Mentoring Mondays - All Knife and Nothing But A Knife!

8"x8" oil on archival panel

Mondays during May I'm hosting lessons in my studio for those who are interested in learning how to use a palette knife in their work.  I think it's a great exercise to begin with 'total immersion'. Painting knife, no medium, and painting from life. 

I did remember to photo some of the parts along the way through! 

Here's our set-up:

First, you'll take that blank canvas and make some marks indicating where your objects will lay. Perhaps you want certain pieces to run off the edge. Think of your shadow shapes as part of your composition. Where will you place these? Once you've thought about your placement, start 'massing' in the shapes in a midtone of that local color. 

Then you'll want to start indicating those shadow shapes after you objects are laid in. If you've misplaced some of your objects on the canvas, scrape back the paint and moving it where you need it to be.  You are not "filling in the lines" like a 'coloring book', you are laying in masses of color, and those edges can be moved about as need be. Think of it as a 'push/pull' process. 

 And yes, I've left this photo uncropped so that you can see how I like to place my painting panel on a larger surface (in this case a larger piece of heavy corrugated cardboard) so that each knife stroke of paint has plenty of clearance. It can be very annoying to feel cramped when placing a stroke of paint and your hand/knife gets jammed into the ridge on your easel that holds the bottom edge! Same goes for the top. I attach it to the cardboard with blue painters tape. It does hold well enough to keep it staying put while I work on the painting! 

Once I get the darks laid in, I start adjusting. I'm interested in exciting color comparisons, & value contrasts.  Then finally working the lighter areas last, looking for reflected light in my subjects.

 

 

 

"How Thoughtful Of You" Floral Lilies Gerbera Daisies

6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite panel

For more information or to purchase, click here.

My dear daughters sent me a lovely bouquet the other day. Wonderfully fragrant with Stargazer Lilies, Gerbera Daisies, and other little blossoms, of course I couldn't resist painting it.  It's always so nice to be thought of ....and wonderful to have fresh flowers! (especially for a painter!). Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Flowers For Vincent

8"x6" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

For more information or to purchase, click here.

Winter frequently brings me square head-on into a big artist block! I'm not sure if it's a mental rebellion to cold weather or what. So, I have been toying with some fresh ideas in my studio. One that I've been noticing is a method Julie Ford Oliver calls "fracturing".  It's sort of like 'lines interrupted, with subtractive & additive painting going on'. (I'm sure that clears things up!).  Visit her blog here to see more of this idea.

It's quite different from the painting method I'd comfortably morphed into over the last few years.  I had been using very thick knife work and Henry Hensche colorist theory I had learned from Leif Nilsson and Camille Przwodek, painting directly.  For the last couple years I had really focused on shapes and values.  Julie's method is more of a building up of layers. I'm enjoying this in the studio (hey, I've only tried this twice). But I'm trying to imagine how I'd use it outdoors, when the weather is decent enough to paint plein air. 

I'm a firm believer in all that we learn is cumulative. Building on things we've taken in over the years.  Always tweaking, finding new things that pique our interest.  In visiting museums over the years, I recall two separate retrospectives, one of Monet, and another retrospective of Renoir. Seeing how their work changed over their life-times was quite illuminating to me! It's okay to change...to morph into that next stage.  The thought of it is a bit terrifying ...and yet, quite exciting.  Will I make a drastic change? (I doubt it, yet I never rule out what exploration might bring). 

As an artist, how does change in your artwork make you feel? Excited? nervous? exploratory?

As an art lover or collector, how does change in an artist's work make you feel? Interested, worried, curious, happy?

I wonder if it's my longing for Spring, that always puts me on edge at this time of year? Yearning for new growth, outdoors as well as in my 'art spirit'.  Well, I'm going to keep exploring some of these ideas. Hold on tight!

Hydrangea Heaven ACEO Floral Oil Original

3.5"x2.5" oil on fine canvas board

 

Bidding starts at just $1

If you've followed my work for a long time, you know I'm a garden painter. From early spring to late fall I'm out there (with my hubby, the main garden guru) planting for painting! Every surface in my garden is a topic that I've painted.   Hydrangeas are such wonderful blossoms - and when they are in bloom, who could not feel they were in heaven?

For those of you not familiar with the acronym ACEO, it stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals.  The miniature paintings are the size of a baseball trading card, 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.  This category of art has become increasingly popular on eBay the last couple of years.  These can be displayed on their own, or with a tiny little easel (like the kind you can find in Michaels Arts & Crafts type stores) on a display shelf, or these beautiful gems can be elegantly matted and framed with perhaps a mat of 4 inches wide.  ACEOs also make wonderful gifts!  

Bright Floral Sunshine & Happiness Oil

10"x8" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

Click here to bid!

I have some paintings "in the vault" in my studio, that still need a home - perhaps yours??
                  
