Series of Sei Nakatugawa

All of these paintings were based on the amazing photography of Sei Nakatugawa, who kindly offers them to artists as copyright free reference subjects.  There are many more to come.  Please visit my Gallery to see if they are available.

Formal Training Continued.....

Haven't had much time to post here - adding two weekly classes to a full-time job has me pretty busy. This was a very interesting class, though, on color studies.  

Tom Semmes (instructor) set up the still life and had us paint just flat shapes of color (sorry, but forgot to take the photo before beginning modification of the wall shadow).

Second pass was to begin to modify each shape with different values, hues, and temperature. I understand now why so many say to "paint from life". There are SO many more color variations in live setups than in photographs.  Here is after second pass:

The photo cannot actually show all the colors in this as cameras average out tones. The light side of the "white" ball has yellows, pinks and reflected orange, for instance.  

Painting - when you are learning - is like trying to juggle cats and chew gum and walk backwards. You have to really look and think, is this piece darker or lighter? warmer or cooler? what is its shape?  Then you get into, not which colors, but which pigments (and they differ from brand of paint to brand of paint) mix well (or not) to get to the color you need.  Fun and exhausting.

A very valuable class for me.

Autumn Walk

Autumn Walk

11x14 Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas

Auction on Daily Paintworks

Painted as part of a challenge in a painting group I belong to. A reference photo is chosen and everyone 'makes it their own'. The photo had no people in it but I felt it needed a 'story', so the girl and her dog was my choice.  I have a lot of fun painting the leaves in multiple layers of color, which unfortunately does not so up as rich as it looks in person.

Day One of 30 Day Challenge

Pug Wants to Go for a Walk! 

6x6 Oil over Acrylic on Wrapped Canvas

Click to Gallery to Buy

Day one, done. Have several more almost ready to post for the Garuda Aviary Fundraiser, but will post one a day to coincide with Leslie Saeta's Challenge. 

Lilacs in Copper

Lilac in Copper

12x12 oils on panel $50

Click to Buy

As I mentioned previously, I am deep into Daniel Edmondson's Weekly Painting Class and this one I am very happy with. I love the contrast of dark shadows and light on the flowers. 

Hope you enjoy it, too!

Sussex Coastline

Sussex Coastline

9/12 oils on wrapped canvas

SOLD

I had posted this in January but had not yet put it up for auction as it wasn't dry enough yet. I would so love to travel back to England, but don't think it will happen. It warmed my heart when I posted this on Paint My Photo, thanking the photographer, Nicola B, for use of her shot, that a gentleman who lives near here wrote to me saying I had "nailed it". He gets to walk along this coast every day!

Proceeds benefit www.garudaaviary.org

Painting Like a Madwoman

Haven't posted a lot lately, but that doesn't mean I'm not painting! I'm learning to work with water mixable oils, as well as taking a painting course from Dan Edmondson, which is turning out to be fantastic. I also signed up for his new WPC - Weekly Painting Course - which includes personalized critiques and group webinars. You don't know what you don't know till you know. He is a wonderful teacher and inparts knowledge as well as encouragement and how to relax and just paint, learn and have fun.

Here is the second still life I completed from his Still Life Course. It's just a phone photo so unfortunately doesn't show the wonderful brushwork, which I am learning to leave alone and not lick down to mud. Once I learn my new camera I'll post better photos. These can't go on sale for a bit as they are oils and need to dry thoroughly before varnishing.

Pear Martini

8x10 oils on hardbord

The next one I finished was from Module 1 in the Weekly Painting Course:

Module 1: Red Onions

8x10 oils on hardbord

This one was a real challenge in mixing the different reds without them becoming earth tones. May redo the grapes a bit after it dries - they are too uniform, I think. I also tried to really think before making brushstrokes so that the onion skins and the garlic were done in very few strokes, which gives them a free energy I love.

Then, for the January Paint My Photo challenge, which was to paint waves and water:

Sussex Coast after photo by Nicola B on PMP

8x10 oils on canvas

There's another one I've done from PMP photo but haven't shot a pix yet. So finishing four (and a half - my cows are almost done....) is not too shabby for one month!