Journey to 100 Paintings

Painting 65 redo

2011-11-14T21:34:00.001-06:00

I usually don't revisit a painting, but a big glob of white paint was thrown on this one and I had to repair the damage. In doing so, I began reassessing all of it. I touched up here, and there and didn't stop until fresh paint covered the entire canvas. The most notable addition is the clouds, but beyond that, I was more playful with the paint and less concerning about blending and consistency of color. I punched up the lights and darkened the darks. It's done this time. I swear!

Painting 65

2011-06-27T13:42:00.000-06:00

When I began this painting, I wanted to do a blocky, abstracted cityscape that was loose and carefree. I can still picture it in my head. Yet I couldn't put down the small brushes and what I ended up with is something entirely different. It's frustrating to not be capable of pulling off one's own vision. The biggest challenge for me was to capture color in the shadows of the buildings. I wanted a colorful scene, but to read correctly, the sides in shadow had to be darker. I would start to get mud if I wasn't careful. I see paintings all the time that use color in shadows that read perfectly, without loosing the fact they are shadows. That is one of my goals. Good shadows. The more you study shadows, the more you realize they can be very complex. and can add unexpected vibrancy to a painting when done correctly. Also, I would have loved a more dramatic sky. Some billowy clouds to offset the busyness of the buildings. I'm not experienced in cloud painting, and after working so tirelessly on the buildings, I just didn't have it in me because it's a large one, 40x30. When I look at the painting, I'm dissatisfied because it didn't meet my expectations. It's funny how the brush and the left brain can take over. I'll get that abstracted look one day. Thanks for looking.

Painting 64

2011-05-17T08:52:00.000-06:00

I have a slew of wonderful photos from various vacations and decided since I've been in an uninspired mood, I'd make use of some for my painting. I'm not sure what drew me to this scene, but this is from a week spent in Santiago, during a walk in an old part of the city. I think it was the strong vertical lines and the blocks of color. It also had some nice play of light on the trees. I like this painting, but I don't feel it was that successful and I think it has to do with a lack of focal point. The eye doesn't have a place to rest. It wants to rest on the figure, but I don't think it's painted in a way that holds the eye's attention. As I study it, I think I should have put her in a color that stands out from the surrounding, like a red. Also, I could have hit her with some light. Perhaps moving her in to the light. My nature is to paint what is there, and I'm tentative when it comes to adding something that isn't in a photograph. Not sure why, but at this stage, I'm comfortable with only the known. As my confidence grows, I hope I can take bigger risk. I was happy with the leaves of the trees though. They look leafy and not solid like my trees from earlier paintings.

Painting 63

2011-05-14T23:41:00.000-06:00

Still in the uninspired stage, so why not throw some paint on the canvas. Decided to do an abstracted city/landscape. Looks part skyline, part fall trees, but it all came from my minds eye. I'd rather rely on a reference when I do my art, but sometimes it's best to stretch a little. Played with the palette knife somewhat on this and it's an addictive tool. My follow studio mate, Linda, loves to paint with palette knives. I don't think she owns a brush, but it doesn't seem to hinder her because she does amazing art. One of the basic rules I learned was not to cut your canvas in half, and that is exactly what I did. Not literally, but you can see the "horizon line" is right smack dab in the middle. Abstracts are interesting because they can be just about anything, but it does help when you follow basic rules of painting. Abstracts are not as easy as they look. Oh, I could do that!, is what you hear so often in a museum or galleries. Well, my advice to those who say that is to try it and maybe then they'll have a better appreciation the abstract. A good abstract is planned and considered, just like any other type of painting. Still a little scared of the paint at this point though. Not brave enough to really goop the paint on the canvas, even though an abstract is perfect for a heavier application. The texture of the paint can add a nice element. I did sell this one and was pleased that my boss was the one who purchased it. She saw it in my trunk. So that's a trunk show. I had no idea. She's a good boss to support me that way. She see trees, by the way.

Painting 62

2011-05-14T23:10:00.000-06:00

My sweet tooth has been satisfied and painting candy no longer fulfills my cravings. Not sure what to tackle next, so I thought I'd just do an Alla Prima paintings and quickly knock something out. Since I found myself ill-prepared for a night in front of the easel with nothing to paint, I rummaged through the studio and came across a pickle jar. Why not? I supposed something sour is a logical choice. Painting glass is a good challenge and the lettering from all the candy paintings will come in handy for this exercise. I had been painting in layers for awhile, allowing each layer to dry before the next round of painting. That works well for me since I paint so sporadically. Since I wanted to finish this in one night, I had to contend with painting wet on wet which has always presented issues for me, like trying to get crisp, clean edges on my letters. Not going to happen. However, I like the loose feel of the brush work and if I let go, I even like the roughness of the lettering. The composition is a bit uninspired and the drawing could be improved, but overall, for a quick painting, I was pleased.

Painting 61

2011-05-02T10:19:00.000-06:00

This will be my last candy painting for awhile. Ok, it's technically gum. I was asked to donate a painting for a fundraiser and if I did so, I was allowed to hang another painting to sell for myself. I didn't want to donate the Dots or Good 'n Plenty, but I did want to see if I could sell one of them. I decided to paint another painting to donate to accompany the others and this is the result. My second attempt at bubble gum. The painting sold, so it did the job to raise money and that's wonderful. If you read my posts, you know I like to critique my work, but I hate to do that to a work that sold. If I purchased a painting and then came across a posting of the artist trashing the work, I'd be very unhappy about it, so I'm not going to chance that happening. But I will point out that during the "candy period" my attention to rendering even and consistent coverage of paint really stands out. It was definitely intentional because I was going for realism with a pop art feel. I love realism in painting, especially with non-traditional still life. The marriage of traditional technique and modern subject matter and composition is very exciting to me. I also love a loosely rendered painting where you can see the paint mixed on the canvas and the brush strokes are evident. Not sure what I like more, so I’ll just continue to explore until my own style emerges. Perhaps at painting 100.

Painting 60

2011-04-28T23:15:00.001-06:00

Still on the Candy kick. This painting came together very quickly for me. I really enjoyed painting the folds of the paper and getting the colors right. The white on the paper is cool with a tinge of gray and the stick is warm. I also added a hint of the background color into the wrapper for a reflective quality. Paying attention to those tiny details is one of the reason I find painting fun. Painting teaches you to look at things in a new way. Our brains love to fill in the blanks and make decisions for our eyes. Training yourself to actually see what is there and not what you expect to be is a difficult journey, especially with warm and cool colors. Color is a beast to master, so I take pride when I purposely use color principles in a painting as I did with the whites. The background puzzled me greatly. I wanted a colorful, fun contrast in keeping with the other candy paintings, and I painted the background a few different shades before I settled on this orange. I don't care for it. I think it detracts attention away from the subject. The shadow is also an issue. It's too dark and solid and also detracts from the subject as well. My grasp of color theory obviously didn't hold up through the entire painting process, but I never liked Tootsie Pops anyway.

Painting 59

2011-04-23T23:36:00.001-06:00

Kay Wyne gave me a roll of lifesavers at the studio. Kay is a former member of Studio Art and Soul and recently found representation with a gallery in Sante Fe. Being in a gallery on Canyon Road in Sante Fe is like winning the lottery for an artist and everyone at the studio was so proud of her and what she has accomplished. I am fortunate to be surrounded by wonderful talent and it really makes me a better artist because of it. The Lifesavers were a great gift since my last 2 paintings were candy. Lifesavers definitely remind me of my childhood and specifically, my childhood during the holidays. Does anyone remember those Lifesaver books they had during Christmas? It wasn't Christmas until you had your selection of Lifesavers in a book shaped box! I loved painting this and I am very pleased with the results, especially with the candy. It's shiny and sticky and I think I captured them perfectly. The foil of the candy roll was a fun challenge and I am pleased with the overall results. I was even more pleased when someone purchased the painting at our Studio's open house. I paint for myself, but I can't help but feel validated when strangers see fit to spend money on what I create. It's very satisfying and definitely motivates me.

Painting 58

2011-04-15T21:28:00.000-06:00

The journey through the candy aisle continues with this not so delicious treat. Licorice is definitely an acquired taste and not something I was fond of as a child. Never remembered eating a Good & Plenty, but they still are iconic for me. I had a few while I was painting this, and they weren't that bad. Licorice seems like an old person's candy and now that I'm getting older, I'm starting to like it as well. I guess it must be true. The background color was a struggle for me. I didn't know what color to paint it and I'm still not sure about it. Kind of makes me dizzy. If you've by chance found this painting during a search on Google, there's a good chance you're a big Good & Plenty fan. If so, this painting is for sale!

