Personal Art Blog

Sharing the lessons I teach at the Artist Guild and the personal discoveries in my art.

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

New Mexico Hollyhocks




Hollyhocks 
8x6 inches oil on canvas panel $140. SOLD


Artist Note.
This is adapted from a
Lets Paint New Mexico
Challenge.
I say "adapt" because I had to 
change some areas to fit my 
6x8in format.
It certainly was a challenge 
but that is why I enjoy
doing something 
which makes me 
struggle more than if I had 
picked the content myself.

Lots of very good artists 
participate and it is 
such a pleasure to see the 
different interpretations 
and techniques.

I hope you go on the site
below
and scroll down to see it all.
Maybe you would 
enjoy participating yourself.


Friday, January 27, 2017

Snow & Aspens

Snow & Aspens
8x6in oil on canvas panel $140. SOLD


Artist Note
The above is a mixture 
of memory and photo source.
After painting the previous
snowy scene I was taken by 
an image a fellow blogger
posted. Click to see. 
I asked her for permission 
to paint it and she 
gave me the thumbs up!

I live in the land of 
crisp, dry air so 
although my earlier memories 
are of misty scenes 
I found it difficult to capture 
the subtle value changes
 with my paint 
due to 
not painting from life.

And that is why, try as I might,
I couldn't capture the 
misty effect!

So... the birches are now aspens.
I did a wee bit of 
"artist landscaping"
moving things around 
to fit my rectangle format,
and then reverted 
to what I knew well.
 I have painted 
aspens many times 
on location
in both NM and Colorado
so this was a treat.

Thank you,
Carol, for the inspiration.
I enjoyed painting it.






Saturday, January 21, 2017

New Mexico Snow

 New Mexico Snow
6x8in oil on canvas panel SOLD

Artist Note. 
Taking a trip to the snowy areas
of New Mexico
is always delightful. 
Although the colors are not those
of my typical bright palette,
I do find I respond with 
pleasure to the 
muted earth tones 
against the bright white of the snow.


Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Sunflowers and Blue Bowl

 Sunflowers And Blue Bowl
8"x6" oil on canvas panel $140 SOLD


Artist Note
The sunflowers are still around. 
Cheerful spot of color
during these winter days.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Red Hearts and Sunflowers




Hearts and Sunflowers
8"x 6" oil on canvas panel $140.SOLD


Artist Note
Thinking ahead to Valentines Day.
I have had this terrific vase 
for many years 
and it is sturdy enough 
to hold large Sunflowers. 
Something bright for 
cold days.


Monday, January 9, 2017

World Bank


Re-do
Farmers Market#15
9x8"

Artist Note.
I was honored by the World Bank Group
to be asked for another one of my 
Farmers Market series
to be used on the cover or their
Global Agriculture brochure.
BUT...
I had not taken a high enough 
resolution image.. RATS!
What a lesson...and a reminder
to ALWAYS take a 
proper image with my trusty Nikon
and not 
just the iphone one.

 I really wanted 
them to be able to use it so I 
painted it all over again. 

I found it is impossible 
to get exactly the 
same with the 
fracturing technique but similar 
colors and placements
turned out a decent copy.

Fortunately they liked it and 
I will have the pleasure of knowing 
my painting will grace the cover 
again in 2017

If you would like to see the first one



Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Golden Light


Golden Light
14x11in  oil on canvas SOLD

Artist Note.
This was a demo I did last month.
I started with a charcoal drawing
and scrubbed a coat of
Indian Yellow (transparent)
to cover the canvas. Adding
a little Alizarin and
Transparent Brown Oxide
as I worked out from the light
Keeping the paint transparent
as long as possible was my goal.
I mixed Ultramarine Blue
with the yellow to make
a transparent green
and Alizarin, Ultramarine
and Transparent Brown Oxide
to make
the dark of the Ravens.
I fractured everything with
the tool and
went back in and reinstated
and started with using
some opaques by adding
Naples Yellow to
Indian Yellow and greens.

Following the principle
of warm light/cool shadows
I introduced the cooler
blue/greens at the end.
They look more blue on the
screen than they
actually are.