Precious Vase - Second Wedding Vase

My first vase painting for weddings looked like two co-dependent necks walking on a cracked egg. This one has strong colors with both partners equal in their individual growth connected at their feet by a common reservoir- a heart. And as long as they may stretch in their individuality they are connected by a bridge. This vase is inspired by a vase in Rain's collection. She purchased it from a Navajo trader.

The painting is oil on a deep cradled board block.

Precious Vase - Respect

Here are two variations on the same theme - Respect: Self-Respect, the Expectation of Receiving Respect, Respect for Others, and Respect for the Earth.

These two are not the final painting on Respect.
I am keeping a sketchbook by our television so when I see on the news vases in the presence of high governmental officials of the world, I can sketch the shapes for analyzing their body language. Are they defensive and sealed off from others and put forth a message of being stable, and invincible? Or are they trusting and giving. Do they appear to expect to be respected? Do they need to be divided into shields of protection?
Do they need ornamentation or does their regard for themselves come from within? Do they give off an illuminating sense of goodwill?

Precious Vase - Dreams

This is one that was not dreamy enough until I worked on it some more.

"My DreamsVase Holds Waters as Big as all the Oceans" is oil on a deep cradled board.

Nature, art history, and the abstract

Working towards communicating feelings, I feel bound to realism in these two paintings. In these paintings I am gaining inspiration from Cezanne and a contemporary acrylic painting posted earlier. I look at color first and then try to draw the most basic forms. The second painting is still at the color stage. It may remain as is if it would just stay light when it dries. In abstracts from nature it is more difficult to say the painting is finished. Often it is not. It is best to do another and come back later to it.

The top painting is 28" x 22".

"November Storm Abstract" is abstract by nature of fog's veil that reveals and conceals. This one is 16" x 20".

Challenge of Cezanne-like perspective

Landscapes are a challenge when they create a path from the near ground transitioning up and up to a mountain like Mount Saint Victoria in the Cezanne painting. The previous post had some pictures of some studies in which I was not only relating to Cezanne but also a contemporary working with acrylics which darken as they dry. Even more challenging is to incorporate a sense of movement through an abstract that suggests landscape. With the beautiful bright colors of acrylic it is difficult to get the nuances of transition.

Coming Friday, November the 20th are some of my paintings that strive to capture the stormy atmosphere of Oregon's November.

Classic composition challenge

The small painting is the inspiring painting by Jan Browne. It is in "Rain's" collection. I am challenged by the many over lapping forms receding back with many color changes here and there and all over. Yet she employed just a few colors.

The big painting of mine is a study. It is the one that favors the cool colors especially in the top half of the painting. I carried it too far.

The painting below was how it stood before I worked on it today. It was a hoot to do a single point perspective in the foreground and a tipped in your face perspective of the distant mountains like Cezanne.

A question for the acrylic painting artists out there? How would you feel if another artist used the composition or colors in one of your paintings as a starting point for expanding their exploration of their own work? Or should we stick to dead artists who used only oil or watercolor?

Abstracting from Photograph

The link for the process of this painting is here.

Two abstracted from collaged photograph accordion folded paper

For students of last Saturday's workshop, here are the resulting paintings done from my accordion folded paintings on location. At our North Albany march I recorded nature's colors andlinear energy. I was looking at nature adjacent to both agricultural and housing developments. The paintings were made around photographs previously described in an early post.

These paintings are acrylic on untreated canvas painted before the canvas was stapled to stretcher bars. The first canvas is 28 by 22 inches. And the second is 20 x 16 inches. The canvas was moistened with a spray bottle. The paint was poured or whipped or pushed on directly from the tube. Also used acrylic medium and interference color as accent.

Simplified border of earlier acrylic painting update

First paintings from photo/painting collage

This abstract, "North Albany number 1" is suggestive of the landscape's vitality as I experience it. To show the energy, I am selective, keeping what is most expressive. The details of form are secondary and lost while the color is about my internal emotion accented with pulsating lines of contrasting color. The abstract is a visual poem. My process was to trick myself into developing a departure from what I have been painting. In the previous post, there is a photograph of this painting as it developed on the floor of my studio. Next to the painting was my reference material from the field. The collaged accordion book had photos -both mine taken of North Albany and some free photos by Martha Marshall.
This first painting went very well. The second and third are still incomplete after two days. At the end of the second day I started a new accordion book painting shapes from more photos of Martha Marshall. Her Tennessee landscape is somewhat like North Albany but just enough different to really get my senses sharpened to seeing my own backyard. My own living space had become so familiar that I was blinded by the everydayness of it.



Then I took photographs of my neighbors Angus.

Checking on Martha Marshall's blog with more inspirational free photos I noticed that I was always looking south from my house and studio. I was taken by the importance of walking all around to find shapes that will resonate with my feelings. I need to look at how lighting effects the rhythms of man made architecture, the animal, and the plants of my world.

Painting from Accordion Folded Photo, Watercolor Study

There are many ways to use accordion folded watercolor paper books. They make great greeting cards. They store well in a shoe box along with photos for keeping memories. Here I will talk about how in the studio they stand up like a card next to my paints and pallet as an inspiration. I walked to a North Albany field a half of a mile from my house. I was traveling light with a camera and paper and field painting supplies. The stubble grass and distant shapes were similar to the free images Martha Marshal shared on her blog, Artist's Journal. She offered images as a starting point for others to use as inspiration. With just my camera and my Koi Watercolors Pocket Field Sketch Box I worked around Martha's photos pasted to my accordion folded watercolor paper. The object was to compare the photos to what I was seeing. Then I worked at matching the colors and textures and linear qualities employing the Koi set of colors and a brush containing a reservoir of water. Later I added photos taken on location to the collage. Finally I painted lines around the parts of the study that appealed to me. I wanted to find emotional content for a painting in progress of dream clouds. I will in a few days publish the dream cloud painting.My experience with going lightly in the field and more will be the content of my hands on workshop. All supplies are furnished free. The watercolor workshop at the Fall Creek Festival is just a week away. There is still time to register leaving your choice of work shops and vegetarian preference for lunch at 541-487-5512 or e-mail oregonhatchery.researchcenter@state.or.us

November 7, 10:00 AM to 4 PM. This year the family friendly workshops also has special children's activities in addition to workshops in leather working, fish printing, card making, wire wrap Jewelry, and basket Making in addition to my watercolor exploration.

Tomorrow will be a real painting day