Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 8

"Pick Me"
Oil on Panel   6 x 6"

You know I love tea cups. Well, my friend Anne has asked me to paint her Mother's and Grandmother's cups for her kitchen. I brought her collection home and they have all been sitting on my kitchen table for days while the light comes and goes. I love the reflected light that comes through the windows at different times of the day. I just leave my camera handy so I could snap photos when I see something beautiful happening. Then I'll move the cups around, stack them in different ways, all the while I am looking for interesting shapes and values and beautiful colors.

This painting is available at the Daily Paintworks Website.

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 7

"Light of the Bay"
Oil on Linen Panel   6 x 8"

Today's painting is from a photo of San Francisco in the evening. Again I love the lights that glow at this time of day/night with the blue hues contrasting with the warm light. One of my favorite cities, I'm feeling fortunate to live only a couple of hours away from there. I'm looking forward to painting with Ken Auster in the City next October for a three day workshop.

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 5""

"Green Apple Set Up"  SOLD
Oil on Panel    6 x 6"

I set this up for my Oil Painting Class at Patris Studio in Sacramento last year. I loved the complementary colors and decided it would be a good exercise. The mirrored vase was my favorite part to paint.

This artwork is available for sale at the Daily Paintworks Website.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/randy-blasquez/green-apple-setup/165504

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 4

"Let's Cross Over"
Oil on Panel   6 x 6"

It's that time of day that I love to walk in the city, and what's better than The City of Light? It's not dark and it's not daylight, it's that in between light that I love. Dark enough to see the lights come on with a special kind of glow.

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 3

"Je prendrai un café crème"
Oil on Linen   12x9"

Today was a long day. Teaching until the late afternoon and then I always stop by to see the grand kids after class. Consequently I ended up painting late when I got home. I had started this piece a few weeks back and decided to finish it up. I took the photo in Paris one morning. I loved the Bistro for the beautiful lights on the ceilings as the reflections bounced into the mirrors all around the bar.

This painting is available through Daily Paintworks.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/randy-blasquez/cafe-creme/165215

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 2

"Late Summer Days"
Oil on Panel  6 x 6"

Today is a still life day. I love painting them. When I first started painting I was in love with the landscape. But after I started teaching I learned the value of the still life. I set them up in the classroom and we all learn to "observe". We have to continually teach our eyes how to see like an artist. It's like learning a new language.

Anyway, today I love the still life, usually florals. At the same time, I have been drawn to the city streets, so I will be painting both these 30 days. 

This painting is now availabble at the link below:

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/randy-blasquez/late-summer-days/175027

Still Life/City Life - 30 paintings in 30 days - Day 1

"Flag City", Oil on Panel, 6x6"

I've decided to paint all City Life and Still Life paintings for the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge this time around. I have been moving away from landscape for a while. It's funny how we (artists), tend to move around in our tendencies toward new inspirations. At least that's true for me. 

I was in NYC last year and took hundreds of photos. I especially enjoyed the evening walks and the lights of the city. This hotel was especially pretty, all dark except the beautiful warm glow of the lights above the lobby with the display of colorful flags. I knew I would have to paint it.
This painting is available on the Daily Paintworks Website.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/randy-blasquez/flag-city/164472

Painting Small and Going BIG

"Last Light on the River L' Aude"

Oil on Linen    18x24"

A couple of weeks ago I held a weekend workshop about learning to paint from a small study and make it BIG. We talked about all the ways to make it work by using a small color study that was painted on site in addition to photo references. From there we talked about how to re-design our studies to make them into a stronger statement as a large painting. Some of us used more than one study to design a brand new design. But I would try to keep it simple and use one for the first few times you do this.

As with all painting, I believe it is important to plan ahead before the start. That includes the design (as mentioned above), including the tools of design like several notan studies and a value study before getting started on the larger piece. It is also very important to remember to always consider the format in your design..  Format is the shape of the canvas. If your study is one format such as 6x8, the larger piece must be  the same format unless you take this into consideration with your design. It's easy to forget this, and consequently your larger piece will not be proportionate.

Also I taught the students how to draw a simple graph onto the color study. We covered the paintings with clear page covers and drew with a colored marker over the top to show the graph. It does help with getting the drawing correct.

