Ah summertime, alive with freshly mowed grass, haybales, and freshly squeezed lemonade while listening to the cicada's sing. Could anything be sweeter?
Available on dailypaintworks.com
Last Light || 8"x6" || The last light of day is so beautiful, I couldn't resist a little study of it. Available for purchase on Daily Paintworks
I recently returned from an awesome trip down to Savannah and Tybee beach. Unfortunately it was a rather rainy week at times, but it made for some awesome clouds moving in over the marsh.
Available for purchase on Daily Paintworks
If you have not noticed by now I have an obsession with clouds. They are so fascinating the way they change shape in a moment and can appear in the sky in many different forms; Cumulus, Stratus, etc. In addition the position of the sun changes their color as the light bounces around inside them.
Available for purchase on Daily Paintworks
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| Eastern Skies. |
Daily Paintworks
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| Standing Tall 5"x7" |
The marshes are so full of beautiful colors and life. This little 6"x8" is up for auction for it starts at just $49 on DailyPaintworks.com
This beautiful cloud pattern formed over the park one day while I was out and about and I just had to paint it! 6"x8" and the auction for it starts at just $49 on Daily Paintworks
Beautiful clouds hover over the Kentucky landscapes.
I am returning to my blog and will be posting daily painting studies in hopes of improvement which will be available at Daily Paintworks for auction.
I am still digesting everything he told us, but if there is one thing that already know I walked away from this workshop it's that he taught me to see. I know I am not supposed to look at the thing whatever it may be (flower, tree, etc.) but to look at the shapes. I have heard it over and over again, but Quang put it so beautifully that it clicked. I am so excited to carry this forward in my paintings.
I can't tell you everything he told me, because I insist that you experience him for yourself. Quang is so wonderfully kind and generous with his knowledge and time. And what a treat to watch him create them! If you ever get the chance to study with him by all means do it. His approach is wonderful, being both direct, kind, and incredibly encouraging at the same time.
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I am experimenting away and officially driving myself nuts trying to get this right. I am trying so hard to get down edge mastery, while at the same time still trying to find my style. This little guy is becoming a direct result of my frustration.
Over and over again it seems I take one step forward and two steps back with each painting. I really need to leave a post-it note on my easel to remember everything, but the most important thing I try to remember is to have fun. I may have said this a time or two before.
I feel like I am banging my head up against this wall waiting for a break-through in understanding. I just know that if I keep chiseling away one day a light bulb will go off.
I am an introverted extrovert, perhaps even an ambivert, but I hold more introvert qualities. I love quite nights with a good book or painting. I can go days without human contact and be perfectly at peace. Parties with unfamiliar faces make me quite reserved, and therefore I am not so good at talking to perfect strangers to promote myself as an artist.
This is where social media comes in. I can chat away, post and be much more active in general about promoting my work. If I want my post to gain more attention I simply click a button and away it goes for all to see and I don't have to say a word! IS social media an introvert's best friend? Could this possibly be the way for us to share what we love with the world without personal consequence? Could it also be my enemy? Keeping me so attached that I never learn how to break out of my shell. I want to become better at being able to talk to perfect strangers, I can't do that through a computer.
I have a love/hate with social media. It is like a necessary evil. Yes I am not much for socialization but I don't want to completely shut it out. Human interaction is so important to ignite our key senses that, well, make us human. You don't become a better painter entirely by reading about how to paint or thinking about how to be better; you must experience the thing!
2015 will be a year of less technology for me and more social interaction in-person. I want to dive into the depths and enjoy it so I can step out of my comfort zone and continue to grow as a person. The overwhelming joy I feel when I have spent a day painting with friends, sitting down to dinner discussing the learning experienced that day out in the field fills me like nothing else.
Pillars in the Sky | oil on linen
When I first started painting I painted from photos. The thought of painting from life or the out-of-doors was such an overwhelming thought at the time, yet now I find myself only wanting to paint from life or plein air. A photograph robs the stimulation of the senses that is part of the joy in experiencing the emotion you feel and convey in your work.
