Moving On.......And a New Video to Share

I've recently made the transition and moved to Arizona. Played some golf, done some painting. I can't even believe how fast the year is going. You?

I'm also making the transition to paint some new New York City pieces for the gallery. It will take some time to get going with this, after painting florals for months. I'm interested to see how the loose florals will effect my city scenes. I'll keep you posted so keep and eye out.

Meanwhile, I've taken the step and made a video about my floral paintings. I'm sharing it with you - check out the link below.

It was a big step because I'm a little camera shy, but I'm glad I did it. Let me know what you think!

Studio Blasquez Demonstration Video

A Painter Interrupted

A Floral Quick Study
10x10"   Private Collection

I feel the need to share and/or journal a little bit. Actually, I do have a journal that I write and sketch in so maybe this is more about sharing. 

I have spent the last three and a half weeks in TiJuana, Mexico. This was not a pleasure trip. My husband, Michael, was diagnosed with throat cancer a few weeks before. We had to make some very big decisions in a short amount of time. Thankfully, we felt, through prayer, and a lot of research, that we needed to go with treatment here.

Thanks to a very good friend, we found Dr. Vargas. He lives in the San Diego area, but crosses the border into TJ to treat his patients. The laws in the US prohibit his treatment protocols. Our friend's brother went through throat cancer ten years ago, and he too went with Dr. Vargas. He had stage four throat cancer and is well to this day after about 10 weeks of treatment in TiJuana. As it turns out, Michael's cancer is stage 2 and the prognosis is excellent..

Now about painting. I did bring my watercolors and have done some painting, but I am dying to paint with oils. I am in that place where I feel inspired and ready to paint. I have so many new ideas that I want to explore.

I'm happy to be in this place with my painting. I have not felt the "flow" since my return to Truckee, from our winter in Arizona. This "interruption" has been going on since April. 

With inspiration, comes  doubt. You know what I'm talking about don't you? Self doubt, a painters enemy. Or is it? I am beginning to believe that it might be a good thing, a very good thing. Why? Because it means that once again I am in a place of growth. 

Believe me, I have been on my way to this growing place for some time. Last November, I began exploring the idea of painting big, very big, floral pieces. It had been on my heart for a while, and I had been dabbling in it for a year or two, but it was then that I made the decision to go for it.

Flowers are one of God’s most beautiful inventions. He knows what beauty is. I am enjoying every minute of the little discoveries that can be found with paint while learning to see the flower in a new way.

I have embraced this journey to explore the color, shape and movement of the flower. Also I am working at learning to see the subtle changes of warm and cool, harmony, edges and variety of shape while keeping my brushwork loose. 

I am using a special medium that I make and call “the sauce”. This is a thinning agent that keeps the initial block-in very transparent. I finish with plenty of impasto, while keeping some of the initial transparency.

It has turned out to be a never ending discovery process that is so interesting to me, I cannot wait to finish one and move on the the next.

I have to say, it's been bumpy, exciting, fun, and difficult. I am happy about it because for the first time since I began painting I am exploring with a series. Before that I was kind of all over the place. I was so excited when I felt inspired, I painted everything from landscape to still life to interiors and cityscapes. 

It will be a long time before I get to where I want to go. Meanwhile, I can't wait to get back at it. That growing place where self doubt can make you grow as an artist. I find that it's a continual cycle, and I think it's true for every painter. 

Thanks for listening.

More on Dan McCaws' book - A Proven Strategy for Creating Great Art...

"Happiness"
Oil on Linen  36x36x1.5"
Available at Gallerie Amsterdam

Chapter 4 - "Mastering the World of Color"

• Mastering Color Theory is important, but don't let it get in the way of using color to personalize your paintings.
• Any color has four main properties: hue, value, intensity and temperature. There are a number of reasons why you will want to know how to change or modify any of these qualities, but learning how is fairly easy since there are only one or two techniques related to each property. 
• You can mix color opaquely by combining colors on the palette before it's applied or on the canvas as it's applied. You can also layer transparent glazes of color until you've arrived at the color you desire.
• The colors appearing throughout a subject often need to be harmonized. This can be achieved by allowing the color of the light to touch all of the elements or by mixing a common color/temperature into all of the elements.

My Thoughts - I love how Dan uses color to personalize his paintings. I think the most important or one of the most important things about color theory is Color Harmony. Learn how to harmonize your paintings and you will get wonderful results.

Dan suggests that you can mix a color and/or temperature into all of the elements. Another way is to use a limited palette. But I love how Dan uses his way of allowing the color of the light to touch all of the elements. I think by elements he is talking about each shape. This will take some experimentation for sure and you will discover how this technique works.

