Daniel

Tomorrow I hope to have enough time to gather together the 17 paintings in the America series, finished or in progress, and take a group shot. Meanwhile, here is the latest:

Daniel, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Water, Water, Everywhere

Filling in some of the water on the upper part of the panel.

Coming Of Age In The Year 2018, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

This And That

Trying to make some progress on the curtains. They're an odd combination of white, blue, peach and grey. There'll be some detail on the inner curtains, which are lacy and transparent. And there will be leafy boughs outside the window; I think they'll balance the composition.

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

 

Meanwhile, some tentative work on the little watercolor:

 

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

 

And you might recognize this guy from Waiting At Le Diplomate:

 

Daniel, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Here And There

Some of the colors are hard to match to the original photo, especially the yellow hair on the mannequin at center bottom, which is reflecting some of the orange from the hair above. I'll need to do another couple of layers just on that wig alone.

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

Emergency, and Katie

Right now, The Promise Of Evening is on the easel, but I wanted to post these two while I'm taking a break: easel work is hard on the back. Looks like I'm going to have to re-do that "r" in "Larsen's."

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

Meanwhile, Katie gets off to a good start: 

Katie, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Emerging Image

I'm peeling back the plastic covering and establishing points of reference. The figure begins to come into focus.

Coming Of Age In The Year 2018, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Last Night's Work

You'll probably get sick of seeing this painting over the next few weeks as I work on small areas here and there. It's a wonder I don't have nightmares about wigged mannequins marching in unison.

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

Katie

I'll be starting a new America series painting in the next day or so.

Katie, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

A Bad Day For Painting

Not only am I feeling unmotivated, there's been a steady stream of distractions this morning. And how can it be so hard to get the sky and the clouds to merge into each other in this painting?

L'Auberge Provencale, February, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

I'm going to take a break and do some business organization on the computer. I did manage to enter a competition this morning, so that's something.

More Wig Work, and Americans

I told my patron (this painting is a commissioned piece) that I hoped Wigs And Shades would be finished by the holidays, so I'd better work on it some every day for the next three weeks! Today's work: feathers and hair, with a little redrawing of sunglasses.

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

 

I also redrew the stance on Grace; I like it much better this way. The resemblance, though, needs a lot of work— this is a pretty young woman and it doesn't look like her yet.

Grace, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

And this one's coming along nicely:

 

Cheyenne, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

All in all, a productive day.

 

 

 

More Red

Here's the latest work on Craig:

Craig, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Back To The Gauntlet

Brought this painting upstairs to the new studio and it's not too large for the easel, so this morning's session was very pleasant. (There's a bit of sun today.)

I concentrated on the left side; still more of the berry branches that decorate the window's interior have to be painted in, but the mannequin is almost finished. I'll be able to move on to the right next time.

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

...And Some Late Night Painting

Tackled this one last night. Thank heaven for daylight lamps.

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

Late Afternoon Painting

I'm determined to make up for last week, so I put in a couple of hours on this one today. The upper right corner is showing the effects of the lamp I used to light it; stopped working just after dark.

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

Feeling Pulled In All Directions

This is nothing new; for women artists especially, there is the problem of domestic work vs. creative work. For me, there's also the need to spend time on a commercial project and visit the gym. And there are social responsibilities as well. I'm just feeling the weight of all these issues today, possibly because the skies are dreary and dull.

I did decide to forgo the gym and work on a little watercolor instead. Here it is in two of the beginning stages:

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

 

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

 

Moving on, I painted in a little bit more on this one before my eyes began to cross:

 

Coming Of Age In The Year 2018, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

The shape of the head is beginning to be visible on the right, just above the fold on the protective plastic film.

 

Taking a break from The Promise Of Evening right now.

 

Post-Thanksgiving

It's been a crazy week; I spent the entire day on Wednesday catching up on all of the housework that I've ignored for the last month. Needless to say, there was a lot of work to do and I was exhausted by the end of the day.

On Thursday we made up for it by visiting some of our best friends and sharing Thanksgiving dinner with them. They were in the mood to pamper us, and I feel totally indulged and spoiled. Hubby had spent Wednesday crafting a glorious apple pie, which was the fine finale to a delicious dinner.

