Apr 9 - Painting Finished and More Sheep

Did you notice the similarity of colors and temperature between the photo of the sheep yesterday and the painting at that point? The painting in its cool box family colors MATCHES the overcast day of the sheep photograph with uncanny accuracy--pointing out yet again the validity of the Color System! I find myself in awe of it, and how well and easily it works for these overcast days. (As well as other distinct times of day!)

But now the painting has come to a completed state (for a plein air piece, which of necessity cannot have too much busy details). The figure is painted, with the cadmium red in the sunlight and the alizarin (cool red) in the shadow of the hat and shirt. The sunlit areas of the roadbed are in, and show stark contrast to the cool shadows of the earlier state of the road. Yes, there is some thalo blue in that sunlit mix!
I enjoyed painting the "blips" of light between the cement staunchions of the bridge on this near side, earmarking and defining those shapes.

The sunlight (warm family) areas of this painting are primarily hovering around the figure--found in the tree on the left, the spotty sunshine on the bridge, and the sun-kissed area of the figure. "Easy-peasey" as a friend of mine would say!

I'm moving forward on the trip back east, making arrangements for critter care and airport delivery, packing a box or two of supplies for the trip, and getting excited about teaching THREE FULL WEEKS of COLOR BOOT CAMPs! Yippee!!

Here's yet another picture of the sheep doing their work. Three of the ewes shyly come up to me for treats now, and I can lead them in new directions with a little grain in a bucket. I have bells on two of them, and I can hear them as they herd moves around the property. Not hardly as headstrong as Vincent van Goat and Heather-Not-The-Momma goat... sheep are fun!!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2010 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Apr 8 - Tax Time and More Painting

Continuing to cover the canvas, I've pulled in the lighter greens of the distant grasses and the shadows on the roadbed of the bridge. This is a crucial point in the painting, because up to this point, I have COMPLETELY stayed in the cool box color family. The harmony of the painting is palpable, and I am happy with it at this point.

I'm going to move to the warm family of colors to finish this painting--having the sunlight come onto the figure that will appear on the bridge (I've already finished this painting, and the blog posting is going to automatically come out tomorrow.). These details and "punch" are withheld until I know the rest of the painting will stand on its strength of design and harmony. In my work, this is the essence of how I create my finished work. I realize many artists paint the "most important" stuff first... I like to make sure the supporting players "play well together" before adding the icing on the painting's cake.

In other news, I have a new flock of sheep doing the weeding around Two Trees these days. I own three, and four are "guests" while the weed abatement proceeds. They are fun to watch; it is as though wildlife goes by the windows as they move in unison across the hillside out the back door. This morning I watched a coyote barking just outside the fence--not a threat, since Seiko (the "watch" dog) is on duty, guarding her charges. Here's an image of the "gang" by the back patio. Oh boy! More ideas for paintings!
I am also working on a MAJOR project in conjunction with and ongoing to the newest Misty Light DVD (which will be out before the end of this month!). Stay tuned for big news in June!

Thanks, as ever, for reading this far, and for forwarding this on to your artist friends.
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2010 is HERE--still some spaces in Florida and Maine!
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.