First of 30 paintings in 30 days

Took me a while to get going today. I have been doing some pen and ink and watercolor studies in my art journal so decided when I am short on time will do the pen and ink studies. That is better than no painting at all. I thought I would attempt the 30 paintings in 30 days and that would get me working. 

I did finish a 16x20 oil commission for a retiring Board Member as a gift .

I was happy with this painting and I believe everyone else was also. It did take me a while and I have done no other paintings except watercolor sketches in my art journal.

I did get two paintings juried into the Springfield Museum's Ohio Plein Air Society Show PARKS IN PLEIN AIR. We are guaranteed one painting but I got two in so I am thrilled.

Rutherford B. Hayes Center , Summer Blooms, 10x8 oil and Malabar Farm State Park 8x10 oil

My process is to make a small black and white sketch about 2x4 inches. You can see the design easily that way. Then I block in the big masses with  color similar to the final color. Many times I may prepare my canvas with a transparent red oxide or alizarin crimson , especially if there is a lot of green in the painting.  If the painting is very detailed I will put a pencil drawing before the prep color. Otherwise I will put the drawing on with a pastel pencil. Once the masses are filled in with thin paint it is time to start building the color, dark to light. It is very tempting to put the details in but they must wait to be able to stand out. After the painting is dry I will spray with retouch varnish. I usually try to  photograph the painting before the spray to eliminate glare. I photo on a sunny day in the shade of my porch. You can always use a white sheet over a chair with the painting on the seat and you get under the sheet and photograph. Then I frame and add my business card and information about the painting on the back of the painting. Any questions, you can email me at jwalton15@neo.rr.com.

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The latest Plein Air paintings, new colors, new challenges

I am still working three days a week and it is so difficult to find time to paint, let alone time to write my blog. I have been trying to sketch with a Sharpie ultra fine marker everyday. On Saturday the ninth I did an 12x16 pastel with Johannes in a paintalong. I do wish I would have done it in oils but I learned a lot. I did use the PanPastels to start the block in. It is very challenging to paint a forest of pine trees and make each one different. Each side different on each tree, each tree a different color, Each tree on a different plane, no triangular trees. My poor deer....I could not get his face bright enough. If I was going to paint pastels much I would buy some sticks for making finer lines. The pastel pencils just don't do it. I used sanded paper. This is a painting that will never get framed.

Then Thursday I got to paint with my artist friends at Kingwood. The summer blooms are just starting and I chose the fountain view. I painted to the left of the Terrace so the large pot sits off to the side to make a better composition. I used a toned canvas and was happy that some of that showed through the painting and I wiped out the lights.It was very humid and my canvas was still moist with the Gamsol. I then put in my darks with Greenish Umber (my favorite dark) It is great for trees, especially evergreens.Black with variations of yellow make wonderful greens. The light changes so fast. I took a photo and made a black and white sketch where I saw the light in the beginning. I have learned to do that to keep my light consistent. The scene is completely changed by the time I finished.

Then the next Thursday we all went to the Bellville Park and I painted the little waterfall. It was a spillway . I am experimenting with some new colors, inspired by Dreama Tolle Perry. I love her paintings and colors. Depending on the price, I would like to take her online course in the Fall. So this was the first time I brightened up my work with her palette. This was also a challenge as it had rained and it was cloudy so I had to imagine the sun. I really had to work on my rocks to make them believable , so make them recede, and then to do the water so it did not fall evenly. It actually ran down a flat slab but that was boring and made straight lines, so had to change the way it fell.

