Those roads!

6x8 Acrylic on Canvas panel

I see a lot of paintings of roads.  I look at them all.  Is it the mystery? Possibility of escape or adventure?

 I can't resist painting them either.  

Cheap and effective brush cleaner

Not one to spend money on an item I may have around the house, I decided to try a spring in a jar for a brush cleaner (based on that coil cleaner thingy sold by Blick).  It works great!  Any hardware store carries springs and you'll want one with thick coils about 1/8" apart. Measure the inside diameter of your jar, so you can pick one that doesn't move around much so you don't stir up the bottom sludge any more than necessary. Fit that into a jar with a nice wide mouth, and you have an easy to clean and effective brush cleaner.  I top it off to about 1/2 inch above the spring once a week.

When  the sludge builds up in the bottom, pour off the clean OMS on the top, into another wide mouth jar, use a pair of needle nose pliers to squeeze the middle of the spring (if it's snug) and slip it out onto a paper towel.  A quick wipe of the spring,  use the piece of paper towel to scrub out the sludge at the bottom, pop the spring back in, pour your OMS back in and you're good until the next cleaning is needed.

Parrot and Apple

10 x 8 Oil on Linen Panel

This is my personal birdie, Sambuca.  She's quite photogenic, and although I'm sure these birds are as common as our pigeons, in the Congo, I think she's exceptional.  And beautiful, so of course it's been my intention to paint her.  I adopted her when she was 6, and she's been with me for 8 years, so she's a teenager going on two. Bird people will know what I mean.

What I learned...

11 x 14 oil on canvas panel

I was fortunate to receive a very constructive critique, and I had no trouble seeing everything that was pointed out.  Perspective?  What a novel idea!  More than one center of interest?  Why sure! Too similar spaces between objects? But, but  - that's the way it looked in real life!  I could also see I had typical sky values reversed (lighter at the horizon is how nature generally does it), and several pointless blobs.

Why would I post this you ask? Because if there's just one person out there who is going through the same learning process and a light bulb goes off, then showing the warty ones (which I haven't been shy about doing before either) has a purpose.  Also, I hope to look back a year from now and shake my head in wonderment at how far I've come.

Most people would just start over, but at this beginning and experimental stage of landscape painting, I wanted to see what changes would do with the existing painting underneath, so I grabbed my paints and started painting over this and that, and adding what I thought would improve the composition.  Of course I made a mess of it.  Some areas got positively muddy, some disappeared, some that were there for 'who-knows-what-reason' held their place or got painted away, but the composition was improved!  A tidge, even though there are still two centers of interest - or maybe 3.  Onto the trash heap this goes and on to the next one.  And I'll do my thumbnails before I start painting next time.

I purchased 36 horrid sloppy rough canvas panels, and decided to use them for a learning project.  (Don't buy the Everlast Wood Panels on Closeout at Jerry's Artarama, but do check out that store, because it's a good one).

Is this a 'C' design? Or an 'H'?

 11 x 14 oil on canvas panel

I 'd like to think I have a natural eye for good composition, in that I can recognize it when I see it, but trying to create it?  That's another story altogether.  This was painted down the road from where I live and the big round tree was the initial attraction.  But I quickly realized the road and telephone poles had a lot to do with the appeal too.  First try, I painted what I saw.  I could see there were design problems, so I made some changes, and re-read my favorite book on composition by Ian Roberts.   

Alder Stand

 8 x 10" Oil on canvas panel

Plein Aire #1 - sort of...  I did my first painting outdoors about a month ago when I hauled my French easel out the back door and painted my gate.  This one is with the pochade box I made. The lot next door to me is heavily populated with alders, and the light coming through in late afternoon was what I was after. I stayed close to home again because there's no shortage of gorgeousness right outside my door, and I wanted to be able to dash back into the house if I needed something.  All went quite well until I tried to pick up the tripod and carry it back to the house and the panel fell forward into the paint.  See the blobs on the bottom?  I smeared them around, but I was done - and wanted this first genuine plein aire painting to reflect what really happened in 2 hours, and give me info on what needs to change.   

A way to hold the panel in place would be helpful, but that gets way outside the cheap and easy department, so I'll simply wipe the sides of my finished panel with my rag (Tip #1: painting outdoors is far messier.  Wear an apron and have extra rags), and place it somewhere safe. Like a box in the back seat of the car. I will NOT be making a panel carrier, because more than one painting per outing is so outside the realm of possibility....well you know.  

