Work in progress 
Continuing with the theme of the week... figuratives. Today instead of just one I thought maybe trying to do a group would be fun...and challenging.
The composition is a zig zag that leads your eye through the painting.
click on picture to enlarge the image
I have been waiting to do this painting for a while.
I started much looser than yesterday's painting. I think that helped keep the painting fresh for a longer period of time.
Almost there! She's wondering what am I going to call this painting.
Click on the picture to enlarge the image
Something different this week. I thought I would change from painting flowers to painting figuratives. I also wanted to use some bolder color. You can't get much bolder than a flame red shirt.
One of my favorite artists is (Dean Mitchell). He does it all in watercolor and oils and he is a great example of someone who is able to capture and highlight human characteristics that make each subject an individual. He also has this great ability to blend abstract design with realism.
Click on the picture to enlarge the image
I painted the background first this time and never touched it again. I think I deserve a treat.
click on picture to enlarge the image
I liked the composition right away. This was going to be a fun painting.
I started putting in the darks then got carried away. I was enjoying the painting too much and forgot one important step....
Decide on the background first.
click on the picture to enlarge the image
I thought I needed to try a totally different approach. So I used a square format and a very cool blue/green pre-toned board. I also used a lot more Liquin for the underpainting of the darks. This gave me a very transparent and thin shadow color to start on.
I kept using Liquin with my paint to keep the color transparent even when over painting the shadow color. I am thinking dark shapes and halftones at this point but I am also aware of form.
It always is a thrill to put the highlights in.
click on picture to enlarge the image
Trumpet Vine Study number 2 - I am back to using a pre-toned panel. I like the spray of the leaves on this one. It fills the painting with a lot of movement.
I have a hard time with the warm oranges in the trumpet vine. They are so intense even in the shadows.
The cool background helps offset the warmth of the blossoms.
click on the picture to enlarge the image
No pre-toned panel today. The stark whiteness on the panel takes some getting used to again.
The trumpet vine is a favorite flower for hummingbirds. It grows in our yard like dandelion though. Sprouting up all over the lawn.
I signed the painting and was ready to move on but something started to bother me. The background was too warm. So I cooled it off with some Titanium White and Cobalt blue. It was a toss up to change it. One of those artist's choice moments.
click on the picture to enlarge the image
click on picture to enlarge the image
Brush in the dark over the pre-toned panel. If you like the abstract design of light and dark at this stage you will most likely enjoy the final painting. Of course, if you don't like the design at this stage of your painting there is little that can help you later when you start adding detail. Better to begin again than waste a lot of time.
Darks and lights, darks and lights. I should have a parrot in the studio trained to squawk at me and keep me from going into detail too soon.
I began adding the flowered print on the backdrop. It stole the spot light from the focal point so I removed it.
click on picture to enlarge the image
around the Day 2 - Continuing the series of painting Peaches and Peonies. Only this time I left out the peaches. Painting a series allows me to experiment with many of the ingredients that go into the recipe of a painting. Here I changed the size (from 5x7 to 8x8) and the format from rectangular to square. I also added a peony to the arrangement and started with a darker pre-toned board. I painted the lighter background to create a silhouette of the form.
Another benefit of doing a series - Comparing one painting to another before adding the finishing touches.
click on the painting to enlarge the image
Blocking in the darks and lights is so much easier when the background is already toned. I have lightened the background just a touch but I have not painted in the halftone in the shadow of the peonies. This gives the illusion of form very quickly.
click on the picture to enlarge the image
A quick sketch in charcoal to place the composition. These are more flowers from Saturdays Farmer's market. I think I should get an artist discount the next time I go there. ( by the way... the grapes are plastic... sssshhhh! don't tell)
I think I read someplace recently that values are more important than color. I tend to agree with that. I would add to it though. Values are more important than detail.
Here's a better look at the block in of lights and darks. I left a lot of the pre-toned orange panel poking through. It helps tie the colors together.
click on the picture to enlarge the image
I recently moved my studio to the basement of our house. It gives me more room to arrange a still life and also allows me space to back up from the easel. I bought these beautiful flowers from the farmer's market in downtown Omaha on Saturday. I thought they would make a great center piece to a larger figurative painting. I have constructed a backdrop that imitates a more formal setting. The wall and curtain actually are hanging from a pole. The wall is cardboard.
click on picture to enlarge the image
Everyone goes through a slump. Baseball players that are paid millions of dollars a year do it. Moms that don't get paid anything do it. CEO's, writers, sales people, students, even industries go through slumps. So it should be no surprise that artists can go through a period where things just don't flow.
I can say this now because I feel I have just gone through one. I define an art slump as an emotional disconnect from the creative process. Here are the danger signs of going into an art slump.
Peony Study