Monday, August 29, 2011

the value of value

value study pastel on somerset 5x11
value study pastel on somerset, 6x9

Color is the absolutely delicious part of any painting. We all love it don't we? Slightly addictive, eh ? It is my drug of choice and I always have to remember to stick to my reading of value and not just relying  on  scrumptious color.
The classical masters made a full grisaille (value painting, in essence) and all the value decisions were made on it. Later, layers of thin glazes where laid on top of the grisaille and the value structure stayed solid.
So if you want to make stronger paintings try focusing just on value. I constantly need to remind myself of this. When teaching this summer I had my students complete 3 days of just value work and on site note taking. On the fourth day, when color was finally allowed (after a value study) the results were stunning.
Taking time to make just full value drawings, not a five minute study, but a full blown sketch (let's say two hours of work) is incredibly valuable.  When you  do this you will see how easily the value study can be a great support in the field, and later in the studio. Try it and let me know.

PS The hurricane is gone and all is well.


Monday, August 22, 2011

twilight explorations

oil on wood 5x3

 Each twilight I walk and memorize the summer glow. From the orangey pink glow immediately after sunset to the glowing green and blue as the light has disappeared, the glow in the sky is amazing. Finding the way to make that glow perplexes me. I try with pastel and I try with oil. I try different underpaintings and different over paintings. Simultaneous contrast  works here too. If you want light, place it next to dark. But what kind of light? And what about when the humidity is so thick it's soupy? And what about season and the feel of summer heat?

pastel  6x3

oil on wood 5x3

oil on wood 6x3
Funny thing about the sky is, it's everywhere and it's the same sky. I could be painting anywhere, it's which land is under the sky that identifies its location. I think that is pretty cool.  To strengthen that concept I simplified my trees even more, making it less of a place and more of an idea.

During my recent readings I came upon these two quotes:


"The sky is the source of light in Nature and it governs everything." (John Constable)

"Heavens, how charming it is! There is now in the sky only the soft vaporous color of pale citron - the last reflection of the sun which plunges into the dark blue of the night, going from green tones to a pale turquoise of an unheard-of fineness and a fluid delicacy quite indescribable... (Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot)



Monday, August 15, 2011

river work: grays and complements

9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart
Plein air work feeds my soul. There is nothing better than being out there. The idea in my mind when painting this was the use of grays. I think that near complements make the best grays. That means that instead of using red and green, use a red/violet and green or a cool lemon yellow and a blue/violet.  Now keep in mind that when complements are mixed together they neutralize or gray each other. Also when mixing the colors it's best if they are in the same temperature family or else they will appear muddy. For example use a cool red/violet mixed with  a cool green.
While mixing neutralizes, the opposite effect happens when they are placed side by side  Now those same colors become more brilliant.  Cool and warms can be used next to each other with amazing results. Skies love this kind of work.
Last, when glazing in very thin veils of complements, the effect is kind of a mix of the two (mixing and side by side) and appear delicate and delicious. Outdoors this glaze-like layering is easily done with use of a watercolor underpainting and then thin layers of pastel on top. In this case it is the pink underneath the blue green on top. I feel that pastels are really amazing for working en plein air.
That's it for today....paint on folks!

Friday, August 12, 2011

thinking about the science of landscape and its possibilities

plein air pastel 10x14
I continue to do numerous small plein air studies each morning and evening. I also read to understand why I see what I see, better allowing me to work with it and make the changes I want while still creating the illusion of a landscape.  I consider each painting and study the possibilities. In my reading I found  I wanted  a quote from Jacob Collins that I thought I should share.

The interviewer's question:
Studying the science of nature plays a big role in The Hudson River School for Landscape’s curriculum. Why do you feel this knowledge is important to a plein air painter?


"When an artist makes the decision not to rely on photography, they are forced to undertake extensive investigations into the nature of the landscape. Over the last few years I have wrestled with such complicated problems as painting the water or grasping
the nature and appearance of atmosphere. These problems have required delving into subjects such as physics, which, although beyond my usual educational reach, have nonetheless been fascinating and rewarding forays, and I'm sure my work has benefited from the amount of scientific study that I undertook."
Jacob Collins

Read here for a conversation with Jacob Collins.

