Victoria Morris Ekelund Studio

Downtown Denver Squared

2012-01-24T05:35:00.000-08:00

Downtown Denver Squared, 30x30, oil on canvas

Here is a night scene of downtown Denver. I took the reference photo one evening while painting during the Denver Plein Air event a few years ago. My painting did not turn out well that evening but I did get a few good reference photos. Yesterday a friend came over and critiqued this piece. His suggestion was to darken the tower of the library and to soften the edges to push it back. That would give the foreground more focus.

I had a lot of fun with this painting. I loved all the graphic shapes and the way those shapes and colors played together. Even though this is a night painting there was so much light, but I agree with Drew; I need to play down some of that light as long as the capital does not then become too much of the focus. My husband had said the library needed to be grayed down, so maybe between a darker value and a more neutral value that tower will fade back where it needs to be.

A funny aside. Being a graphic artist by training, this painting is more in my comfort zone. But since taking the master painting class 4 years ago I have worked hard on not making everything so hard edged. When I brought this painting in to work a number of people commented how out of the ordinary this piece was compared to my "normal" style! I had to laugh out load. I had not realized how much I missed this more graphic style of work until I got into it.

Semur-en-Auxious, An Old Walled Town in France

2012-01-01T09:15:00.000-08:00

Untitled, 36x24, oil on linen

To start the New Year off, here is a painting I am still contemplating. Not sure if it is completed yet. I think not, but it is close. Why I say that is because I think I want to darken the shadow that wraps around in the alley, and then the reflected light on the back wall will be lighter and brighter. Or possibly just to darken the wall that is wrapping around from the light will do the trick.

In the Fall 2007 I was on a three week vacation with my sister, her husband and another couple. We had done 5 nights on the Yonne River in Burgandy, gone to Dijon for 2 nights and were on our way to Paris when we stopped at the little medieval town of Semur-en-Auxious. I had read a blog post on the walled towns of this region and the writer, living in the area, said Semur was the best and the least touristy. It was a wonderful example of the old walled towns and though we did see one tour bus, it was a small tour group! This is not the first painting I have done from this village, and it will not be the last. Because it sits on a hill and the streets roam up and down (and has an ancient Roman Aquaduct!) there was so much that caught my eye. This scene,which includes my sister, is one of them.

Road Trip?

2011-12-27T08:59:00.000-08:00

The new museum of American Art that just opened a few months ago, Crystal Bridges, looks like it will warrant a road trip. Here is the New York Times article on this new museum. I think the road trip must wait until the pools are running with water but other than that, I am ready!

The Alley Reflected

2011-12-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

Reflected Alley, 36x24, oil on linen

Here is a new alley in the continuing alley series I have been working on for the past 2 years. I am not tired of alleys yet (although you all may be) as there is so much to discover. I keep thinking I should move out of my neighborhood, but each time I think that I find another scene worth doing. It sure is easy when you can paint a scene so close to home. If I get stuck, I can walk back over and just check it out. This one presented me with a few questions that I needed to venture out to solve but overall it was fun. I can't wait to find out how many people tell me this is just like the alley where they grew up!

Burghausen Again

2011-12-11T09:29:00.000-08:00

Burghausen Castle, 20x30, oil on linen

I discovered a funny thing while painting this piece. We were in Germany in December 2003 so I was still using film cameras at that time. I used Seattle Film to develop my negatives, and with that they offered digital images as well that they kept in albums online. So I went to the website (now owned by Shutterfly) to download the digital image so I could work from the computer. On screen there was this odd green light in the sky which is barely visible in the bottom photo and a bit more in the top photo, going across the sky about midway. In person, this green really drew the eye to it. I was trying to explain this to someone at work, as I do take paintings to work to see them from a different point of view. I sent the digital photo to my work computer to show her, but the green did not show up on my screen at work. Go figure. So I then dug around in my photo albums and found the print. The green light was not in the printed version either. But what I did discover is that the print (4x6) showed way more detail than the digital image. So from the original photo of Burghausen that I posted a month ago, I went about adding the details that were lost to me on the screen. I made the wooden covered stair way more interesting and not so flat by suggesting the boards; I discovered window boxes under the windows; and a red door in the shadows under the walkway. I had put a door there anyway but now I knew there was one and that it was red. The dark blue window bothered me so I lightened them all up a bit. I also decided to put more detail into the whole wall and lightened the tree somewhat so it wasn't quite so dark.

Denver Street in Winter

2011-12-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

6x6, oil on canvas panel

Here is the second painting I did thinking I would submit to a juried show where all paintings had to be 6x6. It is a challenge for me trying to keep all the values so close to give the effect of a snowy gray day. So typical in my neighborhood to have only one set of tracks down the street but I must have been in my car as there aren't any traffic lights where I normally walk the dog.

Jimson Weed Refreshed

2011-11-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

Jimson Weed, 2002, 18x14, oil on linen

Here is a painting that I gave my daughter years ago when she asked to hang it in her room. This Datura was in my garden and I am fascinated by them. I think they have great color and great shape. You can see why bats love them.

Last week I was helping my daughter hang her art in her new place. This one was rather dark for the wall where she wanted it and in that particular light the painting and the frame just did not work well together. I brought the painting home to refresh it and see if I had another frame in case the painting still did not work in that frame. Linen-lined frames can be problematic in that way. The reworked painting needed a new frame.

To begin with, I thought the flower not very pretty with too much harsh gray and not enough nuance. But I decided to start with the leaves and work my way into the flower. My memory and my photo references told me the leaves were too green, so I went towards blue green. I used ultramarine blue and cad yellow light to get my blue green. Adding more yellow where I wanted it to be more towards the green and younger leaves and flower buds and then more blue for the depths. The stems I wanted to be more purple to add a richness and color. Every so often I would throw in Quinacridone Violet for a deeper color and to tie in with the purpley stems (QV and UMB and white). The dirt I also played with making my own brown and adding orange and QV to give it more variation in color yet keeping it in the light.

Since I had no photo reference for this particular painting I went to the internet and found a pretty good match for the angle of this flower and used it for form and color. I fixed the form to make it less angular and stilted. I softened the edges and toned down the value. I wanted the stamens to stand out more and even though the shading in the revised version is lighter overall because it is more uniform the stamens now pop out. It is subtle but I used yellows, blues and violets to make the form of the flower.

Birds on a Wire

2011-11-29T19:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my friend, Linda, who sent me this link to let me know that yes, others do take "note" of birds sitting on wires and can pick out the tune. I knew enough to think that some birds looked like whole notes and some like half or quarter notes at least. Enjoy!

Blue Note - 6x6

2011-11-28T12:16:00.000-08:00

Blue Note, 6x6, oil on linen on board

I was thinking I would submit some works to a show that only takes 6x6" paintings. I changed my mind about entering but not before doing a few paintings to try the the small square format. Here is the first one I did, thinking I would keep it simple yet have visual impact. I saw this scene while sitting at the light at Downing St and Evans one day not too long ago. It made me think of a musical score. I can't read music but I wonder what a musician would get out of birds sitting on power lines, if anything.
As a side note, I was by here again yesterday and saw a bird sitting just like this one on the top of the pole! I wonder if birds have their "spots" like people do.

Sea Shells II

2011-11-27T16:47:00.000-08:00

Sea Shells 2, 8x10, oil on linen

Thanksgiving day found me wanting to paint another shell painting outside on my back deck as I knew the weather was beautiful and the forecast was not so sure for Friday. I had time before the turkey had to be prepped and my attention would be needed elsewhere. I opted for an 8 x 10 format to see how it would go and threw in another large shell and a few other smaller shells. This one was a bit more complex adding that more detailed scallop shell. I also thought in the first painting that I did not push the light on the sand enough so I wanted to do that this time. To not lose the nuances of the sand but not to focus so much on it. I got the majority of it in before I called it quits and then finished up a few details the next day in my studio.

Day 15, Red Onion

2011-11-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

Day 15, red onion, 4x6 oil on watercolor stock

Not doing too well with a painting a day, but still thinking about the 15" time limit and how it has already helped me painting outdoors again. I wiped off 3 15" paintings of this one onion. I did not realize just how complex an onion can be. The shape is easy enough but the nuances that make it an onion stymied me with only 15 minutes to capture it.

Sea Shells not at the Sea Shore

2011-11-22T05:07:00.000-08:00

Sea Shells not at the Sea Shore, 6x8, oil on canvas board

Since I had so much fun painting the apples outside on Friday, Saturday I set up this still life on the back porch. Believe it or not, a friend who lives part time in Port Aransas, TX bagged up some sand for me and her husband brought it to Denver on the plane. I wonder what security thought about that?? She had sent along 3 fine shells, but each one needs to be "king" of their own painting. I picked the snail? shell for this first one. I threw in some smaller shells from my own collection. I have no idea if these shells are even from the same continent, but most people won't care. The little purplish one is another spiral shell like the snail, and I love the little cone shaped one (limpet?). I poured the sand onto a shallow jelly roll pan and then just focused in within its borders. I am grateful to have been given such a mother lode of beach sand to play with.
Saturday was a bit colder than Friday, so much so that I got this done in 30" as I wanted to get inside, thank you very much. The sun was out but it did not have much warmth to it even though I stood in the sun today to try to use its warmth.
A bit ironic, this. Painting a sea shore theme in November, in Colorado, in the cold. But it was fun, and I enjoyed it. Getting warmed up to get back out and brave the elements.

Fun and Funky Painting

2011-11-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

Granny Smith Trio, 8x16, oil on linen panel

Friday was such a beautiful day that when I decided to paint a still life. We have a second story porch that would allow me to have the apples in the sun yet I would be sheltered from the sun and wind. Having let the Birger Sandzen show settle in my psyche, I thought I would see what I could do with thick paint. I also tried not to over mix on the palette and let the eye mix on the canvas. In the spirit of the 15" studies I have been doing I wanted to paint fast knowing the sun would be moving faster. I set up 5 apples thinking 3 would not be enough to fit this canvas, but I ended up with just the three after all. You need to actually see the set up I painted from as the reflected light was really intense and the apples read a b it weird until you see the photo of the apples.
Note the crow on the wire and the one below in our garden. Crows kept me company the whole time I was outdoors, some even swooping down close over my head, landing right above me on the gutter. I am not sure what had them agitated but I bet at the height there were 20 crows in and around our yard cawing up a storm.
It was great to be outside in late November, in shirt sleeves, painting! It has been too long. I did enjoy the thick paint and the confidence you must have to paint that directly.

Gratitude for this day

2011-11-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

Prairie Glow

2011-11-18T10:47:00.000-08:00

Prairie Glow, 18x36, oil on canvas

This scene is NE, outside of Sterling, CO. I had originally seen it in 2005 and have wanted to paint it ever since but lacked sufficient references. This past August found me invited back to my bosses home for BBQ. Yes, my boss lives 2 hours drive from where we work. These barns and outbuildings are on the neighboring property belonging to his in-laws. I loved the light raking across the prairie and onto these buildings as the sun was setting. I do like the big sky you get on the prairie.

Old Friends Two

2011-11-14T06:05:00.000-08:00

Old Friends Two, 10x 8 oil on Linen

I was stunned by how many people commented on my old pair of boots painting that was hung in the museum show. It was always a personal favorite of mine, but I really did not expect that response. The painting sold at the opening reception and at least 5 people told me they would have bought it had it not already sold. I still have those old boots so I pulled them out to see how I would see them now as opposed to 3 years ago. This is a larger painting at 8x10. I purposely did not look at the photo of the original painting so that I would not be influenced by it. Very different yet the same look to the boots. I see now that I had put the boots up at eye level on my table top, but in the new one I kneeled on the floor and had the boots on the rug.

Old Friends, 6x9, 2008, oil on canvas paper, sold

Birger Sandzen at the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center

2011-11-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

In the foothills, lithograph by B.Sandzen

Friday I went to the CS FAC to see the 66 paintings and lithographs on loan from the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery in Lindsborg, Kansas. This artist is known for his amazing color and thick impasto paint and it was truly worth seeing in person. Photographs of his work do not do it justice. The nuances of color and just how well he captures light is so often lost in the reproductions I have seen. I would have loved to have bought the book on his Colorado paintings but the colors were flat out dull. A real travesty.
I was taken by the prints in the exhibit. When I first saw that the show was a mix of prints and paintings I just could not imagine why they would include prints. Well, now I know! The lithographs in particular were stunning. There were a few that were displayed next to the painting he also did of the same subject and though I have a new respect for his painting that I just did not have from seeing only photographs in magazines, I was taken away by the energy in his black and white lithographs.
Please do yourself a favor and go see this show. It is on view through January 8, 2012. You will never see the Garden of the Gods in the same light again! Remember to stand across the room and look at his work from distance and angles and then go up close to see what makes this man special. I plan to go back at least once more if not twice. Very energizing.
Entrance fee: $10; over 62: $8.50. There is a nice restaurant with a view of Pikes Peak too!

