Afternoon Work

I'm plugging away at his one. The repaint is going well, but I keep finding places that need to be touched up or re-drawn.

Three Women At The Corcoran, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Meanwhile, the tiles on the piece below continue to flummox me. Each one is a slightly different color (in the real world) and besides that they have a bit of texture, AND they have a shiny glaze. I tried to lighten them up today but they still look pretty dark to me.

 

Waiting At Le Diplomate, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Filling In The Blanks

I drew in a lot of lines late last night and then several more this morning. Brushed in some more of the Van Dyck Brown, trying to keep the darks thin. I am excited about what will be glowing orange lanterns and table lamps juxtaposed against the darkness.

Closing Up, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

The Water Is Driving Me Crazy, and Fun Fur

Painted/repainted the top left corner to about 4 inches down. Very tedious stuff. But it looks more believable and less haphazard.

Finding A Shell, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Meanwhile: the last time I wrote about this piece, I called it "recreational painting." I actually do feel that way; it's so fun and relaxing to work on these little cat paintings. I enjoy trying to emphasize the sculptural qualities, and stroking on the fur is pure pleasure. Maybe I should just do cat portraits from now on! Unfortunately, I don't know many cats who are looking to have their portraits painted, and they tend not to have a disposable income.

 

Grey Tuxedo Cat, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

More Groundwork On The Wigs

Starting the week off with the wigs painting; carefully measuring the line drawing that will provide guidance for the paint application.

Wigs And Shades, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

I Know. I Should Finish Something

...instead of starting something new. But this painting is begging to be started.

I've been using straight-out-of-the-tube Van Dyke Brown Deep from Sennelier for the shadows, but something seems to suggest (do I hear my friend Alex's voice in my head?) that it might be better to mix my own browns. I looked at a few online sources yesterday and think that I'll do the underpainting in the VDB but then wash over it with a mix of Cad Red Deep or maybe even Alizarin Crimson, and Thalo Green. I want the shadows to have more depth, more richness.

Closing Up, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Closing Up

With everything in various stages of drying, I decided to start a new piece. I've spent the last three weeks stretching the canvas— it gave me quite a hard time, but today it was ready for paint. I think of this one as a sort of companion piece to "Chef," which sold a while ago.

Closing Up, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Chrysler Building: Colors And Architectural Notations

The light changes on the different planes of the building, and those architectural details are tricky. But I'm starting to get a handle on it.

Chrysler Building, Dusk, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

I've gotten to everything I wanted to work on this week! What to do now? The cats? Start something new?

And One From Last Night

Decided it was time to fix the mistakes made earlier on this one, particularly regarding the measurement of the thumbnail and the skin color in the shadowy area.

The Hand Of The Artist, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

A Major Color Shift?

I'm still mulling this one over— I'll have to live with it for a few days before deciding whether to keep the new wall color or revert to the old one. The young couple was sitting in a cafe, and the walls were painted a sort of coffee-and-cream color. It was warm and welcoming, but it bothered me for some reason. I pulled out my old Pantone chips and tried out a few things (in my head), finally settling on this blue-grey. I think it unifies the painting but maybe looks too somber, yet I don't want to go with a brighter blue...

For Rent, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Here's the original color:

For Rent, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

I also decided to get rid of that dark vertical bit of wall trim that you see on the right side, and extend the design elements to the edge of the panel. And to make the wall trim in the center of the image, the one that divides the couple, much thinner. But I'll have to weigh the options. 

Straight Line Fatigue

Too much detail. Worked on this for an hour and a half, but it doesn't look like anything happened. Going to go make dinner.

When I Woke Up I Was In Brooklyn, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Somewhat Improved

Lately I've been studying the work of two artists whose approach to painting is very different: Erin Anderson and Jan Collins Selman. Anderson does the most exquisite head-and-shoulders paintings of nude women, and she has the ability to cool down skin tones without losing the sense that there is a living, breathing human being underneath. I can't for the life of me figure out how she does it, but I tried to pay special attention to the problematical figures in my painting below, this morning:

The Chair, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

The two faces that I worked on are definitely better— the girl holding the taco on the right is now more credibly drawn, and the one holding the cell phone has more personality and looks less like a cartoon. The violet color on her forehead was better an hour ago; I'll repaint it once it's dry.

