finishing

40x30 oil

It's that time. The time when I have to stop the excitement of starting new paintings and instead finish the many I have. With a solo show coming up in April, I need these finished.
The hardest part of painting is knowing how to finish. There are many, many stopping points, but when does it say what I want it to say?
This painting is inspired from my many studies of Lake Needwood and the river. The bottom third of the painting is the strongest. The struggle is getting the top to support it and not take over. More on this one later.
PS The show opens April 11 at the Waverly Street Gallery. 

entering the courage zone

My newest large painting is teaching me how dark can I go and still make a soothing vibration. This one will still take a number of layers to bring out more warm and cool variations within the land. It was built on the plein air and memory studies below.
This painting's concept really takes me out of my comfort zone. I have a tendency to paint light and with my preferred colors. This was intentionally planned to take me out of my comfort zone and into my courage zone. More as it develops. In the meantime feel free to read my post about the courage zone.

framing differently

Smaller paintings deserve framing that treats them as if they are special jewels. To me, these smaller works have appeared "squished" by the mat or even without a mat, by the frame. Recently, I worked with my framer and we came up with a better solution.
This one, going to the Appalacian National Pastel, is now re-framed. Even though it was a painting I liked, I disliked it when it was framed. I sat with it for  months and then when the painting was accepted into the show it was time for a change.
The new look: the painting is floated and it shows its raw edges. My husband argues it looks unfinished this way. I think it looks real and it now can breathe.
It's in a shadow box-like frame with a wood with leaf under finish. The slight glow to the wood makes the inside water twinkle.

What is your opinion?

paint anything

The simple goal this morning was to walk out the door and not go anywhere. Just paint. So this is looking down my street at about 6:00 am.

more from Hameau Farm

12x16 pastel

From all the paintings on my trip, this is the one I feel has the most possibility. Why you wonder? I think it is because I resonate with fields. Finding rhythms in the grasses and flowers send shivers through my spine. They have openings to the kind of play that is so exciting to me. Isn't that why we paint? Right now I am preparing a large board for its transformation into oil.
Here are two other pastels- not my favorites so they will stay nestled in tracing paper.

overlook 8x16 pastel

up the driveway, 8x8 pastel

decide what you love

To create that magic you need to decide what you love about your subject and the color that says the mood..
This scene obsessed me. I saw it when I was driving and had it in my head for a couple of days. Finally, after hearing the weather report I new the conditions were going to be right. The next early morning  I zipped out to the location. I was delighted that it still held the magic I once saw. Mystery, soft and wonderful mystery. The mystery and wonder that only Spring holds. Not syrupy sweet, soft and expectant.
Next, pick a color that says the mood.  Remember that color is fully your choice.... it's what you think is important. Then you choose the other colors that are related to that color family. Color dominance can be like cooking. For instance when I cook Italian food (which is often) I will always have garlic, onions and basil on hand. Yes, sometimes fennel, anise and oregano come in as well, but I never accompany that same meal with dishes made with cumin, garam marsala or cilantro. Pick from the family that influences your creation favorably.
In this painting the fog had a green spring glow, deep fog and a hint of light.  And while the landscape is predominately warm, fog cools it. Using an analogous palette of green to blues I tried to set a feel. A warm orange underpainting made the necessary warmth.
Painting what you love and knowing why you love it seems simple and it is. Most importantly it requires that you set an intention.

Interview with M Katherine Hurley, part two

Sunset after Rain, 24x24 oil on canvas

 Part two:
What is your palette?

Kay-
I mix on a glass palette.
The top of palette-burnt umber, burnt sienna, permanent green light, cad green, sap green, plus my own greens made of prussian blue and different temperatures of yellow
left side- cad yellow, cad yellow light, cad orange, caucasian flesh
bottom- cad red medium, quid red, alizarin crimson permanent
right side- radiant turquoise, prussian blue, french ultramarine blue, indanthrone blue, moonglow
I also add long strips of white. One strip for warm colors and one strip for cool colors.
Complements are across from one another. I grey by mixing with a complement.
My medium is Gamsol, English turpentine and linseed oil.

What is your plein air process? How important are your onsite sketches?
Kay- Plein air is important because it reconnects me with what is really happening. I find that my sense of observation has such longevity that I see things that I can remember and bring to my work. The paintings in the studio take the information in a whole new direction

What do you do for fun, besides painting?

Kay- I travel with my family or with girlfriends. I want to return to Italy. I like the lifestyle and the value system of Italy. I recently went to England and France. I also enjoy going to the theater.

