Daily Painting Practice- Surviving art gods - or life without my computer(s)

It has been quite a while since my last post.  I have several good reasons and even more excuses. But as always I look for the lessons in everything. (that's my positive spin on the events of the last month)

I am beginning to think that the  ancient Greeks/Romans/Celts/Norseman or any other early civilization that blamed things on the gods had good reasons. I think these gods still exist and are especially employed  to  pick on the lowly artist in his/her basement.

First this whole economic downturn thing:  Totally  created to affect  my sales and weaken my resolve to continue painting.. ( OK a few billion other people are affected too, but it was aimed at me).

 Then whoever the god is that oversees  computers. I hope we meet in Hades. First they give us  a place to store our images  and records, then they  entice us into the world of blogging and finally they create sirens to lure us into listening to music on the web. ( you think naming the company  Pandora was a coincidence?).
Then they take it all away.

 Oh, I know what you are thinking. Just go to another computer. But you can't fool the gods! Noooo. They play with your mind. They make you think the second computer is safe and working just fine. Then little by little they eat away at its ability to connect with  remote devices and the programs you  need begin to  disappear. You are left in a nether world of   black screens and  blinking cursors. They even  make it so your backup drive isn't formatted to  reconnect to your newly purchased .... third computer.

My third and final tirade is to commiserate with the poor guy these gods  had  pushing  a boulder up a mountain  all day only to have it roll down again just as he neared the summit ... he did this for eternity.  That was just a warm up for these art gods.. They  gave me the task of painting peonies. As soon as I get close, I am forced to repaint them. over and over and over... until she who must not be named steps in and ends my misery.

click on the image to enlarge the painting

Too Tired to give it a name

20"x20"

oil on canvas

I've come out of hiding now that we have a fourth computer. I don't consider myself to be a superstitious artist but I did rearrange the studio to face west and I did  pour a circle of  turpentine around the easel and I only clean my brushes on Sundays.

Daily painting practice- Composing and painting peonies

Unlike my oil painting,  I have not changed anything in this arrangement for my attempt at watercolor.  I can't it's watercolor!!!! However, I did not attempt a background, and as you know, that is where  I usually begin to fall apart and change my  paintings. Nor am I  going any further with this study. It's a good first shot at watercolor and I think it is a better idea to leave it alone with that feeling.  So as unfinished as it is I'm going to say it's done.

I had a lot of strange lessons with this watercolor. I kept loosing patience and wanted the detail to just "appear" so I could move on to the next section. When that did not happen I almost lost it, in fact, I was so impatient I quit  painting the flowers and  mixed a big puddle of dark  color and just wiped in the jar. I guess the lesson there is sometimes you just need to act and not think too much because I finished the jar in about 20 seconds.

After deciding to quit on the watercolor( I taped it to the door) I went back to the oil painting. Some of the comments I had in the previous post on this painting were very helpful. Especially the ones that mention the need for  leaves. Peonies  have such interesting leaves. The painting didn't feel real without them, so I  went out to my garden and  cut some  peony branches (the flowers have long since died.) I set  some up in the same vase and  will use them for reference.

 White Peonies - work in progress

20"x20"

oil on canvas

This painting has really been a struggle. There are moments I feel things are working fine and there are more moments when I paint over the entire  flower arrangement and start again. (can't do that with watercolor!)

Daily Painting Practice- Flower studies in watercolor or oil? - why not both?

I must be getting brave. I spent an afternoon at a painting get-together at a friends house  the other day and tried a flower study..... in watercolor!!!.  Since it was extremely hot outside  we all  sat inside and brought  flower cuttings in with us.

Painting Get-togethers are one of the best ways to practice new approaches. You are surrounded by fellow artists, you get plenty of help and suggestions. It's a great way to soak up some encouragement if you are at a low point with your art and best of all when ever artist friends get together.... you  eat well!

