Facebook Post from Dan McCaw A painting should say as much about the artist as the subject he or she is painting. I exaggerated and simplified.... I will try anything that will help better express my own voice, for me its all about the search. You should never paint a truth that is not your own, the journey is to find your own truth. It exists within all of us, the model is only our excuse to search for it

beginning  by Randy Blasquez

I love today's post from one of my favorite artists....  Dan McCaw
We are all on this journey, to find our own truth in paint. I love this!
I want to express my truth. Oh how much easier said than done. This is where I am in my own journey. In the beginning, I was a copy cat. I painted mostly from photos, or should I say I copied from them. I did not learn from this much in the way of good art, but more in the way of how NOT to paint. This was a good lesson.
Now I teach what I want to learn. To SEE the truth and express that truth to the best of our ability. I wish it didn't take so long to get that into my brush.....

Another Study

Still Life Paradise

Lately, been working on some still life studies at the studio. I've never really gone to the trouble to set up elaborate table scenes, so it is a new  experience that I am enjoying very much. For now I am going for exciting color combinations with good light direction and design. I know it is time to be outside painting plein air, finally, but I have had some health issues to deal with, and a request for some still life paintings. So, it all works out.

I will be going to the Horten Iris Farm again this year for one day if I can. Some friends are coming along. I always enjoy painting the irises. I will have some in my own garden here soon as well. I planted some bulbs from Horton a couple years ago and they are growing like crazy. More for my still life set ups.......

I just finished a commission piece of Lake Tahoe for my friends Pat and Diane. My lesson for today is to do your studies first, and the large piece goes so much more smoothly!

I am going to get to work now, so I can post some still life studies for you..........

Dreama's Daily Paintings and Writings: "Momma Said There'd Be Days Like This"

Dreama's Daily Paintings and Writings: "Momma Said There'd Be Days Like This"

Windy Day at Point Lobos

I've always wanted to paint this area. I love the cliffs and the shapes of the trees. This is just a fun little piece I painted a few weeks back. 6 x 6"

This piece has been donated to help the victims of the disaster in Japan. Go to:
http://dailypaintworks.com/Challenge    to learn more about this program. It was a wonderful idea put together by David Marine and Keiko Tanabe.

Remembering Sergei Bongart

This is a replica I painted as a demo in one of my art classes at the School of Light and Color. I wasn't so sure about having the class copy a painting from a master using a photograph at first, but it has done wonders to loosen everybody up and has helped us to understand how to apply paint to the canvas. Many beginners want to "lick" the canvas with their brush until there is no paint left.
I'm looking forward to our next project - maybe some of this will stick.
Below are some of the pieces from our class on Tuesday night. The above painting was from the Wednesday class.

They all did a truly amazing job on these. Very exciting!

Pacific Grove Pics

I have missed you! Been busy traveling and getting organized for this year with shows, workshops, and lot's more. Life has been good. I am hoping to have a workshop in Pacific Grove later this year, so I HAD to make a trip and pick out some spots. It rained for two days, but finally, sunshine. Then this past weekend my family and I made another trip to San Francisco and toured the Academy of Art University for the second time, getting ready for my daughter to be a student in the future. My son and his wife and my granddaughter also went and it was wonderful to share time with all of them. My son is also an artist and his wife in the business, so we had fun with the tour.

I will put out a newsletter soon with the events that are coming up. Soon I will post a little more about Sergei Bongart. In my art classes at the School of Light and Color, we are painting a copy of a Sergei still life painting. I forgot to get pictures last week, but wanted to share our progress. All the students are doing wonderfully! It has been another eye opener for all of us. I noticed how much it has helped to "loosen up" some of the students brush strokes and that is huge!

I will post some pictures later this week but for now just wanted to share some beautiful sunset photos of Pacific Grove, enjoy......

new one just started, from Pacific Grove....

