Back To School

We had our first Modern Painting class this week
at North River Arts Society and it was like the
first day back at school;
a wonderful reunion of old and new
like minded artists
ready to roll!
Here are just a few of the quick paintings done
from memory.
(I set up a small still life in another room where they could look at it as long as they wanted,
then return to paint it from memory.)

This gal decided to paint the view from her bedroom from memory!
Amazing.

As always, I am excited and inspired
by this great group of talented artists.
I look forward to seeing
what we all learn from each other.
Happy Painting!

More Barns

I’ve been having some fun
experimenting with more barns.

This one is abandoned and somewhat
hidden from the road.
I’m thinking about adding some branches and trees to further portray that sense of loneliness….
so I tried it out in Procreate.

I’ll keep you posted!

Mixed Media class

We had our first Mixed Media class
this week at Linden Ponds as part of their
Life Long Learning program.
We experimented with watercolors, pencils,
markers, colored pencils, and ink.
Here’s my quick demo.

I suggested they start with a light wash of watercolor,
then, when dry lightly draw their design in pencil.
Then color in the shapes with thicker
paint, marker, and/or colored pencil.
And finish by outlining everything with
a thin black line.
Here are a few samples of the work done:

This gal brought all kinds of dried items from the woods and just went to town. (wow)

This was done from an image on her phone.

This woman said she was thinking about
a grape arbor by the ocean.

This brave woman is visually and hearing impaired
and her work continually amazes me!

This woman has a tree in her apartment
that she decorates for all occasions year round.
She has a collection of antigue painted eggs that she
wants to show off so she is going to have a party
and use this for the invitation!

I am always so amazed and excited
to see what happens when people
come together to create!

Massing Shapes

Last week I re-worked a demo
I’d done for a class a few years ago
while discussing “massing shapes”;
the approach of simply massing in the large shapes
without any pre-drawing.

“Sea Wonderer”
12 x 9 oil
Here is the original demo,
showing no drawing, and no paint touching
other paint.

I think “massing shapes” is a
great way to start a painting.
It keeps things loose and helps
you focus on just the big shapes.
Then you can take it anywhere you want it to go!

Timed Exercises

In Tracy Everly’s last class she reminded us
how doing timed painting sessions
can really loosen things up and
create more spontaneous and intuitive work.

“Caroline’s Tulips”
16 x 20 oil

This was done over a few sessions
and here is the progression.
The subject:

I drew in the shapes with a red oil stick
over an old painting,
then started with the darks.

Here it is after 20 minutes
and it’s already begun to feel too fussy!

So here comes the fun part;
destruction!
I took a squeegee and some scrapers to it.

I loved what happened here, so I left most of it
and just re-worked the vase and defined a few of the leaves.
(see final result above)
Not sure it’s “finished” but the process was
enlightening.

This process prevents over thinking and therefore,
over working!
And the results can be unpredictable and exciting.

Contrast

I took another terrific class with Tracy Everly last week.
We talked about ways to draw attention to a
specific area of a painting by using contrasts;
dark/ light values, hard/soft edges,
thick/thin paint application,
saturated/opague color etc.
Here’s my “homework”.

For this quick exercise, I used this image
where the attention was clearly the bright yellow Mimosa.

I challemged myself and made the coffee cup
the focal point instead.
I exaggerated the contrast of the dark coffee
and the bright white cup by
dulling down the Mimosa and the other glass.
I also used thicker paint in that area.
Below was my first pass, but the Mimosa was still too prominant.
So I darkend it and softened it even further!
(See top image)

This is a fun exercise that really helps you think about the
design of the painting, rather than the subject.
Manipulating the elements of line, value, color, shape, edges
to engage the viewer in unexpected ways.
As always, I will be incoporating many of these ideas
in my upcoming Modern Painting class
at North River Arts Society.
Details to be announced soon!

Destruction

I recently worked on another architectural piece
using Tracey Everly’s approach
of “destroying” it during the process.

