Process, paint and thought

14 x 11 inches Acrylic on wood panel

Day 8 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.  A good friend of mine makes wine and uses photos of her pup for the label.  She was kind enough to give me a bottle of her latest batch.  So thought it would be nice to give her something back.  This painting is for her. Thanks Deb.

But thought I would share the painting process of this one with you.  I started out just planning to paint the bottle, roughed in the form and built up the layers with acrylic paint on a wood panel.  But as I went along it need something to add some more interest and balance the composition a bit.  Thought adding the pup peeking over the table was just the ticket.

catching up on a few days

Should be posting these each day, but sometimes life just gets in the way.  I have been painting each day for the September 30 paintings in 30 days challenge, just forgetting to post.
Day 5...

"Rose Maze"  11 x 14 Acrylic on paper

   I have been rereading a book called "Life, Paint and Passion" by Michele Cassou and Stewart Cubley.

            Day 6...Day 7 and 8 

acrylic on paper 12 x 9 inches

The main idea in the book is about letting go and painting for the process not the product.  Think the idea has wonderful to work with.  Letting go a bit on the thought process and just letting the paint guide you does help open your mind to a lot of new ideas.
Mary

Acrylic on canvas paper 16 x 12 inches

 

Acrylic on paper 12 x 9 inches

Artwork, a multiple approach

Oil on canvas panel, 7x5 inch

I started this the other day and was having some trouble with the face.  To loosen up and get a better
feel for the subject, I took some paint; transparent red oxide and blue, and tried painting it on a gessoed paper, with a palette knife, (well some finger painting too :)

6 x 8 palette knife painting on gessoed watercolor paper

After I did this one I had a better feel for the look I wanted, but also liked this rough version.  So I photographed it, down loaded the photo and started manipulating it.  And really liked the digital version enough to add it to my FineartAmerica web site.

Digital Artwork

All of my digital artwork is based on an original painting or drawing.  An is an example of how one idea can be worked multiple ways to get an unique work of art.

Thank you for looking

Mary

Snow day

Last night we got about a foot and half of snow.  What is not to love about Michigan :)
Lucky for me I had nowhere I had to be today.  So what do you do when you are snowed in....
paint!!!
    This where I stopped for today.

18 x 18 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Going to think about it for a while, before I decide if it is finished yet.  When I decide it will be added to my web site at Daily Paint Works.  But for right now it is time to just hang it and think about it.

    Thought I would share the steps, layers, that got me to this point.  

I started with base colors, flexible modeling paste, and really only the thought of sky.  I wanted some wild texture to the first layer.

The mid point I let the texture dictate the ground.  Nature is not perfect, and I wanted this to be part of the painting.  If you think about painting every blade of grass the way you think it should be, reality is lost.  Interesting thought that a little chaos and abstraction is more real than planned perfection.  Ok that was a little deep, hope I do not get a head ache now.
    Anyways, just thought I would share.  Off to texture some more canvas before the roads are cleared here.
Mary
Schiros-art.com

Ink and oil painting

"Night Watch" oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches

Decide to try something different, an under painting in ink.   After playing around with ink yesterday, I used one of the ideas and painted the outline of the cat in ink on canvas.  After it dried started putting down some layers of color in oil.

First layer of paint after ink dried.

Think I like this technique, plan to try some more.  Maybe next time letting more of the sketchiness of the ink lines show.

Mary

Schiros-art

Thinking with ink

Day 2 of  #jan30in30
     Today I am just thinking and planning with ink.  A little 14 x 11 inch ink paintings that will be an idea for another painting.  There is a spontaneous flow to ink off a sumi brush that, at least for me, always inspirers a need to do more.

Mary
Schiros-art

A Change of Mind

"A Natural Still-life"  Oil on panel, 12 x 9 inches

Click to Bid

   I know one should have a firm idea in place, a plan, or outline of what is to be done.  At least that is what I have been told.  And I often do know exactly what I plan to paint....but not always.  In this case I had a textured panel all set for a landscape, and I started that way, (more than once).
   I started a landscape did not like it, wiped it off, then started a seascape...really did not like it, and wiped off the sea.  I decided I was just not in the mood for land or sea that day, but still felt like painting.  I just finished Carol Marine's newest book and thought I would try one of her suggestions to paint forms thinking of them as islands.  Painting by islands is basically to work from the middle out.  So I started with the apple, then moved on to the vase and flower, planning to do the background last.  Well I changed my mind when I saw how the still-life looked and fell in love with that sky behind it.  In fact I think I see a future series here :)
  Sometimes a change of mind is a good thing.