What advice would you give to a fledgling artist?

Kay- The biggest piece of advice I could give is- believe in yourself. being an artist is your vocation. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it. Surround yourself with creative people. You feed them and they feed you. Every human has gift they are born with and if creating is your gift it's your responsibility. Explore and share it with humanity.

What is the hardest part of being an artist?
Kay- The greatest challenge for me as an artist is to believe in myself. It can be hard. Keeping the momentum going is difficult, with the economy as it is. In the end sometimes we just have to do it.

By the way, Kay has made two great DVDs. They are both available from North Light Books at a very reasonable price. Here is the link

Interview with M. Katherine Hurley, part one

Gentle Dawn 24x30 oil on canvas

Kay Hurley has been doing absolutely delicious work that everyone should know about and today is your lucky day!  Not only is her work gorgeous, but she is an excellent teacher and just plain fun to be around. Here is my interview with Kay. It's a two part interview, today and tomorrow. Enjoy!
 
Please tell everyone about your evolution as an artist.

Kay- I started as a ceramics major in college and still I feel that was very valuable. Through ceramics I learned to feel how light and form works. I explored graphite drawing, later moving to colored pencil and soft pastel and oil pastel.

Back then my style was more impressionistic. Over the last 35 years my style has undergone an evolution. More my work focuses on big shapes and mystery.

 At this time I have turned it around and in addition to my landscapes I am working with small paper pieces, text and many layers to create small collages with mixed media.

Tell us a little bit about your study Your work is very personal, very you. Please talk about your study and your time spent working with Wolf Kahn.

 Kay-. WK was a big influence on me, even before I met him. I worked with WK off and on for 5 years. In 1985 I began working with him at the Vermont Studio Center and later the Middletown Art Center. WK was a huge role model for me.

Other influences include Rothko. His minimalist use of shape on such scale and what happens in the spaces where the shapes come together….the edges. Rothko divides  the space into 3 shapes. Monet work touches me as a colorist and for its impressionistic way.

I really like the drawings of Van Gogh and Kathe Kollowitz. They have such drama and  emotional and  spiritual impact. My colleagues at the Pendelton Center influence me as well: Greg Storer, Michael Scott, Paula Wiggins, Helena Kine and Barbara Ahibrand, just to name a few.

Please talk about the metamorphosis of your painting process throughout the years.

Kay- My paintings now show much more of the actual process. I want to reveal the push pull that happens as I paint. When I painted before the edges were so fused there was no edge. Destroying my mark marking helped me make a dream like fog. Now I am trying to hold back from  destruction of mark. I want the view to see the layers of things.

Right now I am working with printmaking, mixed media and collage with oil paint on paper beckoning back to work I did in the 90s with Acrylic.

I am trying to “re-find” my own energy, bust loose a little. All human beings, whether they define themselves as creative beings or not, sometimes we need to force ourselves to grow a little.

Please talk about your painting process now.

How do you keep pushing yourself to be a better artist?

Kay- I don’t know if I do it as much as I should because I am making my living as an artist. I keep honing my skills. I’ve done a TV video, CD and books. Most importantly I just keep painting. That in itself is a learning process. Keeps adventure alive.

What inspires you to paint?

Kay- As a landscape painter, everywhere I look is an inspiration. I feel as if I am walking around with 3d glasses, especially in the winter when the bare tree lines are exposed. Beauty inspires me. Sunrise, sunset and gray days at the river. The  colors in gray are wonderful. Everywhere I look is an inspiration. Driving on the highways is beautiful. When I drive home to Cleveland that flat farmland is beautiful.

How do you keep motivated when it gets tough in the

studio?

Kay- Very often I just have to force myself because its my job. Anyone who thinks an artist’s life is easy is fooling themselves. It’s not. I would say its 80% forcing myself. The computer takes so much time away. I force myself to just get started. I always have something started, ongoing. With something on the easel or table it makes it easier to wake up thinking about it. I put paint to canvas before I go to bed. Once the ball gets rolling it feeds itself. It gets its own energy.

What is your daily routine?

Kay- I get up, get coffee and walk the dog. I return to the easel, not the email. I have two studios, one at home and one downtown. When I stay home I start painting, even if it is  just a 8x10 panel. I make certain to do a half hour of yoga. It calms me and helps me keep my muscles stretched.

If I go to the down town studio I don't go to the computer. I find that going to my creative space gets my endorphins going.

