Archive for February, 2011
Studio Time – 2/8/11
Since tomorrow is the last day of my abstract art class, I needed to finish the two paintings I’m taking. I started the Textured Tulips in class last week, and after painting in the tulips at home, needed to take it to class for critique.
Also, last week at critique, I was to repaint the background of the Overlapping Frames painting in white. I have done that – 3 times, to be exact – in order to cover the neutral tan which I had painted it originally. Also, I repainted the colored frames with newly purchased, better quality paints from Teacher. Now, it really sparkles! Yesterday’s photo does not quite do it justice!
Landscape painting
Born in 1840, Claude Monet is one of the world’s finest impressionistic artists. A French native, Monet grew up in the countryside but enjoyed regular visits to Paris to explore the local art scene and the art of everyday life in the city. When it came time to produce his artwork, he resided to his magnificent home – the Gardens of Giverny.
Monet produced mostly impressionistic landscape paintings of his brilliant backyard gardens. The often represented the vibrant flowers, the pond with lily pads and the Japanese footbridge that arched over this humble body of water. He was able to bring color to life in a way that no other artist could ever equate. His collection of paintings travels the world still today, from museum to museum, for the entire world to be able to enjoy his gift.
Studio Time – 2/6/11
On Saturday, Thelma and I went to the Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve East and found an interesting slash pine tree (I think) with its yellow medallions in the bark. We set up our easels and did a plein air (French for “open air”) oil painting. Last year we came here and painted a live oak tree – one of those huge trees whose long lower branches stretch out parallel to the ground.
This is a preserve, so the vegetation is left alone to grow as it likes. There is a small picnic area here and a space for 5-6 cars to park. Unless you concentrate on something specific, in general the scene is pretty wild and desolate.
After about 2 hours of outdoor painting, I’m ready to stop for the day. That gives me enough time to draw my tree and other interesting items, paint the shadows and highlights and sometimes get the painting close to being finished. I usually put in the sky at home, where I can sit down and think about it for a while. Today I did just that and have it almost completed. Today’s photo is the acrylic painting I did last week in the Overlapping Frames format.
Catching Up
First, I want to make a correction. It was true that someone told me that a neutral color would enhance bright colors. However, Teacher felt that I should make the background for the multi-colored “Overlapping Frames” white. So I have done that – twice – and may repaint again to get a background that is smooth and showing no brush strokes. I’ll post that tomorrow.
In the meantime, I painted the sides of the “Textured Tulips”, enlarged the central one a little, and brightened up the yellow tulip on the right. I’m hoping my classmates will love my abstract painting, Textured Tulips, due in class on Wednesday!
Textured Tulips
The canvas I used yesterday in class is 20” x 20” – so it is somewhat large and square. I painted it a soft orange and let it dry. Then I added the matt medium and crumpled tissue paper and again let it dry. The sun was bright and warm, so the drying time was short. Finally I painted the tissue – some pink here, yellow there, green somewhere else, and blue on one side, and mixed each over the other in a few places.
It seemed to me that the colors were just right for painting tulips – big ones – so last night I found a few pictures on the internet to provide inspiration for possible layouts for mine. Today, I painted tulips on the colorful wrinkly canvas. You’ll see tomorrow my finished abstract painting for class next Wednesday!
Abstract Art Class – 2/2/11
Today I learned a new technique for creating texture in acrylic abstract painting. We began by painting our canvas with a color or colors of acrylic paint. Then we set it in the sun to dry. A short time later, we covered it with matt medium, crumpled up a piece of tissue paper (artists’ variety), and put the paper on the canvas, leaving lots of wrinkles which we smoothed out or pasted down with our hands. We further smoothed the paper with a paint brush until the paper was attached to the canvas. We began painting on it with whatever colors we chose.
The purpose was to have wrinkles in the paper to create texture. If the paper tears, just put on another piece and glue it down with acrylic paint. More paper could be added if desired – just glue it down with paint and let dry. Finally, either create a design or leave the canvas multi-colored. We all had fun and learned a new way to create texture.
Homework
Tomorrow is my Abstract Art class again. In preparation, I did one painting of overlapping circles which I’ll post after critique by the class.
In addition, I thought I would try the “overlapping frames” format for creating an abstract painting. First, I created the design in my sketch book, then drew it in pencil on the canvas. Then I colored the frames and painted the background in a neutral color (raw umber and white). Someone told me once that a neutral background shows the colors best. Since my paints are not top grade, I repainted the background and will repaint the colors tomorrow before class. After corrections, I’ll post this also.
Paul Laveille
Thelma and I had dinner tonight with my artist friend, Suzanne, and her husband, Carl. They just arrived from the Eastern Shore of Maryland after two long days of driving.
Suzanne does wonderful landscape paintings, especially of marshes and waterways. She is eager to attend a demonstration which Paul Laveille will be giving at the Bonita Springs Art Center entitled, “Still Life Painting in Oil/Pastel.”
Laveille also has a workshop February 13-18, 2011 in Bonita Springs. The goals are to experience the challenge and pleasure of creating beautiful paintings from ordinary objects, to see how light is used to create form and how color can be used with strong values to create dynamic still lifes, and how to paint what we see instead of what we think we know. It sounds to me like a great opportunity to train your eye is seeing what is really out there, and a wonderful workshop to attend if you paint in the traditional manner.