Market Day.

Market Day

6x6in oil on gallery wrap canvas  Gifted

Artist Note

I never seem to tire of doing the market paintings.

I am fortunate that the 

Las Cruces Farmers Market

happens twice a week...

 and it is right outside the building 

my studio is in.

In the cold weather - yes, we do get cold weather,

especially early in the mornings - I use a camera 

and then pick the elements I like to 

sketch a few compositions in my sketch book.

By the time I do that the painting is well and truly

in my head.

This is a gift for a friend.

Blue Gate

 Blue Gate

8x6in oil on panel SOLD

Artist Note

This certainly is a tried and true painting.

I wonder how many blue gates 

I have painted?

It is a genuine love affair...

They always sell but that is not 

why I paint them. I see them

 and there is a tug in my art-heart.

I have never been attracted to a 

brand new, 

smooth as can be, perfect blue gate.

I feel the pull of the slightly askew,

weathered ones with texture galore.

The sun out here is brutal on any

wood and  paint 

so lots of my type are around.

Watering The Glads, Vermeer and a series of changes

Watering The Glads

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

Artist Note

This is the second in the 

month-long focus of 

painting the figure

inspired by, but not copying,

 a famous painting

This one is inspired by

The Milkmaid

by

Johannes Vermeer.

The position is what I am after.

I saw this painting a long time ago

and the milk coming out of the jug

blew me away.

This was the start -
a demo for the class.

First, a sketchy start

 from an image in my mind

of my daughter watering her Gladiolus.

Next 

some interesting changes...

Someone asked what she would be like
if she had a fuller figure... like
Vermeer's woman.
I scraped it down leaving a ghost
and started to paint.

adding some weight on her,
I altered the hat, added
more paint everywhere
and developed the watering can.
Remember this is a demo.
Group opinions!
And then the next remark was
what would happen if I
had a white dress and darker background
Unfortunately, I did not photograph
that one so please pretend the one below
had a white dress first.
Verdict...much to stark
 even though I loved the
colors of her dress in shadow

I went back to the warm
 color harmony but the dark
background changed the light.
Sheesh - all under the scrutiny of
The guild members.
By this time I could have
thrown it out of the window...
except for no window in the studio!

So I scraped it off again and did a sketch

Me in my apron!
and that is what led to this painting

All inspired by Vermeer's Milkmaid.

Guess what...

I scraped this off!

Sorry I did it now, but for some reason

the receding hairline on the woman in

Vermeer's painting fascinated me 

and after class

 when everyone had left

I scraped it off and 

painted this on the same board.

 What did I learn from all these changes?

Lots. 

I did better when I posed myself

in front of the mirror and drew
a value sketch.
(More contemporary.)
Knowing the color harmony
ahead and sticking with it
would have helped and although
coping the idea of a pose from a
master painting
is a great learning experience,
it is not as easy as it sounds.
One thing remained constant
during all these changes...
and that was what blew me away
after seeing the original.
Did you notice it?