April Sparrow

 

April Sparrow, 8x8, oil painting on canvas panel.

I had such a fantastic time painting a sparrow yesterday that I'd thought I'd do another but this time challenging myself to change the composition (to a square), keep a higher and warmer key, use Gamblin's "environmentally friendly" Torrit Gray, and switch to a new (and better) brush cleaning method (baby wipes as recommended by oil painter Kevin MacPherson.)  I thought that was enough for one afternoon.

I did a much more careful drawing (I think of it more as a design or organization of shapes) than I normally would, but I find that helps for then in turn having more freedom with the colors. As I tell my students, when you paint think values, shapes, then color--even if that's what really inspired you in the first place.

Next week I'm hoping to branch out (no pun intended) to some other birds. I'm determined to take as many of my own photo references as possible to work on this series, so I'm planning to head up to Barr Lake State Park in Brighton where hopefully I'll find some willing feathered models.  I see the Barr Lake Bird List is quite extensive! And I also see where our Denver Zoo has some special days where you can arrive early just to take photos. 

While I'm not a very strong photographer, I think this would be great way to get some wildlife photo references, which is never easy living in the city as I do. Also, if you enjoy animal oil paintings be sure to check out Maryland artist Mark Adams work. His cats are wonderful and I love his oysters too!

As always, thanks for visiting! Please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions about my art, private classes, or Monday group workshop which starts on Monday, May 3.

Springtime in the Studio

Spring officially starts in about an hour in our time zone and in honor of that I'm posting one of my favorite collage paintings--an abstract floral painting of tulips. Because flowers are such a common subject for painters I'm always looking for new and interesting ways to paint them.

If you enjoy florals, especially those in the tradition of the Dutch master painters, in this month's art collector I spotted the amazingly detailed paintings of artist Marc Dennis.

For this particular painting, I gessoed an illustration board and then painted an underpainting using acrylics (a mixture of Golden Fluid Acrylics and opaque white acrylic). Quick tip for painting on illustration board: Wax all the edges with an old candle or white crayon to help keep the board waterproof.

Then I placed a high quality collage tissue paper  (white) over areas where I wanted more dimension and then painted over the tissue. I finished with some negative painting in the background around some of the flower forms.  It's a great technique to try if you are looking to add some more texture into your acrylic paintings.

Before I forget Daniel Smith is offering Free Shipping on all orders this week, coupon code:WRS310R4.

As always, I want to give kudos and thanks to all my wonderful students. I know many of you were beginners when you started and you are all blossoming, if you'll excuse the seasonal pun, into wonderful artists. I'm so proud of all of you! And welcome new students as well, I look forward to working with you this season and for many weeks to come. For more info about my classes in watercolor, oil, or acrylic painting please drop me a line at the studio email in the header or visit me on TeachStreet. 

Happy Spring painting everyone!