“The Pink House”
12 x 16 oil
After I laid in the initial shapes in the appropriate values and colors,
I took a brayer and ran it over the entire piece.

I think the act of “destroying” the work at a certain point
in the process adds interest and texture,
and prevents it from becoming too predictable and overworked.
It helps you “let go” of any pre-conceived ideas
and allows the piece to tell you where to take it.

Limitations

I’m taking a wonderful on-line class with
Tracy Everly via the Winslow Art Center.
Each week we talk about limiting
one element of painting;
values, colors, ideas, time etc.
Here I used a limited palette of
cad yellow, sap green, and dioxazine purple
with the hopes of creating an overall harmony.

12 x 12 oil on wood panel
We began with a few limited (4) value sketches,
then pre-mixed our colors.

It is fascinating to watch Tracy paint.
She uses a variety of tools;
scrapers, knives, brayers, squeegees etc
to push and pull the paint around.
Here is where the painting was before she
encouraged me to soften the edges.

It ended up being a bit messy
but it’s so liberating to play with
new materials, approaches and techniques.
The journey continues!

Another One

Today I had some fun re-working
another older painting using pallette knives,
scrapers, credit cards, charcoal…

10 x 10 oil on wood
Below is the original.
Again, the sky color bothered me
and the values were off.
But I loved the paint application

I’m so looking forward to more
experimentation and discovery
in the New Year.

NOTE:
This one, posted last week
was just accepted in to the Concord Art
Juried Members Show!

Good Advice

One of my favorite instructors once told me
that when you’re stuck and nothing seems to be working,
get out the pallette knife.
I finally got a chance to play with that today
and I love where it’s going.

I’d had this old painting on a wood panel
in the studio for a long time
and the yellow sky always bothered me.
And it didn’t look finished.

So I got out the knives, scrapers and lots of paint.
Using tools and moving paint around is a great way to
reconnect with the materials….
It was very liberating and I’m excited to do more.

Painting Over Old Paintings

I’ve been painting over a lot of old paintings lately.
Here is a quick lay-in of thin oil paint I did recently.

And here is the painting I painted over.

When I came back to “finish” it
I was amazed by how much
some of the painting underneath added to the scene,
and I loved the affect.
So I cleaned up the sky, added some branches,
and accented the yellow line and left it.

“Winter Light”
16 x 16 oil

I may keep working on this but I almost don’t want to.
We used to call these “happy accidents”.

Gouache Sketches

We have had the most amazing fall this year,
and this scene took my breath away recently.
I thought I’d do a quick gouache sketch,
in preparation for a possible oil painting.

I love the immediacy and flatness of gouache
and this was great fun.
However, I’ve learned that when translating a
gouache sketch into an oil painthing,
they will not be the same.
(I often like the sketch better than the painting.)
Keeping that in mind today, I layed this 14 x 14 oil
in today over an old painting.

Will keep you posted.

Life Long Learning

My friend Page Railsback and I just finished teaching
an ”Anyone Can Paint!” class
as part of the Life Long Learning program
at Linden Ponds, a local independent living facility.
Each week we gave them a blob of red, yellow, blue
and white acrylic paint, paper and brushes
and a quick lesson.
First week, we set up small still lives
and talked about color mixing.

The next week we had them paint from photos.

The third week we had them do abstracts
and the results were amazing.
They all seemed to let go a bit more.

For the last class, we had them paint from memory.
They were each given a postcard with a painting of trees
to study for a few minutes,
then turn them over and paint from memory.

As always, I am so fullfilled and thankful
for the opportunity to work with these folks.
Their enthusiasm and willingness to try anything
is refreshing and a win, win for all.

A great big thank you to my dear and talented
friend Page Railsback for all your help!

More Paint Application

Once again, I took a painting that just wasn’t working
for me and made some adjustments.
It’s very cathartic!

Below is the original.
(This painting was in a show over the summer
and I was somewhat embarrassed about it.
Couldn’t wait to get it back to the studio.)

I removed the green trash barrell, softened some edges,
and tweeked the sunny side of the buildings.