I started another study of a rose in watercolor back at home. Here's my drawing. I find that sketching always takes a me while to do, Always longer than I expect, with results that don't always seem worth the effort. But it  is probably the best  practice I can  do  to improve  every aspect of  my art. To me, sketching seems to  connect me with  that core artist inside. I think  it has something to do with the concentration of sketching being different than the  focus during painting.....Or maybe it's just my artist's brain getting a work out. Either way I find sketching  very much like a meditation.

It is a funny thing, after  many years of just wanting to get to the painting,  I am only now just learning the value of  the sketch..... I know,I know... I'm a slow learner.

I thought it would be fun to  paint the exact  same thing in oils. and see how the results differ. So I traced my  sketch and transferred it to a canvas board.

 Here's the  watercolor  study. I am still having a hard time  getting the colors I want. Pinks seem to be the hardest  color to try and match.

Rose Study

oil on board

5"x7"

I had just as much trouble with the pinks in oils. So it isn't the medium, ...it's the artist!

Daily Painting Practice- New Direction - Part two - Field studies in watercolor and oil

First, let me start by thanking everyone who commented and emailed me on last weeks post. I am so grateful for all your suggestions, ideas and the encouragement I received for my problem with painting the peonies. Of course, after taking in all those comments and suggestions ,  I made my decision...
I think it was either Rembrandt or Gandhi who said.
"It is the wise artist who knows when it is time to hang it up."
 In my case, that is just what I am doing. I am hanging it up on the wall in front of me until I know what  I want to do.

In the mean time-
I mentioned I was going to try studying nature (plants and birds) and try to use watercolor. TRY is the key word here. I am out of the comfort zone with watercolors, but why should that stop me?  I  am using my plein air box that I bought for oils. The  turpentine can works great  with water  but the plastic watercolor palette I had was 1/8" too wide to fit the box .... so I cut off the end with a hacksaw.

You can see the  watercolor palette now fits perfectly.  I sketched out the  tomato leaf then  laid in a wash  of yellow. I thought it was a good beginning.  It's 95 degrees outside, so the watercolor dries very fast.

The hardest thing I am finding with my first watercolor...thinking ahead. I'm not used to thinking in layers  of color this way. I'm using my brain in the opposite way  I do when doing oils. Figuring out how to mix the correct color is very tough too.. I keep reverting back to painting like it was oils.  My mind  is getting fried ... and it's not from the heat.

Since my oil painting composition of the peonies isn't working I thought I would try another idea....in watercolor.  A simpler arrangement... Here is what  my beginning  looks like.
I know , I know. What was I thinking! It looks so easy when people who know what they are doing  paint this way..... my artist's brain is throwing a fit. It wants to apply the paint like oils, but  my eyes are enjoying the  subtle values of the watercolor. This will take a while for me to get used to.

So in the mean time-
I'll fall back to  the familiar

 Rose Study

8"x8"

oil on canvas board

Daily Painting Practice- New Direction -Solving Painting Problems Often Creates Others

Here I am back from my "bolgcation" a month earlier than  I had planned.  I left the landscaping  job.  (It seems working in 100 degree heat  doesn't do  good things for my body.)
  Before I  took time off  from blogging,  I said I  was thinking of taking my art in a new direction. I am still working that out as I type this, but  here's a hint... I actually  took out my watercolors!!!!  I know... I was  shocked too! But let's not get  ahead of the ourselves. This is about a new journey. A new direction for Daily Painting Practice. ( with some familiar bumps in the road.)

  I have  always had a deep love of nature and have always had a special place in my heart for  birds, flowers, plants and trees. I have been a bird watcher since I was a child, I remember illustrating my own book of birds in the 4th grade. Botanical drawing and painting  has always fascinated me as well. The  Dutch flower painters from the  1600's.have also  intrigued me.  The exquisite quality  of their work is fascinating but what interests me is the study and knowledge that  is behind those paintings. So that is  where my journey  will begin.