Following a good long nap for everyone, we headed off to the movie theater to see "Bohemian Rhapsody," which was quite the trip— completely engrossing and very intense. What a performance by Rami Malek!

Friday I stopped off at The Green Phoenix II to see if anything had sold (no), and dropped off two newly finished pieces. While I was chatting with the store owner, a man came in and admired "Angelo's," which was hanging on the wall behind the sales desk; he decided on the spot to buy it! Of course I am thrilled. It's a fine painting and deserves a good home.

Angelo's, oil on linen, 18" x 24" 

 Following that, we came home and decompressed; today, though, I got back into harness and worked in the new setup.

This is the drafting table, where I'm going to do some watercolors and line drawings.

Added about an inch more to this pastel in order to make it fit the standard size mat I have for it; it had been hanging in the Phoenix but a customer knocked it off the shelf and as a result the glass broke and the custom-cut mat was ruined! Of course, it had to be the only one in the series with a custom-cut mat.

Northern Skies #1, pastel

Today's work:

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

L'Auberge Provencale, February, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Coming Of Age In The Year 2018, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Only incremental changes on this last one, I'm afraid.

This Will Look Better Next Time

After sanding the surface, I began to repaint the sunset sky. There were still little grains of paint debris, though; the new Gamblin Radiant White has the sexiest consistency of any paint I've ever used; luscious, sensual, almost like heavy whipped cream, so I hope they're not from the Gamblin. I'll have to test it on a blank panel with a new, clean brush to find out.

Anyway, a couple of interruptions broke my concentration so I stopped before finishing, but the sky's coming along fairly well. Next time I should be able to get the blends finished.

L'Auberge Provencale, February, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Moved on to the iris painting:

Blue Vase With Irises, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Moving Along

The new upstairs studio is working out pretty well so far, and today I tried some actual painting. I think the gradation of the sky is done, so when it dries I'll put in the dark green leafy boughs just outside the window. Worked on patches of the blouse here and there.

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

 Have been doing a mammoth reorganization job on the closet in the studio, so not much painting. At least I'll be able to find things when I need them now.

The New Easel

The new easel only took two days to assemble and set up, partly because I am not clever at reading diagrams, and also because the illustrations were so small you couldn't see tiny but vital details. I screwed more than a few pieces in backwards or upside down.

Anyway, the upstairs studio is now ready to go; I have plans to do watercolors and pastels on the nearby drafting table, and the smaller oils on the new easel. The basement dungeon studio will be for the large oils— I'm just much happier working next to a window in natural light, as I am here; the room is oriented towards the south, so it's bathed in light all day long.

On the easel: The Promise Of Evening, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

I'll Give It A Try

Every artist online has an opinion about Titanium White and which brand is the best, and which is the best value, etc. I was frustrated enough with today's painting experience to hop in the car and head on down to my nearest art supply store, where I picked up this tube of Gamblin Radiant White. I do trust Gamblin, and it turned out that the store is no longer stocking Grumbacher, another brand I've trusted for many years, so it was between the Gamblin and the Winsor & Newton. W-N is another of my favorites, but this time I went with Gamblin.

So I'll see how it performs.

The bumpiness in the tube is from me pressing on it to try to determine if the consistency was as soft as I wanted.

Debris

The last tube of Permalba White didn't perform very well for me, but I decided to give it another try when I ran out. That was a mistake. The paint is grainy, and it leaves tiny bits of paint all over the place. I'm going to have to lightly sand this current layer when it dries, because the beautiful winter sky should be clear and clean.

L'Auberge Provencale, February, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

The panel I'm painting on is as smooth as smooth can be, so it's disappointing to have to go over strokes, or try to pick up tiny dots of paint with the tip of the brush or an X-Acto knife blade in places where the paint has dried. The brush I was using this morning also left tiny hairs, and of course, the presence of very fine cat hairs wafting around the room doesn't help, either. 

