Riverside Rocks and a 10-minute challenge

Riverside Rocks
12x9 inches - pastel on Artagain
© S.Johnson

A studio piece, based on one of the photos taken from Baker's Bridge the other day.  I was really into these rocks with all their fissures and interesting textural things going on, and then of course, there was the amazing green water and reflections with the yellow cottonwoods.

The reflections on this were a bit tricky; the brown central area is actually a section of shallow water, but I don't know if it reads  properly or not.  I think I could finesse it a bit more.  And the photo did odd things to the greens used in the water, esp. the darker reflections in shadow - they are a darker turquoise and not the more saturated green in this photo.

I think the best part about doing this in my studio was that I had access to all of my pastels!  No having to make do with what was in my plein air box.   And, I was finally able to use some of these beautiful dark turquoise greens I bought a while back.

And, here is yesterday's painting, done as a warm-up for the painting above.  It's this week's DailyPaintworks challenge - a revisiting of the Ten Minute Challenge from earlier in the year.  You basically choose an object (and this is an apple, believe it or not) and divide your canvas into small sections and paint the object several times in 10-minute intervals.  Even with a 3x3" size per square, it's not as easy as you might think.  I did a pear last time, and it was a lot easier than this Gala apple.

Apple Octet
6x9 inches

It's really funny having a partner around who isn't an artist and is totally comfortable being honest about  the paintings:  "the first one looks like an onion, and the 4th looks like a smashed pumpkin, and some look like they are rotting..."  Seriously, Wayne's comments make me laugh, and I know what someone will be getting in his Christmas stocking this year...

I tried to select accurate colors for everything prior to starting the painting, but you can see I sort of hosed it with the shadow colors on the first set of four.  By the 8th one, I was starting to get a bit better, and they are starting to look more like apples.   I just set the apple on a piece of Strathmore paper and rotated it under my studio lamp for each mini painting to get the differing shadows.

This is a great exercise, and I would encourage anyone who paints to try it, especially if you are trying to loosen up in your work.  Thanks so much for the challenge, Carol!

Kitten and his toy - DPW challenge, 6x6 oil

My Favorite Toy

6x6"

oil on 1/4" board

As a devoted cat lover, I couldn't resist painting this week's Daily Paintworks challenge subject of this adorable tabby kitten, posted and hosted by Dreama Tolle Perry.   Dreama says this could qualify as a still life as cats spend so much time sleeping!  I would be inclined to agree.  And, the legless "bread loaf" position is always a favorite resting position for felines.   Cats are simpler to paint when they look like a bedroom slipper.

Nelson has his favorite toy, which he carries around and brings up on the bed with him.  So, I decided to use one of the toys in the other image she included for the challenge and add it to my version.

On a semi-related note, I went to our local art store yesterday and purchased some Grumbacher refined linseed oil.  This, as per my previous post/rant about the paint problems I was having.  I used it for this painting, and I believe I may have solved my problems with the tacky, sticky paint; a small amount worked very well to soften the stiff W&N Artisan oils, and never tacked up.  I was even able to do some minor adjustments to the painting this morning as the paint was still wet.   So, I will conclude that the walnut oil I was using was probably the culprit in my troubles.

I also purchased a small jar of Gamblin Neo Meglip, as it sounds like something I'd like.  It is a synthetic, modern replacement for the original meglip medium, a soft gel produced from boiling lead in linseed oil combined with mastic varnish and used by painters like Turner to achieve the luminous quality of his work.  Unlike other glazing mediums, such as Liquin, this maintains the body of the paint.  I'm excited to try it, and will report my impressions here when I use it.

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And, since we are on the theme of animals, here are some photos of Canyonlands creatures, from our trip.  No mammals or birds, unfortunately, but the warm weather brings out the little reptiles of the desert out for basking and feeding

Unidentified species, posing for a photo
Lizards always delight me when I see them on hikes.   Some dash off immediately, and others, like this one,  maintain a cautious eye while maintaining their position.

Bee Fly - Heterostylum
I saw several of these fascinating insects on our hike, and I became somewhat obsessed with getting photos of them.  They have these incredibly long pollen or nectar-gathering proboscis, and never actually land on the flowers; their long legs appear to stabilize them while they are feeding.  As scary as these look, they are harmless and do not sting.  

Common Sideblotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana)

Unidentified species of lizard

What on earth is this??
While checking out the one and only location of water along the hike, I noticed what first appeared to be a piece of grass or a thin twig floating in the water (not flowing), but then watched as it began to move and twist itself into loops and knots!  It was close to 12" long and 2mm in diameter.  I did an internet search, but can find nothing.  It was the only one of its kind in the water.  Some type of desert worm?  

Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus Undulatus)

Paint your fruit and vegetables - still life paintings in oil, 6x6

Salsa Lessons #2

6x

 oil on 1/4" wood panel

Everyone remembers the reminders from mom to "eat your vegetables", and "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", right?  Maybe the same applies to painters:  painting vegetables is good for you, for challenging one's observational skills, color mixing abilities and compositional eye.