Painting 57

2011-04-14T22:53:00.000-06:00

I love things that trigger those memories of my childhood, and candy was my passion early on. I was a picky eater and very slight of weight, so my mother resorted to feeding me what I demanded and sugar is what I wanted. Honey Buns and coke for breakfast was common. It's a wonder I have any teeth left. Dots are not my favorite, but they are iconic. I have memories of eating them at the movies mostly. To me Dots are movie candy and not something we ever had at home. I'd gobble them down at the start of the movie and then spend the rest of the time picking the goo out of my teeth. My childhood was sweet in so many ways and putting those memories on canvas makes me smile. I enjoyed painting on a large canvas (30x40) and it is almost a billboard sized ad for Dots. Perhaps it's too much of an advertisement than a fine art painting, but I suppose that's the graphic designer part of me shining through. If I had added a bloody tooth or a g-string in the still life, it would have been provocative and museum worthy, but as is, it's just cotton candy fluff. And with my sweet tooth, that's just fine by me.

Painting 56

2010-05-18T11:30:00.001-06:00

This is my cousin's little girl Claire. I painted this from a photo I took during a family reunion trip to the coast. My second portrait that I have attempted and I am pleased with the results. After a long string of so so paintings, it's nice to step back and appreciate one every once in awhile. There wouldn't be the motivation to paint if I didn't find the good and be able to celebrate the successes of what I do as a hobby. So in that spirit, I applaud my effort and refrain from saying anything negative about this portrait. Claire is in possession of her painting and I hope she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed painting her.

Painting 55

2010-05-17T09:19:00.000-06:00

This painting is odd, yes. It was done for an online painting challenge. Karen Jurick, a really great artist, has a blog called Different Strokes from Different Folks where she hosts a painting challenge. She posts a photo for anyone to paint and then she posts the submissions. It's a lot of fun to see all the different styles and interpretations of the same subject matter, in this case wigs. Here's the link to see the different wig paintings.

http://differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/2009/02/week-23-24-challenge-wigs.html

For a subject matter, this isn't what I would have preferred to spend my time painting, but I was anxious to participate in the challenge. I prefer the wig heads in the background over the featured wigs. The two on the left are my least favorite basically because I didn't do a very good job on the faces. I slipped out of my comfort zone on the colors and tried to be a little crazy instead of painting what was there. In the end, I do think the exaggerated colors work better, especially when you look at all the different paintings on Karen's blog. I don't care much for the orange in my painting. It's one of my favorite colors, but can be a challenge. Karen's use of color with the red is, in my opinion, the most successful of the bunch. My painting is destined for a second hand-store where it'll sit collecting dust, waiting for a buyer to come along and pay the $2.00 price to take it home.

Thanks for visiting!

Painting 54

2010-05-16T12:08:00.000-06:00

Another small study and my last for awhile. Glass is a scary subject matter for me, but it's not going to get any easier unless I actual attempt to paint it. A glass of wine is usually not hard to find at the studio, so it was an easy still life to set up. Only problem was I kept moving it every few minutes. The drawing is off, but for my first attempt at cut class, it wasn't too bad, especially since it was done in a short session. Now with all these quick studies out of the way, I'm ready to get started on a larger painting.

Painting 53

2010-05-15T11:30:00.003-06:00

After the workshop, I returned to the studio and continued to concentrate on the small paintings. I wanted to do one that I could spend more time on and not do it in just one sitting. So as you can see, the blending is back. The quality that I liked so much with the lemon is gone. I didn't see how I could capture all the details of the plate and tablecloth design and be loose at the same time. I like the tomatoes and the plate, but I think the pattern of the tablecloth competes with the focal point. I also don't like the vantage point. Looking directly down on the subject matter seems a little unconventional to me, or maybe I'm just over-thinking it. Overall, there are things I like about this painting, but there's something that just doesn't feel right. Did I get more value by spending more time on it? Not sure that I did.

Painting 52

2010-05-14T11:30:00.001-06:00

My last painting of the workshop. Fake strawberries! Regressed somewhat on this attempt, probably because I was tired and over it. The bowl was a challenge because the sides flared out toward the top and I struggled with the perspective. It doesn't help the painting that I cut off the bowl right at the corner, which draws to much attention to that area. I do like how I painted the strawberries, but the background is too vibrant for me. Overall, it was a great workshop and I found Carol Marine to be an excellent instructor and a great deal of fun. Just spending a big chunk of time painting and being around other great artist was very fulfilling and quite inspirational. Fortunately, I have a studio to go to where I can always be surrounded by great inspiration.

Painting 51

2010-05-13T11:30:00.001-06:00

Carol presented a new challenge with our next painting and I found the exercise extremely valuable because it forced me to paint much more looser, and more deliberate than what I normally feel comfortable doing. She had us paint an object with a one-stroke technique. We could only make one stroke on the canvas after applying paint to the brush. We had to mix our color each time we applied paint and we were instructed not to work the paint on the canvas, but to just apply it and move on. It forced me to choose my colors and values very carefully and the result was a nicely rendered lemon. I love the way the lemon and background looks in the painting. This is what would have made the jalapeños a better painting instead of the flat red. The obvious brushwork and lack of blending creates more excitement to me. The composition isn't all that great with the lemon smack dab in the middle of the canvas, but it was fun to explore a technique outside my comfort zone. If you haven't painted this way before, I encourage you to try it.

Painting 50

2010-05-12T12:15:00.000-06:00

My first painting on day two of the Carol Marine workshop. I choose grapes as my subject matter because I admired the way Carol handles grapes in her painting and I wanted to paint some myself with her help. I purposely chose a limited palette for harmony, probably as a result of my last attempt with the peppers and the jarring red background. I like the composition and the rendering of the subject matter. I thought the grapes turned out well. I think another object, such as a utensil of some sort, would have been a nice addition, but for a quick study, I was pleased with the results.

One momentous thing to note about this painting is the number. My halfway point! I wish it had been something painted over a few days, and not just under an hour since it's the midpoint of my goal. So in my mind it's not as significant a marker as it could have been. But even though my 50th painting was an exercise in a workshop it still feels great to get this far. In the beginning this painting would have taken me days to get this result, so if nothing else, I'm faster with the brush!

Painting 49

2010-05-11T12:30:00.002-06:00

This one is making me happier. I painted this in the evening after the first class and perhaps the wine helped loosen me up. Overall, I was way more pleased with this effort than with my previous attempts. I like the peppers although I struggled with the highlight. The white must go on thick so the paint underneath doesn't blend and I just couldn't seem to get a good white. Carol warned us about making our highlights too big. Mine just don't seem to pop that well. That red background is vibrant and solid and somewhat overpowers the painting but it plays well against the green. Nice to end the day on a good note add confidence for day 2 of the workshop.

Painting 48

2010-05-10T12:30:00.001-06:00

My second attempt during the workshop and with some improvement. I like the rendering of the vase for the most part, although it is a strange grouping and the background color is ugly. Perhaps if the background was in the orange family I would have achieved more harmony. I like the looser brushwork and seeing the brushstrokes. The small improvement is encouraging even if it wasn't any more successful than the other quick studies. But I definitely started to relax and I believe it helped overall.

Painting 47

2010-05-09T12:30:00.000-06:00

This painting is my first still life during the Carol Marine workshop. There's a lot off pressure painting in a group setting where you feel everyone is watching your work, judging it. There's definitely a tightness that came through the brush on this one. Another painting that I don't have much good to say. A very fun group during my workshop and Carol was very informative and entertaining. I admire her work, her confidence and success at marketing herself. She created a nice niche for herself that has worked very well for her. I hope to find my niche.

Painting 46

2010-05-08T12:29:00.003-06:00

Tuesdays are my official painting days. I love having a studio, but the call of TV, naps and drinking seems to pull me away on most days, however, I usually manage getting to the studio on Tuesday evening. Sometimes my body is there, but my creative spirit is nowhere to be found. I was in a mood to do anything else but paint and I had nothing on the night I created this painting. I just grabbed the first thing I found while on my way to the studio and it became my subject matter. Another monochromatic painting done in an hour or so. Another reason to hate painting. Wet on wet painting is difficult because I spend a lot of time spreading paint around. Crisp lines are impossible. Getting good dark values are difficult once you have paint down on the canvas. These quick paintings are valuable but tricky. I thought I was unhappy with the apples, but now they don't seem so bad in comparison. I hope that once I reach my goal of 100 paintings that I don't feel as frustrated as I seem to feel on a constant basis. I'm almost half way through my goal, but where is the progress?

