Green Salsa - A One-Dollar Auction!

 "Green Salsa"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

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I taught some GREAT workshops in May,  capped off with Memorial Day weekend at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, on the Oregon Coast, with a wonderful group of artists. 

Here was their value demo, in black and white, which later became this painting!

Oil Painting Boot Camp is turning out to be a really fun workshop - we use only three colors and white (artist's choice!), and do some of my favorite quick exercises - Twisted 20's, Stroke Economy - and of course, work from fun, colorful still lifes!

Beautiful studio, isn't it?

My next Oil Painting Boot Camp will be July 26-28th, at The Oklahoma Academy of Classical Art in Edmond, OK. Join me!

Avocado and Tomatoes in Black and White - and More about Notan

 "Avocado and Tomatoes"

approx. 8 x 11 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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After reading this post by James Gurney, I decided to try some notan sketches on brown cardboard as a warmup for this painting - and it was fun! It's so satisfying to put thick white paint over a midtone surface. Why? Who knows - but I'll be back for more. 

The idea with notan is that midtones have to get lumped into either dark or light - you only have two values to work with. These forced choices remind us that we are interpreting, not copying the subject; composition is something we impose on nature. Two artists will not come up with the same value scheme in a notan sketch. There is no right or wrong way to do it. 

Also, it looks cool!

Alla Prima Portrait Sketch; Limited Palette Workshop Demo

 

 "Sketch of A."

approx 8x11 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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This month marks two years since my first portrait painting workshop. Amazing how time flies! And although I've painted this model quite a few times, it's always nice to revisit a familiar face - especially one with such lovely coloring. I've got pinks, peaches, greens, lavenders, and orangey-browns in those flesh tones - all mixed from three tubes of paint! 

My work-in-progress shows how I painted the face out beyond the contour lines, and then re-drew that edge with the darks in the hair. I also painted the setting of the eye before putting too much detail into the eye itself. 

And the ear - well, I got that on there early and then left it alone, because this.

Color Has Value

"Cantaloupe Slices"

9 x 9 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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If there's one thing I say over and over again to my students, it's this: you can paint something any color you want, as long as you nail the value, it will work! 

The single most important element of realistic representational painting is value: how light or dark something is on the gray scale. And that's relative to everything else in the painting - so our goal as painters is to train our eyes to perceive that hierarchy of values. 

Sketching is great for this, but black and white oil studies are even better. You kill two birds with one stone, really - focusing on values, and also practicing your mixing and brushwork.

Plum Parade - Now It's a Series!

 "Plum Parade"

approx. 8 x 11 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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Here it is, the one that made it a series. And my third one-dollar auction of the week! You can see the first two here and here.

All three plum paintings, in chronological order. Which is your favorite?

Left to right: "The Red Snake," "The Red Knife," and "Plum Parade," each approx. 8x11 inches.

The Red Knife - Another One-Dollar Auction!

"The Red Knife"

approx 8 x 11 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

One-Dollar Auction!
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Here is the second in my plums-and-strawberries series. It officially went from a "thing I'm doing" to a "series" when I painted the third installment this morning. Hopefully you'll be seeing that one soon - it still needs its highlights touched up.

It's One-Dollar Auction Time!

"The Red Snake"

approx. 8 x 11 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

One-Dollar Auction!

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This was kind of a demo for my Online Mentorship students, a couple of whom are working on loosening up their process this month with one-hour paintings. They are doing some incredible things! Here is a blog post one of them wrote - I promise, I'm not making her work THIS hard, she's just incredibly motivated. When I say I get as much from my students as they get from me, this is what I'm talking about. What an inspiration!

And speaking of inspiration, I had some help naming this painting. You know who you are, and thanks. ;)

A Busy Artist

"Three of Two Kinds"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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A busy artist is a happy artist! And between my workshops, private lessons, a portrait commission, and gallery shows, I'm overflowing with gratitude lately. 

But it's nice to get back inside the cozy confines of an 8 x 8 square, enjoying all the colors in these green and golden apples.

The Primary Palette

 "Cut Apple" 

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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This weekend, I taught at two-day oil painting workshop called "The Primary Palette," painting still lives using a three-color palette. Color choice is up to each artist - any red, yellow, and blue combo they like.

I chose Cadmium red light, Azo yellow, and a new-to-me color, Maya Blue, by Rublev paint. 

Painting with a palette like this is a great way to get acquainted with new-to-you colors.

Above, you can see my color wheel - beautiful oranges and greens, very dull (but beautiful) violets. That's the result of a yellowish red combined with a muted blue - and my demos of the awesome "Stroke Economy" exercise. A workshop favorite!

And here is some of my students' work. Fabulous!

Applescape: One More One Dollar Auction!

"Applescape"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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Happy Friday! It's the end of the week, and the end (for now) of the one dollar auctions. The good news is that there's still plenty of time to bid on all four of them!

I painted this little piece with yet another of my limited palettes - it's a good one, I think. Cadmium Red, Azo Yellow, and Ivory Black - plus White. Basically Zorn palette, but with Azo instead of Yellow Ocher. Azo Yellow, for those of you not familiar, is a color made by M. Graham paint co. that I use as a lemon (or cool) yellow substitute.

