Maine Light

8x10" oil on panel                                    click to enlarge

Recently I've been working with white in all kinds of light: learning how to make it read warm and cool; making it more complex with multiple colors.  This weekend I painted Maine Light  at a workshop taught by Tim Horn at the Knowlton Gallery in Lodi.  In "Keeping it Fresh, Tim demonstrated how to use elements of plein air painting when working from photos.  It was great fun.. he's a friendly and patient teacher. And, the icing on the cake....the other 'kids' in the class were a kick. Lovely, funny, supportive.  The learning continues....

You're Invited...

..to the annual TINY show at Studio Gallery, in SF.  Gallery owners Jennifer and Rab selected these two pieces; two of my favorites--probably because the 'models' are so dear to me.

I'll be there late afternoon Sunday for about an hour.   The receptions are fun, often spilling out onto Polk - if you can, come by and say hi.

If you can't make the reception, the exhibit will run Nov and Dec. Details about the show, and a preview, can be seen here:  http://www.studiogallerysf.com/

Blast from the Past Calle Lillies

20x16" oil on canvas                              click to enlarge

When I moved my studio last winter, I found this painting tucked in the back of my canvas storage cabinet. It's one of one of my earliest still life pieces. The background is a prussian blue-black.  The most fun was painting the 'white' - use so many colors and yet it reads as white.

Blogger Blues :-(

Dear Friends, I'm SO sorry you are getting old blog images... arrrrhhhh   I recently signed up for Google+.  I like that my android photos automatically upload to my MAC - easy to just grab for posting.

Then I noticed a ton of OLD photos in Google+(1-3 years) so decided to delete them.  BIG MISTAKE. Had no idea they were connected to my blog. Suddenly images throughout my blog were gone. So, I tried to 'fix' it by editing and reposting the missing blog photos.  Now, as you notice,they are reappearing as new posts.  Again - my apologies.

 Please hang in there.  A new post in coming soon; working on another parade painting.

Birthday Tulips 1&2

acrylic on canvas                                                   20x20 plus large gold frame

acrylic on canvas                                   18x24 black frame  with gold accent 

I'm entering one of these in a juried show this week; haven't decided which yet.  They were from hubby for a birthday awhile back.  I painted fast and furious because each day they changed positions - felt like I was painting dancers.  Boy they were hard to photo.  Something about the contrast between the very black background and the bright flowers created lots of glare even when I shot them in a room with no direct sunlight.  Anyone have a trick for shooting these dark colors?

To purchase:  http://www.maryvalente.com/painting.php?pid=birthdaytulips

P.S..  Long ago I found this great entry an art forum -from a painter - Elwell.  Thought I'd pass it along:

Question "How can I hasten drying time on an oil painting?"

Answer:  "How thick a paint layer are we talking? If you've got any impasto then your best bet is to leave well enough alone. If we're talking relatively thin layers, however, there are some old illustrator's tricks. 

Yes, heat works, but you have to be careful. A drawing lamp positioned ~6-8" from the painting should dry it overnight, but only works on relatively small areas. I do know of one illustrator (Rene Milot) who uses those McDonald's fry lights. I've even heard of people putting paintings in the oven at very low heat. In all cases, you want to heat things up just slightly. You don't want a scorched painting (at best), or a burnt-down house!

Thin washes of paint can also be dried with a misting of Krylon Crystal Clear spray. Only do this outdoors or with LOTS of ventilation, as this stuff is pretty nasty. I wouldn't do this on any piece you were intending for the ages, as there is the possibility of yellowing and cracking down the line, but it does work in a pinch.

Finally, you can build a box around the painting out of cardboard or foam core so that it can be transported, photographed, etc. while still wet.

All of these can be avoided, of course, by using some sort of drying medium when you paint."

Elena

Remember the self-portrait I did in Sept. ..using lots of color to push the values, facial planes etc.? Well, I thought it would be fun to paint Elena like that though found myself toning it down a bit ...perhaps because of the mood of the photo; she was really absorbed in her book.

BTW - this painting was done in acrylic; the parade painting posted a couple days ago was with oil.  I really can't tell a difference looking at paintings.  Though, when painting, it feels very different.  Can you tell?

Oktoberfest Parade

 (Click on image to enlarge)
I started this painting last week. Thought I'd show the progression.  What a challenge this was.. the photo is full of men and women in gray and black costume...with this sweet girl leading her town's Bavarian band.  Her bright red jumper popped against their staid colors. Decided to paint the band vague-ish; she's my bloom to shine on.    
The parade of 8000 participants(!)..led to great beer & bratwurst tents, music and the "largest carnival in the world".