Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Abstract Tabletop

 

Abstract Tabletop

12" x 12" oil on board

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I almost called this one, "The Struggle." This is what I'm up against if I decide to do a little painting on the sun porch after a grueling virtual school planning day. All manner of games and cards and buzzers, pencils and papers must be cleared before I can start. Luckily, I didn't know what I wanted to paint anyway, so I painted the tabletop. 

I'm weird and maybe this is what makes me an artist but I'm drawn to random arrangements and trying to find balance in them (maybe that makes them not truly random?) Whether or not true randomness exists and whether or not I captured it in this painting is debatable.  But, I actually had fun painting, despite the clutter. 

Orchid

 

Orchid

8" x 10" oil on board

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Painted in the dregs of winter - late January. I liked the contrast of the warmth inside with the cool outside and the way the cool, blue light was hitting the leaves and the windowsill. This orchid rarely gets any water but it somehow sprouted some flowers a few weeks after I painted it. 

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Hills of Chiapas


 





















Hills of Chiapas

16" x 20" oil on canvas

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Most of the paintings I've completed this year have been painted outdoors. But, it was raining today and the kids were away on a playdate so I decided to work from a photo. 

The image is from a 2014 road trip through Mexico that started in Mexico City and ended in Tulum. We explored six different cities and drove well over 1200 miles.  The photo that I referenced was taken somewhere between San Cristobal De Las Casas and Palenque in the State of Chiapas. The Sierra Madre reach over 13000 feet in this stretch, and I'd guess that we were close to that altitude. 

I often wonder if I'd have the guts (or stupidity) to complete the trip again. It was the greatest adventure of my life, but that's because it was my first road trip outside of the US and I was naive and awestruck.  I didn't even speak Spanish at the time.  I made a list during the trip of all the crazy things we saw and experienced, but it's too long to include here.  

One thing is for sure - if I did do the trip again, I'd add a stop between San Cristobal De Las Casas and Merida.  That leg is 14 hours WITHOUT the pretty serious earthquake that knocked out power and caused mudslides, rock slides, and road and bridge collapses.  Add to those setbacks a non-functioning cigarette lighter that was supposed to be charging our GPS, and a serious case of Montezuma's revenge and...you get the picture.  It is a literal miracle that we found our hotel in Merida.  The GPS had been dead for 400 miles.  The paper map we had did not even show the street that our hotel was located on.  Yet, we arrived.  We arrived without even searching...I honestly can't explain how it happened. 

I've been thinking about this painting ever since. I just didn't think I had the skill to make it turn out the way I wanted it to. I'm still not sure, but that's the reason I keep painting and documenting in this blog.  Year fifteen starts in four days.  I do have a lot of paint leftover after this one - maybe I'll squeeze in one more.  Pretty sure I'd do the trip again. 


Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Haiku

 

Haiku

6" x 6" oil on board

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November light fades

Above, crow flecked clouds scurry 

On winter's approach

Saturday, November 4, 2023

The Big Rock(s)

 















The Big Rock(s)

9" x 12" oil on board

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"The Big Rock" is what my kids call this section of Daniel's Run Park.  So called because there is a fairly large boulder that they climbed back when the boulder probably seemed a lot larger than it does now. The path here follows a ten foot fence lined with barbed wire with signs pointing out that the area is under video surveillance. It's a strange area that reminds me of the Hawkins National Laboratory from Stranger Things. I'm not sure how the giant boulders got there - there are no other boulders in the park that I've seen, and they seem to be purposely placed in ascending size.  

My plan was to paint the largest boulder which is farther up the hill, but it was mostly in shade and didn't look as appealing as these three smaller boulders that line the path. I did three paintings, but this is the only one that was worth keeping. 

Painting slivers of light in the forest is extremely difficult. The light seems to change twice as quickly as it does in an open space such as a field and within 5 minutes, the light and shadows were completely different from my initial sketch. My first painting was a failure because I tried to adjust to match the changes, which made everything muddy because I was painting over the original drawing. This painting was more successful because I sketched everything out and made notes or little dots of paint to show what the light looked like and then basically quit looking at the scene because it was no longer anything like the original sketch. In fact, it was completely in shade.  See photo below.  