The photo of your downtown studio is quite beautiful. Please tell us more about that space.
Kay- It's 1000 square feet with 15 foot ceilings- all windows on the north and west sides. The building is 100 years old and has wooden floors and huge arched windows. I have an unbelievable view.
I have created  a life for myself where art can't escape me. I can't ever get too stuck watching TV.


More tomorrow. Meanwhile please check out her link.

M. Katherine Hurley
And try to beat the rush.... Kay will be teaching at the Dakota Art Center in Washington  State, June 28-July 3, 2012. It's a wonderful place Craig runs a good show. Here is the link to the workshops.

5 top posts of 2011

 As the winds howl outside and New Years approaches we start to think about resolutions. While I know I need to make some business resolutions, right now I am just concentrating on how to build a better blog. That made me look at my Google stats, something I rarely do.
Here I have posted the top 5 posts for my blog this year. Just seeing this list makes me think about what fellow readers find interesting to read. It helps inform me about what possible 2012 posts will be. If you have an idea of something you would like me to write about, just send it to me.

1. how dominant value affects color choice
2. choosing colors, preparing a palette
3, mountain maryland plein air
4. the studio and the constable closet
5. color and albers

Happy New Year!

incrementally

small oil study on wood

I am probably one of the least likely of people to encourage "incrementally." I am the one that jumps without looking...wonders later. Finally, I am appreciating the virtues of "incrementally." (You can laugh now Richard.) Glazing is sort of like sneaky painting. You want one color...but oh no you don't mix it and put it down....that would be too easy and most of all that would lack the jewel-like beauty. Instead you think backwards and build from there. I want a certain grayed down warm green I start with magenta and work my way up, always careful for the edges.
It actually meets my ADHD type of way of working. In one day I may work on small layers of 5 paintings or just one painting.

small oil study on wood

another exploration

I keep thinking about the de Kooning retrospective and his  explorations. Truly painting is that... .. a constant exploration.  Making my small woodie studies helps me branch out to new color harmonies and not just rely on my plein air piece.  It's gets a full life of its own from the start.  In addition, I love the feel of these small wooden paintings in my hands and I love lining up 20 of them in a row.

line of woodie studies and paintings in process

 Row of possibilities.

One more thing:
I also count on my multitude of sketchbooks that rest in a basket beside my easel. Small sketches and lots of written reminders of color observed that's what you'll find in the basket.

A basket of ideas.

sunset and rothko

15x15 oil with pastel added

"The most important tool the artist fashions though constant practice is faith in his ability to produce miracles when they are needed" Mark Rothko 1948
Miracles, yep that is what painting is all about. We look at a blank canvas and make something appear. It's difficult to find information about Rothko's process. He was very secretive about it and let no one in his studio.  I continue to look at Rothko's work I find I am fascinated by his edges. All the action is there. He creates a little game of hide and seek. Using simultaneous contrast in veils like whispers he creates those beautiful miracles. Edges matter most. Miracles...wow, it's a hard business.

PS One an amazing note today, one of the young artists I teach, unsolicited by me, said," Wow, it's amazing! This was just a white paper before I started. Now this beautiful city is here looking real. (6 years old Evan)  Boy, does he get miracles. I will post his pastel painting after I photograph it.

PPS This is a memory painting, the first one produced solely in my new studio (here it is Sam.)

freedom

10x10 oil on wood

48x42 oil on wood

10x10 oil on wood

6x6 oil on wood

Recently I read the biography of R.A. Blakelock called, The Unknown Night. I thought it was written better than most biographies and it held my interest. You probably wonder why  I mention this book. I will get to that. Blakelock painting career lasted through the Hudson River School period,  the Luminist period, onto the Tonalist and even  till the time of the Ashcan School, quite a progression of art. He is best know for his moonlit landscapes and his struggle with schizophrenia.
What struck me most was his freedom. He, like George Inness, did whatever it took to create the feeling/image in his head. He scratched, scored, and wiped. He varnished between layers (like Maxwell Parrish) and even used a silver underpainting. He is a restorer's nightmare and that is why you often can't see his paintings listed in a museum's inventory.

Blakelock, Landscape at  Moonlight (oil)

 Still you wonder why I mention this. Freedom. For some crazy reason Blakelock has set my mind free. Therefore as long as it is archivally sound I will try it. You can see some of my recent explorations. Textured gesso, pastel underneath with liquin on top, pastel on top of oil, scratching, and rubbed in color are a few methods I am trying now. I am trying to find a way to create the vibration I desire...that Rothko like vibration, but from my heart.