Painting 45

2010-05-07T10:22:00.002-06:00

Back to Posting after a long absence. I've set a new process up for my postings so you should see more on a regular basis. Another still life painted quickly. Apples on this attempt. The painting is monochromatic which was intentional, but I'm not sure it was the best move. I was copying Carol's composition and subject matter, but she's so much more successful at it. I don't really care for what I did. The apples or something doesn't read correctly. I'm not sure if the apples are too flat or what. Maybe the apples are too close in size so it lacks depth. I like the apple to the left with the dark near the stem, but the apple in the foreground is missing that element and appears too one- dimensional. The apple in the back appears more stuck to the apple instead of sitting behind. The shadow on the front apple looks off as well. With such a harsh shadow you'd think there would be more highlight. Let's see if this gets any better when Carol steps in.

Painting 44

2010-01-04T22:03:00.000-06:00

Lemons are another favorite of mine and a good subject for another quick painting. Again it's 6x6. I like the square canvases and these have a deep 2 inch edge which makes them pop out nicely on the wall. Again, I played with being loose with the brushwork and I like the feel. I love the slice of lemon. It doesn't show as well on the photo, but there is a glimmer of light shining through the slice. However, if you look at the lemon that is cut, you may notice I made the slice too small. Also, I'm getting a little too repetitive with the perspective and I should explore different angles, but since I painted this from a still life, I'm limited to my table height. I should shake things up and try a straight-on view for a change. I question my choice of the bright blue shadow—not sure how that would have been created in nature. The red hue on the bottom of the lemon in the background is also a bit too bright. The shadows should have been warmer since they would be reflecting the lemons’ color, right? Yeah, I don't like this one. Just too many things about this one that bother me.

Painting 43

2010-01-03T12:33:00.000-06:00

A small 6"x6" study I did in one sitting. Still trying to master painting in one day. I did cheat and worked on it another day, mainly to add a bit more drama to the background. I tried using more deliberate brush strokes instead of blending and I like some of the results. It doesn't show up as well on the background, looks more smooth and blended. I like the reflection of the table on the pear and the composition works for me. I still feel that some of the values in the pear could be a bit darker as it was with the bell peppers. Overall, for a fast painting I was pleased. Once again I donated this painting to a fundraiser and a fellow artist I know purchased it. He was the only bid so I think he felt sorry for me. He's nice that way.

I still have a block against picking up a brush. I can't even think of going to the studio.

Painting 42

2009-12-22T09:26:00.000-06:00

Still a vegetable theme. Trying to paint from life. Seems like a pale pepper, but I'm guessing I didn't get the colors quite right. Overall an ugly little painting.

Not feeling very artistic lately. Perhaps after the holidays I'll become inspired. I'll paint tonight and perhaps it'll get my juices flowing, but forget about seeing bell peppers again.

Painting 41

2009-10-16T22:24:00.000-06:00

I think I write too much on my blog. Sometimes there's not much to say about a painting, but then I stretch it out and I end up with paragraphs of text when the focus of the blog is merely to show my painting progress. From 1 to 100 and what happens in between. I really don't like to write and I'm not remotely good at it, but I do like to reflect on my paintings. Since I'm months, if not a year behind in my blog, the paintings I show now are old to me, and the amount of time in between allows me to see things differently. The gift of time allows me to be a bit more detached and therefore I can be critical and see more than if I were writing about something that was just completed. So I continue on, already more wordy than I intended. Philosophizing and psycho-babbling, throw in an art critic and that sums up my blog.

So let’s talk about the tomatoes, another Alla Prima, finished in one sitting. They were purchased from the convenient Farmer's market, or they were found in the refrigerator, I don't recall. Trite composition, still a little too flat with the shadow too vibrant a hue, I believe there's glare on the photo which is causing some of my concern with the tones, but Carol Marine said this in her work shop I attended after painting this, she said "beginning artist always make the highlights too big" or something to that affect. I certainly agree with her here. I like the visible brushwork and there's no mistaking them for tomatoes. That's the positive. I didn't like the background, so I did repaint it a turquoise-ish blue a few months later, but it didn't seem to help much. In the end, not something I would attach a buy now button to.

I don't paint that great a lot of times, just like I don't write that great. Perhaps you may think I'm too hard on myself, but I find comfort in being critical because I feel I've learned something when I spot the errors now. My wish is to be able to see even more things wrong when I view this again. So being critical makes me happy because I am present to the fact that I’m learning and I growing which is, to quote Martha Stewart, a very good thing. Unfortunately for the 2 people who follow this blog, writing is also a part of that process.

Painting 40

2009-10-14T22:43:00.000-06:00

Daily paintings—great concept, people make good money, great warm up, and you learn quickly. So why not paint everyday? I'm sure many artists ask themselves that same question. I would say it's because I have a full-time job, but then there's Qiang Huang who is a master at it and he works as an engineer and he doesn’t let that stop him. I admire him greatly. Another Daily Painter is Carol Marine. She doesn't have to work another job and she has a studio at her home, so she has it made. Both artists live in Austin, my birthplace, and I think that's just cool. When I discovered Carol on the Internet, I was so excited to share her with my studio mates, who were only too quick to remind me that they had been talking about her for years—so much for listening while painting. We discussed hosting a workshop for her, but we were going to have to wait a year to do so and then a workshop in Salado Texas came open and we all signed up. No excuses now, daily paintings are in my future.

I purchased some melamine cups on Ebay because my grandparent used these at their lake house when I was a tot and I'm a nostalgic guy. I fondly remember being with my grandparent, especially my grandmother who was so sweet, even if she said I was messy behind my back. I was, and still am. The dishes were just a way to hang onto those memories a little longer. Anyway, cups, impending workshop, daily painting. That's how this little 5x7 painting came to be. Painted it from life, and the results were okay, as my quick paintings usually have been, but good practice. (I always say that when a painting doesn’t turn out well. It was good practice!) I never have liked the background color and another issue is the rendering of the inside of the top cup. I just didn't achieve a good result with getting the nice round interior, but it’s never been worth my time to make corrections. I guess because it would no longer be a daily painting. The point is to learn to get it right the first time.

So begins the daily painting for a while; although, for me, it painting Alla Prima. I’ll never do them daily, but they are finished in one sitting, and I can live up to that expectation. I'll let these other artist pick up my slack.

Painting 39

2009-10-12T20:45:00.001-06:00

Not sure why I stopped blogging because I was doing good for awhile. Must keep going! This painting was another painting I donated to a cause. Why do I keep donating paintings? The setting in Roaton, Honduras, circa 1990 or somewhere around that time. I was visiting my friend in the Peace Corp and we took a little getaway to the most beautiful island. That trip inspired Painting 20, and it inspired this painting as well. This little church along the beach was so charming and quaint, much like the entire island. The place was just paradise at that time and it was a lazy wonderful few days that have remained clear in my mind as though I just returned a few days ago. As I look at this painting, I'm pleased overall. I had a lesson from Donna in shadows, with cast shadow, and the difference with things in shadows, and warms and cools and I can't even begin to explain it. I tried my best with what I learned, but it's difficult when you paint from an old photo and not real life. Those subtle color differences just aren't apparent. The color differences in the shadows do add nice dimension and interest, and as I look at the palm trees, I wish I had added some variety to those as well. Perhaps the ones in the background should have been lighter and less vibrant. It's too much the same across the horizon and doesn't offer much for the perspective and depth. I would love to step inside the painting and enter that church and say a little prayer and maybe meditate as I gaze across the water. Then stumbling a few feet to the bar and down a few Margaritas. Ahhh! I wish every day was a day in paradise!

Painting 38

2009-09-11T17:44:00.001-06:00

I love the Hibiscus flower and the one I had for years died one winter when I was too lazy to drag it into the house. Served it right for getting so big. I hated losing that plant, but I have another one growing and the blossoms are yellow, which I like better than the red. This particular flower was growing in Port Aransas in a park at the marina. I was vacationing in a travel trailer with mom and dad. It was cozy, but we had a great time as we always do. The bush was huge and full of blooms and the sky was a wonderful shade of blue. It was a hot, bright day and these flowers were spectacular. The painting was done for a fundraiser, so I gave it away. I promised I'd give something and I had to paint it fast. I went to the fundraiser and was surprised and dismayed to see it hanging sideways. It just seemed obvious how it should be hung, but I guess it's my fault since I didn't place a hanger on it nor did I sign it. I don't have any clue as to how much it sold for and I doubt I want to know. They tend to practically give these things away at these silent auctions, so it's best not to ask. It's for a good cause, so I have to check my ego at the door. This was a gesso board, not a canvas and once again I loved the feel of the brush on the surface. It had a nice deep wooden edge to it, so no need for framing. Notice that it's another close-up detail of the subject matter. Seems that's my running theme, at least until the next painting. I wonder who purchased this and what they did with it. I hope it wasn't kindling!

