A year to think about it.

This year's Golden Triangle Museum District paint out starts September 5. I started this painting during last years event. My daughter graciously posed for me so I could try to do a figure plein air. I liked the composition but just could not get it where I wanted it to go. I started another painting last weekend (see below) of my daughter from another photograph from the same setup. Blocking in that larger piece (16x20) that is cropped up close helped me figure out how to finish this one. I think I was struggling with the graphic versus impressionistic even back then.

French Construction Workers-break time

I started this piece in late June and finished it (or not) a few weeks ago. I have had trouble getting a good photo of it so that has delayed it getting posted. I keep changing my set up around which means I then must readjust my lighting. What works for photography may not work best for when I am painting. I was influenced by a show I saw in June at Gallery 1261 that showcased Mark Nelson and Kevin Weckbach. Seeing Mark's strong graphic, almost abstract work, reminded me of my background in graphic design. I started out painting very similar to Mark and then was chastised by an instructor to "move on" and develop as a painter. So all these years I have been trying to paint more painterly, and I am as close to that as I ever have been. Yet when I saw this show all that just doesn't matter anymore. I really want to paint more graphic. It has been a mind bender, though.

And I feel like I want to focus on the figure; this coming after I have said more than once that I am a landscape painter. The best laid plans of mice and men.

Working on this piece led me to another

another behind the scenes

This painting on the right is also from my "plant portrait" time. I had joined the Denver Orchid Society to have access to the expertise available in trying to grow orchids and also to see what the orchid world had to offer me for subject matter. Here is a mini phal that I borrowed from one of the members who was very generous in allowing me access to his plants and greenhouse. It is 12x9 and painted in 2003. I have always liked this little piece, butI decided to play with it just the same. since I liked the compostion, I just did a reworking using color and value.

More productive than is evident

I have been negligent about posting; but not because I have been idle. I have been busy in and out of the studio. Above is a study (8x6) I did a few weeks ago in my garden. Trying to do a quick study without too much attention to exactness. Very hard for me. I wanted to focus on the thing that gives me the biggest problem which is value, and to get motion/movement in the flowers.

I painted these Monarda before I painted the black-eyed susans. Painting red flowers is still a real challenge for me. Especially a cool red flower. Even though I saw pink in the highlighted petals, when I painted them in, it read weird to me. I do not think this is a successful piece, and in trying too hard to get it right, I think I overdid it. There is actually an older painting underneath it that I painted over but loosely used the original placement of flowers. I called them "floral portraits" at the time (2002). I have come a long way. It is not similar enough to call it a before and after.

Musings on a Saturday

Last night, Richard and I went to see the new movie "Julia and Julie." I was interested in this movie on many levels. One, I spent 5 years in France in the 60's and I knew of Julia Child because my mother was also interested in food and especially, French Cuisine. Second, because I am a blogger writing about my passion, painting and art. I related to Julie because I have found out how hard it is to write something often when there are a myriad of other things going on in your life. Julie was almost half my age when she did her blog on cooking all of the recipes in Julia's "Mastering the art of French Cuisine" in one year. It about did her in. But she did it.

Tuesday night, I watched a few hours of an instructional video with my painting buddy, Drew. The video is by Quang Ho and is on Painting the Still Life. I admire Quang and he is an amazing artist. I did get a few things out of what we watched. I also know I don't want to paint like Quang, and so one has to listen for the tidbits that form the foundation of all good paintings, and not focus on his personal style. I always find it fascination to see how an artist works, though, and for that, it was enlightening. I do have a conundrum, though, that I wish someone could answer for me. I will also endeavor to figure it out. In the still life Quang set up, he had north light coming in. He said he paints with natural light as much as possible, both on his still life setups and his easel. Fine. So the light is coming in from his north window and he is painting at his easel, perpendicular to the setup. Got it. BUT, the landscape painting gurus all say the same thing. NOT to paint perpendicular to a scene that is lit like that, but to either paint towards the sun (light source), where you will get a silhouette situation, or to paint with your back to the sun, and then the scene is front lit. I have been paying attention to this for quite awhile, because I know that I often set up for landscape in the field perpendicular to the light. But for the life of me, I cannot remember the reasoning behind it. In still life situations, you want a directional light source, so why not in the landscape?

Quang did talk about having only one light source on your setup, and I do understand that reasoning. I still like having multiple light sources when I am wanting to play with shapes that the shadows create. As in the painting I did this past spring of red tulips. I am sure he would ding me big time on this painting, but I still like it. And it is not a manipulated set up.

the Canyons

Friday found me painting in Douglas County just south of Lone Tree off of I-25. Steph has been chosen to do a demo for an open house on this property that is going to be developed into a "green" community that will include an organic "farm," a restaurant that will use the produce from the farm, a spa and an artist's in residence program among other things. She needs to gather information and do studies in preparation for the demo next month. Here she is studying some flora for her color notes that she was taking while I did a sketch.

It was a hot day with the occassional breeze. Lots of flies buzzing around my head and biting ants crawling up my pant legs to keep me in tune with my surroundings. But the soft greens were lovely. There is a benefit to having rain all summer as I cannot remember the last time this area was this lush.

The first sketch is a 12x9 that I did late morning. I think it has good movement and gives a feel for the rolling landscape. Along with the movement, I was just trying to capture the shapes and values.

The second is a 8x6. I stood in the same location for both of these, but turned a quarter turn or so to continue up the hill. This one has a "wobble" in the middle where the canvas is not quite flat. The canvas is taped to a board and I don't like this canvas as it is just too lightweight. In this one I was trying to capture the sense of distance with the change in color and temperature as the hills came closer. It is not as successful. But that is the point of these exercises-to try and try again.

Is the hiatus over?

Today I went with two friends, Jeannie and Steph, to see the Wayne Thiebaud exhibit that is at the Loveland Museum. I am so glad that I went. No matter what you think of his work, to see 70 years of someones work, puts a life in perspective. As is usually the case, seeing paintings in person makes you realize how much a reproduction loses. There was a diverse selection of his work, from sketches to landscapes to people and objects. My favorites were one amazing landscape (vertical format) with the evening light hitting the rim of a hill and the whole foreground was in shadow. But what amazing color and depth was in that shadow. The shows poster is of three watermelon slices, each on its own plate, which is wonderful and the painting of two paint cans (as in house paint) were simply stunning. We also watched most of the interview that was available for viewing, and he was delightful to listen to. This YouTube version is a good synopsis of the one we saw. "that is what you do as a painter, you live on hope." Coming out of this exhibit, I was inspired.

In June we went to California to visit family. I took my gear, but the only painting I worked on was the one shown above in this photo taken by my son, Grant. I have always taken my gear with me on our visits to my in-laws ranch in Mendocino County as there is so much to paint. I had painted this barn many times over the years and I almost always gave a painting from each trip to my in-laws. One of the earliest paintings of said barn was hanging on the wall where the window looks out on the actual scene. I cringed when I saw it, again. BUT this time we were in California at the same time of year I had originally painted it, so I took it off the wall and took it outside and got to work to fix the perspective and relationships of the barn to the landscape. I did take a "before" photo but it is that bad that I cannot post it. I had not asked "permission" so I was glad when my father-in-law said to me that it really was much improved. I realized too late in to the reworking of it, that they might like it the way it was and it was rather presumptuous of me. It came out of all the paintings I have been reworking here. I was glad to see that Wayne does this too. One of the larger paintings in the show had a 30 year span of years listed on it!