Daily Painting Practice - turn overs another way to generate ideas

This a seascape at night. A painting by Frederick Waugh. I wonder where he  came up with his idea?

 

If you have been following my blog lately, you know that I am trying  to come up with many ideas for seascapes from thumbnail sketches. I was inspired to think about a moonlit seascape recently, not by Waugh, no my idea came from...

This.
No, it is not my color sketch for a foggy, moon lit, night time seascape. But it did give me an idea for a future painting. You will actually need to stand on your head to see the source.... go ahead ... I'll wait.
Never mind, I'll help you out....

 Remember this one?  (Yes I am still working on it.) The sea at night sketch is actually this painting turned over and cropped.  
 So, if you are runnning dry on ideas, (running dry is  very dangerous for seascape painters) you can turn over a new leaf,  or better yet turn over an old painting. You may be surprised at what you see.

Here are the latest progress shots of this painting. You have to go back quiet a few posts to see when and how I started.  

 I am working all over the place -   making the rocks rockier, making the background fall back, giving the trees some form and the water some foam.

 
  Too much splash in those waves on the left and not enough contrast between foreground and middle ground.

 It's coming along.  I added a leaf or two, detailed some of the rock, then worked... reworked ...and reworked the falls.

I still need to work on the foreground water and then ask for a critique from the fab 5.

Daily Painting Practice - Fall colors at a Northwoods Lake - part 1

What comes first Composition or Color?

Actually, I have read the concept or idea should come first.  Use composition to help you convey your idea. Use color to help sell the story to the viewer.
 So, if my idea is beautiful autumn trees in sunlight, I should use a composition to best convey that.

 I think this composition will do the job. The color choices  to sell my idea of beautiful autumn trees, means that the color will have to be strong not muted, and they should also be harmonious. I'll try to do this sticking with a limited palette of colors. Ultra Marine Blue, Cerulean Blue, Cad yellow light,  Aliz. Crimson, Cad Red light. and Titanium White.

 I am desperately trying to stay away from using white in the clouds. I hate pasty looking clouds. These are cad yellow and cad red light with white and some blue. I'm not pleased with the way the clouds  line up and I think they need to be warmer.

 So far the sunny part of my idea is working . The rest of the painting needs refining but I like the progress.

Daily Painting Practice - Tree study part 2

Enjoying your subject, I think, is half the battle to painting.

I really enjoyed  mapping out the color in this study. and also playing with the light.

 That light tree in the center was bugging me. It looked liked it couldn't make up its mind which side of the  path it should  be on.

 So I moved it to the background.

click on the image to enlarge the picture

Northwoods Tree Study

12"x16"

oil on canvas

Daily Painting Practice- Tree color study - walks in the North Woods

Every artist knows of places where they feel they could spend the rest of their life painting and never run out of interesting subjects. 

For me it would be Maine or the North Woods of  Wisconsin. All I need to do is take a walk in the woods and the ideas start flooding in. But how to decide what to paint? 

 When you literally can't see the forest through the trees (or maybe it would be better to say, can't see the painting through the details),  I find it easier to  eliminate details and look for abstract shapes of light and dark.

 For example, I started this color study looking for abstract blotches of color to lay on the toned canvas. I was thinking of  trees  but painting them as abstract color notes. It was a good way to stay loose in the beginning and not get sucked into  details too early.

 Sorry about the  blurry photo. However, it is a good example of how you should  blur your eyes when painting as a way of eliminating detail and simplifying  values. 

click on the picture to enlarge the image

Walk in the Woods - Color Study

6"x6"

oil on canvas board

Daily Painting Practice- stay in the game - painting the North Woods

I think for me as an artist discouragement and persistence go hand in hand. Often my mind's eye sees the painting  I would like to paint, while my physical eyes reveal the painting that I actually produced. They hardly ever match and discouragement follows.

 That's where persistence must come in. People who fall off horses have quaint sayings that tell them  to
"get back in the saddle" and  sports failures  are told to "get back in the game". But what words of wisdom do we artists have when things  go wrong? "Wipe it off and start over?" ... Not very encouraging. nor very creative.

 I am convinced that words of wisdom don't really work with artists anyway. ( even though we love to hang slogans and quotes on our easels). What we really need is tough art love. What we need and what we do best with is being told the cold hard truth.....  "Painting is hard and  at some point every artist will want to quit." Don't you feel better?

