Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Painting Neon Signs



12 x 12 oil on wood panel - SOLD

I had to go in search of tutorials on YouTube to help me figure out how to paint a neon sign.  The trick is painting the letters in a solid background color and using white on top.  I'm sure I'll give it a go another time. 

  A coat of Kamar retouch varnish makes colors pop.  Varnish is a dilemma for me.  Can't wait 6 months for final varnish, and the brush on Gamvar varnish which claims it can be used after 3 weeks of drying time doesn't leave as nice a finish as their MSA spray OR the Kamar retouch varnish. 

What do you use on your work before you show or send off to a buyer?

Monday, September 11, 2017

Reworked Wave


12 x 12 Oil on stretched Canvas - SOLD

This is a painting I started in 2013 and abandoned for what reason I do not know.  Picked it up out of a closet and had another go at it, and I was gratified to find I could handle some painting methods that weren't available to me when I started.  Nice feeling!

Saturday, August 12, 2017

What I learned from this exercise....

12 x 12 oil on panel 'Not Idaho' - SOLD

Was it hard to try and paint in the style of Millan?  Yes!  But in an all encompassing and joyful way, and I intend to do it again and again.  Those old masters were onto something.  When you copy another's work you are forced to 'look' in ways that can't help but open your mind to new methods and ideas.  It also reinforces the importance of value....even over color.  Any artist's ability to manage value is what imbues a painting with emotion.  Color may be attractive, but what brings a viewer back to look again and again is how well they manage value.  

Friday, August 4, 2017

The DPW Challenge -Copy of Carlos San Millan

Oil on wood panel 12 x 16

Carol Marine and her husband have created a wildly successful website called Daily PaintWorks and each month a new challenge is posted.

July 22nd's Challenge was to copy a painting of an artist you admire, then use what you learned to do a second piece using what you learned.  I copied from a fine Spanish contemporary artist whose work you can see at this link:  Carlos San Millan .  The painting I copied is 4 rows down and on the far right.  There are two versions of this painting out there in cyberland, but I wasn't aware of that so I chose what was probably a study for the more precisely rendered version.

Hard, yes, but really enjoyable.

The main thing I learned is unless you have the skill of a master forger, doing a copy that looks much like the original is virtually impossible because each artist's style is a result of specific brushes, knives and paints and the way his/her arm and hand work to apply the paint.

Should you decide to do copies I suggest copying from a long-dead artist.  You can call it a copy and sell it, but contemporary artists will have copyrights and your copy can't be sold - even identified as a copy.

Lookee Lamb

Oil on linen canvas 12 x 16 - SOLD

This was painted for an entry into a local group show themed 'All Things Farm'.
The only painting that sold in the show was a peaceful seascape I titled 'Fish Farm'.  There were barns, and chickens and freshly harvested vegetable paintings, but none of those sold.  Fickle fickle public!

Know how to tell the difference between a long haired goat and a sheep?  Sheep have drop ears, and goats ears stand up.  

Friday, April 7, 2017

Marvin Meerkat

12" x 16" oil on canvas board

I've been wanting to paint this guy from the moment I saw him.  Meerkats inhabit the Kalahari desert at the southern tip of Africa, and travel in 'gangs' or 'mobs'.

Friday, March 31, 2017

Grey in Flight

12 x 16 oil on canvas panel-SOLD

I pulled some stills from a couple of videos of a handsome African Grey named Gandalf, sent by a new bird friend.  Unfortunately, the stills were very small and when enlarged to do a study, they pixelate into a blur.  But the wing formations are so fascinating when birds fly - and in this case come in to land, I gave it a try.   


Saturday, March 4, 2017

Evening Bedroom

12x12 oil on wood panel - SOLD

This is where I lay my head at night to read until I fall asleep.  No my walls aren't lime green, but this is what appeared in the photo - and I liked it!  Fun to paint.  I'll do more.

Local View of Garibaldi OR

6 x 14 Oil on wood panel

I'm having a horrid time with photos.  Am I just fooling myself or does the camera lens have a mind of it's own?  None of the several photos I took...with natural light, LED soft light, from slightly above, slightly below look to me like the actual painting.  I dunno.  I think maybe a whole new approach is called for.