Waiting in the Meadow

A different cropping of the same barn on 18 x 24 stretched linen.
I was trying consciously to vary the cool and warm tones in large
expanses of space, careful to keep transitions close and not get hung
up on all the straight lines. It felt easier to overshoot boundaries with
this one maybe because I laid in the drawing more loosely so the edges
weren't yet defined in my mind. It felt good to paint them in and cover
them up, leaving traces of the previous layer to show through. Painting
in layers feels natural to me, possibly because I don't know the next
right value or color to use, but more, I think, because I like not knowing.
It adds to a feeling of exploration and nice accidental possibilities.

Betsy's Barn

When looking at a scene my immediate response is to try to replicate
it so I've been conscious the past few months of using mark-making
to explore and let a scene build up sort of on its own. The panoramic
scenes are easier now but once there's a dominant subject, I tend to
do a "portrait" of it and forget the marks so with this, I tried to obliterate
boundaries and edges. It still feels awkward but as always . . . it's
about getting "there" even if you don't quite make it.

Nice Little Spread

Another from the Montana album. Getting psyched about an upcoming
workshop taught by Michael Workman at the Fredericksburg Artist school,
Feb 3 - 7. You can see his work here.

Paint/Medium

A little hiatus from fruit . . .

Orange/Cup

I've really enjoyed returning to these simple set-ups.
They don't seem quite as hard as they once did and
also easier now to portray light.

Lemons/Shot Glass

The shot glass has white marbling all through it—
very pretty but impossible (for me) to paint a real
likeness of it. On the last post, I didn't want to say
I was trying to channel my inner Stanley Bielen
because no one else can pack so much emotion into
a small painting of simple objects, but, yup, I was.
But, it seems like not a bad way to start if one is trying
to get free of self-imposed fetters? Thanks so much
to everyone who comments—can't tell you how thrilled
I am when someone takes the time!

Apple/Pear

I've been all over the place style-wise and subject-wise
lately and it feels good to just explore. I've been invited
again to participate in a small works show at the Abend 
Gallery in Denver. They have a great roster of artists so
I'm honored they asked. I hadn't been working small
enough and needed new work so I'm keeping it simple
and paying attention to paint and color. That seems totally
unremarkable but I've been so hung up on learning to
paint form, there hasn't always been room in my head for
the "art" part. I'm feeling confident enough lately to not worry
about getting the objects right, but to try a color or texture
or mark next to another and see if the piece holds together.
But then I started on the 6th one in this series yesterday and
got all hung up on getting it "right" again—easy enough to
scrape and stop, regroup.

Salt 'n' Pear

I wanted to play around with a painting that had more
background than subject matter, just to lay colors next
to each other and see if I could make them resonate.
And, make them work with the subject.

At the Window

I've been all over the map subject-wise lately, aiming to learn how to
not concentrate on painting the "thing" so much as manipulating paint.
I've always been interested in paint handling but maybe now trying
to be more conscious about it, how each stroke of color and value works
with the one next to it. Instead of racing ahead and having a vision of
what the painting should look like, how it should come out, I'm narrowing
my focus to what I'm actually putting down and then responding to what
comes next, essentially allowing it to come out the way it does.

Red Barn 2

Another try at the red barn . . . I go back to the same subject often
to see if I can simplify the way I think about painting it, find a
different approach, use different colors, emphasize different parts
of the composition and, just in general, see if there's been some
evolution. 

Old Barn

Another try at "the" barn. I have a vision of how I should be painting
these scenes but am not there yet. Can't seem yet to break out of my own
boundaries. I did enjoy working on this however: no second-guessing
or making it hard or getting in my own way. One good thing is that while
painting, I was most concerned with color in light and color in shadow.
(Yay me.) (This image, too, on blogger is so contrasty with exaggerated
darks compared to the same image in photoshop. ??? )

Little Silo in the Woods

I really enjoy painting buildings and am trying to be more conscious
of integrating their surroundings instead of painting a "portrait" of them.

When I compare this uploaded image on blogger to the image in
Photoshop, it looks coarser or contrast-ier than the Photoshop image.
Does anyone else notice differences in their uploaded pictures?

Red Barn

I had intended to paint this barn differently—more amorphous
and atmospheric, but I am finding it easier to modify what I see and
and not be so tied to an actual scene.  

Old Brewery

Trying to be more conscious of light and shadow, color and value
and work towards an airier, less solid effect.

