Going Small

Texas Bluebonnets

I've been having fun with a challenge called The 100 Day Project (#the100dayproject on Instagram) where I'm supposed to do something everyday for 100 days. I decided to do 100 5x7s; mostly painting but any art form is acceptable

Many Minis. More Monday?

Sandy Road

Occasionally, I love working on small paintings.  I can get a feeling of accomplishment in one evening.  Because I don't have the luxury of working at painting full time, evenings and weekends are the only times I can find any time.  I decided to paint as many little paintings as possible in two weeks.  I first primed about eight boards and then found images where I could use a similar palette.  A couple of summers back, I took many photos of dunes on Cape Cod, so these became my subjects.  Now I'm hooked on capturing the beautiful colors in sand; the shadows and highlights at different times of day. I've also used work by other artists who were quite successful at capturing these colors as inspiration.  (If interested, these are all $50 each)

Empty Beach

Afternoon Dunes

Falmouth Marsh
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Hazy Day
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Dune Fence
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Wild Roses
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Learning To Paint Like The Masters - Part 5 (finished!)

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I finally finished the "Lobster Pot" painting. (Woo Hoo!)  It was a longer process because of the glazing, but I like the effects achieved with the layers of colors.  I did revert back to my direct painting techniques for the tree and other smaller spots, but tried to stay true to the process for the rest.

The Lobster Pot is located in Provincetown, MA.  It is a motif photographed and painted many times, but I don't mind being among the masses.  This is such a lively painting with the vibrant reds against the glowing white building.  One of my favorites!

Surviving Winter

Early Morning Marsh
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Race Point Dune Path
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I've realized my choice of subject matter for the last few paintings is my subconscious longing for winter to end.  More snow is predicted for Monday, so this weekend I'll enjoy the sun (although cold and windy), build a fire, and paint more memories of last summer.

I suppose I could have painted snow scenes, because there was plenty to be found, but I like my little mental vacations.

Learning To Paint Like The Masters - Part 4

Well, I've started my glazing.  This process requires a lot more patience than direct painting!

In the Lobster Pot painting the sky has about 4 layers.  The first was yellow, then a Cerulean Blue (made it too green), then some Ultramarine Blue with white (made it too purple) then a very thin glaze of Veridian Green.  Whew!  The street started with a warm brown, then glazed over with Paynes Grey and white, and some small areas with Earth Green and white  Most of the other parts have one or two layers with more to go. I'm not having much luck on the sunny side of the building.  The top is too yellow and the bottom is too grey.

The tea pot painting has only one layer of glazing.  The drop cloth will next get a glaze of brown and the copper pot will get some red.  Then I'll start on the cup and tea pot.

Learning To Paint Like The Masters - Part 3

Verdaccio is another Italian “old master” technique for underpainting.  Here, I’ve used mixtures of Green Earth Hue (or Chromium Oxide green), Ivory black (a warm black) and Flake White.  I thinned it down using Galkyd Lite but you can also use your “turps.”  You want this layer to be thin, especially if you are going to glaze over this layer. Always remember “fat over lean” when applying paint.  If you glaze with a thin layer over a thick layer of paint, the top layer may crack as the bottom layer dries.   

I still have some work to do on the right part of the sign, but I can evaluate the strength of my composition using just values.  I might lighten the dark window at the top and the sky just a bit.  If my composition fails at this point, it probably won't get much better when I add the color glazing.

Another version of this underpainting is the French grisaille technique which uses neutral or warm grey tones.  Using what I learned in Color Theory class, verdaccio could be better for portraits as the green is a nice complement to the reds of skintones.  Contemporary paintings are often stared with an underpainting using complementary colors. 

I'm Not a Morning Person...

Scrub Pine
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   but I will force myself to crawl out of bed at the crack of dawn for the right reasons.  Getting great reference photos is the best reason.  While visiting Provincetown, MA last summer, I was on the road before the sun came up.  Located at the tip of Cape Cod, this area is surrounded by ocean and light.

It rained the first three days of my trip, so I had to make the most of the little time left.  For me, early morning light is the most beautiful.  It always seems just a little softer than late afternoon light.  And you get some beautiful shadows.

Well, I finally got around to painting one of those special spots.