Alameda Alley or The Old Sheds

The Old Sheds, 20x30

I found these old sheds while walking the alleys off of Alameda and Downing Street in Denver. It is a bit different view for this series, as I sat on the ground to get everything in the photo I wanted. I liked the feeling of the shade giving a feeling of respite from the sun. This painting was a challenge for me and I was "stuck" for quite awhile before I was able to really get through it. (see this post of this painting in progress) I have a few thoughts as to whether this is "finished" or not, but it is a painting you now can walk into.

My new mantra for the new year is going to be a quote I came across today: "Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple – that's creativity."
~Charles Mingus

I get stuck because I try to make the simple complicated. This may be the subject for a blog post all on its own.

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.

Kitchen Tableau

Kitchen Tableau 2010

Inferior photo from 2005

In an effort to "save" some paintings that I believe have merit but were painted ages ago, I periodically go through my stash of work in the basement. "Kitchen Tableau" is one that I finally took back to the easel after Christmas. The original was painted in 2005 and was inspired by the fact that I was alone at the kitchen table looking at this great bunch of happy flowers. The pear was going to be my dessert.
I repainted the whole thing, leaving the structure as is with very minor modifications. I softened the yellows in the daffodils (using cad yellow light instead of so much cad yellow medium) and got rid of the outlining which is a habit I had. I also worked on blending the color of the flowers into each other to create a bunch of flowers instead of individual flowers. I then put more color (cad yellow light with cerulean blue and white into the wall as I always felt there was a fight between the background beige and the yellow flowers. The two are much more harmonious now. I also warmed the sage green part of the wall. The table top now reads as a unit and the shadows aren't so domineering. The light was coming in from more than one source, which is always tricky (there is a window that is just to to the right of the chair plus the overhead light was on). The wine bottle I added orange to viridian green as the base color and tried to integrate the bottle and the glass to make them read more as a unit. For example, I used the wine color from the glass and added the bottle base color to it to paint the wine left in the bottle. There was a lot of dark colored lines on the sugar "jar" and so I softened all of that. The vase took the least amount of time to "fix." I continued the warming theme with the dark blue of the vase and defined the shapes of the reflections.
As an aside, today I was asked if I still had the painting of the "wine bottle." I am bringing it to work tomorrow to see if the new rendition will pass muster.

Christmas fruit

This little piece (4x4) I painted as a gift to my daughter's friend who was joining us for Christmas Eve dinner. I didn't know until the last minute that she was coming, and I did want to give her something to remember us by. I had a 4x4 "block" lying around and it seemed so apropos since it can sit on a shelf or ledge or hang in any little nook or cranny. I had fun and she seemed pleased. Can't get any better than that. I have always enjoyed painting these little orange gems.

White on Black Exercise-"Cracked Pot"

On Friday I used this little still life to transition from my work week to my weekend of painting using a white object against a black backdrop. Not only do you get to see the variety of colors within black, but how the white object interact with the blacks. I saw both warm and cool colors in the enamel. I had natural light coming in from a north window. The surface was a painted wood table and then there was a warm wood door in shadow as the backdrop which I chose to put in as a solid surface. I had found this coffee pot in an alley and the bottom is so badly burnt that it is rounded and all the enamel has cracked off. Who knows what happened to whatever was in the top - but I use it as a vase. Just a fun little painting that is 12x9.

1300 South Pearl St Alley

The Saturday class assignment for last month was to do a white on white painting. I posted the still life I did in class already but I happened to see this alley while walking my dog, and thought what a great "white on white" landscape. I went back with my gear and first blocked it in, and then went back and finished it over the Thanksgiving weekend. I probably should add a bit more color into my whites to jazz it up but it was stark white in the glare I was getting. The far back building has some yellow in it and the trailer has some blues and pinks, but I think I need to force that concept further. This painting is 11x14 and may be used for a larger version. I sure do enjoy painting outside once I get myself out the door.