Back to the Tropics - Daily Painting #19

"Back to the Tropics" 6x6 Oil on Panel click here to Purchase

In going through still life class and getting back into daily painting, I kind of forgot why I was originally doing this blog.  Or not why, but some of the things I wanted to talk about - besides painting, of course!  I realized I've been doing a lot of apples and oranges and cups and plates.  Which, don't get me wrong, can make beautiful still life setups.  And then I remembered - I live in Asia!  This is Art Adventures in Asia!  I should be doing still life setups with things unique to the region, at the very least, right?  

So above you have something I had only ever heard of as a Bath and Body Works lotion - Papaya.  It is the most gorgeous orange/pink/salmon color, and it can just glow when light hits it.  So this is me, getting back to the "tropics."  It was an incredibly therapeutic piece for me to paint after my first day out in the sun painting on location (more about that below).

Last night when I was preparing my supplies for my plein air adventure, I decided to make a viewfinder, similar to the one our professor is using.  Since it is Chinese New Year today (Gong Xi Fa Cai!), everything was closed.  With limited resources I managed to pull it off and make a handy dandy viewfinder out of some mattboard and tape.  That's it!  I was pretty proud of myself.  I've included the instructions below if you want to make one of your own:

1. Cut viewfinder out of mattboard.  I used a nice gray so that I would be able to compare values.  For a 9x12 equivalent scale, cut 2in x 1.5in rectangle out of the middle.
2. Take some packing tape and pull off a piece.  Then fold it over on itself so that it creates a plastic sheet.  (Or if you have a Michael's nearby, you can just buy a sheet. This is totally a poor man's viewfinder)
3. Tape down tape on back side of viewfinder.  Then take a ruler and draw lines going both diagonals, as well as one going down the middle vertically and horizontally.  
4. Done!  I have one of the moveable viewfinders, but it didn't have the lines which help you setup your composition on a canvas later.  Like I said, everything was closed, so I had to improvise!

And finally, if you have made it this far through the post.  Here is my first attempt at plein air.  It totally kicked my proverbial.  I was standing in the shade (as directed) but I had a horrible time trying to see value and color.  Then, because I hadn't done it before, all my confidence and brushwork kind of went out the window.  But since I initially said I would share the good, the bad, and the ugly, here is how far I got before the rain chased me off (I will tighten some parts up and add some details in the studio before turning this in):

Green With Envy - Daily Painting #18

"Green with Envy" 6x6 Oil on Panel click here to Purchase

The gray skies have definitely been getting to me.  One thing I sometimes do to overcompensate for the gray, is to paint some thing that I think have really amazing colors in them.  Take this groundcloth, for example.  It was such a pretty blue, I couldn't resist.  Painting the reflected light in the spoon and the cup was just the icing on the cake, really.

My fingers are crossed for more sunshine.  I'm suppose to head out tomorrow for my first day of plein air paintings.  I'm a little intimidated, to say the least.  The first assignment is basically - go forth and paint!  Great.  So I asked if he could give some insight into how he chooses a location.  Does he look for lighting, color?  How does he explore a city that is new to him?  He told me - get out there, and when you see something that grabs you - paint it!  Sigh.  I LIKE structure and direction.  But this will be good for me, I know it.  As much as it is looking like I will start kicking and screaming about the process, I have a feeling I'm going to come out on the far end of this class absolutely loving it and cityscape.

Kiwi Cup - Daily Painting #15

"Kiwi Cup" 6x6 Oil on Panel click here to Purchase

I am almost back into the swing of things.  After going to Taipei, I had a two day training for Photoshop and Adobe InDesign.  A fantastic course, if I must say, but I'm definitely glad not to be cooped up on a classroom at the moment!  This was the last one of the kiwis.

Strike a Pose - Daily Painting #14

"Strike a Pose" 6x6 Oil on Panel, click here to purchase

As I was painting these kiwi slices, I just kept imagining these models, turning this way and that for the camera.  The kiwis started to take on a personality of their own, and before I knew it, visions of Zoolander were running through my head.  I'm off to Taipei, Taiwan tonight to see a childhood friend I haven't seen since 1996.  It should be exciting!  I promise to post to the Dillon Factor Mom!

