The beginning stages of 32 paintings at the same time is a rather lengthy undertaking. Why would anyone begin 32 paintings at the same time?? This Central California artist chooses to do it this way for multiple reasons, none of which are very interesting. It is more fun to see the process than to read about the reasons behind it. (This is a high-falutin’ way of saying, “I don’t know why and don’t want to figure it out right now”.)
The Oak Grove Bridge in a new size and shape from a more distant viewpoint than my usual paintings of this, my favorite subject to draw and paint.
The view from my living room, titled “Alpenglow on Alta”. Clever, eh? I left out the telephone lines that cross the scene in real life. That was wise, don’t you think?
Look at all these loosey-goosey scribbled first-pass paintings.
But wait! There’s more.
The rooster comes in 2 poses, and here is a little painting of The Lake, as we refer to Lake Kaweah around here (or is it Kaweah Lake? No one really knows.)
This is Trail Guy’s favorite tree. It is a juniper on the trail to White Chief. I wonder how deep the snow is on it right now.
That is not all 32 paintings. They are spread out all over the painting workshop, so I am only showing you the latest ones in each post. I don’t work on all 32 every day.
Now I know the likely reason for 32 at once. When I was a kid, my mom read Cheaper by the Dozen to us, and the idea of being the most efficient possible really captured my imagination. So, an assembly line approach appeals to me for 32 paintings.
Let’s look at the steps involved in painting a rooster. This is a little 4×6″ canvas, sized and priced for quick sale. This is an art business, so these things must be considered. I hope it doesn’t cause offense to folks who think artists just get inspired, create something, and voila! the money follows. (don’t we all wish?)
First, the general size and shape. I begin all pencil drawings the same way too – size and location is the first decision.
Next step: tighten up the shape.
Start filling in the shapes within the main shape (had to draw the dog before I drew the fleas). The colors aren’t really important in this step but the values are. I’m not talented enough to get this stage exactly right on the first pass so I require another layer to be accurate on shapes, values, colors and textures.
This is a continuation of the previous step, but this time I am right side up to see if I am actually painting a rooster or a freak of nature.
The rooster needs a hen. She is 6×6″ because that shape best fits her shape.
Tucker isn’t very interested in this topic of poultry.
Painting in the relative darkness of an overcast and rainy day limits my ability to mix colors well or see detail. This is fine when I am a cog in the gears of my painting factory. Figuratively speaking, not literally speaking, and not speaking, but writing.
Never mind.
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Oops. I wasn’t paying attention to where the hanging hardware was on that one canvas. The redwood paintings are in the painting workshop because I keep thinking there must be a way to make them better. I haven’t figured out that way yet, and don’t want to mess them up while painting in relative darkness.
Two palettes at once, but primarily mixing and painting skies on canvases, and then laying them back on the table to dry because the peg board was full.
Shove over, redwoods, because the skies need your places.
I wonder what these will look like when the sun comes out. Probably will have poor coverage and need recoating.
Time to move on. All the skies I can cover for the day are covered. This citrus painting has been collecting dust and nagging me for 2 months, and it is time to address it.
Hello, Mr. Incomplete Citrus Painting (How is that for addressing a painting?)
The sizes and placements weren’t right. They still might not be the best. The detail will have to wait until I have this settled. That will require a sunlit day.
The beginning of painting a new series is a very boring factory-type assembly line of assigning inventory numbers, choosing titles, and attaching hanging hardware. Then all the canvases have to be primed, or “toned” in Art Speak. I just use whatever blend of colors I find in the bottom of my turpentine jar for this task.
Actually, before I begin the boring part, there is a brain-stretching exercise. It involves looking through previous years’ sales, seeing which subjects and sizes have been the most popular, looking through my existing inventory, and then making educated guesses about subjects, sizes, and quantities of each. Then I review my extensive photo files and make more guesses about what to paint.
These on the floor have already been primed from a previous ambitious painting session.
It was too loud in the workshop for Tucker. He’s kind of sensitive.
At least Scout and Trail Guy were in the workshop with me. Trail Guy was working on a project, talking to himself and to the radio and sometimes to me. Scout was napping in the sunshine in the window.
I ran out of hardware and out of room, so I walked home.
A little unfinished business here on The Blog: finished pieces you haven’t yet seen in their official photographic documented form.
This little 8×8″ oil painting is titled “My Geraniums”, because it is my geraniums, although they are actually pelargoniums, (but I’m guessing no one cares). Anyway, this is hanging in my kitchen. Ever listen to Bruce Williams on the radio? He used to say, “Everything is for sale if the price is right”, and I guess if you really really like this, you may offer a high price which I may consider. Otherwise, it remains mine.
