The Abstract Stage

I have learned in oil that after you draw your subject, you choose the darkest dark, value to compare it all your other values as you paint.
This is the first stage and I love it. It is a beautiful abstract.

Open Studio Painting

I attend open studio with a live model at least once a week. In this case, the model poses for 6 hours but I had to leave after 3 hours. I should have spent another hour, at least, to finish but I am happy with the results. Open studio is without instruction and allows you to practice what you have learned during the week. It is a great opportunity for any artist to continue to enhance their skills.
This piece on a 16X20 canvas sheet.

Bad Paint Day But Reinforced A Need For Good Habits

I had a bad paint day yesterday. I was whining - if you can imagine me whining. I was working on a portrait and the forehead kept getting bigger, the drawing was off with the lips and I just couldn't see what I needed to do.
I wasn't close enough to the model but I think it was more that I was seeing the model. I spent the time looking at the painting. I was painting the learned process and not the actual model.
Here is yesterday's portrait study. I used a canvas sheet that had a crease in it and it is visible.
I need to remember. Plan - don't rush. Look at the model. Measure and correct the drawing. See the shadows and be sure to darken the eye sockets. Get that nose on the page correctly. Highlight the brow. Remember, we all have a tendency to want to straighten out the mouth and align the eyes. If they are not straight, DO NOT paint it straight. See and do not rush.

Let Them Paint Cake Part II

This the completed painting of "Let Them Paint Cake". I painted the background that was in the original setup and I changed the cake stand. I fixed the plate elipse under the plate. To the cake, I added more filling and darkened the shadow side.
I need to learn to simplify more - not to describe everything in a still life nor any other painting.

10 Wonderful Days In An Rv

I just got back from 10 wonderful days in an RV with my husband. We visited Lassen National Park where I painted about one hour. I was distracted by hiking Bumpass Hell and seeing the beautiful sites. Then we headed to Oregon to visit friends. Next was Patrick's Point where we hiked all day and I did environmental art with driftwood and rocks on Agate Beach.
We later hiked through Trinidad and visited the Humbolt State University Marine Laboratory.
We stopped in Eureka at a wonderful natural food co-op and then continued to the Mendocino coast. We stayed two days at Westport and came back home.
Best vacation ever. The weather was great and it was fun in an RV. We rented it from Cruise America in Citrus Heights, CA. It was half off and was a deal for 10 days. I highly recommend it if you want the RV experience without buying one.
Think about it. If you buy one and use it only a a few times a year, you are paying insurance, maintenance and, perhaps, storage.
This way, you don't have an RV payment and you get to turn it in at the end of the trip.

Canteloupe Tonight I Am Plum Tuckered Out

Here is my study of cantaloupes and plums against a dark cloth and background. This is my second pass at this painting. It was in the freezer waiting for the next session.
It needs a few more brush strokes - I think. I liked this lesson because of the resolving the cantaloupes and the plums.
I learned that you need to remember to enlarge the objects closer. I know that sounds obvious but I have a tendency to make similar object the same size.
I need to keep my brush strokes closer together. I have a tendency to not do this.
Good lesson.

Yesterday - All My Memories Seem To Fade Away

I hope I remember what I learned yesterday in the figure painting class. It was another exceptional lesson as that we were forced... no that's not the word. Given the opportunity
There we go ... given the opportunity to paint three 50 minute figure studies. I thought I was comfortable with portraits but this session shoved me out my comfort zone. I went kicking and screaming. Splattering paint everywhere, throwing lines down with no logical thought, making up values and mushing my colors. Despite all this and having to control my art's tourettes (talking and cursing out loud to the painting), I finally got through the class. Bad paint session as I made every mistake possible. Great learning session as I made every mistake possible.
I need to measure better, learn and practice gestural drawings, and keep my paint strokes next to each other. DO NOT be afraid of white. It is needed to make the flesh tones. Don't over mix oil paint. Foreshortening - think of cylinder shapes. Clothing is painted around the form. Keep shapes simple and SEE. Oh and practice, practice, practice.
All three of these studies were worked on by a patient instructor, Terri Muira.

All Painted Out

I spent the whole day in art classes. I can't believe I use to able to take several classes a day in college and not feel tired.
I had the most difficult time in figure painting because I literally couldn't paint. I just sporadically put down color with no thought. I was overloaded with information and couldn't process it fast enough. After some dinner, I felt better and headed to portrait class. Here is tonight's study. I think I need to adjust the value of the brow. Other than that, I am happy with it.

Let Them Paint Cake

Here is a fun still life from my advanced oil painting class. What a talented group of oil painters!
I still need to add a few details and fix my elipse. I enjoyed this painting. There was a lot to see but as the instructor, Randy Blasquez, reminded us - simplify. Click her name for her website and classes. I added her link.