Painting 37

2009-09-06T18:08:00.005-06:00

Another Painting from my trip to Merida. Markets in Mexico are always fun and full of interesting sights and smells. You can't think of Mexico without thinking about spicy foods, and the market is where it all happens.

I liked the repetitive nature of the painting and, of course, the lettering. This time the signs were handwritten, so I didn't have to be very exact. The palette is somewhat limited which I like about this painting and the colors somewhat muted. Perhaps the peppers could have spots of brigher colors. I tried to be loose with the colors and not be so exact. The painting is 16" x 20" so it's not very big. I think this type of painting would look better on a larger scale, or maybe that's just me liking large paintings. Or tiny, that works for me too. 16" x 20" is so standard, even 18" x 20" is better to me. I rarely go for the standard size anymore. Squares are great and seem modern.

I enjoyed Merida immensely for it's traditional architecture and the laid back atmosphere of the town. I have a ton of photos for paintings. With this trip and my trip to Alaska, I could paint for years without running out of subject matter. I keep thinking about this one old car I photographed. One day you may see it. Maybe my 100th painting. I bet I hit my 100th on my 50th year. That would be interesting, but since I'm 46, I hope it doesn't take that long.

I have a new rating feature, so feel free to rate this or any of the others. As an Art Director, I'm used to people dogging my work, but the harshest you can grade me is undecided. I suppose if that's not severe enough for your taste, you can always rip it apart in a comment.

Painting 36

2009-09-03T20:38:00.001-06:00

Nun of Your Business. That's what I named the painting, and it actually helped sell it which is a good little marketing lesson. These nuns were a sight to behold. I was in Merida, Mexico searching for photo opportunities and these nuns appeared on the street. My traveling companion, Bob, and I were drawn to them and couldn't help but follow, trying to get a good photo. Not sure if the were late, or just trying to loose us, but these little women were fast! We were running to catch up with them, and it was well worth the effort. I never saw any faces, but the traditional attire next to the rustic Mexican architecture was too great not to capture on canvas. Bob ended up with the photo I used as my reference. He's much better at the camera than I am, so even though I had my own photos of the nuns, his was the one I needed to paint. I enjoyed painting the white of the outfits and the rustic areas on the wall and door, attempting to capture the wonderful textures and the flow of the fabric. I'm very pleased with the painting, I would love to see it in a rustic ornate frame, but I donated the painting to The Children's Advocacy Center of Dallas for their annual fundraiser. I'm not sure what it sold for, but I was informed that a well-known society columnist purchased it, and my studio mates were so thrilled for me. I'd never heard of the guy, but I wrote to thank him for taking an interest and he let me know that while he doesn't normally collect traditional type paintings, he and his wife were drawn to the subject matter for personal reasons and his wife decided they needed it when she read the title and laughed out loud. I hated giving away the painting because you never know if these charities are just going to slash the prices just to get rid of it, treating the art like it's a tag sale item in the suburbs. However, when I heard from the buyer and his story, I was pleased that I had touched them with my work, and it was for a good cause. Since he said his house is full of contemporary art, I seriously doubt my painting is hung in their home, but I hope they at least gave it a proper home somewhere. BTW, this is my sister's favorite painting! The only one she's wanted of mine. I guess the one I painted for her (painting 22) isn't that swell, but that's all she's getting from me now, thank you very much! I'm going to start charging her like I did my mother. No more freebies for you! Artist are so sensitive!!!

Painting 35

2009-09-02T23:27:00.002-06:00

This is a small painting I did on board. I love the surface—the feel of the paint on the smooth board. Love the graphic element, the nostalgia of bubble gum. Who doesn't remember cramming a ton of gum in your mouth and attempting to blow the biggest bubble, or a bubble inside a bubble. I loved to pop the gum—quite irritating, but fun nonetheless.

Do people use misspelled words when naming things anymore? I'll have to start looking for it. Perhaps it could be a whole series of paintings.

This is another example of examining things up close. Looking at the world through a magnifying glass. My second attempt at lettering for anyone that cares. Never liked the blue end wrapper too much, but I do like the loose play of color, especially in the yellow area. The painting sold and I was very thrilled because it was the first time someone other than a family member, or studio mate purchased my painting. I'm excluding the paintings I donated to charity because I didn't get the cash.

Painting 34

2009-09-01T10:24:00.001-06:00

Flowers, fun to paint and a little more forgiving. You add an extra side to a building, or extra finger to a hand (sorry Mark) and people notice, but with flowers, you can be a little loose and if you add another petal or 2, who's going to notice, unless maybe its a Marijuana plant or something. I enjoyed painting the Zennia and during a trip to the hill country to visit Gail's amazing lake house, we were lucky to find the cacti in bloom. We jumped from the car and ran from bloom to bloom for about 30 minutes snapping photos. There were orange flowers and yellow ones. I was drawn to this particular image because of the composition. I learned from the water lilies the importance of getting a good composition and I felt this was one of the best. I edited the details a bit to place the focus on the blooms. I thought it worked well. I think I'm starting to see the values better and did get some good play on the darks and lights. I think my blooms are a little over saturated in some areas and I need to plan my use of color intensity better in order to get a good balance and focal point. Perhaps some lost edges and less harsh lines would also help soften the feel of the flowers, especially with the blossom in the background.

I had the nerve to sell the painting to my mother. It's nice that my family wants my work on occassion, and I feel a tad bit guilty for selling it to my own mother, but she'll give me money for no reason because she's just that way, so why not take the money and give her something in return.

Painting 33

2009-08-31T21:05:00.000-06:00

Back to the large paintings. Love painting close-ups of subject matter on large canvases. My subject matter was taken from a photo I took during my travels in Asia. This is a detail from a relief carved into a door at a Temple in Laos. The carving was beautiful, and I love the imagery of the Buddha. Buddha represent serenity and reminds me to live for the moment, and to not fret over those things from the past that I cannot change, nor worry about the things to come that may or may not be. There are a few issues with the rendering, but overall I'm very happy with the painting, probably because it connects with me emotionally and because it reminds me of the wonderful adventure I had in Asia years ago. I did try to sell this painting, but I priced it to where it was worthwhile to sell, and that price was too high for anyone to be serious about buying. I'm broke the rule of getting too attached to one's work. I'll try to sell it again and I may or may not lower my price, but for right now it's in my bedroom, and surprisingly enough, not hanging in my closet!

Painting 32

2009-08-26T22:00:00.002-06:00

A little abstract series I messed around with for a long period. Did the block shapes while at the Creative Arts Center and then added the circles later on. It's decorative painting and I know it's popular, but just not something I get a lot of satisfaction from doing. I like them and I've had friends actually want them. I wanted them too. I'm just like all those other suckers that want the abstracts to complement my interiors, match the colors, etc. When it comes to actually paintings something, abstracts are not that interesting for me, but I constantly see abstracts that I would be proud to hang in my home. I do plan to dabble in abstracts a bit more, just to get a better feel for them and maybe generate some extra cash that my other paintings don't seem to do.

Painting 31

2009-08-24T20:49:00.000-06:00

One of my last paintings at the Creative Arts Center of Dallas. We pooled our resources and a group of dedicated artist found a wonderful space in The Cedars to call our home. No more painting on someone else's schedule. Very exciting to have a studio and more exciting to have a group of artist to hang with and be inspired by. But I digress. This is from a very bad photo I took in Chicago outside our hotel. I wanted to try my hand at an urban landscape and I also wanted to experiment in loosening my brush strokes and to push my color usage. There are things I like about this painting, such as the woman on the sidewalk in the white dress, but then there are things I hate, like the squatty woman on the street. Another instance where I couldn't bring myself to correct things that were wrong. There was a lot going on in the photo, and I didn't exactly give the painting a good focal point. The purple shadow on the building looks out of place and the red overall is a bit much. I didn't think I could do the cars, so I was surprised they even came out as well as they did. Well, a good reminder to make sure you have a good reference before you start or at least have a plan as to how you're going to fix it. Now, I would have removed the shadow on the building behind the white dress lady and let the sun flood that area and make that my focal point. Easier said than done though.

Painting 30

2009-08-23T22:21:00.009-06:00

I had to keep posting tonight to get to this one. A small milestone because I hit my 30th painting. I worked hard on this sucker. Borrowed the bowl, planned the set up. Photographed it, etc. I love pears as subject matter. Mark has painted some beautiful pears and it inspired me to try for myself. The old saying that you have to paint a few stinkers to get to a good one applies to this one, at least in my opinion! After a few crazy daily paintings, I took my time and made something that I am very proud to display. I painted on a new surface, a board instead of canvas and I loved the feel of it. The painting measure to around a 16 x 20 if I remember correctly, so it's fairly small. I sold this one to Cindy, a former studio mate. It's in New Orleans now and I'm so pleased she wanted it. I miss Cindy, she had such a great laugh, but I know she's happy in her new home.