March of the Trees 3

Another in the series of distance paintings . . . with each one, I try to start
out thinking about abstract stuff right from the start. Always, at some
point, I realize I've gotten prissy and cautious, take a break and regroup.
I'm finding it helpful to work on the same subject, especially a subject like
this that doesn't nag me to try to be faithful to the scene.

Tree Line - Sold

I have the hardest time making a landscape be green. There are many
iterations of this painting in various greens but after living with them
each for a few days, they seemed overwhelming.

Settling In—Sold

Montana's sky was constantly changing and endlessly fascinating . . .
thought I'd give painting it a try. This reminds me of cooler weather
elsewhere after a week of 102-105 degrees in San Antonio. Pray
for rain!

Field with Cattails - Sold

After the last two distance paintings (actually, there's a third that's
not finished yet), it felt natural to carry on with the mark-making.
This was mostly just about the pleasure of pushing paint around.

March of the Trees 2

More adventures in trying to create space and mark-making.
Every preconception I had about painting landscapes was pretty much
wrong. No matter how much I look at other artists' landscapes, my brain
is slow to comprehend how they achieved a sense of distance, so lots of
trial and error . . .

March of the Trees—Sold

Trying to understand how to depict a deep sense of space . . .

Apple Heart

When I cut into this apple, I was taken with the heart shape but also
by its impish expression.

At the Bottom of the Road

A post at last! I've been painting every day except for a great week in Montana,
but the figures I had been working on weren't working out. Montana's views,  
big skies and constantly changing weather talked me into shifting to landscapes.
 

Squint

Pansy in Simon Teabowl 2 and 1

Attempt 2 at trying to marry everything I think I've learned
lately. Attempt 1 is below. I tried a second take because I
thought I was still too cautious with the first one.

Abandoned—Sold

Lonely building between the freeway and train tracks.

House on Madison

This may not be finished yet but I stopped to escape that "tidying up"
compulsion that grips me toward the end. The earth reds from the
underpainting may need to be toned down a bit, and the contrast
overall. I wanted to work on thick and thin paint, also to not describe
and define everything. I don't always "see" clearly what I've put on
canvas or I superimpose what I want to see on what's actually there.
It will take some time of living with this to get some distance and
notice whether I see it differently. Don't want to rush in and "fix" stuff
without a clear intention.

Towne Place

Same street as a previous painting, different reference photo . . .

Turning

One of my goals lately is to work towards an interesting surface quality which 

hadn't yet appeared on my radar. I've been switching subjects as an exercise 

that forces me to think differently depending on the subject, then try to apply 

what I've learned to the next different subject. It's helpful for someone like me 

who tends to approach things the same way when what I wish to do is change 

or see transformation. Since switching from the way I used to work to more 

representational subjects, I long for the freedom that used to come naturally.  

There's a balancing act to work towards and it's good to identify it, because 
it's not always clear what my goal is. I'm working on a nude now, hoping to 
apply what I've learned to the figure but am still too tight—still fixated too 
much on getting it "right" which my brain tends to translate as "rigid." I may 
just have to accept that until something starts to shift on its own. 

Downtown Sunday

I really enjoy painting these city scenes because they offer
so many variables and compositional relationships to consider.
With so much to look at, I'm forced to simplify and use a kind
of "shorthand" to convey the scene. I find it hard at times to
not spell everything out and these are great practice to enable
that mind shift. Hope to take more liberties and get braver
with the paint.

Downtown Bridge 2

I painted two other street scenes before trying this one again.
I wanted to simplify and orient towards achieving a sense of light
and abstraction. I left the trees out this time because I liked the
variety of color in the wall at right and didn't want to cover it up.
The things I admire in other painters' work, like different colors/shades
over a flat surface, I usually don't allow myself to do or I do it, then
smooth it out in the end. There's something about being faced with
a literal subject that makes me forget I don't want to treat it literally.
My perspective is off which is an easy fix but tackling this scene again
was a good learning experience overall.

Downtown Bridge

I was in my usual Sunday morning stupor when I realized that parking meters
downtown are free. Grabbed my camera, found a parking spot and walked
and took pictures until the battery died, 19 pictures later. Downtown San
Antonio is tiny and charming and needs to be walked to see the little courtyards
and pedestrian bridges. It took a lot of time to draw this and try to get the
perspective which kept my left brain so focused that my right brain just wanted
to scream "just throw some paint on it!" Well, that's good—maybe I can get them
to play nice together by letting them each have their way. I confess I was tempted
to paint in every vertical line carefully until I woke up and realized my aim is to
be messy. Long way to go but a day with even a little progress is enough these days.