Back to my Roots

Rocky Crossing

(click on image for larger version)

"You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the girl."

After being in New England for about 25 years, we are in the (hopeful) process of moving back to the southwest. I think my subconscious has been playing around with images from that part of the country. I've been very inspired to paint cows, and horses, and cowboys! I have to tell ya, I had such fun painting this guy. Though I did give him a more New England setting - that rocky creek bed could easily be any number of

streams here in New Hampshire... there really is quite a bit of "Texan" in this painting.

The scene depicts the rider as he gives the horse his head while crossing those slippery rocks at the bottom of this shallow stream. Which brings me to the real point of this post. There are a very few occasions when I will use a transparent glaze in painting. I'm more of an alla prima ("all at once") kind of painter.. too impatient for layers and layers of imprimatura, dead layers, and transparent washes.... But painting clear shallow water is one time when I will, on occasion,

use a transparent glaze. This was one of those occasions. Since I didn't take photos in process in this painting, I am open to doing a demo of a very easy way to paint this kind of shallow water, if there's interest out there.It's actually rather fun to see it come together.

It will be a bit of work to do this, so if you'd like to see a step by step of painting clear shallow water, please let me know (post a comment) and I will put it together in the next week or so. With the holidays coming up, no guarantees on time.

I've been hoping to actually post some youtube videos, but then you'd have to listen to my awful Texas twang... I'm not sure you're ready for that
yet.....

On Sawyer's Farm

See? Cows too. Painted mostly on location here in New Hampshire, so I guess these are Yankee cows.

Random Painting tips

I just love painting horses. These two are tiny little art cards - 2.5 x3.5 inches.

I was thinking while painting today (note: this does not always occur) and decided I'd post a few random ideas about painting. So, in no particular order.....

1. Never let your background know what your foreground is doing. In other words, the background should always remain in the, uh, background... it's just back there, air, or distance.... dont make it a "thing" by painting around the edges of say, a bowl with your background color, leaving little ridges or, spaces of color. Better to paint INTO the edges of your object with background color and then go back and clean up the edges with the foreground color.

2. Have your big idea before you start to paint. No matter what the subject matter, you need to have decided before you begin what you want this painting to be ABOUT. Is it about one spot of rich color against a sea of grave color? Is it about one area of deep dark in an otherwise high key painting? If you don't know WHY you're painting , then you end up just painting objects. And how exciting is that? Once you know the big idea, then all the decisions you make as you go (emphasize this? diminish that? move that tree? leave out that telephone pole?) are to make your big idea happen, and not to just record an assortment of objects on canvas.

3. Value does the work, but color gets the credit. Value is the structure of the painting - the framework upon which you hang the lovely adornment of color. The lights and darks, and the interplay of them, is what holds the painting together. An exceptional painting has good value structure, even though it might be the color that attracts our attention. If you have to get one thing right, it should be the values. If you are unsure of your values, try taking a digital photo, and in whatever photo editing software you have, change it to black and white. If it reads right , the values are good.

4. Camera lens make good viewfinders. If you want to compose a painting out of what's in front of you, whether landscape or still life, and it seems too confusing out there... look through your camera - it crops out all the surrounding confusion, and lets you focus in to find a good composition. The exception to this is.....

5. Not all paintings should fit in a standard shape frame. (your camera lens is probably equivalent to a 3 x 4 ratio - like a 9x12, or 12x16.) You might need a totally custom size, like the 10.5 x 17.5 I just did, or the 18 x 29 I just had my husband cut for me.... So don't get bogged down by canvas or panel size. Paint the shape that best fits your composition. Painting on panels makes this easier, or paint on loose canvas, and cut it to the shape you want when done.

6. Edges... they're important. Maybe more important than most of us think. If you want your painting to look like a painting, something REAL, not "like a photo".. then pay attention to edges.

Distant objects?(a row of trees against the sky, the edge of a meadow in front of those trees....) soft edges. Focal point, That big ol' barn) center of attention? sharper edges. I could do several posts on just edges.

and, lastly, because I have to go figure out something to cook for supper....

7. Shadows should be thin and transparent. Does this seem obvious? Well, without going into a long paragraph about shadows, just remember this one thing... the shadow area of your painting should not have clumps or ridges of paint. NEVER impasto in a shadow. Impasto implies light and texture and surface. Shadows are just air where the sun don't shine. Keep the paint thin. "Transparent" doesn't mean use transparent paint. It means they should look transparent. This is achieved by first, using thin paint, and second, by wise choice of color. While this will vary with each painting, try this:

For warm shadows (as in a still life), try a whisper of cadmium color (red, orange, yellow) in your shadow color. Strange, I know, but it works! For cool, outdoor shadows, try using a cooler version of the local color plus it's compliment as a base shadow color. If you have sunny, green grass, the local color might be a warm yellow green. A shadow color might be a cool green (thalo or veridian) plus its compliment, red. Only use a COOL red, such as alizarin, not cadmium. This principle gives a good start for finding the right color, but use your artist's eye to select just the right shade...(no pun intended).

happy painting!