This is a large one, 30 x 40 I think. I am enjoying the use of color and am somewhat letting the design come along as I go. I have so many pics from my trip to Pacific Grove last November to study with Ovanes Berberian. He really stressed the use of "juicy color". That doesn't mean that he didn't use grays. I think the use of grays in his work is his genius. This day was overcast, but with some clearing later in the morning. I wanted to start with plenty of color though, and then decide how much to leave in. I still have some major decisions to make here, one being how much light to bring into it. That is the challenge with the cloudy weather. The rocks on the right had some light on them, so I will try to keep the water beyond them nice and rich in color. The rocks on the left are darker, so the water beyond will be lighter. At least that is my thinking right now.
I took the picture because I needed to break away from it for a while, and see it from another viewpoint. Most of the time when I take a photograph at first glance I will see glaring problem. It is the same concept as using a mirror. Just taking a break works well too.
I'm excited to take another trip with a friend of mine next weekend to paint in this area again plein air. I fell in love with the Pacific Grove. It is a little sleepy town near Monterey with an amazing coastline walking distance from the little hotels in the area. Much less expensive than Carmel, but close enough to drop in for some gallery visits and shopping. I'll come back with some painting studies for some more larger pieces. I just got some new 36 x 48 inch canvases so here goes!
Have a nice Valentine's Day weekend.....

still working on this one...

final after some friendly suggestions...

View from Aurel, Provence

This painting was kinda fun. An exercise in atmospheric perspective to be sure, but I couldn't get away with using a lot of cool colors while doing it. I'm not sure it is really done yet. Do you see anything that would help me finish it up? A lot of the time I take photos so I can see the problems with a painting. I'd appreciate your suggestions. I need to finish it up and get it to a show in about a week....

Frank Ordaz Studio & Gallery in Auburn CA

 

Ordaz Gallery 

530-906-0716
843 Lincoln Way
Auburn Ca 95603

I've recently added a few pieces to Ordaz Gallery -a great little gallery with a lot of Frank's beautiful works and a few other artists as well. I'll have my artwork there for a couple of months and there is plenty more to see and enjoy in the gallery as well as the little town of Auburn. Read more about Frank below and stop by and enjoy!

 

Auburn Journal 2010
by Michael Kirby
 
“I enjoy people. If you’re going to be good at portraits, you have to like people,” said artist Frank Ordaz.
Ordaz recently moved into a studio space he shares with Mike Maydak on Lincoln Way. He is a friendly and easygoing guy, quirky, talkative and engaging.
He is excited by the energy of the Downtown scene, and not just the art, but the people and businesses.
Having spent the last few years working out of a studio in his home in Auburn doing mostly commissioned work, Ordaz is jazzed about being out in town.
He is a fine art portrait painter and illustrator. Working in oils, Ordaz has the talent to capture a subject’s personality in his work and shares time, talking with every person he paints, waiting for the hint, the secret that is always revealed in time that exposes their inner person, that vulnerability and insight into his subject that Ordaz wants to capture.
The 53 year-old Ordaz was raised in East Los Angeles by creative and hard-working parents and admits that as a child art was a retreat for him.
He often spent many hours in his room to avoid the harshness of his neighborhood’s environment.
“I was small and skinny and someone was always messing with me. With my art I could create my own world, I could control it. It was safe and beautiful,” he said.
From age 10 Ordaz studied with famed California master artist Theodore Lukits, a renowned art instructor.
Ordaz attended the University of Southern California on an art scholarship. After two years he then transferred to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena to study illustration.
Upon graduation in 1980 Ordaz was highly recommended for a job with Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), working for filmmaker George Lucas in Northern California. There Ordaz did background matte paintings for specialized movie production effects and worked on films like “ET”, “The Wrath of Khan”, “Return of the Jedi” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, rubbing shoulders with well-known actors, musicians, directors and working with a talented production staff.
Ordaz even had a small bit part in Indiana Jones. He won an Emmy for his work as part of a team of artists working on the 1985 television movie, “Ewok — The Battle of Endor.”
Leaving movie work, and self-employed, his award-winning paintings and illustrations have been used in a line of Christian books, professional sports posters, specialty greeting cards and even a line of jigsaw puzzles.
Ordaz produced a painting that the George W. Bush White House used for their Easter egg hunt. Ordaz’s painting was used on the invitations, official program, posters and tickets for the annual event. Ordaz and his family were invited to the egg hunt, met and spent time with the first family.
He is currently involved in a portrait project for the U.S. Air Force, and teaching painting classes for children and adults along with painting portraits for clients out of his new studio Downtown.
“I feel this is what I’m supposed to be doing now, and where I’m supposed to be,” Ordaz said. Ordaz lives in Auburn with his wife and family.