Burghausen Castle

2011-11-11T16:29:00.000-08:00

Burghausen Castle, a microcosm view; 20x30", oil on linen

A number of years ago our family spend Christmas in Bavaria. This is one of the castle's we visited and it is a marvel. It is located above the town of Burghausen and serpentine's along the top of the hill. It is the longest castle in Europe. I really am happy with how this painting turned out. I took it to work yesterday and I was pleased with the positive response. It was very well received by all who saw it and went home on a trial basis for the weekend with one of my co-workers!

My Alley Paintings Highlighted in Psychology Today Blog

2011-11-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

Last night the museum was open until 10 pm for Denver Art Week. I went for 3 or so hours and was very gratified by the support showed by the people who came. One was a former co-worker from Colorado Community College System who left many years ago but we still keep in touch via the electronic age. Imagine my surprise when she sent me this link to the article she had written today because she was so affected by my work! Here is the link to the post: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-grief/201111/finding-beauty-in-grief

Day 12 - 15" Painting - Scissors

2011-11-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

Day 12, scissors, 6x4 on watercolor postcard stock

I managed to do my self-imposed, self-improvement assignment yesterday in this pair of sewing scissors I had left laying around in my studio. I again beat the buzzer, so once I am done with my sample pack of watercolor postcard stock, I will move up a size or two. It is important to not play it too safe. I am enjoying the card stock surface and I am amazed at the quality of this paper. The oil is not leaking through it, it takes the paint so well and the paper is so nice and thick. This is hot-pressed surface stock, which was always my preference for my watercolors. Hot pressed is a smooth surface and cold-pressed has a texture to it.

Pear Odalisk

2011-11-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

Day 11 4x6 oil on Watercolor postcard stock

I have been severely negligent in getting to my 15 minute daily painting. Here is the last pear from the bag I bought at the farmer's market 2 weeks ago. Took them awhile to get ripe, but this one is now perfect so I had to paint it so I could eat it. I managed to beat the clock for a change-it helps to keep it simple.

Day 6 and 9 combined

2011-10-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Day 6, 6x4, Thread oil on linen

Day 9, 6x4, Vernia's Thread, oil on linen

I did Day 6 in 15" and decided after looking at it for a few days that I wanted to make a painting out of it. I tried a new set-up for it. The first one I had the spool sitting on a canvas board with my MAC laptop showing silver in the top corner. I pulled out a dish towel for the second, upgraded version. I tried to paint the "finished" spool of thread in 15" but I did go over that time. Still, I don't really want 365 rough sketches laying around the house so I may do more of these duplicate studies as I go along. I have never done thread spools before but I may look into doing a few more. I have more wooden spools to play with but I did like the large size of this one and the nice slope to it. I found this when my elderly neighbors belongings were being boxed up and given to ARC. I was told to take what I wanted and I saw this spool sitting on top of a box of sewing sundry items with the needle in place. Perfect little model for a quick study. I also found an iron from the 1930's I think. It will also be put in the role of a model.

Birger Sandzen at the Colorado Springs Art Museum

2011-10-28T10:28:00.000-07:00


Cedar and Rocks by Birger Sandzen

For those of you who don't get or read my newsletter, I wanted to be sure you are aware of a wonderful opportunity to view one of the more colorful exhibits to come our way: the Birger Sandzen exhibit at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. 66 paintings, watercolors and drawings are on view through January 8, 2012.

Day 7 is Eggplant - 15" study

2011-10-24T06:48:00.000-07:00

Day 7, Eggplant #4 oil on watercolor paper

I am finding 6x8 a little rough to get done in 15" so I found some watercolor postcards that are 4x6. I am going to use them up until I get a bit faster. It was fun painting on this cold press surface and it took the oil well. No oil leakage through the paper. I am not past the eggplant stage yet as they are really fun to paint. I have one more I hope to do before I move on. Now that the garden has been nipped, there are no more to be harvested. It has taken me about two weeks to do 8 days, so I am not yet actually doing one a day. Whatever works!

Vincent Van Gogh - new theory on how he died

2011-10-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

Vincent Van Gogh, one of many self-portraits

A co-worker mentioned last Monday that he had seen a very interesting "60 Minutes" episode on Sunday night. Serendipitously, I found it while following another, work-related story. I must say, I am happy to have watched this as I have read more about Vincent Van Gogh than probably any other artist and it never "sat right" that he would kill himself. If you have a half hour, I would recommend watching the two parts posted on CBS's website. Or look for the October 16th segment of "60 Minutes." I went to Auvers-sur-Oise 4 years ago and it is true. It would have been very difficult for a gut shot man to walk down the hill from the wheat fields to his room in the center of town. I walked it. It is still a very quaint, old world town. If you are ever in Paris I highly recommend a side trip to Auvers. We saw very few tourists there (less than 5); We had the Chateau Auvers to ourselves and it was one of the most memorable museums I have been to.
This show also leaves you feeling sad; Vincent not only had no friends but his own mother turned against him.

# 3 - Eggplant

2011-10-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Day 3 Eggplant, 8x6, 20" study on canvas board

Eggplant is always fun to paint. The rich colors in one little homely shape-but oh what interesting shapes they all have. I only have 6x8" panels as my smallest size on hand and this one did go over the 15" - I just wanted to carve out the shapes of the crown (can't really call them "leaves" and I don't know the proper term for the eggplant cap.)
I noticed that inadvertently I have a color thing going on here. Red tomato, Yellow pear and now Purple eggplant. I did paint eggplant for the next 2 days which I will not be posting.

15 minute paintings Day 2 - bartlett pear

2011-10-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

Pear Study, 7x5 done in 15 Minutes

Pears are by far one of my most favorite subjects. I paint them not only when they are in season but when I travel it is the first fruit I gravitate to at the market. I have a travelogue of Pears where others do landscapes. Day 2 found me with a 5x7 panel. Those extra inches mean keep it simple!

Day 1 is a beautiful heirloom tomato

2011-10-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

1. Mr Stripey, 4x6, 15" study

I read a blog post last weekend in which the author had just attended an art workshop. He had garnered from it the discipline of doing a 15" painting every day for 365 days. I have attempted variations on that theme on and off over the years, never making it the whole year, but always gaining something from it. One of the best life drawing classes I have ever taken involved painting the model in motion for a half hour. Then getting 30 seconds poses, a minute, and by the time we had the 5" poses it seemed like a plethora of time; all this in 3 hours. I was always exhausted at the end of the evening but the exercise itself was invaluable. Don't get hung up on the details!
So, I have started this regime again. Here is #1. I may not make it to 365 days but that is okay. For now it is working to loosen me up after spending so much time getting ready for the museum show. I have missed painting plein air. This exercise will get me warmed up for that. Luckily we have the last of the garden produce to get me started. I grabbed this heirloom tomato off the counter.
I will not critique these as they are not meant to be "serious" works. I usually love these studies the best, though.

Prairie Glow Work in Progress

2011-10-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

Prairie Glow, 18x36, oil in progress

I first saw this scene 6 years ago and it has haunted me every since. This past August found me back there once again. This is the view of my boss's in-laws property from his property on the prairie lands of NE Colorado. The setting sun lit everything with this pinkish orange-y glow which I have thus far only intimated at. I got to this point a few weeks ago and have not been inspired to finish it off quite yet. There will be a beautiful highlight of light separating the purple cloud from the blue sky; I have a fence to build and a few more horses grazing in the shadows of the hillside (I am still debating whether they are needed or not-the fence may be all that is needed). Then I want to add the rosy light in a more unified pattern throughout.

Reflected Alley Work in Progress

2011-10-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

Reflected Alley, 36x24, oil painting in progress

"The real jolt comes...because the viewer becomes lost in the sheer beauty of it. The painting gives a person an experience of the eternal." I read this last night in a novel I am reading and it so captured how I think about my work. To capture the eternal...Wow!

I worked on this painting this weekend. Made progress and it is heading in the right direction. I have not yet been able to jump back into painting with gusto, but the passion is still there when I do stand at my easel. The building blocks are coming together (ie the big shapes are all there now and I am starting to work on breaking them down into smaller shapes which will then reveal themselves as "details.") I like the freshness showing already in this painting of how it looks after a spring rain when the sun comes out. Glorious!

Inspiration in Spades

2011-09-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Came across this video today (Just in case you want the link: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7358176n). All I can say is amazing. This artist is blind. He has a wonderful outlook and impressive paintings. Talk about overcoming your disability! Enjoy!

Virtual Slideshow

2011-09-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

The Littleton Museum allowed me to bring a photographer in to the exhibit Monday morning while the museum is closed to the public. They are very strict about photos being taken in the galleries. I thought the virtual tour would be nice to post online for the many who cannot make it to see the show in person. This virtual tour will allow you to see the scope of the show, if not the individual pieces. Please know that this does not represent my paintings themselves in their true color. The slide show is a bit better color-wise if you would rather view that. Enjoy!
I apologize to those that receive my newsletter and my blog post via email as this is a duplication of content. Once I recover (I have been told I have post-partum blues) I will get back to painting.

Victoria's Reception at the Littleton Museum

2011-09-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots of the exhibit. It doesn't appear busy, but the lot was packed and I suppose when you are taking photos surreptitiously, you wait for a quiet moment. I was kept busy for the short period of the reception, and admittedly, I was late to my own party. There was an accident that took place on our property 20" before I was due to leave and I was not dressed yet. I had to go out to see what happened as it sounded so horrific. My garden did take a beating, but thank God, no one was visibly hurt. I do believe the poor man who plowed through our yard in order to avoid a woman who ran a stop sign was suffering shock, and his car looked totaled. I apologize to any and all those who showed up and I did not get a chance to visit with. We were ushered out in short order. I only heard rave reviews from all those I did manage to talk to and the word on the street was that this is by far the best show this museum has had. Thanks again to all of my faithful friends, and acquaintances who continue to support me in my art journey. I talked to so many new people who are now interested in my work, receiving my newsletter and in me as teacher. The road continues to open before me.

Before the Reception on Thursday 9-15-11

2011-09-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

Victoria with her son, Grant

Victoria, with her niece, Jen and her sister, Megan

This past week has been a whirlwind of activity. My son, Grant, surprised me Tuesday afternoon not 10" after I got home from work. He had flown in from Japan to surprise me and to be here for my museum reception on Thursday evening. I was totally surprised and a bit overwhelmed with emotion, but it seems everyone else was well aware of it and they all managed to keep it hidden from me. Lucky for me I knew my niece (from Seattle) and sister (from Hawaii) were coming ahead of time. They checked in with my daughter to see if she thought I could handle them all surprising me, and she wisely said, no. My niece left yesterday afternoon after a wonderful visit. This afternoon I will meet up with my aunt and uncle (from FL) and their 6 grandchildren who are all driving up from Colorado Springs where my cousin and his family live. We will tour my one person exhibit at the Littleton Museum together (which I have yet to see) and then come home for a family dinner. Photos are verboten at the museum but I have heard there were a few reprobates who managed to get some taken. No names will be mentioned!

Starting Anew

2011-09-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

Alley Reflection block in, 36x24

Prairie Glow block in, 18x36

Saturday found me ready to start some new paintings now that the stress of trying to have everything ready for the show is over. I looked around at what size canvas I had ready to go and decided to go large. I got both of these blocked in and Sunday found me back at my easel painting. It is amazing how blocking in basic big shapes can get a piece pulled together in short order. At this point I know the prairie piece does not look very exciting but I do have some fun things in store for it. I decided to start with this one as I want a whole weekend ahead of me to get into the Alley piece. That one has me excited. One would think I would be done with alleys by now, but it is not to be. I haven't moved much out of my neighborhood. So many treasures yet to be uncovered!

