as I get further along for better eye flow. The story will be told in the dark group/pattern for this painting. That means I will be putting more information or detail and color shifts in that big shape and the light group will be very simple. I don’t often paint this visual approach, but it is very striking when it is successfully done.

 name TBD, Oil on Linen, 30"x20"

In this first block in above, I was testing the red of the bus and umbrella as part of the dark group where I had put it in my sketch as that was my inclination and it seems a good fit. The part that made me unsure is the red bus being dark and the windows of the bus being dark. I decided to break that large bus shape up by using a light rim around the windows and adding light text to the side of the bus.

In the next phase, color has been added still keeping the value of the color in the dark or light group. You can see between the two images how I am doing that by distinguishing the shapes or pulling the smaller shapes out of the larger overall dark pattern, yet keeping them in that pattern. The pale yellow of the buildings in teh background still read as part of the light group.

It helps me to see these side by side as I "see" things that I lost to one group or another that I am not sure I want to do. If you can spot those areas, let me know...as you may see something different from me that I should pay attention to!

Melbourne, FL - Beach with Birds

Melbourne, FL Beach with Sea Birds, 24x24, oil on board (Day 3)

Our last class project is to paint outside our normal  modus operundi. So if we normally paint with thick paint, to paint thinner; if you normally paint thin, paint with more texture. I normally paint thin and fairly graphically, so I am attempting to paint with more texture and less line.  I am using the brush to allow the strokes to be more integral to the painting. I am having so much fun.

I forgot to take a photo after the block in, but after two class periods I had gotten close to where I wanted it to be. Just needed the birds and the rest of the people on the beach to be added. By the end of day 3 I had the birds added and worked on a finishing the water. I also had added more color into the wet sand while make it all read better as one value. In the beach tomorrow the sand looks too choppy. Tomorrow, before critique, I hope to have all the rest of the people added on the beach. I don't expect that to take too long.

Day 2

Cattle Crossing

Cattle Crossing Work in Progress, 12x24, oil on board

Last weekend I started two paintings simultaneously. Neither of them was I able to complete. This one is along the same vein as the painting I posted last week of the cattle in the field. These are both from the same trip to Wyoming, but this one is on the way to Sarasota Springs, so north of Walden, CO. I think the block-in went pretty well, although don't look too closely at the cattle's feet. Talk about a puzzle to work through. I want to keep them as a teeming mass so don't plan on pulling out too much detail. I want the focus to be the main cowboy and his dog.There is another cattle dog that will be at the tail end (literally) of the second cowboy. This has been a nice change from alleys.

Orange VW Bug - WIP

Orange Bug, 30x30, oil on linen

I am stuck on this painting and not sure if it is completed or not. Either way, it is close and worth showing off if for no other reason than it has been awhile since I posted a painting! I have started a number of posts while this painting has been in progress but I just wasn't satisfied with any of them.
I came upon this scene one afternoon last month while walking home from our local library. It makes me wonder why I never noticed this VW parked there before, being so brightly colored. Maybe it took the bluish snow and purple recycle bin and no leaves on the trees for me to see it as it obviously has been "parked" there for quite some time. I do like the tire marks in the snow and the composition, but if anyone has any helpful suggestions as to what I might be missing, I am open to hearing them. Sometimes I can't see the forest for the trees.

Sunrise Rising Up

yet to be titled Sunrise over Iowa St, 36x36, oil on canvas

After weeks of being unable to work on this painting due to a shoulder injury and then on top of it not being able to keep up with my blog due to my laptop being infected with nasty virus's, we are back in business. My shoulder still cannot take a full day of painting but it seems to be getting better slowly with time. My laptop, after 3 visits to the shop, I pray, is finally clean. One thing I can say though, I am getting used to not feeling drawn to be on the computer since it wasn't available, and I have grown to like it!

I had posted this painting in progress a few weeks ago when it was first started and then I began another, smaller piece in between. That waiting time was good for this painting because when I got back to it, I was ready and it just flowed. The movement and orchestration of the medium value of the trees is critical to the light. This piece is still a work in progress but great headway was made and I wanted to share it. I don't know if I will get to finishing it up this weekend and did not want to wait any longer to post the progress. Where it still needs to go is neither the signs marching up the street to the stop signs, nor the tree structures within the right-hand side mix of leaves and branches, have been completed, along with a few other minor details.

I took this painting in to work this week to see it in another light and it is the best received piece I have brought in to date. Uplifting to all who viewed it. What more could an artist ask? Art should uplift the soul of the viewer. Now to come up with an appropriate title.

Iowa Street Sunrise looking West

Iowa Street Sunrise, 36x36, oil on canvas_Work in Progress

This is one of my latest projects started a few weekends ago. I did not make any progress on it at all since then. My shoulder is giving me fits and it is too painful to paint on this large of a canvas. I know when I get back to it it will flow!I have been studying it and figuring how I want it to read.