 Ordaz Gallery opened in 2010 by artist Frank Ordaz. He has a very informative and entertaining blog at http://frankordaz.blogspot.com 

On the Easel this week & Irwine Greenberg Art Quotes

I started a couple of new paintings yesterday and got the basic block in finished. Now it is time to add atmosphere and color. I will post my progress when I get back to them later in the week.



A while back Robert Genn posted these quotes from Irwin Greenberg. Good Stuff....
Read them and be challenged!

Irwin Greenberg Art Quotes

1. Paint every day.
2. Paint until you feel physical strain- take a break and then paint some more.
3. Suggest.
4. When at an impasse, look at the work of masters.
5. Buy the best materials you can afford.
6. Let your enthusiasm show.
7. Find the way to support yourself.
8. Be your own toughest critic.
9. Develop a sense of humor about yourself
10. Develop the habit of work. Start early every day. When you take a break, don’t eat. Instead, drink a glass of water.
11. Don’t settle for yourself at your mediocre level
12. Don’t allow yourself to be crushed by failure. Rembrandt had failures. Success grows from failure.
13. Be a brother (or sister) to all struggling artists.
14. Keep it simple.
15. Know your art equipment and take care of it.
16. Have a set of materials ready wherever you go.
17. Always be on time for work, class and appointments.
18. Meet deadlines. Be better than your word.
19. Find a mate who is really a mate.
20. Don’t be envious of anyone who is more talented than you. Be the best you can be.
21. Prizes are nice, but the real competition is with your performance yesterday.
22. Give yourself room to fail and fight like hell to achieve.
23. Go to sleep thinking about what you’re going to do first thing tomorrow.
24. Analyze the work of great painters. Study how they emphasize and subordinate.
25. Find out the fewest material things you need to live.
26. Remember: Michelangelo was once a helpless baby. Great works are the result of heroic struggle.
27. There are no worthwhile tricks in art; find the answer.
28. Throw yourself into each painting heart and soul.
29. Commit yourself to a life in art.
30. No struggle, no progress.
31. Do rather than don’t.
32. Don’t say “I haven’t the time.” You have as much time everyday as the great masters.
33. Read. Be conversant with the great ideas.
34. No matter what you do for a living, nurture your art.
35. Ask. Be hungry to learn.
36. You are always the student in a one-person art school. You are also the teacher of that class.
37. Find the artists who are on your wavelength and constantly increase that list.
38. Take pride in your work.
39. Take pride in yourself.
40. No one is a better authority on your feelings than you are.
41. When painting, always keep in mind what your picture is about.
42. Be organized.
43. When you’re in trouble, study the lives of those who’ve done great things.
44. “Poor me” is no help at all.
45. Look for what you can learn from the great painters, not what’s wrong with them.
46. Look. Really look.
47. Overcome errors in observing by exaggerating the opposite.
48. Critics are painters who flunked out.
49. Stay away from put-down artists.
50. If you’re at a lost for what to do next, do a self-portrait.
51. Never say “I can’t.” It closes the door to potential development.
52. Be ingenious. Howard Pyle got his start in illustrating by illustrating his own stories.
53. All doors open to a hard push.
54. If art is hard, it’s because you’re struggling to go beyond what you know you can do.
55. Draw everywhere and all the time. An artist is a sketchbook with a person attached.
56. There is art in any endeavor done well.
57. If you’ve been able to put a personal response into your work, others will feel it and they will be your audience.
58. Money is OK, but it isn’t what life is about.
59. Spend less than you earn.
60. Be modest; be self-critical, but aim for the highest.
61. Don’t hoard your knowledge, share it.
62. Try things against your grain to find out just what your grain really is.
63. Inspiration doesn’t come when you are idle. It comes when you have steeped yourself in work.
64. Habit is more powerful than will. If you get in the habit of painting every day, nothing will keep you from painting.
65. There are three ways to learn art: Study life, people and nature. Study the great painters. Paint.
66. Remember, Rembrandt wasn’t perfect. He had to fight mediocrity.
67. Don’t call yourself an artist. Let others name you that. “Artist” is a title of great weight.
68. Be humble; learn from everybody.
69. Paintings that you work hardest at are the ones you learn the most from, and are often your favorites.
70. Read values relatively. Find the lightest light and compare all other light values to it. Do the same with the darks.
71. Grit and guts are the magic ingredients to your success.
72. Let your picture welcome the viewer.
73. Add new painters to your list of favorites all the time.
74. Study artists who are dealing with the same problems that you’re trying to solve.
75. Have a positive mind-set when showing your work to galleries.
76. Don’t look for gimmicks to give your work style. You might be stuck with them for life. Or, worse yet, you might have to change your “style” every few years.
77. If what you have to say is from your deepest feelings, you’ll find an audience that responds.
78. Try to end a day’s work on a picture knowing how to proceed the next day.
79. Don’t envy others success. Be generous-spirited and congratulate whole-heatedly.
80. Your own standards have to be higher and more scrupulous than those of critics.
81. Pyle said, “Throw your heart into a picture and jump in after it.”
82. Vermeer found a life’s work in the corner of a room.
83. Rembrandt is always clear about what is most important in a picture.
84. If, after study, the work of an artist remains obscure, the fault may not be yours.
85. Critics don’t matter. Who cares about Michelangelo’s critics?
86. Structure your day so you have time for painting, reading, exercising and resting.
87. Aim high, beyond your capacity.
88. Try not to finish too fast.
89. Take the theory of the “last inch” holds that as you approach the end of a painting, you must gather all your resources for the finish.
90. Build your painting solidly, working from big planes to small.
91. See the planes of light as shapes, the planes of shadows as shapes. Squint your eyes and find the big, fluent shapes.
92. Notice how, in a portrait, Rembrandt reduces the modeling of clothes to the essentials, emphasizing the head and the hands.
93. For all his artistic skills, what’s most important about Rembrandt is his deep compassion.
94. To emphasize something means that the other parts of a picture must be muted.
95. When painting outdoors, sit on your hands and look before starting.
96. Composing a picture, do many thumbnails, rejecting the obvious ones.
97. Study how Rembrandt creates flow of tone.
98. If you teach, teach the individual. Find out when he or she is having trouble and help at that point.
99. Painting is a practical art, using real materials -- paints, brushes, canvas, paper. Part of the practicality of it is earning a living in art.
100. Finally, don’t be an art snob. Most painters I know teach, do illustrations, or work in an art-related field. Survival is the game.

