getting to the danger point

Like a homing pigeon I return to the beauty of trees, in particular, red trees. I am tempting fate with my new series. How far can I push the beauty of the color and not allow to get too garish or quiet? How close can it come before the tipping point yet stay there and entrance the viewer?  How much light , dark, intense or neutral does a painting need?  This is why I paint.

See a painting develop, step by step

People are curious. And we as artists like to see how it is done. That's a long way of saying that  I have been asked to share a step by step process of one of my plein air paintings. The other day when I was out painting I finally remembered to take a couple of photos along the way. So here we go.

Watercolor wash on Pastel Mat paper. Big shapes without clear edges- that's very important. I like to choose where my edges are later on in the painting. A sharp edge  within soft edges is a focal point.

Add pastel incrementally starting with your diva point.

Almost done. When I check back to my notan I see that a grouping of value masses has been disturbed. I alter that and finish. (see top)

coming up this week

The Waverly Gallery hangs its annual Holiday show this Sunday and opens it with a big bang on Sunday (December 7th) - late afternoon. That's the time we honor our special friends and collectors. Live music, great food and drink. Please do come if you are in the area. Four to six pm. Email me if you want more information...

how to choose a subject and you make the painting

I parked my car in a small lot in Sligo Creek Park. The sun was low so I knew I only had maximum 45 minutes till it had dissappeared for the day. Choose and choose fast. My brain told me- "You make the painting, it doesn't have to be there."

Which brings about another favorite Wolf Kahn quote.
 Choosing a Scene in a Landscape: "Avoid cliché when looking for places to study and paint the landscape. Often, when I’m observing a scene I want to paint, I look for chaos. Chaos in nature is immediately challenging and forces a good artist to impose some type of order on his or her perception of a site. When I find a scene that provides that type of challenge, I return to it over and over again, both physically and mentally in the studio, continually searching for new insights."
<sub>"A studio visit with Wolf Kahn" by Jonathan Phillips, American Artist magazine, 1 May 1997

Happy Thanksgiving to my friends from the U.S.!</sub>