The top photo would be the end of the second day after I got things figured out and loosely blocked in and have started to lay some paint down. The bottom photo is after the third day. Wanting to weave the color and the textures of the trees and have then the halo of light create a silhouette is where I was headed. I decided to start on the periphery with the trees coming down from each corner and working my way down each side. Then I switched to the  middle and made the light halo more solid and the blue sky a bit darker. Last I started to work my way out from the rich color of light down the center of the street and that is where I got stuck. I made it up the left side just fine but on my way to the right I started to get lost in the trees and going into too much detail. I had to stop to begin fresh another day.

Burghausen Again

Burghausen Castle, 20x30, oil on linen

I discovered a funny thing while painting this piece. We were in Germany in December 2003 so I was still using film cameras at that time. I used Seattle Film to develop my negatives, and with that they offered digital images as well that they kept in albums online. So I went to the website (now owned by Shutterfly) to download the digital image so I could work from the computer. On screen there was this odd green light in the sky which is barely visible in the bottom photo and a bit more in the top photo, going across the sky about midway. In person, this green really drew the eye to it. I was trying to explain this to someone at work, as I do take paintings to work to see them from a different point of view. I sent the digital photo to my work computer to show her, but the green did not show up on my screen at work. Go figure. So I then dug around in my photo albums and found the print. The green light was not in the printed version either. But what I did discover is that the print (4x6) showed way more detail than the digital image. So from the original photo of Burghausen that I posted a month ago, I went about adding the details that were lost to me on the screen. I made the wooden covered stair way more interesting and not so flat by suggesting the boards; I discovered window boxes under the windows; and a red door in the shadows under the walkway. I had put a door there anyway but now I knew there was one and that it was red. The dark blue window bothered me so I lightened them all up a bit. I also decided to put more detail into the whole wall and lightened the tree somewhat so it wasn't quite so dark.

Prairie Glow Work in Progress

Prairie Glow, 18x36, oil in progress

I first saw this scene 6 years ago and it has haunted me every since. This past August found me back there once again. This is the view of my boss's in-laws property from his property on the prairie lands of NE Colorado. The setting sun lit everything with this pinkish orange-y glow which I have thus far only intimated at. I got to this point a few weeks ago and have not been inspired to finish it off quite yet. There will be a beautiful highlight of light separating the purple cloud from the blue sky; I have a fence to build and a few more horses grazing in the shadows of the hillside (I am still debating whether they are needed or not-the fence may be all that is needed). Then I want to add the rosy light in a more unified pattern throughout.

Reflected Alley Work in Progress

Reflected Alley, 36x24, oil painting in progress

"The real jolt comes...because the viewer becomes lost in the sheer beauty of it. The painting gives a person an experience of the eternal." I read this last night in a novel I am reading and it so captured how I think about my work. To capture the eternal...Wow!

I worked on this painting this weekend. Made progress and it is heading in the right direction. I have not yet been  able to jump back into painting with gusto, but the passion is still there when I do stand at my easel. The building blocks are coming together (ie the big shapes are all there now and I am starting to work on breaking them down into smaller shapes which will then reveal themselves as "details.") I like the freshness showing already in this painting of how it looks after a spring rain when the sun comes out. Glorious!

Starting Anew

Alley Reflection block in, 36x24

Prairie Glow block in, 18x36

Saturday found me ready to start some new paintings now that the stress of trying to have everything ready for the show is over. I looked around at what size canvas I had ready to go and decided to go large. I got both of these blocked in and Sunday found me back at my easel painting. It is amazing how blocking in basic big shapes can get a piece pulled together in short order. At this point I know the prairie piece does not look very exciting but I do have some fun things in store for it. I decided to start with this one as I want a whole weekend ahead of me to get into the Alley piece. That one has me excited. One would think I would be done with alleys by now, but it is not to be. I haven't moved much out of my neighborhood. So many treasures yet to be uncovered!

A Girl with a Purpose

In A World of Her Own, 18x24

This reference photo was taken in October in Paris a few years ago. I was sitting on the rim of the fountain that is in the plaza by the Centre Pompidou and watching all the activity on a warm sunny afternoon even though the plaza is in shadow. It reminded me of my youth when we lived in France. On Sunday afternoons, a number of families would meet at a small town's restaurant, where multiple-coursed dinners were served over an afternoon. The children would go play in the town square between courses while the adults smoked, drank and talked. The same thing was happening here. This little girl was scooting her way around the plaza, while older boys were playing soccer around her and she is totally unconcerned by their running and shouting. There are bistros and restaurants surrounding the perimeter of the plaza where the outside tables are packed with locals and tourists alike.