Color Study

I had a wonderful day painting this color study. They are fun and force you to see. This piece is unfinished. I spent approximately 6 hours on it and will need another 3 more to complete it.
The bottle neck needs to be darker. It is darker than the bottle's left side shadow. There is a dull pink on the side closest to the blue. I need to make variations in the colors so the bottle will not look flat.
The shell does not need a lot of detail to create the illusion of a shell.
I was reminded to break up the shell's darkest shadow color. This will make it lie down.
The table cloth was painted with yellow and I would normally put down a cerulean blue. Instead, I asked what the instructor would do. I was told she would use a viridian. I added it on top of a light yellow. I, also, was told not to blend to a hard line. Keep it loose.
See how much you can learn from a color study. They are a great learning tool.

Coffee With My Husband

My husband had this piece I painted of him hanging at work. I know it is a few years old because we were still drinking coffee and we gave it up at over two years ago.
Why am I bringing up the coffee? Well, I painted this with my morning cup of coffee. I loved a rich, dark cup of french roast and got the idea to dip my brush in to see what would happen.
He thought this was great and has had it hanging at work ever since.
Fun piece on 140 pound watercolor paper, with graphite, paynes grey and coffee.

Go Figure

I have spent very little time, in my life, drawing the human figure. This doesn't mean I can't identify bones and certain muscles. I loved biology. In the past, I have attempted to learn drawing the anatomy but it seemed so tedious and difficult that I gave up every time. Now that I am trying to improve my art skills, it has become necessary to progress. So, I am, once again, learning to draw figures. I find it intimidating because I don't know how to draw an arm, a back, legs, hands nor feet. It is difficult. I keep thinking I need to know all the muscles, tendons, bones and cartilages. I over complicate it.
Here is today's practice drawings. The model posed in 5 2 minutes poses, 3 10 minutes poses and then 3 20 minutes poses. The finale pose was for 40 minutes with a break in between.

Open Studio

Here is my portrait study from open studio today. I had a drawing issue I kept resolving. This was an "almost profile" view and the more I painted the more the head grew. I redrew and painted the ear several times. I still think the nose is too long
Good study because I didn't get frustrated I just redrew it.
I think the upper lip is a bit too bright but, overall, I enjoyed painting the model. I liked resolving the value issues and the drawing issues. I am gaining confidence which is a plus to painting in oil.

Paint All Over

I continued working on this still life from an advanced class. I decided to pull out all the tools and have fun with this. Palette knife and pulled the excess paint off with a Viva paper towel. I enjoyed it but afterwards found myself covered with paint.
Still trying to figure out how I got that much painting on my upper arm.

Painting With Other Artists

I met with several well known artists for a day of painting in Audi Stanton's studio. We worked on still life and photographs. We talked about life, art and great artists. Audi did a wonderful oil painting of Harris Beach. Rob Decker used watercolor and pastel to create a masterful still life with a blue plate, a watermelon slice and a plum. Verna Pooler did a striking watercolor of the same setup. Kathy Huxley painted an orange. watermelon slice and cobalt blue vase with her well known broad brush strokes in oil. It was lovely. There was a lot of talent in the room and it showed.
Here is my piece for the day. I needed one more session to make it complete but I am happy with the study.
Thank you, again, Audi, for opening your studio to all of us. What an amazing day.

More of It's a Boat

Here is another boat. Oh and I didn't get very many visitors today asking what I was painting.
I think my work was more flat today than yesterday.
I am definitely sunburned despite being in the shade. I forgot my sunscreen.

It's a Boat

I enjoyed painting with some well known artists yesterday. We stood on the beach and near the piers to plein air. The best spot was near the restroom. This meant a lot of foot traffic and people wanting to ask what I was painting. The first stages of the painting is abstract and sometimes difficult for a viewer to see what the artist is painting.
"It's a boat". I would say. "What boat?" "Why do you paint that way?" "The brush artist over there has a painting that looks like a boat". I would explain it is a different method of painting.
Then while the time passed, I heard we had only 45 minutes to finish the paintings and go to critique. I put in details and met with the other painters who looked at it and said, "It's a boat!" Yes, it is a boat.
If I had more time - I would have worked on the reflected color.

I Love This Part

I love the beginning of the painting process when you block in the color. I like the abstract shapes and the colors. When in a classroom setting, I like to go around see the other artists' compositions and this stage. I think they are beautiful.

Continued Color Study

I had worked on this piece some time ago and saw it sitting there in my house... looking unfinished. I took it to class yesterday and finished it.
The background was in light but it looked better painted as a shadow background. The pot was fine. The shadow before the bottle needed some work . I needed to describe the blue bottle more.
The focal flower improved with detail.
So, I am calling it finished. I like the piece and what I learned from the study.