As always I like to start the painting in a more abstract manner. I began with a warm reddish transparent tone on the canvas. I used a similar tone on the study I used for this painting. Then the block in. I premixed my mother colors, that is the general color/value of the value shape I see while squinting. This is the simplest process for a block in for painters to learn about color and value control.

From there the next step is to use those color piles to mix into while you adjust each value shape one at a time. The third go around is the modeling, adjusting, all the while comparing, comparing and comparing. The final step is the finish of the painting, only about 5% but the best part. This is where you play it up, put in your accents, lightest lights, reflections and highlights...

---

the block in color study in plastic with graph drawing on top It was a really nice weekend of painting large, meeting some new artist friends, and working through the artistic struggle together.  I would never say painting is easy, but the rewards of hanging in there and figuring it out, in an environment that is mutually supportive and instructional, is well worth the uncomfortableness.

30 paintings in 30 days...

still life study   12 x 12"

Coming up next month, Leslie Saeta will again host the challenge "30 paintings in 30 days". She has just posted about it TODAY. Go to this link and read up! Leslie Saeta 30 Paintings in 30 Days Blog

I've talked with my students about jumping on board with me in September to paint 30 little ones, for 30 days. If you have not tried this, you might be surprised at just how much you will gain from the exercise.
Years ago I took my first challenge to paint 50 paintings in 50 days. I did this for three years straight for a gallery show downtown called "20th Street Gallery". It was a wonderful gallery that is no longer in business. But they started this and juried 50 artists that first year to paint 50 paintings. Then they hung the show and it was spectacular!

This is when I first learned the value of daily painting. After the first few days, my paintings began to paint themselves. Okay, well maybe not paint themselves, but it got so much easier and quicker. My confidence grew as my brushstrokes got better. I also began to like the daily practice. There was something about getting into the habit of painting every day. I had heard that it was a really good practice for artists, but of course I had to experience it myself to believe it.

So when Leslie posted her challenge last January, I jumped on board. Again, it was well worth the effort. A few students joined in and they agree that it was very valuable. So once again I want to encourage you all to join in..

The details are posted on Leslies Blog Leslie's Blog
You can sign up there on Leslie's site and post your paintings. And, like Leslie says, nobody will even notice if you miss a day or a few days. Just do it for yourself and see what happens.

Also, if you have a painting or three that you would like critiqued, send me an email alogn with photos of your work and I'll be happy to give you a constructive and kind critique of your overall painting style and/or one or two paintings individually.

So let's do it!

About a Critique

I love that because I blog I meet other artists out there. Last year I met Robert, who has posted a few comments on my blog and we have been corresponding for a while now. Recently he asked me to critique a few of his paintings. This is what he wrote about them:

I have been trying to develop paintings in a consistent motif, consistent style, trying to use value and color to instill vitality into scenes. I'm trying to do that to use my paintings to help uplift peoples spirits. That's my goal. I'm not trying to make political statements, or to use paintings to create harsh, brooding, overly emotional and melodramatic sentiments. Quite the opposite. This world has enough things going on to bring people down. When I think of my clients, I want them to have paintings that hang on their walls that help to make them feel good, refreshed, invigorated.

I'm trying to get more brushstroke, more use of lighting, and of color to try and create vitality. I just want viewers to feel refreshed and energized when they see my works. Happy.

Painting 1 Frolicking in Maine, 16" x 20", Oil on Panel

Let me just say that this painting is wonderfully expressive and original. To me it looks as though you have a love for the area which is a huge asset in a painting. 

Now let's look at the fundamentals like composition and design, value and color quality, perspective, edges and brushwork.

I love the composition and how the boy running on the beach adds to the curve of the wave into the painting. Robert keeps the eye moving in this one with secondary interests like people on the beach as it curves around. It looks to be in the late afternoon light to me, with the pinkish warm undertones. Overall the composition and design was a good concept, but perhaps a lot of information to throw into one idea.

The design in painting is so important and it helps to try and keep it as simple as possible while telling your story. So maybe there is more than one story going on here?

