Daily Painting Practice - Sunset Lake work in progress - North Woods Series continues

Last week I posted this with a group of other underpaintings I am working on. This painting is another in my Northwoods Series. I can't believe I am still able to work from all of my reference photos and sketches from our trip last summer.

click on the painting to enlarge the image

Sunset Lake? Loons Lullaby?

work in progress

18"x24"

oil on canvas

Our good friends up North in Wisconsin have this beautiful view from their cabin on the lake. There is something so restful about a sunset on a lake. I think the sense of peace has something to do with a natural connection from an inner clock. The one we all have centered in our soul. It ties us to the gentle rhythms of nature.

I really think I felt that connection when I was up there this summer....either that or...

...I spent too much time in the sun..!!

Daily Painting Practice - under paintings, under paintings, under paintings

Sunset on Northwoods Lake

work in progress

Sometimes an artist needs to exercise patience.( It may be the only exercise we actually do.)  I have had some good news this week,  a new gallery in Omaha sold a painting I had completed two years ago. In this case it literally paid to be patient.

Lately though, I  have had to remind myself to be patient. I seem to be making more under paintings than finished works. It is very  important to stay the course...  I need to keep telling myself "strive for quality not quantity". Not an easy lesson when under paintings start backing up on the easel.

Canal

work in progress

Some under paintings develop at a slower pace than others. It is usually at this point that I need to decide on how far to develop the details in the under painting.

 Time to Reflect

work still in progress

Of course some details take forever to work out. I suppose I should be happy as long as I see progress. (no matter how slow) The waterfall painting I have been working on is another story. I'm having a real problem getting that one to the finish line. But you know what they say... When the going gets tough...

...Start another under painting!

Daily Painting Practice - Painting an Island

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Island

6"x12"

oil on masonite panel

Every now and then I paint for a week or two and end up with  nothing much more than a few canvases full of false starts.  Last week I had a few and I was headed that way again until the end of this week, then I managed to paint this small  Northwoods scene in the nick of time.

Hopefully next week I will be back on schedule and have a painting worth  showing.

Daily Painting Practice - Shells

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Shells

8"x10"

oil on masonite

I started this a while ago and only finished it this past weekend. Originally I had a third shell in the middle, but I found it was too much of a distraction to the composition. Sometimes you have to make decisions that eliminate characters that don't get along with the others. 

Daily Painting Practice - White Peony and shipping paintings

I was recently asked via email about  how I send paintings to galleries or shows. Perfect timing! I was just notified that my painting "Cowboy Dave" was just juried into the ( 2010 C.M. Russell Art Auction.) They also informed me that the painting needs to be shipped this week.  This is a first for me to ship  to a big art auction so I wanted to do it right.

The Auction suggested that we use a re-usable strong box for shipping. I decided on a lined strongbox by  (Airfloat Systems Inc.)

Here's a picture of the box....and my helper.

The plastic liner on the box top is an extra protection against a puncture. It is very easy to size and pack the painting. The foam inset is perforated in 1 " increments.

You just outline the frame and rip out the foam. Then place the painting in the box ( it is a good idea to cover the painting with plastic or paper) And  replace the top layer.

Clean simple and hassle free. Ready to tape and ship. I'll let you know how it does at the show in March.

click on the painting to enlarge the image

White Peony

8"x8"

oil on masonite

Before you go, here's the latest painting. This one is for a show at my N.J. gallery, ( the desChamps Gallery), in December. Finished it just in time.

Daily Painting Practice - Wicker Still life

It has been a long week, lots happening out of the studio. I surprised myself in getting as far as I did on this one.

This painting has already had several incarnations. I originally started it on a larger horizontal canvas, with apples and the light coming from the left. It never made me feel like it should, so I let it sit for months.  This square canvas already had a painting on it, (one of those things I wanted to forget I painted) So I covered it up with a thick coat of paint. 

After playing with the composition in a square format I felt like it started to work. My composition editor/wife suggested changing from green apples to pears....(she's gets it right every now and then).

The hardest thing about this painting is the counting...counting the blue squares, counting the white squares, counting the rows of wicker cane. I was so tired of counting but it was the only way I could keep track of the detail. It was very hard not letting it get away from me.

I liked the way the light was hitting the basket. Wanting to keep the focus on that spot of the basket I tried keeping all of the other elements  muted and soft.

I have all the pieces painted but now I need  to make it work together.

click on the painting to enlarge the image

Wicker

20"x20"

oil on canvas

Almost ready to sign it. I'll need to let it rest and look at it with fresh eyes next week.

Daily Painting Practice - Can Artists Keep a Schedule? Part 2

Last week I wrote about the new work schedule I developed with the goal of becoming more productive.  After the second week of trying to work with this new routine I have to admit a few adjustments were in order. ( no surprise there!) I thought showing my process in picture form might help explain what it is I am after... Originally, I wanted to have a new painting completed each week by Sunday afternoon. I missed that goal the first week and realised it is not a realistic target for me .
However, my goal is still to work on each of the 4 stages of development daily. Devoting a scheduled amount of time each day to each stage in order to move forward towards the goal of completing one painting a week is great motivation and does yield results.  ( my days of engineering haven't washed out of me yet , I guess). 
Here are the 4 stages:



Stage 1 - Come up with an idea. The calendar sets the priority. In other words, what is the next deadline? ( Show, gallery pieces, competition, just for fun...)


Stage 2 - Complete a transfer and under painting. Develop the previous week's idea into a composition and transfer the drawing to canvas.


Stage 3 - Complete painting to 80%. (from last week's transfer).


