I Break For Irises

Blue Tongued Beauties 8x8 Oil on Linen

And anything else that I think might make an interesting photo that I could use for painting.  I’m loving Kevin Weckbach’s “Master Class” in oil painting but I've learned already that I need to keep taking a lot more photos.  He gives weekly “homework” and it’s nice to have a variety of subject and themes to choose from.

Photography is not my strong suit so I find I have to take dozens of photos to get just that right painting. Last Saturday morning (while visiting a neighborhood tag sale) I spotted these intense blue violet irises. 

In Kevin’s class we’ve been reviewing the importance of strong, unique, specific shapes as well as dark and light pattern in paintings. So I really tried to concentrate on achieving both in this study.  Speaking of Kevin there's a nice article about him in this month's Southwest Art Magazine previewing his one man show opening on May 11 (my birthday) at Gallery 1261 in downtown Denver. I can't wait to see this and Wicked for the first time that night.


The Summer Art Market is (yikes) only about 5 weeks away on June 9 so I’ll be concentrating most of the next month on painting for that. Most of the paintings I'm posting from now until then will be on sale at SAM-- Particularly since I have an entire booth to fill this year which is both daunting and exciting.

Quick thanks to all my Spring students--Hope you all have a wonderful May month of creativity, spring joy, and artistic discovery!

Amazing Glazing: A Rose In Progress

Transparent Oil Glazed Rose in Progress 9x12 Ampersand Panel

Happy Spring Monday! Last week a student asked if we could paint a photo realistic oil glazed flower.  While I greatly admire this glowing light and shadow style and technique, I tend to paint a bit more loosely and “painterly.”  So for added guidance we watched another Colorado artist Arleta Pech’s DVD –Transparent Oils The Basics, which I highly recommend for anyone interested in learning an easy method for transparent oil glazing.  If you’re a watercolor painter looking to try oils I think it would be an interesting way to start since the planning and thought process is much the same. 

Ms. Pech recommends a smooth surface for this type of painting—we used a 9x12 Ampersand gesso panel—it’s has a very nice velvety finish. Smooth but not too slippery.  Other key materials are all transparent oil paints, Walnut painting medium, synthetic brushes for thin (very thin) paint application and some softer sable brushes (or sable synthetic) for blending out.  If you enjoy blending your oils you’ll love this method. To clean up the edges we used the walnut medium and a clean bristle brush to “pull up” any unwanted color or to lighten areas.

There’s also very little direct mixing of color—mostly layering much like watercolor glazing if you’ve tried that. Give or take, this painting will eventually have 6-8 glazes. This is the first stage—starting with the lighter colors in the background (which will be much darker) and the lighter colors of the rose.  One of aspects of this particular technique that I like is that there is no under painting.  Another interesting feature is that the white in the painting is the white of the board much as you’d “save your whites” on your watercolor paper.  

For an “alla prima” painter like myself, this type of painting takes some patience but I think it will be worth the wait. Can’t wait to add the additional layers—particularly the dark background. As summer approaches I usually have some openings in my class schedule so please email for more info about my classes in oil, watercolor, or acrylic. Have a wonderful colorful week!

Showers Bring Flowers

"Blue Butterflies in a Jar" oil on linen panel 8x8

Like many artists, I love to paint irises. Iris means "rainbow" the velvety petals have that wonderful flying butterfly shape so it's no surprise it's a favorite artistic subject. These irises were in my garden last spring and I took a few reference photos of them since they last so briefly.  For this oil floral study today I had two specific painting goals:

• More impasto texture in the petals
• Working with an intense red background (in this case I had used an old red abstract painting as a background)

American Museum of Western Art: The Anschutz Collection
If you have a passion for western art like I do, be sure to note that the Collection is going to begin regular public tours on Mondays and Wednesday starting next month (May 2012) in Downtown Denver.  This should be an amazing collection that includes Western greats like Georgia O’Keeffe and  I can’t wait to see it.
 
My Favorite Oil Painting Supplies
I’ve added a new page to my blog (see tabs above) about my “must have” oil painting supplies for those of you interested. I’ve started with the oil supplies (which is the media I’m currently painting with the most) but will also add favorite my watercolor and acrylic supplies.  Also if you’re interested in my favorite art books check out my Scarlet Owl  Pinterest boards.  Speaking of Pinterest (I'm up to 200 pins already) thanks to all who’ve pinned my art so far!
 