Stop any persnickity behavior. Embrace the process.

sunrise

24x12 oil on board

This is the painting that I have lovingly labored over for the last 2 months. Finally it is in its resting stage. The grandeur of the sky, and the new beginnings the sunrise offers were my small (heh) goals.
I am learning to paint big on the floor.
More tomorrow from the list.

PS  If anyone knows how to fight barrel distortion in a long photo please let me know.

location, location and meeting another blogger/artist friend

9x16 (i think) pastel and watercolor on wallis
Today I had to deliver two paintings to the show at the Washington County Fine Arts Museum so it gave me an opportunity to pass through gorgeous, rolling farm lands. On the return trip I met fellow artist/blogger Donna Timms and we did the two things artists do: chat about art and paint. This was my first time in this area so I felt that this painting was like a handshake. I can already see how I can revise it (on another panel) in the studio. It seems that I became wrapped up in creating what I saw, which is never my goal. A first painting in a new spot is like that. At least, for me, it takes a while before I can move  towards the essence the feel of the place. Does anyone else find that same pattern in their painting? Just a guess...it takes at least 10 paintings to warm up.....

This is Donna with her painting. It's hard to see in this photo, but it really is a little gem. Great to see you again Donna!

color, divas and other things

Color...oh color, probably the most complicated aspect of any painting. How to make light and mood....at the same time.We all have color tendencies. The ways of we like to look at color. My plein air friend, Christine, loves her neutrals. In fact she will use her Girault 50 gray box almost exclusively when we paint outdoors.  Think about your color tendencies.... hmm, what are they? Try to describe them.

In Raymond Logan's description of my work in his Daily Painter Review he wrote, "Rather, she (me) guides your eye through her pieces by using shapes – often nebulous, values, and last, but certainly not least, gorgeous hues. Yes, she is not shy with her palette, but nor is she heavy handed. She applies the full spectrum or just the right section of the spectrum that suits the ambience of the piece, making the landscape comfortable, yet dynamic." 

I was delighted that he saw my work that way. Because for me I feel that I am always trying to control my  tendency to an over-zealous palette. I know in my brain there can be only one diva if the painting is to sing. Quiet colors need to be placed near the diva or else she has a tantrum and walks off. Does that make sense?. 

Neutrals are key and divas like to be warm. So begin with neutrals and make your center of interest warmer (comparatively).
That's what was on my mind as I drove out to my painting site to battle the winds and freezing cold.

Reservoir Dreams

about 5 x7 oil on paper
So the knife won't let me sleep. It calls out to me, "Yoohoo, try me again.See if you can do it." So I get out of bed, go back into the studio and try, again. This time I decided to paint the reservoir from one of my pastel paintings. I KNOW the reservoir right? I should be able to do it...right? So I struggle through once again.
I know what Jala means when she talks about cursing the knife. It's so clumsy. But I learned tonight that if I wait a little it dries enough to scumble new paint on top...like I do with pastels. One small satisfaction. Now I will try to sleep again.

Way Back Yonder

about 4 .5 x7 oil on marble dust board
OK....so I haven't a clue what I am doing.
Taking risks. That's what it's about when you want to learn. Stretch
I am recovering from my surgery. It's hard or eat and talk...but I can paint....or maybe not. Groan.

February 16, 2008 Greenhead Calm- finished

7 1/2 x 10, watercolor and pastel on board
I finished it today. First I lightened the greens and then I decided to take out the dock. It simply needed more water to be calm rather than distracting detail in the foreground. I also needed to strenghten the eyes path through the painting.
All the time I kept correcting myself about my hand's hold on either the brush or more often the pastel. After reading an article on brain research I am really working on the message I send to my brain. For instance, when you hold the brush or pastel like a pencil you signal to the brain., "writing... left side of the brain." Where I want it to say, "painting, creating... right side !"
Now you can see how a painting goes through its changes. Back to work!

February 14, 2008 Snowy Morning Walk

6 x 13 pastel/watercolor on board
This one has an extensive watercolor painting underneath. Beneath that is my marble dust ground painted so that it would look like snow falling. It may still need more work and it may be heading too close to "representation." Any thoughts?
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Greenhead in the Blue Fog or The Brooding Teenager

5.5 x 6, pastel on board, $100. plus ship and tax
Yesterday the flu had me down, fever nausea. Today I am beginning to win and thus back in the studio this afternoon.
This is Greenhead, in the lovely small town of Stonington, Maine. It has many moods, which can change by the hour. This time it was brooding, like only a teenager who has limits can.