Plein Air 37 & 38 & Retirement Day

Today I took a vacation day and went on a painting workshop with Danielle Hatherley again.  One of her students got permission for us to paint in the health club of her building, 36 stories up.  It was an awesome building with an incredible 360 degree view right on the East River.

I finished 2 paintings, both are 9x12 oil on panel:

The second is a Leftover Paint Painting... just a quick something to use up the extra paint from the first painting.

The view was wonderful!

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Today also marks Retirement Day of my Painting BFF- so I am glad it got to go on such a nice outing.

My fabulous palette knife, an old Lowell-Cornell, model number long obscured by layers of paint. I have been painting with this knife for the last 14 years. In fact, I can't paint without it. It's comfortable and has character, and it is well-made.

Knives like this are hard to find these days- the reason it is so good is because the blade and handle are all one piece of metal.  They just don't make them like they used to.

Because there are cracks in the paint which covers the blade, and because my friend on Wet Canvas recently had her much-beloved palette knife break, I'm a little nervous.  So I used some birthday money to finally invest in a Holbein Knife. 

There are no better knives than Holbein knives.  With the exception of something tragic and unforeseen, I will never have to replace this new knife for as long as I live.  It is tempered Japanese steel, all one piece.  It is beautiful. lightweight, and wonderfully flexible.  I will miss my old knife, but I know I'll love the new one just as much!

Dave (Study)

This is a pastel study of Dave, my partner in this year's portrait swap.  I'll move on to the oil painting this week.

9x12 pastel on Colorfix

Happy Halloween!

Halloween this year was a great time.  It was the return of Bumble-Rat and Ladybug Rat.  The cool thing about having white rats is you can paint them with airbrush markers.

I carried Ali around for Trick or Treating.  People gave them chocolate and their very favorite treat, Swedish Fish.

Daya also had a great time.  She was Cinderella this year.

 

Twilight (after Bouguereau)- Finally Finished!

After seven months this painting is finally done!
I started in March and finished the underpainting in July.
It needs to be scanned instead of photographed but it is too wet right now.

I am not doing anymore grisaille/glazing for the foreseeable future; this is not how i enjoy working.

View progress shots here.

10x20 oil on canvas

Another photo with different light:

 

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I bought the cutest little gourds at the store the other day so I could paint them. For the past few days I have been wanting to paint a gourd with my Maimeri Italian Earth paints... so as a reward to myself for finally finishing Twilight, and also for the Feat of Extreme Discipline for not starting another painting until Twilight was finished, I painted a little gourd.

The Italian Earth paints are fascinating... they are actual earth pigments from different regions in Italy. They are low chroma and transparent, and although I find I can't push them the way I can with other pigments, I still love them. especially the greens.

I do think I'll do better with them when they aren't the only colors in the palette, but as accents to a more well-rounded selection. I like the earthiness and somewhat grittiness of them, and also like thinking of what the old masters did with such limited materials.

8x10 oil on canvas panel, an hour and a half.

Plein Air 35 and 36

I took a plein air workshop today with the wonderful Danielle Hatherley.  Since Daya is usually with me when I am not at work, it's rare to have a child-free full day of painting outdoors.  I have been wanting to take a workshop for a while and this was a great experience, something I'll definitely do again. It was great to spend lots of time on each painting.

We painted at the Boat basin in Riverside Park. Palette: Alizarin, Cadmium Red Light, Indian Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Light, Maganese Blue, French Ultramarine, and white.

Both are 9x12 oil on panel

Plein Air 33 and 34

Since I had to go to Daya's school this morning, I just took the whole day off to make the already-long weekend extra long.

Of course I went out painting.  I have been having trouble getting into the painting zone lately, and I had trouble today even though I was excited to be out.  These two are not really great paintings... but I read the other day on Wet Canvas that even some professional plein air painters admit a good percentage of the work they do in the field isn't great.  Plein air painting sure is hard.

I used the palette I'll be using for my upcoming plein air workshop on the 21st:  Alizarin crimson, Cadmium red light, Indian yellow, Cadmium yellow light, French Ultramarine, and Maganese Blue.  Oh, and white.  I am having trouble mixing my darkest values with this palette- they all come out looking like really dark purple or some sort of indefinable brown.

My setup for the first painting:

#33, 8x10 oil on panel  ( I really have trouble with pine trees) one hour

For the second painting, I found a tree that was literally growing out of a huge rock.  I thought I had a good start with this one but am not quite sure what happened.

6x8 oil on panel one hour, maybe I spent too long on it.  Oh well, next time.