Know something else? People who do this well, and in all sorts of weather deserve our admiration.  Lots of it.

Homemade Pochade Box

I wanted to put this together with items I already had around the house because I didn't know if I really wanted to spend a lot of time painting outdoors.  There are a lot of homemade pochade box videos and instructions around the web, but I wanted something super easy and inexpensive, that anyone could put together.  I already had a $20 photo tripod, so I'd been looking for an appropriate box. I spotted the unfinished wood cradled painting panels at Michael's.  They're surprisingly sturdy, so I bought two 9 x 12 x 7/8" with a 50% off coupon in hand.  $4.00 each.  I'd purchased the clip-on solvent cups earlier (again at Michael's with a 40 or 50% off coupon) and it fits inside just perfectly.  

Then I researched how to attach the box to the tripod, and found a nifty little item called a tee-nut at the hardware store for .45 cents. You'll need the 1/4-20 x 5/16 size, and a 1/4" drill bit for the hole in the bottom to hold the tee nut.  I also picked up two pretty little hinges for the back that would allow the box to open completely flat. Center them directly over the opening, so the box will lay completely flat should you decide to use it on a shelf.

I had the stain and the polyurethane for the exterior, but craft paint would work fine too.  Finding a hinge that would support the lid and attach to the outside without creating bulk and getting in the way, was almost impossible.  So I used a bit of chain to keep the lid at the right angle, cut a metal coat hanger for the brace, and used some screw eyes for hanging framed pictures, and started tinkering.  For a place to rest the painting panel, I used two tiny L screws, but the screw eyes I used to hold the chain would work fine too.  Here's the result.  I cut a piece of sturdy cardboard to fit in the bottom, and wrapped a disposable palette paper around it and taped it on the back.  I put my paints on before I leave the house. It slips right under the screw eyes.

The coat hanger lays flat diagonally across the palette area, or if I've got paints on the palette, I'll slip it under the ribbon with velcro I'll use to keep this puppy closed.  Funky? Sure, but the total cost was $10.99.  I've used it once indoors for a trial run and it feels plenty sturdy enough to take outdoors.

Postscript  4/27/144: This was fun to make and I like the way mine balances,  but I spied a dandy little $20 item on eBay that might make a good little box with the addition of a well placed T nut on the bottom. 

Type in 'Art Alternatives Marquis Desk Easel with drawer', or go to Amazon and type in the same: $25.00!

I've used up to a 12 x 16 panel on my little box with no problems, and with a suggestion by the wonderful Julie Ford Oliver, hold it in place with mounting putty. If you haven't already discovered her blog, click on the link above. She's a wonderful artist and generous teacher.

Seventh Street at Dusk

11 x 14 acrylic on canvas panel

I long for landscapes! So I'll shove my fear in a box and dive in. Living at the coast provides amazing opportunities for light and form. I caught this at dusk just a block from the ocean.

 I've also been painting outdoors and making a simple inexpensive little pochade box.  I'll post photos and directions if it's everything I hope it to be.

Connor

10 x 10 oil on Baltic Birch panel

Another contribution to the fundraiser for Col. Potter's Cairn Rescue Network.  I volunteer to edit posts and trade off photo editing with another volunteer living in New York state.  If you love dogs, most rescues are looking for volunteers for computer work, foster homes, transport, etc.
Totally worthwhile, you'll work with wonderful people and help the dog who isn't lucky enough to have found a committed loving forever home,
or was born in a puppy mill and handed off to rescue, or seized by the ASPCA and found it's way to rescue.

This is Connor in Pennsylvania, one of the lucky ones!  Such a handsome boy and pure joy to paint! 

Ramsay

SOLD

10x10" oil on archival canvas board

Another little darling who is waiting at the Rainbow Bridge.  A surprise for his Mom - from a very good friend.

Into the Light

8 x 10" oil on stretched canvas

SOLD

After this third foray into finding 'Free to use' photos online,  I've learned to resist, and use that resource for reference and clarification only.  At the very least, we owe acknowledgement to the person who was kind enough to share that photo, and most of us do, but find a 'spectacular' free photo online - and you'll see it pop up on any Google search of the subject matter and 'painting'.  This from a photo posted on WetCanvas and generously shared by Lin Goodwin, a British artist.