This weeks' DailyPaintwork Challenge is "Paint Your Vegetable", hosted by Diane Mannion (see a link to her blog in my blogroll list).  

This painting was probably harder than any landscape I've ever done, which probably sounds absurd, but it's true.  The fact it is difficult means it is pushing me outside of my comfort zone, which is a good thing.  I have been humbled by vegetables - the onion in particular.  

And, since the vegetables weren't enough of a beat-down, I followed up with dessert:

Cantaloupe Cross-section

6x6 inch

oil on 1/4" wood panel

I love the patterns formed by cut sections of fruit and vegetables, and this cantaloupe was sitting in the refrigerator, beckoning.  The fruit itself was easy to paint; it was the cast shadow and reflections on the wooden box that were a bear.  I'm not very happy with them, but this was literally as good as I could get them.  

One of the frustrating parts of the whole "learning curve" process is when your finished result falls short of your expectations and your abilities.  But, it's the reason we all keep plugging away.  

Palette used here:  alizarin crimson, brownish madder, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red medium, cadmium red dark, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, sap green and a new Grumbacher "soft white", which is a mix of titanium and zinc whites.  

A pair of chicken portraits in oil

Yep, it's another challenge from DailyPaintworks:  The Chicken Challenge:

Ethel

6x6 inches 

oil on 1/4 wood panel

[source photo courtesy of C. Marine]

Freddie

7x5 inches

oil on canvas board

[source photo courtesy of C. Sheeter]

An unexpected break from the landscapes - I honestly didn't consider that chickens would be the subject matter for any paintings this week.  But, it sounded like so much fun that I just had to try it.  And, I enjoyed painting "Ethel" yesterday afternoon that I started on "Freddie" last night after the brownish madder I used to tone the canvas was dry.  I finished him up late this morning.

Of course, I have never painted a bird or chicken before.  I've been wanting to paint more animals ever since I did Observation Deck.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a single reference photo of a chicken, so I went with Carol's provided photo and one found in the Reference Image Library on WetCanvas for Freddie's.

I like chickens, actually. They are clearly unaware of their low order on the food chain, and you always hear stories about how mean roosters can be, especially when defending their hens.  The look in Freddie's eye tells you he is not to be trifled with.

This very short video never fails to make me laugh:



Ethel started out with a pencil sketch onto the board, but with Freddie, I jumped right in with the oils, making some corrections as I went.  The easiest parts of the paintings to do, beside the backgrounds?  The eyes.  Probably not what most people would say, but back when I was doing mixed media equine sculpture, I painted many tiny equine eyes.  And quite well, I might add.  They are the key of animal (or most human) portraits - if the eyes aren't right, the painting fails.

The hardest part was trying to get Freddie's feathers to look acceptable.  He is a Barred Rock rooster, and the black and white feather pattern is complex to say the least.  The extreme darks of the feathers in the photo didn't translate so well to a painting, so here it is just suggested; I ended up wiping it off twice before settling on this final version.

Palette used:  alizarin crimson, cadmium reds dark & medium, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue.

Can't ever be too far from the landscapes, but I'm really liking these chickens.  I have a few more reference photos, so who knows?

Travels Abroad - landscapes in oils, 6x6 - SOLD

original landscape painting, oils, roads, 6x6

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Travels Abroad #1

6x6 

oil on wood panel

SOLD

Travels Abroad #2

6x6

oil on wood panel

SOLD

Before embarking on larger paintings based on the Butler Wash/Cedar Mesa trip, I decided I had to do the Daily Paintworks German Landscape challenge for this week.  Host Carol Marine offered two photos, both taken during her trip to Germany.  And, even though I don't usually paint from reference photos that aren't my own, I couldn't resist these.  

Why?  Two reasons:  1) they have roads, which I have an irresistible urge to paint; 2) the snapshots themselves had inherently good design - simple, abstract shapes and good range of values.  As the basis for a painting, they were ideal.  

My personal challenge with these was to more or less abandon the local color (summer green...not my favorite color, and besides, everyone else is doing them in green) and go with some different palettes for each. And, to simplify-simplify-simplify.  

The palette I used was somewhat random:  alizarin crimson, cadmium orange, Indian yellow, burnt sienna, brown madder, cobalt blue hue.  Actually, the brown madder was the random addition to the palette.

They were fun little paintings, both done last night, save for some tweaking on #2 this morning.  Originally, I had long shadows going across the road in #2, even though they aren't in the reference photo.  I wasn't sure about them, so I showed Wayne, because despite the fact he says he isn't qualified to offer opinions on art, he's nothing but brutally honest:  "I don't like the shadows - it looks like sewage is running across the road."   After I stopped laughing, I went down and changed it.  Despite what he might think, I'm actually really grateful for his opinions.  Hopefully, it looks better now.

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Some random photos from our Utah trip from the first day after our hikes:

Casa Del Eco Mesa, with the San Juan river cutting across the valley.  