Mary

Thinking with watercolor

A good habit I have been trying to develop is working up an idea before jumping into painting on the canvas.  With still-life oil painting I usually do a small 3 x 4 inch black and white sketch, these cartoons help with developing the compositional lay-out.  But sometimes an idea needs more and that is when watercolors are perfect.

I had a photo from last summer, of morning light at the edge of a tree lined stream.  I want to paint it in oil but just did not know where to start.  So I did a quick wash in watercolor to get a feel for the colors.

Liked the rough wash so kept going.....

"Light at the Creek Bend"  14 x 11 inches
Available at DPWs

Working with the watercolors is a natural way for me to determine tone and edges, possibly because it is the medium I know the best.

After finishing this one, another idea came to mind, with all the materials out and ready, I just kept going.

16 x 20 inches watercolor
"Contemplation of Each"

With this one I wanted to see how hard it would be to free hand a mirror image.
Not a perfect (or even close to it) mirror image but it was great practice!  There was something fun and interesting about trying this, I was tempted to work with a brush in each hand....huh 
Think I see my next experiment :)

Mary

Sparking creativity

Dusting of Rose, acrylic

If you ever need a spark to get yourself creating,  just start sorting your art supplies.   I set out the other day to clean and organize my studio, and before I knew it I was painting.  Found some paint I had forgotten about called Polycolor.  It is an unusual paint, the best way to describe it is slick.  I did a quick sketch and while it was wet, did a mono print of the the paint sketch.   Polycolor is thick and wet enough it worked well for mono printing.
 Then I proceeded to work up both paintings.

Rose Red, acrylic on watercolor paper

What is fun they both ended up different even thought they started from the same paint sketch.

One word about polycolor, I like it because it is slick and yet a strong covering paint,  but it does separate and needs to be mixed before you start painting.

Mary

Schiros-art.com

Painting from memory

Finished this 3rd week of 30 paintings in 30 days having some fun.  I have been painting a view I saw briefly while driving down a road.  One thing I learned from this is a memory is just an idea,  not a true reference.

Day 21....

6 x 6 on Ampersand panel

Day 20 and 19...

The 3 are available on my DPWs web site, pretty much just for the cost of the painting surface, thought it would be fun to just share the little experiments a t a fun price.

While I was having fun just had to do a little digital play also..

There is a web site called Collage.com that you can create collage collections from photos, another fun place to play:)

  Next week I plan to get a little more serious and finish each day some paintings that I have started.
I have a rule for myself, always have something in process, that way when I get up there is always something waiting for me to work on, it is a good way to keep painting everyday.
Mary

Color theme

"Tools of the Trade",  Acrylic 14 x 11 inchesAVAILABLE AT DPWS

Today my three colors are:Ultramarine Blue (Golden brand), Nickel Titanate Yellow (Daniel Smith), and Quinacridone Coral (Daniel Smith).  Picked these three just because they are colors I like, pretty simple reason, but why not? Thought I would mention the brands because different brands of paint are a little different.  Yesterday the Viridian green I used was Liquitex and I think it is a little less blue than other brands.
When I am planning these "harmony paintings" I pick the colors but also decide on one color being a dominate color, in this case it was the blue.  Probably will do another but using a different one of the group as dominate.  Called this Tools of the Trade, wine and paint brushes, why not:)

Mary

How I Paint a Still-life

Pear and Silver,  11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

                                Available at DPWs

Blue Plate Special, 12 x 16 inches, Acrylic on canvas

                                          At Bishop Gallery, FIA, Flint Mi June 2014

Thought I would share a peek at how I work on painting a still-life.  

One of the most important things I do to start, are small drawings of a still-life set up.

The drawings helps me plan the composition to work from.  Even thought I have a physical set up, deciding how I want to approach the painting really begins with the rough sketch.  

The drawings are tonal, white, grey and black, three basic values.  I do several of these drawing focusing on areas of the set up I find most interesting. Once I pick a favorite it used as a guide for my painting.

In this case I did four drawings, and ended up with two different painting. For one painting I followed the colors present in the set up and focused on the pears. 

For the another painting I went with more earth tones, and work directly from the drawings.  I also utilized my color charts to help with the colors.  

Drawing in a key part to painting because it give you a foundation to work from.  Drawing is not just for paper and graphite.  If you want to paint better, take time to draw.  Draw with pen, ink, graphite, and paint, especially paint.  Quick sketches with a paint brush helps build skill in handling a brush, and can create some very interesting pictures, also.

