Painting Grays in Color

 "Token"

16 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$500

Available here

I use these white geometric objects in some of my workshop exercises, and lately they've infiltrated my home studio as well. Though I'm usually painting them in black and white while teaching, I also love exploring the spectrum of grays that occur when white objects are surrounded by colorful light. 

When approaching a gray - or the modeling of an object whose local color is white - I ask myself a series of questions. What's the value of the gray? What's its temperature? What colors in the environment are influencing its color? Often, to arrive at the gray I need, I'll start with one of these surrounding colors (like the purple in this painting), and neutralize it until it works on the white object.

Another way to "see" color in ambiguous areas, like grays, is to use a color isolator. Sometimes I'll just squint through a half-closed fist. 

 And here is the preparatory sketch for this painting, on canvas instead of the oil paper this time:

 "Flame (Black and White)"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

Keeping You In the Dark

 "Flicker"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

Sold

Last one from my recent foray into the darkness. 

Although I'm in denial, I think I heard somewhere that there are only 10 shopping days left until Christmas. Fear not! You can still order my 2014 calendar, get it on time, and save 50% with the code 50OFFPRODUCT. 

Now, if anybody needs me, I'll be hanging my show. 

☺

"Decorating by Candlelight" Christmas ornament oil painting holiday xmas art gift

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

$100

click to buy

While "Decorating by Candlelight" doesn't necessarily sound like a fire-marshall-approved activity, I've certainly begun my holiday decorating. Basically, I pull a huge plastic bin of ornaments out of my garage and dump them all over my studio. Then my daughter comes in and helps distribute them in totally random locations throughout the house. Like under her bed, and in the cat food bowls. Ah, Christmas!

Because Zazzle always has killer deals this time of year, I ordered myself some calendars. I'll have them for sale at my Oregon Art Supply show and painting demo next Friday, and it's also good to have some last-minute gifts on hand, right?

more pictures here

   I'm really happy with the quality of the printing, and the shipping couldn't have been faster. It reminds me of a joke we used to tell about a chinese-delivery place growing up: you hang up the phone and the doorbell rings!

"Two Matches" still life candle flame fire lemons daily painting oil on canvas

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

Sold

I had to revisit this setup. I couldn't stop looking at those spent matchsticks lying next to the other objects and thinking they should have been worked into the painting somehow. I sized up to an 8x8" canvas and zoomed out just a bit to slip them in. 

A mention of the presidential election seems almost unavoidable today, and I've succumbed to the coverage as much as any American. My studio days are passed listening to NPR, and while I've never consdiered myself an activist, I had a lot of fun painting this guy four years ago.

I'll be painting a portrait of some as-yet-undeclared candidate tonight at the Art Center, and live-updating it on Twitter and FB, though I'm sure my efforts will be absolutely swallowed by election results. I can't complain - I'll be glued to my headphones.

"Candlelit Quartet" still life daily painting candle flame original oil on canvas

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

$100

click to buy

I'm convinced the color palette for this one was subliminally inspired by the view from my studio window today. Wet leaves, green shifting to yellow to rust red...forest-green fur trees and their greyish-lavender trunks, everything damp damp damp. I'd supply you a real picture to go with that mental one, but I'm a little bit camera-challenged right now. I need Santa to bring me a really gorgeous (or just reasonably attractive) digital SLR this xmas!

"By Candlelight" art oil painting still life daily painting fruit

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

click to bid

I got this gorgeous little vase from the same ceramic artist who made this white bowl. After I bought the bowl from him last year we became Facebook friends, so it was extra nice to see each other at Clayfest this year and connect in person.

There's a rumor going around the Daily Painting network that many of us are going to get a chance for just such a face-to-face encounter in 12 months or so. All the more reason to head over to my Facebook page and start getting to know me ASAP! Bonus: you'll be the first to see my in-progress photos from figure painting tonight...