Once Again...

'Passages' 16x16 Oil Plein Air

I Haven't Posted On......

....this blog, my website, FB or Instagram in well over a year.  Nothing.  It has felt good but it may be time to return.  

I needed some time off and some creative privacy, I guess.  I kept painting, studying and even taught a few courses but I was tired of media.  Still am, but decided it was time to share again and see if I could change the terms of engagement.  No, I don't yet know what that means other than not taking it seriously, despite what the online marketers recommend.

In the interim a few changes I hadn't expected crept in.  Being trained mostly by Sergei Bongart's teaching assistants I once used a color palette of up to 18 hues.  Over the years that number shrank slowly until around 2005 it was down to 9 colors, a split primary palette with a couple 'kickers'.   It is interesting and significant that the number kept going down.  I'm now at 3 tubes of color plus white.  I keep a standard primary palette of a red, a yellow and a blue in differing temperatures and saturations.   I will switch out one or more of those hues when I think it's appropriate or when I want a challenge or just to see what happens.  The number still stays at three colors.

Both of these plein air pieces use the same palette except for the blues, one done with Ultramarine Blue and the other Prussian Blue ('Passages', 16x16 PB and 'Morning in the Gardens', 10x20 UB at Battle Point Park).  I'm really rather amazed at the variety of colors that can be achieved and the subsequent color harmony.

A couple of things that sort of happened at the same time in terms of materials also helped re-enthuse me to paint and explore.  I'll talk about those next time.

 'Morning in the Gardens', 10x20, Oil, Plein Air

Thanks for looking.  Come back again.

 

Foxglove, 6x12

A very quick....
....sketch out in the back of Nancy's house done on shellacked birch plywood.  Maybe 40 minutes of painting or a little less.  Put it down and leave it alone....fun.

The complexity of the forest is simplified to graphic shapes to help give some drama to the flowers.

Someone snapped a picture.....

Thanks for looking....back soon....

 

Reflection, 10x15

Last Wednesday....
....I spent a lovely few hours around this small pond with a couple of painter friends.  They were painting over on the other side and the sound of their voices talking softly came across the water mingling with the quacking of ducks and the splash of Canada Geese.  It was mesmerizing to hear that and be able to look at the push and pull of the lily pads on top of the moving reflection of the trees.

This is an oil painting done on birch panel and needed very little in the way of retouching when I got home.  Just some picking out the fluff of the poplar cotton and seeds as they floated down on me and the paint.  I didn't need to do much redesigning of the scene either.  It's nice when things go easily.

Thanks for looking.

I'll be back.

Hangin' at Mrs. Fils, 12x16

Noelle needed exercise.....
....so we went to see her best play-friend, Ms. B.  The paints were in the car, it was a nice day and I grabbed the brushes and a panel and began looking around.  There it was, hanging on the shed door.  I forget what they call the flowers.

The difficult part was that the sun was moving fast and those shadows were on a stampede to be somewhere other than where I had first seen them.  Great fun.  Nice summer day.  The dogs had a great time.

Thanks for looking.  I'll be back.  

Rhodies at Dawn, 10x10

I Had Woken Up Way Too Early.....
.....and couldn't get back to sleep.  I had a need to paint but knew that my schedule that day didn't really allow much time for it.  The sky was barely getting light so I got up for some tea and noticed the light beginning to filter into the yard.  That was exciting.  It didn't really matter if what I painted even turned out if I could just be outside using a brush.

I grabbed a birch panel that I had given three coats of varnish, a nice mid tone to work on and carve out the light.  The rhodie was an obvious choice since it was the only plant in bloom.  Using Burnt Umber I scumbled in the large plant forms enough that I could visualize how the shapes would work together.  Using Pthalo Blue, the Burnt Umber, some Cad Yellow and a little Rose Madder Permanent I began with the darks, varying the mix for interest and form.

About forty five minutes later it was mostly finished and I could finally get my tea.   Of course then  the painting began telling me what it needed and I made a few adjustments.

