Oak Grove Bridge Painting in Progress

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Gordon!

Scroll to the bottom of this post for an update on The Bridge’s future.

As I work on this 11×14″ oil painting of The Oak Grove Bridge, I am thankful that there is no deadline. The idea is to take as long as necessary to make the painting as good as possible. And the hope is that in another 2 years (or maybe less), I’ll be saying “That old thing? Oh my, I paint so much better now!”

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The cliffs on the left, the rocks beneath, and the shrubs on the right, AND the bridge railing are all challenging.

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Cliffs, rocks, and shrubs looking better. The railing will have to wait.

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Is this improved? hard to see, hard to say.

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The railing is better, the rocks are better, and the ones that aren’t so hot? Cover with branches and leaves!

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This might be the most difficult corner. Too ambiguous.

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Any improvement now? Keep layering, keep looking for ways to improve and finish. Nevuh, nevuh, nevuh give up.

At a meeting on February 8, we learned that there are 3 alternatives for making The Oak Grove Bridge safe. Tearing it down is not on the list. The three alternatives will be explained at another meeting on February 23, 6 p.m. at the Three Rivers Memorial Building. After public input, which DOES affect the outcome, a choice will be made.

Building Bridges

I build bridges with oil paint. They aren’t safe to drive over, but mine are only meant to be walked across in your brain.

Oak Grove Bridge

When I see a photo of the the photo next to the painting, the weak areas and wrong places appear. Yikes. Just try to be polite, ‘k?

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I drew this in pencil so I could bypass the Weak Areas Stage of painting. Isn’t it fun to see all these weird bright colors? It is beginning to be correct in the farthest away places.

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Keep layering, Central California Artist. You’ll get there, eventually.

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Okay, everyone gather in close for a family snapshot! (Yes, I know you aren’t fully dressed yet, and that you don’t have your make-up on, and that you forgot your earrings. We are recording real life here, not having a formal studio portrait, so just calm down.)

Remember, there will be a meeting on Monday, February 8, 6 p.m. at the Three Rivers Memorial Building to discuss the future of this bridge. There is conflicting info about the time and place of the meeting – for the real info, call Jason Vivian at 624-7135.

The Oak Grove Bridge Saga Begins

Or perhaps it continues. . .

 

 

Oak Grove Bridge XVII

This commissioned oil painting of the Oak Grove Bridge is signed, sealed and delivered.

On Monday, February 8 at 6 p.m., there will be a public meeting at the Three Rivers Memorial Building concerning the future of this bridge. A hearing? Something about the planning commission? Not sure exactly of all the bureaucratic wording, but whatever it is, I will be there. (Lord willing, the Creek, etc.)

In addition, we are invited to send “comments” (does that mean opinions? suggestions? protests?) to a Jason Vivian by February 1. Here is a link to an explanation that includes Jason’s eddress. Click this.

Next week I”ll show you what I wrote.

Meanwhile, I have 2 more bridge paintings to finish.

Happy Recipients

Here are some works of art that were done for Christmas gifts. I heard back from 3 of the 5 about the happiness of the recipients. The fourth and fifth are most likely very happy – an email and a phone call would confirm it, but I don’t like fishing for praise. So, I will assume that the recipients are happy.

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People say they love my pencil drawings, and I believe them. That’s what they choose for commissioned work.

As far as “off the shelf” work goes, the oil paintings far outsell the pencil.

Go figure. . .

Bridge Paintings

My favorite bridge is currently my favorite subject for oil painting. (Brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Dept.)

The Oak Grove Bridge crosses the East Fork of the Kaweah River, 6.5 miles up the Mineral King Road, out of Three Rivers, in Tulare County, California.

Some governmental agency has declared it to be unsafe. There is talk of rebuilding it, leaving it in place as a foot bridge and building a new driving bridge upstream, and even tearing it down. 

Better start saving $ for my bail, because I might have to chain myself to the bridge and then get arrested.

Nah. I’ll think about that tomorrow. I have some paintings to finish.

Oak Grove Bridge

The detail on the railing is the most difficult part of painting this bridge, especially when it is 8×10″. Too too tiny.

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Why is this upside down? Because every part except the top of the painting has wet paint on it. Okay, the back doesn’t have any paint, but you probably figured that out. This one is a commission, and the customer specifically requested detail around all four edges.

Too Hard, Part Three

A few years ago, my mom and I visited Blowing Rock, North Carolina. This is where her mom, my G’ma grew up. We were exploring a bit, and I took a few photos of a little creek near G’ma’s homestead. Mom expressed an interest in having me paint this for her, and I have been procrastinating for 5 years. The point of this procrastination is to acquire more skill.

I’ve been messing with this painting that is too hard for me for several days in a row. Finally, I got an idea.

Since I took the photo and it is on my computer, I pulled it onto the screen and enlarged each murky spot so I could see what I was trying to paint. It’s pretty stinkin’ hard to paint things that I can’t see, and I finally accepted and understood that I cannot see what all those dark murky things are.

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Look at that! The colors are brighter and the details appear on the laptop screen.

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Now I have lots of rocks in the closer water area.