Moving Day

2011-09-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

My Subaru with all the 16x20's and smaller

Jane's Honda Element with all the 18x24 and larger paintings

Here I am before we started to unload the 86 paintings I delivered to the Littleton Museum yesterday morning. My friend Jane and I got there right around 9:30 a.m. There were 3 volunteers checking in all the paintings; they checked the condition of the frames and then set them around the gallery; Kate helped Jane and I not only unload the cars, but load the carts and haul them inside. What a trooper. Al and Sarah unwrapped and checked them in while we did the hauling. There was only one fatality, and that was the first painting I unloaded from my car. I tripped and hit the corner of a frame and damage it. Other than that, the only slow down was my painting titles on the spreadsheet I provided did not always match the names I had written on the backs of each piece itself (some of which had no title on them). Oops. By this time, Kate was checking in the paintings and she was very patient with me. The museum had printed out the titles in alpha order, making it hard to find if I wasn't close in guessing the first word in the title. I always sort by painting size, because I usually know what size a piece is by looking at it and I can find the right title that way. While Kate and I sorted out the odd titles, Jane folded bubble wrap and put smaller boxes into medium boxes into larger boxes, and by the time everything was done, she had also loaded up the cars! She sure made my life easy. Jane insists she had fun and was so pleased to be a part of the process. Bless her heart. She will also come on the return trip when the show comes down, which we envision we will be transporting way less paintings, of course! We left the museum before 11 a.m. Very efficient process.

Jane was tickled pink. She got to chat with the museums curator and the other two volunteers (Sarah and Al) while Kate and I sorted out our pile of mismatched names. She told me over lunch how excited they all are by the work they saw and what a great show this is going to be. I saw the curator really looking at a few pieces and Al (retired art teacher) told me as we were leaving that a number of pieces really got to him and took him to new places! That is what it is all about. Transporting people. Apparently they have never had this much work from one artist, so I said, use your judgment-if you don't want to hang them all, don't. But no, they said they can stack smaller pieces and the show was in the raw stages of ideas when I left. The actually hanging will be done Monday afternoon. My house seems so empty!

I took the repaired frame back to the museum in the late afternoon, and everyone I met was so excited to meet me. The word was out that this was an exceptional show. Wow. Are they talking about me??? You all will have to judge that on your own. For those of you who will not make it to the show while it is up I hope to have a virtual tour for you to view in the next few weeks.

Moving Forward

2011-09-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

I neglected to take photos of the guest room when it was the collection point for holding all the paintings as they were packaged up and checked off the list. Not a surface or wall area remained-including closets. It would have made for a more dramatic photo. I started moving them all downstairs this past week in an effort to keep the final loading to less up and down stairs. Now the main floor has paintings stacked all over. They are due at the museum on Thursday morning. I am hoping that my friend Jane and I can get them in our cars in one trip. I plan on loading my car up on Wednesday evening with the smaller pieces and leave the larger paintings for her Honda Element. The end is in sight! Or is it just the beginning of another chapter?

I am trying to finish one last painting today. I decided it was not good enough to make it to the museum without more work. The other 3 that were on the chopping block seem to have come together well enough to be presented to the public. It is probably a good thing I started boxing paintings up fairly early in the process or I might never have felt any of them were ready!

Exciting News!

2011-08-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Not only is my sister coming from Hawaii, but my niece is flying in from Seattle, and one of my oldest friends (not in age, but in how long we have known each other) is driving from Oklahoma with her husband in a show of overwhelming support of me and my work! What fun we are going to have. I have not seen my friend in 20 years, my niece since she got married 3 years ago and my sister for a year. There will be some catching up to do after the dust settles. More family will be showing up during the 6 weeks of the exhibit. My brother and sister-in-laws from California and my uncle and aunt from Florida. They are coming to Colorado to take care of their grandkids, but still, how amazing is it that they will be able to see what I have been up to. Wow! is all I can say. Thank you to all my family and friends; you all make it worthwhile.

2011-08-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

Debbie's Place, 11x14

My laptop is in the shop as it has been overheating and I have been afraid to use for more than 20" at a time; overheating to the extent the keys were hot to the touch. Perfect timing with my show quickly approaching.

Here is a painting I hesitated to post but it is one that I have been reworking. The bottom photo was from 2006 when I originally painted this piece.

The middle version was done 2 years later about the time I was trying to assimilate what I was learning in the year long master painting class I was taking. What happened in that version was that the whole painting became rather flat even if the colors improved. The photo has a yellow cast that I could not get rid of.

This past weekend I decided to work on it again and put back the sense of light. I added some greenery to the black hole on either side of the sheep shed. I worked on the back angle of the tin roof and lightened the rust (not sure that is completed yet). I fixed the drawing and shaping of the sheep; the sheep got lightened and the dirt was darkened to sharpen the contrast. The plastic ribbons got more light and shabbiness.

The End is in Sight

2011-08-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

Monday all the rest of my "paperwork" is due to the Littleton Museum. The invitation is already at the printers; I must have my artist's bio, mailing list and painting price list to Lorena on Monday. From there I have 2.5 weeks until the paintings must be delivered and then one week after that is the opening, September 15, from 5-7:30 pm. Seems like a lot of work for a 1.5 hour opening, but I am sure they don't shoo everyone out at the stroke of 7:30, or maybe they do!

I have been working on one last fun painting as well as continuing to fine tune those that are in the "finished" category. This past week I got my artist's statement where I want it, and today compiled the press release. I will sit on that over the weekend and then send it out to a few publications on Monday. The newspapers will come later.

I ordered the last of the frames I need and they will be ready the weekend before the paintings are due to the museum. That was cutting it a bit close, but 5 weeks seemed like enough time. It is, but barely. Varnishing is still being held off on too many paintings as I decide whether they are really where I want them or not. I have come to believe that a painting is never finished until it sells!

Now a prayer to the god of the stock market.

A Walk Back in Time

2011-07-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

Parry's Primrose

Chiming Bells

There was a time, many moons ago, when we hiked as a family. During this phase of life, I would carry my watercolor supplies and do sketches of wild flowers along the way. When I reached 100, the research began in earnest so that I could compile these sketches into a little book. I actually did talk to a publisher but was told my book was too much like others already on the market. Recently, the last prototype I had from this experience went out the door to a new home. It got me thinking I needed to revamp the book. And see if I could add some new sketches. Which means go hiking. Which we have not done in a coon's age. Truly. Do I really want to find out how out of shape I am??

The good news is, the hike went well; the bad news is, I did not get any sketching done. Here is a shot taken on our way back to the car. The blue flowers are Columbines. Near the streams the Parry Primroses were amazing and the trail was lined with Chiming Bells and Larkspur. I did snap some photos to see if I can identify the few flowers I found that I did not know. It was good to be back on the trail.

Columbine

The Big Picture

2011-07-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

6x8" oil

The last assignment for the Master Painting class I took a few years ago was to do a small "study" of anything we wanted and to then paint a larger piece (minimum size 18x24) using only the small study for reference. Trying to copy even the brushstrokes! This was to teach us how hard it is to make a larger painting look good even if the study works well. Our end of the year assignment fell in December and so I had brought up these fruit from the kitchen and just set them down while I decided what to do. Serendipity had a hand in it as the fruit set themselves up! I painted this at eye level using a kneeling bench. That is my old printer behind the nice gray shape of my desk chair and the base of my lamp to the left. I can't remember what adds the nice white line to break up the grays. I still love this little study which hangs above my desk.

The Big Picture, 18x24" oil on board

The larger piece was not so successful. I happened across it while looking at old paintings stashed in the basement and brought it up to see if I could make it work. Kevin saw it in my studio when he came over last month and he pulled it out. He always liked my study for this assignment so he gave me a few things to do, saying the larger piece was just about "there" and it was worth saving. I did as he suggested, but I have not yet been told it is "there." "Here" it is.
Ah, I wrote the above text before I had the photo uploaded from my camera. Somehow seeing them online makes the differences "jump out" at me. If I really want them to match, I suppose I shall take it back to the easel.

Winter Composition

2011-07-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

Winter Composition, 24x24, oil on canvas

Winter Composition, 2007, oil on canvas

This painting was meant to be stylized, but the longer I looked at it the longer I did not like the tops of the winter trees or the blue green sky. The sky did not go well with the more violet blue frozen water. This painting got a lighter, more violet blue sky and simplified tree tops. The barn roof was also lightened a tad and the barn made more red, yet still keeping it in the shadow. A few of the bushes and some of the dried vegetation got a tiny bit of attention. The main difference in color between the two is different cameras as I did not touch the snow, the frozen water, tree trunks or anything in the background.

Smokin' Revisited

2011-07-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Smokin', 16x20, oil on canvas

Smokin, 2009

This painting is from a photo I took while on a trip through Burgundy in 2007. (This medieval walled town of Semur was really a neat place to stop.) I decided that his face still did not read as well as I would like it to; so my intent was to fix that. Well, once I got it on my easel I saw a myriad of "issues." The only things I did not touch were her jeans and shoes and his shoes. Everything else was redone. I started with the wall that is in full sun and brightened that up. I then redid his cast shadow and the steps they are sitting on. I decided to work on her first, starting with giving her a neck. I hadn't realized what a bull neck I had given her. I both lightened and darkened her hair giving it more form. From there, her shirt, adding more variety of color and form. The shirt then reflected into her face where I then went in and softened the planes of her face and neck. Her arms and hands needed the same thing, and also more color (red!) in between her fingers.

On him, I had noticed his jeans didn't read quite right; what was in the sun needed to be lighter and what was in the shadow needed to be darker; the reflected light bouncing off the wall didn't work as well as it could, so that got fixed. On his shirt, I realized I had made the neck of it too high on his neck, so I took that down and did some other minor adjustments. I realized that his head is in full sun, and yet I had his hair as pretty much a solid dark, so he needed his curls put in. Not quite ready to do his face, I simplified his backpack and the started on his arms. Once that was done, he got a much needed facelift. In the original I had tried to simplify the shadow side of his face, but in doing so, I had not given him any features at all. Very amorphous. Still wanting to keep that one big shadow shape, I was able to give him a complete nose and set of lips. To be fair to myself, this painting was done when I was trying to go back to my graphic roots, so the goal was to keep the shapes and forms more flat.

I can't decide if I am giving too much information out in these before and after's. If I should just post the new version as a new painting and forget the "before" version. My thought is that any artist struggling in their own work see what is possible and that there is almost always hope; from the viewer's perspective, my intent is to educate. If I talk about why I am making the changes, that the viewer can learn how to get more out of any painting they come across and become more discerning. Any and all feedback is always welcome!

The White Alley or Duffy Roll Alley at 1300 S. Pearl Street

2011-07-13T05:45:00.000-07:00

White on White final, 12x16 oil on canvas panel

White on White original, 2010

This painting was originally done with a white on white theme. I purposely went for everything tending towards white which means lighter than normal. Kevin had critiqued it saying that the whites were too much the same white and that I needed to add more color to them. Just enough to give them a yellowish or pinkish or whatever-ish tint. Along with doing that, I also strengthened the contrast as I would in a normal light and shadow painting.
I started with darkening the alley road. I decided to add the darker band in the road to draw the eye back in to the painting; leading the eye to the slanted roof line and back to the house; next came color added to all the south facing walls, getting lighter from left to right; the shadows were then given a base color with some reflected light thrown in where needed including clarifying the shadow on the trailer (I am noticing that the shadow of the telephone pole reads a bit warm in this photo so I may need to fix that); weeds were given more color and definition to finish it off. This touch up went really fast, but I think it is much enhanced.

Before and After, Bobolink Trail Head

2011-07-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

Here is an older (re: 2008) plein air piece. The original was painted on an overcast gray and rainy October day at Bobolink trail head in Boulder. I tend to add more color instead of concentrating on the value. I felt that I did not give a good sense of distance in this piece.
I updated it in the middle version not long after I painted the original. The field is reading better but i felt I had lost the unity of the tree in the center and the field vegetation is still a bit chaotic.
This past week I did minor touch ups to clarify the scene. I carved out more sky in the group of yellow cottonwoods in the upper left and made them read as a unit; same with the color of the main tree clump, and the field. The field needed more flat spots of green grass and a pattern to the other vegetation. Even though most of the brighter golden yellows were lost, they show through in spots that are not that evident in the photo and I believe it reads better as a whole.

Fine Tuning Alley in Spring

2011-07-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

latest


the one that came before

This past week has been spent fine tuning paintings. This painting, which has the uninspired title of "Alley in Spring," did not require much, but I ended up doing more than Kevin suggested. His suggestion was to darken the road because it was almost as light as the sky. What I did was to lighten the sky and the trees in the background and darken and unify the road. The road doesn't look that much darker but relative to the sky it is. I also lighten the shadows of the white truck and added a subtle pattern of light to the blooming trees.

I am open to suggestions for a name for this painting.

"A Solid Show"

2011-07-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday my mentor, Kevin, came over to view and critique a portion of the paintings I intend to hang in the upcoming Littleton Museum show. I have been holding off investing in frames until he could come over. We all know that paintings we like don't necessarily make the cut, while others we deem unworthy turn out to be winners!