It is really difficult to judge the values in a photograph, but they seem to be reading okay here. Perhaps you could find ways to create distance in a stronger way. Consider scaling the background houses down to a smaller size and toning down the value to be lighter and cooler? I would leave out the detail of the windows and just "suggest" them. The chimneys are not going to have a hard edge and will be much lighter. 

I like the light and shadow on the beach and the people. This is very well done.

I also like the warm light on the rocks. You really thought this through Robert. 

It appears to me that you are at a point in your paintings that you could start to consider your edges more seriously. Really look at what the edges are doing. Anything in the distance is very soft and things tend to blend into each other. The clouds are in the distance and seem somewhat out of perspective. The sky is like a big dome and clouds grow larger as they come closer to you. Clouds are also another opportunity to create a pleasing design shape. Try not to paint mounds of clouds but design something beautiful. Also keep them simple. I know this is just a lot of words, and I hope this is helpful anyway. 

Painting 2 Heading out, Thomas E. Lannon, 12" x 16", Oil on Panel

This is another very beautiful piece. Still maybe two stories going on, or three. The sailboat and the smaller boat is really plenty of information already. The reflections in the water are very nice. I like your brushwork here. The clouds seem to be taking the interest away from the focal point which would be the sails on the big sailboat. I would do away with the building in the back altogether. When I put my hand over it, the design is very pleasing.
Here is the thing. Design and concept are fundamental, especially in landscape pieces. Take time to decide what it is you want to say. This is the concept. It could be about the fisherman, about the sunset, the boats, the shadow and light. I know you want to tell the world about your beautiful Maine. But simple statements made with a melodic design of darks, lights and color will tell your story the best.

Painting 3  Maine Seascape, 12" x 16", Oil on Panel

Painting 4  Heading Out, 12" x 16", Oil on Panel

These two are my favorites. I'm glad you sent enough paintings for me to get a feel for your style and overall development. I like these two because they do tell a story, but in a simple and beautiful way. They make me want to visit Maine and sail in the waters there.
My suggestion to you Robert at this point is to be careful while copying from photos, and rely more on your own understanding of what is out there. Go out and paint small studies, many of them. Really spend time so you can develop your eyes to see what is really there. Look at the difference when you see something in the distance. Take time to paint small simple compositions. Then go back to your studio with your studies and spend more time developing your designs by sketching simple notan studies. Then paint value studies using black and white. Then paint your larger pieces using what you have learned along the way. 
You are doing a good deed, sharing your love of your area. I can feel it already in your paintings. And when you learn to create simple designs that can say it, you will really have something special.
Thank you for sharing these with me. I hope I have been able to say some things that will help. I know you will do well. You have the heart to do it. You have already done it in these last two pieces. So you know how. Bravo Robert.

To see more of Roberts work go to Robert's Blog

Finished a Little Paris Piece or Two...

Along the Seine, Paris
Oil on Linen   12 x 9"

Red Shoes Rule, Oil on Linen   10x10"

These two are probably going to Gallerie Amsterdam in a few weeks. I'm working to paint several new France pieces to take to Carmel. Having fun with these!

More France Studies....

I've decided to post a couple of studies in preparation for my upcoming workshop next weekend, "Painting Small to Large". I wanted to paint some samples to share with the class to help them understand my process..
These pieces are just very small, 8x6's and 8x10's that I will use to demonstrate painting a large painting from a small study. I painted them to decide on the value plan and color design that I plan to use.

 This is from a photo I took in Lagrasse, France. It is a beautiful ancient city with a working Abbey and an old bridge. I took the photo from the bridge. I wanted to paint this small and make decisions about the color plan for my larger painting.

 I painted this value study before I painted the color study, to plan my values in advance. I had a piece that I painted that day, but unfortunately it got carried away in a wind gust and was ruined.. I was painting inside the square and thought I was in a relatively safe spot. But one gust and that was it! It was very hot up on the bridge where I took this photo, with no shade. So, sometimes ya gotta go with a photo. I have to say though, that it is more difficult to paint from a photo without plenty of plein air experience.

This one is in Limoux. We walked across this bridge every day and I loved this view. If you want to learn how to make a small painting large, there's still time to join us next weekend at Patris Studio..

Whew! Now About France.....