I think someone needs to tell all wanna-be artists -  what comes with the territory. A warning label should be required  in every first  paint set and they should sell persistence pills at every art supply store.
Painting is hard.... but that fact takes nothing away from the enjoyment of doing it.  Quite the opposite.

 So, for all those  discouraged wanna be artist's ...  keep the paint on your brush...  step up to the easel....keep your eye on the horizon line and relax and enjoy pushing some paint.

 Back in the North woods and a little progress.  I am  trying something different with this painting.  Painting the entire foreground in shadow.  So as I am working on the background, I am trying to make sure the  darkest values of the background  stay  lighter than the lightest values in the foreground shadows. It's not an easy thing to  remember.

I'll need to adjust all the light areas in the foreground as I  proceed with the water. Slow going  but  I'll stick with it.

Oh,   I  came up with a slogan  for the easel.  The effort is always worth more than the results. 

Daily Painting Practice- take an old painting and improve it.... add a red canoe

I have question. What do you do with older paintings that for one reason or another have not sold?
I have a few paintings hanging around.  So, what do I do with them? I could paint over them( done that), give them away (done that but...not any more), donate them ( done this), store them and take up studio space ( doing that now).

Here's another idea. Rework them, change them, try to improve them... ( then maybe rename them and  try to sell them again.)

 This one came back from the gallery it was called "Along the Bank".
I always thought it was missing something. The painting didn't give me,as viewer, any reason to stay and look at it.

 click on the painting to enlarge the image

The Red Canoe

30"x24"

oil on canvas

Now with a few new touches:
I added the canoe, some birch tree trunks in the background and  highlighted  details of the grass in the back, also strengthened the fallen tree in the fore ground, and played a little with some stones and tree trunks.
Oh, and I gave it a new title...pending approval from you know who/wife.

Daily Painting Practice- Completed Northwoods painting - Loon's Lullaby

I  actually signed it! You all may be bored with me posting about this painting but I finally  can call it  finished.

click on the painting to enlarge the image

Loons Lullaby

20"x24"

oil on canvas

While we were on vacation we  stopped at the  Portland Museum of art in Portland Maine.  What a great small  museum.  Dedicated to mostly American artists,  I was able to  study a painting,Mt. Katahdin from Millinocket Camp, by Frederic Edwin Church. Seeing the way  he handled  the light on the trees really helped me finish this painting.

 Phillips Mill Inn

work in progress

So, one completed and another one on the way.  Here is the latest progress on my  painting of the Phillips Mill Inn. 

Daily Painting Progress - Painting Marigolds - One step forward, two steps back

Sometimes things don't as planned in the studio.  Every now and then I suffer from an old artistic ailment... I over paint.  There is no cure, you just have to avoid risky behavior and stay away from raiding the refrigerator when things go astray. ( I'm a new member of  EEA - Emotional Eaters Anonymous) I  actually  should have left well enough alone.

One of the benefits I get from this blog is that I take all of these progress photos, and as a result I can step back in time and see  when I have murdered the  light in  a painting.

Nothing to do now but to go back in and see if I can pull the light out again... and of course stay away from the refrigerator.

Speaking of  going back into a painting...a

Loons Lullaby -

still a work in progress

I am still going back into this painting. I keep finding areas to work on.  One day ( before the sun  goes down in this  painting) I may actually  finish it.

Daily Painting Practice - Painting Sunsets aren't for the Timid

You shouldn't try to paint a sunset if you get weak in the knees at the thought of laying down an orange sky. Claude Monet certainly wasn't one to shy away from the sunset as a subject.

Sunset on the Seine in Winter by Claude Monet

Monet is a great one to follow into the sunset.

click on the image to enlarge the painting

Loon's Lullaby 

Work in Progress

20"x24"

oil on canvas

I still have more to do with the foreground water but I'm enjoying the "Impressionistic" approach to the subject. I really don't like using that word but I can't think of another to replace it yet.

Daily Painting Practice - Beginning to Finish Something, I think

Hello, my name is Peter,  and I am a recovering beginner...
( to understand what that means, refer to last week's post). I have been on the wagon for one week in a row. Here is my  finished piece.

click on the image to enlarge the painting

Summer Light

(that's the working title I use until my official title giver/wife signs off on it)

24"x30"

oil on canvas

I made a first step, I signed it. (though I do see a few  places that bug me. I may sneak into the studio for a few quick  fix tonight.)