The 3rd painting was also a failure and then I got a text from Sarah that she and the kids were heading my way.  When they got there both kids remarked that the boulders were not as big as they remembered them to be.  



Sunday, August 6, 2023

Even More Blue Chairs

 

8 x 10" oil on board

Even More Blue Chairs

I painted the first version of this painting in the backyard with my daughter, Camlin.  I didn't like it so I scraped it off with a palette knife.  But then I liked the way it looked after I had scraped it. Did I like it enough to post it? That, I also tossed around in my head.  Ultimately, I decided that it's part of the progression, so here it is.  Plus, my aunt Enice, who may be the only person who reads this blog, said she liked it :) Thanks, Enice!  This is also the first painting I've done of the chairs since we had to cut down the ninety year old Japanese Maple that used to sit directly behind them - I put the chairs in their current spot to hide the massive stump.  The tree was killed by an infestation of ambrosia beetles that target trees that are already in a weakened state. The arborist who examined the tree said he thought it was weakened by the cicada outbreak in 2021 and then the beetles moved in, bored into the bark, and turned it to sawdust. Heartbreaking. I didn't achieve the colorful, happy tone that I set out to achieve on this perfect summer day in the backyard with my daughter.  Maybe the ghost of this beautiful tree had something to do that that. 

Monday, July 10, 2023

Yoda's Barn

Yoda's Barn

8" x 8" oil on board

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This is one of the barn's at Vance's Country Guest House in McDowell, VA, where we've spent the week after the 4th of July for the past five years. It's called Yoda's barn because there's a grey cat named Yoda that lives in the barn that my kids are obsessed with.  It's a wonder the cat comes around given how much my kids like to pick it up and mess with it.  However, putting food out in the barn is one of the many chores the kids are responsible for while staying  at the farm, so I guess that's why. I'm not a huge fan of cats - they make my nostrils close up - so of course it rubs itself all over me and jumps on my lap anytime I'm sitting in the yard. Even so, I wish I was sitting in that yard right now.  You can see Yoda creeping toward me in the photo below. 



Thursday, June 22, 2023

Low Water Bridge - State Route 612 III

 

Low Water Bridge - State Route 612 III

8" x 10" Oil on board

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I'll let the photo below make my excuses for me.  The guy in the blue chevy truck with the camper top had given up and Rainey went under the car shortly after I took the photo of my easel. I stayed mostly dry because I was under the rear door of my car but rain was blowing in on my easel and board and it was getting cold. I actually like this painting, though.  It's a little abstract and I like the colors and the mountain peaking through in the upper right. I hope I haven't complained too much about standing by a river and painting one of my favorite spots on earth.  I really think it's what makes life worth living. 


Low Water Bridge - State Route 612 II


Low Water Bridge - State Route 612 II

8" x 8" oil on board

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Sure, I said painting a scene a second time lets you see things you didn't see the first time, color mixtures are realized, values, etc. But...the rain...the old man in his blue chevy truck with the camper top, who could have parked on the other side of the road instead of directly in your line of sight...excuses.  It was really enjoyable, actually. And there are things I like more about this painting than the last.  But painting ripples in a river is hard and clearly I need more practice at it.   

Low Water Bridge - State Route 612

Low Water Bridge - State Route 612

8" x 8" oil on board

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These next three posts may not do well to prove my point about the benefits of painting a scene multiple times...this might be the best of three and it was the first.  But, I blame that on the increasingly heavy rain that once again held off until the very moment I broke out the easel. I guess you would call this river crossing a low-water bridge, although you actually have to drive through the river to get from one side to the other.  But there is concrete underneath, so I guess that counts as a bridge? Route 612 cuts across Summers Mountain and connects Bullpasture River Road to Cowpasture Road; a "shortcut" if you're heading back to route 250, headed toward Staunton, VA. It's long and winding and there's really no reason to take the road unless you have property up there or you're adventure riding like we did back when my brother first got his driver's license.  One time we popped a tire when we were halfway over the mountain and we didn't have a tire iron to change the tire.  We waited a looooong time before finally walking miles back to Cowpasture Road and waiting some more for someone to come by.  In addition to the rain making things difficult, a guy pulled up and parked DIRECTLY in front of me on the other side of the river.  He had to have seen me...So I had to crop him out of the painting.  Imagine his blue chevy truck with a camper top in the middle right, in front of that tuft of grass. Excuses.