It's been a bit overwhelming with all the art stuff going on in my life since my return from France. So if you've been waiting for more about the trip, I apologize...
I've got a large commission to finish, a workshop coming up and well, you know how it goes.
I had to share with you this photo of a painting That Nancy Flynn painted of me..

Nancy is part of a group called "Urban Sketchers" and has obviously honed her skills while painting with the gorup in her area of the world in Washington State. It is a nationwide group and something we should all do! Okay I'll just speak for myself on that one. But you can find their website here. http://www.urbansketchers.org/

I was painting a demonstration on a beautiful day on the grounds of an amazing hotel and restaurant called L'Odalisque in a small town only 9km from Limoux.  The owners have a long standing relationship with Montfaucon and are kind enough to allow us to roam the property and paint. Here there is a Medieval town square, old Roman ruins, a stunning Abbey ruins plus a beautiful garden area (on the hotel grounds). The Aude River is alongside the hotel and there is a wonderful view over the bridge that dates back to the 1600's.

This is just one of the many locations that Penny and Maive, our tour guides, had set up for us during our two week stay in the South of France. Penny Wilcox has been a part of Montfaucon tours for 6 years and basically runs the hotel, designs the tours and sees to our every need. Maive has been there for 4 years, speaks fluent French and also works hard for the groups that stay at Montfaucon. They are two amazing ladies. They escorted us to our painting locations each day. We were looking over the ruins into the river and bridge...

Now back to work for me....

Workshop Coming Soon..

Oil Painting Workshop

Small to Large

Sat. & Sun August 3^rd & 4^th

10-4:30

 Bring your small studies  and learn how to take them large. Use one or two  of your favorite plein air pieces (depending on your level of skill), and learn how to develop a plan for your larger piece. You may choose to paint the exact same scene if it was very successful  the first time, or re-design a stronger statement. From this design we will paint a new painting using our studies as a reference guide along with our newly developed design plan.

(If you don’t have a small piece to bring, you have time to paint a small study from a photograph or plein air..)

($50 deposit is required at registration - materials list will be provided after registration - class size is limited.)

Patris Studio and Gallery

3460 2^nd Avenue

Sacramento

916-397-8958

artist_patris@yahoo.com

$125.00

(e-mail or call Patris to register)

Randy Blasquez Artist Statement

As an artist I strive to create a painting that comes from the heart. It takes years of study to become a painter and I believe only then can you become an artist – one who creates. This is where my journey has taken me.

I believe that a successful painting has a certain lyrical or rhythmic quality that will catch your eye from across a room. While sketching out the design of the original concept, I look for this quality. The melody has to be found from a deep search within myself, digging into places that are not always comfortable. It is from this place that I can overcome the conceptual problems that may be interfering with what I am trying to say. I want my paintings to be an authentic expression of the heart and brain connection that comes through the creative process. Something needs to happen between myself and the painting. If I can stick with it through the struggle, the painting feels more genuine.

I love to begin a painting with thin transparent washes and end with heavy strokes of paint. All my paintings are approached from the abstract design, while being careful to keep that design strong through the finish of the piece. I am drawn to the simplicity of form and strive to keep the simple passages. There are two parts of my design: dark patterns to make a statement, and light patterns to create a musical element. My desire is that I will not over-describe my subject matter, but to express the idea or feeling in a strong way.

Eat, Paint, Love!

Well, I did return home on Saturday. The first few days back is always a little tough. I'm still getting settled and will post some photos from the trip later in the week. I have about 2000 to dig through.
The workshop was amazing. The group that joined me in Southern France were open and eager to dig in and learn, grow and break through into some new territory. And they did!
It feels amazing to have worked with these 9 students who had an incredible desire and drive to follow it through as we worked on several concepts in painting.
I am so grateful for them....

Some of us started with a few days exploring Paris. We then joined the remainder of our group in Limoux, France, located in the farthest part of Southern France..

We were treated to some amazingly beautiful and luxurious accommodations along with a private chef or two, 4 star restaurants and local wine and cheese. Also we were led by two expert guides through the region to discover the historic villages and oh, did I mention some incredibly beautiful painting spots?

Quite a few of the painters who joined me for this workshop were new to painting outdoors and adapted with grace to the unpredictable wind gusts and a little rain. 