Paint Application

I’ve been having fun re-working old paintings,
mainly focussing on varying paint application.
Here’s one I’m working on.

20 x 16 oil painted over this oldie from 2013!
(Too many details! Too many sharp edges!
Large shapes too flat!

As you can see, I deleted many of the features
on the house and simplified the shapes.
Using a palette knife, squeegee, and scrapers
I worked to make interiors of the shapes more interesting
and the exteriors less severe and defined.
Here is another one.

14 x 14 oil on a panel re-worked over this one:

Again, I’m focussing on softening the edges
and using varying paint applications
to add a little more interest.
The possibilities for applying paint
are endless!

Finding Inspiration

Monster Monstera Plant 16 x 16 acrylic on paper

While away this summer,
we left our innocent
Monstera plant
in a west facing window,
only watering it about once a week.

Last week, we moved back and
look what she has become!

Droopy, leggy with huge heavy leaves.
A true “monster” but so very healthy!
While I figure out what to do with her,
I decided to paint her.

I was fascinated by the
varying shades of green
and distinct shapes in the leaves.

Then I had this idea of cutting it into 8 x 8 squares.
(I haven’t done it yet, these are images I took of the sections)

Cut and framed seperately,
these could be fun to work with.
In any combination.

I’m trying anything to get back in the groove
as I’ve been in a bit of creative drought of late.
I just keep showing up in the studio
and hoping something good happens!

Using Procreate

I’m putting together a simple, one time class on
how to use Procreate to improve your paintings.
The main thing I use it for is experimenting with
making changes while paintings are in progress.

Here’s an example of how I use it:

12 x 12 oil
(A Work in Progress)

I began by putting the image in Procreate to simplify the shapes
and get a quick feel for how the colors interact.

Here is my first lay in of shapes.

I felt like there were too many shapes breaking up the composition,
so I put it back into Procreate.
I covered the top section with green, changed the color of the sky,
and muted the contrast in the foreground shapes….
added a few details on the barn

Then I felt confident making those changes.
Using Procreate to make adjustments during the painting process
saves you so much time and anxiety.
Not to mention wasted paint.
And the possibilties are endless!

I’ll keep you posted on where this one goes.
It needs something.

To Practice What I Preach

After teaching my Modern Painting class
this summer, I couldn’t wait to
”practice what I’d preached”.
I finally did this yesterday
just to see what would happen.

“Inside Out”
12 x 12 oil on board

I used an old orange toned wooden board
and just massed in the big shapes.
Next thing I knew, I was channeliing
Edward Hopper! ??

NOTE:
The main message in Modern Painting is:
NEVER be committed to your original
idea or process.
Allow the magic to happen.
It doesn’t have to be perfect.

I’m looking forward to having some
time in the studio
to just paint for fun.
(after Labor Day)

Edges, Surface and Paint Handling

We had our last Modern Painting class this week
where we talked about
edges, surface and paint handling.

This is such a personal and individual topic,
it’s not really something you can teach
so we all just experimented with new tools.
The first exercise was to do four small
paintings of a simple object;
each using a different application such as;
thick and thin paint, straight lines, adding sketch lines,
incorporating colors from background into the object,
using odd viewpoint,
scrape, squeegee, add paper etc.
Here are my samples:

And here are some of the amazing results:

As always, I learned so much from the students
and had great fun working with them.
It was wonderful to be back
teaching in person again!

Having a Show

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a “show” of any kind.
I’d forgotten about all the details involved;
framing, naming, pricing, photographing, PR,
labeling, hanging, hosting reception.
That said, it feels good to be “out there” again.

In January of 2019, I began a series of small oil paintings
depicting people eating and drinking in restaurants and bars.
I’ve always been inspired by the dramaic lighting, body language, and
spontaneous interaction observed while “breaking bread” with others;
one of my favorite pastimes.

There are 26 paintings in the show and the
“hanging” went surprisingly well.
Now I’m having fun planning the
opening reception next Thursday.
Hope to see a few of you there!