Pink Spots

This is my second time painting this set up. First time around I took too long and the greys were boring. In my workshops I spend a fair amt. of time talking about the importance of lovely supporting greys, and how they make saturated colors pop more.

"Pink Spots"  8x8"  Acrylic on Panel  SOLD

Garden Bounty

Happy New Year, everyone. I hope your 2017 is happy and abundant!

"Garden Bounty"   8x10"  Acrylic   Buy Info

Amy's Barn

"Amy's Barn"  10x10"  Acrylic  Buy Info

I'm having some fun playing with abstracting my subject and taking a lot of liberty with color. It's a very freeing experience!  (Original Photo by Amy Shawley)

Ray and Margaret's Backyard

"Ray's and Margaret's Backyard"  Acrylic 10x10"  SOLD

I'm gearing up for my plein air workshop in New Hampshire, and decided to paint one of the views from my studio window. I didn't pick it because it inspired me, I actually picked it because it didn't inspire me, so that made it more challenging. (photo below) I wasn't sure beforehand what the focal point was going to be or what I was going to play up. But I eventually figured out a direction to go in and like the way it turned out.

Using a (very) Limited Palette

"Tuscany Sunflower Field"  10x12"  Acrylic  $300  Click to Buy

The time has come... I'm packing for the Italy trip. In an effort to keep the weight to a minimum, I was experimenting with a limited palette. I used 4 colors in this painting. (Plus white, if you consider that a color.) Purple, green, ochre and alizarin.  Yup, that's all! It's amazing how few colors one can get away with and still represent a scene realistically. Not that I will be bringing only four colors, but it was an interesting exercise. One of the benefits of a limited palette - automatic color harmony. The other - way less schlepping!

Studio Sunflowers

"Studio Sunflowers"  8x10" Acrylic  $250  Buy it Now

What do sunflowers have to do with making lemonade? Maybe nothing, but while I was painting these from my studio window all I could think of was that I was making lemonade from lemons. The flowers are certainly not in their best form, as you can see in the photo (below). The light and shadow were nothing to speak of either.
So why did I choose to paint them when there were probably better subjects with less challenging issues? Well, for the challenge. When painting plein air sometimes your view and subject matter is simply a painting waiting to happen. Other times there are factors that are not exactly working in your favor. Thats the thing - you never know till you get there. Lately, in preparation for my Tuscany workshop, I've been treating myself to some "worst case scenarios" to see what tricks I can pull out of my hat. Which may be totally overkill... I mean really, a bad view or  uninspiring light in Tuscany? It must be the virgo in me over-preparing as usual. Or maybe it was just another excuse to paint sunflowers.

Next to Compton's

"Next to Compton's"  12x12"  Acrylic  Click for Info

Tuscany is known for its huge fields of Sunflowers. I figured this would be good practice for my upcoming workshop. Several people have asked if the workshop is acrylics only - I will be demo-ing in OPEN acrylics (the slow drying paint) but it is for all media - oil, watercolor, pastel too.  Join us if you can!

Tuscany Painting Workshop  September 24 - October 1, 2014

Lavendar Lane

"Lavendar Lane"  12x12" Acrylic  Click for info

This street is in Nyack, NY, looking east towards the Hudson River. I believe this street is First Ave., but I think it should be "Lavendar Lane". I love repainting homes in lively colors, changing street names, trimming trees ... Artistic license, it's the best!

Nyack Houses

"Nyack Houses"  Acrylic 12x12"  Click for info

Yesterday I was sitting in a doctor's office waiting, waiting and...waiting some more.  I was looking out the window and suddenly it hit me. My view was incredible. But more importantly, all I had to do was walk outside and I would be immersed in extreme beauty, like everywhere. Why am I not painting this gorgeous town? It offers everything I love to paint - urban setting, color, charm, structure, flowers, landscapes, etc. Here is the first of hopefully many paintings of Nyack, NY, Edward Hopper's hometown, and mine too.

