Three Tulips, 6x8"

I learned a lot from this one, and with more reflection, (in my head, not on the vase), I think I'll understand more. Down time is so important for looking at your work, understanding what you've learned, and what you need to improve. I'm very happy with the vase and wonder if parts of the main flower need to be darker or lighter. Sarajean rightly pointed out that the cast shadow of the vase should be darker. It was—at one point in the painting process! Why did I change it? I don't know. I wasn't careful with my value families! I definitely need to fix that. So, I'm about to give myself a little time to look, learn, and regroup. I'll be back—so see you soon!

Values, poster study—The Lady, 6x8"

Here's an exercise I did with Sarajean. We mixed our values carefully and applied the paint in an organized way so we could see and understand the effect.

In case you haven't figured out what you're looking at (color here would help), I'm sure you must see what I do: it's a Lady, dressed ever so elegantly. (Okay, it's an ice cream dish overturned, with a clementine sitting on top—it's bottom.)

A Daffodil, 5x7"

This daffodil from the garden posed such a challenge, as do all flowers for me. The colors are so subtle; the shift from warm to cool can be surprising. I may try to tweak this if I can figure out what it needs. I may have violated the value families! eek. It could be that the petals in the shadow should really be darker. What do you think? Yellows sometimes confound me. How about you?

Great-Grandmother's Threads 2

Here's another painting of my great-grandmother's sewing threads. I kept the same general set-up, but altered the lighting. I'm not sure I want to do a detailed rendering of the lace at the bottom. So far, I've been happy to suggest it. My younger son feels it's incomplete. Although I respect his opinion, if any of you (of more artistic experience) would like to offer a constructive critique, I'd appreciate it! : )

G is for Gertrude

I had a great time lighting up this little "landscape" of small balls of thread. My great-grandmother did tatting, embroidery, crochet—all sorts of beautiful work with thread. The "G" is for Gertrude.

Egg and Spoon, limited palette

This still life is done with a limited palette, using burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre light, and titanium white. Claudia Hammer's limited palette sugar bowl painting inspired me to add yellow ochre to my mix. Check out Claudia's teapot series, as well as her blog in general. She does beautiful work!

Once again, this is a scanned painting and I did adjust the colors to try to better match what it looks like to me, but be warned—who knows if it's "accurate"? Moving on...

Primary Pears, triptych, sold

 

It's been a very busy, but good time this past week. I just wanted to thank all of you who stopped by the Melrose Arts Festival. This was my second year participating. Once again, I enjoyed so much getting to meet art appreciators and other artists. My triptych set, Primary Pears, found a wonderful home! (These three are from pre-blogging days.) The rest of the sold paintings are on this blog, except for Mary's Flowers, a small painting I did, (but forgot to document), when a few of us painted at Mary Taggart's studio. I've updated the posts with "sold". If they come to you as new posts, I apologize. 

Interestingly, two artist friends from Band of Brushes commented on how much better my work looks in person. I've been scanning my paintings since they're small. Now I'm wondering if the quality isn't as good as I thought. It's time I learned how to photograph them, I guess!

Strawberry Chick, 6 x 8"

You may have noticed this little chick before. Here I experimented with a totally different way of working...looking and painting slowly. It's a totally different effect. I enjoyed layering colors in this one. SOLD

A Sip of Spring, 5.25 x 5.5"

This cup makes me think of Spring. It also invites indulgence, which is how Spring makes me feel. Surrounded by budding trees, crocus blooms and birdsong, I want to take time and enjoy it all—personally and in paint! For all of us who have endured a long and snowy winter—enjoy this new season! SOLD

Plopped on a Pitcher, 6 x 6"

Sarajean and I had our first painting session together last week. It took awhile for this paint to dry! (I applied the paint more thickly than usual.) Our limited palette consisted of Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna, and White. We set up this small pitcher on a cloth and perched a clementine on top, inside a black box that Robin Thornhill had in her studio. She graciously let us use her more centrally located studio, so Sarajean and I could get together (from New Hampshire and Massachusetts). Thanks again, Robin! Both Sarajean and I wiped out others that day, but feel this is a great exercise and we'll do it again, respecting our timer when it rings! Won't we, Sarajean? : )

Which Comes First...?

Well, spring is just about here and I couldn't help myself. I wanted to see if I could control a colorful set up, be more conscious of trying to use one color per stroke (not there yet!), and how to achieve transitions using this technique. I'm still finding my way!

Which brings us to the totally metaphorical title.
Do you go through periods where you think you're "getting it" and then suddenly you're certain you know absolutely nothing about painting? When I reach that point I try to be kind to myself (it's not always easy) and just keep working. I tell myself that eventually I'll master some small aspect of the painting problem and I'll be a better painter for all the struggle! I HAVE seen it happen!