Plein Air 32

We spent the day in Central Park and had a wonderful time. I did a little painting while Daya played in the grass.

For today's painting I used 2 new colors- Indian Yellow and Maganese blue. I like them very, very much but also think the addition of cadmium yellow would have made more variations in the greens.  I was really trying to go for masses and impression over details.

Alizarin crimson, Indian yellow, Maganese blue, French Ultramarine, and Titanium white.

6x8 oil on panel

Daya got her face painted:

Retro or Antique?

I've been goofing off with oil paint this week... .  Here is a copied image from 1992...anyone out there recognize it?
Next week I'll get back to serious study (maybe ;) ) and plein air.

8x10 oil on panel

Note: I am sure the original source image is still under copyright by Sierra Online.

WN Titanium White

I can't believe I haven't painted in three weeks! (I don't count last weekend... it wasn't oil paint! :) )

I am a little rusty...

This is another in the Paint Tube series... WN Titanium White
6x8 oil on panel, maybe 35 minutes or so.

Portraits from Ratfest

I use oil pastels exactly once a year- at Ratfest to do commissioned portraits. This year I did 5 portraits. It makes me so happy to make other people happy with my artwork.

All are 9x12 on archival vellum.

Meet the Oily Rats!

Ratfest was this weekend. I will post pictures later.

Two Siamese rat girls came home with me! I am SO EXCITED to have rats again, I really missed having them around these past 5 years.

Of course I named them after oil paint.

Quinacridone (Quin) is a blue point Siamese and Alizarin (Ali) is a seal point.

They are friendly and curious, and Daya LOVES them. My cat is jealous of them but she has always tolerated rats before and I have no reason to worry about it this time either.

Williamsburg Cadmium Red light

Another one today!

6x8 oil on panel
40 minutes

Vasari Pthalo Turquoise

While i was waiting to pick Daya up from school I did a little painting.
Vasari Pthalo Turquoise
6x8 oil on panel
45 minutes

Kindergarten!

Daya started kindergarten today! She is there right now. It is a half day, so I have to pick her up in a couple of hours. She has been so excited, I have been freaking out. They grow up so fast, it's both sad and exciting.

Old Holland Violet Grey

I bought this tube of paint today with a 40% off coupon. Isn't it pretty? :)

6x8 oil on panel
1/2 hour

Plein Air 31

I am so glad it is September. PRT was wonderfully uneventful this year, I am very glad about that. Now i can look forward to the weather changing and the days getting shorter.

School starts this Wednesday. I am really nervous. The school is not great at communicating, and i finally got the registration confirmation with this schedule... making me wish more than ever that I had other schooling options.



Scary. This from a SCHOOL.

Today I went with my friend to Central Park. It was a lovely day. Everyone is out of the city on account of Labor Day. I did one little painting. I have painted often enough in Central Park now that when I walk around I recognize my previous painting spots! I fondly passed by three of them today.

6x8 oil on panel, half hour

Willow 7 (PRT)

9x12 oil on panel

Willow 6 (PRT)

9x12 oil on panel

Willow 5 (PRT)

9x12 oil on panel

Willow 4 (PRT)

Still painting the willow tree...
9x12 oil on panel, 3 hours

Willow 3 (PRT)

I am very pleased with tonight's painting. I learned a lot- very specifically about thin application of paint while working alla prima. This is something I have been really struggling with, especially working small-scale en plein air.

The palette is a combination I discovered while experimenting back in college. It makes nice subtle tones and I enjoy working with it occasionally: Venetian (or Indian/any earth) red, naples yellow, and cerulean blue. (with mars black and titanium white)

6x8 oil on panel, an hour and a half

Willow 2 (PRT)

Another image of the willow. I actually did an acrylic painting tonight for the first time in 10 years!

9x12 acrylic on panel 2 hours

Willow 1 (PRT)

Here is another practice painting.
I like it and don't like it all at the same time.

The original image is one I took of a willow tree in Brooklyn. I am thinking I might do a little series on this image just to play around and see what happens.

8x10 oil on panel, hour and a half, split comp palette yellow green, red, and violet.



While I was painting this I listened to a Wayne Dyer lecture on living an inspired life. My subscription to the Hay House Radio archives auto-renewed, and as a free gift I got the 6 CD set in the mail... unexpected. What a nice surprise. (And I do love Wayne Dyer)

Towards the end of the 6th CD he spoke about prayer and specifically St Francis. The "Make me an instrument of thy peace" prayer. For the first time I really get how that prayer works... it has to do with aligning yourself in remembrance to Source and attracting that source energy because God can only be what God is and God is not lack. Wayne said it better than I am writing it, but I really got it. "Peace" can be substituted with anything. Anyhow while I was painting something really clicked and I had a wonderful moment of clarity. I even had to stop painting for a moment because I had such an energy surge.