                  
I spend a lot of time painting flowers from my garden, (or paintings of my garden...). Here's a lovely bouquet of cut flowers, in a very cool pottery vase from a friend! Hope it brings you a bit of "Sunshine & Happiness".

I'm continuing the holiday sale with some of these older works. In the meantime, I'm working on a larger 30"x40" landscape based on some of my recent plein air paintings over at Barn Island! 

Stay tuned, I'll have some more of those cute little ACEO florals again, too!

I certainly enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday, but it's also nice to be back in my studio.  I'm looking forward to Christmas and the New Year! 

Roses By North Light (in Old Lyme)

12"x12" oil on board

Summer is so wonderful. 

 I can feel the exuberance blossom in me with every flower that blossoms in my yard!

Whether I paint outside in the garden, or cut the flowers and arrange a still-life to paint, the colors bring such a wonderful feeling! 

This painting, along with 2 other coastal landscape scenes of mine are in the "Summer Painting and Sculpture Exhibit" at Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme, CT (on 90 Lyme Street).  The opening is this evening 6-8pm- and they'll be on view through July 29th. Please come have a look!

Pansies And The Maiden - "Drinking In The Muse" & Thoughts As You Progress Through A Painting

11"x14" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival panel

Buy this painting on PayPal

Price: $425 USD

Or, send me an email

"Nobody lives happily ever after. We live happily when we live with a sense of purpose and when we are unafraid of living in a world in which things are seldom settled, few things are permanently improved, and where love does not take care of itself."
-Eugene Kennedy

Painting our favorite things is certainly a wonderful indulgence that any artist can partake in. I shipped this little statue home from my mom's house last year when she moved to a much smaller place and didn't have a place to put her. This bust stood on a pedestal next to the piano in the living room through the greater part of my childhood. I always admired this piece. I don't know why I've waited so long to paint her, but there you have it. The pansies I had bought during our warm weather frenzy last weekend, only to have a freeze come through on Monday. No worry, I decided they could stay and pose in my studio for a couple days before I put them back out on the front porch. "There's pansies, that's for thoughts" and I had a few thoughts to share in the 'building' of a painting:

- give yourself a map. No details necessary, but get the placement and proportion of your main elements. I tend to draw in paint, as I think it moves easier if I want to change something. You can also draw over what you've just laid down until you find that shape. If it gets too heavy, scrape it off, or use less paint. I don't use turps or thinners when I paint. I want the luscious thickness of oil paints on their own. You'll be laying paint on top of these anyway- they are NOT to "color in", but as a general guideline.

- think big SHAPES (not details) - SQUINT down with your eyes- that quickly removes any sense of detail and gives you the view of light vs. dark areas.

- pay attention to the EDGES - where do you want to make the viewer look? Crisp, hard edges at your focal point, softer edges that recede from view (you know the childhood saying, "Made ya look, made ya look!").

- if you don't like it, scrape it off! But you don't have to throw away the paint! Sometimes these make nice grays to tone down some very loud passages.

Once I get mid-way into a painting, I find that it's hard to stop and photograph! Something just takes over and I keep going. Yes, this does have both palette knife and brush in this painting. After years of using strictly one or the other, I am experimenting with employing both in the painting.

Refresh, Renew, & Simplify - Floral Bouquet

6"x6" oil on archival panel

“Purity and simplicity are the two wings with which man soars above the earth and all temporary nature.”

Thomas Kempis

I finished painting this last week before I left for VA to give a demo/presentation at London Square Gallery (more about that in the next post).

This was a rather large bouquet, one that I normally would paint at least 12"x12". I wanted to use this as an exercise to simplify this down to fit a 6"x6" panel. To do so would mean I'd have to really observe the big shapes/ keep it at it's simplest form...details only if there was space to indicate it. I'm rather happy with how this fit down into this size. Of course, larger would allow for more details in the flowers, etc.

To purchase while it's still wet, please visit my DailyPainters.com gallery/store.

The Color Of White

6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"The purpose of painting is to lift the veil of mystery into consciousness."
- Henry Hensche

I was so jazzed when the challenge was put out by the group of painters, "Daily Paintworks" for 'The Color Of White". Oh- my - gosh- white is like a celebration of color, because it reflects just about everything. Some of my favorite things are white objects in my garden, ie. picket fence, arbor, daisies, peonies, you get the idea. The colors of blooms as well as sunlight and shadow come out in these beautiful objects. This winter I've been painting a fair share of daisies, and just love that turn of color where they fall into shadow...such a simple flower, so much beauty.

I'll try to add a photo here and show you my studio set-up for small still-life paintings. It's a pretty simple rig. A shadow box (made out of a cut down cardboard carton, and various cloths- tablecloths, napkins, anything that might 'set the stage' for the latest characters in my tabletop 'event' as well as a clamp-on shop light to fully illuminate the little 'stage'.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $150 USD plus $10 USD s/h
Or, send me an email

Time Out For Tea

18"x14" oil on gallery wrapped stretched linen

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush."