I will be sharing with you in future posts more about the lessons in painting and some of the beautiful locations we were escorted to in order to eat, paint and learn... Hmm, which reminds me we are all now part of our own private sisterhood of the traveling sketchbook club..!  Maybe we should write a book called "Eat, Paint, Love".!!

Paris

Yesterday we took a walking tour of Montmartre. It was really fun and we learned a lot about the area. I had not visited the area in my previous trips. The weather is amazing and the group is so special. This morning we met our tour guide Penny who just happened to be in Paris. She will be picking us up from the train station in Toulouse on Saturday to begin our two weeks of painting, dining and visiting the sights of the region. Today we head out to the Musee' De La'Orangere' and the a boat tour down the Seine River. Tomorrow we take another walking tour called "Hemingway Tour"  and then a private tour of the Louvre'.

I'm already planning the workshop again next year. Heads up for 10 days the end of June!

The Plan

34th Street Corner  8 x 6"

Yesterday in my Tuesday class I did a demonstration en plein air. It was a beautiful day and I had scouted out a scene just outside the studio doors at Patris Studio and Gallery. I was rusty. I haven't been out there lately and well, I'm teaching a plein air workshop soon, so I needed to do it. My students thought I was doing it for them.. ha ha.
It was a perfect example of what happens when you pick a scene for the concept of painting the light and shadow, then the sun goes away and you are lost! Anyway, it was great practice for me and good for them too I hope..

I wrote an outline (that turned out to be kind of a book) for the people going to France with me and sent it out via email a couple of days ago. The thing is, it's seems it would be good for anybody not just the workshop. So I've decided to post it here.

Painting in the South of France 2013

Welcome. I wanted to provide you with an outline of some of the things we will be talking about these two weeks, as we trek out to paint the beautiful landscape of Southern France..I can’t imagine a better place to be while we immerse ourselves into the art of painting in plein air. Some of you have painted out of doors before, but for others, this will be a new experience.

Either way, I’m sure it will prove to be a life changing event. I believe the beauty of spending two whole weeks focused on painting this way will advance your skills in a huge way… For one thing, we don’t have the pressures of our home life, the kids, husbands, housework, grocery runs, work, etc., to take our attention away from our focus. And another thing, because we are working at this every day we are bound to grow in our appreciation of what we are observing while learning at the same time to really see it from a different point of view. 

Plan

While we have had our eyes to see from birth, we have become accustomed to taking for granted what we are looking at.. Our brains have a tendency to take over our eyes and our eyes get lazy. We have developed a habit of relying on what we “think” something looks like, and forgetting to just really look.

So, for the reasons I have stated above, I am going to ask you to try to learn to turn off what your brain may be telling you about what you are seeing. Instead, use your eyes to really observe..

To do this, it will take a commitment on your part  because it does not come naturally. Here are a few suggestions:

When we arrive at a location, don’t rush around thinking you will run out of time. Instead, leave your supplies while you take the time to walk around the area. Allow your breathing to slow down. Ask your heart to tell you where to stop and paint. If you think you may be in the right location, stay there for a few moments and breathe slowly. If you are not sure, just trust that it will be fine. As you get used to this it will come more naturally.

If I am doing a demonstration, just relax and put your set up out where you have decided to paint. Try not to talk too much. Just appreciate the beauty that surrounds you. 

Take your time getting started. Do a couple of notan sketches. Choose the best one to paint. Consider the format.

Decide what you like most about the scene. This will be your concept. Make a note of it. While painting, consider this to be what the painting is about. For example, the warm light on the distant trees, the light and shadow of the scene, the reflection of the water as it moves, the red poppies as they meander through the meadow, etc.

The above ideas are considered the plan. I believe that this stage, the planning stage, is the most important part of your painting experience. When you have a plan, the painting session is most likely to be successful. Don’t rush the plan.

Design

We will be getting down to the nuts and bolts of designing your work in a simplified manner to emphasize your idea and inspiration.   

Design is when you take your idea and put it into a composition. Composing, or Design, is the second most important part of painting and is part of the plan.

While here we will be doing a couple of exercises to help us learn to see better, to plan our painting and have a better design.