Saving oil paint

I borrowed the idea of a 'holding' palette for unused paint at the end of a painting session.  I started by putting my glass palette in a box, then a plastic bag stored in the freezer.  Worked okay, but I found I really enjoyed starting with a clean palette. So I started storing leftover paint on a white salad size plate, put it in a sealed plastic plate holder in the freezer. But the plate is hard to clean, so I went the ultra easy/lazy route, and save any usable paints on a piece of disposable palette paper, plop that into the bottom of a standard Ziploc sandwich container, pop the lid on, and throw it in the freezer. No clean up when the paint is used up, colors not being used can go right back into the freezer so the faster drying organics don't dry out, and it doesn't take up as much room in the freezer.

Postscript 4/3/14:  Nothing stays the same here, so I ended up using a rectangular plain white tile (3x6") to store leftover paint.  I made a little box with a fold over lid out of plain old cardboard, put that in a ziploc bag and it holds well for up to a couple of weeks.  The organics will dry out no matter what, so I only save the mixes I might need again and the colors I know won't dry out. 

Pandora

SOLD

10 x 10 Oil on archival canvas panel

I finally managed to get a painting done in the same week the DPW Challenge was posted!  Who doesn't love to paint a horsey! And as usual, I learned something new. In this case, check the finished painting next to the challenge/reference photo.  (This is an easy thing to do with a computer, but you have to remember to do it!)  I had no idea I wasn't using the right value for the horse until I saw it posted with the others.  Very valuable exercise these challenges!  Thank you to David and Carol Marine for providing such a valuable and helpful website.

Cool Tool!

I thought I'd share a handy tool I just discovered via Jim Otto's blog here: http://www.fineartsportraitpainting.com/ .   Jim is highly accomplished, but he's down to earth and his blog is a joy to follow.  It's kind of like talking over the fence with a friendly neighbor who knows a bunch of helpful stuff.


The tool he mentions is a proportional divider made by Accurasee, which is linked below.  For anyone who's struggled with proportion (don't all put your hands up at once!) this thing is bound to be a handy tool, as are all the items in their 'Measurement Kit' which is very reasonably priced compared to other proportional dividers out there.  Check out their products here: http://www.accurasee.com

Mosca in the Doorway

9.5 x 10.5 - Acrylic on gessoed cardboard

I accomplished two goals with this little study: I did a value study for a commission, and managed to enter the DPW Challenge for (sigh) last week.  Very worthwhile effort.  I learned more than I expected to and I'm hoping the finished painting benefits.

Unrepentant Thief

SOLD

8" x 10" oil on Ampersand Gessobord

Minor adjustments captured this rascal in his shameless efforts.  I've moved on to other subjects, but I'd like to revisit raccoons.  They're captivating - even if they are mean!  

I'm attempting some of the weekly and monthly challenges issued by the DailyPainter websites.  If you're a burgeoning artist, check them out.  The challenge on DPW is a learning experience, and quite helpful. The process exposes you to other artists who inspire with their composition skills, palettes, and brushwork.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Challenges

http://virtualpaintout.blogspot.com/

Daylight Thieving

Raccoons are notorious opportunists, so when I was lucky enough to catch one in the act outside a local house, I grabbed the camera.  I'm trying to master values, so I changed this painting to black and white to see what needed adjustment.  I'm generally happy with the coloration and composition, but could see it still needed some tweaking.  Although his face looks stark white - it isn't, and the shadows along the doorway aren't quite dark enough. The pile of food looks like it's perched in a lump.  I'll be tackling those spots today, and will repost as this comes along.

Mudslide

SOLD

Acrylic on 16" x 20" stretched canvas

A request for a painting led to weeks and weeks of frustration because I had no good photographic information for his body - just his little face.  This was done on a 16" x 20" canvas and the dog was a tiny bit larger than lifesize.  This painting went through many iterations, but it was finally delivered to Muddy's Mom and Dad last week.

Nider the Soulful

SOLD

8 x 10" acrylic on panel board

Providence's foster mom decided her husband's dog Nider, needed a spot on their wall too. I fell in love with him during the painting process; those dark gentle eyes....who wouldn't?

Miss Providence

SOLD

8 x 10" acrylic on panel board

This girl had a compelling direct gaze and an unusual multi-colored coat..and she was being fostered in Texas. Texas has over 900 listed rescues and shelters and is an awful place for any but the youngest and most attractive dogs to find homes. Providence, nicknamed Vinnie, found her forever home in April.

Fred the Confident

12 x 16 acrylic on canvas panel

I spied this regal fellow on the web years ago and saved his photo. He's the first Cairn I painted and I'm reluctant to let go of the painting. But if his owner found me - I would!  Do you know Fred's owner?