Author: cabinart

Primary Colors

This is my palette for oil painting. It consists of 2 reds, 2 blues, 1 yellow and white, and all the colors I use are mixed with these 6. Before I started painting, I read articles, looked at books, and quizzed painters I knew. The ones that made the most sense to me were working from the primaries, mixing all their own colors. Several reasons are given: 1. Colors are cleaner, rather than the dreaded “muddy” look; 2. It keeps the palette less crowded; 3. It requires a greater understanding of colors and how they interact in mixing. 4. Less things to buy is a reason seldom given, but it certainly matters to me, because the more stuff I own, the more stuff breaks (or gets lost.)

I think there is a bit of an unspoken snob factor here. There is some pride in being able to turn those basic colors into any color one wants. However, there is a color I cannot mix! So, I gave in and today on the Seatrain mural I used carbazole dioxazine violet. It sounds like something for killing cockroaches, but it was the most wonderful purple in the world!! My friend working on her Master’s of Fine Arts insists the proper word for purple is “violet”, but I am a bit of a DBO. . . after all, I grew up in Ivanhoe! It looks rather blue here, but in reality it is the purplish-blue of lupine and was a great relief from all the orange.

(in case you are wondering – Ditch-Bank-Okie)

It’s All Good

And the winner is poppies in Subject Matter, and 6×6″ in Sizes! I knew that. People are still spending, but spending cautiously.

But, it isn’t all about sales. Many contacts were made, a portrait commission in pencil may be on the way (there i go again, counting chickens before they hatch!), 2 small oils were commissioned, and the best part of all was seeing Bob and Florence! Sometimes, work just HAS to be put on hold when dear friends from the the past appear.

The second best thing was when Robin brought me a Dr. Pepper, but she sorta owed me because she ate my lunch. For me, the definition of a “starving artist” is one who is too busy working to eat. Wait! maybe the best part was seeing my mom yesterday! Or, was it when my sister and family surprised me today. In the current slang, it’s all good!

Series

“Series” is Artspeak for painting the same subject multiple times. It is probably apparent to you that I do this. . . people ask if I get bored painting the same thing over and over. In a word, “NO”! Why not? Several reasons:

1. I am simple-minded enough that each time I paint it feels like a new time. (“ooh, look, here is the right shade of brownish orange!”)
2. It gets easier each time, and easy makes me feel like I’ve gotten better.
3. Selling paintings inspires me to make more paintings to sell.
4. Practice makes perfect, and perfection is satisfying.
5. Paintings look good shown in groups of similar subjects.
6. It stretches my design capabilities to have to keep making the same things look a bit different.
7. Authors are told “write what you know” and it seems to be good advice for artists. If I don’t know the subject I am painting, someone else will know the subject and will know that I don’t know it!

Nope, it is blue!

Kind of funny, don’t you think? I paint oranges and poppies over and over and over. If you know anything about color, then it is really odd that I am painting the complementary color of my favorite in such excess. I’ve been puzzling over this for 2 years now, and still don’t have an answer. Could simply be a function of economics – oranges and poppies sell!

6×6″ – $36 – Iris I

Learning to draw

For 14+ years I have been teaching people to draw. I tell them all “drawing is a skill, not a talent”. Some find reassurance in that; some feel disappointment. Then I liken it to typing – everyone can learn to type. Some type 25 wpm, and others hit 90 wpm. Those speedsters are the ones with talent, but all are typists.

Lots of people get the yen to paint, often when they are retired. However, most don’t understand that drawing comes before painting, sort of like grunting and pointing comes before public speaking. (not that i equate drawing with grunting, but hopefully you get my drift!)

Unless one can draw, one’s paintings will be weak. What I mean by this is that unless you can make your shapes believable, understand perspective, values (that means darks and lights) and can see proportions, your paintings will be exercises in frustration. (Then again, maybe you don’t care how they turn out!)

Some folks have taken lessons so long that I have become a habit to them. I tell them they don’t need lessons because they know how to draw. They tell me that unless they pay their $50 per month, they will not carve out time in their lives to draw.

Truthfully, I love these folks. I love my students – we become friends, comrades, buddies in the artworld. I show them my art and give them the freedom to tell me anything they think about it, good or bad. We speak truth to one another, and it is helpful and refreshing and sometimes, it can be hilarious! Drawing has to be fun, or we wouldn’t persist.

My favorite color is. . .?

Check out these paintings and see if you can guess my favorite color!

Oranges XXI 6×6″ – $36

Poppy VI – 6×6″ $36

Oranges IXXX – 8×10″ $80

Oranges XXX – 11×14″ $154

More on the Seatrain

This giant project began with a to-scale sketch made up from about a dozen photos. I started painting at the top and worked my way down. When I realized what this size really entails, I felt like lying down for awhile, maybe even with my thumb in my mouth.

Instead, I called my dear friend Shirley, who had offered to help. Lovely lady, that Shirley! And she can do almost anything and do it well. So, we mixed colors and got that giant container covered, and hope returned.

Here is how it looked after Shirley helped me. She did a particularly fine job on the band of poppies running through the mid-section.

To be continued. . .

What is a “Seatrain”?

It is a metal shipping container, commonly seen on the flat cars pulled by freight trains. Cargo arrives by sea in these things, and then gets hauled around the country on trains – thus, “seatrain”. When they are empty, people often use them for storage. They are relatively cheap (so I am told) and they are very unsightly but functional. My church acquired one, and I saw it as an opportunity. (People who do graffiti also see them as opportunities, but I have a bit more class than that.)

Holy guacamole, this is a large piece of real estate to cover with a brush!This is a lumpy piece of real estate to cover with a brush. There is a BBQ in the way, and worse, there is a little shed about 2 feet from the back 1/3 of the thing!

Before I could talk myself out of this, I started applying paint. I had to tell myself to breathe, and I could hear my Dad’s voice in my head saying, “Whatever you do, don’t panic.” He always said it in a quiet monotone that was meant to be calming; however, if he was saying it, I knew there probably was a good reason to panic!

This is how it looks unpainted:

To be continued. . .

Redbud Festival

Some people call it “Rosebud” but it is “Redbud”, after the native tree that blooms here in March. Why isn’t the festival in March? Unpredictable weather! This is sort of funny because it has been on Mother’s Day weekend for at least 10 years now and I have experienced 100 degree weekends and hurricane type weekends. However, we hope for nice weather, of course, and hope to see you there.

I will bring all my new paintings, pencil reproductions (there are 2 new ones this year – Three Rivers Landmarks II and Crescent Meadow II), and new Three Rivers Landmarks cards. Please don’t be disappointed that I am not bringing my murals!

Here are the specifics:
Saturday, May 10, 10-5
Sunday May 11, 10-4
Lion’s Roping Arena, Three Rivers.
More info: www.artsthreerivers.org

Framing Matters

Check out the finished final finale* of my first mural – now it is framed! Sort of weird what a difference the frame makes, even considering the “high quality” of this particular framing job.

*courtesy Department of Redundancy Dept.