As to be expected, he picked up paintings lying around my studio that I did not deem worthy. I was surprised as two of them were paintings I wiped off, as in scrubbed and sanded, to "start over." He thought I should finish them and include them! That the compositions were strong and the subjects were cool. Really? A few others he said were ready just as they are. I will keep them at the back of the list but not off the list. I am still wondering...

The actual paintings I wanted him to critique left me with a "to do" list but overall not that much. I got most of them fixed up last Sunday and have only 2 left to work on which will allow me time to do a few more pieces. He said I would have a "solid show." Wow! Thank you Kevin!

An Appreciative audience

2011-06-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Today I did something I have never done before.

Still life of Game Boxes


Victoria and the student who broadened her horizons

To begin at the beginning. My husband drives a limo for a company that works with workers comp clients. One of these has a brain injury and she attends a center that teaches adults "life skills." My husband is often her driver and so they get to talking. She became very interested in me and my art via these conversations so one day he gave her my business card. When she got to the center, she was so excited that she got one of the administrators to look at my website with her and then asked if she would invite me to come and visit them to talk about my art. This morning was the day I went. I insisted on doing a project as I could not imagine talking about my art for 2 hours to a room of people with varying disabilities.

Hard at work painting spider mums

I talked a little about what I do, showed them a few still life paintings and explained what I look for and what I was aiming at in each of the paintings. The paintings I brought in included the paper bag, the painting all in yellow and one that included a myriad of unrelated objects to show them that it didn't matter what they painted, just to have fun. I kept the explanations very basic and simple such as shapes and color. Then a quick demo and time to help them with their own paintings. Their work was impressive. I hope you enjoy seeing some of the pieces I was able to photograph.

Brown Paper Bag

Painting the still life with the red table cloth. Don't you love that sassy tea-pot on the right?

Tulips

The two women who helped me in the class both came up to me independently to tell me how amazed they were at what was produced. The level of participation was way up and the quality was the best they had ever seen them produce. That I connected with them. The man who painted the brown paper bag said I inspired him to go back to painting and the woman who did the tulips above came up and gave me the biggest heartfelt hug I have had in a long time. What an amazing experience. I am welcome back ANYTIME and they are already planning a field trip to see my one person show at the Littleton Museum.

Alley Fix

2011-06-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

Revised Alley in Summer, 24x36, oil on canvas

detail of Forester and Lawn Mowing

Alley as originally posted on May 17

One of my friends sent me an email after I posted this painting a month ago with some suggestions and observations. I thought about what she said and took some of her suggestions to heart and others with slight modifications. Above is the before and after. First I attacked what I didn't like which was to take the foliage coming in to the barn house, out. It had never pleased me. I redid the purple recycle bins, toning them down, redid the blue car, making it darker to draw the eye down the alley; both suggestions from my friend. Then I added some of the purple from the recycle bins to the right-hand side of the alley adding some to tone down the value of the barn facing the viewer. Since that got darker the house at the corner had a bright white square popping out and it had to be toned down too. Next the value and color of the sky were changed and the road got darkened leaving some of the original coming through. While doing the sky, I went over the trees and simplified them and while the green was out the Virginia creeper had more leaf buds added so it didn't look so spotty and the spot of mowed grass in front of the barn house was toned down. The man mowing the grass then needed some attention and I am thinking it is done. That is what is called the domino effect! Change one thing then something else doesn't read right. The one suggestion I did not take was to remove the telephone pole closest to the viewer. All the poles got darkened which I think then anchored them.
If anyone has suggestions for a title to this painting I am open to suggestions.

90 Days and Counting

2011-06-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

Best of Show, Reading @ the Metropolis, 20x16, sold

Littleton Museum One Person Show

Today marks approximately 90 days out from the opening of my one person show at the Littleton Museum in Littleton, Colorado.

For those of you who did not receive my first ever newsletter last week, I won the Best of Show at the “Own an Original” show put on last fall through the Littleton Fine Arts Committee. The Best of Show winner is given their own show the following fall at the Littleton Museum. The request was for 80-90 paintings! This is a tall order even for someone who paints full-time and I have a day job.

Winning this show has given me focus. I have been working hard to get some good, large paintings done. I also realized how much I have grown this past year in my work and how I now feel about putting my older work in this show. There may just have to be less than 80 paintings to make the show stronger. Until recently, I have not been that "stressed" but all of a sudden the deadline is looming and it seems very close at hand. I have a big investment in frames to make and soon.

I will ask the museum director if I can do demos or gallery talks/walks while the show is up. The opening is September 15^th, from 5:30 to 7 pm and by “invitation” only. Stay posted and be sure to let me know if you are interested in the opening event so I can include you. The show will be in the main gallery through October 31^st.

Color Charts - a personal choice

2011-06-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

Grayed Oranges to Bright Oranges

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I would be writing on the "new" way of looking at color via color charts. This post may not be for everyone, but it is an important topic for me. I have completed 16 out of the 50 exercises in the book but I am getting the gist of what is being brought to bear on how to see color so that you can mix what you want at anytime. I did my last set of color charts the "normally accepted" way 3 years ago, and except for those color mixes I often use I still must consult my charts! I feel so tied to them to make a color choice. I was wondering why it was so hard to "get it" and now I have a glimmer of understanding.

The theory behind this book is that we have all been taught to look at color incorrectly. The author believes there is no "color wheel" as such as there is no true red, true blue or pure yellow from which all other colors are made. Basing his theory on light through a prism, a red is either a red-orange or a red-violet as it comes; Blue would be blue-green or blue-violet and yellow would be green-yellow or orange-yellow.

The charts are also laid out differently than the color charts I have done previously. The chart above is using 2 of the 6 colors from the prism, pure color on each end, and mixing them together in various %'s. Adding white as you go down the column (so 10 squares across by 3 down). As you can tell, I was not careful about keeping the values the same, just so I had an idea.

Example above: Exercise 10 Grayed Oranges: I took green-yellow (for me that was Cad Yellow Lemon) and violet-red (Quinacridone Violet) Because there is no similar color in either of these colors, they gray each other out. Based on the prism/light theory, to get a bright orange (Exercise 13) you would use an Orange-Yellow mixed with and Orange-Red to get the brightest Orange (see where both colors have "orange" in their name). The author uses Cadmium Yellow Light for his Orange-Yellow and you can see I had a hard time getting 8 different colors mixing my very orange-yellow with the very orange-red.

Exercise 11 Mid-Orange- "Brassy:" Orange-yellow (cad yellow medium) mixed it with the violet-red (Quinacridone Violet)

Exercise 12 Mid-Orange-"Soft/Warm" Green-Yellow mixed with Orange-Red

The book I am reading will remain nameless as there is so much personal preference out there and bias on color and how

Publish Post

to mix it. I think it has been good for me and that is what counts.

Mutton Buster

2011-06-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

Mutton Buster, 18x14" oil on linen

A co-worker of mine told me of this photo she really wanted her father to paint of her son but that he was not willing to do it for her (Her father being a local artist). I told her to send the photo to me and I would take a gander at it. I decided to paint it because I liked the subject and I thought it would add to the repertoire I am building for the upcoming one person show at the Littleton Museum this fall. I did crop the photo to make it more intimate. I did not really paint this "for" her as then the expectation would be more pressure on her to buy it and pressure on me to try and paint him as she sees him. It is a good representation of him which is just an added bonus and not only does she love it, most every one else who has seen it does too. The subject seems to be a real winner.

study for new painting

2011-06-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

Study for larger painting yet to be named, 12x9, oil on linen

Saturday I did this 12x9" study in order to work out some ideas before going to the larger 15x30" canvas. This reference was taken this past October while hanging out in the rain on Ocean Beach, SF, CA. We weren't the only ones crazy enough to be out in the rain. The red of his jacket with the reflection in the wet sand was just too good to pass up.
I had seen this red jacket coming towards me and so took a few photos. He then stopped to ask me what I was doing. Was I really photographing him? We chatted for a few minutes and I detected a French accent. He was fine with me wanting to capture the red in all that mist, but when he went on his way is when I got the photo I wanted.
My ideas are to work on gradation going from darker sand in the foreground to lighter near the sand bars on the right. Gradation of color as well. The sand goes from a blue-violet-y to a more yellowish. The challenge will be to make all that wet sand and sky (I cropped much of the sky out for this format) interesting with the color, values, and brushwork keeping it all fresh and wet looking. I can see in this photo that the sky either has to go lighter or the lighter sand has to go darker. They are too close in value right now.

Study in Red

2011-05-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

Study in Red, 12x9, oil on linen

Here is a fun little painting that about drove me to drinking. My original attempt to paint a red painting ended up in me wiping paint off all day, so I simplified my still life set up to limit the trauma I was experiencing. I still struggled mightily, but I am calling it completed. What was so difficult for me was that the vase is red glass with a clear handle, but the vase looks clear to me too. That concentrating on the reflections, shadows and the surface I lost the actual color of the vase. Nothing I did made it appear red. Minor details. No one needs to know...

I am reading a couple of books on color and pigments so I will be writing more on this in the coming weeks. It is a most fascinating subject and I take it very seriously.

Washington Park Researchers

2011-05-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

Untitled, 16"x12", oil on linen

Here is another painting where my goal was to keep my values close to create a mood. My faithful dog and I came across this very rare scene on Grassmere lake in Washington Park. There are 2 lakes in Washington Park; the north lake, Smith Lake, once again allows boats, but the south lake, Grassmere, doesn't. I figured they were doing research of some kind. The yellow slicker was just such a wonderful beacon in the fog that I thought this would not only be a good exercise for me but would be interesting too. I have walked this park steady for over 20 years and I am intent on discovering something new whenever I go there. To try and see the park through new eyes as if it were the first time I have been there. It is working! This is the 3 painting in a row I have done now around the park. I can't tell you how many times I have gone there to paint and not found anything that drew me in - it all feeling too familiar to be of interest.

Schlock as Art

2011-05-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

On the last First Friday I spent the afternoon gallery hopping with my friend from Fraser. Many of the galleries were set up for "First Friday Art Walks." I used to love visiting galleries - to be inspired and to give me a goal to aspire to and to study how some miracle of paint had made some object or figure zing. There are still a few galleries in Denver that have what I consider good art, but not as many as I believe there once was. Even galleries I used to think had "good" art are not living up to my expectations. I know I have grown over the years, but I also think that schlock is more prevalent than I remember. I have always recognized schlock for what it is. When I used the term "schlock" I was asked by more than one person what the definition is. The dictionary definition is:
schlock

"trash," 1915, from Amer. Yiddish shlak, from Ger. Schlacke "dregs, scum, dross" (see slag). Alternative etymology is from Yiddish shlogn "to strike" (cf. Ger. schlagen; see slay). Derived form schlockmeister "purveyor of cheap merchandise" is from 1965.
n. inferior merchandise. (From German schlacke, “dregs” via Yiddish.) : That store has nothing but schlock.
mod.and schlocky. [ˈʃlɑki]cheap; junky; inferior.

There were more than a few gems, but they were far fewer than I would like to see. Paint decorative art if you must, and call it such; but please, not schlock. Remember; as soon as you attempt to do something “just for money” you literally kill the soul of it.

This past week I drove up to Longmont to see the museum show there for Jill Soukup. What a wonderful painter she is. I came away thinking I have a lot of work to do before me! Certainly cleansed my palate (palette?) and renewed my faith in art. Thank you to Jill for raising the bar.

Number 10? in the Alley Series

2011-05-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

Late Spring in the Alley, 24x36, oil on canvas

Another alley has neared completion. Without taking an actual "head" count, I think this is #10. I have been waiting to post this painting until it was close to where I wanted it to be. I don't know that anything is "missing" but I have learned that any time I think a painting is done, I am majorly off base once I sit on it awhile. This piece has been sitting longer than most, and I did pick it up this weekend and do a few fiddly things with it.

Even though this scene is bright, it was an overcast morning where there was a diffuse light with no real cast shadows. This is called "local" tone in the vernacular. The reason being is that the "local" color of an object is not corrupted by light and shadow. Once you add a direct light source the real color of a thing is altered; So when you paint a local tone painting, the colors are more true and can have a saturated feel to them, especially if wet as in after a rain.

What drew me to this scene initially was the catywampus-ness of the recycle bins mixed in with the dumpsters leading you down the alley to the blue Forester in the background. It just had a good flow to it. And then to compliment that was the yellow barn house and other yellowish houses and garage. I love the colors in this scene. The greens tie it all up in a nice way. Like it envelopes the alley with a feeling of freshness.