Updated photo with frame: 



Seldom Seen Hollow II


Seldom Seen Hollow II

9" x 12" Oil on Board

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I completed this painting almost immediately after the previous posted painting and yes, it was still raining.  However, the cabin had a little covered porch on the back, so I stayed dry for this one.  Maybe I'm making excuses, but the majority of my paintings are completed within tiny windows of time. When I'm able to find time. And usually, I only have time (and energy) to complete one painting of a subject in a sitting.  That means that the posted painting is most often my first attempt at painting a subject.  I'm sure this is obvious, but what I've realized on the rare occasions when I have time to complete multiple paintings of the same subject is that only near the end of finishing the 1st painting, sometimes even days or weeks later, do I actually have any idea how to handle the subject; meaning, I notice things that I didn't notice before starting, figure out color mixtures, etc., because I've stared at the subject for hours and hours.  This is what leads me to overwork or muddy up those color mixtures, values, etc.;  I've worked and worked, but only at the end do I really see what needs to be done and by then it's too late.  Trying to rework a painting at the end rarely ever works out. And for some reason, once I've "finished" a painting, I have a tough time making myself go back to it. 

I guess this is why painters paint the same subject over and over again.  Once is not enough.  Twice is inordinately better.  And painting the same subject back to back like I did this day was extremely informative.  By the time I finished the first painting, I noticed things or figured things out that I applied to this painting such as the color in the shadows.  It's like trying to figure out how to play a guitar chord and not getting it right until the end of the song. Even while painting this second painting of the same view, I continued to see things I hadn't noticed before.  If only this property were mine, I'd master that view...

Alzarin Crimson, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow light, manganese violet, sap green, viridian, chromium oxide green, pthalo blue, ultramarine blue, burnt umber, titanium while. 

Seldom Seen Hollow I

 

Seldom Seen Hollow I

8 x 8 Oil on Board

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I went on a three night getaway to a VRBO farm in Doe Hill, Va., Highland County.  The property is 172 acres, backing up to the National Forest.  I went alone with Rainey, my dog, and the plan was to fish, paint and rest up after the end of a grueling school year.  I did all those things, despite the fact that it rained most of the time.  This particular painting was completed in the rain.  It was not raining when I set up, but began pretty steadily the moment I got started.  So steady that it interfered with the paint adhering to the board.  It's tough to see in the photo, but there are some interesting textures, I think because of the water's impact on the paint.  I also had to try and "finish" this really quickly, but I still like the way it turned out.  Rainey is such a good dog - despite the rain and the cows lurking nearby, she never left my side. This is the view from the back of the farm, looking toward the National Forest.  I walked until I was too tired to walk anymore and never reached a property boundary that I could tell.  It is WILD back there - tons of wildlife and native plants that I just don't see anywhere else.  I loved it. Just realized you can see some water droplets if you click on the photo. I tried to blow them all off before I took the photo.

Saturday, April 29, 2023

Apple Tree Copy


I'm embarrassed to post this now that I see the paintings side by side, but I copied this painting from a painter named, Kurt Moyer, who is my favorite painter these days.  The top one is mine. I think it's ok to copy as long as you give the other artist credit.  It's a little like playing someone else's song. You have to learn the other's chords and techniques as you go.  It is easier than trying to paint the subject in the outdoors, but it's still very difficult.  It's amazing how the slightest variation completely changes the tone/feeling/meaning of the painting.  Copying it really makes me appreciate what a master Kurt Moyer is, especially to be able to paint this from life. What surprised me most is the importance of the design of the branches and the composition.  Even if the color and value were spot on, which they definitely are not, balance of design is the greatest factor separating these paintings, in my opinion.  To my credit, the camera DID do a terrible job of capturing my painting... 😃



Saturday, December 31, 2022

Sycamores

 

Sycamores

8" x 8" oil on board

One more for 2022. Camera had a hard time with this one. Happy New Year!