To end today’s posting I’d like to share a recent fortune cookie fortune that I thought was perfect for artists: Your genuine talent will find its way to success. Keep practicing….And so I'm back to the easel. Happy practicing in your studio!

Spring Sprang Sprung

Purple Tulips 8x8 oil on panel

Art Lovers Mark Your Calendars: Summer Art Market June 9-10, 2012

I’m happy to announce that I’ll be at the Summer Art Market (SAM) again this year on the June 9-10 weekend on 200 Grant in central Denver.  It’s my favorite art festival—I always meet so many great folks who really enjoy art. I’m in lucky booth number nine.

I believe SAM (which is celebrating its 20^th year) is one of the best quality art festivals in the region. The quality and prices for original fine art (no reproductions are allowed) can’t be beat in IMHO.  I’ve said it before but if you’re a savvy art shopper who hopes to discover talent this is the art festival for you. And for artists it offers a ton of inspiration and variety from regional artists.

Darn it Jim—I’m an Artist, Not a Mechanic

Nothing perks a studio up like a new easel. Several months ago I posted that I was planning to try a new counter balanced easel.  I’ve read many positive reviews and after some debate settled on this style. Unfortunately, while it was well packed, one of the supports was cracked (which could be glued) but another part just didn’t seem to work very well as you know these are not inexpensive easels. 

Now I'll admit I'm not terribly handy so I had a pretty handy neighbor trying troubleshoot it with me. But after several hours of assembly and then re-assembly we decided that it wasn’t meant to be. Long story short, that easel was returned to Jerry’s.  About a week ago though, spring serendipity brought a gently used Renaissance crank easel and I so far I love it.  The easel is super sturdy, the cranking is very smooth, and I love the warm wood tone.  If you’re ready for a larger easel I highly recommend this one.

Sign Me Up

"Sunseekers" oil on linen panel 8x8-SOLD

Happy April and Early Spring Everyone!

As a painting teacher, I’m often asked about signing a painting so here are 10 tips I’ve gathered to help you the next time you finish a painting and are ready to own up to it with you signature:

1. It’s not a legal contract but do sign your work. Legibly and on the front.  Today, I think signatures are more important than ever with our artwork having potentially an international audience when it’s shared across the Internet on websites, social media, etc.  
2. Your signature is a helpful design element. Along those lines, keep your signature in scale with your painting.  I’ve seen many petite paintings 10x10 or smaller with bold signatures that would be better suited on a 30x40.  A magnifying glass type signature on a wall size abstract is also unbalanced.
3. Your signature should “blend” stylistically if possible. You might want to practice a few different styles with brush on paper before you decide on one. For example, some artist’s signatures look really nice in cursive and others in block letters. Think clean and pleasing. Lately, I’ve been scratching with my favorite rubber “wipe out” too into wet paint (as seen in today's painting). I like that look as long as it’s fairly readable.
4. If you’re planning to frame or mat your painting, be sure to sign your piece after you’ve popped in a frame. I see many signatures that too close to an edge that end up getting covered by the frame or mat. Especially now that frame and mat styles today can be quite wide.
5. When I paint a larger abstract for example I can use my signature to add interest to a corner. Usually it’s the lower right, but not always.  I had a student who cleverly integrated their name into the painting (in this case on a wine bottle tag).  You don’t want to get too gimmicky, be we are artists and so consider creative solution when the opportunity presents itself.
6. Thankfully, I have a fairly unusual 8 letter last name so I sign only with my last name.  Many artists I know with short or very common names add initials. I think this is a good idea for more specific identification. Imagine trying to research a beautiful oil painting you find at a flea market signed “Jones” on the Internet.
7. What if you have are blessed with an unusual first name or your last name is very long or hyphenated? Then I think signing with your first name on the front might be a good option. Then you can add your full name on the back.  Same with initials or a “symbol” type signature-I would add my current legal name to the back or at least on a certificate attached to the back.
8. What about adding a date to your signature? I see this too quite a bit at galleries and festivals and personally, I’m not a fan. I think it’s OK on the back but I think the front of the painting begins to look cluttered with too much info. It’s a painting not your art CV.
9. Again, this may take some practice but you may want to sign in the same media you created the art in.  I’ll be honest I don’t always follow this advice. For example, I sign watercolors with Sharpies or pen and ink sometimes. But in general, it’s wise to have the signature be consistent and cohesive with your work for posterity.
10. I’ve read that Marilyn Monroe always signed her name using a red pen. Consider a way to make your signature unique. Ideally you want your body of work to have a fairly consistent signature that easy for collectors to identify you.  

