Bedside

pastel on paper

I have mentioned several times recently my struggle with trees. Admittedly in paint and a desire to make a recognisable painterly tree. Today Jeff Smith posted these really wonderful trees on his blog in pastel.

Staircase

I've had one of those really frustrating days - had a list made of things to do - managed to do two of them. HUGE pile of ironing done including all the sheets! And I ordered my supply of walnuts and brazil nuts from my favourite supplier. Apart from that nothing done on my list.

Could not get myself motivated to do any art at all ................. well, I started several things. thought about a lot of things and did nothing at all. I've got a number of ideas brewing and as a result can't decide what to start with.

One thing I have been thinking about is having a separate blog for my sketches. I can't decide whether this would be a good thing or not.

Poolside

Today was plein air day - I ummd and ahhd as to whether to go and was given the push by my husband. Had a lot of fun - time flies painting outside!

I really wanted to try painting with a limited palette but I am not sure that I succeeded. I still had way too many colours on my palette! cadmium Yellow light and medium, cadmium red light, alizarin, ultramarine, white and sap green. I regretted not having my favourite payne's grey or black. And no I didn't do a colour study! But I did do a value study. Not so sure how accurately I kept to that as I was just really aware of how fast the shadows were moving.

Colour Studies

Colour studies, 3" x 2"

I really begin to see the value of colour studies the more I do of these especially if you are wanting to become more painterly, as I am. By working small it reduces the amount of detail you can include. I like the idea of giving enough information to the viewer for them to recognise what they are looking at but leaving enough out that they will have to create whats missing in their own imagination.

Vertigo

Colour studies, average 3" x 2"

Working on pulling together some ideas that have been bubbling - its going to mean a lot of experimentation and play in order to pull it off. Feeling a bit like stepping off the edge of a cliff as I am not sure how to even start. And I suffer
from vertigo!

Autobiography

Acrylic on Panel.

In rescuing files on my computer I found this image of a painting I did in my first year in University for a project called "Autobiography".

I've been reading on a couple of blogs about studies and it has echoed what I have been reading in books lately. Without exception they all emphasise the value of doing studies, both value (tonal) studies and colour studies before starting on the painting proper. Personally I find it hard to do a study before I start painting. i just can't wait to get in and paint. I might make a quick pencil sketch to work out composition but that will be it. I would be interested to know how many people do any kind of study before they start painting - particularly plein air.

Rose

Graphite on paper

I belong to the same portrait group as Jeanette Jobson and she has recently posted her version of Rose. This is mine - I need to tweak the face a little and work on the hand. Bad photo!

Orange and Black

oil on canvas, 10" x 10"

I've had a lovely day off today - didn't accomplish as much as I had hoped but on your birthday its good just to chill a little! I have been really enjoying doing reflections so thought I would tackle this mug again. I thought lemons were hard to paint but they are not nearly so hard as oranges - who would think that something that has such an incredibly simple shape could be so difficult - way harder than an object with lots of detail. i might go back tomorrow and neutralise the colour in the far orange a little - might be a tiny bit too warm at the moment. Need to sleep on it and see what I think tomorrow. I'm thinking of trying out these setups with the mug in pastel too.

Mixed Set-up

Pastel on Paper

Normally when I set up a still life I clear everything else out the way. I'm not sure why but I have seldom done a still life with multiple objects. Today I dared myself to just switch on the lamp and draw what was just sitting there. So here you have it. One problem was that my cup of tea was in the foremost mug and having set myself the dare I didn't dare move it to drink the tea! I love that mug - I bought it at the National Gallery of Art in Washingron, DC last summer. Every time I go there I treat myself to something out of the shop - they have wonderful things. This mug says on it "A line is a dot that went for a walk - Paul Klee" (he is one of my favourite artists).

Mt Vernon

Summer of 2006, a trip to Mt Vernon. There is the most wonderful walled garden - a lovely haphazard garden with a beautiful orangery and this lovely little summer house.
Doing a lot of homework for the ArtBiz course with Alyson Stansfield, assessing directions and options. Also reading an enormous amount on various blogs about marketing and painting theory.
I did update my website today, something that I have set myself to do every month now so that it doesn't get too out of control.
Also considering going back to a working journal for research and experimentation in order to decide on a direction to take my artwork. Beginning to feel that I have been doing a little of too many things and want to find something to concentrate on Time to go back to take a step back and consider what comes next.

Cosy Places

Just a doodle from my bed.

Virtual Sketch Date - Peeled Tangerine

This is this months Virtual Sketch Date image How many media can you put in one sketch? Started with graphite but I didn't like it - so I added some colour pencil and then some watercolour and finally a little pen! It was nice to take a day off serious painting and just sit in front of the TV and doodle.


