July 2013 Newsletter!

Centered - framed

After a little glazing and touchups, here is the painting framed and finished!  Now it heads to the Kneeland Gallery in Ketchum, ID for the show :)  I hope you enjoyed watching the process.  Stay tuned for a future video of a demo!

At the end of the day... Centered

Not quite sure if it is finished, but I need a break from it.  I like the moodiness, I like the abstractness of the paint and layers.  I still want to do some glazing, but I'm not sure what it needs.  Great time for making dinner!  Any thoughts?

Cattail Series, Demo 6

Progress!  I'm really getting into the water reflections, probably to the point of self-indulgence, but hey isn't that why we paint?  I'll problem solve later - kind of like dessert before dinner.  One must have a little fun along the way :)  I'm still having issues with the shapes, but only in as much as how to break them up from roundness without getting too busy.  Marco says he doesn't like my round bushes - too stylized.  I'll save those decisions for a little while.  Sometimes I take a photo, print it out, and then do a little problem solving on paper.  I know people that work the problems out on Mylar paper laid on top of the painting.  This painting is far too wet to do that and I don't have the patience for that much work.  The paper seems to do the trick for me and I can print out five copies and come up with five different solutions, each usually easy fixes.
At this point, I am really liking the texture of the palette knife passages.  I know they will be beautiful under a light transparent glaze.  I think I need a little more pops of color, but I don't want them to be obviously manipulative.  They need to be organically connected to the palette and still provide a punch.  Hmmm.....Too many decisions!

Any feedback?  I think I might be the only one that reads my blog - maybe I should call it a diary instead :)  I guess whatever it takes to work through things!

Cattails Series - Centered Demo pt 5

Well, biggest changes so far!  I changed the shape of the trees on the left to make the best sense of the center bushes and added a horizon line.  Then I added a skyline - well, not much of a line at this point, more like atmosphere.  I'm up at 2:00 am because I can't quit thinking about the piece.  Problem solving while laying in bed doesn't always work - sometimes you just have to get up and jump back in.  I'm excited to get busy in the water, but it needs to be dried so I can apply some glazes.  Here it is up to the point...

Cattails Series, Demo 4

I have started building the surface a bit and loading on more paint, but I am feeling like the composition needs a little change.  The trees in the back are not working with the shapes up front and I have already gotten rid of the skyline to make the entire background mountain.  A little too much green, but I'll change that with glazing and a little modulated color.  I think it needs a little more room to breathe, so I'm going to destroy that tree line.  More to come....

Cattails - Centered : Demo 3

This is who I am looking at today for inspiration - John Henry Twachtman, Arques-la-Bataille, 1885.   I love how he organizes his masses so simply, just off to the right and how you are quiety guided through the piece.  Values are much stronger up front, contrast is limited everywhere else.  Stunning, quiet piece!

Cattail Series - Centered; demonstration part 2

I am beginning large mass temperature shifts and developing the space. This is where I simplify my value patterns down to the minimum. Can't get stuck in any detail work yet.  I plan on developing texture up front so it can be glazed and be richer.  Paint is very thin at this point.

Cattail Series - Centered - Demonstration of Process

I've been asked for awhile to post a demo.  This started on facebook as I was working, but I think this is a better venue to post it.  Please feel free to post questions or feedback as I post the progress!  I will try to explain what I am thinking of as I go.  This is Oil on Linen panel, 30x40.

This is the initial block-in of the masses.  I like how everything moves just to the right of the center in this composition.  I know that is breaking all the "rules", but hey, I've never been very good at following them anyway.  I may end up having to change it, but I'm sticking with it at this point.  I have large, simple masses in mind with the water and treelines directing the viewer through the painting.

More experimental paintings....

I'm still very unsure of myself on this surface so I think I will do a few more - five in all.  Here are the next two, one extremely abstract and another not-so-much.  The best part is still the beginning.  The paper absorbs the mineral spirits and paint just like watercolor.  When I start putting thicker paint on, the surface feels a little too smooth for my liking.  I will withhold judgement until the five are done!

Experimental Technique

I've started playing with Arches Oil Paper.  I think it is a great combo of my watercolor/oil experience.  I've been starting with a ground, wiping out, adding, wiping, adding, wiping and playing like a kindergartener!  It feels like a watercolor for 50% of the process and oil for the rest.  I will show you the first piece start and close to finished.  I still need to do a little glazing and find a way to make the surface consistent, probably with a varnish of some sort.  Four more to go for a show in SLC at 15th and 15th Gallery.