The "Keys" to a Still Life Painting: Daniel Keys Demo

Daniel Keys alla prima still life painting demo @ Gallery 1261

Happy May everyone! My artist demos are popular posts, so I hope you’ll enjoy these photos from the Daniel J. Keys alla prima still life oil painting demo a few weekends ago. Daniel was visiting Denver as one of the featured artists  at Gallery 1261 this month.

Daniel Keys at work at Gallery 1261

Even those he’s relatively young Daniel’s a seasoned painter (who has studied with Richard Schmid) and popular workshop instructor who work I’ve admired for years. I particularly enjoy his gorgeous  floral paintings (such as this one) and was really looking forward to seeing him paint in person.

Daniel Keys Still Life Oil Painting (those roses are amazing.)

For those of you who enjoy still life painting you probably know that arranging your still life items for a successful painting can be half the battle.  When I asked Daniel about this he said he may take an entire day back in his studio to arrange his objects.

I'm always interested to see how other painters start a painting As you can see, Daniel begins with a quick tonal wash.  After a fairly quick sketch in of the subject he made note of his darkest darks and lightest lights which provides a helpful value range for the painting. FYI, here’s a link to his palette colors and favorite materials.
 

Daniel Keys Palette (he noted that he usually paints on gray rather than white)

Did notice that Daniel changed the green lid of the jar to a more “harmonious” gold? I love seeing artistic license at work! Daniel also offers several DVDs that take you step by step through his still life process. And here’s a very interesting article about his time management tips and studio habits. 

P.S. Looking for more still life painting ideas and inspiration? Check out my Pinterest board “Not so Still Life.”

300 Reasons to Celebrate!

8x10 oil on panel "Black Steps" on hold for Summer Market

First over the weekend I saw two wonderful oil painting demos at Gallery 1261. Will post photos soon but in the meantime, here’s a sneak peak at the acclaimed Daniel Key's beautiful still life:

Daniel Keys Still Life Oil Demo at Gallery 1261

But today I wanted to acknowledge a very happy and proud landmark---my 300th blog post. More importantly, five years ago this summer that I took the “leap” into the creative wilderness. Technically, as you may guess given the timeframe, I was gently pushed like a cozy baby owlet out of my lofty coporate nest.

Like many professionals I faced some tough choices. Do I wait out the storm? Do I “fly” in a new direction? Get a law degree? (Yes that was on my list.) As I looked for guidance I saw many articles, books, posts about “finding your true passion.” Hmm. That’s an easy one.  Art and nature. But now what?

Welcome to the Scarlet Owl Studio! The answer: An artist. Of course!

I’m sure many entrepreneurs would agree that you can do some planning, research, etc. but ultimately the only way to test the waters is to jump in. So I took a big slice of my savings pie and built a studio onto my house. That led to me teaching and painting more. Some bumps along the way? Of course. As many of you know, the art biz is not always for the faint of heart.

But here I am five years later, blogging, teaching, painting and loving art (thanks to all of you) more than I ever did. So thank you all again! his has been a thrilling journey. What's next? What’s around the corner? I don't know but we'll find out together! P.S. Happy Birthday to all my fellow Taurus artists--I know there are many!

Finally--beautiful pink blossoms outside the studio!

P.P. S. To celebrate May and my 300th post I'm giving away a FREE fine art print OR phone cover (your choice) of any of my posted paintings. To enter please leave a comment during May 2014. Contest ends 5/31/2014. Random drawing June 1, 2014. Winner announced on my blog--Good luck!!

OPA Master Jeff Legg Still Life Demo

"Botanic Bulb" 8x8 oil on gallery canvas--On Hold for November Show

Save the Date! Spirits Bright Show: Friday, November 30

I'm pleased to announce my next art show "Spirits Bright" which will open November 30 at the 910 Events Center Gallery in the Denver Art District on Santa Fe. I also plan to be in attendance for First Friday Art Night on December 7. Everyone is invited and I look forward to seeing you in person!

Jeff Legg: A Classic Approach to Still Life

As much as I love to stay in and paint or read a good art book by a cozy fire on gray, chilly days sometimes you just need to get out and see in person what other artists are up to. As I mentioned in a previous post, a couple of weeks ago on an overcast Saturday I had the pleasure of watching three master oil painters demo at Gallery 1261 in Denver: Jeff Legg (still life), Theresa Vito (portrait), and Quang Ho (clothed figure). I enjoyed each demo and will post my pics of all of these as I have some extra time. I was a bit under the weather with my injured foot--so I didn't take a ton of notes but I hope you'll enjoy the demo pics.

The audience at Gallery 1261 watches as Jeff Legg begins his demo

I'll start with Jeff Legg who a Master Signature Member of OPA, is often featured in magazines, and known his "old masters" approach to his subjects. I also saw on Jeff's website that he has a new teaching video a similar setup as well as workshop info for those of you interested in seeing more of his technique.

Legg uses a draped "black box" to help control his light condtions

Jeff Legg begins his tonal still life block in

Artist Jeff Legg started the day off by painting a “traditional” still life which you can see was set against a dark background lit with a single dramatic light source. He began as you can see with an umber toned board which makes sense with this strong light and shadow approach.  I’ve always admired how skilled still life painters are masters at capturing a variety of textures—the brass pot vs. a cantaloupe for example.You can see Mr. Legg's beautiful finished still life here.

Jeff Legg still life setup--detail of melon slice an vase

Legg adding more color and thicker paint to his subjects

For this demo, Legg used quicker drying alkyd oil paints

Legg demo "final" after about 2 hours

For more tips about setting up a successful still life, check out this helpful post by artist Lori McNee.