Dark or light?

When I begin a painting I usually start with a black gessoed canvas or panel and draw my shapes in with chalk. It can take hours to get the drawing right but it is easy to erase with a damp sponge and redraw and adjust the chalk lines until the composition works.

I then start layering and glazing with color leaving the black of the background visible in selected areas kind of like a watercolor artist uses the white of the paper to represent the light areas.  They work from light to dark and I paint  from dark to light, just the opposite.

Evening Hues 20"x40"

"Evening Hues" is painted on a black background and the colors are very saturated and bright.

 

Sunrise in Lavender 30"x40"

On occasion I will start a painting on a white or lighter colored background. Sunrise in Lavender is painted over a white background and you can see the dramatic difference in the final result. The colors end up softer with an ethereal feel.

 

 

May in Olympia

Nine of my newest works will be showing during the month of May at the Childhood's End Gallery in Olympia, Washington. My art will be featured along with that of four other artists.

 

 

"Meet Me for Lunch" 24"x24"

Check out their website at www.childhoods-end-gallery.com. The exhibit will be up through May 31st. If you are in the area stop in and have a look at this great gallery!

Necessity and invention

We all know the saying......Well, here is my invention created out of necessity.

 

Most of my paintings are created using Golden brand fluid acrylics. I buy the colors in 16 oz. plastic cylinders with squirt top lids. I built a shelf on my easel where I set the containers while I was painting but it was very unhandy. They were constantly falling over and the one I wanted was always hiding behind the others. One night I was searching the cupboard for late night snacks when I noticed my wife's spices neatly arranged on this little merry-go-round. A light bulb ignited and I went to my drawing board to design a similar contraption that would hold my colors and the Paint-Go-Round was born!

 

  

 

It works great! I mix my colors in recycled yogurt containers that I keep stacked on the shelf and my jar of brushes and rinse water is nearby! Happy Painting!

 

 

Art talk

I will be giving an art talk and doing a quick demonstration of my painting process at the Blue Whole Gallery in Sequim Tuesday, the 18th (tonight) at 6:00 p.m.  Everybody welcome! Should be fun!

From sketch to canvas

In an earlier October post I said that I was thinking of doing a full size painting using a plein air sketch I did of the Rose Theatre. Well, I found some time and did it. Here is the finished painting along with the original sketch.

 

I used fluid acrylics on a stretched 30"x30" 12 oz. canvas. I worked at it off and on for about a month until I was satisfied with the overall look. I used my artistic licensee quite liberally so it is more of a resemblance than an accurate portrayal of the site but recognizable!