Evening Glow

2011-05-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

Evening Glow, 20x10, oil on gallery wrap canvas

One evening last month while walking in a neighborhood park I was fortunate enough to see this amazing sky. The weaving of the branches made such an interesting pattern and silhouette against it. As I was taking this photo, two young boys walked into the scene to complete it. I just love that splash of red.

Study in Yellow or "Art Deco"

2011-05-08T20:08:00.001-07:00

Study in Yellow, 12x9, oil on canvas board

In order to understand the color yellow and how to portray it in paint, I set up this still life. One of my friends lent me the art deco style vase (what a great shape!), I found the yellow calla lilies at Safeway, and I had the ART book and the yellow paper that it all sits on. The vase did not look quite so "yellow" once it was surrounded by the other more pure yellow objects. In fact it looked quite flat and an un-interesting shade. Luckily it got a lot of reflected color into in and I fudged it a bit more to make a harmonious yellow painting. The reddish cast at the bottom of the vase was really "there" and I would love to know the wherefore of that. How does a yellowish vase sitting on yellow paper create a reddish reflected light? The room had cool florescent lighting and no sunlight.

To paint this I used a variety of cool and warm yellows. The base yellow for the vase was yellow ocher which is warm and flat; for the paper surface I used a warm Indian yellow which tends to a reddish yellow, and for the book cover, a cool lemon yellow which can look greenish. For the callas lilies I used the lemon yellow mixed with yellow pale and cadmium yellow medium which is warm but not as translucent as the Indian yellow. To get the form of the lilies I added violet and or cobalt blue to the yellow except on the far right where orange was called for.

This was a fun still life to paint and has given me much food for thought.

The Hill Country Revisited

2011-05-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

Arbor Ridge, 8x16, 4-2011 oil on Linen panel

Arbor Ridge, 2nd rendition

Arbor Ridge, original from 4-2009, near Fredricksburg, TX

Here is a painting I never thought would amount to anything. I so enjoyed painting in the Hill Country of central TX. This was the 3rd painting of the day, and the sun was hot, and my ride had to leave. All that aside, I felt I got a good structure down, but that is about it. The cleaned up middle view I worked on when I got home. Better, but still not very exciting. Painting yellow in shadow is still something I am getting the hang of. I liked the yellow in #2, but it doesn't read as being in the shade.
In my effort to save paintings I think have a chance, I decided to work on it AGAIN this past month. So on to the top and most recent version, the yellow looks too green in this photo but in person it "reads" as in the shade. From version 2 to 3, I put the hint of stones on the sides of the first and third buildings; added rust to the roofs of the outbuildings, added more foliage in the foreground, as well as lightening the ground, added the fence and the dog running along it. Reworked the trees in the background added spring green to the silhouetted big tree; took out the lame tree on the left and put in a bush. I am still debating about whether to put the tree back in or not. It doesn't seem to need it. I also changed the color of the sky from a more yellowish glow to a more purplish blue. Not sure how I feel about that yet. I may have to go back to the original color. As usual, I "see" all kinds of things once I take a photo and then start to write about it.

Over-sized Pair

2011-04-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

Over-sized Pair, 8x10, oil on linen

This is a little still life I did over Easter weekend. The pear on the left went into a delicious French Fruit Tart that my daughter made us for Easter. I wish I could remember the name of that kind of pear. It is only in a few stores for a limited time each year. I like to do these little studies to keep my eye fresh after working from digital images on the larger works. They also help to loosen up my brush work.

Cherry Creek Resevoir revisited

2011-04-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

Docked, 12x9. oil on canvas board

Docked, Original. Creek Reservoir, 2010

The painting above was hanging about in my studio and my husband asked me why I didn't rework it as he thought I could "make it so much better." So last weekend I put it back on the easel. The first thing I did was to redo the sky color. That made a huge difference. Just with that adjustment the other colors became brighter. I then set about to correct some of the drawing and the values. I brightened the whites because when I paint plein air the colors can tend to get muddy. I then worked on my main focal point, the yellow boat and its reflection. I did lose some of the freshness of brushstrokes reworking it, but overall, I think it is an improvement.

A Touch of Spring

2011-04-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Cracked Pot with Daffodils, 12x9. oil on gallery wrapped canvas

Just a fun piece I did one rainy day and it just seemed the thing to do. The daffs are no longer in the stores and the few in my yard are on their way out. I found this enamelware coffeepot in an alley last spring. The bottom is rounded from getting too hot, which is what I love about it. Seems appropriate for Easter.

Sign of Spring

2011-04-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Sign of Spring, 22x28, oil on canvas

Walking my dog one morning in our neighborhood park a few weeks ago, we came across 4 kites "eaten" by 3 trees in this one clump of trees that surround a huge field. Trees surround this field on all sides, but only this small clump of trees had kites. It was a beautiful but windy morning, so I patiently waited until the wind blew this kite out to almost full glory. This butterfly was by far the most interesting of the kites. A week later it was in shreds.

Judging HS Photography

2011-04-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

In the Body Shop Competition, no color correction or digital manipulation! These students are Post secondary level.

The TV Broadcasting Competition HS level - This is the actual photo as taken.

Yesterday I was a judge for the Photography segment of the Colorado SkillsUSA Leadership Conference being held at Warren Tech and Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, CO. It was my first experience being a judge for any on-site student competition. The students (only 5 HS students for photography) were impressive. They were given their "assignment" at 9 a.m. and had to have 50 photos available for me to look at on the computer (aka contact sheet) and 7 prints made. 2 B&W, 3 color and 2 of their choice. 2 had to be 8x10 and 3 had to be 5x7. I only required 2 to be matted and to mat their choices only. The assignment had to be completed by 1 pm. They were judged on print presentation, digital manipulation, troubleshooting, field work, composition and color correction - and they had to use a digital SLR. I had my Digital SLR with me and I decided to go around campus and act as if I were in the competition so I could better understand what they were up against, to see how they dealt with the problems vs how I saw it and to see how they worked in the field. I then watched them when they worked on the computer manipulating and color correcting their chosen images. This lab had better equipment then I have at my job! State of the art. I found that one young man stood out in my view. There was a second who was fast, his presentation looked very professional, but I felt he played it safe and was not creative in his choices. The youngest contestant had a great eye but needed maturity to fine tune his work (I told him I expect great things from him next year and leave his excuses at home!) The person who got second place stood out by his compositions, very strong lines, but he went too far with that one concept and therefore they all looked the same-he was also very good at digital manipulation; Third place went to the only young woman. She wasn't as strong as some of the others in her choices of subject or composition, but she was creative in what she did with in a different way than the boys. Only the first place winner will go to the national competition held this summer.

I was given 2 "assistant" judges, 2 young men from Las Cruces, NM who knew nothing about photography or design principles. They were both very willing and took their task seriously. They gave the side of the viewer to their decisions, and their first choice was the young man I thought played it safe, which did not surprise me. Their second choice was the person who ultimately got second (he came in 4th to me) as he did focus on the cars that were in the body shop (another area of competition going on yesterday).

It is quite amazing to go back to high school after so many years. The opportunities available are phenomenal. Warren Tech offers Fire Science, Forensic Science, Computer programming, Advertising Design, Carpentry, Precision Machining just to name a few; I saw girls competing in the welding competition and in the body shop. There were maybe 8 categories just in the body shop alone! Who knew?

Tomorrow I head up to Vail for the weekend to be a judge for the Future Business Leaders of America. I will be judging HS Web Design; only the finalists, as they have already been winnowed down by 3 judges. I have been a judge for the winnowing part of this competition in past years, and again, impressed by some of the student work that is being generated. This will be my first time in judging the cream of the crop.

Silent no longer

2011-04-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today I saw a funny thing from my studio window. Two young teen girls were walking by. I have a painting that I did a number of years ago attached to the wall of our house. It was an experiment to see what it would take to make an outdoor painting. It has weathered well and has garnered lots of attention. But this is the first time I saw this particular scenario: The girls put their arms around each other, put their backs to the painting, aligned their cell phone camera and took a photo with the painting in the background! How fun is that?
Here is the painting I have outside. I painted it in acrylics and on cement board. I think I put Spar varnish on it, but I can't remember for sure as it has been that long ago.

Water Lilies, 24x48

Winter Scene -

2011-03-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

Country Lane in Winter- Bavaria, 32x20

The last post of the boats in the fog, left me wanting to try another painting using values close together and do a better job of softening my edges. The reference photo for this painting came from our Christmas in Bavaria a number of years ago. It was bitter cold. This is a work in progress, but I wanted to post it so I can see where it needs to go from here. Painting snow is a challenge, especially when there isn't a whole lot else to break it up.

Joigny Dock in Fog

2011-03-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

Boats in Fog - Joigny sur L'Yonne; 12"x24"

This painting was done yesterday; The "assignment" was to stay within the three lightest values (on a scale of one to ten) with pure white being the lightest. I did not use pure white and my darkest value is probably darker than it should be to be qualified as a "high-key" painting, but I am okay with that. I pretty much stayed with three values throughout and tried to keep them close. My "mother" color was a mixture of cerulean blue, burnt umber, white and a tad of yellow ocher. Depending on the value I wanted, depended on which color in the mix was dominant, but the foggy color was mixed into everything else. The only other color added was Cadmium Red Light for the painted accents, but a color harmony was already established.
I took this reference photo on an early foggy morning on the Yonne River in Burgundy. We were docked in the town of Joigny in early October. I had done a sketch of the boat on the right at the time and have always intended to do a painting. Now, I finally accomplished that.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2011-02-25T06:48:00.000-08:00

Baby, It's Cold Outside, 20x20

Detail

Here is a piece I have been working on for the past few weeks. I was going to put another layer on it this weekend when I came across a painting online that was in a past juried show of American Women Artists. The painting I saw gave me one of those "Ah Ha" moments when I "knew" how to finish this piece. I was trying too hard to capture something with a brush that needed a hard edge approach, so I went in search of a credit card I didn't need or use. I mixed large piles of paint and went back to it. I don't have a photo of it in progress, but I was having a hard time getting it to read as to what was the pigeon on and in front of. The ledge was clear, but the background was confusing the viewers who saw it. I took this reference photo on the steps going down to the Seine near Isle de la Cite. I love the expression on this pigeon, which I also redid with the credit card so it would fit in with the new texture.

Another Save-Quayside

2011-02-22T09:34:00.000-08:00


Quayside, 12,x16, 2005

In my effort to not work too hard for the Museum show, yet have a strong body of work, I have been looking at old paintings to see what I can salvage. This painting was a "good" painting for the time, and LOTS of people liked it, but it never sold. One year I had this hanging at the Summer Art Market where almost everyone walking by commented on how they liked it! I decided it was time to give it a new lease on life since at least I know it is a pleasing composition and/or subject. I started with the yellow boat, and worked out from there. I brightened the yellow using more pure color, and kept more yellow on the shadow side. For the shadow I mixed cad yellow medium with terra rosa and another pile of color using cad yellow medium and dioxide purple. I used these two to create transition from the darker to the lighter (from the back of the boat forward). The dark red boat color was about right, but I still worked on putting it into the sun; the light didn't read as well as it could. I totally missed the cast shadows of the ropes in the earlier version.

With the water, I started with the reflections making them more unified (there is that word again!). I then mixed a neutral gray blue green color as my medium color and blended that in all over the water (viridian green, burnt umber and a bit of Ultramarine blue and white). I let that sit overnight and then came back a day later and mixed a lighter medium value and then the lightest/brightest to hit the top of the water, also thinking about the water in back being lighter to transition to the darker water in front. Quite a save, I think.

A Girl with a Purpose

2011-02-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

In A World of Her Own, 18x24

This reference photo was taken in October in Paris a few years ago. I was sitting on the rim of the fountain that is in the plaza by the Centre Pompidou and watching all the activity on a warm sunny afternoon even though the plaza is in shadow. It reminded me of my youth when we lived in France. On Sunday afternoons, a number of families would meet at a small town's restaurant, where multiple-coursed dinners were served over an afternoon. The children would go play in the town square between courses while the adults smoked, drank and talked. The same thing was happening here. This little girl was scooting her way around the plaza, while older boys were playing soccer around her and she is totally unconcerned by their running and shouting. There are bistros and restaurants surrounding the perimeter of the plaza where the outside tables are packed with locals and tourists alike.

The Fountain where I am sitting watching the world go by.(The Church is St Eustace, also worth visiting.)
The Pompidou is a Modern Art Museum named after the French President of the time (1977), Georges Pompidou.