I had a good time and got some painting into my day.

Thanks for looking!  Have a great day.  

Provence Poppies II, 12x12

Sorting through the studio.....
.......I ran across a painting from 6 or 7 years ago that I had done in the studio using a small Provence field sketch as reference.  I remembered at the time being dissatisfied with it but went ahead and put it in a gallery for a short time, but it didn't sell.

After getting it back home I must have worked on it a bit and given up, not clicking on what it was lacking.  I could remember the scene clearly, but didn't know how to make the lines and busyness of the foreground weave my eye into the mid and background.

This is what it originally was posted as back in 2012:

2012 Version

The photo may not have been that great but even so the piece is flat and uninteresting to my eye.  The horizontal and diagonal lines were dominating.  My eye skipped over the poppies and ended on the white flower bush in the mid-distance....and got stuck there.  The background I liked. 

It seemed to me I needed to make the poppies more interesting, subdue the mid-ground flowers, and find a few more verticals.  After making those adjustments I thought it looked better....yet I was still dissatisfied.

That's when that large cumulus cloud in the background was added as a vertical element, one that subtly mimicked the tree shape.  Satisfaction level got lifted.  Perhaps it should be a larger painting.  Beats me.  What do you think?

Thanks for looking! 

Leftovers, 8x16

I had a few extra flowers.....
.....from a still life set up for one of my classes.  I brought them home, plopped them in an antique pitcher, walked by them for a couple of days and finally recognized that they could be interesting to paint.

So I pulled them out to the studio and set them on a shelf intending to add some other things for more  variety....and found out they already were interesting as they were.

I first painted the pitcher getting the light reflections balanced.  Then large areas of color were blocked in and carved into flower masses.  It's the perimeters of flowers that do most of the work in giving them the 'floweriness' they are on canvas.  Make an amorphous shape and then add what isn't 'flower' and you can get a long way toward making them convincing and interesting.  This works best with the varieties that have a round or globular shape like roses, carnations, dahlias, daisies.  'Bird of Paradise', not so well.

I've begun playing around with Indian Yellow.  Nice transparent color of low tinting strength and, when not overpowered by other hues in a mix (as it easily is), a very vibrant color.

Later.

Thanks for reading....

Lost at the Dahlia Farm....

Lost At the Dahlia Farm, 10x12

October Dahlias, 11x14

Painting on a Dahlia Farm.....
......doesn't really require much movement.  Standing in one spot will give you any number of ideas for paintings.

I was at a workshop with the immensely talented Colin Page (HERE) and back at a spot I had been to in 2013.  That was another workshop of his and, when he came around to look at our paintings, he looked at mine and said, 'I have only one thing to say to you....think "lyrical".'  Then he smiled mischievously and walked away.

For two years I have been pondering what he meant.  Sometimes I got a bit of a glimpse of a meaning but no clear answer....so, of course, I bugged him about it this time.   When I came away from this workshop I actually think I got closer but don't think I can yet put it into words.  I think it has to do with what a writer does when being poetic.  With words it is a unique and creative linking of word meanings, sounds and literary picture making.  In painting it is the same thing but using design,shape, tone and color to invite people into your pictorial world.

I might be getting closer.  Like getting lost at a dahlia farm....

Thanks for reading.  



    

Woodland Roses, 14x18

An Overcast Day....
.....in a garden on the edge of a dark wood....and these roses were glowing.  It was fun to try and capture that effect.  Since 'stopping when you don't know what else to do' is a pretty good guide that's what I'm doing even though feeling a bit flummoxed.

I like the painting, especially the subtle hint of trees in the background...yet I feel that there is something that could make it better.  Perhaps if I wait six months it will all come clear.  You know, one of those 'the clouds are parting' ah-ha moments.

Lately I feel I've been searching for something that is elusively just beyond my awareness.  The waiting for it to surface is testing my patience....but I keep on with the belief that it's going to happen.  This sounds like an essay on fishing....

