Challenge Day 1: A Certain Blue

"Blue River Bird" 8x10 oil@ The All Colorado Show from 9/27 to 10/31--SOLD

A certain blue enters your soul. Matisse

Day 1: Limited Palette with Dominant Primary Color

Happy September everyone! And so it begins. After some debate, I’ve chosen “COLOR” (you saw that coming didn’t you?) as my 30 in 30 theme. Obviously COLOR is an enormous, almost overwhelming, subject so I’ve decided to narrow my focus each day to a specific color plan, strategy or approach. 

Today my goal was: Color harmony as well as dominance (in this case a rich sapphire blue).  This confident little sparrow caught my eye on an early AM stroll in Breckenridge, Colorado. He was hanging out on the sunny boulders near the beautiful Blue River.

This 8x10 oil study is just three pigments and white: Ultramarine blue (warm blue), alizarin crimson (cool red), and hansa yellow light (cool-ish yellow).  My white is mostly Permalba (titanium+zinc).  That’s it. Three primaries and white. I almost always find this to be a successful color approach to little paintings.

If you’re participating in the “30 in 30” thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic month of painting. My thanks to Leslie Saeta for creating this exciting community (are there really over 700?) of daily painters. I know this will be busy but motivating and inspirational month for all us!

Day 2: Another limited three color palette. Different pigments and warmer… Stay tuned.

10 Best Painting Tips I Learned in 2012

"Winter Pause" 8x10 oil on canvas (currently at 910 Events Gallery)

Happy Holidays! With 2013 just two weeks away I wanted to share some painting tips and  suggestion that really hit home this past year.  I was lucky to kick off the last year early in January with a colorful and inspirational Dreama Tolle Perry oil painting workshop in Florida.  (I can’t wait to return to sunny Marco Island in a few weeks for another one.)

1.  If you enjoy painting from photos (or your subject matter requires it), always have a decent camera handy and take tons reference photos. If I visit a place like the Botanic Gardens or the Zoo I take 300+ shots. Also, take photos in a variety of weather conditions. You just don’t know what will make a great painting. On a rainy day, take a few minutes to organize your photos by subject, place, etc.
2.    If you have an older digital camera like I did consider upgrading. I can’t imagine not having a digital 20X zoom. First these "bridge" cameras have really come down in price. Places like Best Buy and QVC have them all the time for well under $300. One of the best "art" investments I made this year and I can't wait to travel with it.
3.    Prior to 2012 I usually printed out my reference photos, but now I paint mostly off my iPad--and I'm finding many artists work off monitors and laptops as well. Consider what you spend on printer ink each year. You may find that a tablet will save you money within the first year. 
4.    If you’re an oil painter who likes to work alla prima (or wet in wet) try using transparent oils pigments to quickly block in your major shapes. This takes a little practice but floral painters like Hedi Moran and Dreama Perry swear by this method.
5.    Interesting shapes are one of the key building blocks of a strong painting. How do you improve your shapes? Take a look at your most recent painting. Are your shapes  complete, specific, and unique?  This is one I find you have to work harder at than you think you would.
6.    A helpful way to start your painting is to establish the BIG shape and value relationships first. You want to nail down these proportions carefully before proceeding to the medium and smaller detailed shapes—as tempting as those can be.  Especially when you’re working on larger canvas.
7.    Like many painters, I’ve been a casual art history buff since I was a child. I may be dating myself but anyone remember Masterpiece--The Art Auction Game? It was the first time I saw a Pollock and I was fascinated. If there’s a painter you admire, take the time to really study them. Maybe read a bio about them. You'll likely learn something about them that you can apply to your own art. 
8.    Do some art related activity out of your comfort zone. Only you can define that. Work larger, faster, smaller, brighter, looser, tighter? And don't be too hard on yourself when you are in "experimental" mode.
9.    What about those times you just can’t paint? It’s OK to take creative breaks once in a while. Build your inspiration file—browse through magazines (they don’t need to be specifically art related), check out sites like Pinterest,  Google your favorite subject+ media. For example: Peacock watercolor.
10.    That being said there’s no substitute for easel time and brush mileage. I love thinking about painting but there’s nothing like doing it.  So sometimes it is better to push through tough days and grab a brush. It’s better to paint something and learn to enjoy your lifelong journey.  

Red Bird Wednesday

It's a beautiful sunny spring day in Denver so a wintery cardinal study might be a bit of an odd choice for a painting today. But I really wanted to paint something bright red and I had the studio doors open to the backyard and could hear the vociferous songbirds (cardinals have about 12 songs, I read). 

And while owls (obviously!) are my personal favorite bird, my grandmother always loved cardinals and red, as I do, so that was additional inspiration for this little 8x10 cardinal oil painting study.  Did you know seven states have cardinals as the state bird? And this is a male of course because of the showy plumage.

I also knew it would be fun to play with the green complement as well as the red hue temperatures--balancing the warm and cool reds in this case. This study was painted with a limited oil palette of: Titanium White, Ultra Blue, Cerulean Blue (which I don't often use but thought I would use for my cool blue today since Thalo is sooo strong), Cad Red Light, Permanent Rose, and some Cad Yellow Medium.

To soften the edges I used a flat sable brush (rather than a stiffer oil bristle brush) which I don't always use either because I tend to loose some of my edges, but it's the perfect tool for for feathers and fur.

For more information about my classes and NEW Colorful Connections workshop please click on the Classes link on the top right. Have a wonderfully creative day!