Sleep is way overrated

We've got that group show this coming weekend, and I got a late start (VERY late) in painting work for this show, so I've been staying up till all hours trying to finish some works. I believe I have painted about 20 paintings in the last 3 or 4 weeks, with all kinds of interruptions, and the holidays, etc. etc. This one is large - I did several fair sized works - not huge, but bigger than my usual. There will be a couple of 18x24's and some 16x20's. And then lots of little ones too.

I currently have 4 more that are in process.

This photo is blurred.. I think.. maybe it is just my sleep deprived eyes. I like painting silver because it pretty much disappears into the background except for highlights and reflections. That makes it fun to paint.

A friend and fellow artist once told me, about painting silver, to either paint it as a light against a dark background, or as a dark, against a light background. Here, the background is very dark, so I painted that old silver pitcher as a lighter value, and then let its shadows just fall back into the background. That's a nice way to lose an edge, and it makes the viewer "fill in the blank", which is more interesting than having every single line drawn in.

My hubby Steve has to cat-sit while I am painting. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it. Murphy is an old cat, and he needs a warm lap. In fact, if he doesn't get his 20 hours of sleep a day, he's just worthless....

Next post, which might be after the show because it's getting down to the wire and I have lots to do still.. will be a fun little tip about painting a clear rocky stream bed... or any shallow clear water. I just finished a painting with a creek in it, and of course didn't take photos in process, so I'll do up a demo and share that... probably next week....

yawn...

Winter Painting Workshop with Stapleton Kearns

I'm putting in a plug for what promises to be a fabulous, informative painting workshop up in the White Mountains, near Franconia Notch. The workshop will be Jan. 30-Feb. 1, taught by Stapleton Kearns. Lodging will be at the Sunset Hill House, pictured above.

To read all about the workshop, go here and here on Stapleton's blog.

To look at the Inn, please go here.

Stape says that the class is already half full, so don't delay if you think you might want to attend.

I am saving my pennies!!!

There is plenty of painting right on the grounds of the Inn, as you can see from the photos, the views are pretty amazing right there. Breakfasts are included, and one big group dinner also.

And get this, did you know that snow is not white?????

Winterlude Exhibit

Coming up the first weekend in December is the Monadnock Artist's Guild's 9th annual Holiday Exhibit and Sale, entitled "Winterlude" I was invited to join this fine group of artists this year, and have been painting away like a mad woman trying to get some work ready.

The exhibit takes place on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4 and 5, in conjunction with Peterborough, NH's First Night Celebration. We'll be in the hall of the Peterborough Historical Society, 19 Grove St. in downtown Peterborough. Hours are:

Friday, 3-9pm

Saturday, 10am-5pm.

There'll be refreshments of course, along with some fine art. Artists in this group include Mary Iselin, Phil Bean, Maureen Ahern, Frankie Brackley Tolman, and myself. Lots of variety.

If you're local, I would love to invite you to stop by for a chat....

Art Cards, Editions and Originals: Show, Dec. 4-31

"The Crossing" 2.5 x3.5" Artist Trading Card

Today's post highlights a sort of "trend" going on these days in the art world. In 1996, an artist in Switzerland named M. Vanci Stirnemann created some tiny little "art cards" and organized trading venues, where artists could meet each other and trade cards. The history of these small cards harkens back to the Impressionists, who often used these tiny originals as a sort of "resume", art on the front, and a description of their accomplishments on the back. You can read a more complete history of the cards here.

The one rule of the Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) is this: the cards must be 2.5 x 3.5 inches. (about the size of baseball cards) Originally, Artist Trading Cards were only traded between artists. This practice has now expanded to sell these little works of art. These cards are now known as "Art Cards, Editions and Originals",(ACEO's) and some artists are making limited edition prints as well as originals for this purpose. I know of one artist who pretty much does this full time and sells these over ebay quite effectively!

They are alot of fun.
"Taking a Break" 2.5 x 3.5" Artist Trading Card
Beginning December 5, the White Birch Fine Art Gallery in Londonderry, NH will host a show and sale of these little gems. Elaine Farmer, artist and gallery owner, will have hundreds of the cards on exhibit, all for the very modest price of $30. An Open House on Dec. 4 and 5 will begin the exhibit, which runs through the month of December. She will also have mats available for sale, ready cut for the cards. I think it's going to be an amazing thing, to see a wall covered in these miniature little works of art! I will have cards there, as will many other artists from the region, in all mediums, in all styles.