Vain Kiwi - Daily Painting #13

"Vain Kiwi" 6x6 Oil on Panel Daily Painting click here to purchase

This week is definitely Kiwi week.  These two look remind me a bit of the shoving matches my brother and I used to have as kids to look in the mirror when we were kids.  Never mind the fact that neither of us could really see into the mirror, or that you don't need to see yourself brush your teeth, we each HAD to stand in front of the mirror.  One of those small sibling rivalries.

Kiwi Glow - Daily Painting #12

"Kiwi Glow" 6x6 Original Oil Painting on Canvas click here to Purchase

I was in the grocery store earlier in the week and saw some Kiwi fruit from Italy.  Kiwi fruit - from Italy!  In the middle of winter!  I was completely amused by it.  Once I set these guys up, the light was shining through them in a really neat way that made them glow.  Being able to paint Kiwis reminds me of beach, and summer.  I miss the Lowcountry!

Hup, Two, Three, Four - Daily painting #8

"Hup, Two, Three, Four" 6x6 Original Oil Painting on Canvas click here to Purchase

In keeping with the anti-rain and gray skies, I had some more fun with lemons today. These guys are looking a bit disorganized,but give them a couple more seconds and they will fall into line.

I really love all these colors together. After looking at it closer, I realized this was a split complimentary scheme. This is often a very pleasing color scheme for a viewer. The primary and most pure color os a yellow/yellow orange. I then used a red violet and a blue violet in less saturated hues. The blue violet was the color that I desaturated the most, as it is the most dissimilar from yellow. By using the split complements rather than the true complement, violet, the piece is more harmonious. You have to be careful with a straight complimentary scheme. Putting two completely opposite colors together can be really jarring to the viewer.

- Posted from my iPad

Sunshine and Lemons #8

"Sunshine and Lemons" 6x6 Original Oil Painting on Canvas click here to Purchase

Ungh. Rainy season. This girl can only take so many gray, rainy days before she starts getting a little stir crazy. To combat against the blues, i decided to have a bright, happy yellow daily painting today. Freshly sliced lemons on a beautiful mustard yellow foreground.

I'm amazed at how interesting it is to work with different colors. I find it tough to believe how much orange is in a lemons and how much yellow is in an orange when you are painting it. When you actually stop and look at the real color, not just the one that you mind labels it, you start seeing such a wonderful world of color.


- Posted from my iPad

Pear Up #7

"Pear Up" 6x6 Original Oil Painting on Canvas click here to Purchase

You don't want to be the last one picked! Make sure you find a buddy - it reminds me of grade school field trips.

Lost my blog post again. Brilliant. I also lost my computer. Hard drive died, and I hadn't backed anything up in a year. So, I've learned my lesson - back your stuff up!

In other news, I spent a lot of today working through quick study exercises. I think it really helped me let go - I timed each of these little studies (they were only 4x4), used a big brush, and focused on staying loose. He are the results. Kind of crazy how differently each one looks!




- Posted from my iPad

Tell Me My Future #4

As I was painting these two guys, they seemed like they were looking in to the jigger trying to see their future. Although, if I were them, this might denote being juiced for a drink in the near future!

- Posted from my iPad

Motley Crew 12x16 Oil on Canvas

"Motley Crew" 12x16  Oil on Canvas  $250

Things are finally starting to flow for me.  This all still takes a lot of work, but I feel like I have finally learned how to paint.  I cannot say enough about the MFA program at AAU.  It has been a ton of work, and I spent all summer trying to hone my skills further, but the professors I have had so far have been just fantastic.  I've now gotten to the point where I feel like I can paint what I see, I just have to take the time and go slowly.  Things fall apart sometimes, but usually only when I am rushed or tired or can't focus.

I'm still amazed at how much focus it takes to paint.  None of the professors I have had so far just slap paint onto a canvas.  It is a handy illusion that a lot of people seem to think about us (along with the bohemian chic "you don't need money" image that I hate - it's a business people!).  But all of the really good painters I've met, spend hours analyzing what they are seeing.  You have to look at every highlight, every nuance, and then compare it to every other nuance in order to get it to look believable.  And this is all before you even learn how to make it your own - to put your stamp and signature style into it.

Okay, I'm on the cusp of getting slammed with the end of the semester.  Finishing up reworks (you can re-paint things to make your grade higher), and three paintings due in the next two weeks, plus Christmas and all if its craziness!  I'll keep you all posted, and hopefully as the semester winds down in the next couple weeks I can resume the daily paintings that are a bit smaller.  I've been really enjoying those, but just haven't figured out the rhythm and timing to do them in addition to the bigger pieces, schoolwork and travel that has been going on this fall.  Rough life, I know!  (PS - this was also an A-, wohoo!)

