Showing posts with label weeks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weeks. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
A weeks worth of paint and canvas a learning curve 902 903
A weeks worth of paint and canvas a learning curve 902 903
I came across this old cropped Koi photo from one of my first visits to Maymonts Koi ponds in 2010. It got my attention again because it has a subtle and mysterious aspect I want in my next few paintings. Then I thought it might be fun messing with it in Photoshop.....see what comes of it.
Maymont Koi 2010
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To my surprise some rather nice results using "curves" tool.....all I need is a printer, some frames and Im in business...:=) I can see how this would be an easy transition for a water colourist to make, especially with its very cool Asian slant. As an oil painter it has my attention too. I like the idea of playing around with it in oil even if it goes nowhere. Who knows, it could become a road map to the "now what" question bugging me.
FIRST MOVE - CANVAS 902
I chose #2, the most conservative of the group as my first move on this project. The object, copy it, get a feel for it and do it fairly large at 56x48. See how my normal process and materials work pared down as much as possible.
902 Koi 56x48 oil on linen (6-1-14)
I cant say this is my most favorite painting in the world but my new alkyd white helped a great deal here. I spent 3 days on it. Each day it was dry and very easy to do seamless blending maintaining a wet-in-wet look - transparent colour moves - not exactly glazing. It was kind of a back and forth thing of very thin to heavier more saturated paint albeit subtle in nature. I really wanted to find out how my normal process worked without introducing new painting instruments or accidental influences like splashing or dripping paint or flooding it with solutions to break my pigments down.
SECOND MOVE - CANVAS 903
903-2 End of day 2 (6-14-14)
903 Hot Koi 56x48 oil on linen (6-15-14)
LOL.......I got caught up in #4 and its saturated colours... it was fun using colour beyond my norm! Actually, far more challenging than you might think because even with a good reference pure pigment can look dull. So it took a number of colours playing against each other to pull it off and quite a challenge at that. In some cases its almost needed to be neon in nature.....not sure I ever got that although pleased with what I did get!
My final photo above was shot without artificial light, only interior daylight. Boy, when I put it in pure sunlight, like the detail below, this thing swings!
This was a great colour exercise, however Im not sure how it fits into what Im trying to accomplish as an artist. As an artist I want a change, Im not sure what that is, other than I know primarily its to keep my interest in the game. Colour would certainly be a core element of anything I do.
Im still using everything Ive learned working in oil over the last 5 years. I typically use a prismatic approach to light... here its raw and exposed....even so, rules are much the same, so it does make one wonder what can come of it?
One of the things I had to work on was getting it to read well at 30 feet.......it was good close-up, it had paint quality and interesting surface texture....even touchable, but thats with my nose in the canvas.....not so much at a distance. The flaws show up so it tells me the rules really are the same.....
The real question, do I continue, take a break or retreat.
Im still using everything Ive learned working in oil over the last 5 years. I typically use a prismatic approach to light... here its raw and exposed....even so, rules are much the same, so it does make one wonder what can come of it?
One of the things I had to work on was getting it to read well at 30 feet.......it was good close-up, it had paint quality and interesting surface texture....even touchable, but thats with my nose in the canvas.....not so much at a distance. The flaws show up so it tells me the rules really are the same.....
The real question, do I continue, take a break or retreat.
Later.......
Available link for download
Friday, December 30, 2016
A weeks worth of paint and canvas canvas 998
A weeks worth of paint and canvas canvas 998
Last week I plowed into gold leaf and oil with a rework on canvas 931 and a new a concept piece 997 also using gold leaf. Canvas 998 is a 30x30 linen (not gallery wrap) meant for a frame. Like the last two, Ill employ the use of metal leaf in my design.
CANVAS 998
998-1a
998-1b
998-1c
998-1d
I covered my canvas completely with wet-in-wet paint using both a brush and knife. The paint application was thick, full bodied using medium for easy flow. Then as my last step, I carefully add gold on top with a clean brush and a little clear medium (only enough to capture the gold and hold it for placement). Using the same brush I worked the gold into the wet oil where necessary, enough to block out the design element. At any point I can add more or bury any part in paint as needed. Keeping the brush clean before adding more, helps. Heavy paint will bury it, where thin washes will enhance the metal by allowing the gold to show through.
COMPLETED CANVAS
998 Gold Oak Leaves 30x30 oil on linen (11-10-15)
998 frame test
DETAILS
DETAILS
The details show clearly how abstract the spontaneous brushwork really is; just enough to to get the concept across. My main painting objective was about shadow and light reflections on a waters surface.... while at the same time introducing metal leaf into my oil medium as a separate design element.
This is kind of a busy week outside my studio. My gallery space at Crossroads is due for a major change out for the November 20th art walk opening. It happens every 2 months and something Ive done for the last 4 or 5 years.......lots of art enthusiasts always show up too.
Gallery entrance with all new originals, including 995 Jitters as the lead in and 998 the new Koi above has found its first wall
Two more new works made the cut too - however the big 931 Modified Koi is about to be bumped opening night in favor of an enhanced Giclee. The original was the last lead painting from the September Art Walk. The gallery is now shared with THE PRIVATE COLLECTION GICLEE something I started earlier this year as an alternative to my original paintings. The Private Collection is very much a work-in-process.
Available link for download
A Weeks worth of paint and canvas numbers in titles
A Weeks worth of paint and canvas numbers in titles
I number my paintings because otherwise it would be a bloody nightmare keeping track of the buggers. So I know for sure Im 5 paintings away from completing my 1st thousand........better than a guess, which would surely be exaggerated or underestimated a bit. Tracking numbers and dates is a good thing. I didnt mind 3 numbers in my title but not excited about using 4; something about it feels unnaturally out of balance. Im sure its just in my head, but I have been thinking about it because its a lot of numbers in a title. Perhaps a number alone would be a simple solution, and everyone knows computers love numbers.....although sometimes the title is as important as the painting itself. My guess is Ill get use to using 4 numbers sooner than later.....perhaps a lower font to diminish its importance.
In between all this thinking, number 995 emerged from my white canvas and I suppose one could say it was born with its own social security number. After all it will have the tax man too........think about it.:=)
PAINTING 995 an exercise in yellow
JITTERS 40x44 oil on linen (10-27-15)
A thousand paintings is a lot of paint and canvas to go through, not to mentions frames. If I count up the days, which I did out of curiosity, my number is 2,410 days working as an oil painter.....so about 2.4 days per painting. I guess all this numerical fluff is useful establishing bench marks or a glimpse into future possibilities - for me its a simple organizational necessity. Im thankful organizational skills prevailed over leaving a scattered trail of work. It is also a valuable learning tool as a visible digital record of my progress as an artist--a record I can study at will.
Jitters stayed on the easel much longer than my average 2.4 days. In truth, a painting is done when its done or when the energy field dissipates as it did with this one. What happens to it after is anyones guess......no question they all have a future and over time develop a history. One of the side benefits of making art is a longer mortality than its maker and occasionally I see some off to a good start.
I guess Ive sorted my number problem out writing this post. Its clear to me the number and timeline is second only to the work of art itself when it comes to the history of a painting.
Available link for download
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