The Fountain where I am sitting watching the world go by.(The Church is St Eustace, also worth visiting.)
The Pompidou is a Modern Art Museum named after the French President of the time (1977), Georges Pompidou.

Soccer being played

My little model getting a lesson on Skateboarding

I attempted to paint this same scene 3 years ago and utterly failed. I threw the original canvas away in frustration. At the time, I felt I had gotten everything pretty well nailed except the most important thing, which is the little girls face. I could not capture her expression nor her youth. I have not been able to get a photo that

Work in Progress where progress was made

French Waiters, 24x24

From 10-23 post, works in progress

So this painting has been stuck in my craw for over a year, when I first started it. During my 10 days off over Christmas I finally "saw" what I needed to do and I literally reworked the whole painting in short order. I love it when that happens! I softened edges, unified objects and made the painting local tone instead of light and shadow. Local tone is where you have three major value groups, light, medium and dark, with a diffused sense of light. So, for example on the waiters aprons, I wanted the apron to read as one shape not with the wrinkles or folds showing so much light/shadow. Same with their shirts. I brought the light down and the  shadows up to be closer in value where you see the shirt as one shape versus what is the light and what isn't without losing the form. The plates I blended more together instead of trying to make them each read separately. I tied in the waiters dishrag into the stainless steel and darkened the reflection (floor tiles) on the stainless steel by the waiter on the right so he isn't quite so carved out but more unified. The pots and pans were all downplayed and again unified into the whole, correcting some of the drawing on them as well. I also warmed the tones of the waiter on the left and will do that with the waiter on the right now that I see it needs that from this photo. I did warm up the arm of his that is reaching as it was too blue and looked "dead."

Alley Activity on Winter Break

Work in Progress, 24 x 36

Detail from Work In Progress

"Work in Progress" (or should it be "Alley Activity?") was done over Christmas break. It is amazing what I can done with almost 10 days off in a row! I have painted this alley, which is across the street from our alley multiple times in the past year or so. It has been just about a year since I painted this particular scene plein air, so it took me awhile to get to it. I remember that I had seen this scene while taking out the trash, ran back and got my gear and set up to paint. It was around 11 a.m. and I knew that come lunch time they would be gone. Which is exactly what happened. But I got the information I wanted.
I like that this is a complimentary color scheme (blue and orange) so despite it being a winter snow scene it is not too cold.

Weekend Work

I will post a few of the pieces I worked on this past long weekend. This first one is from a photo reference I took while in San Francisco the end of October. We walked Ocean Beach in the wind and rain and these two ravens were walking the wall  next to the entrance to the beach. This painting is 20"x30" and I am not sure it is finished, but it is pretty close. I am sitting on it awhile. I don't have a name for it so if any on you have any ideas, I would love to hear them.

This next painting I started a few weeks ago, got stuck (ie didn't feel motivated to work on it) and then just got to it. The reference I am using for it was taken this summer in what I call my parking strip garden (ie it is on the other side of our sidewalk, next to the street). I was going to keep it pretty graphic in the background but then I got started on breaking up the dark shape of the shadow that was across the street. I have not completed that because I am  not convinced I like it. This painting tentatively has the title of "Day Lily Riot" and it is 20x16x1.5. There is a swallowtail butterfly in one of the day lilies.

This little piece is 12x12 and I started it plein air while in Taos last May. It is of a little church that was a few blocks from the B&B we were staying in. I went out before breakfast and only had a short time to get the block in done. It has been sitting around awhile but I was finally motivated to finish it up. The church is called "Neustra Senora de Dolores."

And for something completely different is the painting above that I found while cataloging my inventory last week. I did this still life in Guilford, CT 5 years ago. I was enamored of my friends collection of old hammered pitchers. I did a few touch ups on the two pitchers in the middle ground as they just didn't read right. I also took out the solid black background that just was too dead and put the bluish purple back there instead. That was a vast improvement. I had done a number of w/c studies of her collection, so I did have something to go by. They are just such fun shapes.

Works in Progress

I was reading an article about the artist, Karin Jurik, in the latest issue of Southwest Art. In it Karin mentioned how she completes a painting a day because she gets bored with a painting if she has to keep coming back to it. I found this an interesting perspective, because as I have mentioned, I get bored with the larger pieces myself. Here are two that fit this criteria. The alley painting below is relatively new as I started this piece in late August. It isn't that large, being 20" x 30" and technically, I should have been able to finish it by now. My thought is to "rip" through it quickly when I get back from my trip to California to wrap it up. It needs some life breathed into it. This past weekend I did a 14x18 study in less than 2 hours so that is what I need to do with this piece. Wake it up a bit as the values are pretty much in place.