Soccer being played

My little model getting a lesson on Skateboarding

I attempted to paint this same scene 3 years ago and utterly failed. I threw the original canvas away in frustration. At the time, I felt I had gotten everything pretty well nailed except the most important thing, which is the little girls face. I could not capture her expression nor her youth. I have not been able to get a photo that

For Something Completely Different

2011-02-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

Finished T-shirt Quilt, 90 x 100

Twelve or so years ago a friend of mine brought in to work a t-shirt quilt she had made for her son. I was so impressed, I thought I should make one for my son, too. It is hard to believe it took me this long to get to it, but there is no denying it. I finally picked up this "project" last fall and decided if it were going to get done, I had better get with it. Last Friday, I delivered the finished top and bottom to someone who quilts and this Friday I picked up the finished piece. She said that is what a snow storm will do for you. This is one well traveled quilt, with t-shirts from all over the world, including themes of art, music, beer, and the outdoors. I used flannel as the solid colors and backing, so it should be a cozy comforter. I don't plan to ship the quilt to Japan where my son is currently living, but it will be waiting for him upon his return.

The Upside of Being Rejected

2011-02-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

Wait for Me! 20x30, oil on canvas with a bit of wet paint glare

As submitted and not accepted

I know this is a topic not many of us want to discuss in a public forum - the rejection of the jury! While trying not to let this get to me I took the opportunity to critically look at the painting in question with a juror's eye, and I knew they were right in their assessment. I, again, as is my wont, was lazy. I let the current culture of the quick painting take over my inner judgment that this piece really wasn't as good as it could be. The interesting thing to note here is that I had started a blog post in December with the "finished" painting and the original block-in, and never posted it because I saw the inherent problems-the block-in looked better than the painting! But some of us are just plain hard-headed.

There were a couple of things I noted. First, that the sky going into the ocean was way too blue and the value too dark. I lightened it all quite a few degrees and thought more about orchestrating the ocean waves. I also made the color more neutral (using Cerulean Blue/Burnt Umber/White) . I had known that the beach was the wrong color, and also too dark in value made more so now that the sky is lightened. The reddish cast had to go, so again I went with a more neutral mix (Viridian Green/Burnt Umber/White with some other colors thrown in for variety in the sand). I used the same colors, with different % to make the white caps. The wall I had known was too dark - that my original block-in value was more true, so I took it back to that value and got rid of the blue cast. The Ravens came next and I had been so caught up in the myriad colors that I had lost touch with the form, so I gave them both more form and thought less about all the color, simplifying that. I decided to take more time with the drawing of their legs and to create more of the shaggy appearance ravens are known for. The gulls on the beach came last. I was not content with them anyway, so I took a bit more time with them and yet tried not to give them too much definition to keep them in the background with a secondary place. I still see a few spots that need a little attention, but overall you can see the difference. Another lesson learned the hard way.

Buildings near Old Winston-Salem

2011-01-24T06:52:00.000-08:00

16x20 Abstract Buildings

I came upon this view when exiting the ticket and information building for Old Winston-Salem while in North Carolina this past fall. I don't think this scene has anything to do with the historic town, but it was the first thing I saw. I thought it would make a great abstract painting without even trying. Just paint it as it is, and it would look the part. I took this into work last week before it was completed, and a friend of mine said it looked like the Midwest where she had grown up. That you don't see things like this in Colorado (too true, as it was foreign to me!). This was good background for me, though, and I appreciate that knowledge.

I wanted to make the large graphic shapes interesting and yet read as one shape. For instance, the "pink" building could have been painted a flat solid pink shape, but I put purple and ochre and orange in it but kept the overall "pinkness." Same with the other shapes (or sheds). The brown shed has ocher and blue, purple and rust color. There is ochre in the turquoise building which is really viridian green mixed with white, and purple and white.

Posting paintings and writing about them also helps me to "see" them in a new light. I do think, at least in this photo, that the purple is too strong in the pink building. I think I can warm that area up a bit without losing what I wanted.

Playing with Abstraction

2011-01-17T20:07:00.000-08:00

Abstracted Pots and Pitchers, 16x20

As I have mentioned before, I sometimes grab an old painting to play with and to use as a warm up exercise. The original painting had the 4 vessels and 3 oranges and was rather boring. It was done in 2002. I just took it and had fun. I keep thinking I am done with it and then will pick it up and do something new. It just keeps growing. I think it may continue to be broken apart and reassembled but only time will tell.

Alameda Alley or The Old Sheds

2011-01-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

The Old Sheds, 20x30

I found these old sheds while walking the alleys off of Alameda and Downing Street in Denver. It is a bit different view for this series, as I sat on the ground to get everything in the photo I wanted. I liked the feeling of the shade giving a feeling of respite from the sun. This painting was a challenge for me and I was "stuck" for quite awhile before I was able to really get through it. (see this post of this painting in progress) I have a few thoughts as to whether this is "finished" or not, but it is a painting you now can walk into.

My new mantra for the new year is going to be a quote I came across today: "Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple – that's creativity."
~Charles Mingus

I get stuck because I try to make the simple complicated. This may be the subject for a blog post all on its own.

Work in Progress where progress was made

2011-01-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

French Waiters, 24x24

From 10-23 post, works in progress

So this painting has been stuck in my craw for over a year, when I first started it. During my 10 days off over Christmas I finally "saw" what I needed to do and I literally reworked the whole painting in short order. I love it when that happens! I softened edges, unified objects and made the painting local tone instead of light and shadow. Local tone is where you have three major value groups, light, medium and dark, with a diffused sense of light. So, for example on the waiters aprons, I wanted the apron to read as one shape not with the wrinkles or folds showing so much light/shadow. Same with their shirts. I brought the light down and the shadows up to be closer in value where you see the shirt as one shape versus what is the light and what isn't without losing the form. The plates I blended more together instead of trying to make them each read separately. I tied in the waiters dishrag into the stainless steel and darkened the reflection (floor tiles) on the stainless steel by the waiter on the right so he isn't quite so carved out but more unified. The pots and pans were all downplayed and again unified into the whole, correcting some of the drawing on them as well. I also warmed the tones of the waiter on the left and will do that with the waiter on the right now that I see it needs that from this photo. I did warm up the arm of his that is reaching as it was too blue and looked "dead."

Alley Activity on Winter Break

2011-01-08T17:04:00.000-08:00

Work in Progress, 24 x 36

Detail from Work In Progress

"Work in Progress" (or should it be "Alley Activity?") was done over Christmas break. It is amazing what I can done with almost 10 days off in a row! I have painted this alley, which is across the street from our alley multiple times in the past year or so. It has been just about a year since I painted this particular scene plein air, so it took me awhile to get to it. I remember that I had seen this scene while taking out the trash, ran back and got my gear and set up to paint. It was around 11 a.m. and I knew that come lunch time they would be gone. Which is exactly what happened. But I got the information I wanted.
I like that this is a complimentary color scheme (blue and orange) so despite it being a winter snow scene it is not too cold.

Kitchen Tableau

2011-01-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

Kitchen Tableau 2010

Inferior photo from 2005

In an effort to "save" some paintings that I believe have merit but were painted ages ago, I periodically go through my stash of work in the basement. "Kitchen Tableau" is one that I finally took back to the easel after Christmas. The original was painted in 2005 and was inspired by the fact that I was alone at the kitchen table looking at this great bunch of happy flowers. The pear was going to be my dessert.
I repainted the whole thing, leaving the structure as is with very minor modifications. I softened the yellows in the daffodils (using cad yellow light instead of so much cad yellow medium) and got rid of the outlining which is a habit I had. I also worked on blending the color of the flowers into each other to create a bunch of flowers instead of individual flowers. I then put more color (cad yellow light with cerulean blue and white into the wall as I always felt there was a fight between the background beige and the yellow flowers. The two are much more harmonious now. I also warmed the sage green part of the wall. The table top now reads as a unit and the shadows aren't so domineering. The light was coming in from more than one source, which is always tricky (there is a window that is just to to the right of the chair plus the overhead light was on). The wine bottle I added orange to viridian green as the base color and tried to integrate the bottle and the glass to make them read more as a unit. For example, I used the wine color from the glass and added the bottle base color to it to paint the wine left in the bottle. There was a lot of dark colored lines on the sugar "jar" and so I softened all of that. The vase took the least amount of time to "fix." I continued the warming theme with the dark blue of the vase and defined the shapes of the reflections.
As an aside, today I was asked if I still had the painting of the "wine bottle." I am bringing it to work tomorrow to see if the new rendition will pass muster.

Christmas fruit

2010-12-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

This little piece (4x4) I painted as a gift to my daughter's friend who was joining us for Christmas Eve dinner. I didn't know until the last minute that she was coming, and I did want to give her something to remember us by. I had a 4x4 "block" lying around and it seemed so apropos since it can sit on a shelf or ledge or hang in any little nook or cranny. I had fun and she seemed pleased. Can't get any better than that. I have always enjoyed painting these little orange gems.

White on Black Exercise-"Cracked Pot"

2010-12-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

On Friday I used this little still life to transition from my work week to my weekend of painting using a white object against a black backdrop. Not only do you get to see the variety of colors within black, but how the white object interact with the blacks. I saw both warm and cool colors in the enamel. I had natural light coming in from a north window. The surface was a painted wood table and then there was a warm wood door in shadow as the backdrop which I chose to put in as a solid surface. I had found this coffee pot in an alley and the bottom is so badly burnt that it is rounded and all the enamel has cracked off. Who knows what happened to whatever was in the top - but I use it as a vase. Just a fun little painting that is 12x9.

1300 South Pearl St Alley

2010-12-06T17:05:00.000-08:00

The Saturday class assignment for last month was to do a white on white painting. I posted the still life I did in class already but I happened to see this alley while walking my dog, and thought what a great "white on white" landscape. I went back with my gear and first blocked it in, and then went back and finished it over the Thanksgiving weekend. I probably should add a bit more color into my whites to jazz it up but it was stark white in the glare I was getting. The far back building has some yellow in it and the trailer has some blues and pinks, but I think I need to force that concept further. This painting is 11x14 and may be used for a larger version. I sure do enjoy painting outside once I get myself out the door.

Weekend Work

2010-11-30T18:43:00.000-08:00

I will post a few of the pieces I worked on this past long weekend. This first one is from a photo reference I took while in San Francisco the end of October. We walked Ocean Beach in the wind and rain and these two ravens were walking the wall next to the entrance to the beach. This painting is 20"x30" and I am not sure it is finished, but it is pretty close. I am sitting on it awhile. I don't have a name for it so if any on you have any ideas, I would love to hear them.

This next painting I started a few weeks ago, got stuck (ie didn't feel motivated to work on it) and then just got to it. The reference I am using for it was taken this summer in what I call my parking strip garden (ie it is on the other side of our sidewalk, next to the street). I was going to keep it pretty graphic in the background but then I got started on breaking up the dark shape of the shadow that was across the street. I have not completed that because I am not convinced I like it. This painting tentatively has the title of "Day Lily Riot" and it is 20x16x1.5. There is a swallowtail butterfly in one of the day lilies.

This little piece is 12x12 and I started it plein air while in Taos last May. It is of a little church that was a few blocks from the B&B we were staying in. I went out before breakfast and only had a short time to get the block in done. It has been sitting around awhile but I was finally motivated to finish it up. The church is called "Neustra Senora de Dolores."

And for something completely different is the painting above that I found while cataloging my inventory last week. I did this still life in Guilford, CT 5 years ago. I was enamored of my friends collection of old hammered pitchers. I did a few touch ups on the two pitchers in the middle ground as they just didn't read right. I also took out the solid black background that just was too dead and put the bluish purple back there instead. That was a vast improvement. I had done a number of w/c studies of her collection, so I did have something to go by. They are just such fun shapes.

Now the Work Begins

2010-11-26T07:49:00.000-08:00

To have won The Best of Show at the Littleton Museum's "Own an Original" has quite the weight attached to it. To have one's own show is a wonderful gift. Most times when a person has a one person show, however, they are not expected to come up with 90 paintings! I have had a few one person shows at galleries and I think the most I had at any one show was 35. To get my self in order, I have started to inventory those paintings I have that I would put in the show, then those that I would use if I need them; next I have marked whether the painting needs a frame. I placed my first frame order just the other day, so I can spread out the expenses throughout the 9 months. I just about used up all the prize money I won (but have not yet received)! I am trying a new online frame shop so if I like what I ordered, I will let everyone know via a blog post. Their prices seemed pretty darn good, no tax and I got free shipping. I am glad that most of my new larger pieces are gallery wrapped stretched canvas so I won't have to frame those. I may buy one floater frame to see how I like it, though for one of the smaller profiled wrapped canvases. Organization I hope will keep me on track. The other day I put my list in a spreadsheet so I can keep track of it all. and yesterday I managed to pretty much wrap up two paintings and almost finish a third. May the rest of the weekend continue on such a "roll."