Another thing I love about Dan's paintings is the way he mixes his color directly on the canvas. This is something that I have not done a lot of. I'll try to get in some practice time with that.

Chapter 5 - "Making It Your Own"

• By using contrast, exaggeration and proportion, you can help your viewers understand what you're trying to say.
• Communicate your point of view with one or two types of contrast, such as dark against light, bright against dull, a color against its compliment, warm against cool or hard edge against soft, just to name a few.
• Don't be limited by copying what you see in your subject. Exaggerate shapes, sizes, color and so on to emphasize your main point.
• Balance and support the main direction of a painting by simplifying less important areas.
• Never stop striving to express that tie between heart and mind. It will imbue your work and life with creativity and satisfaction.

My thoughts - I like his ideas on contrast. This is what makes a painting dynamic. There are many ways to create contrast in a painting. Make an effort to create contrast where there may otherwise be none. This will help you get out of rendering and into creating.

Exaggerating will help you as well. Try to keep the main focus or interest in the focal area. This is where you want to express your idea. Other areas are not as important and should be simplified. Simplify by keeping the shapes in less of a contrast and with softer edges.

Chapter 6 - "Putting It All Together"

• Taking the time to work through all five stages usually results in a better painting with less effort wasted on correcting mistakes.
• Thumbnails and other sketches are the ideal means to explore opinions for presenting your idea in an individual way.
• You can ensure a powerful design foundation for every painting if you do a value study before you begin painting.
• Only after you've covered your canvas in flat blocks of color, either true to your subject or exaggerated as you like - should you start to develop the forms and add detail. Stop when you feel your painting says all it needs to say.

These are the concepts I've been teaching for years, and I am committed to this way of starting a painting. I can't express enough how important it is to prepare for your painting with exploration of design, composition and value by sketching or painting a value study or studies.

Let me know your thoughts and questions. I would enjoy talking more about these ideas with you!

A Proven Strategy for Creating Great Art by Dan McCaw

"Roses for Sale", Oil on Canvas, 22x18"

A great book. I recently posted about my two favorite books that I took with me to Arizona. I have been re-reading them and have come to appreciate them even more. Especially this one.

Here are a few notable points to remember at the end of each chapter:

Chapter One, "Opening Your Heart"

• Creating expressive art demands more than just rendering. It requires you to develop and give voice to your points of view.
• Individuality comes from having plenty of options. You can increase your choices by broadening your perceptions, raising your awareness and exercising your imagination.
• You probably won't be successful in expressing your individuality in every painting, but don't let that stop you from trying. Your ongoing efforts to express yourself will keep you motivated for a lifetime. Trust in your innate ability to bring out your voice.

My thoughts - I'm surprised he put this topic at the beginning of the book. It is the last thing I learned and was confusing to me when I first read the book. Now with a lot more experience under my belt, I know what he's talking about.

At first we are doing our best to "render", but with experience comes the ability to "exercise our imaginations". 

The best thing to remember while learning this concept is to let go of the outcome and just experiment with paint. Know why you chose your topic, and try to express that concept. It will come.

Chapter Two,  "Understanding Light and Form"

• Three things in the light source -- color, strength and location -- will influence the way you perceive the forms in your subject.
• To make the forms in your paintings look three dimensional, exaggerate the planes and push the contrast between light and shadow.
• If you do want to recreate depth and dimension in your forms, visualize and break them up into planes. The planes on the light side can be categorized as lights, half tones, and highlights, also known as the properties of light: the planes on the shadow side can be categorized as reflected lights and shadows, what I call the properties of shadow.
• Remember to incorporate the color of your light source and any reflected color from nearby objects when mixing your forms' colors.

My thoughts - We all use different words at times to describe the same foundational elements in painting. When he says location of the light, he is talking about the direction of the light into the painting. 

You need to understand how light and shadows work in life and in your painting. It really does help to break your form into planes. It's like carving of the rounded parts with a knife. Each plane has it's own value, but is also either in the "light", or the "shadow". The values in the light are usually mid-tone, light-tone and highlights. The values in the shadow side of the form is mid-dark to dark, and reflected light that is slightly lighter than the shadow.

The color of your light source is either warm or cool. Ambient light is warmer than outdoor light. Use plenty of color in your reflected light, but remember to keep it "in the shadow".

