Edisto field trip - 16x12"

Despite the fact that the heat hasn't really broken here, I just had to get out of the studio on Sunday. I decided to take a field trip to Edisto Island - a car ride of approximately two hours in each direction. The funny thing is that I can see Edisto from my neighborhood beach and it is about six miles away by boat. Here on the Sea Islands one has to drive from the coast inland to reach route 17, drive north (or south) then turn off and drive to the coast again - Edisto is about twenty miles east of route 17. I was really glad I did, the clouds were awesome and it was windy and wonderful.

I also did this little study in the studio this past week - kind of rough but still life is not my usual subject. All of the zinnias were pretty much dead so I figured I had best get going before the relentless heat totally killed them!

No Blizzard here!

I know this title has absolutely nothing to do with the post but I have been listening to the radio in the studio today and the AP News has been so frantic about the blizzard, it has wormed its way into my head! Plus there were all of those years that I had to drive to my job in whatever weather happened (being "essential personnel") and my extreme gratitude that I don't have to do that anymore. 

The top still life (12x12") is the last one I will do for a while - I basically threw all the leftover stuff down in a pile and tried to see what I could make of it. I had a great time and learned a lot and did about 15 of them. The pressure of unfinished work on my walls got to me though, so I got in one of my "finishing stuff modes." The beach scene is 20x16" and was begun several months ago - I'm nearing the finish line on this one. I have 2 others that will be done this week as well - yipee!

Red - 8x8"

This might just be as "red" as I can get for a bit. I am really having fun with my still-life practice the last week or so. I might just have to do a non-red thing tomorrow. I know this could have been a lot better but am trying to portray something as complicated as the mola in the background without drawing the detail precisely but painting the visual object-ness of it. I collected a bunch of molas (appliquéd textiles) when I spent some time in Colombia in 2006 - my daughter and I bought a bunch of them in Cartagena at a street vendor's during a total downpour and I just rediscovered them the other day......expect to see them again!

the gloomy south!

It has barely gotten light here for the last two days - with heavy rain and rather dark fog............confirming my certainty that I could never live in Alaska or Ireland! Luckily, my studio is now cozy and lit and I have placed myself in "education mode." So, despite the fact that the sunny south is dreary and cold and my cat is approaching clinical depression from the rain; I am happily painting. I am amazed by how hard it is to mix accurate reds, yellows and oranges........I am learning that yellow is rarely yellow and red is never red. Today (in the top 7x5"), I tried to make yellow by combining colors that aren't yellow and remaining "loose" at the same time. In the bottom 6x6" I was just trying to be accurate. I already find that I am becoming impatient with accuracy alone.

respect for still life - 6x6"

Wow.......do I have a new respect for the still life (and also for the color and shapes of peppers)! It's not that I didn't before but I was always drawn to other subjects more. After a successful show last fall and most of the studio renovation complete, I decided that it was time for a period of self-education without worrying about the pressure of producing paintings to frame/sell. I really think that I have to do that every once in a while. My mission is to really learn how to see and mix brighter, natural colors than I have been doing. I must say, I have noticed my limitations of mixing accurate reds in many of my other paintings so I decided to begin with red and orange objects. I also wish to be able to scale down the size of my pictures if I wish...........small canvases have always made me feel trapped or cramped somehow, another limitation. So, I bought the "still life stage" which was mentioned in Carol Marine's book and is sold by Connie Nobbe (you'll have to google it) - it is very affordable, goes together easily and I LOVE it! It has really helped me control the light on the objects I arrange and has helped me "frame" the subject better so I can scale the size down. So, while it has been almost as cold down here in the deep south as it has been up north, I plan on doing some brightly colored little things and learning a ton from doing it.

fumbling to the still life! last garden stuff - 6x6"

I have decided that I simply must get better at still life..............not that I don't like doing them, but I was always so bad at controlling light on the set-up and framing them. Well, I bought Carol Marine's new book "daily painting" and saw that I could order something called the "still life stage" for a reasonable cost - so, I did. It arrived this week and I immediately set it up (very easy) as I was finishing the Christmas commission - this is my first attempt so I thought I would post it even though it isn't very good. What amazed me is that I was able to totally control the light and frame it at the same time! The reason I have wished to attempt more still lives is because I want to broaden my ability to mix reds, yellows and other colors that don't occur when I paint landscapes outside. I can't tell you how much fun I had doing this little thing (and I didn't even feel cramped by the size - a first). The next time I post, I will mention the company that makes the "still life stage" (left the info at the studio). Oh, and the veggies are some of the last things from my garden.......I had a zillion poblano peppers!

still life update

Thought I would post an update on this painting - it has been a lot of work so far and I feel like I have learned a ton that I couldn't have learned if I had become frustrated and thrown it aside. The major problem (in my opinion) with working exclusively alla prima, plein air and the like is the sense that we must get tangible results quickly or at least in one session. I have struggled for a week now with the sense that I was "overworking" this but have found that, as long as I am working from life and really looking, that isn't likely to happen.....the effects may appear to be less spontaneous-looking but it has its own, different quality which is valuable. I have been working outside with improving results but I can rarely take it for more than an hour - August in SC is pretty intense. When the bugs invade my ears and nose and the deet has run into my eyes after mingling with my sweat, I head for the air conditioning!

still- life is cool! 16" square

As I have mentioned in prior posts, I have never had a place where I could set up a still life.............now, my rudimentary studio (with zero light) has become a place I can do that! I have been working on this for a couple of days after making some progress with plein air stuff but still not being satisfied enough to take photos or not wipe down an outdoor effort. At any rate, I have been completely enjoying working on this painting and feel like I am learning a lot. It seems that I have no true idea of the actual color of objects! I am fighting my own mind while mixing every single color.......this is way different than working outdoors or on something figurative. Or maybe it's not and I am about to discover how little I know about those things as well. I am completely excited again after getting sidetracked by moving and am actually rethinking my idea of putting in skylights! (Just kidding on that one)

still life beginnings

I couldn't resist these roses at the grocery store yesterday so I got them. I still don't really understand the finer points of setting up a still life and have never really had the space for it so I tend to go simple.........controlling the light source is the biggest problem and the drastic change of light is what  stopped my work on this picture today. Where I paint inside has light from three directions (all but north) and it actually stays true for much of the day but then it gets really, really different!

tangerines (10x8" study)

 

 

 

 

It was so nice out that I had to work there today..................Since I consider still-lifes my weakest area, every once in a while I get a strong desire to improve at them. I never really had the space to do set-ups so I feel all thumbs when I attempt one. I decided that I would paint a portion of my tangerine tree since it requires no set-up at all!

summer experimentation - 8" square

I have been doing quite a bit of experimentation during the past week and have not really felt like posting much of anything. I am trying to avoid ruts and add new insight (especially color) to already learned skills. I did this yesterday morning before it got too hot and when the light was new - at about 6am. Also, my daughter moved in and a new cat adopted us by coming in through my studio window! I will show a photo of both - you can see some of the piles of books she brought with her in the background - she will be leaving again in August for grad school in Austin, TX.

garden flowers - 8x16"

I am beginning to get flowers from my garden. I almost posted this yesterday but we had a very surreal afternoon with high wind, dramatic clouds and tornado warnings! I actually sat on the porch and stared at the sky and water for most of the afternoon - I just couldn't tear myself away from experiencing it. I had to close the windows because paintings were blowing off my "drying wall" and crashing to the floor.

spring flower study - 10x8"

I hardly ever do still life (my space doesn't really provide for that) but today is beautiful and the flowers in my side garden called to me. I gave myself an hour away from larger paintings. Mixed results but it was fun.