Saturday, October 31, 2009

soft pink veil

This one was painted on location. It really amazes me how pink/violet the whole landscape appears when it is so overcast. It's as if the landscape was wearing a veil. Happy Halloween!

Friday, October 30, 2009

sing the pinks


version 1 above, version 2 underneath
14 x18 pastel on printmaking paper (Rives BFK?)
This should be named,"what can I get away with?" I know I talk all the time about the importance of value. To prove it to myself (again) I decided to use "my" color and only adhere strictly to value while feeling autumn morning. As a reference I used the black and sepia painting that I completed on Saturday "Less is More" .  My  paper is different too and a different method of applying pastel (no watercolor) so that I was free from my habits. Who knows what would happen. Experimenting helps me move forward.  I may do more of these.
repost:After painting on location this morning  I did a second version with more local color.
Which do you prefer?

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Dreams of Rose Colored Waters


It's funny I have been dreaming about painting this. So this morning the light was perfect-overcast, yay! The dominant color is a pink to rose violet. Wonderful layers of orange and burnt sienna lay on top. I have many more ideas how to work this one in the studio.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Golden Moment on Lake Needwood


How few colors could I use? That was today's challenge. I began with a value underpainting in violet, the dominant color and then added as few strokes as possible using only about 7 pastels. Is it possible to create light with 7 pastels?
Do you ever challenge yourself like that?

This is a lake next to some of my favorite fields (fields that are leaving us due to the ICC). As I was departing the painting site I noticed big signs announcing the permit to build a new subdivision on the fields near the lake. It was a depressing thought. Even if a field has been spared from the ICC it won't for too long, due to the development of the area after the road is finished that it too will be gone. Yuck!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Autumn's Warmth


I pushed my way through the field filled with grasses and thorn bushes to get to the other side of Big Daddy. I wanted to look directly west and have the light come through the branches.
In both the watercolor underpainting and the pastel I worked with a pre-determined palette- orange/pink,  green and violet, pretty much a triad of secondaries with the exception of pink to represent the cooler side of orange. I wanted to show the effect of sunset through leaves.  The temperature changes are very important here.
The red fox joined me half way through the painting session: I thought of it as a lucky moment.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Silence beside the Pond / Stroke and mood


Stroke and energy, tools that come hand in hand. In Saturdays' post the stroke was energetic in parts, quiet in others. Today my stroke is as quiet as I could make it. Still, quiet.You the artist determines how the viewer sees.
Now out to the field for some more sunset work.... I'll post it tomorrow. Big Daddy at sunset.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

field in full sun


Now I know why I really prefer to paint in overcast skies when it's the peak of autumn. The cacophony of color screams my name and I feel a bit crazed. At mid morning the value is all very similar washed and bright and limited shadows. I worked hard to simplify this open field. In fact I wiped this one out countless times. Still to no avail. I guess this post is about what not to do. Some days are like that;-l

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Less is More


9x12 sepia and black pastel on arches

Less is more is a saying that is true in many aspects of life. Painting is just another facet. Detail and complexity do not make better paintings...instead look for what is essential. Paint like the eye sees. Notice when you focus and look at one specific area, for instance the tree edge near the water, now the farther points in your vision blur  and become out of focus. Hmmmm. what does that mean for your paintings? I continually struggle to find that in my work.

Friday, October 23, 2009

color harmony/ Square Big Daddy


For me, emotion is concept. The tools I use to share this feeling and hopefully resonate with feelings the viewer has, are limited but powerful. It really isn't possible to copy the colors you see in nature. Instead  one tool artists rely on is color harmony. It helps  create the illusion of real.
( I posted two today...this one is for tomorrow a studio day :-)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

New Opera, Same Diva / use of value at sunset


This is the larger painting that I began in the field on Monday at sunset. At that time of day a painter has only about 5 minutes to record what she (or he) sees. Even in paintings that are all about color, value is the most important thing. At sunset the values in the land are very close and the temperature changes make the song. The diva is once again the light coming through the trees, the back-up singers are the grasses. Neutrals are the key.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

the space between


9x12 pastel on watercolor (i think)
Return to the reservoir. I love the way the land masses meet. Today is my long teaching day so earlier morning painting is important.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

the diva on the field


8x8 pastel on watercolor
Yesterday I returned to the field by the haul road (of the ICC.) I chose to work on two paintings as the light changed. This is the smaller one. To make the colors seeping through the trees more important I washed away the pastel I had laid on the grasses...they were stealing too much of the limelight. as you know the opera can only have one diva.
Thank you to the homeowners with Lily the dog. I will return to finish the other painting.

