Still Life:
Oranges in a Wooden Bowl

This is a scene from the Griswold Museum.
There is a large elm tree under which guests sit and enjoy the peace of the grounds and nearby river.

Version four
No more.

Version 3 in the Indian Cove Series.
Now that it's posted I can see areas that need adjusting.

In looking at the paintings they appear to have a great deal of lemon yellow in them. While the paintings themselves don't appear quite so heavily tinted I think I might glaze the yellow, yellow-green portion of the painting to modify it.

Here's version 2 in the series of Indian Cove.

Painting

I painted plein air a week or so ago and worked at Indian Cove in Guilford. From my value sketches and plein air painting I came back to my studio and painted this.

The colors didn't translate well from the painting to the web. The painting is a bit darker and muted.

In addition, I recently found at a used book shop a coffee table book of American Watercolors. It was a great find at a give away price. Even though I know I learn more from actually painting I can't seem to pass up buying art books, particularly if they concern watercolor artists or their works.

Still Life: Wine, Fruit, and Crystal

This is the latest painting I've been working on.

In the past week I've gotten out for a plein air session and attended 2 art workshops.

I also managed to work with my new airbrush, and attended an opening at the Paint and Clay Club.

Not a bad week.

Airbrushing with watercolor

I was on the internet and came across some interesting watercolor paintings where the artist had used brush work and also airbrushed sections of the painting to achieve a rather interesting image.

The artist's name is Kirk Lybecker and you can see some of his work by clicking on his name in this message. Take a look!

Well after much on line research and internal debate I decided to purchase an Iwata Airbrush set. Today was my first attempt at using it. In some ways it was easier than I anticipated. Although mastery of the tool is a long way off.

If this doesn't work out as a tool for fine art, maybe I can go into business painting fingernails or putting images on birthday cakes.

John Massimino

For those of you who know John and work with him in workshops or critique classes there was an article recently published about him in the New Haven Register.

I'll be taking his Clinton critique class in October/November.

Here is the link in case you missed the original story.
John Massimino is "Mr. Tea"

It's been a while

I haven't been doing much studio painting in the past month. Although I have taken weekly plein air sessions and have been drawing a bit more and creating watercolor sketches.

I've also rented a number of art instructional DVD's on drawing and have been creating a number of small pencil sketches.

Lastly, I recently purchased an Iwata airbrush set and will begin experimenting with using the airbrush in my watercolor paintings.

Bob Noreika Workshop Paintings

Here's the first workshop painting I created using Bob's techniques.










Here's the second painting. The 2nd and 3rd paintings involved using a pointed stick, drawing with waterproof ink and creating vignettes.



















and the third.

Rule of Thumb- Landscape Painting

http://hollandartstudio.com/

Compiled by Aaron Holland from random sources and experience.

1. A landscape should have a background, middle ground, and a foreground

2. The darkest and brightest colors/values should be in the foreground. They should lighten and cool comparatively as they fall away into the background (white is the exception to that rule- which tends to become slightly darker and bluer).

3. Yellow is the first color to fall away in a landscape, as it recedes into the distance.

4. Atmospheric perspective states that things become lighter and bluer as they recede into the distance(depth). refer to#2

5. The color of the sunlight affects everything it touches. If the sunlight is peach and it lands on a white house, the house will appear peach.

6. The shadows should be transparent- some reflected light should be visible inside them, as they are reflecting the sky to some degree. In other words, avoid making the shadows heavy and opaque, as it will not look natural.

7. Black does not exist in nature (only in black holes, or perhaps a cave at night!) so make sure your shadows have depth and transparency (as stated above).

8. When working in watercolor, the three-steps-forward rule should be applied. Background first, then middle ground, finally fore ground. Lightest to darkest.

9. The color of the sun is considered white light at its zenith, then as it starts its downward arc toward the horizon, the light gradually becomes lemony, then yellow, to orange to reddish, and towards a violet before it sets. *things to look for and observe in your own work.