More disappointment: I've been going back and forth over whether or not I can live with the odd angle on the Grace painting. I don't know how I didn't see it when I was transferring the image, but she's really way more diagonally placed than vertically. I'm redoing the position of the figure, and also had to sand out a little texture on the face. 

Grace, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Cheyenne and Craig

The second coat of paint always looks better than the first.

Cheyenne, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Craig, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Watery Strokes

It turns out that, aside from using a brush loaded with slightly thicker paint, the best advice I have for this oil-on-aluminum technique is: be definite about doing a stroke— try to put it on in one move. This helps avoid having to go back and fiddle with the line and making it look fractured. I have a lot to learn, but so far, so good.

Coming Of Age In The Year 2018, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

That brownish-orangey color is just the reflection of the room in the aluminum.

Organization

It seems like I've spent the last two days loafing, but in reality I not only did a huge amount of work restructuring the space and the contents of the craft room to accommodate a new easel, but also I put in several hours on Ancestry.com and trying to retrieve about 120 missing photo files from a trip to the west coast in 2015. The latter task was a failure; I must have deleted those files a couple of years ago.

In any case, back to painting today.

Blue Vase With Irises, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

For some reason, I think of Van Gogh when I look at this. Did he do a painting with a blue vase and a yellow background? I'll have to check. I went with the yellow because it's such a beautiful, sunny color (Williamsburg Brilliant Yellow Pale) and I wanted it to contrast with the blue.

Winter Sunset

Laying down the foundation colors.

L'Auberge Provencale, February, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Water On Metal

So: a while ago, an artist friend and I purchased a couple of aluminum panels with the thought of experimenting with them. One of mine is primed, one is unprimed. This is the unprimed one, and as I mentioned in an earlier posting, I'm being cautious and only peeling down the adhesive protection sheet as I work.

The image is of a teenager in a swimming pool, and so far I'm enjoying the way the paint and the brush strokes work with the metal surface. I'll be slowly revealing the surface.

Coming Of Age In The Year 2018, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

The View Through The Window

I'm moving things around in the house to make life easier, and I think I'm going to buy a new easel for the upstairs studio. Meanwhile, all I worked on was the view through the window; the colors look harsher here than they really are. Plus I did a little work on the sleeves. It turns out when you mix Winsor Orange with Cobalt Blue and Titanium White, you get a nice pale violet.

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

Art As Therapy

Most of the new pieces I'm starting, and there are about 10 of them at this writing, are serene, restful, meditative, almost. I think I've started so many of them as an antidote to all of the hate and horror in the news. So I'm doing cats...flowers...lovely young women...cows and sheep in bucolic pastures...

Blue Vase With Irises, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Green

The greens are finally working. There are multiple greens, and they get warmer in tone where the light hits them, and darker in the corners. There's still plenty of layering to do on them in the form of glazes, but they look pretty good to me now.

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

 

Also, the tiles near the floor reflect a little of that yellowy floor color.

Still In Organizational Mode

I stretched a couple more small canvases today and went looking through the archive of reference photos. My gallery owner gave me four beautiful frames; three of them have glass, so they're ideal for watercolors or pastels. But I can't find anything suitable.

It's not a good day for painting, either; I just can't seem to find the patience for it. And there's so much that needs to be done! It's a truly gloomy day, dismal and wet. The whole east coast, or at least the parts around DC and northward, are socked in with bad weather, not the most reassuring thing on Election Day. I did get out early this morning to do my civic duty. Have been avoiding the news for the better part of the last two weeks, so I have no idea what's going on in the world; it just got so depressing I couldn't stand to listen to it any more.

Meanwhile, here's the little bit of painting I did today:

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

 

Worked on that mannequin at upper right. Still having trouble with the pouty mouths. 

L'Auberge Provencale, February, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

More New Stuff

I worked straight through from about 8 this morning to 5pm (with a break for breakfast and lunch) on all sorts of art related things: stretching canvases, organizing reference images, cleaning neglected brushes, attaching wires to finished work, planning for upcoming shows, and a little painting. I've started some new pieces: a painting of a country inn, two more from the America series, a cat mug shot, and a domestic interior. So— not a lot of painting, but some new starts:

Cheyenne, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Grace, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)