Right before I had shoulder replacement surgery I started this painting. I usually do tiny little paintings but I chose to do this one 4'x6'. I wanted to have something momentous to work on with my left arm as my right shoulder recuperated (I finished it with my dominant arm). I had been requested to paint sunflowers so the decisions for this painting started with that. Then I decided it would be about patterns and I wouldn't obsess about details. I wanted to include the green mountains which I painted green (clever, aren't I?). I wanted a dramatic sunset so I could get some purple into the sky and also repeat the yellows and oranges. It is simple and really a fun and lovely painting so I am happy with it, but I am even more happy that the recipient is thrilled with it. It met her criteria and expectations. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to spend my time making others happy while I am doing what fulfills me. I don't have to be brilliant or clever or perfect....I just have to keep trying, keep learning and pay attention. The paying attention part is really important....but that is another story...Go Figure!
I do very few acrylic paintings; this is one of them. It was such a beautiful day, and although the colors weren't at peak, it was still unbelievably glorious.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
6"x10" oil
This was a fast painting as the sun was beating down. It is a farm in the hills of north western Vermont. The good thing about painting fast is that you focus on the main shapes. Painting slowly has its advantages as well, but I am not as well versed in those. Maybe I will be soon. We'll see.
I have been busy painting...really I have, but I just haven't been good about posting. This is something I promise myself I am going to be better at. The above painting was done plein air with Peter Huntoon, who is an inspiring plein air painter. He is equally adept in water colors and oils, and amazingly, approaches them with the same technique. I am so grateful that he was generous enough to spend an afternoon at this lovely spot painting with me. He gave me 2 tips, which aren't new but so good to relearn them. I seldom paint plein air but love doing it. It does overwhelm me though at first. I actually had to come back the next day to finish it up. The water was so calm and the light was so lovely. Peter reminded me to block in the big shapes like I am cutting them out of paper (great tip) and upon finishing it he said to soften the bright colors I had put in on the trees to the left of the island (which I did) because they drew too much attention from my focal point. It really helps to have a second pair of eyes looking at your work. I am heading to Cape Cod this week to practice plein air painting with two good buddies, so I am glad I had this warm-up. Please check out Peter's work by clicking on his name. He is the quintessential Vermont landscape painter. He has an auction for a painting once a week on his website/blog. I love how professional he is with everything he does.
Yes, indeed, it is one of those gorgeous sunsets we all love to paint, where the colors are so saturated you don't think it is real.
Monday, April 4, 2016
8"x10" oil
This is painted from a photo taken by my friend at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, VT, on Lake Champlain, looking at the Adirondack mountains in NY. It is a must visit place if you are ever in the Green Mountain State. The bottom photo shows my first stage and the photo reference on the left. I had fun painting this and it brought back lovely memories.
This was a commission and I am happy with the results. I feel like I got a good likeness, movement and appropriate values. It is a bit difficult to do small figures on a 6"x6" panel and keep them looking fresh and not fussy, so I considered this a success. There are things I can do to set the mood for painting, which can be very helpful in creating an atmosphere conducive to happy painting. When I do those things (music, lighting, scents, and careful planning) I feel more confident about my beginnings, but it isn't always the entire recipe for a confident and clean painting. Sometimes I just can't get it right! I usually work at it until I feel like it is resolved enough to call done, but they are never my favorites because I lose some clarity of color in the process, and color is what excites me the most.
This photo makes the slate look really dark and the subtle colors are lost. It is an image of Killington Ski Resort with a happy full moon overlooking it. The moon was inspired by the talking moon from the BBC comedy The Mighty Boosh which is a very bizarre show created by two very talented guys.
I live in ski country so inevitably all local artists end up doing at least a few ski paintings. Like any other subject, it helps if you actually ski and have an idea of how people use their bodies, even if it isn't the "correct" posture or ski position. I am a very mediocre skier, but I know how much fun it is to get out on the slopes with incredible vistas and just glide down the mountain as fast as you safely can (I am very slow). It will be fun to see if these are popular at the gallery on the mountain. People like to take a piece of the local scene home with them. I hope some take home a skier painted on slate.
This is inspired by a photo posted by Penny Kipley from a Cross Country Ski day, I believe in Colorado. I painted it on slate, as I am doing this entire month for the 30 in 30 challenge sponsored by Leslie Saeta. I loved the original photo which told a story and had all the lovely elements of value contrast between the snow and trees, and the zooming distance implied by the trail. I, of course, used it as inspiration and then did what I thought was necessary to make it a fun painting. Photography and painting are two different art forms and need to be respected as such. Thank you Penny!
This was a commission I did in acrylic so it would dry quickly and I could varnish it and frame it. I did something different by painting in thin layers with a small paintbrush. Mostly it was an experiment and I really like some of the affects that created. This as well, was of necessity because I am somewhat home bound and have limited supplies available. Most importantly the person who bought it was really happy with the results.
I tried this for a 3 color challenge for Daily Paintworks. I used blue, yellow and red. It really was a challenge for me and I so wanted to throw in some other colors or even more shades of the three I chose. You could also use white and black and I did use white but not black. I like it better after coming back to it. There is a lot of texture. It is a grouping of barns near where I live A couple of years ago they painted the traditional red barn a deep yellow. Actually it is more of an ochre color but I chose cad. yellow light, so it is a brighter tone than the real barn. I love that you can make up your own world when painting and sincee we can't compete with the real one, we might as well!
After
not painting for days, I did a complete wipe-out painting. It may also
have had to do with the fact that I have been doing only watercolors for
the last 5 weeks. So I had to get back on the horse and I did this
little "Panorama" with limited brushwork, to warm up, and I really liked
the muted foreground. Not something I would normally do.
4"x6" oil
Almost
everyday I drive these mountains and am filled with their beauty, but I
am also busy driving, so, although simplified, this is the impression on
a cloudy day of the autumn colors changing the landscape. But beyond
the heavy layer of clouds is a blue sky.
I have several projects going at once right now (not my favorite way to work) but I am happy that I am inspired and able to do this. This project is to do small oil paintings of remembered landscapes. I drive to the gym every morning and am so fortunate to have so many beautiful things to look at along the way. I study what I see and then when I have time, I recall what I saw and paint it. I think it is a wonderful way to train myself to quickly record an idea made of shapes and color and then when I think about it later, the key features are what comes out. I started very simply for this 1st one. They will get more complicated as I go, I think, although that is not my intention.
This is what I saw driving home from the gym on this rainy day today. I tried hard to hold it in my head so I could paint it. I like how it turned out, especially since it is not my usual palette of super-saturated colors!
This makes me think about the song "The Bear Goes Over the Mountain." The excitement of going up, up, up, but not knowing what is on the other side. I think there is magic being in a cathedral of trees with little girls. These figures are itty bitty. I have been doing a few paintings lately that have miniscule people in them. I am not sure why I have chosen these subjects, but I am sure that if I do enough, I will figure out how to do them without sweating!
It is cold enough for the brave to be out skiing today, but there are not a lot of trails open yet. I love skiing. It is invigorating, pushes me to my limits, and I think it is just breath taking to ride the lift up to the top of the mountain and see such grand vistas. I have been wanting to do a series of ski paintings for a few years and I think I am finally ready to do it.