Moving on.

 John Crump (and his grandson Sam) just posted a new video that is part of a series he is doing.  John is from the small town of Glenorchy on the south island of New Zealand and is one of those painters who I find mesmerizing to watch.  His command of the canvas is impressive.

He uses big brushes on large linen panels that he paints plein air.  Juicy paint, impeccable composition, great brushwork and someone who is willing to share his extensive knowledge.  The video is available currently for download on Vimeo or through his website HERE.  You won't be disappointed.  He also has a couple of others for sale.

Additionally there is a video about him through Color in Your Life, an Australian art television program that is currently expanding to the U.S.  That video is right at the top of John's dvd page for you to watch free.

Thanks to all who venture here.

Blue Pottery, 12x16

The First Two Were....
......boat/harbor paintings and were a bust.  Actually they didn't even make the 'bust' stage as I scraped them down at about the half way point.  Later I realized I was doing them as an intellectual exercise and not because they aroused any passion in me.....not the best way to go about it.

So, a bit bothered with myself,  I drove over to Nancy's for lunch and a glass of wine, which helped.  There were other painters there doing some fine work and eventually the bug again got to me.  Wanting to make sure that I stayed away from anything involving my brain I began to just block in color on a bare panel.  No line drawing or guidance marks, just smears of paint.

 
Someone took a picture near the beginning.  I like this open way of working, letting the shapes evolve into things and carving out form.  It doesn't always work but it keeps me so involved in the process that I almost don't care how it comes out.....but it actually works pretty well....and I don't think too much.

There is really only one leaf on that geranium that has much definition on it, the rest being inferred from everything else.  It's all illusion, isn't it?  Perhaps that is how we lead our lives without being especially aware of it.  Uh-oh.  Getting too close to the edge.....

But on a more important note Colin Page posted a photo on FB.  I've been thinking about this for years.  He may be pushing me to it.  I suggested he name it the 'Filbert Flyer'.   There is a flavor of Wind in the Willows here.

Colin's Floating Studio

 
Later.  Thanks for looking!

Hacienda Evening, 12x16

Coincidence.  Really?
.......Every once in a while the forces that are around have to remind me that what I 'think' is going on is probably only a sliver of the picture, if that much.

Some old and good friends have just returned to this island, escaping Arizona just in time, in my opinion.  While living there and visiting Mexico they bumped into a 350 to 400 year old hacienda in one of the oldest towns in North America, so old that it is where the priests left from to found Los Angeles and San Francisco.  At one time it was the richest town in the western hemisphere.  Of course they bought it and, of course, invited me/us down occasionally.

The other day we were talking about their need to sell the place and, as we talked, I was flooded with memories of tres leches cake, tacos on the street, balmy evenings, the smell of flowers, good talks and lots of time painting and hanging out.

So.  Yesterday, in another attempt to clean my studio I ran across this painting from just after they had bought the place and one of my initial attempts at painting in Mexico.  I haven't seen this piece for years and, to my knowledge, haven't shown it to anyone.  Why do I do these things?

I'm posting it now for my friends to tell them how much I appreciate the times we were able to spend there together.  It was emotionally very rich.  Thanks you two.

Where?  Alamos, Sonora, Mexico and the bridge across the arroyo joins the Hacienda de Los Santos, one of the classier hotels I've seen.

Ok.  Now if the forces that be will stop pulling out these oldish paintings so I can get the place organized.....

I'll be back.  Thanks for reading.

Lilies, 16x20

Yesterday......
.....I came downstairs barely awake and at the landing noticed yellow lilies blooming.  Truthfully, it was about the sixth day I had noticed them, always with the thought that 'Ya know...I should really paint those one of these days.'

Fortunately, I had been reading one of Guido Frick's posts.  (I know Guido from a long time ago at a Ron Lukas workshop and thoroughly enjoy his paintings.  His posts are HERE.)  In those posts he mentions an artist I hadn't heard of who lives fairly close down in Oregon, Sarkis Antikagian.  So I went and read his blog HERE.  Both these people are an enjoyable read because they paint out of the sheer joy of it.  Guido's take on an American community pool is also a hoot.

