Well, kind of. The weekly painting groups I've joined are winding down, and I'm not renewing my spot for the Spring session because of a construction project at home, so I'm facing the perennial dilemma of paint-at-home artists: to paint or not to paint? It's always something: chores, errands, phone calls, etc. Then the day is gone and you tell yourself, Tomorrow, tomorrow I'll get to it. Of course that never happens! So, I'm pushing myself to do something -- anything -- to keep painting on a semi-frequent(ish) basis. Yesterday I put the finishing touches on a piece and cleaned it up for storing. I also vacuumed the corner of my basement that holds all of my supplies. Today I found myself with a spare 90 minutes midday and knew it was my best chance for time at the easel, I grabbed a photo from my computer and set to work on a quick sketch. It's a small thing, painted on a scrap of mat board that I prepped with clear gesso. I've done a few paintings on UArt lately, and this piece was a nice return to a familiar surface. It was quick work, and came together easily; that is, I was painting with an easy, relaxed hand. I'll let it sit a day or so before making final edits. In the meantime I am so glad I made the time to paint, however brief. |
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I am color challenged. The local color of my reference material usually provides a pretty cozy safety net for me. It wasn't all that long ago when the mere suggestion of offbeat color choices would set me into a panic. I feel myself growing, however, and color is one of those areas where I know need to push my boundaries and step outside me comfort zone.
Today I took that first step. Art being the community it is, this process didn't happen in a vacuum. First came the inspiration, in the form of Rita Kirkman's amazing animal paintings. Her use of color is nothing short of magical. Next came the support, which I received in abundance from my weekly painting group led by Donna Rossetti-Bailey. They all know I love painting animals, and they gave me a safe, encouraging setting to try a new technique and explore the unknown. Some progress shots: As much as I love painting, I also really love witnessing the reactions of clients when they see their paintings in person for the first time. For me, it's the icing on the cake.
Sometimes the universe just knows, right? It seemed very much that way last week at the easel. The lesson in my classes focused on thinking outside the box -- specifically, the box of a reference photo and all its limitations.
I work from photos. Pet portraits would be, uh, challenging to paint with a live model. I also never know when or how long I'll get to paint. Photos are the foundation of my work. But they are not everything. Cameras, as best they try, just don't work the same way the human eye does. In the hands of the average person, they overexpose and over focus. They grab everything in a frantic, shutter-quick attempt to commit it all to pixels. It's up to the artist to translate and distill what's in a photo into a piece of artwork. Here's how timely and apropos this lesson was. I've been working on an architectural rendering, really tight work, so I decided to try out a landscape scene based on a photo I took earlier this month. My goal was a loose, open study. Easy. None of which is my usual style. But it was worth a try to give my eyes and hands a much-needed break. My iPad agreed. I know this because the battery was down to 5 or 6%. Of course it was. I had exactly enough juice to quickly sketch a few trees and shadows, plus the indication of a gently sloping path. I managed to find the same photo on my phone, but that little screen really isn't great when you're trying to preserve your vision. My technology was telling me that I was on my own. And that was exactly where I needed to be. The reference photo is only that: a reference. I couldn't copy the photo so I had to simplify the composition, choose my palette independently and paint freely. In other words, I had to create. It was a great exercise, and a hugely successful painting session. Here are some progress shots: It's 2016! Time is positively flying. It seems like just last week that we tried -- and failed -- to fry a turkey for Thanksgiving, and now here we are, starting a new season and new year.
I've been giving some thought to what I want to work on in 2016, which personal improvements I'm ready to tackle. Not surprisingly, a lot of my thoughts have revolved around painting and my creative development. I am a list-oriented person, so New Year's resolutions tend to suit my personality, but I'm also entering a phase in my life where I need to be more gentle with myself. Hard, inflexible goals don't work anymore, and tend to lead to more self-criticism than self-improvement. I'm trying instead to think of larger ideas that have both literal and figurative meanings. Here's what I have so far: 1. Live a more colorful life. This for sure applies to painting (as in, do it more!) but also my home life. Shake off some of the hesitation I've always had to decorating my house. Oh yeah, and eat more veggies. 2. Get in the picture. Literally, get in the picture. More photos with my family. Selfies, even! Share the moments, share my work. Also, be more present. Mindfulness, the same type I experience when I'm painting, in the other times of my day. 3. Practice patience. This is a repeat resolution, as I tend towards impatience. I'm thinking that if I treat it more as a skill (like painting) than an innate personality trait, that I can build up some techniques for being more patient with myself and others. I think that's good for now. Nothing too specific or concrete or unforgiving. Just enough to make me think, make me motivate and make me work. And on that note, I'm off to paint! I've finally taken the opportunity to try out the new pastel sets I bought this year: Sennelier's Seaside Set (30 colors, half stick) and Great American's 'On the Terrace' (60 colors, half stick). Can you believe I hadn't really used them yet?!?!? The experience -- a painting for each set -- can be boiled down to two words: So. Nice. Going through some photos from early Fall, I found the perfect chance to use the Sennelier Seaside set. My reference materials is a shot of the North River meeting the ocean. I tend to struggle with landscapes, but this one had everything I needed to have an easy go at a painting: large easy shapes, good composition and distinct values. And with the Sennelier set, my palette and color choices were made for me. Bonus! The only thing left for me to do was actually paint. I grabbed a scrap of mat board that was prepped with clear gesso and started to play. With all that extraneous work out of the way, my head was clear to interpret my reference photo. Marsh grasses, a clear sky and the ocean bearing down in the distance. The piece came together easily and quickly! After just an hour I had all the major parts of the landscape established and was starting in on the finish details. In terms of flexing creative muscles that don't get much use -- the lady who paints dogs tackling the occasional landscape -- this piece was a great success. Of course, working small helps immensely. As did my familiarity with Sennelier's super-consistent and user-friendly half stick pastel form.