Monday, October 19, 2009

finished- Big Daddy through the Raindrops


12 x18 pastel on watercolor
Yesterday the rain slowed down to a dribble and a crack of light formed in the sky. I was lucky to have returned to the field...just in case. Big Daddy didn't need much work just enough to make the space deeper.
After I finished painting I returned to the other side of the destruction. This time I had my invitations to distribute when asking for permission to walk back on the homeowner's land to paint. With great sadness I listened to people's stories of what has happened.  One woman, Shirley, told me of the giant black walnut tree that stood in the field behind her house. Her now 28 year old son had his tree fort in it when he was quite young. One day the construction/destruction crew came with a huge machine.  With a monstrous yank of it's claw they took down that beautiful, gigantic tree. Shirley said they all watched and cried, even her 28 year old son. Sad. I cry with them.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Big Daddy through the Raindrops


12 x18 watercolor underpainting
It has rained for 3 days now and my patience is wearing thin. I couldn't stay in the studio one more minute, so even though it was raining I drove to the field. Due to the rain I didn't take out pastels (even with the umbrella), but using watercolor was fine. Maybe the drops of water even added to the atmosphere. Pastels tomorrow.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

almost evening


18x 27pastel on arches paper
I am using the same process, but this time I allowed myself two colors- deep sepia and black. I am breaking my own rules (one color only) because black seemed to harsh, sepia too whimpy, so a combo was necessary. I also am starting to feel my stroke, be less tentative. My goal is emotional content through value and it seems stroke becomes more important, probably because I can no longer rely on color as my most powerful  tool. What does Richard say?????.... value does the work and color gets the glory. hmmmmmmm.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Nocturne, #1


8x10 pastel on Uart
Done from memory and notes from the summer, this painting started with a grisaille, upon which I pasteled directly (no watercolor.) hmmmm. It's my first attempt at a nocturne. I have had it in my mind for a long time, I simply had to soak up the color and understand.  This is the added on version. The first I posted at 5:30 am. When I returned to the studio at 1:00 it was obvious the painting needed more (thanks Doug.)
Maybe someday I will try to rig up my easel for plein air at night. Any tips friends?

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Evocative


12x 10.5 pastel on arches
Value is a strong tool for mood. I didn't realize this before. Being a colorist has made me always rely on beautiful hues and changes in chroma to create mood. I guess I have been missing a big piece. I always realized the importance of value to create space..... but it's even more important for mood. What do you think? 
I was trying to envision haunting. I think I need to go back to the reservoir. I keep feeling that the dark is not dark enough.....hmmm. Maybe do it again. Now I did it again darker...

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

twilight stillness


8x10 black pastel on arches
Here is a new idea.... playing with value to make mood. Matthew, the owner of the gallery where I have my work, saw my grisailles on line and loved them as finished works. (go figure;-) He wanted to have some before I put paint on them. To me they are unfinished so I am playing with a new idea- just black pastel on white paper. I also decide to work on arches instead of Uart because I am rubbing alot to make the values and I want to have some fingers left. (I am still missing part of my right, middle finger nail due to rubbing on uart sanded paper)
Using just value to express emotional content is a challenge. Here is my first try.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

quiet dignity


Overcast days have an incredible light sense. The colors have a different flavor. Places once unnoticed, now whisper, "look at me' with quiet dignity.
To me, mood is the essence of landscape painting and overcast and fog are two incredible moods. Today when I walked through the field I foolishly was looking down observing the color on the land. When I finally gazed upward I saw this glowing orb trying to push its way through the Wow! I then knew who was the star of the show today.

Monday, October 12, 2009

sweet sunrise/october


about 5x8 pastel on watercolor

the field -photo
The sunrise light is cool and delicate. The green grasses appear blue/neutral and the sky is tinged with more green and yellow (after the pink fades.) This morning the grisaille was done on the spot and I tried to still keep free. Today I added the photo to my post. It shows my point(about cameras vs. the eye) made on Tuesday. What do you think?

Sunday, October 11, 2009

summer's last breath


8x7 pastel on watercolor/ uart paper (painted on Saturday)
Summer whispered one more time today. The air was warm and wonderful, yet the trees have edges of crisp new color.
This is a new field. Larry, a gracious homeowner, allowed me to go back to paint on his land . His beautiful land abuts the construction zone and a preserved wetland. He has lived in his home for two years. When he bought it he had no idea what was to come.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Autumn's Sneaky Ways



8x8 pastel
I know I will never truly be a tonalist since my true love is a more intense, higher chroma hue; but I am beginning to absorb pieces of what Deborah Paris says. A tonalist relies mostly on temperature with a few values. I am more comfortable with more value shifts and zingy color.
The watercolor underpainting was done on a pastel pencil loose grisaille (at home.) I tried to keep my neutrals in the underpainting to guide me. At the field I was once again free.
 
