Back to Art....

Note: the color is off...but that is really not important....didn't take the time to correct them.

Sketch #1 - 30 minutes conté crayon compressed chalk on strathmore 200 series ivory.

Sketch #2 - 1 minute gestures on newsprint - warmups
Sketch #3, #4 - 15 minutes newsprint.

Playing with pastels...

First one is overworked and am thinking I'm going to abandon it . . . but it is a beginning in pastels. I really don't know what I'm doing with pastels. My first attempts in full color.

This second one is a work in progress...flesh tones will be much better...use of more grays is helping immensely and this one is "working up" better ... let's see if I can kill it...ha ha. I need a good instructor but can't find one.

Working art into busy schedule. . .

Photos taken with and without flash of same art; much difference from the original which is somewhere between warm and cool light. I'm experimenting in pastels flesh tones. Interesting....I'm trying to figure out what colors and methods work that gives me luminous living flesh. I'm also continuing working with wash drawings and attempting to gain control of the water and edges in that medium.

Oh to have nothing to do but just art!!!!! How delicious that would be.

Watercolor study #1

This is a study . . . to learn to control watercolor. In this case, the secret is controlling the water first, the color and then edges.

Composition Notan Woman at the well

2-13-11 UPDATE:
It would be so interesting and helpful if those who view this blog pick the composition that you feel is the best and strongest. I have numbered the cards (click to see number) and invite your selection and comment if you wish. I'm in the process of deciding for myself and will post the steps that follow to the final painting.

Here are some of my Notan index cards. I finally get it . . . and wonder why this was made more difficult to understand than it is. That said, what I've learned is never to take the first idea for a composition that pops into one's head. I found so many more ways to say what I want to say. The exercise exploded my imagination and I soon began placing myself mentally into my imagination. This is definitely an exercise routine that will be used in designing ... yes DESIGNING ... any future paintings.

Samaritan Woman At the Well - John 4:4

Final finishes for sculpture pieces.

These are sculptures I am putting some finishes on. The portrait head is the base coat of bronze (over ceramic bisque) and have not put the patina on a blueish patina...to come.

The skull is a copper patina (greenish patina).

I'm liking the effect. What do you think?

Two little oil sketches....6x9

OCT 3rd UPDATE: Often, clarity comes the next day. Funny how easily we are tricked into discouragement and tempted to feel defeated. On the Cennini Forum, the moderator, whom I've grown to trust in matters of art and artistic development made some observations that have in my view helped my psychologically. Rob suggested that as artists grow up the plateaus of learning, we are met on a precipice of fear. I will post a new blog and talk about artist temperament.

OCT 2nd UPDATE: Discouragement is not always bad, it makes one think and if your wise, face reality.

I'm painting over these sketches today and probably the roses too .... going to forgetaboutit and start all over with something else or a new approach entirely. Nothing lost here.

I did learn that I have not developed as much as I thought. It takes some effort to admit what every artist fears and be honest with yourself. I'd rather know it. That is me. I've always said, "This world doesn't need any more mediocrity in art and especially painting .... I don't want to add to or spend my time producing it." Maybe, I'll go to sculpting ... maybe there is some natural ability there I should explore...but for some reason...I love paint and I love drawing figures. I'm glad to know how trained artist see my work. So often you can't get honesty.

SEPT 30 UPDATE CENNINI: I'm getting some great responses on the forum.....this is what I wanted but it is a bit daunting to get honest critiques...and find out the truth from my friends and colleagues...I've made more mistakes than I thought.

ORIGINALLY POSTED:

These are two little sketches from a landscape workshop at Will Rogers Park...Next workshop is at Quartz Mountain....hope the trees are turning....Oct 9th.

Roses in Progress...difficult.

Progress report...
I think this is just not working......but I am determined to finish every piece of art I start. These roses are just not right nor are they artistic....aaaaaaaaargh!!!

After some thought, I decided to add some other items to the piece: the wedding cup, rose pedal and the oriental carved screen in the background (barely visible and not finished on the right of course).