First A (ish)

"Make Lemonade" 12x16 Oil on Canvas

This was my first A!  Well, A-, but heck, I'll take it.  I'm still catching up on some posts of paintings that I've done over the past few weeks.  I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We certainly missed all the family, but we had a swell time with our friends.  Two fried turkeys, one roasted, tons of food, pool time, beer, good times were had all around.  

Pattern, oi vey!

Since I promised to show everyone the good, the bad, and the ugly, I decided to go ahead and show you one of my less than stellar performances.  The assignment was patterns.  In the past there were some beautifully done pieces, and a few of them have made it into the spring show (big deal at school).  I really wanted to go at this assignment full throttle, but alas, I just couldn't find an object that I really liked, and I also ran out of time.  So, in the end, I did this.  The ellipses are all kinds of funky and the proportions don't quite work, but I did get the pattern to turn correctly around the objects.  In any case, you can't win them all, so I thought I would let you all know I have bad days too :)

Limeaide

"Limeaide" 11x14 Oil on Canvas

I absolutely loved doing this piece.  It has all of my favorite colors, it is shiny, happy and bright.  I can't tell you how long I worked on the ellipses in the bucket to make sure they were correct.  Lots of work, but it was definitely worth it.  Getting the limes to show the glow they get when light is shining through them was a ton of fun as well.  I'm having such a great time with reflective objects!

A Pear Dilemma

Yet another school project.  For that, I apologize.  They just aren't quite as much fun, but they are really valuable learning experiences.

Want to know something kind of fun about this painting?  I used no green.  We were only allowed to use five colors - Titanium White, Ivory Black, Terra Rosa (which is a muted red), Yellow Ochre and Cadmium Yellow Light.   The apple is green because cadmium yellow light turns a beautiful green when you darken it with black.

I was kind of unhappy with my last painting, so I redid it.  Both these 11x14 paintings seem to be taking me somewhere around 4-5 hours each, which is about what the class said it would take.  But when I wind up doing more than 1 in a week, it kind of eats into the time I have set aside for my daily paintings.  My biggest problem with the other painting was using a tomato.    Because of using only the five colors, the tomato could have never been brighter than Terra Rosa, which at best can reach a terra cotta kind of red.  There was no way I could have gotten close to the color I was looking for.  I was also trying to paint a pear that was half red, half yellow.  No matter what I tried to do, I couldn't quite get it to look right.  So I changed that out for a fully yellow pear and a green apple.  Much happier with this.

Schoolwork again

Still catching up, believe it or not.  I spent the entire day working on this still life for class.  Took much longer than I anticipated.  And look, it is Thursday, and already lunchtime.  What do I have to show for today?  Well, at least I have a clean apartment now.  It was dirrrrty after having two guests for close to 3 weeks.  Okay, time to get back to work!

Follow the Leader

These cherries just reminded me so much of the game we used to play as a child.  Then, when you are a teenager, you're warned against following the leader.  "Would you jump off a bridge too?"  I prefer to bask in the innocence of playtime for today.

At Attention

These guys are just all lined up, ready to go!  Of course, there is always that one guy that is just slightly rumpled off to the side...

I was so excited to see cherries available at the store.  Some fruit is pretty close to impossible to find, or at the very least, super expensive.  For a while you could get cherries, but they were close to $20 for 2 pints.  When the price dropped to $11, I grabbed them.  They were so wonderful!  The produce section here is pretty spectacular, but sometimes you miss the fruits from home.

Hello Down There

Hey y'all!  I have two more paintings I just completed, but I haven't had a moment to edit them.  With our two friends in town, I have decided at the last moment to go with them (despite it being the first week of classes) to Cambodia and Vietnam for the rest of the week.  I'll be back on Friday, so I'll check in next weekend.  Hope your Labor Day was fun!

All Lined Up

Continuing on with the orange theme...

I started slicing these guys up, but the two ends turned out to be such interesting shapes.  Without even realizing it, the slices fell into a neat line on the plate and created these beautiful shadows.  I just loved the way the oranges looked against the blue sheet.  I am such a sucker for blue/orange color combination.