It is something i will always remember and associate with this particular painting.

More Alla Prima Trees (PRT)

I'm still practicing alla prima landscapes. Here is a little painting that took one hour and 20 minutes, from one of my Central Park photos.

It was supposed to be a split complementary palette of violet, yellow orange and yellow green, but I chose incorrect pigments for both yellow orange and yellow green. As a result my color mixing was completely thrown off and I had to add a blue pigment in... my new Vasari Video Blue.

Lesson learned: inaccurate color selection for split complementary palettes makes a HUGE difference.

I like last night's painting better than this one.

6x8 oil on panel

Spring in Central Park (PRT)

I am supplementing my plein air work with some study and practice at home.
Here is a little painting from a photo I took on a plein air trip last spring in Central Park.

9x12 oil on panel, took an hour and a half

Plein Air #29, 30, Vasari, Purple, & an Oily Girl (PRT)

My friend from WetCanvas, Nancy Park came to visit NYC for the first time with her granddaughter. Nancy is one of the Oily Girls- we are a group of oil painters who chat with each other a lot. Over time we have become online friends and did a painting exchange a few months ago.

Lucky me, I got to meet Nancy in person! We went to the Guggenheim.



We went to the Vasari store and adopted some expensive paint. It is very important to give homeless tubes of Vasari paint a good paint-friendly home.



And we painted. Nancy's painting looks fine but mine both look better in the dark.

#29 6x8 oil on panel, Zorn palette, Battery Park
My foliage needs desperate help.



This one I did the next day while Nancy was at the King Tut exhibit.

#30 6x8 oil on panel- pthalo turquoise, rose madder, cadmium orange, Central Park
My weeds need desperate help.



This painting did not come out very well but I had one of those epiphanies that should have been obvious from the beginning... I know I need to work on my composition, and I need to DRAW more when I am painting outdoors. DUH. Why it took me 30 paintings to figure that one out I'll never know. I was trying to figure out my difference in approach between plein air and still life. Drawing. Important. Obvious. Basics.

Then I took Nancy's lovely granddaughter to the West Village to go shopping. There were some lovely scarves on sale at one of the Tibetan shops, and i have been wanting a new altar cloth for a long time. Purple is pretty.

Plein Air #25 and #28 (PRT)

I am not up to date on posting my plein air paintings, but here is one from last week. I went out after work and found a nice comfy spot in Central Park.

6x8 oil on panel, 45 minutes #28



Here is another one from a few weeks ago.
6x8 oil on panel, 30 minutes, Riverside Park #25

PRT Buffer #1

It starts already... this time my teeth! I'm nuts about my teeth, never had a cavity in my life, although I have had quite a lot of orthodontic work. Perhaps my great teeth make up for my wonky eyes....

Anyhow, I recently got a supercute lipstick case at the Silk Road show at the museum of natural history. It has a little mirror inside. Imagine my absolute horror when I used it and noticed my bottom teeth were turning brown! Seriously, I felt sick, but wondered what could be the cause since there has not been any indication of problems.

I did a quick google search on "brown stain near gumline" which a list of websites all related to problems people have been having for YEARS with Crest Pro-Health mouthwash. Which I started using just over a month ago. My staining issue was described in detail by many others, along with other, more serious sounding problems. I booked an appointment with the dentist today.

Thankfully, my teeth are (still) absolutely fine and the hygienist was able to remove all of the staining! I am so relieved.

Puff the Magic Badger (PRT)

Another little 2 hour study, 8x10 oil on canvas
"Puff The Magic Badger" is what I named my hand-made badger blender brush from Rosemary & Co.



A good start to Pigeon Risk Time (PRT) 2010.
Anyone else who can't stand August, feel free to join me in my alternate time frame.

Pigeon Risk Time (PRT) Starts Tomorrow!

Get ready for Pigeon Risk Time (PRT) starting at midnight!

Mala Beads & Incense

Another little 2 hour painting.
8x10 oil on canvas

Rock Candy

I am 4 glaze layers into Twilight, but needed to get some alla prima painting out of my system.

This little study took 2 hours.

8x10 oil on canvas

Twilight- Grisaille

This is the very last grisaille underpainting I will do for a long time.
Poor Twilight has been sitting unfinished on my easel for months. I'll let her dry then start the color glazing.

I much prefer direct painting.

10x20 oil on canvas, after Bouguereau