Making Frames, and Show at the West End Gallery

I've spent most of the past 2 weeks making frames for the paintings that went to the West End Gallery yesterday for their "Director's Choice " show.  I had never made frames before but found doing so very enjoyable and I'm pretty happy with the results.  (and I saved loads of money).  The show opening is Friday November 21st 5:00-7:30 and runs through January 16th.

Still Life with Blue Plate

     I started this still life last June but had to set it aside until recently and just finished it this morning.  I was able to get 3/4 of the way through it while the fruit was still intact but finished from reference photos.  I really enjoyed taking on a larger and more complex composition. I like the cool colors of the plate and egg against the many warm tones in the painting, and the way the bright green pear stands out in color and by it's position on the box.   It's 24 x 48 inches, oil on canvas.  

Persimmon, Pear, Fig, and Raspberry

12 x 16, oil on panel.  Finished last week.

2 Peaches, 12 x 16, oil on canvas

This is the same set up I painted a few days ago but this time I wanted to use more color.  There were so many nice purples, pinks, oranges etc. in these peaches.  I found it exciting and challenging to try to capture the colors as they went from the light into shadow.  I got lost in it.

Mango and 2nd Attempt at Painting with the Zorn Palette

Here is a better photo of the mango after I did a few touch ups this morning.

I tried one more time to paint a still life using the Zorn palette.  I gave up on this painting several times today.  I seriously contemplated scraping it off so I could start from scratch with more colors.   It kind of grew on me towards the end though.  It has a harmonious feeling I think.

Zorn Palette

     I will start talking to my class this week about color and decided to put together some color charts using the Zorn Palette to show them how to mix colors and paint with a limited palette. In the Zorn palette all colors are made from cadmium red medium, yellow ochre, ivory black, and white.  I have never used these particular colors together exclusively and was curious about trying it myself and painting a sample to see what it's like and to show them some possibilities. I painted this mango, the problem is that I grew frustrated with the greens so I gave in to temptation and got out some yellow (Scheveningen yellow medium to be exact).  It's an interesting yellow because it's a bit transparent so you can add it to darker colors without making them as light as you would with cadmium yellow. 

...Anyway  I will try again tomorrow to be good and stick with the limited palette.  The ivory black mixed with white sure does look blue in this photo!

Two Pears, Fig, and Persimmon and classes at the Lansing Community Center

     I finished this last week.  It's 12 x 16. I started out by making the forms more open but ended up closing them again.  I'm more comfortable with very distinct shapes I suppose. 

     This week I'm starting a six week introduction to oil painting class at the Lansing Community Center.  It's Wednesdays from 11-2.  For more info contact me or the Lansing Recreation Department.

Pears, Figs, and Raspberries

     So this is what I came up with from the set up in the last post.  I was working pretty quickly so I had time to do a smaller painting with some of the same fruit. The painting at the top is 12 x 16 inches and the bottom is 8 x 8.  Both are oil on canvas.

Back in the Studio

     I'm officially back to work in my studio now after a two week driving trip to Texas and back, 4 weeks of children's art camp, a one week family reunion, two kids birthday parties, one girl scout camping trip, and painting the barn.  It's been so long that I think I may have forgotten how to paint!  I've decided to start with something I'm familiar with to get back into things. 

     When I'm setting up a still life I often have several things around that I rotate in and out until I find a combination that I like.  The scene often looks something like this and it reminds me of a theater stage with the extras on the sidelines watching and hoping for their turn, but also in a drama of their own.  

     So I'm putting together something with these things and I hope to have a painting to post soon.

Old Maple on Scofield Rd wins John Arnot Sr. Prize

I'm delighted to announce that my drawing Old Maple on Scofield Rd has been included in the Arnot's 74th regional exhibit, and it's been awarded the John Arnot Sr. prize for a work on paper.  The regional show is on view through August 9th at the Arnot Art Museum in Elmira NY.

2 Apricots and 2 Peaches

     This is my most recent effort.  It's 10 x 20 inches and is painted in oil.  I've been spending a lot of time recently on projects around the house and have had to sacrifice a lot of painting time, so it was a real joy to have 3 days in the studio this past week.  And as much as I like to paint pears, it was a great pleasure to have some seasonal fruits available to paint!   I started this one with a limited palette but broke out the cadmiums about half way through. 

Old Maple on Scofield Road

     I did a smaller version of this last spring or summer and then started this larger version a few months after. I took a long break from it, not sure if I wanted to finished it, but I got back to it eventually and finished it today.  It's sumi ink on arches paper and it's 29" x 21".

Interview on Out of Bounds Radio

     I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Tish Pearlman this past week for Out of Bounds Radio.  It will air April 3rd  @ 7 p.m. on WEOS and Sunday April 6th at 11:30 a.m. on WSKG.                       http://www.outofboundsradioshow.com/

Still Life with Pears, Bottles and Egg

     I finished this painting today. Its 24 x 30 inches, and it took about five weeks or so, which felt like forever, but I learned a few things in the process. One big thing is not to make the background too dark.  I find if the background isn't too dark there are more options for playing with the positive and negative shapes.  I ended up painting this background four different times before I was happy with it.

Re-presenting Representation VIII at the Arnot Museum

     I'm very happy ( over the moon really) to have three of my still life paintings included in "Re-presenting Representation VIII"  at the Arnot Museum in Elmira NY.  The show is up until May 31st.  Here is a link to the Arnot's Facebook page that has more info about the show.  

https://www.facebook.com/ArnotArtMuseum

Four Forelle Pears

     I finished this painting about 4 weeks ago but didn't get the chance to photograph it until yesterday.  It's 10 x 20 inches and is painted in oils. I've been painting pears a lot lately and am enjoying it a great deal.  This is partly due to the fact that I'm painting them from life.  ( For most of the past 15 years I was painting from photos) I'm also enjoying their peculiar shapes and gestures that sometimes remind me of people.  Never anyone in particular but types maybe...  These would definitely be babies because they are small, roundish, and falling over.  Anyway, maybe this is a sign I should get back to figure painting.

Some Pear Studies

     I worked on these pears last week to try to figure out a problem I've been having with a larger painting. The painted study is the last one I finished.  I hadn't done a drawing in silver or gold point in nearly 20 years and I enjoyed it a lot. 

Gold point on gesso panel 5 x 6

Silver point on gesso panel 4.5 x 6

Sumi ink wash on paper about 6 x 8

Still life with Lemons

     I finished this last week.  I hadn't painted a drape in a while and I must say that painting drapes is pure fun.  Also the lemons were trickier than I thought they would be; it took me several tries to find the right colors for the darks in the lemons. 

"Small Gems" at West End Gallery in Corning NY

     I have some work going up next week in the "Small Gems" show at the West End Gallery in Corning NY.  Please stop by if you are in the area!  

     I really enjoy painting fruit, particularly pears. While each pear conforms to it's type, it can also have peculiarities that make it more unique and give it a personality and gesture.  I think a lot about this when I'm painting and sometimes I try to use their personalty and gesture to build a sort of narrative.  It's subtle to be sure but I do find it sometimes. 

"Forelle Pear" 4 x 4 inches

"Jonquils" 7 x 5 inches

"Raspberry, Apricot, and Blueberry"  5 x 7 inches

"3 Figs" 6 x 9 inches

Central Park Boat Pond

     This is a commission I finished this past December for a couple living outside of New York City.  This is the spot in Central Park where they got engaged. It was a pleasure to work on and I even got to travel to NYC last August to take reference photos.