I am not finished with the roses!!! I'm glazing and neutralizing and working on edges. It's far from being finished but I thought I would upload the process...for the heck of it.

When it is finished I'll repaint this and loose the vase...and try painting roses again. Next time, I think I will do a griselle (FR: greza•y) and then apply glazes. I am not doing the beautiful rose any justice.

(This was difficult to photograph so I tilted the picture forward to reduce the glare.)

Below is an earlier version.....and previous comments.

Nearing completion. This is a painting of one bouquet of 38 long stemmed roses given to me on our anniversary. I've been getting one rose for every year of marriage for 38 years. Never in those years did I ever paint my bouquet successfully although I tried once or twice but was met with failure. How difficult to capture the true beauty of a simple rose without it coming off amateurish.

This painting is getting close but I'm not there yet.

John Ruskin, the great art critic said about successful art ... "all art is praise." Does the art do justice in praise of the rose but that is really quite a challenge. My painting is symbolic of my husband's feelings for our relationship and the beauty of our long union.

I'm having difficult with the red highlights. Red chroma/hue goes pink or orange when I try to raise it's value to a highlight. I've taken down and neutralized the shadows and then grayed down. Red is difficult very difficult.

The other part of this is not making art sentimental. Ways to go. I'm not sure this says anything.

Please comment ... what do you think? It seems a bit contrived at this point.

I'll work today and post at the end the progress. ( This photo is from yesterday.)

Not happy.....yet.

Sculpture come to life.

This is a bas relief about 10 x 13 inches, stoneware, with one firing that is almost finished. I need to put on a final finish on but I'm pretty pleased with this one in the over-all feel.

Two more bas reliefs are in progress besides this one although I had a bit of a disaster with one when it was accidentally pushed off the shelf by another artist while in storage. Unfortunately the plastic bag came open that was keeping it moist allowing it to dry out. Unfortunately it buckled and did not dry flat. Last night, I re-hydrated it but cracks appeared.

Today, the cracks will be repaired and hopefully the work finished...keeping my fingers crossed. This is a nice series and I have learned a great deal working from 2 dimension into 3 dimension. This is very much like drawing since the gesture is drawn at first.

Other sculptures are nearing completion also. This is still a work in progress...nearing completion...

This work is from a one day portrait workshop created from a live model. I'm planning on a session with Glen, my instructor at his private sculpture studio on Sunday. I need to hollow the head out before firing.

I doubt if anyone would be interested in buying this piece but it will be a good example of my portrait work.

I've been invited to join the Sculpture Society of Oklahoma. I think I will.

Meet Mike

Slideshow http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii3/padurrett/?action=view&current=7782b4dc.pbw

Meet Oklahoman, Mike Wimmer...what a talented and successful artist!
It was a productive and informative two day portrait workshop. For the first time in a workshop, I actually got my painting blocked in with the underpainting. Using a very limited palette, the ground work was laid.



The second day, I worked mainly on the face and had there been more time, I would have built up the values in layers. I was a little disappointed that Mike did not get to my easel to instruct me personally. It could be that the class was just to large to do that but it did seem that he spent most of his time on the other side of the room.

Anyhow, he is a charming man with a very pleasing way and great broad smile that is infectious. His ideas are clever and I can tell he is very intelligent.

The only thing is that I worry that he is using Liquin which the artists I know have had problems with. It peels sometimes and in lots of discussion on the Cennini Forum about plastics and how they break down with age, I fear Mike will one day have a whole lot of ruined paintings. That would be tragic.

Another thing I could not agree with him on is his fear of turpentine. Yet, mineral spirits has just as much toxicity. Expensive triple distilled turpentine is VERY expensive and does not have as strong an odor as hardware store cheap turpentine and every studio should have adequate ventilation ... period. Mike didn't seem to have a problem with fixative spray and that is far more dangerous to the lungs than turpentine's fumes. Everyone knows that turpentine is used drop by drop as an additive to oil paint that causes a chemical reaction whereby the paint will dry from the inside out not the other way round and thereby lessening the possibility of a skin to form. Turpentine is NOT used to clean brushes; mineral spirits is for that.