This is a commissioned pencil drawing of a Silver City cabin, a Christmas surprise which I could only tell you about but not show you. Christmas 2018 is now history, and this drawing was given and received. Hence, you get to see it now. (“Hence”? Who uses that word? The Central California blogging artist, that’s who, but only while blogging.)
Sometimes I draw simply because I can, want to, and love to draw. Besides, it is always good to keep up the practice and to keep up my inventory. This is 9×12″, unframed. It could be for sale. . . And yes, it is the Honeymoon Cabin, a little one room museum in Mineral King.
Normally it takes about 10 minutes for me to decorate for Christmas. This year it took several days, because oil paint dries very slowly. This little 8×8″painting was begun to demonstrate some techniques for the secret oil painting workshop; I brought it home and finished it because I realized my decorating efforts could use a boost. I could have photographed it in the entryway of my house, but that feels like a fakey Instagram sort of thing to do. Fakey isn’t my style, as you may have discerned (although occasionally my vocabulary gets a little stuffy).
This finally feels finished. It was dry enough to photograph on a sunny day. Still mulling over a good title – Citrus Queue, perhaps? It is 18×6″, $175.
The poinsettia as an oil painting subject was challenging. One of my students requested that I demonstrate rather than just explain. That was a big “duh” moment for me. I should have thought of that myself!
I’ve been in workshops before where it seemed as if the demonstration was a waste of time. This is because the demonstrator/teacher/artist didn’t say why he was doing each thing. He would forget to explain, so I’d watch with no idea of how to make my own decisions. I did my best to explain how I mixed each color and why I added how much of which primary or white.
My demo painting is lying on the table on the left, with just a corner painted. It was enough help for this painter to approach her painting with more confidence than the previous session.
Good progress made, color mixing learned, shapes refined, blending techniques successfully used.
The color got corrected on 2 petals to a more satisfactory match to the photo. Matching the photo wasn’t necessary for believability, but it is great practice.
Great progress made on this one – petal shapes refined, color mixing and blending learned a bit more.
This one is closest to being finished, but knowing the painter, she’ll probably want to keep layering and perfecting. (She is the most experienced painter in the group and a quick study.) It looks a little pale because it is wet and shiny.
Maybe next year we’ll just finish all the incomplete paintings from previous years’ workshops.
Sometimes, in spite of feeling highly unqualified, I show a few of my drawing students what I know about oil painting. I’ve been oil painting since March 8, 2006, and yet I feel green as grass.
But, they want to learn and practice, and I want to share what I know.
This year they all worked on a poinsettia. I provided a stack of different photos, and every participant chose the same photo. What??
The flower shape was a bit confounding, although mostly forgivable. After all, who cares exactly how many petals (which are actually leaves, but who cares about that either?) are on a poinsettia?
I thought this would be an easy-ish subject because we worked mostly in shades of red. Because, who cares if the color is exactly the same as the photo or if it is a red that the painter finds more pleasing?
Nothing is easy when you are new to painting (or drawing or knitting or driving or playing golf or playing a flute . . .)
Wow. That session went quickly. Tune in tomorrow to see the process and the results of day 2.
I took three photos of these paintings so you could see the improvement, or was it so I could have something to say on the blog today?
The former. I always have something to say. (Have you noticed this?)
There was a problem on the far left. Sometimes this happens when I just blindly copy my photos. See how those 2 oranges merge into a somewhat visually confusing lump? After studying it for a weekend while it dried above the wood stove, I figured out how to repair it.
Decision made – change this into one large orange. And while repairing things, I straightened the line of the table. Used a yardstick – is it cheating to use tools in the Art World? Not in my little art world.
Almost finished. needs a couple more layers on some of the do-over parts, a signature, and a much better photograph.
I thought this would take much longer, but these colors are fun and there is a real freedom in painting what I choose instead of what might sell. Not complaining about the business of art, just enjoying some yippee-skippee time at the easels with these happy colors.
The colors are truer when I photograph it outside.
This might be finished. It is now signed, but while it is drying, I might find aspects that could be improved.
And since I am outside, let us enjoy the yellow leaves. I am so thankful we didn’t follow through on our first impulse when we moved here 20 years ago to get rid of the mulberry tree with its ugly knobby over-pruned knuckles. Instead, on the advice of the very experienced Gene Castro’s Tree Service of Three Rivers, (not a paid ad, just a statement of fact) we allowed the tree to gradually grow a large enough trunk to support its limbs through some judicious pruning.
It is the purview of the middle-aged to think that walks and leaves are great. (Don’t worry Little Grasshopper, one day you too will be able to enjoy these lovely and healthful freebies in life and be able to correctly use words like “purview”.)
