Process & Surprises

What do I love about process shots? It's a little like a makeover- starting with a blank canvas- the possibilities are exciting. Do I want drama or security? Neutral daytime or jaw drop night? 
The same thing can happen when I start a painting. 
And... I might change midstream. That's more about what the painting process is for me, to trust and let the painting take me where it wants to go- letting go of preconceived ideas of what it will be all about. 
The result may be a surprise!

Simplified the foreground and lightened the shadow. I did a lot of looking, walking away then coming back into it, scraping and applying more paint. These photos show 5 layers, there were more that I didn't photograph. I hope this breakdown helps you to understand the many stages a painting may go through to reach the point where I can put down my brush and call it finished!

Adding more color, deciding to add the ocean behind, exploring with different shapes and grays.

Tried some tans and grays but didn't get too far.

 I wanted to get the values down- now with oil paint- and I fell a little in love with the pink. Kept the painting like this while I worked on other paintings and became ready to let go, and continue with the process.

I toned the canvas, 11x14 gallery wrapped, with burnt sienna acrylic, then got my composition down with thin oil paint- my typical mix of ultramarine blue and cadmium red light.

My friends know I love flowers

The first time my friend Susan came to dinner she brought me a bunch of sunflowers, which of course I later painted. Last week she came over, again for dinner, and again with flowers, with a token sunflower in remembrance of that first dinner. 
She's thoughtful like that, and that's a quality I hope for myself with my friends. Remembering what they like. How they take their coffee. What's been going on in their lives. I'm feeling very grateful  for the close connection I feel with the women and men in my life today.
The next day I took the flowers out back, where I found a spot of shade, and found myself obsessed with the Queen Anne's Lace. Considered nothing more than a weed by many, I marveled at its' structure and divine color. This is oil on panel, 11x14.

Plein Air Beavertail

I was happy to get a chance to paint some of the buildings at Beavertail lighthouse on the neighboring island of Jamestown. This is quintessential Rhode Island and has been my home for the last four decades. My kids grew up on Jamestown, with all the advantages of small town and island living- bike riding to school, no need to lock the doors, plenty of open space to explore, lasting memories and friendships. And so I gathered with friends, my plein air pals from around the state and we each interpreted that summer day in our own way. Feeling so grateful for my island home.

Art of The Ocean State

Very pleased to tell you that my painting Quiet Morning can be seen at the Wickford Art Association exhibit- Art of the Ocean State. Wickford Art Association is a wonderful gallery with a full range of classes and exhibits. 

I painted this plein air from a little park on Washington Street in Newport. It's a shady park til lunchtime at this time of year, which was particularly nice as the day was very hot.

I'm in NH this weekend and will miss the opening but send a big thank you to WAA and my fellow artists who are also exhibiting.

Open Figure Studio

Another Monday at open figure painting at The Portsmouth Arts Guild. The time flies by, I want to get the drawing down first,used burnt sienna,ultramarine,cad yellow,and Indian red for the palette,trying to simplify the shapes. Thinking always about the shape,not the thigh! Or whatever. Challenged by the foreshortening of that right arm!

Day 2 Hollis Dunlap Workshop

On the second day, I put most of my energy into the head, trying to get a likeness.Hollis suggested that if you have only a limited time with a set up, be it a still life or a nude, to not try and complete the whole thing, but choose what you want to take to a higher degree  finish. This took alot of pressure off, note the box behind the lemon and orange, you can see the toned board, but that was as far as I went with that. Lots of attention paid to edges, which are hard, which are soft.The shadow edge by her eye is hard, the transition shadow on her cheek soft.