When I say begin,  I mean  I am a beginner at this.  I have piles of sketch books in the studio... all empty, waiting to  be filled with  plant studies, bird sketches, and flowers... lots of flowers.

My idea is to do as much study from nature as possible, then take  those sketches (and photos)  and develop compositions from them instead of  copying  still life set ups in the studio. I will create the arrangements in my head and work them out on paper  like the Dutch Masters did. I often wondered how they were able to put flowers that  didn't bloom in the same season, in the same picture.

  I am finding that the sketching takes so much longer than I imagined. However, I have discovered one  of the gifts that comes with this practice.... It generates ideas.  The time spent sketching frees space in your mind that allows creative thoughts and ideas to flow in. Think of it as yoga for your brain.
Above is a thumbnail sketch of an idea for an arrangement fora painting of peonies.

I  took a bunch of photos of different peonies and did some sketching and  arranged the composition.Some of the peonies are  the same flowers  turned and only  a few days older so they opened up more. (can you find the peony bud I used from the sketch at the beginning of this post) So far so good, right?

I decided to transfer the drawing to another  piece of paper and try to do a complete tonal study in pencil and charcoal...but  I ran out of patience ( need to work on that). I just want to  start painting!

Here's my first mistake. I started playing with the arrangement of the flowers and changing the drawing. I thought the  flower on top should be a little higher.....and lean  toward the right..

 Now the flower pot looks too small.... Creating your own reality is harder than I thought.

Made the pot  wider at the bottom and changed some of the flowers.... funny thing, after doing all that work on the sketch,  I  am now making changes with the brush directly on the canvas.

I start adding  cooler  colors and I change the location of the buds several times.

 Now I am actually  relaxing  with the paint and enjoying the process.  I don't like the handles onthe vase.. Change them. Change is my  friend...I love change...

But then that voice...something is not right  or is it right. I can't tell anymore . My reality is slipping away....
  I ask she who must not be  named " What do you think?  What's wrong with it?"
" That flower on the top  is too high for the vase it would fall over."
Now I can't decide. so I took it out.

 I have a painting  problem.  Every problem I  think I solve I cause another to appear.  I'm hoping those of you still reading this can help me solve some... take a look at the last two photos. Was there anything wrong with the top one?  Does  the arrangement  feel right or  should it come out? Any ideas on what to do?

I love change... change is my friend....change is good.... I need a cup of tea.

Daily Painting Practice- For Miyako completed

click on image to enlarge

For Miyako

24"x30"

oil on canvas

Completed!!!!
 Just in time too. Today was the  final day to enter it in the Artist  Magazine  cover contest.
 These simple backgrounds aren't as simple as they  seem.  I must have  gone over  this one  at least 10 times. But  I am calling it done... it's official... I signed it... really, I'm not doing any more... Somebody stop me!

Daily Painting Practice - One Painting finished One just starting.

click on the image to enlarge the painting

The Book Seller's Favorites

14"x18" oil on panel

Completed...titles and all. Now on to the next... no time to rest in an artist's life.
More Mums...

blocking in stage . Trying to decide on what do with the background and what  needs to be on the table. I call this my "compose as I go along" kind of painting.... I live dangerously.

I'm adding flowers (just paint smudges) to the bouquet and playing with ones on the table.

There was going to be a white table cloth but  I changed it to a wood table top.

Needs  something on the table.

Just the thing. In real life the cup is a little larger. I scaled it down a touch... We artists have the power to change the world....well, at least within our own studio walls. Not a bad beginning.

Daily painting practice - the long journey - completing a painting of mums

click on the image to  enlarge the painting

Mum Mum Mia

24"x36"

oil on canvas

Well, here is the final. Completed just in time to enter the Salon International  Competition. ( today is the last day to enter)
Painting this has been quite a journey.  Here are all of the progress photos again, for those of you too lazy to go back through the older blog posts.

It all started with a trip to Mary's house and her lovely flower beds.