Painting 29

2009-08-23T22:11:00.005-06:00

Total messing around. Just throwing paint on the canvas, not even using a reference. 12" x 16" painting. I used to struggle with what subject matter to paint. Now I have so many things I want to attempt, that I doubt I'll ever be able to tackle everything. I know it would be great to have a defining style and be known for a particular type of work, but it's so much fun to experiment. This was just one of those experiments.

Painting 28

2009-08-23T21:55:00.007-06:00

What can I say about this? Odd subject matter, but it's just another salt and pepper shaker, like the previous painting, just a tad more exotic. Another daily painting, working wet on wet, trying to get values, highlights and of course, the actual drawing of the object. I succeeded in drawing it correctly, but because of the subject matter, not sure if I'd ever be happy with it. One thing I would do differently is to tone down the background and would have made the upper dark and the lower area the lighter color and then pop out a nice shadow to ground the object. Attempting to paint a reflective surface was a good exercise and the daily paintings are valuable, and if I painted regularly, I think I would do them a bit more. However, for the sake of this blog, I'm glad I will not be filling it with quick paintings. That's not the point of all this. Size: 5 x 7

Painting 27

2009-08-23T21:39:00.005-06:00

After tackling a few large canvases that seem to go on forever, I decided to try my hand at a few small painting to finish in one sitting. No photo reference, just the real objects. Yikes! I started this a couple of years ago and I was just reading where Carol Marine started her daily painting around 3 years ago. I wonder where I'd be if I'd stuck with it like she did. This one was fun. First time for glass and the biggest faults with the painting are the drawing, especially with the lid of the salt being somewhat skewed. The painting is just a small 5 x 7. I think I handled the pepper nicely and the reflection of the table in the steel tops works well. I'm not really jazzed about the color of the background, but it was just an exercise. Never really expected to sell it or anything. Damn that Carol!

Painting 26

2009-02-26T23:57:00.005-06:00

This one's a sad painting for me because it's of my friend who's no longer here. It's been 2 years since his death, but I still have his number programmed into my cell phone. Sean was a very special friend, but fought many demons throughout his life and he was gone too early. I think of him often and miss the laughter we shared and the good times we spent hanging out together. The painting was from a photograph that appeared in his hometown newspaper right before he died and I knew immediately that I would paint it as a way to have him with me and to honor him. It was challenging to paint with the reflections of the wet sidewalks, the car in the background, the folds in his clothes and the dog. I wanted to get the painting right, but the most important part was his face. I had to see him in the painting for it to be successful and in the end I did. It took a long time to paint this and I felt a lot of pressure doing so, but I'm so glad because it makes me happy to see him in this setting with his treasured dog in a moment of peace and solitude. I hope he found his peace.

Painting 25

2009-02-23T21:25:00.006-06:00

A quarter away from my challenge! 75 more to go! My largest painting to date, 36" x 36". I like the idea of painting one object up close and flowers are perfect for this treatment. I took this photo outside my condo. My neighbor loves to plant flowers and i get to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. I love Zinnias and the color of this flower was so vibrant. The amount of canvas to cover was very intimidating and I thought I would be buying tubes of magenta by the dozen, but in the process I discovered paint can go a long way—much to my surprise and relief to my wallet. The zinnia took a long while to render, but I feel the results were worthwhile. I think a few more darks in the right place would have punched it up a bit, but other than that I was very happy with it. I donated the painting to a Lifewalk fundraiser and I did not attend the event, but it was sold at a silent auction for I believe $300.00. I don't often toot my own horn, but somebody got a good bargain if you ask me. It was for a good cause and it did sell. Anyway, I shouldn't complain because if it sold for thousands then I'd be kicking myself in the butt for giving it away! I think was the first time I was required to name a painting. Butterfly Dreams.

Painting 24

2009-02-21T16:27:00.006-06:00

Rustic Door, 22" x 28"
The subject matter is not my own, but from a photo I purchased from istockphoto.com. I thought it was a beautiful photo and I wanted to capture the rustic details and textures with paint. So I broke my vow of only painting from my own source materials. The lesson I learned while painting this scene is about distortion of photos. My instructor had discussed this on occasion, and I've noted the issue with photos since I've started looking for this. Angles, proportion, shadows and color can all be distorted. Once I had completed the painting, I noticed the strangeness of seeing so much of the under arch at the top of the door and then so much of the top of the steps at the bottom. It just didn't seem natural to me. To me, we shouldn't see so much of the top step, but that was probably a trick of the camera lens, a little bit of a fish eyed effect, and something I wasn't aware of to correct until it was too late. Drawing correctly is so important to painting and you really must pay attention to what needs to be corrected in a photo before you begin the painting. Lesson learned, but still often ignored! : ) Besides that issue, I loved the weathered walls and brick and the rustic door, all these very successfully executed in my opinion. A nice color scheme and composition. As I finished this painting, I don't know if I decided I wanted to "make it my own" or if I thought the subject matter was too boring, but after discussing this with my class mates. I decided to add an additional element. I wanted to do a pot of flowers on the steps, but some thought that covering too much of the wall would be a shame. So we talked and I debated and finally came up with a pair of boots. Boots! What is that style, I don't know. Looks like pirate boots. Why boots, I keep asking. Why not a cat, a basket, a dead bird? Anything but those stupid boots. So in my previous posting about straying from the photo for laughable results, this is it. In the end, it was a painting that just didn't connect with me because I was just recreating a nice photo that was not my own. I can't really begin to sell it as my own work, even with the addition of the foot gear. Door are good subject matter though, and my boots off to those artist who make door paintings work!

Painting 23

2009-02-19T23:24:00.002-06:00

I believe I reached a new level of understanding with this painting. I felt more in control and I've always have been pleased with the outcome, minus a few complaints. I forget to mention sizes with my post and I feel it is important information. This was a larger painting, perhaps 2 to 3 feet across. My mother gave me the canvas and I believe it was a linen canvas, which i have to say was not my most favorite surface to paint on. Especially for a painting with such fine details. A gessoed board would have been ideal. I continued my experimentation with using glazing techniques which were much more successful than the wine bottles. So in the darker areas of the green leaves, it's actually layers of reds and blues on top of the green, applied after the green had dried. It gives a richer, more complex color than just mixing the dark color on the pallette. I was less succesful with glazing the purple flower and I feel I could have used more brilliant coloring in the petals. My stlye of painting has moved away recently from this type of tight rendering, but I'm torn because I like some of the qualities that I achieved, but my looser style keeps my blood pressure from rising. I hate to mention more flaws as I'm prone to do because I actually sold this painting, and the buyer reads my blog. Karen purchased this painting on ebay and luckily for her there wasn't a bidding war. I accuse her of drunking bidding, but she totally denies this and professes her love for this piece. I want to believe this and if I keep pointing out whats wrong, she'll likely end up putting this in the closet. But, I must profess this painting screamed at me about composition, and how important it is to the overall success. My reference was a photo taken by my friend Amy and I was so inspired by it. I tried taking photos of lilies on my travels through Asia, but never came close to getting such a beautiful photo of one, and I had to capture it on canvas. I knew I was painting it too much like the photo with the flowers sitting on the lower half of the canvas. I've always thought I should have rearranged them so that the darkest area at the top wouldn't draw so much attention, or perhaps the addition of a dragon fly or something small in that upper area would have helped with balance. I think I read that a pleasing composition has 2 large items and one small. I don't know, but my ridged adherence to painting exactly what I see did not allow room for experimentation. I try this in a later painting and you'll see the laughable results. My many thanks to Karen for buying this and supporting me. I am forever grateful for this sweet gesture, and I hope she continues to view this painting through rose colored glasses, or through the bottom of a wine glass! : ) No refunds!

Painting 22

2009-02-16T22:25:00.006-06:00

I get on a kick every now and then to make my Christmases a little more special, so I try to make handmade gifts. Don't do it that often, but I made an awesome clock once for my sister. This time I decided to paint her a painting of wine bottles since she's a wine lover. I wasn't very confident the painting would be well received, so I also purchased a case of wine for her and I knew she'd like that! The painting is done with layers of glazes. Mark, my classmate experimented with them to great success, so I thought I'd do the same. He painted some beautiful paintings of pears, and I thought the effect would lend itself to the glass bottles. I don't really paint this way much. The consistency of the glazes was too sticky for me. I like paint that feels like butter. I use water miscible oils and recently discovered that using water as a medium wasn't the best thing to do, and once I stopped using water as much and relied on other mediums, I found I enjoy the paint much more. The labels were very fun to recreate, but that's the graphic designer in me. I altered one of the labels to include her last name for a special touch. Speaking of wine labels, there are so many fun ones these days. That's mainly how I choose my wine. Overall, i think the painting got a little muddy and I could have been a little better with some of the bottle drawings, my usual downfall. Anyway, my sister visited my studio recently and she saw a painting and said it was the only painting that I've done that she's wanted. I am guessing now that she doesn't like this one, so I'm definitely glad I included the box of wine!