I'm at a point where as some say about art, "I know what I like," but I have to finish with: I don't yet know how to do it. AND, I'm not certain what "my painting voice" is yet, since I can point to several artists whose very different painting styles I admire so much (some of you know who you are). My artist friend, Sarajean Graham, and I have hatched a plan: to embark on an organized course of self-education. Together we're going to examine things we've wondered about, groused about and struggled with. We plan to conquer them! Stay tuned. (and do wish us luck!)

Happy Spring!

Bob Lobster on Leather Chair, 6 x 6"

 

I painted this in response to Carol Marine's latest challenge on this week's Daily Paintworks website. Click "Daily Paintworks" to see what others have submitted.

Each brushstroke was supposed to be a new color. I started off well. Really well. I was having a great time when I suddenly noticed my brush had stroked my painting more than once with the SAME color! It was a challenge, surprise, surprise; one I hope to try again on my own.

The hat is from Bob Lobster, a small restaurant in Newbury, on the way to Plum Island. I've painted in the area and eaten there—yum! I can't wait to go back when spring is in full swing.

Spring must be coming! Sunflower Bouquet, 6 x 8"

I painted this bouquet while gallery sitting at the Newburyport Art Association last year. We awoke to three inches of new snow this morning and I'm feeling I'm eager for spring, buds and flowers. Winter can be great, but I am ready for the thaw!

Andrea's Shoe, 5x5", pencil

This drawing got me thinking about values and the challenge of keeping the light family separate from the darks. I'm not sure I entirely achieved my goal, but the thinking part is good! Sometimes when I paint, I feel like I need to slow down and be more thoughtful about my observations. I have a feeling that drawings can help. Hmmm, maybe doing more VALUE paintings would help, too! Now, there's a thought.

Andrea's Shoe, 6 x 6 "

My friend Andrea gave me a bag of wonderful, vintage sample shoes that I plan to explore in my still life paintings. I couldn't resist pairing this with tissue paper that caught the light and reflected colors of this amazing fabric.

You may have wondered, as my loyal art supporter and critic John has, why my subject matter is all over the place. I'm sure there's a thread of me tying it all together; right now I guess my paintings reveal that I'm drawn to a variety of subjects. My internal voice says, "Ooh! look at that! Ooh! did you see those colors? Can I do that?"

I expect I'll settle down soon. This shoe, for instance, deserves a few drawings and paintings. Let's see where it takes me. If another landscape or person pops in here and there, don't be surprised. I'm drawing people a lot behind the scenes and outdoor scenes appeal to me, too! ; )

Lemon and Garlic, 6 x 6"

This painting is in a narrow value range, but high key, meaning most of the values are pretty light. This was an experiment in color and lighting. The lemon and garlic are sitting on a white cloth, with a purple cloth (unseen to you) as a backdrop and overhead. The lighting created all sorts of reflected color. I was very interested in capturing the subtle grays of the garlic. If I were to tweak this painting, I'd take another look at that lemon to see what it needs. What a challenge to paint yellows! This was a fun experiment.

Paint Table, 6 x 6"

Here's a change of subject, painted in a limited palette. I have discovered that of my paintings, the ones I usually like the least are those that muddle in the middle. Meaning, the value range is narrow and there aren't extreme lights and darks. Sometimes, that's great to evoke a certain mood. In this painting, I was aware that the scene would be mostly in the middle, but I tried include the dark and light accents. Do they offer enough contrast and interest? I'll give this some thought (and maybe play with it on my computer, to see). On to the next!

Keep On Truckin' 2, 9 x 12", cropped

Why, you ask? Why another truck with eggs? Because, I'm learning!

I think the drawing here is more accurate and perhaps the composition feels more comfortable than my original 12 x 12" painting (still to come in it's finished state). I was more aggressive in the colors I used—there's more contrast in the lights and darks of the eggs and the blue background is more saturated. I'm not saying it's better overall, just stating what's different. Do stay tuned, if you dare, to see the final 12 x 12" painting. I'll post new paintings after this, for a change of subject. Whew.

Keep On Truckin', color study, 6 x 6"

 "Keep On Truckin'" is still a work in progress. In this small painting, I was testing out the color of the eggs, the background, and the value of the table (thus the patch of darker, more alizarin color on the table). I am constantly challenged and intrigued by the effects one area of color can have on another. Here, the eggs have been warmed up a bit. I'm just about finished with the larger 12 x 12" painting and will post it once it's dry. Time to move on!

Keep On Truckin', 12 x 12"

Here’s the second of my truck paintings and once again, I feel something's not quite right—aside from my photo being a little soft-focused. I may need to adjust the “whites” of my eggs. I'll let this painting sit a bit so I can regain my strength and determination! I’d love to achieve the subtle effects I envision, but this is the best I can do right now. Gotta keep on truckin’!