I am using my pastels with a lighter touch. More like a whisper.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Magic Hour at the Field



Dominant hue. Yes, I am harping on it again... not for your sake (no offense), more as a reminder for me. Let me explain why. The dominant hue  tells you which colors to use, and what chroma and value they should be. For this one I did a full color underpainting at home. Before leaving for the field I washed the whole thing with  my new favorite watercolor, Daniel Smith's Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet (mixed with Quidacridone Magenta.)   I love this color! Out at the field I concentrated on my dominant hue and chroma and keeping my painting warm.  But as I am sure you are aware, if I just painted warm without any counter balance it would be boring.  I also decided to stretch to lower foreground shape to make the dominant value be the shadow-about a 5/6 on the value scale.  It also made a path back to the glowing horizon.
I am really starting to enjoy doing the underpainting at home. I found it frees me up on site.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

memory extended


8x8 pastel on watercolor
The field now lives in my head, just like the reservoir once did (and will again.) So this morning after working en plein air, I decide to try to loosen up more with color and just play. Let's call this one memory extended. I think I will do more of these and see where it will take me:-)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Poignant Last Stand...progress continues



Still trying to find the way with this one, I just can't give up on it. It has improved...any suggestions anyone?

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

why the eye is superior to the camera and Sunrise on the Construction Site


8x10 pastel on watercolor on Uart paper
This view has stayed with me for awhile, sitting in my mind's eye. It's a difficult place to paint; constant construction vehicles, dust and people. I wanted to work on a bigger painting from this site and for me that means work on site to understand the landscape and light. Memory and plein air work will ALWAYS be better than any photograph for creating a painting.
Let me list the reasons:
1. Cameras only capture a limited value range. They especially wash out shadows.
2. The camera sees with one eye we see with two - the result is distorted shapes
3. Cameras and computers only work with 3 colors red, blue and yellow. The eye sees limitless colors.
Have I convinced you? It's usually easy to spot work done from only photos and yes it's ok to use photos as reference. All I am trying to say is trust your ability to create.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Old Farm Homestead and First Place Shades of Pastel Biennial Exhibition


about 8x10 pastel on watercolor on uart


Topaz Serenity- first prize winner

It's funny how you could keep facing one direction repeatedly and not notice the other. Today I crossed the street to another future construction site and peered through the trees... a field and an abandoned homesite. The home is to the left in the trees. The field was a mix of neutrals and that gorgeous pink orange grass. It was a struggle to get it right. I think I need to decide how important the building is and if it is, to strengthen its impression.

On another note..... yesterday was an amazing day. I think this is my month! I attended the opening  and awards reception for the Shades of Pastel Biennial  Exhibition. It is a national show so the work was simply incredible. As I walked through the rooms of gorgeous paintings I was filled with delight and amazement to be part of this show. Ninety-nine stunning paintings, I even recognized names of famous pastel painters from the magazines I see.  I stayed for the awards and listened to the reasons why each was chosen. I was absolutely shocked when the judge came to first place and I heard my name!!!! It was described it as a poetic landscape. WOW! It doesn't get any better!
  Go check out the show if you are in the vicinity.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

my painting-a-day blog celebrates her 2 year anniversary!


Today is the two year milestone for my blog!!!!!! My vitamins number 715, which means I only missed 15 days.  Cool, eh?
What can I say about painting a painting a day for 2 years?... First, I have learned a tremendous amount. What was once something I had to think about is now something I do more instinctively. For instance I used to have to consciously consider my color temperature, now its more like taking the correct silverware out of the drawer. Second, painting each day, even with life's ups and down, is a habit. A habit I don't question. That means I have had to guard my time like a she-wolf. And that doesn't always make friends. Third, passion feeds habit, habit feeds passion. Does that make sense?
So now I think I will go celebrate with a soy chai, smile and get ready for the next painting.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

The Monarch's Respite


about 7 x14 pastel on watercolor

The beginning signs of Autumn can be seen in the color of the grasses and the goldenrod. Monarch butterflies stop in the fields on their long migration south. Mornings are cooler with a little fog.
This is a new field out in Howard County. There was a golden presence to the light and the pink grasses moved easily to the violet distance. Monarchs visited my easel repeatedly.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Back to the Reservoir



Early start today. Waiting at the reservoir, chai in my hand I watched the sun come up from behind the clouds. I  really did miss the reservoir.

The dominant color was a very subdued, dusty, melon- gold with equally subtle violet threading through the shadows.  Everything was toned down due to the overcast nature of the morning so I started with a grey gold value underpainting.
Warm/ cool relationships are very important, especially when neutral hues ( or maybe always:-).

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Daily Painter Review


Recently I was honored by a visit to my blogsite from Raymond Logan.  Raymond writes the Daily Painter Review and he chose my site worthy of a review. He has written about such famous blogs as Carole Marine and Edward T. Gordon and  I was delighted to be grouped with such an esteemed collection of artists.  So check out the Daily Painter Review today and read what he has to say. While you are there be sure to read his other reviews of the many fantastic painters. Thank you Raymond!
Click Here.