oil on flat panel gessobord, 6"x6", $50
I've noticed a trend with myself: I'm drawn to painting bright and shiny things. There is something so satisfying about slapping on those final strokes of white and how they instantly bring everything else in the painting together.
"Winter Sunset", oil on flat panel gessobord, 6"x6", $50
I so love doing quick color studies of sunsets and sunrises. The blue of the winter snow always makes the sky look more brilliant.
"Red Pump" oil on smooth Ampersand panel, 6"x6", $50.
This one was challenging for me. I typically work with cadmiums, but I chose to add Alizarin crimson to deepen the red. Alizarin is very translucent, so difficult to work with alla prima. But I think I prevailed!
"Orange Lipstick", oil on flat panel gessobord, 6"x6", $50.
I love painting bold lipstick as much as I love wearing it! In this one, I especially love the contrast of the electric orange against the muted teal.
"Boho Bangle" - 6"x6", oil on gessobord. $50
First up in my daily paintings available is "Boho Bangle". I loved working with the bright, super saturated colors in this piece. And the contrast of natural lighting on the left and a red light on the right created some really interesting effects.
My good intentions of keeping up with blog writing seem to have not resulted in much. I post frequently on my Facebook page, but seldom seem to have much to say other than brief comments, or at least seldom think to say anything more. I'm not sure if it will, but I really would like that to change. I'd like to be more intentional about sharing progress shots and bits of my process.
In the meantime, for 2015 I've set out to make daily painting a habit. Some friends and fellow artists introduced to me recently Carol Marine's new book on Daily Painting. The idea of daily painting is to create a small work each day (or most days) towards the goal of producing a greater number of works, exploring a wider range of subject matter, and keeping painting fresh and fun. I typically paint large, high-detail pieces that require weeks, if not months, of work. It is sometimes difficult to work for extended periods of time without any gratification of a finished piece. I've only done a handful of these small paintings so far, but I am already hooked and having a blast!
I've joined Carol Marine's site dedicated to the sale of daily paintings and will be posting regularly. The first goes up tomorrow! I will share the link then. In the meantime, here are a few of the first ones I've done, currently available at my physical gallery space at Second April Galerie.
Red Lipstick
Beach Hat
Red Barn
Coming off of a year and a half spent locked away in my studio working on 50 portraits that had to stay under wraps until the exhibit opening, I am super excited to start sharing pieces as I finish them, as well as lots of in progress photos to show my process. I'm also looking forward to a chance to get feedback. One of the hardest things about working from home is the lack of feedback on a regular basis. I have a whole bunch of ideas for new paintings to come and can't wait to get started.
So, to break in this new blog, I'm going to share some progress shots of my most recent painting. My brother is in school, and has been mentioning how cool some art for his apartment would be. His birthday was coming up, so I decided to paint something for him.
Enter Dawson. Dawson is the family corgi, and I think he might secretly win the contest of who Josiah's most excited to see when he comes home on break. Dawson has also managed to become a sort of celebrity amongst Josiah's friends, even if they haven't met him. He has his own Facebook page. He's kinda a big deal.
So, it only seemed appropriate to make a super sized version of him, on a 3 foot square canvas. I've worked this way a few times before: very loosely in acrylics, layering washes of bright colors. It's a really fun change from my normal high-detail realism. I seldom work this large, so I was a little uncertain it was going to turn out well, especially in the early "ugly" layers. But he shaped up nicely!
Creating the outline
The first washes...looking pretty rough.
Playing with warm and cool contrasts...shaping up a bit better. It helps that his eyes are no longer scary, evil red.
And done!
The real Mr. Dawson posing with his larger-than-life portrait.
