Remembering Snow II, 6 x 6"

We've had so much snow this winter. As I drive around, I can't help but marvel at the beauty and subtlety of colors and values. Sometimes, it's all so soft I can barely make out the distinction of one tree against others. It's a shift of warm to cool within the same value. I really should carry a camera with me, too, since my memory fails me at some point in the painting process! But, it's fun to do these memory paintings now and then. Maybe mine will improve!

After Sargent, Head of a Capri Girl, 8 x 10"

Head of a Capri Girl by John Singer Sargent

What an experience, to carefully look and attempt to copy a painting by a master!

My darks could be darker and I should use more paint and medium, since the thinner paint seems to have been absorbed by the canvas. My drawing and colors are a bit off, which is so clear when I look at these small, posted images. (Want a good laugh? In my painting, her ears must be pierced in different places! The earring on our left is too high.)  In the future, I'll try viewing my work in a mirror and see if that helps. It was a lot to take on, but what a blast to do! I can definitely see the value of exercises like this.

In the meantime, I'm working on a portrait of my older son, from a photograph. Stay tuned, and thanks so much for visiting.

10 Minute Pears, 8 x 16"

In an afternoon of fast-paced painting, I completed Carol Marine's challenge: Choose a simple subject and paint it in eight different "poses," 10 minutes for each pose. Whew! I have to confess, I think I "cheated"on two of them, painting for 12 instead of the 10 minutes. I think I got tired toward the end; it's surprisingly difficult to maintain the concentration to do it "justice". BUT, if you're a painter and you've tried this before, you know it's an excellent exercise. If you're a painter, and you haven't tried this (and really kept to the time), you don't know what you're missing! Join in and see the benefits! I plan to do more on my own. Here's the link for the Painting Challenges: http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Challenges

Face Sketches, 8.5 x 11" paper

I've been sketching faces lately, both real and imagined. If you've visited before, you know I've been working on my drawing skills so I can eventually draw and paint convincing portraits...and whatever else I'd like to do! It's been said, and I believe it's true, that drawing is the foundation of all art. For the kind of work I'm interested in doing, it's critical. So, practice I must! Five out of six of the heads here, I've created out of my own. You can probably tell which is from life. Why don't you tell me which and I'll tell you who it is? Each head here fits into a 2 x 3" area, just about. Small, huh?  Fun to do!  : )

Drawing of "The Innocence" after Mian Situ

If you haven't seen the cover of the January/February issue of Art of the West magazine, please take a look. I fell in love with this beautiful painting, "The Innocence"  by Mian Situ and couldn't resist drawing it. I'm trying to improve my drawing skills and understanding of values and color. I notice that when I feel challenged to understand something, my paint application is very controlled. Someday, I'd love to paint more expressively like this. With knowledge, confidence, and miles of canvas I may get there! I hope so.

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!