Best of Show

2010-11-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

Last night was the opening of the OWN an ORIGINAL juried show at the Littleton Museum. Was I surprised to learn my painting, "Reading@the Metropolis," had won BEST OF SHOW? To say the least! Not only did the painting earn me a cash prize but also a one person show to be held at the Littleton Museum next September/October. I must have 90 paintings ready to hang for the opening on Sept 15. I take this as a challenge.

Last week, Tuesday November 9, was the opening for the 4th Annual Denver Plein Air Exhibit. This exhibit is located on the 7^th floor of the main Denver Public Library. I discovered upon arriving that my one painting, "Curious Red Door," had won an Honorable Mention. I don’t yet know what that means other than a ribbon, but this is the third year in a row that I have been in this show and won an award (2 years ago I received a $100 gift certificate for my Honorable Mention but times are tougher now). I seem to be doing well at the local level, so I need to continue to put my paintings into the national arena as well. That is much tougher competition, of course, but at least I have gotten into 2 out of the 3 national juried shows I submitted to this past year.

Black and White

2010-11-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

The last two Saturdays I attended Kevin Weckbach’s class. Oct 30 was the critique for the month’s homework assignment. I had not been in town to attend the class at the beginning of the month so I had to glean what I could out of the email that was sent with the assignment. I misread it, so I did the following still life thinking it was a use of “mother” color and that mother color was BLACK (ie every color I put on the canvas should include black in the mix, even if the “color” being applied is white). Instead it was supposed to be a still life of “Black on Black.” To do this I should have had a black backdrop and all the objects should have been black. The Reflective objects I used where fine as well, since they would have reflected all the black around them to make them appear “black.” I failed in that I did not do the assignment correctly, but I passed in that I did the project correctly based on my criteria. I also timed myself so this was a very quick painting. I gave myself 1.5 hours to do a 14”x18” canvas. I cropped out a roll of blue paper towels as they just didn't add anything to the composition.

November 6 we painted in class doing “White on White.” The same concept using all white objects, back drop and table top. It is 11x14 and it took me the whole class time to do it. (10 am-1pm) We did not get to a critique but Kevin said I was getting it. The point of these exercises is to pay attention to the color variations within a color grouping, ie there are warm whites and cool whites and what reflects into or bounces off of each surface also impacts the color.(that is a billy goat's horn (hollow) on the right-not really a white but we got away with it.)

2010 Denver Plein Air Opening and Own an Original

2010-11-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, November 9 starting at 5-8 p.m. will be the artists reception at the main Denver Public Library, downtown. I have only one painting in this year. To view the show online, http://gtmd.org/. It is a fun event to attend; and the show is up through December. The painting I submitted that was accepted is the side building of the Curious Theater.

Thursday, November 18, 5:30-7 p.m. is the City of Littleton Fine Arts Own an Original Art Exhibition reception. This opening and show is held at the Littleton Museum of Fine Arts Gallery, 6028 S. Gallup St, Littleton 80120. I just found out today that the 3 pieces I submitted were accepted. This show is up thru January 16, 2011, so there is time if you are in the area to check it out. For those of you out of town or not interested in going to the museum, the paintings are Lavendar Hydrangeas, 24x30; Reading@theMetropolis, 20x16; and Smokin', 16x20. I have had a number of comments lately that I really need to focus on painting people, so that got me to submit the two figure paintings to this exhibit.

Watercolor Studies

2010-10-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

Gay's Table, 10x7: I painted this at my sister-in-laws table on a very rainy day; there is a hedge outside the window that technically should have been darker in value. Still not that comfortable with watercolors. Gay picked this one to keep. She sets a beautiful table.

Pomegranate Singleton, 6x4-Killing time in the orchard I sat on the ground to do this study; 1st one of the trip to CA. Family were coming for a lunch BBQ. The pomegranates are not quite ripe yet but still beautiful.

Pomegranate Singleton II, 6x6-I tried to put in some darks on this one. Still sitting on the ground painting the low-hanging fruit. I think I need to put darks in the whole upper right corner to make this look more complete. Something missing for me.

Marc's Pick, 7x10-Because it poured all Sunday in the Bay Area, Marc went out and cut me these two pomegranates. I did a small study of the short branch before putting the two together here.

I did one landscape but only got as far as the sketch, no color. I was shooed off of private property; Mea culpa. I also did a drawing of the baggage carts on the tarmac as our flight home was delayed and it gave me something to do. I forgot to scan it when I scanned these.

Baby Walnut Trees, 7x10-this is my incomplete sketch. The idea was going to be a white picket fence coming into a haloed light green as the sun hit the tree edges (I hadn't gotten to the leaf outlines yet). The bulk of the trees would be silhouetted. The background hillside was in shadow and that was going to be dark blue green. The earth was stubble dead grasses. I might still get to it, but it isn't a high priority. I have no photo reference just the picture in my minds eye.

A Visit to the de Young Museum

2010-10-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, the deYoung Museum, located in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, has the honor of hosting the Impressionist collection from the D'Orsay Museum in Paris while that museum undergoes renovation. The deYoung split this exhibit into 2 parts. The early Impressionists ended in early September and the "later" opened the end of September. We attended the second exhibit on Friday. My mistake was getting timed tickets for mid-day; The place was packed solid, which made it difficult to get a good feel for a painting unless you were very patient and waited for a break in the waves of humanity. I like to view up close (to see brush strokes and color mixing) and then from a distance (to see how it all holds together). I knew better when I ordered the tickets online, but it worked out in that we would never have been able to see the second and companion exhibit that was held in the Legion of Honor Fine Art Museum, "Japanesque, the Japanese print in the era of Impressionism" if we had gone to the deYoung later in the day. I had seen most of the work in the deYoung exhibit, but I did discover some "new" artists to me, which is always a delight. One artist, Paul Serusier, had an outstanding painting. I had not noticed his work in my visits to the D'Orsay. It could be the placement at the deYoung that made it jump out at me. Van Gogh was almost impossible to really look at from a distance, as it was near where they let the next timed group in, so people pooled in front of his work. Richard and I did manage to study his amazing brushwork up close. I did get to spend time with Toulouse-Lautrec who was on the opposite wall from Vincent. Toulouse-Lautrec never disappoints. His graphic sensibilities always inspire me. There was a good number of Cezannes and Gauguins, but the choices from Bonnard and Vuilliard were a bit disappointing to me. The focus from these artists was more their prints and not their paintings. Not a bad thing, but I really had my heart set on seeing the paintings again. C'est la vie.

At the Legion of Honor was a Frenchman, Henri Riviere, who was so inspired by the Japanese woodblock print that he did a series of 36 views of the Eiffel Tower as it was being built which was highlighted in the exhibit. There was so much to see at this exhibit that it would have been worth seeing on its own merit with more time to devote to it. The Japanese prints were of course noteworthy, but so were the Westerners inspired by them. It was a great addition and enriched the wonders from the D'Orsay.

Works in Progress

2010-10-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article about the artist, Karin Jurik, in the latest issue of Southwest Art. In it Karin mentioned how she completes a painting a day because she gets bored with a painting if she has to keep coming back to it. I found this an interesting perspective, because as I have mentioned, I get bored with the larger pieces myself. Here are two that fit this criteria. The alley painting below is relatively new as I started this piece in late August. It isn't that large, being 20" x 30" and technically, I should have been able to finish it by now. My thought is to "rip" through it quickly when I get back from my trip to California to wrap it up. It needs some life breathed into it. This past weekend I did a 14x18 study in less than 2 hours so that is what I need to do with this piece. Wake it up a bit as the values are pretty much in place.

Alameda Alley, 20" x 30"

The French Waiters I began over a year ago and just recently got it out to see where I wanted to go with it. It hasa complimentary color scheme going on (blue and orange) which for the most part is working. I need to decide once and for all if I want to show tiles on the back wall or get rid of them. I have gone back and forth more than once now it is time to just be rid of them. I think they take away from the center of interest. I do like the light aiming down, so I will keep that. I want to pull the most forward plate out more (more light on it) to draw the viewer into the work area. Once those items are tidied up I will reevaluate to see if that takes care of my dissatisfaction with this piece. Any other suggestions or observations are most welcome.

French Waiters, 24" x 24"

Southwest Art Magazine top 50 finalists

2010-10-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

I had an email from a colleague over the weekend asking me if I had done a blog post yet on the fact that I was in the top 50 of Southwest Art Magazines annual 21 over 31 competition. I have not for the simple reason I didn't make it to the top 21, which to me means it wasn't worth mentioning. When I saw that there were over 3,000 entries, it then seemed more newsworthy. I submitted the Harvard Gulch Alley painting for this competition. To be honest, I didn't even realize that the paintings had been posted - she sent me the link. Thanks to my friend, Jeannie Paty, who not only encouraged me to apply, but also reminded me of the deadline. She also is in the top 50 I was happy to see.

Long Time Coming

2010-10-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

I took an 11 day road trip through North Carolina with my aunt during this past month and in just about 4 days we will be flying to California for a week. It has been a wonderful month, but painting has been on the back burner. Today's post was going to be about painting, but it ended up being about my trip. The waterfall above is the location where the" Last of the Mohicans" was filmed (I believe we were still in South Carolina at this point.) It was a nice hike down to the falls, still so lush and green. You can see there is lots of room to walk behind the veil of water. My aunt had picked me up at the Orlando Airport and we drove through GA, and SC to get to our destination of Franklin, NC and my aunt's friend, Karen. That drive took us a day and a half. That evening we went into town to the Saturday night auction, and what fun that was. Oh my. I wish I had a trailer. I could not believe what things were selling for, not that I need anything. We left the auction early and went to listen to the last hour of Music on the Green, where a bluegrass band was playing in the town square - there is live music every Saturday evening. What a great sense of community I felt there.

The next day found us driving from Franklin to the Tennessee entrance of the Smoky Mountain National Park. We stopped at the top of the mountain on our way to the other side, and lo and behold, part of the Appalachian Trail was there! I met a couple who had just done 8 miles that day, and they were soaked to the bone but happy. I walked up a short ways just to say I had been on the trail, not wanting to keep us too long from our destination, but oh would I have loved to have least walked the Sweat Heifer Creek Trail.

We were headed to Cades Cove, a wonderful old settlement that was on an a one way 11 mile loop. The buildings are all open to walk in and explore. There were 16 stops on the map, including 3 churches, an amazing cantilevered barn, homes and old graveyards. It was 5 pm by the time we hit the loop so we had to pick and choose where to stop. The house above was one of the larger abodes, but very typical. The photo below was taken from the car but showed the landscape off well, I think. Evening rain...

Monday we headed North to Asheville. We did the market first and then some shopping. Spent 2 nights in Asheville seeing the sights and walking the town. Some of the healthiest restaurants I saw in the South and some of the best art were in Asheville.

Scuppernong Grapes (note size next to figs!) The Muscadine are the dark grapes behind.

The Fiddlin' Pig in Asheville, where you get Bluegrass with your BBQ. Seemed a perfect pairing along with a local brew.

On the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way to the highest point, Mt Mitchell. We had followed the Harley riders for miles. They were from Florida.

Fried Green Tomatoes with crab!

After driving the Blue Ridge Parkway North, we headed towards Old Salem for a day. The biggest disappointment for me was that Salem is this big interpretive venue, where they dress in period costumes, made by a "tailor" who sews all the clothes for the employees, a "shoemaker," who makes the period shoes, etc. Like a living history museum. There is a much touted bakery, using "authentic original" recipes, and then you look on the ingredient list of the cookies they sell and I can assure you, the are not using the original recipe, unless modifications are accepted into their definition or authentic and original. In their defense, they do use the original ovens and mixing troughs, bread paddles and other molds for baking. The stores do have some handcrafted items, but the majority of the items are made in China. I guess I expected a bit more authenticity being that this area is full of some of the finest craftspeople I have ever seen in one area. The "apothecary" could not carry on a discourse on basic herbal remedies, yet the shelves were lined with wonderfully filled jars of herbs and roots and barks. I guess I have too great of expectations.

The next day we went to Greensboro, NC to visit the International Civil Rights Museum. That was very interesting and I am glad I went. Very thought provoking and hard to believe this was still going on in my lifetime. I grew up in a colorblind military family overseas, so this part of American history seemed very foreign to me.

Vic with friend from Zweibrucken American HS, Sandy. We hadn't seen each other in decades.