One of them mentions the tendency for artists to paint 'postage stamps'....you know, paintings on small canvases.  In my upcoming posts I'm showing a bunch of those small ones that I haven't posted before, but I do have to admit that I would much rather paint larger, and can do one in about the same amount of time as a smaller one.  They are just harder to lug around.

This is getting long.  Suffice to say that it was those blog words ringing in my head that made me pick up a 16x20 rather than an 8x10......and off I went to the garden.

It was freeing.  I could swing a larger brush, stand back at arms length, load up on paint and just have a good time, which I did.  The sun was barely beginning to light up the shadows and create sparkle on the leaves and petals.  After 90 minutes and a now intense light it was quitting time.

Thanks for looking.  I like sharing this wonderful struggle....

Bloedel in Spring, Two Paintings

'Reflections', 11x14

After Painting a Bloedel Reserve Diptych...

....(posted recently) I still had some time for another try and ended up in this lovely secluded place.  A few guests at the Bloedel Reserve wandered by but left me alone.  Well, there was this group of Japanese tourists who had seen me painting the diptych that asked me to pull it out so they could see it.  But then they got shocked and miffed when I said I couldn't because it was back in the car.  I'm thinking there was a translation problem as they kept looking deep into the water after I told them.

This was enjoyable to do but got difficult for me when I got to the multiple reflections in the water and how to distinguish the fallen log from the light coming from the bottom of the pond.....where they thought my other painting was.  I'm satisfied with how it turned out and I learned some things.  Always good.

The next day I went back and did two more pieces.  This one, 'Strolling the Buttercup Forest', is in a part of the park that is unmanicured, left natural.  The light there is airier, the color is higher in value and there are fewer tourists looking in the water for my stuff.  

It was a great day to be painting.

Thanks for hanging out.

Blue Hydrangea, 18x20

As I should be packing for Italy....

.....this should be short and to the point.....or I'll get there without any clothes.  Paint supplies but no clothes.

It was painted last Friday, I think, at my friend Tannis' home.  She had a wonderful grouping of hydrangea and I wanted to do them all but I compromised.  The point of this whole piece is that one small blue flower stealing the limelight (literally) from the other blooms.  It was like this but I worked to make it more interesting than it was.

'Overstate, understate, but never tell the truth'  Charles Movalli

This next is a quick study done two days ago.  Nancy always feeds me when I go over so when other painters say they are  gathering at her house I have to 'stop by'.....for lunch.

I did it without sketching anything out ahead of time but if you go back a couple of blog posts you will see a drawing I did of the same scene.  It was still in my head.

I'll try and post from Italy.....but who knows if I actually can.  Later.

Wall Flowers, 12x14

It began with eggs.

Specifically, our friend Nancy calling to see if I wanted some.  I said 'Sure', so she said come over and get them but I'll be gone and could you please let the dog out?

Well, Noelle and Bella are the best of buddies in a 'tear around the garden and get as dirty as possible' kind of way.....so, sure, I could do that. 

As they were enjoying themselves and the dirt I decided to do a painting, and here are the progression photos.  It's on Arches Oil Paper taped to a board.  I've been experimenting with some different blues and used them on this piece.

The subject plant and basket was just a source for inspiration so you'll see lots of differences if you are looking for a photographic likeness.  However, if you are instead looking for a painting, this is what it made me do. 

I hope to get a better photo later.

 Here is the source:

No pre-drawing on this one, just color block-in from the start:

 Beginning development of forms:
 

Tape removed to check color: 

 Refining the forms....almost finished:

 It took about 75 minutes and was entertaining to do.  The warm/cool color changes were fun.  The piece already has a new owner. 

That one spot available for the Italy trip is still hanging open....hint, hint....

Yin and Yang, 12x12

Little Red Sparkles.....

