Yellow Poppies and Grapes

This is the last day of the 30 day paint challenge. Some of the artists painted something new every day and did a great job. For me it was do my best to simply paint every day and I made it for 25 of the 30 - something I haven't accomplished before!

I wanted to do one more so I could post on the last day of the challenge, and I might have to revisit this one for a few tweaks of course. ;o)

These yellow poppies are actually artificial, but I wanted to do something really bright and they fit the criteria. The grapes are real. Still working with red yellow and blue tones, but these are more varied in chroma than previous paintings.

Yellow Poppies and Grapes - SOLD
6 x 8 inches Oil on Canvas Panel
© 2013

Just a quick thanks to everyone who visits my blog to see what's new.
You are awesome.

Red, Yellow, Blue Update...

As I said, sometimes I have to revisit an image if it nags at me for some reason. This one needed less chroma in the background... and here's the result.

Red, Yellow, Blue - SOLD
5 x 7 Oil on Canvas Panel
© 2013

Love painting garlic...

So here is the next little painting for the 30 day paint 'everyday' challenge. As promised, I put in fewer objects. I could render more detail since the subject could be larger to fill in the space.

Yes, I love painting garlic - the round and oval shapes are just too irresistible. I also did a dramatic color rendering while using a more muted background for a change. My kitchen tile has the background blue color with the burgundy accents. BTW, my kitchen also has a lots of beige tones (walls and counter top) so these colors do not seem overwhelming in the kitchen.

I like this little painting more than expected, and fewer objects in a small painting certainly has its benefits.

Colorful Garlic
7 x 5 Oil on Canvas Panel
© 2013

Sunflowers, Hydrangea and Orange

Since I signed up for a 30 day challenge (my version is to paint everyday - finish or not), I decided to work on something smaller and see how much time I actually spent on it. I spent two days with a total of 4+/- hrs including setup to do this image. I think I'll do a few more small images and take a break from the two large paintings while I get a better handle on what I want to do with them.

Sunflowers, Hydrangea and Orange
6 x 6 Oil on Canvas Panel
© 2013

This little painting I just threw a few things together that I've been thinking about painting. I hadn't planned on putting them all in the same setup, but that's what happened. I have a tendency to compose a setup more suited to be a larger painting. I think the next one will have fewer objects.

Price $25.00

Paint Two Images - Stage 3

Finally stopped fussing about these two paintings and settled on laying in some color ground suggesting a landscape. It's all very loose and I've decided to allow these two paintings to develop in steps without a real definite plan. That means things may change quite a bit before I'm done. Should be interesting - or not. ;o)

Title TBD - Stage 3
16 in x 20 in each - Oil on Stretched Canvas
© 2013

Paint Two Images
Paint Two Images - Stage 2

"Paint Two Images..." - Stage 2

It has been about 6 months since I posted anything about this project regarding the 'Paint Two Images Project'. It seems no matter how important a project is, it doesn't mean it is going to happen quickly, and this is definitely one of those projects.

I think about this project almost daily, and have mulled over old drawings, and new drawings, and lots of ideas about what these two images should be. All in all, I kept returning to a figurative theme, and here is the next stage of the project.

Title TBD - Originals Not for Sale
16 x 20 inches - Oil on Stretched Canvas
© 2013

While researching for this project, I came across one charcoal drawing and one ink drawing that were done in 1980's during figure drawing classes. When I drew them, I didn't know I would be using them in the future - the thought never occurred to me. The female model was done during a fashion illustration course, and the male model is actually a dancer who modeled for art students in Seattle. The originals were done about 4 years apart, and I was a little surprised to see how little the style of my drawings changed.

As I develop the idea for these paintings I became keen on using symbolism, and I am leaving it open for interpretation. Several thoughts have swept across my mind about what it might mean, but I tell you 'it changes' a bit even though some passages are constant. It is like different layers of understanding are represented.

The actual rendering of the image is not determined because of the difficulty of finding and affording models to work from, so in the interest of allowing these paintings to develop as I go along, they may likely be left to look very graphic rather than realistic. BTW, I am working on them simultaneously as though it is one large painting. This should keep them looking harmonious both in style and color.

I have some ideas for the background, and will be posting that result I hope in the near future. I have resolved that no matter what the result of these paintings, they will be framed and put on the wall.

30 Day Challenges vs Master Study

It seems that the 30 day blog post, or producing a painting a day for 30 days is popular in January and a couple other times during the year. I think this works really well for the challenging yourself, but not so good for others - like me.

After a little consideration motivated by truly wanting to be more productive, I signed up for a 30 day challenge knowing right up front that it had to be adjusted a bit to suit my work life.

Instead of cranking out just any ol' blog post, IMO, I think it requires interesting content to make it valuable to the reader, and I just don't think I have that much to say that many would find interesting. I tend to be more of an internal processor, with occasional inspiration to tell a story.

Or in the case of completing a painting every day, OMGosh - I just know I wouldn't do well working that way. It makes me nervous and frantic just like trying to write something new and interesting everyday.

I am certain there is value in these activities with lots of starts and generating ideas - but to produce a final result every single day is just toooooo stressful for me at my current level of development!

So, I decided to give myself a slightly altered challenge and promise to paint everyday. Work on a painting I'm interested in producing, and work on it a little everyday. And glory be - I am succeeding!

Mancini Study in Reverse - NFS
8 x 16 Oil on canvas
© 2012
(Resting - 25 3/8” x 39 5/8” Mancini - c. 1887)
http://fetishofsilence.tumblr.com/post/26372840522/antonio-mancini-resting-c-1887-oil-on-canvas

This painting is the result of the last week's activity. It is a study from a painting by one of my favorite painters - Antonio Mancini. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Mancini. The painting resides at the Chicago Art Institute.

I chose this one because of the contradictions embodied in this painting that I completely enjoy. The composition is done with a half and half split - darks and lights  almost equal, and a few other oddities we are taught not to do. I had to paint it to see if I could understand why I liked it sooooo much. (BTW, I did it in reverse to see if it worked both ways.)

My brushwork is not the same as Mancini, and I could spend many more hours improving on this painting. I only had a computer printout, and haven't had the privilege of viewing it in person. There are other obvious differences besides brushwork, but my pursuit of learning and understanding this painting made it worth the week's effort. I highly recommend selecting master paintings for study - there is much to be learned from this process - just be sure to give the master their due credit.