Contemplating Gold, 24x24

"Contemplating Gold" 24 x 24" Pastel on sanded paper

I've been working on this for about a month and after many incidental distractions, I came back to it with fresh eyes. This is another addition to my "Variations on a Scene" series of the family farm. Again, the point of view is the same direction, but a bit closer and another time of day and season. Moody? Warm? Yeah. This time, I didn't take photos of the stages on this one, but I did take a video. I'm hoping to post that some time in the future. This one took a while longer because there has been a lot going on in my home. With the kids getting ready for the end of the school year, there have been ooodles of end of year programs and tournaments. I'm loving this stage with my kids...they are my fuel for art. When I come down from parenting, I go to my art with fresh eyes and high motivation to make another. I'm loving the journey!

Green Scene, 6x6

"Green Scene"  6x6"  Pastel on sanded paper

Here is a small study that I did just for fun.  I was thinking 'green' here, and so it is!  I kind of like what's happening between the trees and sky.  Like the last bit of light of the day coming through, without the warmth of a sunset.

Cherry Bowl, 6x6

"Cherry Bowl" 6x6" Pastel on sanded paper Sold

Since I got that notice of acceptance into the Local 14 show, I've been focusing on getting a series of fruit still-life paintings done. I've painted this cute little one before and to be honest with you, I spent more time on it this second time around noticing things that previously went unnoticed. I think this comes with most anything in life. I just may have been more ready to take in more information this time around, or possibly wasn't willing to see it clearly last time. Have you ever listened to an inspirational tape and then listened to it a month later only to get something new from it? I was told that as we grow in maturity, or shall I say at different times in our lives, we are more receptive to certain ideas or concepts than at other times. Am I more willing to listen instead of just hear? Am I willing to see more than before? I guess and guess again.

Satin Slopes, 24 x 24

"Satin Slopes" 24 x 24"  Pastel on sanded paper

After creating the study of Satin Slopes, I challenged myself to paint it in a larger format.  Painting larger by any means can be difficult when coming from such a small study, as I have found here.  It seems to take on a whole other life of its' own.  Kind of like re-telling a story and hoping for the same punch, or "effect" as previously hoped.  This can pose a problem for artists who are working on commissions after presenting a study before moving onto the larger, final piece.

I was never good at telling stories.  Telling a story and remembering the punch line was for others of greater articulation!  Especially when it comes to jokes.  Have you ever tried to describe something difficult and failed, leaving your friends wondering what planet you came from?  The look of confusion often is the result I get.  So, I often resort to drawing it out on a napkin...communicating visually is much more my style.  And then that is when they understand what I'm trying to say!  

"Satin Slopes" is a piece that draws from my imagination and the California hills in the early Spring.  In real life, these hills are so satiny, green and just beautiful under the sun.  The green lasts for only a few days before the sun transforms it to the gold that the state is well known for.  Here are the stages from which I created this piece.

Here is the underpainting.  This time around, I covered the entire mounted paper with a bright pastel.  Then, with a paintbrush and turpenoid, I melted the pastel with the wet paintbrush into the sanded paper leaving no specks of white peeking through.  This warm underpainting hopefully holds the piece together.

The next step is to get color down on the entire piece, blocking in the color to get the initial composition down.  It is applied lightly, only to set the scene.

Defining the distance first, I work on the clouds and most distant hills.

Here I'm establishing the darker values of the trees, making sure the farthest ones are more bluer and lighter.  I also placed shadows under the trees and begin to establish the focal point of the piece.

Stepping back to review what I've done so far, I ask for a critique.  I find a few things that need work.  The shadows are too intense, so I'll need to make them more gray.  The farthest hillside is a bit darker than the ones in front making it seem more forward.  I'll need to grey that one down a bit to push it farther away.  And the first mound of green looks too perfect.  So adding a few shrubs to break up that perfect arch might do the trick as well as to help out the composition a bit.  I'm aiming for that "S" composition here, so adding a few shrubs in that arch will help to lead the eye into the piece.

Done! 

Please feel free to comment!

"Pears 3" 6x6

"Pears 3" 6x6 SOLD

I'm wanting to get back to my color studies again that I first started back in December of '07 and here it is almost May! So, here is a broken color study I did tonight with steps. I really used some fun colors in this piece and tried to capture the freshness of the image. Oh, the original image was taken from the Reference Image Library on Wetcanvas.


I decided to paint a blue underpainting this time around simply because the reference image has a cool tint to it which I originally was attracted to. Here, I have done a light sketch with a dark pink pastel pencil.


This is what I call the "ugly stage" of the piece. I'm blocking in the values to define the shapes. This includes the background too.


At this stage I'm giving the pears their shape by shading in their girth and also beginning to give them the color they really need. Lookin' good so far from here...


And now for a punch of bold color to give it the excitement it needs...because pears can be boring. I also finished up with a few details of pear spots. Details, details.

Color Study #7 6x6"

Color Study # 7

This next color study is a Triadic color scheme that is based on three colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel. I chose orange, purple and green simply because I love purple! The source photo is again from Wetcanvas' reference library from contributer "lisilk". I began with a complimentary underpainting of Createx pigment paint, and then applied the much confusing color story. It looks like a mess in the beginning stages, but soon evolves! I used a broken color application, letting the underpainting show through a bit, although I did lay it on a bit thick on the orange! I has a lot of texture only because I love this broken color method! I could smooth it out to make it more realistic, but I think that would ruin the bold color play.


The underpainting looks a bit crazy along with the sketch underneath. I mistakenly painted purple for the background underpainting when I should have used yellow! Ooops! Anyway, I put the purple pastel down first to hide my mistake.

Then I applied the darkest values and a few of the oranges. This is the "ugly" stage of the painting.

I continued to work on the orange. I began to add the greens to help bring it together along with using a lighter, brighter purple in the branches.

I continued to work on the greens, and on the orange peel.

Here is the finished image, again for comparison.