PS I know it's not Monday...there will be another post then. As I try to find my new blogging rhythm I wonder, will this will blossom to twice weekly post?

Monday, August 8, 2011

kensington station and trust

Downtown Kensington with its old train station has a view that continues to keep me  fascinated. Each day I cross the tracks and think about the shapes and wonder about the different possibilities I have yet to explore.  The scope of the view includes both the train station and Mitzels' lumber yard. The best part about the view is looking towards the lumber yard. It faces directly west,  the sunset. I have painted this place so many times. It is one of my "painting homes" of which I will return for as long as I live here. This homing pigeon behavior inspires me to play and not paint "it." The concerns with making that real disappeared  years ago. Now I seek  a more abstracted, emotional response. 
My  next goal is to have at least 5 LARGE (at least 4x4') pieces for my next show. I have learned that for me, painting big requires a different type of color understanding. I feel better when I "practice" the possible color glazes and later move on to a larger format satiated with this exploration knowledge. It frees me.
This painting is 6"x6" oil on board.  Numerous plein air pastels have preceded it. This idea will grow to be another 4 foot square painting. In order for this to happen with some degree of success I know I need to paint through my intuition. My plans simply inform me of the direction.  I know that as I move on I must give up some measure of control and be willing to pursue unanticipated directions. Plan, but wait for the painting to speak to me. Each day I enter the studio I see on the door,
"An artist must come to trust if he or she wishes to transform, rather than merely record, what he or she witnesses." 
(Mary Sipp Green)
Doesn't that just say it all? 

Friday, August 5, 2011

retro fave: dominant value affects color choice

about 10x 16 pastel on Uart
 When making the decisions about your painting, before you begin to paint you need to choose a dominant value. On the value scale, what will the majority of the painting be? (This one is a 1.5/2)

notan
  After making your notan you have the map. It helps to think of you values as abstract shapes and not let those little accents you see divide them. In this painting I planned three main values, but because I decided to paint fog the values needed to be closer together with the foreground enjoying a dark no darker than a 5, with just small accents of a temperature change for drama.
This is a long way of saying that yesterday when I was cleaning out my drawers I found this piece. I was ready to trash it when I said no, it has hope.
It is the view from the wonderful home where I stay when I am in Washington. The Tivel family graciously allows me to share their paradise each year. One morning when the sun was out (rare) I painted this. It was all wrong. Mixed up values and not enough dramatic separation. Plus the bushes in the front too closely resembled the large trees in the distance. Egad! What a mess-up!
Then I thought about the way I KNOW this view- covered in the morning fog. Nine months removed from the actual scene and no photos to use, I was FREE! I rubbed, sprayed and layered. All I had was my memory and a wiped painting. The offending verion is below. Thankfully it is gone now. I live by the motto, "if it isn't delicious, it isn't precious."

old version

Monday, August 1, 2011

keeping a sketchbook

As you have heard me say before..... photos serve little to no purpose for painting. What does you wonder?
Your sketchbook.
In my studio I have a basket filled with sketchbooks. They contain sketches, notans, small pastels, memory notes, ideas, poems, quotes and general thoughts about the scenes. Here I give you a sneak peak into one of them.
page with two (taped in) paintings, one covered with glassine, the other one with the glassine lifted.
the back, "suede"papers out of their pocket
My favorite sketchbook is the Cachet Fusion by Daler Rowney. Thick white paper, study spiral binding (a must), a pocket in back and an elastic built in that keeps all my papers together. I carry small pieces of pastel paper (art spectrum suede) and glassine in the back pocket.



Have I convinced you?
If you would like to buy one like this, here is the link.
Do you have a favorite sketchbook? Which one and why?

In the studio each painting begins with preliminary sketches and the colors notes written on site. When I am removed from the scene the work itself takes on a life of its own. So I sign off with a photo of my most recent large studio oil.  It about half way finished. More later.
4'x4' oil on wood