sparkle and simultaneous contrast

about 8x8 pastel and watercolor
Making sparkle in light and water is about simultaneous contrast...but then again isn't it all about simultaneous contrast??
Simultaneous contrast... put a neutralized color and then the one next to it appears more brilliant. I think it also makes the gray seem to own the complement, even if it really doesn't.

Excitement and Quietude

7x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart
Ice is getting thicker on the reservoir and with it the light gets a whole different feel. Once again, this is a limited palette: 4 tubes of watercolor and 5 pastels. It was so exciting to paint, yet the feel was silence. there were no birds, not even the usual geese. Silence.
If you are in the vicinity: Washington DC, Bethesda, please come to the opening of the Waverly Street Gallery's Holiday Show. I have 9 new paintings showing in this group show. Most are small oils, plus a couple of pastels.
Tonight, 6-9pm Waverly Street Gallery, 4600 East-West Highway, Bethesda MD
Hope to see you there!

twilight, limited palette

7x9 watercolor and pastel on Uart
Mornings are freezing cold now, but still outside is the place to be. This painting was done with a very limited palette: 4 tubes of watercolor, 4 pastels. I am trying to friend more and more neutrals and "less"while still creating a quiet excitement. 
Back to the studio:-)

dense fog before daybreak

6x9 pastel on somerset or BFK (not sure)
Fog, especially dense fog is really about the abstraction of shapes and value control. Edges play a role as well. Note how my stronger edges are in the forward mass tree shapes and how little information is given in the next shape, very soft. I did this one at about 6:30 am, which would me that the sun was at the horizon, although there is no sign of it. It was funny one person stopped his car and asked, "what on earth was I painting?" He went on to say, "But you can't see anything!" Alas, how could I explain to this man that it was in the "unseeing" or the mystery of the scene that was so compelling. To each her/his own!

no sky and online gallery sales Thursday

8x8 pastel and watercolor on Uart
Part of the no sky series, this time at my old haunt, the reservoir. I tried to see how close could I keep the values and still read space.

Now more about the upcoming online sale.
Normally I have not sold from my blog. The purpose of these paintings is first to keep me sharp and learning all the time. Second, they are used as inspiration for bigger studio pieces. Once and a while a small painting makes it to the gallery.
So here it goes... next week on Thursday at 5pm I will post a number of small paintings for sale. They are ones that I either have already used to create bigger paintings or were pieces just made for the love of painting (and keeping sharp.)
If you have requests...paintings you would love to see int he online gallery, just let me know. If it does not have another destination I will put it in the sale. Sounds good, eh?

A special note THANK YOU to my friend, Brian, who has graciously loaned me his camera for the time being...so you may continue to see paintings. Yay Brian! Life is good!

straddling abstract

How much to leave in and how much to take out... that is the question. Today I started with a very abstract underpainting and than snuck up on it, little by little till you can read what it is yet straddles abstract.

smoke on the water

8x8 pastel and watercolor on uart
I was given a second try to capture the idea of light fog rising off the water. Yesterday's looked more like ice...this time it does look more like vapor. To create the vapor like effect I used many colors of the same value intertwined. Maybe I will try it next with this painting as a reference.
I have been very busy getting ready for my show that opens on Saturday night- Man vs. Nature. (Please come if you can.) This show documents the beauty we are losing due to the construction of the new 6 lane toll road the inter-county connector, otherwise known as the ICC. It's been a very emotional time for me. It's amazing how this kind of work can be so upsetting. Beauty lost forever.

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.

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:-).

3 paintings for the Shades of Pastel Exhibtion

    Topaz Serenity    The Midas Touch  Formidable, yet Silent

 I am honored to be part of the Shades of Pastel Biennial Exhibition at the Strathmore.    I picked my paintings up  from my framers today and I will deliver them tomorrow to the Strathmore.  The show opens on the 26th of September.  If you are in the area please do stop by to see all the beautiful paintings by artists from all over the country. I can't wait to see!
Wish me luck :-)

Solo Swim

9x12 pastel on watercolor, Uart paper
Plein air work does one very important thing, helps me understand HOW to make the light I see. It's not always what you think at first.
This is a quick study done early morning.

