Category: Work from the studio

Landscape process #5

January 13, 2013
Landscape #5. Strengthening the weight and detail of the land.
Landscape #5. Strengthening the weight and detail of the land.

Today, I have continued to add detail to the savanna and adding leaves to the scrub trees that pop up in grassy and marshy places. This landscape is slightly different from what I have painted before, using a scale that is reminiscent of the early luminests, although in a very small scale.
When a painting gets this far it needs to sit and be studied. Every time I look at it I see a little something that is not right, something that needs a slight color adjustment, or something I wish I had done differently. I can’t and won’t change everything. I will just reach a point when I call it done and move on so I can begin the next canvas.

Landscape process #4

January 13, 2013
Landscape #4. Bringing the landscape detail into it.
Landscape #4. Bringing the landscape detail into it.

It had been a week since I had the opportunity to work on this piece but Saturday I found myself at a retreat with friends that included food, conversation, games and working on projects of choice…a great time to relax. For me, painting is one of my most relaxing endeavors.
It should be noted that taking these process paintings with my phone while in different locations and in different lighting, makes for an inconsistent string of shots. The actual coloring of the painting is between the bluish and the grey tone.

Landscape process #3

January 6, 2013
Landscape #3. Fleshing out the clouds. Finding the light.
Landscape #3. Fleshing out the clouds. Finding the light.

This is the painting at the end of the next session of painting I just finished tonight. At this point I am adding the substance and depth of the cloud formations – fleshing them out and adding the light. I also added some ground just so I can begin to get the weight of the land to sky ratio.
You are caught up with me on the progress of the painting. I will try and get back to my easel off and on all week but progress is always slower than weekends.
Look for the page to launch this week as well. That will help compare each session side by side to watch the progress. It’ll be fun!

Landscape process #2

January 6, 2013
Landscape #2. Roughing in cloud patterns.
Landscape #2. Roughing in cloud patterns.

This is the painting at the end of the second session. This painting will be mostly about sky – storm clouds that have just passed and are beginning to give way to breaking sun over open savanna with scrub growth. I am not entirely sure just what kind of tree or plant at this point but it will be small to allow for proper scale. The canvas is 11″ x 14″ and the medium is oils.

New painting and a new Portfolio page

January 6, 2013
Laying the ground on a new canvas.
Landscape #1. Laying the ground on a new canvas.

Often I am asked, how I begin a painting, where I start, or what I do next?

I have a general idea of what I plan to paint when I begin but there is a great deal of decision making at every step as well. When I paint on site, people often enjoy watching me paint or will come back periodically to see how it is growing.

I started a painting this weekend – a landscape – and have decided to try and bring you along with me as I paint. This first image is just laying color down in a ground. There will be a new page under the portfolio tab and this page will show paintings at various stages from beginning to end. I hope you enjoy watching the process.

a little on the side

December 3, 2012

I won a sweet little journal at the NAVC conference this year and last night I began working in it. It will be called, “In The Garden” and each page will be small captured bits pertaining to my backyard garden. I will probably take pictures of each page as it grows and make another “gallery” page …or really a journal as it grows. It should be fun! …at least for me.

journal
In the Garden

Summertime fun.

June 17, 2012
This latest painting was created almost entirely in the public eye.

Days are flying faster than I could imagine. In just a few short weeks I am looking forward to seeing friends up on Washington Island, Wisconsin for a fine dose of historical teaching, good food, fine fellowship, music, and a showing of my artwork.

The wonderful folk on the Island are welcoming and accommodating each year to our small group of re-enactors as we settle on the ground of the Farm Museum around the 4th of July.

This year I will be sharing my paintings with the residents in a one-woman showing at Fiddler’s Green on Washington Island. I will have a fair body of work in the show and plan to have prints available for many of them.

The newest piece, “Sisters” is at the printer right now and will be available in limited edition soon. Exciting stuff!

My New Year's challenge . . .

January 10, 2012

. . . is to set an extremely vigorous schedule of making art so that I establish a much quicker pace and a much more robust discipline — my version of avoiding the common mistake “aim small, miss small”.

So to begin, I plan to paint one picture each week between now and the end of February. This should help me have some good new works for the Oshkosh show. If I completely succeed, GREAT! If I come anywhere close I will have built some inertia and that is not a bad thing either. The first week started slow but I finished the first painting on Sunday night. I might go back and tweak a couple rough bits but can call it done. Week two’s painting is roughed in and on track.  Happy New Year!