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Blue Pitcher

 







































Blue Pitcher

16" x 20"

Oil on canvas

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My co-teacher gave me some canvases for Christmas and made me promise to use them.  I bought the blue pitcher at an antique mall in Charlestown, WV.  It's cast iron from the 1930's, I think.  I bought it so I could paint it. 

I did this painting in two sittings on separate days out on the sun porch in back of my house. On the first day, I painted with my 7 year old daughter, who was painting her own still life of an apple.  The weather started out bright and sunny but became cloudy in the span of about two hours.  I started the second day at the same time as the previous day. The forecast said increasing clouds, so I thought conditions would be similar to the previous day but, of course, it stayed bright and sunny.  So, the final product is completely different from the way it looked after the first sitting. I say all of this because a lot of painters do still life paintings in controlled conditions: indoors with lighting that is not influenced by the changing light of the sun.  I like the challenge of dealing with the sun and passing clouds. I hope I can do more this year. 

Thursday, October 27, 2022

More Blue Chairs

 

More Blue Chairs

8" x 8" oil on board

This hasn't been the painting year I'd hoped it would be.  The desire has been low, but the fact that I enjoyed doing these is hopeful. Mental and physical clutter is my biggest stressor and roadblock. 


Friday, June 17, 2022

Fern

 

Fern

8" x 8" oil on board

My brain reacts to stress by blocking out everything but what's in front of my face and shutting down any tasks not essential to survival.  That includes painting. And for the last 5 months, I've been stressed. The longest I've gone without painting in twelve years. But it's summer vacation, and I found a little space today.  These aren't great, but at least I tried. The top one has been wiped...


Thursday, December 30, 2021

Crabtree Falls

 

Crabtree Falls

8" x 10" oil on board

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Every now and then a painting feels like a step forward. Although, sometimes I say that and a month later I can't stand to look at it. 

I don't think that will happen with this one, though. I rarely say this, but I'm happy with almost everything about this painting.

Composition, light, color...it's what I've been striving for. The warm foreground, cool middle, sun shining through the trees...I can feel it, and passing that feeling along has become my goal when painting. 

A couple of things that might have helped this one out. First, the kids were staying at their grandparent's, so it was quiet, and I wasn't rushed. Second, I painted this in two sittings, which I rarely do. It may have even benefitted from a third sitting because I started rushing to finish in time for a dinner reservation, and I got pretty tired by the end.  I love this palette, too. The entire painting is three colors, Venetian Red, yellow, and blue-black. Harmony is created when everything is mixed from the same three colors.

This was a good year painting-wise. There were times when I was frustrated by having to squeeze in paintings and finish them in hour or even half an hour with no corrections, etc. But I realize now that it was good practice for moments like this when I'm able to take my time. My goal for the new year is to have a bigger painting going that I work on in pieces over time. I also want to find some go-to outdoor locations, preferably where there aren't a lot of people. 

FYI, this location is just below Crab Tree Falls down in Nelson County, VA.  

Sunday, December 26, 2021

Blue Chair Study

 

Blue Chair Study

5" x 7" oil on board

The desire to paint is strong, but the time is limited, so I've been sneaking in some quick ones.  I've been looking at this guy's paintings, which have been stoking my desire...Still working with the Venitian Red, cadmium yellow light, blue black, plus a blue (phthalo blue in this case) palette, which is limited but versatile. 

We bought some new, "Pacific Blue," Adirondack chairs. My main focus was getting the blues right, but I didn't achieve my goal. I struggled with the highlights in particular. They are nowhere close to how they look in real life.  Note to self, try a tiny dot of lemon yellow mixed with titanium white and pthhalo blue for the highlights next time. 

Tuesday, December 21, 2021