I love the investments I've made in new pastel materials. Never mind that I didn't really need them :) I am glad to have under my belt the experience and knowledge that comes with using different brands and different palettes. Always learning!
I have painted my two dogs on numerous occasions. I have been their primary caregiver for all of their eight years. So I went into a new piece of my dog Coco with a healthy dose of confidence. I had great reference material, as well as the bravado that comes with being the person who knows this furry subject better than anyone else in the world (except maybe that other furry subject). And it was all downhill from there. My color choices, each and every one of them. Off. Some more than others. My selection of toned surface in the wrong value. Neutrals where I should be choosing distinct warms and cools. Darks that are too dark. Blocking in lights too soon. My big takeaway from studying with pastelist Ed Chesnovich last fall was that I have a tendency to go too light too soon. And here I was, doing it again. *Palms forehead* The piece is not a complete loss. Her eyes are perfect. When I paint animals, I prefer to paint the eyes first, plus other areas of important anatomical detail (muzzle, etc.). I have the clean board free to lean my hand, and I can work as much or as little as I need to. Eyes matter in my animal portrait work. Once they are established, I feel much more relaxed to build up the rest of the painting. I had a good backup plan, to use a, redemptive coat of Krylon Workable Fix, which would let me start anew without scrapping the whole piece and actually starting over. But then the board -- a beautiful wine-colored mat board prepped with clear Gesso by yours truly -- started to lose its tooth. And by that I don't mean that the tooth was filling in with too much pastel. I mean the tooth was coming off. In my haste to bring the piece back to a point where I could rework it, I was being too rough with the support. I typically use one coat of clear Gesso, which is usually adequate for a successful painting. In this case it wasn't enough to sustain a workable surface. I am my own worst enemy! Sometimes starting over is the best option. I've chosen a new support: Sennelier LaCarte in a gorgeous British tan color. LaCarte is a really unique surface, made with pulverized cork. Pastels go on velvety and soft. It's fragile, and you can't overwork it. But that's ok, because it means i MUST be careful. Work slowly and deliberately. Lose the bravado and approach the subject with the same critical eye that I use when I don't know a dog that I'm painting. She's a pesky dog, that Coco. Sweet, friendly and so playful, but as soon as you turn your back she'll steal the sandwich off your plate. This portrait of her is turning out to be not so different... The only painting I managed to squeeze into a busy summer was to start a piece inspired by a kohl rabe. Coal who? It's a vegetable. A purple bulbish thing with oversize frilly leaves. Lots of color, lots of drama. Sign me up.
It's still in the works but I figure it's come along enough to share. The first photo is from early July, just after we got the kohl rabe in our weekly farm box. And now look at us, up to our eyeballs in potatoes and parsnips. Where did the time go?? I did make some good headway with it last month, but then some other work came up so it's been in a holding pattern for a few weeks. Not complaining! I like being busy -- especially with commissions! -- but it's easy for me to forget that there are pieces waiting for their finishing touches, like this poor neglected kohl rabe. When it rains, it pours.... In any event, here's what's doing so far with it. I've added some brighter colors, but the shadows need some reworking, and I have to cool down the color of that reddish leaf in the background that wants to steal the show. I am excited to wrap things up with this one; I love the feeling of finishing a piece. Hopefully the next time you see it will be on my 'for sale' page! So that 'getting back to the easel' thing didn't work out so well. Here it is September and I painted nary a thing during the summer months. Oh well!!
Not all too broken up about it, because I started back with weekly painting classes that will provide much needed structure to my painting time. Also because self-criticism is kind of contraindicated when you're trying to be creative. Still working on that kohl rabe piece, as well as another piece that I started a few months back that will get its own post. I'm looking forward to making good progress on those pieces over the next couple weeks. Happy Autumn!! I worked really hard on this latest website design. Which is why I feel like face-palming myself right now. My home page says right there, front and center, "...see what's on my easel..." which right now is nothing!! I have no work to show right now. Ugh.
I'm not beating myself up about it -- at least not too much. I spent a little bit of time today organizing some supplies, taking a quick inventory of where things are, which pieces need finishing or framing or whatnot. And it was helpful. I never ended up putting pastel to paper today but I did circle around that mindset and thought process that I need to be in for painting. I'm getting there. Part of my problem is that I'm not working on anything solid right now. No deadlines or schedules to meet, and no structure to keep me on track. But I'm deciding to see that lack of structure more as freedom. As in, I'm free to paint whatever I want (which I usually am, but you know what I mean). I'm free to take whatever steps feel right to getting back to painting. The shift in perspective worked almost right away. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I thought of a few in-progress pieces that need more work -- smaller, less daunting tasks than the pressure of an empty canvas. All that's left is for me to pick up a pastel stick and get started. |
aboutI have been pastel painting since 2012. You can read more about my background and my work here. archives
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