"On Fire"

Oil -16"x20" canvas in frame

Not as happy with this version of the sunflower.  I painted the frame along with the canvas and had to take a picture of it slanted to keep the "glare" of the wet paint down. 

I LOVE flowers, and I've come to the conclusion, they are the MOST challenging thing for me to paint.  I'm much more confident at doing portraits and landscapes.  It's crazy right?

So stating this, I think this work was a good practice run......now on to other things.

"Southern Light"

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18"x24"  Oil on stretched canvas

These flowers are but a few I have for students to draw and/or paint from.  As I was putting things away after a class, I was mesmerized by the light shining on these two and the sharp shadows to the left of where they were sitting.

I grabbed my camera and started shooting away....hoping it would capture the intense lighting I was witnessing in front of me.  (I didn't have time to break out brush and paints.)  I was happy when I got home and downloaded the images, printed them off and voila.....here's one composition of the scene I plan to paint several versions of.

The paint was still wet when I took this picture.  I tried my best to not get reflected light bouncing off the canvas.  Where there's a will, there's a way right? Rigbt!   

Final Canvas titled "Rainbow Mix"

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Here's the final group of 6"x6" squares for the "30 Paintings/ 30 Days Challenge" that was given by artist Leslie Saeta http://www.lesliesaeta.blogspot.com  in January. 

I marked off three 24"x18" canvases into 6"x6" blocks.  Each canvas held 12 squares.  "Rainbow Mix" was created using a full palette of "Warm & Cool" colors.  I also used a wide variety of brushes I own (some I forgot I had) and painted one square totally with a narrow palette knife.

You can see all the squares, along with the finished canvases, together on my website Artwork pages. http://www.ginlammert.com  ( I didn't start posting the very first works...but there are plenty squares  side-by-side to enjoy the view.)

This challenge was a GREAT way for me to start the new year.  I would recommend doing this exercise anytime if one feels in a creative slump.  Just trying to make the same subject matter interesting over and over...and over .....makes for a challenge in itself.

Square #30

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Here's the last square for the 30 Paintings/30 Days Challenge by artist Leslie Saeta http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com   I used a 1/4" flat brush to apply the oil to canvas.

The color combination her is Permanent Green Light /Thio Violet mix as the dominate color, Thio Violet, & Naples Yellow.   A Triad combination on the color wheel.

As you can see, the green/violet mix creates a blue-green color.  There's a few touches here and there where it's the pure green.  Otherwise, it is mixed into the other two colors.

I have 3 more squares left on my 24"x18" canvas.  So I hope to finish it by tomorrow and will post the entire set titled: "Rainbow Mix".

Square #29

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I used 3 colors and white in this 6"x6" square.  The dominate color is Thio Violet with Permanent Green light and Cadmium Yellow Light as the other two.  Titanium White was used to mix into the other colors to create a lighter value.  I used a 3/8" Flat brush to apply the paint.

I've been reading "Mastering Color - The essentials of color illustrated with oils" by Vicki McMurry.  She writes about "Mother Colors" on pages 54/55 of the book (dominate color blended in all the other colors used in a piece will harmonize the work.)

She also shares on these pages examples of two color wheel mixes she created and talks about temperature and value of colors. 

Under a beautiful painting example on p.55 titled "Golden Hills", she has this brief insert......"Every color leans toward one of the primary colors. As you begin mixing colors, ask yourself if the mixture leans to the yellow, red or blue part of the color spectrum.  Understanding this concept, developing your observations and applying this knowledge will save you hours of struggling to find the right color.  A majority of the time, the solution to a problem  to adjust either the temperature or the value of color."

I have to admit, there are so many times I pick up a book and what draws me to it is the illustrations inside and seeing the writing is concise, to the point in a few paragraphs - not pages to read.  This book is filled with beautiful painting examples and  the information is precise, to the point.

The book is published through North Light Books   http://www.artistsnetwork.com



Square #28 - 30 Paintings/30 Days Challenge

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I'm a day behind....bad girl....yes, I scold myself from time to time.  Yesterday the house demanded attention.  Clothes too :D

Here is #28 where I used a fan brush to smooth out the brush strokes that I applied paint with.  I also wanted this square to be on the "cool" side and used Pthalo blue in the mix.  And, if you're following, you'll see I change positions of the two fruit in almost each square.......the apple still wants to be in front.  Again, I think it's something about being Red.

Square #27 30Paintings/30 Days Challenge

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Oil on canvas....getting so close to the end of this challenge.  This square was painted with a 1/4" bristle brush. 

 

I liked laying on the paint with this brush, but it was difficult to create sharp edges.  Maybe if the work was larger than 6"x6" I could accomplish having more control with edge work.

 

Now on to finishing my 24"x18" canvas of squares.  There are 7 left to paint. A valuable lesson I'm learning about my painting skills.....it's very difficult for me not to go for detail. Simplifying an object by using one stroke of color and it's value is harder for me then dissecting an area with all the reflections and different hues I see or imagine I do.  

 

I would recommend this challenge to anyone to try at least once.  Who knows?....you may discover a technique and/or more about composition by doing this.  So many ideas in my head....not enough time................does this sound like most artists you may know?  Maybe yourself? 

 

Share with me... ginlammert@yahoo.com