Thanks for stopping by and happy spring painting everyone!

Isn't that Pinteresting?

Study of Lemon and Mug oil on panel 8x8

Happy Spring everyone! Hope you're enjoying the same great spring weather at your studio. Here are just a few things that have been keeping me busy as spring approaches...

1. New much quieter, faster laptop. Loving my new HP Pavilion--but file transfer, keyboard adjustment, software learning, etc. has taken me a while thus my delay in posting. 
2. New plein air (outdoor) easel. Time to retire "Julian." After extensive online research, I chose the Coulter outdoor easel. I choose the "medium" size --which I'm hoping will be "just right." Looking forward to testing this in the park soon. Am also excited to have a good stable easy for demos, etc. I was planning to try at the Plein Air Convention in LV next month but when the Red Rocks hotel sold out I'm now on the fence. Also as a poker player--I might get distracted.
3. Have you been Pinning like me? Finally a social "experience" that's perfect for artists. More on that below. .
4. Enjoying the new art bytes on Daily Paintworks as well as the DP Pinterest Boards.  Be sure to check those out!
5. Hunting for my favorite brush cleaner and eco turp by Demco...So far can only find on Canadian sites that won't ship. If anyone knows a US site where I can order these please let me know. In the meantime, recommend the Winsor Newton Non Toxic Brush Cleaner--not the same but pretty good.
6. Practicing the basics--sometimes like to take a break from a more formal painting to really study all the subtle value and color changes in simple live still life like today's posting
7. Having a blast teaching lots of spring students (thanks all!) and enjoying being an art student myself in Kevin Weckbach's six month master oil class. Intense but highly enjoyable.

So it's kind of hard to avoid all the Pinterest hype. I've just started to "pin" on Pinterest--some of my Scarlet Owl Pinterest boards include My Favorite Art Books, My Favorite Masterpieces and Owls (of course!). Like many artists, I'm just starting to learn about Pinterest best practices, etc. In the meantime, I welcome the exposure so please feel free to "pin" any of my blog images. And if I don't post before Saturday--Happy St. Pat's to all!

Pop of Color

"Positively Poppies" 8x8 Oil on Linen-SOLD

When I start getting impatient for spring I just have to paint flowers. I’ve also been thinking a lot lately (thanks to my students and recent workshops I’ve taken myself) about my visual approach to a painting. In this case, I wanted to explore with the translucent nature of the poppies and as well as a high, bright key. See my tips below on painting with bright, clean colors.

I’m continuing to play (sometimes it’s work!) with very intensely bright transparent oils (magenta, violet, crimson, Indian yellow, perm rose, sap green, etc.) for initial mass/shape block in. I think approach is a match made in painting heaven for high key florals like this.

New Favorite “All in One’ Tool: The Artist MVP
As I mentioned many times, I love my “red plastic sheet” in the studio to check my values. I also use grids and sometimes a small compact mirror for composition checks. Thankfully well known California oil painter Peggy Kroll Roberts (her work is gorgeous) offers a smart and handy combo of all three on her website. It comes on a cord that you can easily wear plein air as well. Just ordered one as a gift and now can’t wait to get another. Thanks Peggy for this great idea!     

More Bright Ideas
When painting a bright, high chroma painting like these poppies it can be tempting to get wrapped up in all that color. I know I do. But be careful not to jeopardize your initial value plan. Let’s see you set up a simple sunlit still life. Take a minute and note where the brightest color notes are (remember bright is not the same as lightest.) Usually you’ll find the most intense in between the light and the shadow.

Or maybe not. Painting is, after all, an observational science. In general though, the better we represent the correct values the more saturated color your painting can support. Have a wonderful rest of your day!