Mary

Schiros-Art

Mixing up some blues

Sunlit Blues, oil on canvas, 12 x 9 inchesAVAILABLE AT DPWS

Another day of taking time to learn more about the oil colors that I have.  Have found it interesting how much more I have discovered about color by doing simple color charts.  Having the charts handy when painting,  has simplified the process of picking what colors to go to when painting.  The latest chart I did because I wanted to find a green that would match a sunlit green bottle, I knew it had to be mixed but just was not sure what green to use.
   Using 7 of my favorite oils from blue to green,  I mixed the colors with whites; zinc and a titanium,   yellows,  and a complement Permanent Rose.  Found the colors I wanted and have the chart handy for future paintings.
    The chart does not have to fancy, I used Arches oil paper, the colors, and a painting knife to mix and apply the paint to the paper.  No brushes to clean, pretty easy:)

A handy idea, hope you give it try.

Mary
Schiros_Art

Why I paint, what I paint

                                              At fineartamerica.com
I went to bed last night with my mind in absolute turmoil, could not stop thinking about news and issues.
The last few days I have been drawn to painting a couple of subjects, Buddhas, and horses.  At first I could see no reason, but this morning it all came together.  

                                                                            At Fineartamerica.com

                                                                           AT Dailypaintworks.com

With the Buddha paintings I was reaching for some serenity, in chaos, I look for peace.
But there is a saying I love; “Chaos - where brilliant dreams are born”.
This morning I grabbed a coffee and immediately started another horse painting.  While painting I contemplated the nature of the horse and our Country.  The horse was not native to this Country.  But it was brought here and built and work our lands, together with cowboys, farmers and ranchers, to help build something wonderful.

Our land is a vast mix of people, plants and animals, some native, some not.  How all these mixes work out, depends on if they work together, or if they destroy. 
 The tumble weed is not native, it causes much destruction, it does not blend in and benefit the land, the Starlings take natural areas away from native birds, but he horse has an iconic role in the portrait of the US.
Sometimes I just have to look at the complicated high tech world and break it down to what I can wrap my mind around.

As an Artist, the subjects I paint may seem random, but I guess they really are not. 

                                     Watercolor work in process

Mary

More than three

16 x 12 inches, ink on watercolor paper

                                                        Available at DPWs                  

Winter is over, and time to celebrate Spring.  After working on yard work for several days, decided to treat myself to some flowers.  It will be a while before there are any flowers blooming outside,  so having some in the house feels wonderful.  Of course with fresh flowers, they must be painted.

14 x 11 acrylic on canvas sheet

I pick a few flowers from the bouquet, set them on the table with just the right light and started painting.

14 x 11 acrylic on canvas sheet

  After three paintings set the blooms aside, back in my kitchen.  Studied the paintings, although I liked them, they just say what I wanted the paintings to say.

 14 x 11 acrylic on canvas sheet

 Today while walking through the kitchen, I noticed how well the light and shadows looked on the bouquet, so got my watercolor pad out, a couple brushes, and my inks.  Standing in the middle of the kitchen, I painted them just as they looked, (minus the dishes in the sink), and was finally happy with the painting.

Sometimes it takes more than 3 times to get some right.

Finding Ideas

                                           On the available paintings tab of this blog

Wanted to spend some time today sharing some helpful links.   There are times I know I just need something to give me a kick in the rear to get going.  Having some sites on the web to spark ideas is wonderful.  I have some old favorites and a new site (at least for me) that are great to go to.

The idea for the painting on today's post came from a site I just discovered;
paintmyphoto.ning.com  This is a site photographers and painters get together.  Photographers offer photos for painters to paint,  how cool is that!  You can as a painter post your paintings there also, and there are a number of forums for tips and ideas.  I have posted both paintings and some of my photos for other painters to use.

One of my old favorites,  is a web site called Wet Canvas  This site has activity for all media, and a great photo reference library.

Also, if you need an idea or challenge Daily Paint Works isn't just for selling and buying art, (although I highly recommend a little shopping there), it also has challenges, contests, and tutorials.

And one more site I just found for painters wanting to understand color;  Hand Print
This has information on color pigments and more.  I haven't finished looking around the whole site but use it mainly for pigment detailed information.

Hope these sites help you out, and let me know of any others that are good too.

Mary

Save your sketches

I know I have said this before, but it is worth saying again....Save you sketches!   Even those 1 and 2 minute drawing, sometimes those have the most expression.   When cleaning my studio this Winter,  I was tempted to pitch a bunch of old drawing.  But as I sat an looked at those old 1 and 2 minutes drawings, ideas started popping into my head.
   Instead of dumping the sketches I grabbed one and started redrawing it, focusing on what I liked about it.   The following ink and color paintings are some of the places I went with one rough sketch.

14 x 11 inches, Solitude" Acrylic on canvas

                                                     AVAILABLE AT DPWS