catching up with some recent studies

Hey folks -- it's been a busy and productive month since things finished up with the puppetry gig. Lots of paintings and works in progress on the go! Also, I started a new figure group that meets on Thursdays from 7 to 10 . . . click here for full details if you'd like to join us -- everyone is welcome! A few of us have been working in oils on the long pose. Here's two studies using a raw umber wipe-out (reductive) method. 

And some other small studies that are worth sharing . . . playing with reflective surfaces . . . 

 

3 Pears, Daily Painting (click to bid)

Well, the porch is still chilly, but one of the local arts organizations in town has lent me a corner of their space to work in for a while. Here's a simple little set up to get back into the swing of daily painting. 

The underpainting is basically a value study in raw umber, burnt sienna and white. I'm keeping the values slightly lighter than they actually are so I have some room to maneuver the color layers and glazes. 

Here is the study after adding the initial color notes. And then below is the finished study with further color layers and the highlights added. Click on the painting to see a larger image of it.

8x10, oil on canvas mounted on baltic birch panel.
Click to bid on this painting.

As a bonus, the winning bidder will also receive an original Haiku on the brief, transitory nature of fruit in winter.

Pastel Pear Sketch

5x7, Pastel on Ambersand's Pastel Board

apple pastel

The porch warmed up today, so I grabbed some pastels and an apple to see what could be done after the kids finally got to sleep.

Here's the set up . . . and my underpainting done in Conté hard pastels, mostly earth tones.

First layer of soft pastel color . . . 

After a another layer of soft color and a couple of details with the Conté crayons.

5x7, pastel on Ampersand Pastel Board. Sold.

Still Life, In Progress

Before heading out on vacation I started working on a still life composition . . . . here's the set up:

drawing and initial block in:

first pass at hitting the major color notes:

Power Drill

Didn't go to figure drawing tonight but managed to finish off my latest effort from the past few evenings on the porch. Yup, that's my trusty Makita. 6 x 8, linen mounted on baltic birch.

Paint Tubes

I'm quite proud of myself for knowing that less is more with this one. Once the major shapes were realized, a few subtle color shifts, shadow adjustments, and accents, took care of the rest. I really tried to be conscious of using directional brush strokes to help shape the form.

oil on gessobord, 5 x 7 inches
SOLD

As a bonus, the winning bidder will also receive a free original Haiku on the theme of paint, color, and expression.

Paint Tubes, In Progress

Here's what's on the easel this evening . . .



The initial block in . . . just thinking in terms of major value relationships, mass and angles. The one tube on the left looks a little too slim, but I manage to fix it (a bit) by the next photo.


And after another hour, I've made some initial color notes . . . still need to take a cm off the length of the red tube to bring it in proportion with the other.


Well, all part of the work for tomorrow . . . I'll let it tack up and off to sleep for me!

Lemon Slice

I quite liked painting this one . . . there are a lot of subtle color and temperature shifts that take place on the skin of a lemon.

oil on gessobord, 5 x 7 inches
Bid on this painting now. Bidding starts at $40.

As a bonus, the winning bidder will also receive a free original Haiku on the theme of lemons, repentance, and creation.

Pliers Study

Here's a study I just completed of my handy pair of paint-box pliers. First, the block in, massing the basic shape and major values. You can see the remnants of where I wiped the drawing away several times.



After the first hour . . . the big challenge was working out all the planes and angles. It finally started to look like something.


Here's the final study. Roughly two hours over the course of two sittings. 8x8, oil on gessoboard.

Red Chili Pepper

Here's the set up and value study . . . there are a lot of subtle little shifts in value . . . a good challenge to try to look through all the red and see the shifts.


And here's the painting after diving in with the color.



oil on gessobord, 5 x 5 inches

Bart School Apple

For the past week I've been visiting the local arts and technology school in Adams, MA, leading a workshop in small-scale still life painting. With only a couple of hours a day, it's been a rush to try to get the students up and painting -- they're grade 11 students, and most are very keen, so that helps. We spent the first week on line and value, and now we're leaping into color. I'll try to snap a photo of some of their work later this week. In the meantime, here's a quick study (20 minutes) that I did as a glazing demonstration. 6x6 acrylic on gessoboard.

Pocket watch

My Dad gave me this watch when I graduated from high school and it had once belonged to my great-grandfather, a Montana cattle man who came up to Alberta at the turn of the century to become a big time rancher. The watch is a beautiful thing to behold . . . the painting is headed back home to Calgary with my Dad as his birthday present. Oil on linen mounted on Baltic Birch, 6 x 8 inches.

Red Rose and Spoon

Here's the final painting for the auction Saturday. This was good fun -- lots of fussing and playing with contrast. 6 x 8, oil on Linen mounted on Baltic Birch.

Back on the porch!

I really do enjoy sitting down at the end of the day with a cup of tea. So I dragged one of the tea bags out of the pot and onto the back porch the other night and started this . . . . I have another session to finish up the red rose on the tag, and a few details and then it'll be up for auction Saturday night at my daughter's school fundraiser.

Red Rose and Spoon, 6x8 on Linen mounted on baltic birch.

I'll post again in a few days with the finished piece. Good to be back and looking forward to some good painting adventures this summer! -DL

Garlic

oil on gessobord, 5 x 5 inches
Sold.

Looking forward to trying some recipes out of my new Charlie Trotter cookbook (thanks, Bro!) I'll be breaking apart this lovely bulb for soup stock this afternoon after a quick jaunt to the store for parsnips and carrots.

As a bonus, the winning bidder will also receive a free original Haiku on the theme of garlic, hot soups, and cozy homes.

Pear

oil on gessobord, 6 x 6 inches
Sold.

As a bonus, the winning bidder will also receive a free original Haiku on the theme of pears, cheese, and complements.

Crab Apple

oil on gessobord, 5 x 5 inches
Sold.

As a bonus, the winning bidder will also receive a free original Haiku on the theme of sour little apples, fall chills, and weekend walks.

Is this a true crabapple? I'm not sure, but I tasted one of it's siblings and it sure was sour. It would make a great chutney or jelly for the holidays!

Onion

oil on gessobord, 5 x 5 inches
This painting will be up for auction at the North Berkshire Creative Arts' Art for Art's Sake Auction

To me, this time of year is about onions as much as anything else. Sautéed, they release their sweet flavor. I use them for a base for butternut squash soup. It's especially good with a grated granny smith apple thrown in. Mmmmm.

Soap Stone Hippo

oil on gessobord, 4 x 4 inches
Sold.

As a bonus, the winning bidder will also receive a free original Haiku on the theme of travel, sculpture, and wild beasts.