Can I Be in the Club?

Oil/panel 5x7

I dunno.. just  looked like that slice was trying to talk the other two guys into letting him in the club.

We're packing for our Grand Canyon trip and I have a ton of stuff to do, so I only had literally like 30 min. to

put brush to canvas (or in this case panel).  So, without alot of explanation, this is just trying to put down a brushstroke and leave it...similar to yesterdays.  No blending, honest!!!

Gotta run! See ya'll in a few days!!! yee haw!!!!! Grand Canyon here we come!

7. Paint by Number Horse

oil/panel 5x7 

Remember paint by number?  I loved getting those when I was a little kid.  And really, they are genius.

Very small variations in color and value are laid down next to each other, and if you got it right, it looked really great.  After all, isn't that what painting is about? Showing form by shifting value, color, and color temperature.

So, today's experiment, which was sort of fun really, was to pretend I had a paint by number kit.  I could not blend colors at all, but only lay down pieces of color next to each other to portray this horse.  Some pieces of color are very small... detail is still possible, though not much because I only used a #4 and a #6 flat, one of which was getting fuzzy on me.  If I had a larger painting surface (have I mentioned I don't like working this small?) and different brush sizes, this method could convey a very convincing image.  

Paying close attention to temperature shifts  and value is key to making this work. I think I'd like to try it again.

All you folks out there, give this a try!!! No blending, just lay down color, and then wipe the brush, and lay down the next color.  Pretty cool!!
PS  The background is just painted in regular method.  (in case you were wondering).

6. Holiday Cheer

Holiday Cheer 5x7 oil/panel

I didn't have much time today to do a daily, and didn't start this one till after supper.  Been painting for an upcoming show and just need to finish up the last details of a big still life, which, by the way, contains this same Brandy bottle.  I didn't really have any big plans for this one, just to keep the process going, and thought it'd be fun to paint the glass. Glass can have some really interesting abstract shapes, and if you just concentrate and  paint what you see (with careful observation) it'll usually come out looking like glass.

A couple of observations.

Glass is best painted wet into wet, with fluid strokes. After all, glass is fluid.

Using brushstrokes that follow the form is necessary, especially on the side where light is coming from.

Anything transluscent, like glass, is actually lighter on the side AWAY from the light, because light travels through and refracts on the far edge.

 And lastly, it's best to wait till the painting is finished if you are going to consume the props!!

5. Two Feathers

Two Feathers, 5x7 oil/panel

Today's experiment was about textures - which of course means edges.  Shiny pot, sharp reflections, quick color changes... the little pot (which by the way was made by a local Jemez Pueblo artisan) is matte, so no highlights, soft color changes and transitions into shadow.  And the feathers of course,, fluffy and soft and then a "hard" wing feather (believe both of these are turkey).  

This 5x7 is just too small to be working for such small details on the feather.  

And, you know how when you drop a piece of bread it always lands jelly side down?  I dropped this painting, and of course, it landed paint side down.   The damage wasn't as bad as I would have thought, but I did have to repaint the fluffy feather.  It was better before the fall.  

Hmmm... there's a philosophical thought.....

4 Green Creamer and Peach

4. Green Creamer and Peach

oil/panel 5x7  45 min.

Okay so it's a fairly simple subject, but I wanted to concentrate, as usual, on laying down intentional pieces of color, rather than willy nilly putting something down or "licking" the canvas by repeatedly brushing one area over and over.  Sorry, there's a bit of glare on the photo.

Things I was trying to keep in mind:

cool light/warm shadows

opaque vs. transparent

edges - soft, hard, and lost

intentional brushstrokes.

I think overall, this one is okay.. I stopped from overworking it, though I'm still finding I do not enjoy working this small... but I don't have any other size panels right now.

Random thought:  New Mexico is a free range state, meaning that ranchers have access (by lease agreement) with almost any public lands. We live adjacent to national forest. The law is that if you don't want cattle on your property, fence them out.  I looked out this morning, and there are cow patties on my patio.  I just wonder, what are they looking for on my patio? Silly cows.....

3. Chirp!

3. Chirp!! 

oil/panel 5x7, little more than an hour.

This one had me almost swearing as I had some specific goals in mind which just weren't happening. What I really wanted to try was to use very slight changes of color and temperature to make the form turn on that fat little ceramic bird, (Isn't he a hoot? He makes me laugh)  This is not the usual way I work, as I tend to find an average shadow color and an average light color, and put those down flat, and then finesse the edges between them and add any reflected light or highlights.

I guess when you try new things, you can't expect  to succeed 100% of the time.  I should know that, I'm also trying to learn the banjo and it DEFINITELY doesn't happen all at once!

I see several things I'd like to change on this one, but I spent my allotted time, plus a little, so I'll move on to the next thing!

2 Any Container Will Do

#2 Any Container Will Do

oil/panel 5x7 

Okay then, second one down.  The main object with this one was to try to see the colors in that can. (I think it was a can of pinto beans. Admit it, you were curious)  The more I looked, the more colors there were. Rather fun, actually.  Metal in general, and especially this steel can, usually has sharp edges of reflections and color changes, so blending was at a minimum.  The mantra was: "see a color, mix it, lay it down. See the next color, mix it, lay it down."

My other objective was to AVOID drawing little lines for the rings around the can. I think that part worked.

This is thicker paint than I'm used to, and I still wanted to get more darks in the flowers than I have. But it was time to stop!

I'm leaving this afternoon for one more day of painting at Ghost Ranch.  Weather looks good!