I found myself scrounging for a subject for my last challenge, looking all around for something that stirred my emotions. I sat still for a moment and there it was right in front of me, my dog sleeping so humbly on the couch. We carry such an emotional attachment to our pets and mine is no exception to constant spoiling and love.
I added some color around her with my coat and scarf, getting a look as I stirred her briefly from her slumber and took to the canvas. I had no rhyme or reason, while I listened to Richard Schmid on my tv, as to how I was going to paint it but just that I wanted the viewer to feel the emotions I have for this furry creature.
Rarely ever do I use such bold colors and I have to say it was quite enjoyable using some straight out of the tube and for once I didn't worry about whether this was going to be a good painting or a complete calamity. So often I find myself thinking before I paint, this one has to be sellable, and it places so much pressure that I often am extremely disappointed. I threw out all (well most) of the rules. There she is smack dab in the center of the canvas and on the horizon line, but she was where I wanted her to be.
So often I think we get so worked up over the success of a painting that we forget the importance of enjoying the process. Once I sat down and just went for it, I had so much fun playing with the color, and just putting it on the canvas and leaving it.
May your 2015 year be healthy, prosperous, full of color and love!
Nemea in Repose | 9"x12"
I am going to start off by admitting that I realize that I am behind yet again. The holidays are drawing nearer and the annual most stressful time-of-the-year has commenced. While trying to get as many projects done as possible outside of work, I am sorry to say my painting time has been sliced to a fraction at the moment, but I plan on catching up over the holiday break.
I have noticed lately that I have been drawn to more challenging subject matter, which is of course a good and a bad thing. Good for creating some brain work on how to tackle it, bad for frustration and potentially really bad paintings for a while, but that is how it goes.
One of my favorite quotes by Dan McCaw "There is no such thing as failed paintings, only failure to paint." is something I often think of when the going gets tough. It is important to remember that without failure there is no success, and if there is one thing I guarantee is that you will fail over and over again. It is those who accept this fact and use it as a learning experience and press on who will inevitably succeed. (I hope)
Weisenberger Bridge | 6"x8" | oil on canvas
Painting over old paintings is something I enjoy doing every now and then. I have never been one to waste a canvas or two, plus I just love the effect of letting the old painting seep through creating interesting variety and textures.
This week I played around with using thick paint. I pasted it on like butter and it was so interesting to see what different effects could be achieved using this technique. I must confess that I conserve paint far to often. Each tube is so expensive, to me at least, and I become afraid to use too much of it for fear of waste. Truth is I think I waste more paint this way, plus just look at those delicious textures that are created by using thick paint! How can you resist?!
The Dairy Barn | 7"x5" | $225
This week I thought about edges some and then some more. Where do I want them to be sharp and create interest, a closing off if you will of one value shape from another. Where do I want them to be soft and almost invisible where I want to viewer to softly walk into a combined shape. It is like this well executed dance across the canvas. Where is there a smooth transition or a sharp turn?
I have always been a great admirer of Carolyn Anderson's work. I look at her paintings and am just in awe of how much she says with simplification and truly powerful and effective brush strokes. Her painting Mother and Child just takes my breath away. She is a true master of edges and a great inspiration if you are looking to improve your edge work.
Winter seems to have arrived early in the bluegrass and I am rounding up some painting buddies who are brave enough to paint in 30 degree weather and capture some beautiful snow scenes.
Waiting at the Dock | oil on linen | 7"x5" | $200
This week I decided to paint something I have never painted before, the beautiful Arizona desert. This point is near the Superstition Mountains. I am absolutely amazed at the splendor that is there. It's like a giant disguise for all the painful and deadly items that lay there, similar to one of Odysseus' sirens luring you in. The white piece in the front is nicknamed the 'Teddy Bear' cactus, and it is anything but nice and soft.
Needless to say I had a lot of fun creating this one with lots of layering with paint and color. I hope you enjoy it.
Very Superstitious | oil on canvas | 8"x6" | $250
