Like a proud mama! A Values lesson well learned

In class Saturday, we did exercises to learn how to use values,  i.e. seeing and painting the light, dark and mid-brightness of your subject to create a more dynamic rather than 'flat'  painting. Each student painted one strawberry.

Barbara's Berries - click to enlarge

One of my students, Barbara B. went straight home and continued to work on this value study,  adding more strawberries. This is the result...I think she nailed it! I'm so proud at how well, as a novice, she picked up this fairly complex concept.  It's one thing to talk theory; another to do it.  Thanks, Barbara, for allowing me to share this.   If you have any comments for Barbara, leave them below in the comment section and she can read them.   Now go paint!

               Poppy in Blue     36x48" acrylic

Lots of energy here, like blossoms blowing around in the wind.  Makes me think of when kids blow on a dandelion. Where do these big abstract-ish pieces come from? I think they must be the blended memories of all the realistic paintings I've made over the years.  Will hang this in my dining room until my next big show.

Beyond Painting

there are many amazingly beautiful paintings for sure, but Nature is the artist that trumps it all.  I saw this TED video - and want to share it with my art-loving readers.  Breathtaking, awesome (in the 'old' sense!) .  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. http://www.youtube.com/v/xHkq1edcbk4

18 Budding Artists!

Had a fabulous class today! Meet my students, below -- 18 budding artists filled the room with six more on the waiting list.  Most have never ever painted; some have dabbled in one area or another, a couple painted a lifetime ago.  Warms my heart to see all these accomplished people jumping into something so new... learning to create a spectrum of color, playing with paint, tackling new concepts.  Now they are ready to really start painting what they love, be it abstract, landscape, figure, still life or....

Students - I'd love to see your 'homework' or whatever you paint next. Send me photos by email. Most importantly - KEEP PAINTING!

A tulip by any other name.....

                           "Monte Carlo"   acrylic 6x6 

Who knew? Two little facts:  Monte Carlo is also the name of a flower...and..it's a tulip.  It was part of the bouquet with the parrot tulips. I'm going to be in an art festival later this spring and I will have both these small paintings as well as larger canvases.

BTW - when you look at this, if it looks pale , tilt your computer screen to see the contrast. The jpg came out pretty light.  I'm giving up on my camera; most of the photos I took have stripes of white through them. And finally, thanks to you have liked me on Facebook.

Just a Little Parrot

                 Parrot Tulip    acrylic 6x6"

A couple entries ago I posted Two Parrots....this is a second painted from the same bouquet. Can you tell I love tulips?

One of my 2012 goals is to optimize my presence in the on-line media art world.  Some of you saw that I recently joined Daily Paint Works, an on-line art gallery.  I admit, it's hard to juggle-- time spent communicating on-line vs time painting in the studio (way more fun! :-)

To that end, I'd like to ask that if you enjoy this blog - or if you see a particular entry you like,please share it using by clicking on one of the social networking icons below (e.g. Facebook)  Regardless, I love that you are keeping up with my entries.  Always feel free to email me your questions or comment below.  Thanks! 
 

Painter's Tips: drying additives for oil paint medium

I know I just posted but I want to respond to a question I received.

When one begins to paint in oils, you find your paintings stay wet a long while - making it hard to work with (the paints smears easily, especially if there is a lot of very fine detail) and you can't frame or mail them right away.  One solution is to add a drying agent to your paint medium.

One tip: use a good medium to mix with your paint, for example: 1/2 linseed oil or stand oil and 1/2 gamesol or other paint thinner.  (I like gamesol because it's almost odorless; even more so than some that claim to be but there are other options).   The gamesol or thinner helps the oil paint dry more quickly; the linseed oil will give it a luscious creamy flow as you apply it.  And your paint goes further. Remember to read the labels, follow safety warnings regarding toxicity etc. 

To further hasten drying time, there are other products (liquin, cobalt drier etc.).  These products should be used very sparingly.  If you use too much drier additive, the top layer of the paint will dry quickly, but the underneath layer may still be wet for awhile.  This can lead to crackling of the top layer and ruin your work.  This is not always the case; it depends a lot on how thick you are applying your paint and how much drying product you are using. 

There are dozens of mediums to use with your oil paint (mix your own or pre-mixed).  And many artists use none at all!   But if used correctly, these products can make painting with oils a lot easier.
Let me know if you have further questions.

New Adventures in Painting

Two Parrots  acrylic  6x6"

This little tulip painting was done last week, along with it's buddy Parrot Tulip (will post another day).  One of my favorite flowers - they were in an Easter bouquet last year.  I tried to capture the lightheartedness and whimsical nature of the tulips rather than making a photo realism image.

You know how hard it is to keep New Year's Resolutions!?  I am NEVER successful. This year one goal was to branch out to new art venues.  Well, woohoo, I can one off!  I just joined Daily Paintworks.  Am very jazzed about finding this new on-line gallery!  I hope to post often - new work will pop up on the front page.  PLUS - you will see lots of other art -every imaginable style.

The only obstacle, for viewers who want to find a particular artist's new work, is that the artists names are not obvious on the front page, but you can easily use the search field on the left.  

Check it out....    http://www.dailypaintworks.com/

Keep your Acrylic Paintings Vibrant

                                                     NEON PEAR   acrylic wash on paper (click to enlarge)

  

The above painting was a little study made while honing a technique in a class -  making acrylic washes.  The beauty of acrylic paint is that you can use it to create either a rich, oil-painterly look or a soft, more ephemeral watercolor effect. When using full body professional-grade acrylic paint you will end up with thick lustrous color without doing anything to it.  However, when you mix the paint with a lot of water, to make washes, blending of watery colors etc.,  it will dry very dull.

When you create your piece and it's still wet, you'll love it, but then become disappointed when it dries and the result is a flat--a grayed out dull painting.  DON'T DESPAIR!  You can bring your painting back to life. Just brush a couple coats of high gloss varnish over it and all the colors will come back to life!  You can use varnish from the art supply store...or just plain old boat varnish.  It will last you a long long while and be cheaper.  When you brush, use a cheap hardware store type brush; always brush in the same direction to avoid bubbles.

No-cal Dessert

                             Orange Slices  oil (double click on photo)

 

Going through my art photos. Here's a shot of a painting from almost 9 years ago.  One of hubby's top two picks.  Are you OK with the abstract feel or might prefer if it were a more traditional realistic still life?