Elevator Up

Elevator UP

21"x26"

 

 

'Elevator Up' is being shown at Waverly House in Springfield, Missouri.

 

I got the Idea for this painting in New York.  My daughter needed a restroom.  Those who have visited New York City, know this can be a problem.  My husband suggested a nearby hotel.  The elevator had a mirror in the ceiling.  What a great painting that reflection would make.  I did not take a photo.  In the Naples, Florida Art Museum, the elevator had a mirror in the ceiling.  I shot the needed photo in packed elevator.  I was ready to paint.

 

This painting took forever to paint.  It was quite complicated with several figures.  The number of figures alone would dictate that this be drawn using a grid system.  The unusual vantage point made things extra challenging. 

 

Every figure needed to relate to the ones beside it in value and color temperature.  The elevator itself had to adhere to correct perspective rules.  The details were very important.  If one thing was not right the painting would not pull together.

 

After much fussing and changing all goals are accomplished.  The painting seems to be received very well.  It was worth the time and struggle.

 



Yellow Fish

This painting may drive me underwater for awhile.  "What will happen if," was the theme of today.  This little guy looked much better in the beginning, but I tried moving paint with alcohol but the paint clung to the fish.  It move everywhere else.  In the end the opaqueness of a cadmium yellow saved the day. Wet into wet made most of the background.  On with experimentation tomorrow.  

Paddle Boarding

This is something I think I might want to try.  Of coarse balance and strain on the back may be a concern.  It doesn't hurt to try it once.  I can not wait to get back to the gulf.  This was more work than I thought it would be.  The more I do water and it's movements the stronger my vocabulary should become for the wet stuff. 

I think that I will experiment with fish in the water tomorrow. 

I am done for the day.  Did not have much time for this one, but maybe this one is only a first attempt.  I think I may try a sunset soon and use a cold press paper.  It seems more workable, and the paint moves better.  I think the colors are too intense and this is a bit harsh. 

The sky in a sunset is smoother and there is a fine line with the dark and the light.  Actually the color is created from the sun shining just below the horizon.  Sunset is at a time of day when the light is special, but low.  the only real color is in the sky.  The water is usually dark and does not have much color.  It is sometimes hard to wrap your mind around the idea that there is not much light but it is also about the light. 

Three Tomatoes

Three Tomatoes

painting 3: Thirty Paintings in thirty days

 

 

Today I painted tomatoes.  The tomato crop is good this year.  I often had dead plants before the tomatoes form.  One year the temperatures remained in the 100's for weeks.  All the leaves fell of my plants.  Come August the temperatures dropped and it rained frequently.  My rose bushes and tomato plants grew leaves and looked great.  We had a frost before the second crop of tomatoes appeared

 

I chose to use a hot press paper.  I am rarely happy with the painting process on this paper.  It holds onto the paint and creates hark edges where I don't want them.  I used a soft green for the background to heighten the red color. 

 

When I laid these on the art table, on a white piece of mat board I notice great colors in the shadows. There were two light sources.  One was the overhead lights which created the shadows.  The second source was the window.  This is not idea but real life.

 

Hmmmm. What will I paint tomorrow?  

Shell with Pink

 

 

Shell with Pink

 

I have taken a challenge of a painting a day for thirty days.  The first posting I did not put on this link maybe I will be successful of connecting tonight.  I have a cold and it is my birthday but I am determined.

 

This was complicated little shell to paint for a simple study.  I tried not to paint every little nub and shadow.  The texture and the movement was what I wanted to capture.  Scraping when the paint was wet helped me achieve some of the texture within the shell. 

 

I drew curves extending from the arcs of the shell into the background.  Then I under-painted color into each shape.  Carving out the outline with the development of the background just felt good.  At some point in this process I decided to turn the subject on it's side.  The paper turned as well as the shell.

 

This evening when doing a few touch ups I notice the shadow created by the lamp on my table put red in the under shadow.  I see things I could do to this, but this is probably and exercise in letting go.

I am done for the day.  Tomorrow I am home so I will try to post the painting from day one on the blog as well as my third study.



Great Day in the Studio

I seem to be making good progress in all my endeavors.  After I get through cleaning up all the framed artwork in my studio, I must finish work on a price raise for May.  I have switched to a per inch regime.  This takes away pricing with emotional attachments and is more consistent for customers and galleries. 

This new system means a higher price point for many of my paintings, but some paintings are a little lower.    I am hoping this puts me in the mid range with my competition but I haven't finished my research in that area yet.  I can always adjust again in six months before the season  in Florida begins. 

'Bullfrog Gaze' did sell at the old price.  Yippee!

 

 

I am so pleased with progress of this painting.  It is now sitting where I can observe it from across the room.  The bird was pretty simple.  Now I want the water to work just right.  I am cutting the mat for framing, and laying the mat on this will help me hone the composition.

 

 



I am probably finished working on this one for today.  The changes on this was much easier than I had imagined.  Using a flat scrubber brush I lifted most of the paint of my husband's face. Trying not to use too much water, would insure I do not have to stretch the paper again.  I painted the area. Maybe you can detect an eye under the paint but you, would have to know to look for it.

Do I want to remove the camera and hand below?  Do I want to carry the glass shelf on across in that area?  Painting on this will resume tomorrow morning when I have had time to think about this.