As Rob Howard, moderator on the Cennini Forum says, some artists have drunk the cool-aid on this matter from the environmental wackos and this fear is not based in reason.

In the studio an artist must....

• develop good, safe habits working in a well ventilated studio

• NEVER ever put brush handles in their mouths ... whether using turpentine or mineral spirits and especially when painting with cadmium paint colors
  

• always properly washes their hands before leaving the studio...always

• NEVER eat anything at the easel

• NEVER allow children in the studio
  

• always uses PAINTER'S SAFETY SOAP in the final hand wash which is designed to react to the toxic chemicals and release them from the pores of skin.

Painter's Safety Soap® along with the greatest brush cleaner ever made ... Ugly Dog® Brush Soap may be purchased at Studio Products, a professional boutique paint manufacturer. www.studioproducts.com. Ugly Dog...I would never be without it!

ALSO, I learned that to put a protective finish on a painting, you must use a special fine quality varnish and on top of that a thin coat of wax that may be polished to a absolutely gorgeous sheen which is museum quality. The wax may be removed as the painting ages and gets dirty ... back to the varnish and then a new coat of wax applied. THAT is how you do it.

Anyhow, this only shows how valuable my training was at the Cennini Boot camps, especially the Technical Boot Camp.

The other issue is just a preference. I was taught to paint the eyes last while Mike paints them first...just a preference and not as critical. I don't know whether it was just time for me to go to another plateau of learning or if it was Mike's simple presentation and method but I've improved and felt like I knew exactly what I was doing. It was just a great workshop and I am so proud that a native son has done so well as an artist.

One other thing. Mike is a Christian and it is evident in his the portraits of his children. He placed them in heroic fairy tales and Bible stories ... painting them throughout their childhood. How clever.

July works in progress....

Finis.

I finally finished these studies (left) and signed them. I've left them to compare.




These shells are suppose to be one hour paintings quick-ees but for the life of me I just can't get anything done in hour.My plan is to keep doing these until I quite obsessing for perfection. The little pink shell just needs some highlights and I am done with that one. The yellow shell has about three hours on it. I am improving my speed though.

WIP New Study - Praising the Egg

EDITED AND UPDATED: NOV 18, 2007
NEW WIP PHOTOS/EDITS

At this stage, the painting is still "cool" in temperature. I intend to warm it with glazes in the next layer. Lots of things to fix. Still struggling with my photography; however, I think the problem is in the photo editing software.

re: OIL STUDY - On Praising the Egg - WIP 1 - 8x10 canvas board
(REF Previous Post: "Laws of Fresole" - art is praise.)



This is the first layer. It will be sanded down after it dries. On the next layer I will try to follow some advice I got on Cennini Forum.

WHY PAINT AN EGG STILL LIFE?
I am attempting to praise the egg. (REF Previous Post: "Laws of Fresole" - art is praise.)
My goal is to show the loveliness of those shades of yellow which is surrounded with soft and subtle colors of white and texture. I'm trying to make that feeling you have every time an egg is cracked open ... it is so lovely to the eyes you want to touch it. A little egg -- encasing the potential for a living creature; this little egg is such a necessary ingredient to bolster the taste and texture of food. It gives us so much pleasure -- don't we all "eat to live and live to eat" --- the humble little egg.

NEW SILVERPOINT WIP PHOTO - re: A Silverpoint Egg Study (8 x 10 gesso hardboard)



WHAT IS SILVERPOINT?
A silver rod is substituted for a pencil lead .... and thus silver is deposited on the surface instead of lead or graphite. The silver marks will tarnish in time, and darken to a nice patina . . . this Work-In-Progress (WIP) ....still working on it.

PHOTO SET UP


Stay tuned.