Painting 21

2009-02-06T22:36:00.004-06:00

You may recognize this spot if you had the misfortune of listening to your traveling companions who insist walking across the bridge to the old town in Puerto Rico will be quick and easy because this is one of the views along the way. By the way, the walk is very long and very hot! There was a local man leaning against the tree and it would have made a great painting except he was too hidden by the tree, so I did what us painters do, I edited. I enjoyed playing with the colors of the sky and ocean and I especially like the trunk with the light and violet hued shadows. I had to make too much up with the leaves however, so I lost the play of light and they became too flat. It could have used a few people on the beach or something. Maybe lightened the sky at the horizon with an addition of pink. I don't know. I did try to sell this at a garage sale much to the horror of my fellow artist. I marked it 75 and someone actually snatched it up. I was thrilled until they handed me a dollar and waited for their change. I had to explain to the eager art collector that I wanted 75 dollars, not 75¢. He immediately returned the painting to the shelf, and my ego healed eventually. Everyone has their price and some people are really cheap!

Painting 20

2009-02-05T23:21:00.003-06:00

I discovered these long canvases and wanted to explore the size again. This painting is from a photo from a trip long ago to Roaton, an island off the coast of Honduras. It was a magical place free of tourist and long on relaxation, empty beaches and cheap seafood. I have heard of tales that coconuts from these beautiful palms have actually killed people as they fall to the ground. I became as paranoid of that as I have been of driving with my window down for fear of something flying into the car and hitting my temple, causing instant death. I'm not sure if I was actually having this thought as I rested on this picture perfect beach when a coconut happen to fall from the tree I was lounging under and landed inches from my head. I'm not making this up. Those coconuts actually are deadly! I'm lucky to be alive. Honduras could have killed me for so many reasons, the coconut was just one. But I digress. The painting is nicely composed, but where is the light source, the shadow? What makes an interested painting. Variation of color, stroke, play of light. Play of light? What light? It's sunny cause we can see the sky, but we certainly can't tell where the sun is. I do think the main palm turned out nice. The painting is sentimental to me, and not horrible, but I question why I have it on the studio website cause I don't think it represents my best. Although it does look better on that site than it does here. But it will be coming done soon. By the way, now that I have 20 paintings, this brings me back to my instructor when she said, you get about 1 good painting for every 20. Which one is the good painting?

Painting 19

2009-02-05T22:58:00.006-06:00

I tried to be creative with this painting and stop painting exactly what was in the photo. To be a little more decorative. In search of my own style, I have to experiment, right? The house was based on one I saw on a bike-ride through P-Town. It's was right on the beach and was so charming. My plan was to be really loose with the house, but it didn't turn out that way. As a beginning painter, being loose is very difficult! I like the color scheme and the balance of the fence and the house. It has a country charm and I though someone might respond to it. Recently, I donated it to my work for a charity fundraiser. I believe I had an opening bid of $5.00. NO ONE BOUGHT IT. Not even for $5.00. The canvas was worth that much. Gesso over it for God's sake. Put it in your dying Grandmothers room at the rest home. Geeze, is it that bad? I've seen a lot of ugly art being bought, you'd think I could get a break. Whatever! When thing's like this happen, I just remind myself how many people just sit on there butts watching TV not try anything new, and I start feeling a little superior to them and that makes me happy enough to pick up my brush, brush off my pride and begin again.

Painting 18

2009-02-05T22:43:00.002-06:00

The painting I would rather cut my own hand of than post. Count me brave. It's a bad one and I know it. I shoud really let my roommate write about this painting because he has a great deal to say about it. This is my sister and was painted from an old family photo. I don't think she's seen this, basically because I'd like to maintain my relationship with her! So go ahead and make fun of it! The mismatched arms; the light in the shadows that look like amoebas on the attack. The total lack of painting talent. I believe this is when I realized my painter friends were all a bunch of liars for there encouraging comments. I can always count on my family for the honest response — they got a good chuckle out of it. If you'd like to buy it to destroy it, sorry, you're too late! It's chopped up and sits at the bottom of some rotting pile at some waste disposal site.

Painting 17

2009-02-03T23:38:00.005-06:00

In doing this blog, I belabor over getting my paintings in the right sequence. Unfortunately, time has made my memory as fuzzy as a peach, so these may be getting somewhat out of order. It's really close so I have to let it go. As I have gone to painting my own subject matter, I found a photo from a trip to Mass. I've never been to pleased with this painting, perhaps not enough play with values, especially in the shadows of the dock. And I've just have never been satisfied with the boat. The water and sky seem to work for me. Maybe it's the composition. I can't put my finger on it, so feel free to critique it. If I remember it was a sunny day, yet where is the drama of light. I suppose that's what makes me the most dissatisfied.. The more I paint the more I realize just how important light is to an interesting painting. With that said, my dad liked it, so I gave it to him. I tackled water and reflections and it didn't kill me, so I suppose for that reason I should count it a success.

Painting 16

2009-02-03T23:15:00.002-06:00

It's been a year since I've last posted, which doesn't mean I stopped painting. It only means I'm lazy with my blog. However, I took a painting workshop this weekend in Salado with Carol Marine, who is a awesome daily painter that blogs daily, so I wanted to get back on track with mine. I took this as a daunting task until I realized I have not painted as many paintings as I had imagined. I'm more of a painting a month kind of artist, so as the years fly, the paints stack up slowly. I believe Carol's class has changed that. I look forward to doing more quick paint studies because they teach me so much. My count will rise quicker, so I better slam these paintings into place, so I too can blog more often than once a year.

This painting was painted for my mother and father. This theater is where they had there first blind date and that was over 50 years ago. I spent more time getting my drawing down correctly, but still the State letters go a little off. Otherwise I was very pleased with this painting. The chrome was fun to paint and looks realistic to me. It hangs in there house and I study it every time I visit and after all these years since i've painted it. I still fine things to appreciate, but when I look at the painting now, the sky seems so dark and intense. It doesn't show on the photo, but perhaps I would have done that a bit differently today. Side note, the movie playing is Written on the Wind with Lauren Bacall and Rock Hudson.

Painting 15

2008-01-07T18:04:00.000-06:00

Still a work in progress, this is another still life of fruit born our of frustration for ideas. Another trip to the grocery story and viola!, subject matter. I want to add a design element to the border, but have not yet determined what that would be so, it just hangs in my kitchen unfinished. I'm really happy with the bananas. I added the green border later a few months after finishing the painting as a background for a decorative border mainly because the bananas we just there in the middle sitting, with not much excitement. The border adds tension with the bananas overlapping and makes the bananas pop of the canvas for added dimension. I

I had a thought today, if I don't believe in my talent as a painter, then no one will. From hence forth, I'll give myself more praise as I critic these works. One day I'll repost with the finished product. The paining is 12x12.

Painting 14

2008-01-06T21:46:00.001-06:00

After the session with my instructor concentrating on exercises, we're back to painting our own subjects. One of the hardest things for me at the beginning of my painting was finding subjects that interested me. I would find myself ill prepared when class started and I would have no idea what to paint. In this case, I took a trip to the grocery store before class started and found my subject matter. It's great to paint from life, and it's classical subject matter. I happen to love paintings with pears. I'm always drawn to them for the color and shape. One lesson I kept in my head when painting these pears was to to exaggerate. While it's hard to tell exactly what I'm exaggerating, the shapes of the pears were just that. It really doesn't work so much. I like this painting at the time. The color is off on the photo, it's actually more purple than blue and I liked the play of color and painting the folds in the fabric. Unfortunately, the pears aren't that interesting in form and color. They're too perfect and they don't have that characteristic of what makes a pear so interesting and that's the variety of color and variation in form and texture. These just got a bit too simplified for my taste. At the time I was pleased with them. Just another lesson learned along the journey. It's from failure that we finally succeed. This measures 12" x 12" and is a fun size to paint by the way.