.....would catch my eye each time I drove past.  It was only a matter of time before another pretty face lured me in.  A whole bevy of pretty faces.

Yin and Yang.  The balance of one thing against another.  Not just the red against the green but also the trees against the sky, the roses against the trees, the foliage against the lighter water, the shadow against the light.......plus soft edges against hard, detail confronting broad shape, sharp line yielding to amorphous form ....and more.

It's how a painter thinks.  At least it's how this painter thinks.

Help.

Beach Rose, 12x12

Cannery Cove....

....was on the way home from the grocer store and I figured I had time to do a drawing or two before the rain came in.....but when I got there these wild roses reached out and seduced me to paint them.  I always fall for a pretty face.

It took more time than a drawing and when I quit after 45 minutes the drops were just beginning... but I had a good time doing it.  I changed a couple things when I got home: the hue of the water became bluer and the bush to the right became a little darker, both done to help the foreground pull closer and be better delineated.

Like the last one, this is a painting done with no solvent.  It's a great freedom not to have to use it, even for brush cleaning.  While I dirty more brushes, I also use fewer paper towels and the paint is more fun to move around.  Who knew....

There is an absolutely full Marker Workshop next weekend that I am looking forward to.  It's a terrific way to draw and experiment with your art.  Maybe between now and then I can post a few drawings.   Be well.  Keep drawing....

Morning Painting, 30x30

So, Here Is How It Goes.....

Wake up very early last Thursday.  Check.
Answer email.  Check.
Go buy some flowers.  Check.
Figure a still life set up and gather materials.  Check.
Drive to Studio 12 and set up before others arrive.  Check.
Begin Painting about 9:45.  Check.
Don't stop.  Check.
Paint until 1:00.  Check.
Drive Gail to an appointment.  Check.
Grab some quick dinner.  Check.
Ride bicycle to clay studio.  Check.
Spend three hours sculpting a ridiculous caricature.  Check.
Ride bike home.  Check.
Pet Noelle, Hug Gail.  Check.
Fall into bed.  Check.
Don't 'grow up' (whatever that means).  Check.

Tough work but someone has to do it.......

Astilbe Garden, 9 x 12

Snoozing on the couch after the festivities of July 4th....

.....visions of unpainted paintings woke me up.  Really happened.  Grabbing my paint kit I headed to the front garden and found a group of astilbe beginning to catch a bit of afternoon light.  An hour later this painting emerged and I was glad I hadn't spent the time on the couch. 

I have to admit that I was still a bit in that dream stage when I painted it, proving again that I'm just as competent when half asleep.

Hope you all in the U.S. had a great holiday.....and that those in other countries were pleased not to have fireworks until one in the morning.  More gun powder was used just in our neighborhood than in all of the Revolutionary War.....  OK.  Maybe not the whole war.

This was the same limited palette of three colors as in the last post.

Iris at the Reserve, 8 x 10

The National Bison Reserve....

....is tucked away between St. Ignatius and Dixon, MT and is a great place to see most everything but buffalo.  Lots of them are there but I've never taken the time to actually tour the Reserve and see them as 'other stuff' attracts me first.  On this rainy/sunny day it was these iris at the edge of some pond.

The board I had with me already had an old painting on it so I put on a layer of a dark dull green....you can see it in some places....and everything was added on top of that layer of wet paint.  It was just a matter of carving out the image.  It has looseness and spontaneity that I like....and lots of thick paint on top of other thick paint.  It's hard to get too detailed on a slippery surface.  Just lay it on and leave it.

You can find this kind of thing to paint at the Bloedel Reserve where I will be teaching a plein air workshop next weekend.  Winslow Art Center has all the details.

Maynard Dixon (1875 to 1946), the well known southwest oil painter, spent lots of time in and around St. Ignatius when it was known as 'the mission', making several trips there during his lifetime.  I wonder if the town of Dixon was named for him.  Now it is as close to a ghost town as you can get and still be called a town.  More in an upcoming post.