Here's what Elaine has to say about the event:

Open House reception on Friday Dec 4, 4-7p..

Kick off the holiday season in style and come celebrate with the White Birch Fine Art Gallery during its first Holiday Open House, Friday, December 4th from 10am.-7pm., and Saturday, December 5th from 10am - 4pm. Friday's festivities include a wine and cheese social from 4-7pm. and Saturday's events will include special demonstrations by local artists and artisans, all new art work in the gallery as well as guest artists on exhibit, and will feature one of the largest ACEO (Art Card) events in New England. Hundreds of these mini masterpieces will continue to be proudly displayed during the entire month of December.

Are you a card carrying art lover? Meet the ACEO! Artist trading cards (ATCs) are mini works of art made exclusively in a 2.5 x 3.5 size, the size of a baseball trading card. Made in any arts or crafts medium including collage, mosaic, fiber art and metal works, these miniature, original masterpieces could only be obtained through trading with other artists, until recently. ACEO's, or, Art Cards, Edition and Originals are original or numbered edition art cards available for sale, bringing the joy of art card collecting to all art lovers.

Come be a part of this worldwide art phenomenon and meet the artists during the Open House and take this opportunity to purchase your first ACEO.
Silver and Orange, 2.5 x 3.5 Artist Trading Card


I've shown here a few of mine. These are great fun, and would make great little gifts! And if you're a "card carrying art lover" - it's a great way to collect some of your favorite artists' works!

Preparing Your Canvas

(this is a study done from an original painting by Richard Schmid) It has nothing to do with tonight's post except I just thought I needed a photo!


Tonight, I'd like to share one of the most valuable changes I made as a painter. This change has made a huge difference in the way I am able to apply paint to the canvas. It produces more luminous color, better brushwork, and I can honestly say, made the process of painting more fun.

It's a simple and inexpensive thing, too, so you might want to give it a try.

It has to do with preparing your canvas before you ever start the painting. And you don't have to stretch your own canvas, or even start from scratch with raw unprimed canvas. You can use this method on commercially prepared stretched canvas or canvas panels.

Unless you purchase "oil primed linen", then what you are painting on has been primed with acrylic gesso. (it's not real gesso, but that's what they call it, so we'll go with that). This surface is dry and scratchy to the touch and, here's the biggest drawback.. it is very absorbent.

Oil paint applied to this surface will soak in, and unless you apply really thick layers of paint, what you get is more like "staining" the canvas. The solution to this is to apply an oil-based primer that will seal the canvas and allow all that paint and color and wonderful brushstrokes that you work so hard to achieve to stay put right there on the surface! Who wouldn't want that?

So, let's get to it. What you'll need is a large palette knife, a tube of Flake White, and some fast dry medium, such as Windsor Newton Wingel, or Maroger, or even Liquin. The medium is optional, but since white dries so slowly, unless you are lots more patient than me, and don't mind waiting up to several weeks for this to dry, then use the medium. I'd probably recommend the Wingel. I didn't have any Wingel for this photo, but here's the main ingredients - Flake White and a large palette knife.

Note: Flake White is a LEAD-based white. Be aware of this, and perhaps wear gloves when using it.

Put about a quarter-sized dollop of the paint on your palette, and mix an equal portion of the fast dry medium. The paint will be soft and creamy.

Next, take the palette knife and plop some on the corner of your canvas. If you're using stretched canvas, you will want to make sure to lift the canvas away from the stretcher bars so you don't create a line along that stretcher bar - it will be permanent! You can see how I just sort of pushed the canvas away from the back with my finger as I worked.

Take the back edge and flat surface of the palette knife and spread that paint around on the surface. All you want to do is to seal the holes between the weave. You will not need a thick layer or alot of paint.

After you've spread all that dollop of paint, then take the FRONT edge of the palette knife and scrape and push the extra paint towards the middle of the canvas. See photo.. there's a little ridge of paint that develops as I scrape the excess off...

That's all there is to it! Just work your way around all the edges, and then, do the center, and scrape off and discard any excess paint. Again, although you CAN leave texture if you desire it,

all you really need is a very thin layer that seals the holes between the weave in the canvas.

Let this completely dry. ( a couple of days if you used the fast dry medium, or up to a couple of weeks if you didn't).

That's it! The surface should feel smooth and almost glossy. It might take a bit of adjustment to paint on this surface... whereas before you almost had to scrub paint into the canvas, brush strokes will remain on the surface.

This also makes it possible for me to do the kind of block in that I like to do for still life.. which I'll show you in another post.