We will practice learning to see the values in our landscape by painting small black and white value studies. We can do this on paper or canvas, it is up to you and how you planned your supplies. Either way, these little studies will be tiny like our thumbnail pencil sketches. By using paint instead of the pencil, we will learn to stay out of the details, and just capture the initial idea or concept, and find the best design.

Color Mixing

We are using a double complementary palette while here. That means on our palettes we have a warmer and cooler version of the three primary colors on the color wheel.

Lay out your palette the same every day. Start with white at the lower left corner. Up the left side from there is yellow ochre, cad yellow medium, leave a space for orange, cad red light, rose, alizarin crimson, leave a space for violet in the corner at the top (approximately). From there move to the right across the top: ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, Pthalo blue, room for greens. At the top right start with transparent oxide red, then down the right with payne’s gray or black, and then your mixed grays.

Before you begin, mix your secondary colors in between the primaries.

Mix orange by starting with Cadmium Yellow, then add small amounts of warm red (Cad Red Light), until you reach a rich orange tone.

Mix a violet by using Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine blue for a striking and powerful violet. Add a little tiny bit of white so you can judge the mixture, checking to see that it is a violet and not too red or blue. While outdoors I most often will mix a more subtle violet if I am painting the mountain ranges. Start with Cobalt Blue, then add Cad Red Light to the mix a little at a time until you get a warm violet tone. Add a little white to it. Add ultramarine if it is too dull and needs more blue.

For your greens, I suggest you mix a warm and a cool and maybe a gray green. Start with Ultramarine Blue and add Cad Yellow for the warm green. Go cooler for the next one by starting with Ultramarine again and this time add a small (tiny) amount of Pthalo blue. For a grayish green mix Cobalt Blue with Yellow Ochre. You can adjust these with more yellow or more blue to get what you want. You may just want to stick with one or two greens at a time, unless your scene has many greens.

For wonderful harmonious results in your painting, mix these secondary piles with each other to get wonderful grays. My favorite mix for painting the distance in a landscape is to mix the dull or subtle violet with one of the greens… Add primary color to get more colorful grayed out mixes.

Then mix your gray values. You will want at least two, but three is better. A middle gray, light grey and dark gray. Begin mixing your middle by starting with a large pile of white, add black a little at a time until you reach the correct value. Check with me at this point. From here, use some of your middle gray and add more black to get the dark gray. For the light gray start again with white, ad a tiny amount of black. You may also use your gray piles of light, middle and dark paint to adjust values of your paint piles.

Light

Check the lighting conditions. Where is the sun coming from? Where is it headed? Place your umbrella directly at the sun. Try to get your panel and palette in the same light if possible. If you have the opportunity to paint in a shaded area, make sure it is not dappled light or that it is creating a silhouette condition.

In your painting, same thing goes. Where is the direction of the light? Look for light and shadow.. Consider that in the outdoors the shadows aren’t as dark as you think. They are usually colorful with a combination of warm and cool, but with cool dominating. The cool of the shadow will contrast with the warm of the sun.

In the light areas look for brilliant color, using warm against cool, but with warm dominating. The warm light comes from the sun and the cool tones come from the blue of the sky.

Seeing Values

I spend a lot of time in my classes talking about value. If you don’t learn to see and identify the values in your scene you will struggle with color and the painting will not hold a strong design.

When we pre-mix our palette, I will ask you to make three piles of gray using black (Payne’s Gray) and White. We will name them – LIGHT – MIDDLE – DARK. We will most often paint our scene in value first, then color. Please believe me, this will make for more success.

Notan

Why do certain paintings gain acclaim? The answer is most likely the harmonious arrangement of dark and light that creates an impression of beauty, regardless of the colors used or the subject matter. This is called “notan” from the Japanese word that means “dark/light harmony”.

Use no more than three values of gray plus black and white for your NOTAN painting. Your notan painting is what you do to learn how to create a solid design for your painting. When you paint the scene again , the color study, you will use the values that you designed while creating your notan study.

After you do it a few times, it will become a good habit to use with all of your paintings. Again, planning a strong design is the only way to start each one.

Color Study

I have asked you to bring small canvas panels because I want to concentrate our efforts on painting studies. A study is just that, a practice piece to use as reference for larger paintings. When you paint a lot of studies, you learn a lot!