I enjoyed a lot of the  comments last week. Some  were closet beginners and some recovering beginners. Mostly I enjoyed the enablers all tempting encouraging me to go out and start something new, like the peonies.  I must admit to having thoughts of jumping into something new but  I held on and kept repeating to myself , " one day, one step, one painting at a time."

The road to recovery  is long.  I may need to supply the studio with donuts and coffee)... or tea.

Daily Painting Practice - graduating to new Plein Air gear

Like other businesses, all up and coming artists need to invest in new equipment every now and then. I was lucky enough to sell a painting recently and used the funds to buy a new plein air kit.  I researched a lot on the web and  decided on the EASy-L  Lite (by Art Essentials). I like the smaller size and the the fact that it comes with the Tripod. I also purchased the stainless steel brush wash cup  and a plein air umbrella.

Out with the old and in with the new. I can't say I will miss my old Duct Taped box. The new box does not come with a palette, so I am using a masonite panel that is toned and  coat with Liquin. I will store my paints in a bag and not in the box. Take a close look ... this is the last time it will look this clean.

Everything fits into this  back pack... Well almost everything. I still haven't unpacked the umbrella, but I am sure I can make it fit...maybe a little Duct Tape will help.

click on the image to enlarge the painting

Back to the North Woods - work still in progress

24"x30"

oil on canvas

I need to get some feedback from my art critics "The Group of Four" then I can call this finished. I already see some things to touch up.  Can't wait to try my new gear in the North Woods.

Daily Painting Practice - Painting Water

I  find painting water one of the most challenging  things about landscape painting.  It beats painting clouds, trees, grass and even rocks. All of those have a greater fudge factor, but water is like painting skin on a portrait. It needs to feel alive at the same time it has to have depth and movement ( maybe tension is a better word)  even when it is on a still surface.

Take a look at these three progress shots. You may have to look  to find the differences but after two weeks I had hope to make more progress.

I love this water. I should clarify, actually, I love the potential of this water. This water has me painting and repainting, tweaking and  standing back, squinting and squirming over  and over and over.  I am a little afraid of over painting  because I need to keep the water looking fresh and clean...( who likes to look at muddy water?)

click on the image to enlarge the painting

Back to the Northwoods

(painting in progress)

Here's the problem I am working on: The texture of the floating water lilies and algae is so very different from the surface texture of the water. It needs to look as if  it is floating. If that isn't hard enough to paint , I put the foreground in shadow  and the light  cutting across the background  with lots of color in the reflections. (Who thought of this painting?) This was supposed to be an easy  one.  What is the lesson we should all learn from this?

The next time you go to a gallery and look at a really beautifully  painted  landscape with a very soothing and tranquil body of water in it...

  say a prayer for the artist.

Daily painting practice - Starting a north woods painting

Going back to the Northwoods to begin another painting.

It really helps me to put myself into the landscape and pretend I am there when I begin a new painting.  If I imagine I can feel the sunlight, smell the air, and  hear the wind, I believe it helps me paint the scene.

Not only should you see yourself at the place but also at the time of day and time of year. You should know whether the sun is coming out to warm the  ground or  is going down. Are the leaves on trees dry or wet with dew? Are the clouds gathering or floating  by?

click on the painting to enlarge the image

Back to the Northwoods
- work in progress

24"x36"

oil on canvas

 I have mentioned several times in this blog that Winslow Homer is one of my  art heroes. He was someone that definitely captured both time and place  in his paintings.

Lately, I have been enjoying  watching videos of artwork on YouTube.  It is a great way to view work  by your favorite artists. I particularly like it when people create a video that uses interesting music. The music selection can  really change the way you experience the artwork. One day I'm going to learn how to do this with my work.

Here are two videos with similar art by Winslow Homer, but the music is different. Enjoy!

Daily Painting Practice - Waterfall painting finally complete

click on the painting to enlarge the image

Waterfall

(needs a good title)

24"x30"

oil on canvas

Call it complete! I have struggled with this one for a while, but now I am finally happy with it. It's a funny thing,  I spent so much time on this painting  I really began to feel like my feet were wet all the time.

I had a lot of help from the gang of four. Their critiques kept me on track. It should be mandatory that they teach every artist in art school how to train a spouse, a friend or a child to critique your work.  One problem though, you have to listen to them when they get good at it.

