Caught cheatin' again with oils!

"Dahlia Repose" 12x12" Oil

"Old Sellwood" 9x12" Oil

Painted in Craig Srebnik's Street Scenes' workshop

"Slope and Line" 6x8" Oil

"The Gates of ESCO" 12x9" Oil

It's official! I've fallen in love with oil painting all over again! I am wholeheartedly enjoying the challenge of learning as much as I can in what time I have available to devote to my art. My all time favorite is still soft pastel, so if you are wondering if I have abandoned them, the answer is no, I haven't.  There is currently a pastel commission on the easel and many more works to be created in pastel that rest impatiently in my mind. I am finding that working with each medium offers different methods and results, and that my pastel work has definitely influenced my work with oils. I believe this will be reciprocal as I move along in my painting journey.  As for now, I am going to post a few of my more recent pieces that I have created in oils.

Starting on Friday Aug 31st, I will be participating in the Pacific Northwest Plein Air 2012 event in Hood River.  Thirty five juried artists will be painting the region over the course of 4 days.  Non-stop painting in this great location is one of my favorite events of the year.  Come join us at the reception this Sept 7th at the Columbia Arts Center in Hood River at 5pm.  Hope to see you there....

So I'll see you next week at the same bat time, same bat channel for another round of artwork.

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!

Painting a Series

Farmer's Palette, 6x6" Pastel on sanded paper

Have you ever gone to a museum or gallery opening and noticed how the works somehow relate to one another? This theme, or better understood as a "series" is a common way for an artist to communicate his or her idea. Painting a series of work doesn't mean you're running out of ideas to paint, but is a way to tell a story in a more intimate or deeper way. A series is like pushing an idea to further the experience till it's exhausted. Using the what, why, or where this subject was painted helps to appreciate the body of work. A series can be related in size, color, subject, or any other curious thought provoking idea, so that it can communicate in such a way that the body of work stands well together, or individually.

Some of you may recall I have been working on painting a series of landscape scenes of my family farm. I've come up with "Variations on a Scene"...how simple is that? Anyway, some of my previously posted studies have moved onto the larger sized formats.

Harvest Glow
Estuary at Dusk
Color Field

A series can sometimes take a lifetime for an artist to complete. What a feeling it must be to make that mark! Because of the nature of my life with family, it will probably take me some time to complete this series. Hopefully I won't tire of the idea before the flame goes out. Posted above is one of my 6x6" studies that may end up as a larger piece for the series. I do these "studies" first to see if it fits into the series.

April Waterway, 6x6

"April Waterway (study)"  6x6  Pastel on sanded paper

It seems like it's been months since I last painted anything and posted.  Being an artist and having a family is like juggling 5 plates on those long sticks you'd see in the circus.  My excuses come from every aspect of my life, making me feel like Sillyputty.  Those of you who have or had children would know what I'm talking about.  I Googled the word "excuses" and I found many explanations and thoughts for this verb.  Every definition makes me feel worse, like: excuses negate responsibility, are harmful because they prevent one from succeeding, or worse yet, they become believable!   So, am I saying my family should be 2nd to my art?   Nope!  They are the reason I paint!  If it weren't for this outlet, this way of communicating without words, I'd probably go nuts!  What are your excuses or reasons for not painting?

Here is another study from the Reference Image Library on WetCanvas.  I wanted to call it "March Waterway" because I painted it in the month of March, but "April" sounds better.

Studio Demo's for day #2

Pastel demo #3, 5 x 5"


Pastel demon #4, 5 x 5"

Day 2 of Portland Open Studios and I'm half way there! Here are 2 more demonstrations that I completed before a group of visitors. Each small demo takes about 15-20 minutes to paint. It's a little like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time, but instead, you are painting with a palette of pastels and an easel before you AND a crowd to talk to while explaining every step of the way....over and over again. A huge benefit from this is that I now know and have explained several times why I under-paint, what pastel is made of, and why I don't spray with fixatif. Many questions from the curious all walk away better understanding just what exactly pastel is. Are you still wondering? All I know is that it's FUN, FUN, FUN!