San Juan river

Two rafts await a private river trip in the morning

Monument Valley to the southwest, as seen from Hwy 163 

Two buttes in Valley of the Gods catch late afternoon sun

Sunset in the town of Bluff, UT

A Vintage Light

tags:  contemporary realism - still life painting - Zippo lighter - 5x7 - daily painting - oil painting

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A Vintage Light

5x7 inches 

oil on canvas panel

Yep...it's another from the weekly challenge paintings from the Daily Paintworks, this week hosted by Michael Naples:  the Zippo Challenge.  The challenge was to use burnt sienna, ultramarine blue and white to paint this vintage Zippo lighter.  I altered the format and experimented with different crops, being mindful to not repeat intervals and paying attention to values.  

The easy part was matching the variants of gray using just the BS and UB; the hard part was getting those details down correctly.  I'm actually surprised I was able to do this alla prima and not have it be a smeared mess, especially since I've never attempted to paint anything quite so detailed in oils before.  

I freehand sketched this on the canvas with a pencil yesterday, but did double-check measurements with a ruler just to make sure, and then adjusted shapes and lines as I went along with the paint.  This makes me want to do more still life paintings of shiny things!

Apologies for the reflective glare...I really need a polarizing filter for these wet paintings, especially when they are taken inside.

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This afternoon's sky - sweeping cirrus clouds:

Portrait of a Rose

tags:  floral painting - red rose - 6x8 - alla prima painting - original art - for sale - flower 

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Portrait of a Rose

8x6" - oil on canvas panel

Available for purchase

Another Daily Paintworks challenge I couldn't resist.  This weeks' challenge is "A Valentine's Day Rose", hosted by Qiang Huang.   I probably should have gone down to the grocery store and ante'd up $5+ for a single red rose to paint from life, but I wasn't feeling that ambitious, so I went with a photo.

I absolutely love flowers, and while they have always been a favorite subject to photograph, I can only recall only one floral painting I ever did, and that was in pastel about 16 years ago.  So, this marks both the first time I've ever painted a rose, or a flower in oils.

I always thought roses seemed very difficult to paint, so complex, and I wasn't sure I'd ever even want to paint them.  But, a single rose sounded like it might be doable, and I loved the simplicity of it.   And, it gave me a chance to pull out some of those cadmium reds and the Alizarin crimson that I seldom use now.  I definitely why Qiang says it is easy to overwork a rose painting.  I can also see why this flower in particular lends itself so well to Flemish painting techniques and glazing; the hardest part was getting the darks dark enough and not losing the edges while doing value adjustments in alla prima.

I'm probably close to wrapping up the winter series I've been working on, and maybe I'll take on some more florals, including some in pastel.  I've been wanting to paint flowers for some time now, and this was a good incentive to give it a go!

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Everyone is probably getting sick of the winter and snow, but here are a few from our snowshoeing trip at Andrews Lake yesterday.  My hand is doing great - thank you again for all the well-wishes - and it didn't prevent me from using either my poles or camera:

Waxing half-moon over the Grenadier Range

Andrews Lake is directly in front.

Wayne surrounded by aspen, fir and spruce

And, look - there's the moon...again!

Aspen trunks and shadows

More interesting abstract shapes formed by these beautiful trees.

An Imperial Day

An Imperial Day

8x10 - pastel on sanded paper

Another pastel break...this time to take part in the Daily Paintworks Challenge, hosted by Carol Marine.  This is the debut challenge, and sure to be hugely popular (there are close to 80 entries now!).   I have a thing for old vintage cars, both impeccably maintained beauties like this as well as those that have seen better days.  When I was in Bisbee last winter, I was lucky to have my camera along when I saw this beautiful '57 Chevy parked on a vacant street.  

It's the beautiful shine, chrome and extra details like that fancy taillight that make these cars so special.  This was a good challenge in many ways - I've never drawn or painted a car before, and I found it an absolute delight - even doing some of that insane detail which I usually try to avoid.  I'll definitely do more...

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Some photos from our Little Molas snowshoeing trip yesterday:

 A herd of elk, appearing to be mostly calves, cows and maybe yearling bulls, grazes along a field near the Animas river just north of Durango.  The only time you'll ever see elk in daylight or near town is in winter as they come down in search of food.

As luck would have it, they were close to the highway and I had the telephoto lens on the camera, so they can be seen pretty clearly!

Grenadier Range panorama

Hwy 550 is seen, and the four visible peaks are White Dome, Peak 2, Peak 3 and Arrow Peak

This is a 5-part pano with vertical orientation of images.

Extreme iridescence of cloud.

The colors here resemble nacreous, or "mother-of-pearl" clouds.  However, according to my reference, nacreous clouds are only seen during twilight hours.  It was very windy and the sky was filled with lenticular clouds - of which nacreous are a type.  What makes nacreous different than other clouds is that they are found in the stratosphere - about 2x as high as even cirrus.

Snowdon Peak panorama

View is to the south.  This is a 4-part pano with horizontal orientation of images.  DoubleTake panoramic software program used for both