Tea With a Spoon....A One Dollar Auction!

 "Tea With A Spoon"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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This was my demo from a one-day still life workshop I taught at Sequoia Gallery + Studios in Hillsboro, OR last month. One day is simply not enough time for a still life junkie like me, but it was a great group and we did a ton of painting in that short amount of time.

Luckily, though, my next still life workshop is three solid days!

Here's just a little piece of our still life setup at Sequoia. Think this looks like fun to paint? Join me for my next workshop, at Oregon Society of Artists, in Portland, OR - October 9-11. Info and registration here.

A(nother) Trio of Pears

"A Trio of Pears (no. 2)"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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Another little pear painting. Loose brushwork, happy colors! Both pear trios are up for auction starting at One Dollar - click here to view on DailyPaintworks.

A Trio of Pears....A $1 Auction!

 

"A Trio of Pears (no.1)"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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 A colorful little pear painting. No. 2 coming tomorrow!

Lemon Wedges - A one dollar auction!

"Lemon Wedges"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas
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A few weeks ago, I moved into a new studio - and as I'm coming to find out, getting acclimated to working in a new space is a process! Familiar objects take on new characters, colors don't look quite the same. Lighting has to be experimented with. If you're me, that one's an endless process!

This is the first sketch I made in my new space. Since then, there have been several wipers, a truly weird painting (I won't post it, I'm not really even sure who painted it, it looks nothing like my normal work), and at last, more recently, some better stuff. 

Which I'll begin to show you tomorrow!

A Figurative Sketch, a One Dollar Auction, and a Calendar!

 

 "The Red Wrap"

16 x 12 inches, oil on paper

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Well, folks, there are still some places where one can work from the nude here in Eugene (Go here to read all about our recent local arts-scandal), and I am proud to be a part of one! This was painted last night at Maude Kerns Art Center's weekly open studio session. All media are welcome, though Tuesday nights' attendees are mostly oil painters.

This was completed in three 45 minute sittings, using (what else?) a Zorn palette.

In other news, my 2015 Calendar is out! All still life, no nudes - so totally suitable for offices, cubicles, kitchens, your mother-in-law's Christmas stocking, etc......Check it out!

Onward with the Auctions!

"Pretty in Pink"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$1 Auction

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An oldie-but-goodie from what I kinda think of as my "reflective glass surface" period. I guess it was spring 2012? I was really into placing my still life setups on these large pieces of glass. Before and since, I've had other obsessions periods: colored bottles, skulls, colored papers....Chinese lanterns....

You can check out all of this week's $1 Auctions here!

One Dollar Auction Week!

 "A Sunny Mix" 

6 x 6 inches, oil on canvas
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Well, I've done it before, and I'll do it again. One dollar Auction Week! (Ooh, click that "before" link for a breath of autumn air. I felt a pleasant Fall chill looking back at those pieces. Must be some kind of mutant synesthesia.

Here's yesterday's offering, an old favorite that needs a new home. I've always really loved this painting - I think it was the first time I painted blueberries?!

 "Blueberries and Water"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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This oil sketch kicked off the week, for those of you who weren't paying attention on Saturday. (I, too, like to ignore my inbox for days at a time, and always feel guilty about it). Having a father who is a musician, I feel this would be the perfect Father's Day gift, but perhaps the musician in your life is a son or a sister?

"The Little Violin"

9 x 5 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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Preparation Pays Off

 

 "Persimmon Plenty"

20 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

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When I sat down in front of this groaningly overloaded platter of persimmons, I knew I'd better start with a get-comfortable sketch. I wasn't working out the composition as much as familiarizing myself with the interaction and movement of the fruit within the dish. The larger painting just flowed off my brush - I even enjoyed the drapery - which makes me think I may be entering another drapery phase. It's a good way to spend chilly late-fall afternoons, really: cuddled up to my studio space heater, immersed in the details of folds.

This preparatory sketch is the final offering of my One Dollar Auction week, and bidding is open for a couple more days:

"Persimmon Plenty (sketch)"

8.5 x 6 inches, oil on paper

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Seven Days of Steals!

 

"Makeup"

6 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

(The week's last) $1 Auction!

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A huge thanks to everyone who's placed a bid this week! Here are the final two offerings. All seven paintings are still up for grabs...

 

"Cherry Hearts"

6 x 6 inches, oil on canvas

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One Dollar Auction Week: Now, with Persimmons!

 "Early Persimmon"

6 x 8.5 inches, oil on paper
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 The persimmon tree in my mother's yard is a step ahead of the seasons this year - loaded with almost-ripe fruit, and it's not even Halloween yet. I'll be clambering onto her garage roof to pick more as they ripen (because I love to live dangerously), but I've already got a huge bowl in my studio just waiting for their chance to be my subjects!

Here's a peek at how I began this little painting. That's a wash of Burnt Sienna, and a shot of my start. You can sort of see my underdrawing in Alizarin Crimson, and plenty of evidence that I don't paint from background to foreground. My instant-gratification junkie just has to paint the fun part first!

An oil painting on paper should be matted and framed under glass. Even though the Arches Oil paper I use is archival, and should stand up well over time, it's not a surface you'd want to be dusting or touching for any reason. Here's how it would look framed: