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...

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!

Sardonic Son, 16 x 12"

This is where I am right now. I remind myself often that there's so much to learn. Impatience, be gone!

Here's my older son, painted from life. He's not all that lively looking, since I let him watch a movie on the computer while I painted him. What an excellent, conscientious model he was, though. Who knew?! He carefully assumed the same position each time after getting movie snacks. I may ask him to pose again, sans movie, since he was so good, with the hope of achieving the kind of likeness I enjoy each day. The hands are sketchy since it was a great challenge just to get the face as you see it. I see errors in my drawing and that's good.

Here's the question: what do I do with this? Leave it as a learning experience and move onto the next or see if I can lure my model back so I can improve and "finish" it? By the way, when my son saw the painting, he was genuinely amused and laughed at how "sardonic" he looked. Title courtesy of son.

Honest—Abe, oil, 6 x 4.5"

I'm finally on the mend. When we were around 4-years old, my twin sister and I were sick at the same time (surprise!) and we were drifting in and out of feverish sleep in our parents' bedroom (easier access for our Mom). It made such an impression on me, how slowly time seemed to pass. This time, I felt that same sensation of time slowing. I'd like to hold onto that feeling once I get back into full swing of things. Goal: Be healthy, but enjoy Pockets of Slow Time.

This little painting is in response to the Daily Paintworks Challenge, part one: Using Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber and White, paint Abraham Lincoln in a neutral gray. I don't remember ever painting this way before, although I've read about it. Great exercise. Click here to see the many paintings submitted to this challenge: Daily Paintworks Lincoln Challenge.
Honest—Abe, 6 x 4.5", $50 SOLD

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.

Bird, Bottle, Egg, Round Two, 6x6"

It's time for me to move on. I've learned that this bird has a tricky face to paint, when I look directly at it. I've learned that "white" and I don't get along just yet. But, I'm about to embark on a color adventure, with play and discovery through exercises my main goal. Color charts? Maybe not yet!

I discovered Kathryn Townsend, www.kathryntownsend.blogspot.com, who's been creating wonderful paintings using a limited palette, based on Peggy Kroll Roberts' dvds: http://www.krollroberts.com/index.html. Kathryn's observations about what she's learning are also interesting. I love that I'll be able to paint still lifes while learning about color in a more systematic way. If you have ideas on how to learn more about color, feel free to share. I hope the links I've included here work!

Homework? 6 x 6"

Well the Bird, Bottle, Egg painting is drying and I'll post it soon. Sometimes you are where you are and you hope a painting becomes a stepping stone to better things. Sometimes you're just too close for perspective! So, I decided to turn around and paint this quick sketch of my son, while he was doing homework, (or was he playing?!), on the computer. Anyway, he was kind enough to linger just long enough. I love painting from life and seeing the nuances of color and light. It's capturing them that's the challenge!

Wishful Thinking, 6" x 6"

I painted my bird on gessoed illustration board—a very different surface for me. The texture reminds me of the way moisture sort of "pebbles" on a window. Next time I paint a 6" x 6", I'll sand the gesso beforehand to see how I like it.

For whatever reason, I love the subject of birds...It could be a symbol for the spirit, the idea of flight and the imagination, or freedom. Sadly, this bird won't be going anywhere, tethered as it is to its base. I sense its desire, though, for all sorts of possibilities!

Months ago I painted a black and white value study of this bird and a pitcher. I'll post it tomorrow. Feel free to comment or critique! I'd appreciate reading your thoughts on them. Thanks for stopping in today!

Two Yellow Apples on a Plate, 8 x 9"

Here are two apples we picked late September in Ipswich, MA. (Yes, they waited patiently for me in the refrigerator for a few weeks and were still tasty!) When the painting is small enough, I prefer to scan it once it's dry, rather than photograph it—the brushstrokes are more apparent in the scan (and my picture taking skills aren't consistently good yet). With the weather getting very chilly here in New England, I'll be painting en plein air a little less often, and enjoy the focus on still lifes (and I hope, some figures).