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It’s hard to tell anything in the full sized photo, either as an 8×10″ or on the screen. But when each thing is enlarged, VOILA!

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I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE FINE!

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Excuse me for shouting. I’m so relieved. It is too wet to photo (too shiny). It is too big for the scanner, so maybe I will get a good photo when it dries, and maybe not.

Phew. Christmas is 2 days away.

Too Hard, Part Two

When something is too hard, we go slowly. Think about a steep trail. Think about moving a heavy piece of furniture.

S L O W L Y.

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The background, the part where the sunlight is brightest, and the bank to the right of that area is beginning to make sense.

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Ick. This is terrible, and there are too many dark rocks. The colors are all either dark brown or something sort of greenish-brownish-gray. Why did Mom and I like this scene so much?

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Best viewed from the back of a fast horse.

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Hey! this is looking significantly better! I’ll tell you why tomorrow.

This scene is near Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and is significant to my Mom. I hope to finish it by Christmas AND have it dry enough to transport.

 

Too Hard

Since spending hours working on a painting that is too hard for me (i.e. “above my pay grade”), I’ve been thinking about how we handle things in life that are too hard. . . we take them S L O W L Y.

I can’t remember when I started this painting. It was many drawings, paintings and at least three murals ago. Many projects with real deadlines interfered with the progress. Finally, I decided to finish this to give to my Mom for Christmas. It’s okay – she doesn’t have a computer or know what a “blog” is.

It has been lurking in the background for months. This was last spring. I got the basic shapes on canvas and decided it was too hard.

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It kept asking for attention, so I dabbed at it a bit more.

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This was how it looked in July. It is also how it looked in December, when I decided it was TIME. Nope, past time.

Grandma's Creek

What’s to be afraid of? Paint slowly, one tiny area at a time. Mix the colors, dab at the canvas in the areas you know how to handle.

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The areas are beginning to get defined.

Whoa. This is too hard. I have to stop and breathe.

Oh – it is near Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Don’t mention this if you see my Mom, okay?

Secret Oil Painting Workshop Part 2

Why “secret”? Because I don’t advertise and recruit. . . it is an insider thing for my advanced drawing students. I don’t believe I know enough to truly teach anyone how to oil paint. Instead, I view myself as one beggar showing a few other beggars how to find bread.

Let’s see how these other beggars did. . .

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M wanted to paint the Tetons from a photo she snapped on one of her many road trips. I painted it first so she could see what sorts of colors and brush strokes. (Mine is slightly visible behind the photo on the little easel on the right.) Then, she was off and running, just looking at the photo and mixing her colors from the primaries. She needs another session or 2 on this canvas to complete it. Phooey – I was hoping she would buy mine from me, Just messing with you, M. I am PROUD of you!!

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A chose a photo that I found a little intimidating. She wanted a black background which I knew how to help her with. She has a great eye for proportion, knows what chicks look like and is a bit perfectionistic. These are great qualities to paint in a realistic manner. This is after 2 sessions, and I think 1 more might do the trick. Isn’t this wonderful??

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L is amazing. She has painted with me several times, and is off and running. She paints on her own at home, and has plans to give these second two paintings as Christmas gifts this year. The orange wants more texture, but the pear might be finished. There is no stopping this woman!!

Secret Oil Painting Workshop

I’ve been oil painting since March 8, 2006, which doesn’t seem like enough experience to be teaching. However, several of my drawing students have asked me to conduct an oil painting workshop. I began doing this a few years ago, but only for my advanced students.

The participants need to understand proportion, perspective, values and my manner of teaching.. I need to understand where they are in their abilities, and how they learn. 

Oil painting is much harder than pencil drawing because of the added elements of color mixing, all the ingredients to manage and the less than cooperative, wet, flippy brush, but if a student has the understanding I listed above, they can achieve impressive results in just a few painting sessions. Four of the five participants had painted with me before, and we did two sessions together this year.

We work from photos as a matter of ease and convenience. Plein air or using real life set-ups doesn’t fit our space, abilities, or level of experience. I want my students to have success and to be happy with their results rather than leave a workshop feeling as if they wasted their time and money. I am too familiar with that sort of result and want better for my students.

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About 2 years ago, E asked me if she was ready to oil paint. I told her that she wasn’t. She kept working very diligently at her drawing skills, and this year she was ready to paint. We started with a simple subject – easy shape, few colors to mix. This is how it looked at the end of her second session. This photo looks a bit washed out compared to the painting because it is wet and shiny. But, still. . . pretty impressive! Her choice of background color truly complements the orange, since blue is the complement (opposite on the color wheel) of orange. Hey, Mr. Favorite Customer, aren’t you proud of your wife, and aren’t you glad she didn’t listen when you told her to give up on drawing lessons??

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J pulled out this canvas she had started last year and dabbed at it without any photo reference. I dug through my cat photos on hand and couldn’t find the one I was looking for. We found one that helped with cat face proportions, and then as she was packing to leave, she flipped her canvas over and found the very photo I had been seeking! It was how she started this painting a year ago, and then we both forgot. The second session of painting was more fruitful. Lots of life in those eyes!