A Study in Complementary Colors

Hi all, just wanted to post this study from last week's class. I did a demo for the beginning oil painting class at the School of Light and Color in Fair Oaks, California.

Oh! It was such a beautiful day today and yesterday was quite nice. Finally some good weather here. Yesterday I finally took our two little doggies on a walk. It just about killed me to stay in the studio but I had to work on some paintings for a gallery drop off tomorrow.

Have a great weekend!

Keep Your Brushes Like New!

I use a product I found through my lovely plein air teacher, Brigitte Curt. This product is amazing. The best part is that it is ecologically safe and harmless to your brushes. It even gets out dried oil paint in your brushes and clothes. This means I don't have to make all my clothes into paint clothes, ha! I will tell you how to use it on your clothes and dried up brushes that you thought you'd have to throw away at the bottom of this post. But first, let's go through my procedure for regular brush cleaning.

I have a little bucket that I put a small amount of Brush Flush into.

Now I take my first brush that I've been using all week, just cleaning off between paintings in the odorless mineral spirits. This means it is NOT clean. It is only a little cleaned off from the mineral spirits. Then it usually will sit around until I make time to do the real cleaning.

Now, dip your brush into the Brush Flush and get it saturated well.

Next, take a leftover kitchen sponge and wipe your brush into it, back and forth. You will be amazed how much paint is still in your brush.

Rinse, and repeat until the brush and suds are paint free.

I will put the brush and sponge right under the warm running water to rinse.

Then wipe to make sure all the paint is removed.

Now your brush is clean. It might be stained, but the paint has been removed and your brush will last you! Wipe it dry, gently.

Lie flat on an absorbent surface.

After you have cleaned all your brushes, dip your fingers into the Brush Flush. Now wipe your brush with your fingers, shaping it.