Painting A Lot of Black Backgrounds This Week

Here is yesterday's figure study. This is as far as I am going to work on it. The model was dressed as a ballerina and I was only willing to paint her from the waist up. I never got to the hands and the detail but I like the progress.
I saw the hands and legs and panicked. Once, I started the painting process I realized all the painting and instruction in the past was starting to click. My confidence slowly started to appear in the painting process. The arms were no longer a confusing problem to resolve. I kept going back and fussing with the nose rather than continue throughout the painting. I made it too wide and too long. It still could be resolved but, again, this is a study.
I did not fuss with the eyes.
I have painted a few black backgrounds this week and I see I am reverting back to old habits. I am painting the lit black the same as a shadow black. I need to relax and see.

Portrait Study

I attended a 6 hour figure painting session. I was feeling pretty chatty today and had fun talking with the model. When other people showed up, I had to be good. So, here is my initial block in, I will post the study after I make some additions to it.

Completed Work

I worked on these two pieces yesterday afternoon after class and this morning.
I am thinking I will put the edge of the table back into the watermelon study. I, also, see where I didn't quite get the perspective on the melon on the right.
I am happy with the rose study. I have painted this a few times.

Done For The Day

Here is tonight's portrait study. I told the instructor I wanted to paint with color. She said then I want to see you push it.
I had a difficult time with the eyes. I think I was tired and, as you can see, so was the model. I reinforced what I have learned and enjoyed the painting process despite my need to rest.
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Watermelon is in Season

Today in class, Randy Blasquez, brought in a cut up watermelon for the students to paint. Think about the perspective and foreshortening all of the artists had to draw and resolve. Every painting in class was a success. That tells you a lot about the instruction. Great class and great study.
This is my incomplete study. I need to make a few changes to the background, tabletop and add some seeds. Slight changes. I am pleased with this lesson.

God Hates a Coward

I started an advance oil painting class with Randy Blasquez and the setup today was beautiful. I encountered several problems with the flowers because I was not sure what shapes to paint. Then, I saw they were cups and bowl shapes. I thought, I know how to paint the shape of cups and bowls.
The black background was difficult for me because I don't normally paint with black. I would mix the color to get a black. I tried to start the black light plane with a pink and orange. I found when I scrumbled the black over it, it didn't work. So I mixed pink and orange with black and got a green. I was expecting it but I am not sure I like it.

I am, also, working on a larger canvas - 16X20. I keep repeating what a great artist once told me "God Hates a Coward". So, I am painting bigger and I will paint as much as I can. I don't care about mistakes. I will keep practicing and learning.

This piece is far from complete but I am pleased with the progress.

Ahhhhh - Color

I went to the Friday open studio and there was the same model from Wednesday night. This time, he dressed up ready for a Hawaiian vacation and one of the other artists offered him the sun glasses. Oh and he was wearing a lei. It was a good study.
I brought my color palette instead of a Zorn limited palette.
When I finished the work, I was told it was one of my better studies and I should stick to color.
Color is now easier for me than a limited palette. Since studying still life for over a year, it is easier to see the plane changes on the face.

A Man In Uniform

Today's model was a man in uniform. I just loved painting one of our beloved Vietnam war veterans. What an honor.
This is still using the Zorn palette and I painted it on a canvas sheet.

A Brush With Still Life

I have returned to classes with Randy Blasquez. She teaches at the School of Light and Color and I would see her students' work drying in the entryway . I found I missed her instruction and painting with her. I would read what Randy posted on blogs, what she was teaching and about her current classes. I decided I wanted to continue taking classes with her. I like her teaching approach to oil painting.

Here is today's incomplete painting from Randy's class. I love the grays in the painting. The background color was made with piles of white, paynes grey, ultramarine blue and a touch of alizarin crimson. Then I added a touch of yellow ochre.

The bottles were pure ultramarine blue. The label on the left is painted with ultramarine blue, cad red, white and transparent oxide.
The yellow roses are not complete and the stems need some attention. I need to add highlights to the bottles, make light changes to the background and foreground. I, also, need to finish the glass container. Oh and straighten the background line transition between tabletop and background. Fun stuff.

This Took Me Forever

I have been working on this 8x10 landscape too long. It is finally as done - at least as done as I am willing to work on it. This was from a photograph. I couldn't figure out what the true color was and it just frustrated me. So, I asked, " Aren't landscapes suppose to be easy?" They are easier than figures I am told.
I need to study more. Okay. I will be doing small paintings of the sides of buildings with bushes. That is what was suggested and it sounded reasonable. I am moving from still life to landscapes and this will help me with the transition.

Pop Quiz?

I am in a figure painting class and the instructor came by with a post-it. He said put down your concept for today. I questioned "Concept? " It wasn't that I didn't understand it. I was thinking I am back in college. One part of me was excited. The other was thinking is this going to on a test?
I thought about it and wrote down simplify shapes, focal point face, and don't muddy it up.
Here is the results. The model was dressed as a cowgirl with a stuffed cow. She was adorable.