10. Part of your job is to be selective. That is why a camera can be a distraction to the artist. The camera does not discriminate, it merely records all the details equally. It also changes the colors and flattens out the scenery. It can be a useful tool, but be sure you are also studying from nature!

11. Work bigger to smaller- establish the "big picture" before you attempt ANY details. General to specific. Simplify!

12. If something is wrong about your drawing/painting, change it as soon as you know what to do.

13. "Don't wait for inspiration to start, start and inspiration will find you". Even a commonplace scene can be made beautiful if it is felt, and carefully handled.

14. Soft edges suggest distance. For example a hill on or near the horizon will have a softer edge where it meets the sky that an object that is in the foreground.

15. When painting outside, try to start the foreground about 50 feet from where your standing. In other words, don't get to close to your subject.

16. Don't paint things, paint light. And try to notice the color of light and how it affects everything.

17. Colors change, values stay constant.

18. For grass- anything goes.

19. If you are having difficulty painting color, try deciding it's temperature first. Is it warm or cool?

20. Not everything in a landscape has to be colorful. As a matter of fact, if everything is colorful- nothing is! Try instead to see beautiful greys, colorful greys, and reserve your most colorful spots for the centers of interest- The WOW areas!

21. One artist said, when questioned about his art and his style: "I see things this way", and he pointed to the left, "another artist sees that way." I think the message is that we are not to try to paint like someone else, but to discover our own "vision", and paint faithfully according to that.

22. Toning the canvas to a light orangish color will help the sky look like it is radiating sunlight for small, quick plein-air sketches. Try other colors for noticeable effects on the finished product.

23. I find it helpful to "posterize" what I am seeing onto the canvas to start. What I mean is to simplify what I am seeing, so that it is like a cartoon image- simple, flat planes of color next to each other in accurate shapes. When that is done I can start to add details. That is known as capturing the "Big Look".

24. Design, drawing, values, color, edges- that is how I look critically at a picture. In that order.

25. Mix twice as much paint as you think you need, then use it all.

26. Unless it is a foggy day, try to avoid mixing white into your shadows and darks.

27. Details should be put in last, if at all! Remember, the power of suggestion can be more effective sometimes than spelling out every last detail. It is also important to remember that painting is interactive, and

28. You should know the color of the light at all times for each painting.

29. Start with a strong drawing and the picture will almost paint itself. The view should sense the accuracy of the drawing even if they don't notice it acutely.

30. Concentrate on first getting the major dark values placed accurately and in the correct place.

31. What is the subject? Start there. Everything else should support it, and it should be clear to the viewer what it is as well.

32. Generally, everything in light is going to be warm, and everything in shadow will be cool. The vibration of warm and cool will create interest and color vibration.

33. The brighter the sunshine, the darker and more opaque the shadows will appear. Overcast or low light days will have more depth and visibility into the shadow areas.

34. As a rule, value is more important than color.

35. Texture in the foreground, smoother as the landscape recedes into distance.

36. Contrast between values should be avoided. (For example: when a dark horizon meets a light value sky, try to find a transition, say a distant hill, to soften the jump.)

37. Feel the water, draw objects. Feel the water, the movement, the rythym. Concentrate and draw objects such as boats or buildings.

38. Light and Dark in a picture is different than light and shadow...both are important and should be understood before starting.

39. The background color should be mixed on the palette, while the middle ground should be mixed on the canvas. Likewise the foreground should show the most broken color effect giving it the appearance of nearness and texture- this concept is similar to that of texture (minimal or no texture in the background, higher texture in the foreground).

40. The canvas should be massed in if possible in one sitting, and then painted at the same time of day each time it is painted on. Special attention should be paid to the direction of shadows, and color/quality of light, maintaining cohesion during the entire painting.

41. It is not wasted time to study your chosen scene at different times of day and during different atmospheric effects, choosing the most flattering to depict your subject. The more familiar one is with the place, the better able to convey it in a picture.

42. Generally speaking, sky is lightest, ground is middle value, trees are darkest.