Saturday we artists drove to Fremont to the Rutherford B Hayes Center for a paintout with the Ohio Plein Air Society for the Hayes 100th Anniversary. It was a three day event but we could only go for one. It was a beautiful day at a  beautiful place. There was lots of shade and most everyone was painting the house. I wanted to use my new bright palette so I found a spot with a vase of flowers. Again the light was there in the beginning and at the end but I did my black and white sketch and took photos.The painting looked too dark probably from painting in the shade and looking at the light. The eyes change things so I did brighted things up.  I have been toning my canvas with either Transparent Red Oxide or Transparent Brown Oxide or Transparent Orange Oxide. Again I wiped out the lights and used the Greenish Umber for the darks, blocked in all the puzzle pieces and left the flowers for last. I varigated the steps broke up the lines with sunlight ar skylight, broke up the stone lines with bush branches, enlarged the flower area and exxagerated the colors. I did have to glaze the further post to set it back. So I broke up straight lines, varigated colors, created depth, made the four corners different, eliminated clones, kept the no fly zone around the edges soft and muted and varied my edges. Rules! Thanks to Johannes Vloothaus. I feel good about my new palette, lots of colors right now and will probably eliminate some after experimenting.

I can see my paintings are starting to look like I want, more exciting color, more impressionistic brushwork.

I also purchased some new books on Amazon... Daily Painting by Carol Marine about painting small and often to become a more creative, productive and successful Artist, Art Before Breakfast, a zillion ways to be more creative no matter how busy you are, and Shut Your Monkey, how to control your Inner Critic and Get More done. I am slowly working my way through these. So more sketching daily, more small paintings. I did buy some 6x6 canvas boards. I also painted a birthday painting for my Great Granddaughter. So now, I need to paint daily and start a commission .

I have started the commission but the daily painting just is not getting done. I have taken a lot of photos from Kingwood and my flowers at home. My  grandson put in about 10 feet of Hostas he dug from his home , and I brought some free plants and put in half of them last night. Worked today and it was terribly hot. 92 in that ticket booth and then I went to my great granddaughter's for the end of her 1st birthday party.

#waterfall,#oilpainting,#Pastels,#Kingwoodcentergardens,#RutherfordBHayescenter,
#Ohiopleinairsociety

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Grand Canyon and Peonies

I had a staff meeting on Thursday so was only able to do a quick sketch with My plein air painters. Friday was spent on errands and cleaning and laundry. The Grand Canyon painting was done as a paintalong with Johannes. I really enjoyed this painting as it really popped with the background being done. I did have trouble with the rocks. Everytime I do a paintalong I learn so much. How to create depth, how to look for clones, varigating my colors, making abstract shapes.It is an 11x14 oil. I had a hard time keeping up and did photo the progress with my phone but unable to upload to my laptop. I will have to take my camera for photos.

The rain knocked my peonies to the ground and they had just bloomed! I brought them in and painted them. I loved painting these and working with the brushstrokes.It is a 8x8 oil. I am getting better at getting depth in the petals. I painted the flowers first then I decided to do the background with green umber and then put other colors into it.It was really wet so did not photo well.
My iris are gone already. I really wanted to paint them.

I had really hoped to have more days off to paint and thought that was scheduled but due to vacations, etc, I have to work more again. I will paint Thursday through Saturday. Oh shoot, have a doctors appointment in Columbus on Friday but maybe can get something done that afternoon.

I have been doing little sketches everyday so I am happy with that.

Oil and Watercolor paintings and Plein Air for the week

This painting was done after a workshop with Johannes Vloothaus on Landscape symbols. I used a photograph from Kingwood and completely designed the tree, made an entry path and and varigated the foilage. I changed the sky to a more atmospheric element and created depth.
Photographing the painting was very difficult. No matter where I put it, outside in the shade, inside with blue light, warm light, I just could not get the color right. I am not proficient enough in Photoshop to get the changes. I think I may download "Gimp" and see if it is easier. I do use Photoshop for cropping if it has not been done on my camera or phone.
This was my first week to work only 3 days so I should be more productive. I did paint at Kingwood Center Gardens this morning but need to photograph it. I will get my camera and see if I can get better color on this painting and the new one.
I have finished the yard, and garden, potted some herbs and flowers.

Well, The tree did not photo any better, in fact it is worse. The color in the foreground is definitely purple and I cannot get it to photograph that color. Frustrating.
The second painting, the path was done plein air at Kingwood Center Gardens. I do like my trees and think I am better at trees since the Johannes workshop on Landscape Symbols.
Yesterday I pulled the watercolor I had started and finished it. Very overworked. Not what I want in a watercolor. I want transparent washes, bright colors and somewhat abstract so need to practice, practice, practice!

