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.

Feelin' the Spirit

Friday I started this painting of Trinity Episcopal Church, located high on the hilltop on Highland Street in Marshfield.  I think I was "feelin' the spirit" because First Fridays of every month, the ladies of Trinity gather for a pot luck supper, and we were meeting that night.  I love the community of Trinity.  It makes my spirit sing.  I guess I was hoping some of that spirit would move my paint brush! I finished the painting this morning.

"Feelin' the Spirit", 12x16, oil on canvas

Lessons Learned

I worked on this painting today but am not happy with it.  The top right corner is not right at all, but I  need to put it away to figure out how to fix it.  Lesson learned: All areas that gave me trouble in the block in/value study, gave me the equal amount of trouble with paint on the brush.  Ergo, if I can't create a decent value study, I can't paint it....Seems simple enough.  I'll try to remember that. 

New start: Pitcher with Fruit

Started this still life today.  My concept is color: the vase is white with blue flowers printed on it, and the background is a silk throw, quilted squares.  I am hoping that the fruit will be the only items of saturated color, red, yellow and green.  I started with a block in with three values. I can tell that the upper right quadrant is going to be a little bit difficult.... 

I went on to put in the three fruit shapes... (pardon the hairclip at the top.  I'm looking for a used studio easel, but until then...)

Then the jug...

Lastly, the background, base and leaves in the pitcher.  I know they don't look like leaves...I'm a long way from being finished.  Just out of time for today, and won't paint again until next Tuesday at the earliest.  I need to remember it's only a start.

Challenges, challenges...

Well I'm not too proud of this painting, but I learned allot.  I set up the still life with two challenges in mind: clear glass (vase and small round bottle)  and a very busy porcelain plate.   It took me several attempts to get the verticals straight, never mind the rest of the painting. It's done because I am tired of looking at it....I'll revisit it another day.

Just Picked

Just Picked   16x20, oil on canvas

I worked on this painting, and I think I'm finished.  I added some greenery between the pumpkin and the jug to fill that hole, and generally worked on everything a little bit. Please comment freely if you see anything that doesn't 'work'.  

Pumpkins with Blue Jug

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Here is the painting I started today.  First the pumpkins... 

 I regretted using charcoal as a block in material as soon as I started to paint. I forgot how much of it stays on the canvas! I won't do that again...  Then the blue jug...

Then the background, cloth and lantern flowers.

I used linseed oil as a medium because I want the paint to stay pretty wet.  There are a lot of things to change, but I am out of time today and there is too much paint to continue working.  It'll turn to mud if I continue today. I hope to finish it on Wednesday morning. 

Three Amigo's

Three Amigo's    12x12    Oil on Masonite

Here is the painting I finished on Friday. Simple, but needed to be.  I haven't painted a still life in months!

Today's Start

This is the still life painting I started on today. This is a quick charcoal sketch on canvas.  I didn't want to commit to paint because it's been so long since I've done a still life this size. I just wanted to get the major values down to evaluate the composition.

(Pardon the hairclip at the top.  My easel is broken and that holds it in place.)

This is a large painting for me: 20x24".  The pumpkins are a beautiful rich orange and the jug is french blue.  The flowers are Chinese lanterns, rich red and orange. The concept of the painting is color/complements. 

With the exception of the painting I did earlier this week (I'll post it when I can photograph it), I haven't painted a still life since about May. Now that the weather is turning, I imagine I'll be painting a lot more of fruit and such.  I do love the challenge of setting up  still life, and leading the viewers eye. 

My drawing needs improvement, but hopefully the painting will survive that.

Art Show at Pembroke Public Library

Joy O'Keeffe, Yours Truly, Jody Regan, Lynne McCauley

Jody Regan, a mother, mathematician, and painting instructor at North River Art Society is a marvel.  Her art talent is matched only with her humor and compassion, all being extraordinary.  She recently organized a show at the Pembroke Public Library for her students.  She's obviously more than just a painting instructor.  Visit the library to check out the fantastic talent she has unleashed these past few years.   Support local art. http://www.pembrokepubliclibrary.org/

This is one of four paintings I have on display at the library.  Sorry about the bad photo--intended for record keeping, not marketing.

Workshop Exercise with Carol Marine

This 8x10 panel contains an exercise I did during the recent Carol Marine workshop, held at the North River Arts Society.  The instructions were to paint a simple still life with each stroke being a new color.  Every time I put brush to canvas, I had to make a tick mark on the panel to show how many and which colors I used.  Very painful but extremely worthwhile.  This exercise kept me totally focused on the colors and number of brush strokes that I use.  No fussing, no fiddling, no 'cat licks' with the brush. Carol also paints way outside the boundaries of the items, which I was trying to do as well.  The idea of doing that is to get some of the paint from the item into the 'atmosphere', so it looks as if it 'lives there'. Wow, I learned so much at the workshop. 

My first painting...ever!

This is this absolute first painting I ever did.  Can you tell it's of two green apples?  If so, I would be shocked. 
I started oil painting in 2006 by enrolling in a beginning class with Jody Regan at the North River Arts Society. That first day, that first color wheel, that first smudge of paint on my nose, I was hooked.  I absolutely loved it...and still do.  I will be forever grateful to Jody, Sue Charles and Margaret McWethy at the NRAS for their patience, humor and excellent instruction.  And Laura Harvey, for putting all those classes together!
I hope you enjoy this blog and my art.  Please comment freely. From time to time, posted paintings will be available for sale.