New watercolor underpainting

27"x37.5"watercolor underpainting on Art Spectrum supertooth

Are you intimidated when beginning a new BIG painting?
I am. It's weird. Plein air work and small stuff (24"x 24"and smaller) are like water off a duck; comfortable and they just roll off. Yeah, not all are good, but intimidating, no. There's a threshold where it changes.
For weeks I have planned this painting in my head. Made a series of plein air works, visited the museum for inspiration and thought. Yesterday the notans and sketches were finally made. This morning I charged myself up to begin the challenge. With all art business finished yesterday, I had a good night's sleep (imperative), small walk, a soy chai and a clear head; now I was ready to begin at 7:30 am. It's like gearing up for an athletic event!!!!!
Freeze. Think. Freeze. Think. Finally the brush touched the paper and from there things flowed. The wall had been jumped. Now I will let it dry and re-flatten it. Tomorrow I will meet the next wall when pastel are applied. After the first stroke is down it is free sailing.

Why is it like this?
Does anyone else experience such intimidation?

Early Morning Whispers

9x12 pastel on Uart
Woohoo, fog this morning, albeit accompanied by rain; life is good.
The goal of this painting was a combination of subtlety and dominant color. It is always important to decide first, what is the color of your light? Then you know your dominant color. Since the concept was quiet I restrained my palette to a handful of pastels.

Between

12x9 pastel on Uart
When beginning a painting your choice of format is your first statement. Square, rectangle, elongated rectangle, vertical or horizontal... which is your pleasure? Each has their very specific purpose. In choosing a vertical rectangle I wanted a more dramatic format with a push into the picture.
Think about your format choices....
Once again this brings me back to notans. Doing tiny notans in different formats not only helps your composition but it also stretches you to see other possibilities. I did a square, long rectangle and vertical before deciding.

Like a Warm Breath / or value does the work, color gets the glory

7x20 pastel on uart
Richard always says it, so it now feels like a running subtitle, "Value does the work and color gets the glory." Only with proper value is the viewer able to understand the space in the painting. All the beautiful color in the world won't make a painting if the value is inaccurate. Notans are important to make the composition of value. For more information on this please read pure Richard-pastel pointers blog-"seeing red".
While this painting is rich with the color I love it also reads space and light because of value. The reservoir was magnificent today.... heaven with that light layer of fog.

Edge of Green

about 6.5 x6.5 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper

The green/ no sky challenge continues. Different composition and light. I love the way light bounces around in water as it feeds off of all the influencing factors: the sky, the bottom of the water, the water color, the air color (humidity) and the surrounding land. (Did I forget anything?)
Painting in the summer makes me wish it was summer all the time:-)

Secure

about 7x7 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper

The challenges were the same. First challenge:greens. Second challenge, show the light through the reflection in the water. Can you feel the light?

Soft Greens

8x8 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper

This was a double challenge. First, there is the "green" challenge (see yesterday's post) and second, initiated by Donna's question, to leave the sky out and let the water tell the story. The overlying desire was to keep it abstract, but yet real.
So where else would I go?????.....of course, the reservoir in summer.

Duck Ripple

about 9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart
Daybreak is early now, so I often miss the moments from darkness to light.
This is when the sun is real low, behind the trees. I love the way it makes those stripes of light across the water. I found that I became a little divided about my main center of interest and had to decide and adjust. I chose the ducks and the many colored reflections and light dance near their rippling water. (I hope you can tell.) The I made the movement points which determined which way your eye should travel.

Songs of Chocolate and Springtime

about 8 x12 pastel on watercolor/Uart paper

As per Karen's advice, I had the chocolate and the plein air. When it stopped raining for a short time I zipped out to the reservoir. It's all brand new!!!! To celebrate I underpainted this one with lots of magenta and purple. Fun.