This was my first plein air painting done about a month ago. I loved the view and I had to work quickly as I had to leave to go to work. I now don't have to work Thursdays so I can paint with my plein air group every week.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any comments and sign ups for my blog.

#paintingtrees,#plein air,# KingwoodCenterGardens,#landscape painting.

No painting this week

Just unable to find time to paint this week. Just working too many days. Drove to Columbus to see my chiropractor to get a tune-up. Any extra time was spend in the yard, mulching and weedeating, doing laundry and all those mundane things that one has to do to keep up the house. Hoping soon to paint, but working tomorrow, Saturday through Tuesday then Thursday. Work or quit and paint, that is the question. Frustrating.

Fixing up finished paintings, Redbuds and boats

I pulled out an old painting of redbuds in Kingwood and spruced it up. I didn't have a lot of time this week. Lesson I learned...make dark background and then the pink stands out. I would do that if I painted it again.
Then I took my teacher's critique and worked on Peggy's Cove. Very difficult to make lights in the fog, to make fog. I do like my rusty blue whaler? Lesson? Hmmmm. Need to work on boat shapes and foggy scenes.
I had good intentions for more painting but still working many days and took Tosca to her last agility trial. We will still practice but for now she does not like the teetertotter at Wadsworth and flys off the end. We did finish level 2 of Canine Performance Events and that was the goal for Saturday. Sunday worked in the yard mulching and making a garden around the two Butterfly Bushes and the two hydrangeas that survived the winter. They all died to the ground but are coming back. It is always a choice between painting, gardening, Tosca and her agility and house cleaning. Guess which is last? I am really hoping to spend more time painting soon.
#Redbuds, #PeggysCoveinthefog#oil paintings

Painting at Malabar Farm

Finally the weather broke and I had a morning to go paint at Malabar Farm. A few of my Ohio Plein Air Society artists were there also. I went early because I had to be to work at 2pm and darn that is going to happen this week also.
I didn't want to walk around too much because of the time so chose a spot near the parking lot. I was fascinated by the shadows of the spires on the smaller shed.

First I did a small 1x2 notan (black and white) sketch to see the pattern. I had already toned the painting with transparent red oxide. I did a quick drawing with a light blue pastel pencil and blocked in the dark areas with some viridian. Then I did the shadow sides of the buildings with a cobalt blue and white, mixing some other colors,(very small amounts) to get varigations. Then I mixed some Cadmium Yellow Pale with a touch of Cadmium red and some white for a warm sky, varying the colors across the sky. I wish I had used some more yellow/white in the left corner as that is where the light is coming from. I added some light green to the background to give a touch of Spring to the landscape. I then worked on the warm sides of the barns and silos with some of the sky color and was pleased with the varigations in the silo. It was getting close to time to leave so this is what I had when I stopped.
I

was off on Friday so I worked more on the painting and found that the painting didn't want to have the focal point the shadows on the shed so I put them in lightly and the focal point ended up being the crib and the doors and the light hitting them. I did do some work on the perspective. There were lots of angles to that painting. After working for a couple hours I feel I can no longer call it a plein air painting as I have put in the same time at home as I did at Malabar Farm.
I did not like the angle of the crib, felt it should be more horizontal, had a tangent at the top of the silo where the background hit right at the top of the silo.

Worked on it on Saturday afternoon after work and finished some smaller details, fixed the tangent and the angle of the crib. Unless I see something glaring it may be finished. Although the left sky corner and the right sky corner look very similar so will fix that and do the final photo with my camera rather than my phone so I get a stable picture.

I have not worked on the Peggy's Cove painting nor done the watercolor from Saturday. I did watch Johannes Vloothaus workshop and hope to try that on a day off.
Thursday is painting at Malabar again.But the weather looks like some showers. I really like sunny paintings so not excited.
Saturday I am off work but am taking Tosca to an agility trial. She will love it. I get nervous! I know we are doing it for fun and not to get to the top. I have to keep telling myself that!
#MalabarFarmpainting,#MalabarFarm,#oilpainting,#landscapepainting,#farmpainting
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