Also I doodled some tools my husband has lying around (he's rebuilding computers after he blew up my PC) and particularly liked the adjustable spanner (wrench). I love hardware stores - especially the power tool section. I've always wanted a router - with all the extras. What an amazing piece of hardware! One of my ambitions is to learn to make a dovetail joint, but the traditional way, no power tools. Do you have a secret ambition?

Jefferson Memorial

Oil on Canvas, 8" x 8"

My first contribution to the "Different Strokes from Different Folks" Blog run by Karin Jurick. I've been looking at this image for a week or so, ummming and aaaaahing about whether to try it out. I have to admit that its not an image that I would normally paint. But it is one of my favourite DC monuments and that probably swayed my decision. I had planned to paint it last night but an inauguration got in the way and by the time that was over it was nearly midnight so I had to put it off a day!

I approached Katherine Tyrrell at Making a Mark for help on blogging and selling art on the internet and she very kindly agreed to give me some advice which is in the form of a new blog! (No not just for me but for everyone!) I am sure that her advice and the links she gives us are going to be very interesting and I for one plan to make it a regular part of my day to devote to marketing and promoting my art sales.

Tony Hart - Thank you!

The Spinnaker, Portsmouth (got tied up with inauguration viewing today and got no art done!)

A sad day today hearing that one of my childhood heroes had died - Tony Hart. Tony Hart used to present first Vision On, Take Hart and Hart Beat - wonderful art programmes for children on BBC television. One of the highlights was the gallery where Tony showed artwork sent in by children. And of course Morph who helped out - you just had to love that little plasticine character. Very inspirational and I wonder how many artists today owe their start to Tony Hart's encouragement. The link is great and I remember watching that particular episode!

And just for fun. Not sure if this is me at all! "Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

Four Quarters

pastel, 25" x 19"

I think this is the end of the road for this poor orange - its beginning to dry out and shrink around the edges!

Three Parts of the Whole

25" x 19", pastel on paper

I posted this a couple of hours ago and have come back to add a little writing after spending an evening doing research on blogging, feeds (RSS versus Atom), marketing and generally getting tied up in knots not knowing how to make the next step.
A lot of wonderful advice out there:-
Linda Blondheim has some wonderful thoughts about thinking about directions to take in these hard economic times.
Cindy Davis also had some interesting ideas on what artists do wrong.
Beth Hayden runs a blogging workshop and just in her description of her blogging toolkit give great ideas.
Alyson Stansfield is a font of knowledge for marketing strategies for artists (I'm currently taking a course with her and learning heaps especially about what I am not doing that I should be doing!

If anyone has any others to share - please feel free to do so! :-)

Three Quarters Mutiplied by Two

Pastel, 24" x 16"

Oil on canvas, 10" x 8"
I can see looking at this photo that I need to tone down the rear quarter of orange - the colour is too saturated and brings it foreward.
Both these pieces were fun to do and it was interesting doing the two pieces with different mediums. I really like the way the pastel glows.

Watercolour and Bear

I'm procrastinating - making phone calls, getting started with painting, studying and while I procrastinate I doodle - watercolour paint tubes and a little teddy bear.

Urban Sketching

A sketch for today. Sun was shining it was lovely and warm sitting in the sunshine for twenty minutes sketching this. Put the colour in when I got home. Taking a night off oil painting for some admin time. Sometimes you just have to sacrifice studio time for the more practical stuff. I really enjoy the geometric shapes of buildings and the cast shadows that form in hidden recesses.
Where I was sitting is a rose garden and its very odd to find roses blooming in January! I'm hoping to get a couple of blooms to paint this weekend as the weather forecast is not promising for plein air.

Green and Black

10" x 10", oil on canvas
Tempting fate by putting another apple in this set-up. Quite enjoying playing with green here - never thought I would hear myself say that! More fun with the reflections.

I forgot to say yesterday about how I came by the apples. The wonderful secretary in my office, Maria, bought them for me. Because of security we really are not encouraged to go out shopping and so we rarely get fresh fruit of vegetables. I asked Maria if she could possibly get me some green apples when she went to do her weekly grocery shopping. She told me that her children were fascinated by my wanting them for painting and insisted on helping pick out the best apples. Anything that was not a perfect apple shape was rejected.

On the way to work today we passed a scene that reminded me of how grateful we all should be that have homes and running water in our houses. Men washing in a puddle by the side of the road. I've grown used to the men in the river. This reopened my eyes to the poverty. Its funny how we begin to become blind to things we see on a regular basis. It reminded me of a lecture by a fascinating artist (Sorry I can't remember his name) who had done an installation piece using famous newspaper photos and how at first it seems so horrific and then after you have seen those images over and over again that you become immune to their image.