I'm moving my blog...

The New Year's has prompted me to launch my website and post on the site's blog.  I could easily procrastinate for weeks, or even months,  but no better time than the present...

Please visit me at www.julieuhler.com/blog for the latest post.

Thank you for viewing my art.

Driven to Abstraction

 Whew...haven't picked up a brush in awhile and it feels great!
I painted two paintings today for an upcoming show a the Front Street Gallery. The title of the show is "Driven to Abstraction", and as a gallery artist I wanted to include a couple of abstract paintings.
As a representational artist, I typically try to paint objects or scenes fairly accurately in terms of color and hue.
My idea of abstract was to use totally saturated color for these paintings.
That is,  each paint stroke uses paint 'straight out of the tube'.  I also used the palette knife quite a bit.  For some real juicy spots, I used Gambin Galkyd gel medium.
To further turn my brain on it's side, I also
used a couple of colors not typically on my palette: cerulean blue and violet.
"Enjoying the Breeze", 12x16 on canvas.   The inset below is blowup of the seagull.

Here is the second painting called "Adrift", 12x16 on canvas board.

This is from a photo as well.
Also, totally saturated color.

I painted this scene a year ago for a dear friend, and I think I like this one a little better.

The small insets below are also close ups of the bow and stern so you can see how nice and juicy the paint is.

My conclusion is that I do not enjoy this style of painting as much as representational painting.  It's much harder to control juicy paint and I don't even have the right brushes.  (I dug into my craft brushes for a couple of rounds.)   It's quick though...two paintings in about four hours!

I hope to hit the easel again tomorrow to start on a more serious landscape painting.  Ah... looking forward already!

The Front Street Gallery is opening this new show next Friday, January 6th from 6-8 p.m. Please join us and enjoy some great art!

Self Portrait-Scary!

I painted my first portrait today...of myself. Yikes!

My 'Painting Buddies' group decided this would be a fun thing to try this month.  Every month we work on a new challenge (chosen while dining together with a glass of wine, I might add.) Staring at my own face for a few hours isn't my idea of a good time, but boy, did I learn a lot!

I started this morning by taking my picture with my iPhone.  I was in a red room and I had a desk lamp for light.  (Since I know I could not paint teeth, I have this impish grin).  I printed the photo in color and black and white.  The b&w was my value map.  It's a 12x12, and I would show you progress steps, but I started over at least four times.  This is as far as I got today.  I still see a few errors, but I can't look at this mug any more.  I'll pick it up again after the New Years.  Hair highlights are definitely too light, and the eye in the light needs some work.  Also the mouth, the neck, and well, you get the idea.

But, for a first try at a portrait, I'm pretty happy with it.

I can imagine it would be easier to paint someone else.  I haven't wanted to insult anyone by trying...This has given me the confidence to now try.

Orange you glad it's Friday?

I painted this 8x8 quickly this morning.

My concept was to capture the richness of the orange, as well as the reflections bouncing off the little tin and the table top.

Also, I was playing the warms of the orange against the cool tones of the little tin.

Mildly successful.

I do not like the background color at all.  It's not a color, just dark.  I ran out of time and didn't really think through what I wanted.

Here's the progression being painted:

 First of all, I blocked in with a value study.  I am glad that I did that, because my original orange was kissing the right margin...definite no-no.


I started with the orange.  It seemed the most obvious place to start.  Actually, the easiest...












Next I moved onto the little tin box.

Lastly, I painted the table top and leaves.

The background you see here is the 'block in' I did in the very beginning.  I eventually painted in the not too attractive background you see in the painting at the top.

Above the Fray

Here's a 12x12 still life  I started on last Friday and finished this morning.  Since I haven't painted in awhile, I am feeling quite rusty.

Starting with this painting, I am going to start stating the concept  for each painting that I do. That is, I  will try to clearly state the intentions of the paint. Why? Certainly you do not need to know (and may not even want to know) but I want to make sure that I have a clear concept for each painting.

After all, if I don't have a concept, I am simply moving paint around and relying on 'happy accidents' to have a successful painting.

Concept of this painting was to have the eye start in the bottom left of painting and move up and across the pears. I was hoping that the contrast between the vertical up and the horizontal layout would prove interesting.  The center of interest is the third pair, having the most saturated color. The painting still needs work.  My 'lightest lights' have gotten too dark. Also, the fabric is a little boring and muddy.  I need to restate the lights and shadows more clearly.  Please comment freely.  I am always happy to hear what others think.

I won't be painting for awhile because my studio is in my beach house and dear friends from Dublin are staying there for about two weeks.  They're Irish, and wanted to experience an American Thanksgiving. (I hope I get an invite over sometime to experience an Irish St. Patrick' Day!)   I'm happy to see them and their new baby, so the painting will just have to wait.

I thought it might be a good idea to 'stay on track' these next two weeks by doing research on a few administrative things that I have been meaning to take care of: business cards, websites, canvases, mediums and frames.  We'll see how many of those topics I hit...pretty ambitious, eh?

I'm starting, and this morning ran across this article, and for all painting buddies, it makes a lot of sense to me.

It's a little advice on how to make your painting dream (whatever it may be) into a reality.  It struck me because I'm not exactly sure what my painting dream is right now.  I do know that, without a plan, not much will happen beyond random events.  So, I'll be thinking about that these next two weeks, between cooking lots of food and relaxing with the family. :  )

Here's the link:

http://fineartviews.com/republish.asp?bid=36917

Happy painting, cooking, eating and whatever else comes your way these next two weeks.

Grand View

"Grand View", 16x20, oil on canvas

Started this painting this morning by blocking in the sky background. 

 Then I moved onto the clouds.  Bright colors on top, muted grays down toward the horizon.

Next I added the river water.   Lastly, I added the land mass (see finished painting above). For the land mass, I put in the darks first, and then the lights.  Saturated colors in the foreground and muted, grays in the background.  I'll put it away for a few days and then put on final touches.