Critter Comforts

Carmel Mission  Acrylic  8.5x6.5" Purchase Info

It's nice to be back home. Seems I've been on the road for quite a while. I'm just returning from a great workshop in Cary, North Carolina, we covered a lot of territory. In the beginning of a workshop I ask each person what their goals are, take notes, then check with each person on the last day to make sure their goals were accomplished. Everyone was happy!
    Just as the workshop was ending, I was asked to do a final demo. With only 1/2 hour left, I picked a photo that is a little outside my comfort zone, and told everyone that I was not feeling confident about doing this demo, especially so fast, but I'd do it anyways, since I had asked them to be brave, experimental and non-judgmental about their work and I should do the same. I didn't have time to sketch it out and make sure I got the drawing correct, but at least I did have a small 3-value thumbnail sketch to refer to. I used a 2 inch brush and finished in exactly 35 minutes. I say "finished" but it wasn't, really. Working so fast and not cleaning out my brush much in between colors made for a muddy looking sky and some too-neutralized greens.
     So last night I went to my studio and spent a few minutes cleaning up some of the colors and adjusting some values. I also changed the value of the sky from a light to a middle value, which made emphasized the stucco wall and helped the composition. Below is a photo of the demo painting and the value sketch, and above is the finish, with better color, using some smaller brushes for flowers and vegetation. I like the final painting and feel like I stretched a little. I'm glad I stuck my neck out and tried something I hadn't had time to plan out, especially as a final demo in front of 16 people. The moral of my story is, its essential to move outside your comfort zone if you want to grow. The only risk is not taking one.  I have a lot of favorite sayings about facing fear but one of my very favorites is: "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."  Now if I could just motivate my critters, who are clearly stuck in theirs!

 

 

Yellow Tulips

"Yellow Tulips"  8x8" Acrylic   Buy Now

Just returned from my recent workshop in Carmel CA at Carmel Visual Arts. I had a great group of 17 students who went from 0 to 90 mph in 3 days. The progress they made in so short a timeframe was stunning. We started the workshop with value simplification studies, moved on to methods for creating interesting brushwork (in fewer strokes) and finished off with 15 minute paintings.  I'll be returning to teach an intensive 5 day workshop November 3-7 2014. Interested? Better sign up now - its already starting to fill. Other topics to be covered: Color theory, color mixing, working with color schemes, creating colorful greys, and much more.  This time I'm going to allow for more chill time in Carmel - it is heaven on earth... and a great gallery town.

Tulips in a Glass

"Tulips in a Glass"  8x8"  Acrylic   Buy it Now $100

My 8 week painting class started yesterday, this is the demo I did to show my process. I used 2 brushes, each 2" wide. They are the type with the short handle and wide ferrule, like house painting brushes. One brush for used for the pinks and reds, the other for the greens and blues. There were a few times I was tempted to use a smaller one for the details and highlights, but for the sake of the demo and to encourage students to try working with larger brushes, I didn't. It took a half hour from start to finish, with a lot of stopping for explanations. I did 4 b/w value studies of this setup, and randomly chose one of them as my guide for the demo.

The only reason I can think of to paint fast is that there is a certain gesture and economy of brushstroke that results in an energetic and lively look. When I tickle and fuss with a painting for hours or days, it looses this quality. The brushwork gets muddled and overworked, the colors lose their zest. Not to mention that when you go over the same passage several times, you start getting a built up texture from the underneath acrylic brushstokes that have dried, and sometimes that texture is unwanted. When I feel my paints start to get sticky, I know it's time to wrap it up.

Dos Daffodils

 Dos Daffodils,  Acrylic on Gessoboard  8x10"  Click to Bid

I'm just getting settled back in after my trip to North Carolina and then immediately following, a quickie snowboarding trip to Vermont to enjoy the last vestiges of winter.
With Daffodils blooming everywhere, I set up a still life for my Wednesday morning class.  When class ended and everyone left, I had to indulge myself and paint them too. Good-bye Winter, hello Spring!