Daily Painting Practice - When is a painting Finished - Northwoods Lake

click on the painting to enlarge the image

Needs a title

Northwoods Lake

30"x40"

oil on canvas

You may think it is a simple thing for an artist to say  "I'm finished!" or  "It's ready to sign!" but for me it is always a hard decision, when to call a painting... complete. Sometimes, I jump the gun and call it finished too soon (usually when I am bored with the composition...not a good sign)  Sometimes, like this one, I can go on forever making changes.  I could paint all four seasons in the same painting if no one stopped me. Luckily, I have  my art productivity moderator /wife to keep me on track. If she calls it done I know I must be close.

I need to call this one soon because my competition entry deadlines are approaching and I have 3 more paintings to  "complete" .

Daily Painting Practice - Sunset Lake work in progress - North Woods Series continues

Last week I posted this with a group of other underpaintings I am working on. This painting is another in my Northwoods Series. I can't believe I am still able to work from all of my reference photos and sketches from our trip last summer.

click on the painting to enlarge the image

Sunset Lake? Loons Lullaby?

work in progress

18"x24"

oil on canvas

Our good friends up North in Wisconsin have this beautiful view from their cabin on the lake. There is something so restful about a sunset on a lake. I think the sense of peace has something to do with a natural connection from an inner clock. The one we all have centered in our soul. It ties us to the gentle rhythms of nature.

I really think I felt that connection when I was up there this summer....either that or...

...I spent too much time in the sun..!!

Daily Painting Practice - Can artists keep schedules?

I have started a new routine. Yes I know, how many new routines can one artist begin?  It's a silly question, Obviously it takes as many as  is needed until I find the one that works. 

For years I have read about artists and their routines. They vary their approach to productivity as much as they do their style of painting.  Some get up early and are at the easel painting by 6:00 AM each morning, like clock work. Others  begin  more slowly,  they ease into the day, first doing a morning sketch routine to limber up. Others work late into the night needing the world to be quiet in order to be productive. Some approach art like a nine to five job.    

I have always had a hard time with productivity. So recently my daughter helped me with a new method and work schedule that seems to be a good fit.   For me coming up with a new routine is like shopping for  new shoes. I  know what I need but can only tell if I like it if I can see it and wear it for a while.


My main goal is produce one new painting each week. ( Completed by Sunday no matter what size!)  I also needed  to organize and prioritize my compositions. My approach needs to fit a purpose. I have deadlines and commitments,  ... galleries, shows, competitions, works in a series,  large works, small works.  The business side of art demands focus..... Did I actually say that out loud?

click on image to enlarge the painting

Northwoods series Number ??

work in progress

24"x30"

oil on canvas

Well it's Sunday night and I was supposed to have this painting completed.  I still have more to do to it, I'm getting close...  but I missed my deadline. So here's my problem, I am sticking with my schedule and will  complete next week's painting next Sunday, but I will need to make time to finish this one also. 

One of the hardest things I am learning about being an artist is the self discipline needed to produce good work and to keep producing it. So it's one more cup of tea and back to the studio. So much art so little time!

 

Daily Painting Practice - Northwoods Series continues

Our vacation to the Northwoods of Wisconsin at the end of the summer gave me a lot of reference photos and a few surprises. One of the surprises came on our first day out, this beautiful white deer.  She sat there as if she was used to paparazzi snapping photos of her all day long. She was so unafraid I probably could have  set up my paints and painted her on the spot.

Reference photos come in handy for the details needed in  my paintings. Usually my eye for composition in the photos isn't very good. The best ones have a focal point and connect me to the environment right away, but I usually end up cropping  and rearranging the scenes back in the studio.

 

Falls of Kaaterskill by Thomas Cole

I have been thinking lately a lot about what makes a good a focal point. What actually makes it work and  how did the master landscape artists handle the surrounding area? Thomas Cole was one of those master artists I enjoy.

In this detail, I think the surrounding composition near the focal point still makes an interesting painting all by itself.  So I started another  Northwoods painting with that idea in my head.

Here's the beginning of the under painting for the entire composition. The water leads your eye slowly to the focal point, the sunlit bunch of swamp grass just under the dark shadows of the distant trees.

So here is my idea: 

The focal point and surrounding area should stand alone as a painting within the painting.  I should use this method from now on in my mental checklist when building a composition. I don't know if this helps any of you or is such a simple idea that everybody thinks of this all the time. But I believe, that for people like me who need help building good compositions, using this idea might be an indicator of when we are on the right track. 

Happy trails!