Aug 18 - The Idyllwild Adventure and Ms. Glass

Late last year I was contacted by a fellow from the desert area who was opening a gallery in Idyllwild. This small community tucked into a valley at 5200 feet is the alpine town where I had my first employment back in 1978. So I have always had a warm spot for it.
I met the gallery owner, and felt an immediate connection, and provided him with 28 paintings over the next few months. He sold them for me, and it was a good friendship. He moved to Idyllwild, and adopted a young rat terrier like Sparky. I had wonderful reasons to go visit this place without franchise restaurants, and I painted this 16 x 20 oil on canvas for him. The gallery is on the right in this image, below Lily Rock--the local landmark.

Technical Tips: Reminder--edges match the "nature" of the object. Soft pine needles, soft edges. Poles and buildings, harder edges. Anything over 300 feet away gets a soft edge, because the human eye cannot see like an eagle at distance, and so to give the illusion of distance on these woefully inadequate flat surfaces called canvases, we "fuzz" the edges.

Other News: I would take the motorcycle up to Idyllwild on any excuse--to paint, to visit the gallery, to talk to Isaac. The drive is wondrous, with vistas and "twisties" where the motorcycle leans into the curves. What a rush!

Here's the motorcycle as I've done it so far--leather gas tank "bib" (it will get a pocket for my cell phone), leather seat  with fringe and studs, and leather on the rear fender. I also did the tassel fringe on the clutch and brake levers, and the braids on the saddlebags.

In the second image you can see there's even some fringe on the rear direction signals. Recycled leather couch! The bike has a name, "Ms. Glass". Long story about that...

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Aug 17 - Draft Horse Braids, Another AAEA Accepted Painting

Here is the second painting that was approved for showing in the American Academy of Equine Art's Fall Showcase in Kentucky.

 

This one is 12 x 16, and comes from an image I took many years ago at the Draft Horse Classic in Grass Valley, California. I just loved that the daughter was being taught how to do the mane braids on his huge Belgian draft horse.

 

The abstract structure on this one tells the story of what these folks do (wagon, semi-truck trailer for hauling it all) and this is just a slice of their life before the showing begins. Thats the "story" which matters so much to me. What I particularly enjoyed about this piece is the backlighting of the girl, mother and horse, with bits of sunshine sparkling up the braids, the back and the horse's tail.

 

That the woman isn't slender and beautiful is me saying "get real" than it is about idealistic painting. I think more of my work is about the truth of the moment, rather than fantasies or dreams, or what ought to "be". If there is any idealism here, it is in the rich colors that were nowhere in the source material. Thanks to the Color System, that becomes a reality.

 

This painting will be heading for Kentucky to the American Academy of Equine Art's Fall Show, since it was also accepted in the jurying process.

Technical Tips:

Some of you asked about the "abstract structure" thing from yesterday, so I thought I'd show it to you as it works in that painting from yesterday. I took it into Photoshop and tweaked it to show the value structure.

 

Even though we do not SEE the value plan as the first thing that catches our eye when we look at paintings, it is the structure that keeps us looking. With this image, it is relatively easy to see the darks, midtones and lights, and therefore the structure of the image. If your eyes still see a horse and rider on a road, then it might take some more study on your part. Try looking at it upside down.

 

Since this is SO important for artists to "get" as part of their painting experience, I'm bringing in the current painting to also show you its value structure. Check out the "small light, large dark in mid-tones" value plan of this current piece! Can you "experienced" Color Boot Campers tell me the value plan of yesterday's?

 

Using a photo editing program to SEE your value structure is a grand way to tell if your work is delivering the message you want. Not having a discernable value plan is the biggest flaw I see in student work. And it is so easy to fix, too. Just come to a Color Boot Camp! (See you all in Georgia in October. I can hardly wait!!)

 

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Aug 16 - Finished, and News on "Roadie"

Finished now, this painting holds the viewer's eye on several levels. Here's what I note about the work (and you can apply these thoughts to your own work, if you like).
1. The horizon line is a bit above the middle, so there is more "ground" to draw you in, and it makes for a peaceful, easy feeling to the work, unlike placing the HL too far from the midpoint of the canvas.
2. Color harmony is guaranteed by the use of the Color System and staying with the yellow-green/violet color scheme of morning light, and that is set off by the only orange in the painting on the horse's hide.
3. Angled lines of perspective (the road) are counter balanced by the horizontals and verticals of buildings, shadows and tree trunks.
4. Textural brushwork unifies the painting as all areas are handled loosely, except for select hard edges to control the viewer's path through the composition.

This painting will be heading for Kentucky to the American Academy of Equine Art's Fall Show, since it was accepted in the jurying process.

Technical Tips: I just pick a random book off my library shelf and open it to be constantly reminded of how much I really DON'T know. Here's one, digested down from pages of text from David Friend's Composition.
A painting is like a play or music--it is only as strong as its structure. Establishing a dominant two-dimensional geometric shape motif as a structure for your work can help overcome the issues that arise later when working on those pesky details. We've all seen work where the details are the message, and the structure of the painting is weak. Solve the structure issues FIRST, then play in the details.

Update on "Roadie/Rhoda/Roadside" (pick your fave, she'll answer to 'em all): She's been to the vet, had all her inoculations and baby teeth pulled, is spayed and now has moved into my heart and home. I know that dogs live in the moment (we can learn much from them), so only I can imagine what her future might have been on the side of that hot, dusty road.

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.