Selman's lusciously colored beach and shoreline paintings are alive with energy. Her drawing of sea grasses is flawless; you can almost see them swaying in the wind. Instead of the incrementally graduated, seemingly brushless tones of Anderson's nudes, she uses a vibrant carefree stroke on the grasses. But her powers of observation are evident in the modeling of the water lily pads. I hope to learn something from both of them.

Stylization, And An Attempt At Impressionism

I forgot that I'd worked on this one last night; all of the painting was done on the left side of the wicker? chair. I've been frustrated by the faces of the girls, which look very stylized to me, and not at all real; it's been holding me back for a while. I thought if I worked on the chair instead I might get back, somehow, into the swing of things.

The Chair, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Then this afternoon during a break I watched a travelog on TV, and it featured the work of Peter Paul Rubens and others. The faces were indisputably stylized— you could pick out a Rubens from a warehouse full of paintings by the faces alone. I still admire the artists who can get a "real" likeness, though, and will continue to try to make these girls look like individuals. I just won't feel as bad if they don't measure up in the end.

Meanwhile: I have at least one friend who considers herself to be an impressionist, and I have to admit that the lure of those freely handled brushstrokes has gotten to me. But I have much to learn. What size brush to use? Brush or palette knife? Wet into wet always, or let things dry a bit and add more layers? How to tone down the color so it's more believable, and not looking like the work of a 3rd grader with a new box of crayons?

Here is a first attempt. I will get back to it when it dries. I've been toning down the blue with some Asphaltum, something I learned from an artist in Falmouth a few years ago.

Morning Light, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Completed: Keep Out

As I've said before, I had not intended any kind of political statement when I started this piece several years ago. But now that's the only way I see it.

When I was out of town last month, I found some mature thistle plants while on a nature walk, and they were just what I needed to finish this painting off the way I'd always envisioned it. So now there are bright pink spots of color over on the right side. Anyway, unless I decide to put in some poison ivy on the left, it's going off to the gallery.

Keep Out, © 2018 (click on image for larger view)

Earlier this morning I also put in some time on Emergency, doing some careful blending of shadows into lighter areas:

In Case Of Emergency, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

So far, I'm happy with the way it's going.

I Guess You Can See Where This Is Going

It's great to have something fun to work on. The wigs are in such bright colors it'll be a challenge finding pigments to match.

Wigs And Shades, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

I also indulged in a little recreational painting tonight: helps to take the sting out of listening to the news.

Grey Tuxedo Cat, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Women's Day

Worked on two this morning; am now taking a break and taking stock of the multiple series I have available to show, somewhere! I'll have to spend some time looking around for opportunities.

Three Women At The Corcoran, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Mostly worked on the background, below;  I still find that red color to be very seductive. Moved around from place to place, trying to put a dark tone next to a lighter one or the reverse, to separate it from the clothing on the mannequins. Added some greyish washes to the architectural reflections.

The Gauntlet, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Getting It Done

More painting last night, after a break to have dinner and watch "Lars And The Real Girl."

The green tiles present a problem for me; I'm concerned about the color being too vibrant, too upbeat, when it should be more of a subdued green. In addition, there are a lot of reflections on the tiles, and the light changes, too. And is the left side too dark? 

Waiting At Le Diplomate, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

I continue to work the flat surface of the low tide beach water on this one, going back and forth between the blue-green and the white foam.

 

Finding A Shell, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Next, I did more drawing and started to scrub in some color on the new piece. It's a lot of fun, so I expect I'll be spending time on it again this afternoon. The objective is to make it photorealist, and that presents some problems for me, too. On the last two of these commissioned pieces, I learned an important lesson about photorealism: you have to make those initial layers very thin and smooth from the start. The other thing is, I don't like the idea of doing photorealism. The paintings look so anonymous to me— there's no personality. Although the subject matter may be a giveaway, they often look like they've been done by a single person. I do admire the technique, though.