We can capture the essence of a scene with more than enough information by painting small. This way we will have time to paint more than one painting in any location. You will learn to paint faster. You will learn to stay out of the details.

When you walk into a gallery or museum, and you spot a painting from across the room and you are drawn to it, it is because the artist captured the essence of a scene in a masterful way. The science behind this is that our eyes are drawn to the dark and light patterns of the painting that create the design. A strong design is created by using a dark pattern in your painting, in a lyrical way that is put together or composed in a way that is beautiful. A strong design will attract our eye from across the room.

We will be practicing this design concept with our black and white notan paintings and then we will incorporate that design into our color studies. 

Shapes

Begin your color study by toning the canvas. I like to use a very transparent warm color. After this you will lightly sketch the basic design of your painting using the notan as reference to find the no more than seven to ten shapes.

Shapes are what divide the painting when you squint. You must squint in order to “see” what to paint. Every artist paints shapes. What makes this difficult for the beginner again is that our eyes don’t naturally see this. We see the whole of what is in front of us, but we must squint in order to divide the value shapes.

Mixing “Mother Colors”

After the design process we will be ready to pre-mix our paint colors for our painting. We will be mixing approximately 5 of the general or “mother” colors and values for the design we’ve created already.

Start with the darkest value shape. Squint at the whole of the shape. This will bring the variations of color and value within that shape into one value color. This is what you are aiming for when you mix.

Start with the color on your palette that is closest to what you want. Take time here to get what you want. If the value is wrong, the painting won’t read correctly. You need to match the value as best you can. But also consider that we are outside you will have to just get as close as you can while remembering that everything will look lighter out there. So lean on the idea of going darker than what you might think. “When in doubt, go slightly darker”, is my motto.

Moving on from the darkest shape, mix your middle values. Compare the value to the darker pile you have already mixed. The middle key colors will have more color or chroma. Then mix your lights. Consider that the lights that we call our “mother colors”, are not the lightest light in the painting. The darks are not the darkest darks. We call them our “mother colors”, because it is a starting point for your painting, a general or overall value and color for the “shape” you have designed..

Now paint your shapes, using just paint, no medium and a dry brush. Keep the paint thin and vary your brushstrokes, leaving some of the tone underneath. This is called the “block in”.

Apply the Paint!

Now that you have covered the canvas, take a break and observe your painting as a whole. Step back and use your mirror. Are your shapes and values working? Make adjustments.

Now you will really lay it on thick. Go for bold. Use the piles you have mixed, but mix your variations next to them, using the pile as a base for your mixes.  Use the correct value, but make it more colorful. Adjust values and temperature.

Finally, the Highlights and Accents

This is the finish. Think about the concept of your painting and paint the final lights and darks. Say what you want to say here with the focal point. Use plenty of paint.

Remember, the light strokes will guide the viewer’s eye through the painting so look for a pattern of light. Also remember that the dark shape is the foundation of your painting that will say “beautiful” if the design of the shape is lyrical and flows nicely. 

New Workshop "Small to Large"

Next month, my class will be painting many small studies of the beautiful flower fields and castle topped hills of the Languedoc Region in the South of France. When we return, I've decided to teach a workshop about how to take those small studies and paint them large.

Of course, this course is not just for those who are going to France, but for anybody who wants to learn how to take a smaller painting and paint it big. If you don't have a small study that you want to use, go out and paint one. You have two months!

Send me an e-mail or post with your questions, but contact Patris for registration and more information.

Oil Painting Workshop

Small to Large

Sat. & Sun August 3^rd & 4^th

10-4:30

Patris Studio and Gallery

3460 2^nd Avenue

Sacramento

916-397-8958

artist_patris@yahoo.com

$125.00

(e-mail or call Patris to register)

Bring your small studies  and learn how to take them large. Use one or two  of your favorite plein air pieces (depending on your level of skill), and learn how to develop a plan for your larger piece. You may choose to paint the exact same scene if it was very successful  the first time, or re-design a stronger statement. From this design we will paint a new painting using our studies as a reference guide along with our newly developed design plan.

($50 deposit is required at registration - materials list will be provided after registration - class size is limited.)