-Doug Larson

It seems that I've been a slacker when it comes to sending out the "Cheer Factor" emails this week. But I have been working on a new painting, a bit larger than my usual small daily works. I've been thrilled with the better selection of flowers lately at our grocery store! It must be one more 'sign of Spring'. "Time Out For Tea" is the name of this painting I've just finished. It is an 18"x14" oil on gallery wrapped stretched linen. Contact me here for availability of this painting.

Hubby and I also spent some time planning and ordering some seeds for this year's garden. I look forward to being able to paint in the middle of all this in just a few months! Oh the colors are going to be fantastic!!

Be sure to sign up for my "Cheer Factor" newsletter and see all the latest paintings fresh off the easel as well as subscriber specials.

Pink Daisy, Snapple & An Apple

6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
- Leonardo da Vinci

"Daisy, Snapple & An Apple" is a 6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite artboard, another one of my 'little gems' available from my Daily Painters Gallery or here on my blog.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $125 USD plus $10 USD s/h
Or, send me an email

Looking for items to play off a red/green color complement theme, I had this old Snapple bottle that a neighbor had rooted some plants in for me. It seemed to go perfectly with this bright pink gerbera daisy and green apple. Funny what you'll find when looking for still-life props! Sometimes, simplicity is the key...the answer to what you really need.

I used to have a drawer full of fabric as I used to sew quite a bit. On one of our last moves, I gave most of that away, since I wasn't using it. Now I'm remembering the colors and pieces of cloth that I had and am thinking what great back-drops they would make for some of these floral paintings. hmm, Hindsight is 20/20.


*****Upcoming shows - Here in CT: I'll be taking part in the Mystic Art Center's Members Exhibition which opened this past Friday, January 14th, runs through the 26th of February. Hope you get a chance to see this show right here on the banks of the Mystic River.

Also- I've juried in to the 19th Annual Associate Artist Exhibition at Lyme Art Association!! The show runs from January 14th - February 26th. The Opening Reception is Friday, January 21st, from 5-7pm. I am truly honored to be hanging in this historic venue with many of New England's finest artists!

Blizzard Buster - sold!

6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"There's one good thing about snow, it makes your lawn look as nice as your neighbor's."
- Clyde Moore

"Blizzard Buster" is what I'm calling this little gem. It is truly the redeeming part of my day. Earlier in the day during a slight lull in the blizzard, we went out to shovel and clear the driveway. This snow was heavy, wet, and about 18" DEEP! That's an exhausting workout! It was so nice to come in and have flowers to paint. I'm especially glad my flowers are holding up, although the blue agapanthus are starting to drop their little flowerets.

I saw on the news where there is snow in 49 out of 50 states (you lucky Floridians!). Even Hawaii had snow on one of its mountains! Not that it makes me feel any better, but knowing there are flowers at the grocery store, waiting for me to paint is some consolation! What is your blizzard buster?

Cure For A Case Of The Januaries - sold!

8"x8" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul."
- Oscar Wilde

What are the dreaded 'Januaries' you might ask?? That post holiday exhaustion and the realization that winter is still going to be here for 3 more months. "Cure For A Case Of The Januaries" is an 8"x8" oil on gessoed masonite artboard.

I'm really enjoying these flowers this winter -they are really making me look forward to Spring (yes I know, it's a long way off). But while snow is swirling all around me outside, I can be warm and dry in my studio remembering what summer offered up last year. Hoping for this year in the garden to be even more bountiful. We've been going through the seed & plant catalogs looking for what we'd like to try this year. Ah, the joy of anticipation!



*****Upcoming shows - Here in CT: I'll be taking part in the Mystic Art Center's Members Exhibition which opens this Friday, January 14th, 5:30-7:30pm. Hope to see you there.

Daydream Believer

12"x12" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"Reverie is not a mind vacuum. It is rather the gift of an hour which knows the plenitude of the soul."
- Gaston Bachelard


Sometimes a song just pops into my head and voila, there's the title for my painting. December and January do seem like contemplative times for me, (perhaps it's the mixed feelings over snow that get me going). But I've continued to focus on color, mixing & placing of complements (opposites on the color wheel). Please contact me for more information about this painting or to purchase.

Now, with a bit of worry over snow comes the preventative measures of the trip to the grocery store.....for milk, bread, veggies, and FLOWERS! I was especially thrilled to find these blue flowers next to the sunflowers. I had to dig through my garden catalog to figure out what they are- agapanthus. A big nor'easter is aiming down on us tonight- gonna make sure I have flowers on hand!


*****Upcoming shows - Here in CT: I'll be taking part in the Mystic Art Center's Members Exhibition which opens this Friday, January 14th, 5:30-7:30pm. Hope to see you there.