Chapter Three, "Designing With Shapes"

• Value and design are the two most important tools in holding a painting together.
• Design is based on the large masses or shapes in your subject, which you can easily see when you squint. Squinting eliminates the details and show you the big areas of similar values.
• Drawing quick thumbnails and/or painting value studies will help you modify, link, crop and balance your shapes for a better design that supports your intentions.
• Unequal proportions is key to a good design. Have more dark than light or more light than dark. Play active areas against passive areas.
• You can modify several elements into one larger shape by softening the edges between them or painting them in similar values so the edges seem to disappear. Use harder edges to separate shapes. This will help you retain the flow of your design.

My thoughts - This covers a lot in painting. And we've only talked about one chapter! I've been teaching these concepts for years, and I can't believe I haven't picked up this book for at least that long. This is very good stuff.

These are the first three chapters and we still have three to go. I will cover those in the next blog that I post. Meanwhile do reply with any questions or if you'd like to talk further about any of these topics.

"BLISS 2"sold

I am so happy to be blogging again. I do love writing, and this blog has been a learning tool for me for ten years. Mostly, I talk about my inspirations and growth as a painter. In the beginning, I started the blog because I thought it would be helpful to my students. As it turns out, it has been helpful to me.

Let me explain. You understand that journaling can be a personal journey into self, self growth, etc. I believe that this is very good for an artist. A look inside one's self. 

It is so easy to avoid self exploration. Mostly, it can be painful. And let's face it, we all want to avoid pain, yes? But, at the same time it can be a way and means to self growth. 

As an artist, I have learned that I cannot avoid looking into myself. I need to reach into the real life stuff, and not always the safe areas of my life. I suppose I want to continue to grow and be true to myself. This is why I must continue on this journey. 

We all have a choice. Avoid the deep contours of one's life and remain on the surface, or dig deeper. I guess art has been a vessel in which to dig that trench into who I really am and what really matters.

This is art. This is why we paint. This is what it takes to grow as an artist. It takes, I believe, an inward journey into who we really are and what we want to say.

These past few months I have experienced this kind of self exploration while painting my large formal pieces. As it has turned out, I have discovered that this journey is a worthy investment and I am excited about where it will lead me.

Flowers are one of God’s most beautiful inventions. He knows what beauty is. I am enjoying every minute of the little discoveries that can be found with paint while learning to see the flower in a new way.

I have embraced this journey to explore the color, shape and movement of the flower. Also I am working at learning to see the subtle changes of warm and cool, harmony, edges and variety of shape while keeping my brushwork loose. 

I am using a special medium that I make and I call “the sauce”. This is a thinning agent that keeps the initial block-in very transparent. I finish with plenty of impasto, while keeping some of the initial transparency.

It has turned out to be a never ending discovery process that is so interesting to me, I cannot wait to finish one and move on the the next.

I believe that these florals will continue to evolve as the year progresses, and I can't wait to get back at it on my return to California. Especially because flowers will be abundantly available this Spring.

My Two Favorite Books...

When  I left California to spend 6 months in Arizona, I grabbed my two favorite books. "Sketching from Square One to Trafalgar Square", by Richard E. Scott and "A Proven Strategy for Creating Great Art" by Dan McCaw.

You understand.  You are leaving your home to a second home for 6 months! What do you really need to take? When it came down to it, I chose these two books. Which says a lot, yes?

'A Proven Strategy for Creating Great Art' has been a long time favorite. If you are not familiar with the artist Dan McCaw, you must look him up. Look at his older works. He has become a real abstract expressionist is the past few years, but I love it all, especially his older works.  They are very impressionistic with lovely musical balance and color. He knows how to break it down to "seeing" and is a master at color.

This book is very well written with all the basics that you need to create good art. I love the heart work involved. This is where art happens. Unfortunately, this book is no longer in print. The good news is that Dan is writing a new book that should come out fairly soon.  He has two sons who are very good artists themselves.

"Sketching From Square One to Trafalgar Square", is a newer book that has captured my heart. As a teacher, I recommend this book quite often. Richard E. Scott is not an oil painter, but he teaches sketching along the same lines that I teach oil painting. This is a must have!

He takes you through a sketching adventure that will teach you how to see as an artist. Very good stuff.

Do make it a point to study these two books, if possible. Good foundational teaching at it's best.

How I Paint These Days...

It is my belief that once you have a good understanding and practice of the fundamentals of painting, you can go beyond that as far as you want.

What do I mean? Well, it takes years to get this far, but you can get there with practice. You need to work with these elements: VALUE, COLOR, SHAPE, DESIGN, TEXTURE, LINE, EDGES. I could go on. Understanding comes first in your head, but you need to practice to the point where your brush also gets it. So practice.

