An Image of the Mill

Heart of the Mill   14 x18

Here's my entry into the "Images of the Mill" competition. Though I think most will portray a distinctive tall red building that is on the mill grounds I was struck by the sun hitting an old millstone leaning against the side of the mill house. It created a formal composition of basic shapes that captured me. The rocks beneath the stucco seem visually complicated until you just think of them as spots of color. Forget what you are looking at and put down the spots. When you are done it will be a rock wall.

Detail: Heart of the Mill

Now to find a frame!

Keep It Soft

The Clouds Roll In  8x10

Hay Days  8x10

 

Evening Falls  8x10

I have grown more interested in atmospheric effects as of late. Most of my works were concerned with the landscape and its varied appearances, but lately I have started to look up and see how interesting the sky can be.

I, also, have always painted in terms of sharp contrast and strong color. So with these three little studies I set out to keep the paintings soft and undefined for as long as possible. How much information can you convey without getting specific?

It turns out, quite a lot! These little paintings were done, almost exclusively, with a #10 flat brush. Only at the finish did I use a small round brush (#2) to make a few small lines and to sign my name.

*Tip: As long as you keep the edges soft, it is easy to make changes and suggest shapes. As soon as you put down a hard edge, you "pin it down". But, if a painting is all soft edges it can look mushy, and all hard edges can get boring. So beware of going too far in one direction or the other.

Daisies

I don't do too many flower paintings (hardly any) because they often seem too sweet or pretty. But to do one is not easy! Here's a quick study of daisies that I found growing out in the pasture. I find that it is very hard to avoid cliche's when doing flowers. Especially when dealing with daisies!

Daisy Study   6" x 8"

I Got an Award!

Kennesaw Pair    9"x12"

This weekend I entered this painting into an art show in the area and got an" Honorable Mention"! I'm so encouraged and wish I could paint all day, but......every time I put something down I lose it and this lets me know that the clutter has gotten so bad around here that it is beginning to act as camouflage. So today I clean up, then tomorrow I will paint. I always feel more relaxed and creative when my studio is straightened up anyway.

Maybe next time it a blue ribbon.

Plein Air in Carversville

I and three friends from the workshop that I recently took traveled to Carversville, PA and we spent a morning and part of the afternoon painting and enjoying the out of doors. We stopped to eat lunch at the General Store and had such a pleasant day we are going back again next week.

First order of business, Gather up all the gear. Pochade box, paints, brushes, medium, tripod, chair (if I need it. I usually paint standing), dry carriers, and camera. What you don't see is my big hat and sunblock (essential!).

We met in town, scoped out the area, and found lots of painting material.

Streams and woods.

A stone bridge crossing the stream.

A heavily backlit red barn.

Ok,ok,.....I know everybody and his brother has painted a red barn. But, the building adds structure to the chaos of nature and I like the backlighting. Never tried that before.

So I painted it!

In 1 1/2 hours I gathered enough info to paint a larger work if I wanted to, and though the shapes are somewhat awkward, it was the light I was concerned with and I am happy with what I learned.

No, she's not doing a painting of the back of her car.

When you can find a spot where you can use the back of your car as a taboret it is luxury plein air! Having a hatchback works great, too.    *Tip:You can actually paint in the rain with canvas and paints in the back, while you stand under the hatchback door.....unless you are super tall.

Painting the back of the Carversville Inn.

The light on a stone bridge was dramatic.

   In the afternoon the bugs descended and all the Off! in the world couldn't keep them away, but all in all, not a bad day!!

Northeastern Waterfall

You may think I labored over this painting....but I didn't!

You may think there's a lot of detail....But there's not!

I completed the painting (it's only 10" x 10") in three short sessions of 1-2 hrs over two days.


Everything was scrubbed in very fast and loose. Then later, I became a little more circumspect and carefully added some highlights.

That's all, the paint did the work.



Here are steps:

Quick sketch to show major shapes and areas of value.

Major darks scrubbed in. This and the next two photos are actually much lighter than they look in real life.
The camera kept lightening everything up, seeking a middle value for the photo (it thought it was helping me). It wasn't until the final photo that I discovered that by focusing on half painting and half white sheet of paper, then moving to the whole painting without refocusing, I could trick the camera and get the photo to look more like the actual color values (guess I need to learn more about digital cameras).


Live and learn....

Strengthening the darks and greens. Still loosey goosey.

Now, I slow down and start to add some lights.  I am thinking about what hue, value, and intensity are needed to make some parts come forward and others to recede.
Though the water looks white, it isn't. I haven't touched it yet with highlights.

I usually (but not always) work from top to bottom. You can see that the top looks much more finished than the painting further down.

From this point on I was adding only highlights (remember the dark areas were actually much darker than show in this photo).

And the results!


Once I had put in the sunlit water the sky looked much too dark, so I mixed up a lighter blue and restated the sky.

Workshop Week

Workshops are a wonderful way to immerse yourself in a learning experience and jump start enthusiasm. Being surrounded by like minded people can encourage a flagging ego and is a wealth of information as students share experiences and the instructor guides and critiques.

Bob Rohm demos at Cuttalossa Farm.

This past week I stepped out of my comfort zone (and isn't that part of attending a workshop?) and painted en plein air with Bucks County Art Workshops.  They offer an excellent variety of learning experiences and top notch international teachers. Jackie runs a tight ship and makes the painting experience a joy (Oh, those delicious lunches delivered to us each day...kiss Macario for me!).

Stone Ridge Farm B&B where Bucks County Art Workshops are held.

Bob Rohm was our fearless leader this week and led his small band to scenic spots each day where he would do a demo and then guide us as we worked. A great help to me was Bob's "Painterly Checklist" designed to make us aware of various compositional concerns (lightest light, darkest dark, most dynamic edge, etc.) Sometimes a painting simply isn't working, but we don't know why. This checklist can help.

I also threw caution to the wind by tossing aside my yellow ochre (my safety blanket for many years) and not toning my canvases before painting (hard to give up many years of tradition). Small changes, but for me big psychological humps to get over!

I generally avoid architecture of all kinds, trees are easier (who knows if a tree is crooked or not?), but decided to tackle the barn at Willoughby Farm.

Instructor came along and said "Stop! Don't do any more".  Thank you, Bob!
I have a tendency to keep painting until it is overdone, so it was good to have someone to put a stop to the overworking. Hopefully I will begin to employ some internal brakes from now on.

Pastels are something I haven't studied, so the demo Bob did at Stover Mill was especially fascinating to me. Building up careful layers of color was beautiful to watch. Watch out for poison ivy, though....

Friday was Critique Day and everyone put up their work for the week, to be seen and critiqued by the instructor. Critiques are a great way to learn as dozens of paintings are discussed and the instructor points out various aspects.  Good stuff!

Sheep shed at Cuttalossa Farm. Daniel Garber had his studio at Cuttalossa.

So I've already started saving my pennies and making plans. I'd like to do another workshop next year!