 I had planned on doing a lot of individual  still life paintings but my  still life arranger/wife  suggested this.   So I  did a color study.
(I guess she was rrr rrrrrr ...right)

There were many more steps than these photos show.  (some backwards)   Some steps were on top of  others and redone several times. But over all  I am pleased with the result. Remember, it's all about  the  process ....(I can  say that now that it is over and I am breathing again) . Time for tea!

Daily Painting Practice - Happy new Year - now paint those mums!

click on painting to enlarge the image

Mum Mum Mia

work still in progress

24"x36"

oil on canvas

Is it the end of the year or beginning of the new? I guess it depends how you look at it. Sometimes painting is the same. Am I half way done or only half way started?

I am not making predictions or setting goals this new year... (because I never keep or complete them anyway.) Instead,  I am evaluating old habits, affirming my passion, and channeling my gratitude. A much better way to start... or end the year.

My first discovery  for the new year is that I have developed a bad habit of painting sitting down. Now this may not be a bad habit for everybody, but I have discovered it does not do good things for me or my work.

I tend to  work too close to the canvas when I am sitting and I don't move back often enough to evaluate each brush stroke. Hence, my painting quality and production suffer.  I also suffer... (perhaps too strong a word). Let'as just say  I get lazy not wanting to get out of my seat. The artist's version of a couch potato.

I started painting this week standing up. The effect was immediate and positive. I have better concentration, I step back every two or three brush strokes, my blood gets going, more passion in the process, I burn more calories dancing to the music in the studio.

Above is a photo of my palette. I was (standing there) admiring the rich colors when I was hit again with bad habit number two: If I like the rich color on the palette why isn't my painting reflecting that? duh.... So, I laid on some bold reds and yellows.... Now that's more like it! Oh bad habit number three....keeping the tea cup  next to the turps..( that one may take a while to fix).

Daily Painting Practice - Painting Flowers means staying balanced

Mum Mum Mia 

 work in progress

24"x36"

oil on canvas

OK, I have made  it through my first pass.

I was thinking to myself as I was working on this painting that there is not enough written (or I haven't read enough... which the more likely scenario) about the importance of Balance as a key ingredient in painting.

I have read a lot about  balance in different aspects of composition, tone, color even the subject matter within the painting, but these are usually under different chapters or topics, not lumped together. It is more likely that the discussion would revolve around the importance of making sure these aspects are not balanced. In other words, the darks and lights should not be equal, or the horizon should be broken, or the use of three elements in a design is better than an even four. But this is not the balance I am talking about.
I mean finding a balance within yourself and using that as a tool for developing the painting.

I know, I know, I'm going very Zen on you here. (That happens to me this time of year, every year... It probably has something to do with there being less sunlight each day or no more vegetables from the garden or the fact that I am out of green tea.) 

Anyway, my point is that I am finding that there is a relationship between finding a point of balance within myself and the ability to express myself in my work...
In other words, if you want to produce better paintings, get yourself balanced!

I am trying this new approach with this painting. I am determined ( not stuck) to develop this thing with a balanced tempo, staying focused while enjoying and expressing myself. It's not as easy as it sounds (at least for me)

Here are some detail photos. They give you a better view  of the painting, similar to how I  see it standing in front of the easel. And I think they are a better example of what I am trying to say.

My approach is to stay soft and fuzzy with the details but clear enough to read the differences between the flowers;  keep the paint thin but the colors muted and alive;  work around the painting in an even loose style but at the same time know where it is I want to go.

I hope this post makes sense. As you can see,  the flowers are really only soft smudges at this point but I think they have a definite character.

This is what I mean by  thin paint yet  rich muted color.

Some paint is brushed on then wiped off, then brushed on again and softened by dry brushing it in the opposite direction.  This manipulation of the  brush strokes is actually play for me.  It  keeps me loose and enjoying the process.

  Oh, that's another good point!  Too much thinking gets in the way of the fun! 

  Now "balance" that with everything I just  wrote about and you can see why artists are so ... unbalanced?