Painting 13

2008-01-06T21:31:00.001-06:00

Another exercise which I actually completed in one sitting. What a bonus for me considering some of my first paintings took weeks and weeks. The assignment was to paint using the complementary color of the actual color. Kind of a cool effect. The painting is from a photo I took in Chicago on a fall day. Notice the Sears tower? I visit this trip in a painting later on, and now that I'm looking at this painting again after all this time, there are some similarities it the use of brush work and color. Perhaps these exercises were useful. Hopefully, I'll update this blog more often so the 2nd Chicago painting will see the light of day before I'm in a home. Painting makes me happy! It's like procreating without the trouble. Little pieces of me to go into the world... more likely the trash. LOL. Notice: I'm very behind in my progress. This trip was in 2005 and I probably painted it around that time. I would love to go live one day! I get much better, but you'll just have to wait and see!

Painting 12

2008-01-06T21:17:00.000-06:00

My teacher decided to switch things around on us and offer a different class to teach us more of the elements of painting. Instead of working on your on subjects for as long as we deemed necessary, we instead had to do an assignment that should be finished in one class. Each assignment was geared around a certain principle. I completed 2 of the assignments, the rest remained unfinished. While I found the lessons useful, it wasn't as much fun for me. If I was painting everyday, I could see how these exercises would be useful. But for us who only paint as a hobby, they almost feel useless! Did I say that? This painting was about plains and angles. We took a photo and broke it down into shapes. I've forgotten how exactly we did this, must have use of color. Can you tell what it is? If you can, perhaps I'll send you a prize!

Painting 11

2007-06-21T20:23:00.001-06:00

Well, I thought at the time I needed to loosen up, and the previous painting wasn't successful because I added too much detail which, I just explained, wasn't the entire reason why. Yet, I tried again with a more stylize approach. Still nasty. As for color, not very pleasing combination with the sky still looking out of place to me. Doesn't hurt to stretch now and then. Even if it means failing twice and causing you to wonder why you paint in the first place.

Somewhere around this time, I had a break from painting. I signed up for the class but it didn't make, mostly from the school's error in placing Karen and Gail in the morning class, leaving too few for the evening to make. It's good to walk away for awhile, just so you don't do it for too long.

Painting 10

2007-06-21T20:04:00.001-06:00

I'm so losing track of what paint come after each one. I used to be able to go through each painting in my head in the order I painted them, but now I'm not so sure, but I fairly certain this come next. Another landscape, and actually from my own reference, not a professional photographer, or someone else's vision. And boy, it really doesn't seem like it paid off for me. This is my parents yard on an early fall day and it didn't make an interesting painting. Bad photography can equal a bad painting if you don't take steps to correct what doesn't work in the photo.

Here's a few things I see. Tree stuck dead in the middle. Sky color seems wrong for the time of year. Nothing of interest in the foreground. No focal point to speak off. No point of view, nothing to say.

What do I like, The variations in the grass and some of the play of light on the trees, which again, doesn't go with the sky.

What would I do now, in hindsight? Perhaps move the big tree towards the middle, and lose the one in the middle. Lessen the heaviness of the trees on the right. I would warm up the sky's color and clearly define my light source and then place something in the grass in the foreground. I tricycle, or broken toy, which means I'd have to move up the horizon line. This is why it's said the the painting you are working on now is just preparation for the next one. I see the wrongs now, so hopefully I can make better choices in the future.

Painting 9

2007-06-21T19:42:00.001-06:00

I can't believe I'm only on painting 9! I need to do a furious blogging session and get these painting up. I'm not sure where I'm at, but I must be hovering around 30 paintings. I just completed one that I love and I want to be able to share it.

The subject of this painting is from a calendar I borrowed from Gail. Examining this painting, I see nice things. Simple composition, a little too cut down the middle, but calm peaceful. I'd rather see a little more color in the grass, not sure I like the color. The water is nice as are the reflections. I don't think too much of this painting because I painted it in about an hour. My first painting in one sitting, so it's all wet on wet. It's also very small, just 8x10. It was a good exercise and actually looks better than a lot of my paintings that took much longer to paint, yet I so easily dismiss it because I didn't belabor it. And yes, I know there's a lesson I can learn from this.

Painting 8

2007-06-21T18:50:00.001-06:00

It's been forever since I've updated my blog, but I've been plugging along in my paintings and will one day meet my goal. Not sure why my blogging has suffered, but I guess I'd blame it on Text Twist which calls for me anytime I'm near a computer.

My life is better since the last time I wrote, I have a new job! I'm very pleased to be working for the American Heart Association. It has everything I yearned for in a job and I'm pleased to go to work every day. After a really awful year, it's going much better for me now.

As for this painting, I downloaded this photo off the computer because I loved the artistic quality and wanted to see if I could capture the soft focus of the background and carefree, random display of tulips. The painting for me was more about the stems than the flowers, and I should have moved the composition up on the canvas because the tulips get more play than I wanted, especially at the top. I put a lot of color in the leaves and stems which don't show up on the computer, and as I look at this painting, I think I could have added more darks in the green recesses, and perhaps varied the color of the red, going lighter as the tulips receded.

I don't have many fans of this painting, and I know the vast area of fuzzy tulips is disruptive, but I found the processes to be quite a learning experience in how I look at things. I found myself unable to follow what I was seeing and had to translate the leaves and stems to my own vision. Something about the repetitiveness and pattern confused my eye and I could not always look from reference to canvas and make a true replica of what I was seeing. I had to rely on my inner eye of how things are supposed to look. I was getting in touch with painting as an art form, not as replicating what I see, but interpreting the subject matter in the way I want it to be. It seems common sense, I strive to be real and I get caught it that trap very easily year, I'm feeling much better with my life.

Painting 7

2006-12-18T22:58:00.000-06:00

It's been forever since I've updated this blog. I'm enjoying painting and I'm still moving towards my goal. Actually, I'm getting a litte quicker at my painting, and with some paintings that I've completed in a day, I'm going to reach my goal a little quicker than anticipated.

About this current painting. I planned painting this rooster very differently from what I ended up with. I had wanted the rooster to be low on the canvas with an expansive sky taking up most of the painting, but I was too afraid to experiment, and didn't want to end up with a bad composition. And what do I end up painting? A rooster in a bad composition. Seems like the risk may have been worth it. This painting was on a small canvas, about 9x12. I think the handling of the background is effective and draws your eye to the face of the bird, but the cropping of the bird feels awkward. Nor do I think it was a good idea to paint the tail feathers with such detail because it seems to compete with the focal point. Overall, I feel like I overworked the paint, especially in the yellow area of the feathers. Some quick paint strokes of pure color would probably have been more affective. Also, the legs are heavy and too thick, plus, he feels lopsided. Pay attention to details, cause they come back to haunt you!

My biggest challenge is finding interesting subjects in interesting compositions. And knowing all the paintings that are to come in my posts, I'm not sure if I've tackled that issue.

Painting 6

2006-12-07T22:23:00.000-06:00

I don't know why it surprises me that this is my sixth painting, but it seems as though I had painted many more before getting to one I was actually proud of. And because I like it, I really won't spend too much time looking for flaws—I don't want to ruin it for myself. Kathleen said 0nce that you get about 1 good painting for every 20 you paint, and I feel this is one of those. I think the main reason I like it is because it's from my own photo I took while traveling through China, and it's just a great reminder of a very wonderful adventure.

The biggest challenge from this painting was the water. I wasn't quite sure what I was doing, but Kathleen talked me through using layers of paint to achieve the sky reflection. Also, there's a lot of detail in the photo and I had to decide how much I would translate to the canvas, especially with the grass in the water. I wanted detail, but didn't want to overdo it and distract from the figure. I also simplified the clothing and decided against the striped shirt the man was wearing for the simple solid one. I think I did justice to the lighting. It was an overcast day, but with diffused lighting which goes with the reflected clouds. One thing I left out of the painting was a few figures in the background. I regret not including them because I think they would have added depth and interest in the upper portion of the canvas. It's funny that I get to a point with paintings that I'm scared to experiment and add to it. I decide that I might ruin what I already have. I'm slowing getting over that and I'm realizing the power of the paint. I could have added them and if they didn't work out, just painted over them, but that didn't occur to me at the time. I think it's important to experiment when I'm painting, and to just forget trying to make a good painting, but during this time, I was very interested in getting a painting that I could show others and be able to say, "I did this" and this painting did that for me. I entered it in a show at the Center and put a price tag at $500. I wasn't surprised when it didn't sell, but it was fun to try.