So when I say you can go beyond this point, I am talking about freedom of expression. You must then learn to work within yourself, and dig deep. Trust it. And trust what you know.

This is a journey that I find myself on. And let's face it, it is all about the journey, yes?

When I took the workshop with Derek Penix last week, he talked a lot about this kind of painting. I was right there with him. I understand that CW Mundy and Quang Ho are on this kind of journey, and I can so relate to their philosophy of painting. I'm excited about this because I have a lot of admiration for these painters.

Not that I will ever get close to their level -- but that doesn't matter. I want to paint from the heart.

The catch?  It can hurt. You must be willing to make mistakes, lot's of them. This is what it takes to grow. So let go of your perfectionistic thinking and go explore.

Some ideas that may help - (some from Derek and some from myself)

Paint with no outlines, and mass in your shapes instead.

Use your whole arm to move the brush and not your hand.

Focus only on about 15% of what the eye can focus on.

Use the dialog of color, shape, value, edges and line....make them work TOGETHER.

Simplify

Keep in mind the quality of light.

Rely on your technical ability while tapping into your intuition.

Hold your brush at the tip for freedom of expression.

Use the elements of light and shadow.

Variety in EVERYTHING.

Don't over think.

Fracture your brush strokes for more interest.

Squint A LOT!

Scrape with a knife from time to time.

Weave all the edges together.

Paint everything at once.

Make changes as you go.

Build the paint as you go.

Make no two things alike.

Use less information in the background.

Step back A LOT!

Use a Mirror!

Use your edges to move the eye around the painting.

Build and destroy, and rebuild.

Expression is a learned technical skill too.

Everything is subject to change.

Keep some of the underpainting showing through.

Keep some areas simple and others more complex.

Explore the elements of design.

Photos are a starting point.

Make every stroke different.

Explore

Don't be rule based.

Paint mistakes with confidence.

Enjoy the process.......

New Classes Coming Up.......

"Abundance" Oil on Linen  36?x36"
Available Here

2017 SUMMER CLASSES IN TRUCKEE

Some exciting news.......

DREAMING OF SUMMER IN TRUCKEE..... Well, as much as I love the desert, I am getting excited about coming home to California next month. And with Spring in the air, I'm putting together some plans for my Summer and Fall classes in Truckee.  I will be teaching a morning class on Wednesdays from 10 am to 1:30. Cost - $50 per class payable on day of class. 24 hours cancellation is required and I will take a waiting list. Buy 4 classes for $185. and use the class by the end of the season. The dates are as follows: May 3rd, 10th & 17th June 14th, 23rd & 28th July 12th & 19th August 16th, 23rd & 30 September 13th, 20th & 27th These classes will start with a review of the basics, painting from the still life set up or from a photo. We will also spend some time learning to paint specific things, such as trees, clouds, etc. I believe that it's worth time spent practicing some new exercises that I have designed - which will result in better paintings. We will focus on the creative passion side of painting, keep it fun, and stay out of judging our own work too harshly We will learn how to identify what it is you love about what is attracting you and paint that! Write it down and post it in front of you.  I'm excited to see all of you and I can't wait to teach again! To sign up, send me an email or give me a call. My new studio will hold 6 to 7 students at most. After I get a full class, I will send out an email with the supply list and the specifics.

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CONTACT INFORMATION: 

Contact: Randy
Email: ranblaz@hotmail.com
Phone: 916-952-7914

Derek Penix

I recently had the opportunity to take a workshop with Derek Penix. I have long been watching his work evolve over the past few years and I love where he is going with his paintings.

It's no wonder that I love his work, he has studied with CW Mundy and Quang Ho, my two most favorite painters of our time. I loved his paintings of boats from the French Riviera, but he is now painting some wonderful new subjects.

Derek taught at the Scottsdale Artists School here in Scottsdale, near our Winter home. It is great that the school is so close by because they have amazing artists from around the United States who come and teach workshops here. I have been following the school for more than ten years, so I had to take advantage of the opportunity. At any given time, they offer 5 or 6 national artists workshops, in addition to weekly classes and open studios. It is located in the heart of the art district in Old Town Scottsdale. I plan to take another workshop when we return to the Phoenix area next October.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the three days working with Derek. I could tell in the first few minutes on the first day that he was a very relaxed teacher who shared my philosophy about painting. After all, I adore the philosophy's of CW and Quang as well. Their influence on his work and thinking about painting is very apparent.

The first day of class, he demonstrated a boat, and I painted from one of his boat photos. Be sure to check out his website.

I'll talk about the philosophy in a later post. In the meantime, happy painting!