Squeeze the tip, and the hairs will stick together and dry correctly.

Give them a day to dry in a sunny place if your can. If the paint is dry because you forgot to clean it at all, just saturate the brush hairs with the Brush Flush and let is set for a day, dip again, loosen into the soap and let it set again. When the hairs are nice and soft, follow the above directions.

If you have dried paint on your clothes, pour a little Brush Flush into the paint, scrub, and let set. Repeat until the paint loosens up. Then wash as unusual.

I am a Brush Flush distributor and sell it to my students for $12.95 for the 32 oz size. This will last a long time and save your brushes. If you want to order from the company it is $9.95 plus tax and shipping. About the same price in the end.

Happy painting!

i love this....

New Years Resolution

Nick

by Randy Blasquez

I am posting this blog from Fine Art Views, a wonderful newsletter for artists, hosted by my website provider, Fine Art Views Online. I relate to what Keith Bond wrote in a huge way, and this year I want to actually submit some entries - fear of rejection or not. Keith is a great artist and you can view his work at
http://keithbond.com/blog
It's worth the read.......and I'll keep you posted as to my progress, but I want to commit to entering at least 4 shows....


I Have a Problem

by Keith Bond

This article is by Keith Bond, Regular contributing writer for FineArtViews. You should submit an article and share your views as a guest author by clicking here.
I have a problem. I’m sure none of you have this same condition. But let me warn you just in case…

You see, there are a bunch of shows that I have wanted to submit to for several years. Most of the deadlines pass me by, though, without having entered. Year after year, I plan to, but never do. There are several reasons, but mostly they are just excuses.

Let me try to explain.

Let’s say show “A” has a submission date of January 1 each year. I always think that I will set aside my best work to submit to the show. If I do a better work during the year, then I will set it aside instead and do something else with the previous painting. Inevitably, though, I need a painting for something else and steal the one I was saving. Before you know it, mid December rolls around and I don’t have much to choose from. I have a few paintings, but nothing spectacular. So I try to rush something for the show. Sometimes I get a good one, but often I don’t – because it was forced. So, another year passes and I didn’t submit for the show.

Other shows only require a portfolio. I don’t even have to keep the paintings around. I just have to get them photographed. But, again, I keep thinking that I’ll get something better with the next painting. Then I get busy doing other work for other things. Before you know it, the due date has passed and I didn’t submit anything.

So, I’ve identified a couple problems with my method.

1. I am not very organized.
2. I procrastinate.
3. I suffer from “The Next Painting Will Be Better Syndrome”.

Like I said, none of you have this problem. But in the unlikely case you contract this rare condition, what can be done?

Well, the first thing is to get organized. Whether you use an index card system, file system, computer software for artists [1], spreadsheet software, a dry erase board, a clipboard, or an array of post-it notes on your easel; find something that works for you. If your current method is not working, try something else. If it’s bad enough, consider getting some help. I probably should, but I always think “later.” [2]

Getting organized will help with the next problem. With an organized system in place, procrastination can be attacked head on. But how could you try to conquer procrastination if you are so unorganized that you don’t even know what you’re missing? Hmmm…sounds way too familiar. But, I am getting better. It helps to have the upcoming deadlines in a place where they can easily and often be seen.

But, then there is the dreaded “The Next Painting Will Be Better Syndrome”. I think most artists suffer from this to one degree or another. If we didn’t think the next one will be better, then why would we try? The trick, though, is to recognize the ones that are good. Choose the best and then submit those. Sometimes they are good enough, sometimes not. But if you always wait for the next one, you’ll never submit anything.

So, in short:

Get Organized.
Quit Procrastinating.
Choose from the Best Works.

Best Wishes,
Keith

[1] If any of you have used software for artists, please share your experience. I have never used any, but many (including myself) would like to know how well these programs suit your needs (or don’t).

[2] In my own defense, though, I am not this unorganized when I have made a commitment. In those cases, I make sure to deliver on my promises. It’s only for these opportunities where it doesn’t matter to anyone but me whether I get it done. Maybe there is a 4th reason. Fear?
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FUN WITH BETSY

Fun with Betsy   Oil on Linen Board   20x16"

Available