Painting 5

2006-11-27T22:52:00.000-06:00

After the last painting, I left the Collin County college for a few reasons, the biggest being the distance from home. It was just not convenient for me, and frankly, it wasn't the type of atmosphere that was inspiring to me, and inspiration is really a big facilatator for me and my work. As a graphic designer, I search out inspiration every day, which really translates that I borrow from others to do my job. Well, when you under a time crunch and you have a hangover, what do you expect? I'm not being serious for the most part, but a trend in advertising and design is just one good idea "borrowed" a thousand times over. Fine art is that way too. Art movements! The impressionist era. copy, copy, copy to some extent. This painting, not so much. I mean, who would come up with this hodge podge of unrelated items but me. This is all me baby! No borrowing composition, nothing. The days of copying other people's art has come to an end thanks to my new school, The Creative Arts Center of Dallas. A place that is somewhat more convenient and definitely inspirational! When you travel from downtown Dallas to the Plano suburbs everyday, what's convenient anyway?

So My first assignment is to create a still life of personal items that represents me. I took this assignment very seriously and when I see new students painting "pretty" still lifes. I burn up just a little because I feel they are trying to make a pretty painting and not a meaningful one, which basically translates to "I wish mine was pretty". Yes, each item speaks to who I am in a vague, shallow way. I drink coffee every morning, so I have a mug. Yawn! I like to read, so I have a book, although I must confess I haven't picked up a book in over a year. I'm only interested in Harry Potter and picture magazines these days, and Harry is months away. The Bhudda head represent travel both physically and spiritually. I don't do much of either these days. The measuring cup, it's because I love to bake, the hammer is for my love of home repair. Bogus! Lies! Yes, I enjoy baking and do it about as much as I read and I'd rather take the hammer to my forehead than to a nail for home repair. So the painting is all me and not much of me, but at least I didn't borrow, steal or copy it. As for the execution. It was from life and that made it more challenging and rewarding. The drawing is definitely off. The hammer sags, the metal cup awkward. But look at the metal! And the book is a source of pride with the pages painted with enough suggestion to be real, but not overly detailed. The composition is trangular and vertical, so it's in the right direction, although it's somewhat lost on the canvas. I painted a red underpainting and I love the effects of the red coming through. So it's a love hate relationship. I still didn't feel comfortable with the paints and it definitely shows that I need to spend more time on my drawings, and I have it proudly hanging in my closet where it will remain!

Painting 4

2006-11-18T19:58:00.000-06:00

From the framing, you can probably tell that I'm proud of this painting. Again, it's a study of another painting, but this time I painted a water color, so while the essence of the original is there, there's still differences because of the different medium. This is a bad photo and doesn't really show the colors too well. I like the use of complementary colors, subject matter, and quirky composition. I'm not sure if the original had the pitcher in the middle, but I've learned than placing objects dead center on the canvas makes a bad painting, and the pitcher is dangerously close if not there. Another mistake I made was painting the 2 unpeeled oranges so identical in shape and size, and that draws too much attention to them. If you look at the shadowing on the table, you can see that I did not handle this correctly, First, light reflects off objects, so the blue of the plate should be reflected on the table, but I used a warm shadow. For the oranges, I used a cool, dark shadow. In real life, that should probably be reversed, with a warmer shadow on the oranges. How the pitcher is sitting on the table is a mystery since it seems so close to the edge, but the original had it that way and I like the tension it creates in the piece and that's why I call it quirky. I didn't foresake the reflections altogether. I did place a nice reflection of the lemons and the plate on the pitcher, unfortunately, the photo doesn't pick this up. But even with the obvious errors, I was happy with it and I have this one hanging over my kitchen sink. I certainly have learned from it, although the problems only became apparant after many viewings and following numerous art lessons. Sometimes a little time and distance help you see things in a whole new way.

Painting 3

2006-11-18T19:43:00.000-06:00

Painting #3. Embarrassing is all I can say. After completing the first assignment somewhat successfully, I was ready to paint my masterpiece. Our assignment was to find an image, crop it down until it was virtually unrecognizable and paint it in one sitting. I found a photo of a flower and while the photo was very appealing, this painting just fell flat. It's just weird on so many levels and not the least bit interesting even as an abstract. It's a large painting, probably 20 x 30 or so and it was done on a canvas board, not a stretched canvas.I now use these painting mainly as a cutting board when I use my xacto knife, the reverse side though. No masterpiece, not even close!

Painting 2

2006-11-15T20:11:00.000-06:00

This painting was the first painting I produced while taking classes at the Collin County Community College in Frisco, and my second oil painting overall. The location was a killer, but it was a great campus, and it seemed to have potential. The instructor thought a really great way to learn painting is by painting studies of other people's work, and he encouraged us to do the same, which is what I did to create this painting. I don't remember the artist, but I liked his use of color. I remember being frustrated with the colors because his blues were more turquoise and vibrant, and I had difficulty mixing the colors to my liking. The painting is very small, 8" x 10" or so. It looks better onscreen than in person, but I think most of these will. I agree that painting from other works does help, but it's not as satisfying, and I think if you do take up the practice, you should paint one from someone else's work, and then do 3 or 4 of your own creation before you do someone else's again. That gives you an opportunity to apply what you've learned from a particular artist before you studying another technique. If this were my vision, I would be extremely proud of it because it's so stylized and I admire his fearless color choices, but I'm not very attached to this one because it really doesn't say anything about me, or mean anything. However, it did give me confidence to continue on, and so I still have it, sitting in my closet. That's one thing you should know about me, most of my paintings end up in my closet. My own special tiny art gallery.

Painting 1

2006-11-12T11:15:00.000-06:00

This was my first painting, started around 7 years ago. I had no experience with oils and was at a total loss. I purchased water soluble oil paints AND turpentine, so from that you can see I was clueless. I'm not sure why I choose this for my first subject, but this was a black and white photo from a professional photographer. I liked the composition, and even though it was just a nude, it was also something else for me. It reminded me of a landscape, so that's how I approached it. As you can see, the bed became green and the background sky blue, all very intentional. And when I view this painting, I see a mountain and earth and sky first, nice ass second. And no, it's not me in that photo. I also feel that not being able to tell if it's a man or woman helps to see the painting from my point of view.

I never actually finished this painting. The knee in the background is unfinished and I was never satisfied with the green foreground. I wanted more folds, but wasn't sure how to achieve them, and it became too frustrating for me. I intended to finish the painting, but I've lost my source photo, and I've recently come to the conclusion that I need to let this one be because it's my starting point. My inability to finish the painting lead to a long break from picking up a brush again. I knew I had to learn from someone, and really didn't know where to go. When I pick up again, it'll be a few years later. I ditched that turpentine, but have always stuck with the water soluble oil paints.

Introduction

2006-11-12T10:31:00.000-06:00

This is my very first entry in my blog, so congratulations to me! I’m really not sure what I’m doing here, but my reason for doing a blog is to easily share with my family and friends the art I’m creating, to journal my painting experiences to learn from them, and to share my goal of painting 100 paintings. I’ve learned that one of the keys to meeting your goals is to share them with others. If I don’t tell anyone my plan, then I can just give up and no one will be the wiser, but if I tell the world, then there are a great many people to hold me accountable... I guess only if anyone really cares!? I currently have 21 paintings, so I have some catching up to do before I’m current with this blog. My next entry will be painting number 1.

Why is it important to me to paint 100 paintings? I was inspired to do so by a fellow student at the Creative Arts Center in Dallas. I have been taking classes from Kathleen Dello Stritto for over 2 years and I started these classes with 2 other students, Gail and Karen Rike. I don’t mention Gail’s last name because I’m not sure she really wants to be associated with me, but I do know Karen sells art online and will appreciate the plug, as well as Kathleen. So, go buy their art! All 3 are talented, and there are many other talented students at the center, but I digress. Karen told us about an artist who heard that you didn’t quite “own” your painting talent until you've painted 100 paintings. This particular artist was skeptical until she reached her 100th painting, and then she too felt this was true. At that point she felt she had mastered her technique and really, I mean REALLY understood the process. Kathleen had heard the same and I believe she agreed at the time. She said you don't have to spend hours on each painting, but just quick paintings would suffice. Perhaps that’s how the painting a day concept came about; someone’s idea of a fast track on the journey. Call it an artist’s myth, a magical number, and excuse for not being good now, but this stuck in my brain and I haven’t been able to let it go. So I fully expect that my 100th painting will be a masterpiece and then I can consider myself a true hobbyist, and not a student. I don't aspire to be a professional painter. I design for a living and spend most of my days being creative, but always to please others. I took on painting to please myself and I don't really want to fall into the trap of art for money and the pressure that goes along with it. But who am I kidding? I don't have room to store these paintings and the cash would be great.

Now that I’m almost a quarter of the way to accomplishing the goal, I'm feeling confident that it will happen. I hope you take the remaining part of the journey with me, and feel free to comment on my work. And when that day finally comes I'll... I don't know, paint to 200? Quit? At the very least, I'll let you know if the myth is true for me.