Wigs And Shades, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

 

It Feels Good To Get Back To Work

I finally feel fully motivated, after the debacle of late last April. Perhaps I just needed a week off with family to clear my head; I don't know... but I was happy to get back to work this morning and excited about both my current projects and some new ideas.

Selfies took over an hour and a half today, but again, the work is incremental, and I'm not sure you can see what I did. Most of the painting was done in the center of the piece.

Selfies, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Meanwhile, I am far behind on a couple of commissioned pieces, so I started the second one this morning. It will begin to shape up soon.

Wigs And Shades, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Visitors

Family visiting! Back to work soon.

Three For Today

I applied myself to the easel today and made some decent progress. Below: worked on the bar area and tightened up the detail on the bartender.

Waiting At Le Diplomate, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Next: shadows and highlights. I might repaint the napkins next time.

 

Three Women At The Corcoran, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

And, finally, though this is where I pooped out; the bottom panels on

 

Selfies, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

 

Some More

Worked on the Big Giant Hand: I worry about this one. Every time I compare the painting to the photo, I find some nuance, some subtle area, that doesn't match. The thumbnail, for example, is too short. Ah, well.

The Hand Of The Artist, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Finding A Shell, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

This one is coming along nicely, and I look forward to finishing it soon. I think the sunlit area on the forehead needs to be lighter, and then of course, there's finishing the tunic and the hands.The water is nearly done!

Completed! Evening Star Café

Finally! Setting this one aside to dry. No doubt over the next week or so I will find tiny areas that need to be repainted, but as far as I'm concerned, it's done. DONE.

Evening Star Café, © 2018 (click on image for larger view)

This And That

Spent much of the morning painting session on this one; I'm trying to line up the places on the area below the window that catch the daylight. Also worked some background, and some places on the mannequins.

The Gauntlet, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Then moved on to this painting. I re-did the lower wall, just under the trim, behind the two women at the table. It's graduated, and I'm happy with it; also repainted the puffy sleeve on the woman at the right, as I've never thought it looked right.

 

Three Women At The Corcoran, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Toning Down The Red

The brightness of the red throughout this painting has been bothering me, so I thought i'd try a thin wash of green over a couple of the areas. It's working in some spots, but I don't like it in others (the vertical element on the right) but maybe that's because it has a little white in it, too.

I did work on the head of the striding woman, making the hair darker and adding a little blue to reflect the color of the sky. Also some detail around the eyes.

The Gauntlet, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

And I spent about an hour on the middle panel at the top, below, creating the reflected details from the trees and stuff across the street.

Selfies, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Next To Last Session

One more sitting and this will be done. I tried to finish it today but since there are so many small, wet areas scattered around the picture plane it was only a matter of time before I started smearing them.

Evening Star Café, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

And last night I did put in some time on:

 

Tuxedo Cat, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

I might change the eye color back to green. Still a lot of work to do to make this one look better.

 

Forging Ahead

I was able to work one more in today. Taking a break now, might get back to the Tragically Bad Cat or Evening Star tonight.

The Hand O The Artist, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Three Women

I feel good about the progress here; the woman on the left now looks like she could be a real person.

Three Women At The Corcoran, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

The Distractions Continue

I haven't touched a brush since last Thursday, and I'm feeling out of sorts about it, as most artists do when they're separated from their creative goals for too long. This morning was taken up yet again with a number of minor but necessary tasks, and then I got down to painting, only to be further interrupted. I know I sound like a grouch lately. I AM a grouch lately. I just want to be left alone to do my work.

This is as far as I got on this one before the last annoyance sent me down here to the dungeon studio. I'm starting Three Women At The Corcoran as soon as I finish posting this.

Finding A Shell, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)