Stage 4 - Complete the painting. (From the previous week's 80%).

Above you can see the four stages of  development. I am cheating a bit here because the waterfall painting is still not complete.  

Here is stage one completed. My new gallery in New Jersey ( the desChamps Gallery) wants five small paintings in November for a holiday show. This would be one of them.

This is the completed ( sort of ) Stage 2 Painting.

This is supposed to be Stage 3 - the 80% complete painting. Hard to say if I made 80%....maybe 59 1/2%.

This should be a Stage 4 - Completed Painting, but oops! Again, the painting I was going to have completed last week still needs work. I thought I would be discouraged after missing my self imposed deadline. But that isn't the case, because the result of my attempting to be more productive is that I am being more productive!

 Last week I recieved a few emails and several comments  with some helpful and some humorous suggestions regarding the topic of artists and schedules. Some of you mentioned the  real goal is to be happy and not to let a schedule get in the way of  the creativity. I  agree 100% . One of my favorite emails included a quote which I will share. I don't know the author of the quote  but it is my new favorite mantra to recite when I get down on myself for not producing enough.

"God left the songs unsung The pictures unpainted the flowers unplanted so that we might enjoy the world of creation"

Daily Painting Practice - Can artists keep schedules?

I have started a new routine. Yes I know, how many new routines can one artist begin?  It's a silly question, Obviously it takes as many as  is needed until I find the one that works. 

For years I have read about artists and their routines. They vary their approach to productivity as much as they do their style of painting.  Some get up early and are at the easel painting by 6:00 AM each morning, like clock work. Others  begin  more slowly,  they ease into the day, first doing a morning sketch routine to limber up. Others work late into the night needing the world to be quiet in order to be productive. Some approach art like a nine to five job.    

I have always had a hard time with productivity. So recently my daughter helped me with a new method and work schedule that seems to be a good fit.   For me coming up with a new routine is like shopping for  new shoes. I  know what I need but can only tell if I like it if I can see it and wear it for a while.


My main goal is produce one new painting each week. ( Completed by Sunday no matter what size!)  I also needed  to organize and prioritize my compositions. My approach needs to fit a purpose. I have deadlines and commitments,  ... galleries, shows, competitions, works in a series,  large works, small works.  The business side of art demands focus..... Did I actually say that out loud?

click on image to enlarge the painting

Northwoods series Number ??

work in progress

24"x30"

oil on canvas

Well it's Sunday night and I was supposed to have this painting completed.  I still have more to do to it, I'm getting close...  but I missed my deadline. So here's my problem, I am sticking with my schedule and will  complete next week's painting next Sunday, but I will need to make time to finish this one also. 

One of the hardest things I am learning about being an artist is the self discipline needed to produce good work and to keep producing it. So it's one more cup of tea and back to the studio. So much art so little time!

 

Daily Painting Practice - Northwoods Series continues

Our vacation to the Northwoods of Wisconsin at the end of the summer gave me a lot of reference photos and a few surprises. One of the surprises came on our first day out, this beautiful white deer.  She sat there as if she was used to paparazzi snapping photos of her all day long. She was so unafraid I probably could have  set up my paints and painted her on the spot.

Reference photos come in handy for the details needed in  my paintings. Usually my eye for composition in the photos isn't very good. The best ones have a focal point and connect me to the environment right away, but I usually end up cropping  and rearranging the scenes back in the studio.

 

Falls of Kaaterskill by Thomas Cole

I have been thinking lately a lot about what makes a good a focal point. What actually makes it work and  how did the master landscape artists handle the surrounding area? Thomas Cole was one of those master artists I enjoy.

In this detail, I think the surrounding composition near the focal point still makes an interesting painting all by itself.  So I started another  Northwoods painting with that idea in my head.

Here's the beginning of the under painting for the entire composition. The water leads your eye slowly to the focal point, the sunlit bunch of swamp grass just under the dark shadows of the distant trees.

So here is my idea: 

The focal point and surrounding area should stand alone as a painting within the painting.  I should use this method from now on in my mental checklist when building a composition. I don't know if this helps any of you or is such a simple idea that everybody thinks of this all the time. But I believe, that for people like me who need help building good compositions, using this idea might be an indicator of when we are on the right track. 

Happy trails!

 

Daily Painting Practice- Tips for newbie plein air painters - avoiding crowds

When I paint plein air I enjoy having friends or fellow artists around me. I may not be able to walk and chew gum at the same time but I can talk and paint. However, this was not always the case. Like most artists when first venturing out to paint in public I was uncomfortable with people coming up behind me and watching. So here are a view tips I'll share with you plein air newbies.

Approach number 1:
Try concealing what you are doing.  Don't give up your personal space. keep everything close to the vest... or chest in this case.

Pick a location that normal people( people other than artists) would find hard to get to. Be ever vigilant in the woods though, hikers like to sneak up on you.

If you are in the open try looking a little... how do I put this? deranged! People keep there distance if you look like a nut job. Squint constantly. Not only will this help you control the values in your painting but it makes people uneasy and helps to keep them at a safe distance. ( wearing weird shoes helps too)

Here's a neat trick. Set up an empty easel. Pretend you are in the process of cleaning up or just staring out  at the horizon ...but actually you can be painting a small color study holding the canvas in your hand...( Artists must be creative in so many ways.)

Finally, stand in a place where they have no way to get behind you. Also dressing like a tourist  and pretending to be lost while you are sketching is a good disguise.

I hope this helps any of you who are worried about  getting out there and painting plein air. Of course you could just decide to enjoy the day and paint. One of the benefits of having people come over to check on you is....they might buy something.