Trellis Angel, 8 x 6"

Painting Trellis Angel was an experiment in lighting and technique. I wanted to keep the effect of the back lighting, yet keep her face visible. I wondered if I should increase the brightness of the background to heighten this effect, but I'll let it sit for awhile and think about it. The autumn day I painted this was a bit brisk, so I couldn't resist adding a touch of pink to her cheeks! To keep some passages thick and sharp, I used a palette knife more than I usually do. If you have any comments on this challenging little painting, I'd love to hear them. I enjoyed doing it. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Portrait Sketch, Tineke, 12 x 9"

Tineke posed for me while working on her laptop. The lighting was fascinating. There was evening light coming in a nearby window and cool light from her laptop screen below, shining up on her face; there was also warm light from a nearby lamp. I realize it's time for me to get new glasses: colors I had painted right next to each other were not as accurately placed as I thought! Even so, it was great fun to paint.

Three Amigos, 6 x 6"

I painted this still life awhile after taking a workshop with Carol Marine. It was great to see how she works. She shared a lot of useful information, some of which got me "blogging"! Getting the almost overhead perspective on the bowl was a wee bit challenging, but fun, too. I want to thank those who have commented on my recent posts; feedback is always so welcome. Still being relatively new to this, I didn't realize they were there until today! Now I know where to look.  : )

Snuff Mill, Byfield, 9 x 12", finished

Here's the finished painting of Snuff Mill, Byfield, with more accurate color than my earlier post. (Sometimes photographing a painting can be tricky!) It was a gorgeous autumn day. I and the other members of Band of Brushes plein air painting group loved this location and hope to paint there again. The changes I made are few and maybe a bit subtle. If you enjoy a visual challenge, you could compare it to the earlier post and see if you notice what I've altered—kind of like the feature in Highlights Magazine, that children used to read. (Do they still?)

Kitchen Aid Cherries, 7 x 5"

When I set up this still life in my kitchen, I was at first interested in creating a simple still life, using playful colors. Then, two things caught my fancy—the careful, artificial act of setting the stage for my cherries and then the unplanned, real life setting beyond. I liked the juxtaposition of the two and the shift of colors from the foreground to the background, with intense colors upfront and the more subdued and subtle grays behind. There's a sketchpad linking the two, with a touch of blue. SOLD

Snuff Mill, Byfield, 9 x 12"

I belong to a plein air painting group, called Band of Brushes. We meet once a week at different locations, mostly on the North Shore of Massachusetts. This structure is on the site of a Snuff Mill in Byfield. I loved the light playing across the building and the colorful frame of fall foliage. I plan to tweak a few things on this before I call it finished. I need to straighten the edge of the building and reintroduce some bright grass along the slope that I remember began in front of the building and then traveled down the slope. It was a windy day, which blew clouds in front of the sun off and on. I think in a quick reaction to the changing scene I painted over it—I was guilty of Chasing the Light! Oops!

Autumn Apple, homage to Julian Merrow-Smith

Although I've been drawing most of my life, I returned to painting seriously about five years ago. Whenever I paint, my goals tantalizingly beckon and then shift just out of reach. And, that's the way it should be; there's always so much to learn! When I painted my set-up, I tried to notice how the plate and apple were affected as they turned away from the light; how the colors shifted from warm to cool. Painting a still life offers me an opportunity to experiment with how I paint, and to really look and learn…intensely!

If you haven't yet seen Julian Merrow-Smith's Postcard from Provence, I hope you'll visit his site by clicking on the name link. His still life paintings are powerful and strong…beautiful and inspiring to me. I sure don't mind learning from his work! SOLD

"Tic Tac Toe–Peaches"

I thought I'd offer you some peaches and post a freshly picked apple next. This oil painting, "Tic Tac Toe–Peaches"  is 6 x 8". If you are interested in purchasing a painting, please contact me. Thanks for taking a look and please leave a comment if you'd like; I love reading them!

And we're off—Pam Perras Posts Paintings!

Here's my first brush with a blog of my own, to feature my work, large and small. I hope you'll visit often to see what's new.