Alameda Alley, 20" x 30"

The French Waiters I began over a year ago and just recently got it out to see where I wanted to go with it. It hasa complimentary color scheme going on (blue and orange) which for the most part is working. I need to decide once and for all if I want to show tiles on the back wall or get rid of them. I have gone back and forth more than once now it is time to just be rid of them. I think they take away from the center of interest. I do like the light aiming down, so I will keep that. I want to pull the most forward plate out more (more light on it) to draw the viewer into the work area. Once those items are tidied up I will reevaluate to see if that takes care of my dissatisfaction with this piece. Any other suggestions or observations are most welcome.

French Waiters, 24" x 24"

Ira's Trailer-Pearl Street Alley

This painting has been posted as a Work in Progress (WIP) so it is not new to the blog. I think it is now ready for critique. I know Kevin will give me the feedback I need to take it that much further. I have discovered working on these alley's that I can only get so far and then I am "done" with them for awhile. I thought it was the size of them, but I have done two 18x24 alley's now, and I am running into the same problem on them.  I must need time to let them grow on me so I can take them further. I am usually very excited at the block in stage, then the drudgery sets in and I get bored. I had to "sit" on this one for almost a month before I figured out what was bugging me, and that was with the help of one of my friends. She suggested I lighten the roof on the right; that led me to the trees in the middle behind all the garages, which I also lightened. I darkened the house at the very end of the alley to let the brightness of the bush in front of it be in the light and to continue the eye flow. I know Kevin will tell me I have too much detail, although I did try to reign myself in. I will do a follow up post after class tomorrow if we get a chance to critique.

I had taken this painting back to alley where I took this photo reference to try and figure some of this out "on-site." I had intended to paint there, but this is a surprisingly busy alley and a narrow one as well. There was no way I could set up and do any painting and keep the same angle. I was up against the wall of a carriage house when I took this photo.

Alley Critique

I took this painting in this morning for critique as I believed I had made the red bud too light in value. Before going back in and working on it I wanted Kevin's opinion, and he did agree. BUT he said maybe I should use the purple/pink color of the redbud, mixed with the green from the trees behind it with the sky color, which he said is too blue, make the overall value of the sky lighter, and then the red bud would be okay. He said the sky is just a bit too blue for the overcast day it was. Otherwise, he said it is a fine painting and I did a good job on the local tone feel of it. (ie no light and shadow, and three value groups: light, medium and dark). I also took in the "truck" alley painting, and it is not near being complete so there was a lot to say about that one. I will give that in a second post as I want to put the before and after in one blog post. and it is thundering and lightening out right now and I want to get off the computer!

the Weekend Ends

Saturday I did work on the "Alley in Spring" painting as I thought I would. I added the little Westie, worked on the two trees in bloom as well as a few other things, like refining the truck, redid the sky completely and then added color and interest to the tree in the upper left hand corner, tying the color into the rest of the painting. The clump of fresh budding green trees got a little work as well and while I had green out, I tidied up the green wheelbarrow. I knew when I put this in my show at Bell Gallery that it really wasn't finished, so it was good to take this piece a bit further. I won't say it is completed, as I want to sit on it awhile longer. Back to work it goes tomorrow. I may take it in on Saturday for critique if I decide to go to Kevin's Saturday class. Kevin can always find ways to push me which is a good thing. I am a very lazy painter, if the truth be known.

close up of Sassy Boots, better known as "Pearl."

The "Emerson Street Alley" I put on my easel this afternoon. I had a "dream" from Mark Daily after yesterday's post about how can you get the shadow shape value correct if you don't have the light to relate it to?...so I started putting in the light. He is right. Relationships are so important; value, color, size, shape etc. I do get it, just old habits die hard. I lightened the sky in this painting as well. I worked on the small details of the car in the very rear of the alley, the recycle bins, the trees got a bit of attention but are far from finished. The telephone poles also need work. I

The Emerson Street Alley taking shape

Here is where the latest alley painting stands as of this morning. I haven't had a chance to work on it for the past two weeks with the art market happening last weekend. It does look very different from the blockin. I have cooled down the shadow shape. I have not punched the light yet, wanting to be sure I have the shadow reading correctly first and keep it unified since it is the largest area. I worked on defining the truck in the foreground and the trailer as well as giving more shape to the dumpsters going down the alley. The recycle bins have not been touched and I still need to give shape to the clump of trees not yet in bloom that is still a kind of beige blob dead center. I am not inclined to work on this piece this morning.

I am going to work on the Alley in Spring first. I have decided it needs some work. I plan on putting the little westie in it like I did for the plein air study. (I actually did some touch up on the study since I posted it, darkening the road to make him pop more). I also have decided the studio painting needs more color in the blooming trees. Both trees (red bud and crab apple) are too one dimensional. It really helped taking it to work this week after looking at it at the art market. It sure does help "to see" when I hang a painting at work as the light is different and I am out of my milieu. Just "hanging out" there in other words.