From Greensboro we high tailed it to Charleston, SC to be there bright and early on Saturday morning. We met my friend, Sandy on the Battery and then did a horse drawn carriage ride of old Charleston. I thoroughly enjoyed it, visited the Slaves Market (not where slaves were sold, but where slaves sold goods), and then sat on the water for lunch where we had the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer (Very Good). My digestion took a week to settle down after all the fried food I ate in such a short time. (Fried pickles came with our bbq in Asheville. Not something I need in my life, nor the boiled peanuts. UGH.)
Leaving Charleston we drove along the marsh lands to Savannah, were we did a quick drive through so I could at least see how the squares are laid out. Charleston and Savannah are often compared, but I found them so completely different. I would have liked to have at least spent one night there, but if we had then I would not have been able to go to the beach the next day and eat one of the best pizzas I have eaten outside of Italy. I did so enjoy walking the beach. My aunt and uncle live in Melbourne, Fl, and the area is beautiful and full of birds. Walking along the golf course out back of my aunt's home, I saw egrets, storks, cranes, ibis and some ducks I did not recognize. I loved it! See the terns below with the sea gulls?

And here is my traveling companion and aunt, Vi; her mother, and my Uncle Lou (my father's younger brother) as we prepare to go to Lone Cabbage so I can try gator on the way to Orlando Airport.

Denver Plein Air Event

2010-09-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

The top painting, 16x10, is the one I did yesterday. Below it is the study I did for it to figure it out. I had taken some photos the week before after I did the painting of the church spires. Since the reference photos for this scene had two photos taken at different angles, I thought I would try to figure it out before hand - see if what I had in mind would actually work, being a sort of composite. In the original photo references from which I did the study the sky and the building were just about the same value, though different colors of blue. Yesterday though, the sky was noticeably darker, so I put that in to see if I liked it darker, and I do. I decided to not put in the windows on the right because I didn't get the angle quite right on the telephone pole to allow enough of the windows to make a difference. I didn't quite get the cattywampus look I was trying for, but I still like it. The study is on linen watercolor paper with oil paints thinned down. You would think having worked it all out before hand the actually painting would have gone faster, but I spent 3 hours on location. It was easier, if not faster, and it was great to have the study with me to keep me from chasing the light. I may change the angle on the green doors as I think I like it better in my study.

Here is the painting I did last weekend. Now you can see that it isn't quite the great painting it was made out to be by my admiring audience. But the suspense was fun, wasn't it? I have not decided if I will submit it to the juried show. I have a week to think about it. "One Way" is 11"x14" painted from around 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Corner of 13th and Penn during Denver Plein Air Event

2010-09-08T09:57:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a few photos to illustrate this blog post. A few days ago, I participated in the paint out during the Denver Plein Air Event on 13th Avenue. I chose the corner of 13th and Pennsylvania. This area is called Capital Hill and has a very diverse population. I was set up in the shadow of a local bar that happened to have a few parking spaces that came in to the sidewalk area behind me. My subject was the twin spires of the Gothic style Basilica to the north. I had an interesting few hours on that corner. There was a mushroom deal going down on the trunk of a car right behind me. Once that was completed the young man with dreadlocks came over to talk to me about what medium I was using. He likes to paint in acrylics; we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of oils vs acrylics. Then there was the 50 something year old woman, her face covered in what I would venture to guess are sebaceous cysts, who told me that one of the spires (the lighter colored one to the East) was hit by lightening a few years ago; she was also into politics so we chatted about the upcoming elections. A young man missing his two front teeth wanted to talk about doing portraits in pencil and did I think he could move to painting from working in pencil? (I said of course!) Another man came by, one I would say lived on the streets, and he told me I was doing a “good job and good subject.” Then there was the middle aged couple who had gone to the coffee shop across the street and were walking back by; she said not only was my painting of a church but it felt very tranquil as well. The last comment came from an older gentleman who had parked his truck behind me, jumped out and went to pick up something in a brown paper bag, he said to me, “Don’t let anyone tell you any different. That is a good painting. “ I was talking to another artist at the time and we were critiquing it. Maybe I should stand on that corner more often! I have had plenty of conversations over the years with people curious about the whole painting outdoors concept, but I don’t think I have had quite the range of people as I did this time. It is amazing I got any painting done.

Grand Lake Weekend

2010-08-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

While Julia and I were painting last weekend off of Hwy 34, a young man from the East coast stopped and asked if he could take our photos. We said, sure and I added, only if you send them to me! Today, the photos arrived. So here we are. What a great day it was, too. Below is the painting I did that afternoon.

This painting is 14x11. It was the second one of the day, on the first day and we started about 2 p.m. or so. I enjoyed painting this very much. I was fortunate, because when I started there were two "tractors" here. I picked this one, and about halfway through this painting, the other tractor was put to work. When I came back through this valley on my way home Sunday night, all the hay had been picked up.I liked the pattern of the silhouetted hay bales leading the eye to the haybaler, surrounded by the bright field.

The Haystack, 16x12 above, was the second painting on Saturday, and was started about 1 p.m. Again, I had a great time painting this. I was struck by the free form of this haystack, and its massive size. I loved the way the light was skipping across it from behind illuminating the planes with the contrasting blue mountain behind it. I still want to rework the sage along the fence. Certainly not looking very sage like. But other than that, I will leave it as is. I used a pencil to put in the woven wire fence in the wet paint. I took this painting in to Kevin's class this morning for critique. Our assignment for this month had been to do an "expressive" painting and this is about expressive as I get. He said I did a great job, and he really liked this piece. He liked the Haybaler, too.

New Growth, 8x10, was painted Sunday morning. I had intended to paint the Colorado River, so I set up on a strip of land that came into the river to paint the river coming right at me. Then I saw this dark mass of evergreens with some light filtering through, with the beetle kill on one side and the new growth looking so vibrant in the front, I switched gears immediately. I am always amazed at how mother nature regenerates. Grand County is covered in beetle kill, and/or clear cutting where the dead trees have already been removed. But the flip side is now the contours of the landscape are visible, views are spectacular, and new growth is springing forth. If I were to do this again I would pay more attention to the filtering light. I made those areas too large. They should be carving out the evergreens in a more subtle way.

Box of Mangoes

2010-08-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked the start of this years annual Golden Triangle Museum District's (GTMD) paint out in downtown Denver. I decided to do a quick still life study to loosen myself up for painting on location. I took one of the 11"x14" boards I had prepped for this event and gave myself an hour to complete the piece. I figured I might as well use it for this month's Saturday assignment for Kevin's class, even if I don't manage to go to the critique. (The assignment is to do an expressive piece, ie brushwork!) I was quite happy I got this done in the prescribed time, but it did not prep me for painting downtown. I spent over an hour looking and even set up my easel once, but never quite felt the pull of inspiration to get me going. I don't know if it was the afternoon light, or just how quiet it was downtown, or the myriad of empty construction sites, but I left not accomplishing much. I went back on Sunday and was confronted by a belligerent drunk before I even set up my easel. It just seemed like this was not the weekend to attempt painting alone in the GTMD. I will be going to Grand Lake this upcoming weekend for 2 full days of painting if the weather cooperates.

The ARTS triumph during adversity

2010-08-14T15:46:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday night I stumbled on a PBS TV show called History Detectives. I have not seen this program before. One of the mysteries they were looking at was a copy of a portrait done of a woman's father while he was a prisoner of war during WWII. The woman was interested in finding out about the artist. This took the host to her father's home where he had the original pencil drawing. The drawing showed a robust, healthy, clean young man, which of course he would not have been, protected all these years by a sheet of German toilet tissue. Something I learned was that because of the Geneva Convention, the USO sent care packages to the POW's. This man, who the portrait was of, was a POW in Stalag 17B. The USO had sent Journals to the POW's and very few of these paper journals have survived. This man had kept his, mainly because of the portrait, but he had not remembered the artist's name correctly, which is something that was discovered. Anyway, what got me was they showed a number of pages out of this journal, and the pages showed drawings, memorials to their fallen comrades (mostly airmen), poetry or sketches/descriptions of what went on. ie like playbills announcing Christmas Carols, different plays they put on, and other forms of entertainment. What I am getting at is, this man said these activities, this portrait, is what kept them human and a form of defying the circumstances in which they found themselves.

Notice, it is the arts that kept them sane! The portrait was why he kept this journal as a memento; but the rest: poetry, the playbills of their "productions" and the memorial to the rest of his crew, (drawn as airmen's wings) were what kept them going. Pencils were hard to come by so that this book was filled, is another marvel.

To finish off the mystery, the host found out the correct name of the artist, located one of his sons, who positively identified the signature as his father's. The artist (Harold Rhodan) painted on the side, had done other portraits, but did not pursue it as a career. The airman had traded 2 onions and a potato to have his portrait done. He had gotten the vegetables by throwing 4 cigarettes in his sock over the barbed wire to a Russian POW, and the veggies came back in his sock. You can view this episode on PBS online.
In conclusion, the arts, no matter how much the powers that be cut them, will triumph!

Alley Series - #4

2010-08-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

I originally did a plein air study of this painting last month. I decided to lower the horizon when going to the larger format (18"x24") and I did a quick block-in in my studio. Then it sat stagnant. I didn't know what I wanted to do. SO, since this is "our" alley and it is so very convenient, I took the canvas outside with my French easel to see if I could become inspired outside before the hollyhocks were gone. This painting was done on-site standing in my neighbors driveway. I did go out three times (@11:30-1:00) and tried very hard to not chase the light as it moved. I don't consider it finished, but it is very close. I still need to add the telephone wires as I do have a shadow on one of the roofs that needs a wire to be casting one. Kevin always gets on me for too much detail so I have purposely not gotten into the amount of detail on the houses that I would normally do. When I did my first alley painting last fall (come to think of it I was standing in almost this exact spot, just turned 180 degrees and looking up the alley across the street) I had thought that the alleys would be boring in the summer because of all the green, but I am finding, though that is true to a degree, there is lots of interest if you change your perspective. I walked the alleys around the perimeter of Washington Park last weekend with a friend of mine and we made all kinds of discoveries.
I took this painting for critique along with the Pearl St Alley from the post two days ago. I think that might have been a mistake, but time will tell. Kevin liked this painting. He liked the freshness and the expressive brushwork. He did say I could push it further by redoing the alley concrete in layers, suggesting oranges and warmer colors as an under coating, and then going back over it with the lighter color. One of the others in the group suggested I take the ladder off the roof, which I was happy to do, as it always bothered me. So that has been done. Otherwise, it is good to go. He did comment on my restraint from too much detail...and said I handled it beautifully!
On the Pearl Street Alley, he suggested I put it away for a year and come back to it. That next to the painting above, it appeared to be a "drawing" vs a "painting." He softened that by saying if he saw it in a gallery down in Santa Fe, he would think it a darn good piece, but now knowing I can paint boldly and expressively, not just "draw" he wants to push me that direction. He also commented that everything was evenly balanced with the same level of completion, with no sense of what is the center of interest. ie the truck, the trailer and the ballons. He said in the painting above the center of interest was obvious (the Hollyhocks). And that is a valid comment, because although I don't think I gave everything the same attention, I can see why he would think so. Three people came up to me during break to tell me how much they liked the painting, despite what Kevin said, and one made the comment she doesn't usually like "tight" paintings, but that she loves my work. My friend, Jeannie, who helped me out of my ennui commented that she thinks the changes I did to it totally changed the feel of it and she likes it.

Ira's Trailer-Pearl Street Alley

2010-08-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

This painting has been posted as a Work in Progress (WIP) so it is not new to the blog. I think it is now ready for critique. I know Kevin will give me the feedback I need to take it that much further. I have discovered working on these alley's that I can only get so far and then I am "done" with them for awhile. I thought it was the size of them, but I have done two 18x24 alley's now, and I am running into the same problem on them. I must need time to let them grow on me so I can take them further. I am usually very excited at the block in stage, then the drudgery sets in and I get bored. I had to "sit" on this one for almost a month before I figured out what was bugging me, and that was with the help of one of my friends. She suggested I lighten the roof on the right; that led me to the trees in the middle behind all the garages, which I also lightened. I darkened the house at the very end of the alley to let the brightness of the bush in front of it be in the light and to continue the eye flow. I know Kevin will tell me I have too much detail, although I did try to reign myself in. I will do a follow up post after class tomorrow if we get a chance to critique.

I had taken this painting back to alley where I took this photo reference to try and figure some of this out "on-site." I had intended to paint there, but this is a surprisingly busy alley and a narrow one as well. There was no way I could set up and do any painting and keep the same angle. I was up against the wall of a carriage house when I took this photo.