Different Strokes Painting - NOT

Nope. I didn't make time to paint the latest DSDF subject. You'd think 3 weeks time frame would be plenty of time to get to it, but it just didn't happen this time. I think this might be the first I have missed since it started last fall.

Wow, I just had to go back to Karin's site to see how long she's offered this challenge, and the first was last September! I didn't participate in the first one, but every one since... until this week. I guess I shouldn't feel guilty.

I've been a bit sidetracked with other artistic outlets... my weekly plein air group on Saturdays, and just started a new painting class with one of the guys in the plein air group on Monday nights. He's formed a small class of 4 students and he is helping us with oil or acrylic painting. I don't think I have ever used oil paints, so figured I'd give it a shot since the Saturday painters seem to have so much fun with oils (and they can continue to paint if it rains, while I sit in the car, keeping my pastels dry....).

I was going to wait to post some of my progress in the class, but figure you might be interested in seeing what's going on. I know there are features that I haven't correctly shaped or colored yet, but I'm taking my time. I think I've made pretty good progress so far. I'd like to finish this one up this weekend, so that next Monday I can begin something else.

Reference Photo:

Week One Progress:

Week Two Progress:

Plein Air Saturday - Jeffrey Mansion Park

Plein air group met at Jeffrey Mansion Park in Bexley today. What an interesting place! Again, it was a dreary rainy day. I only had about 45 minutes to work on my piece (in between sitting in the car due to the rain), so didn't get very far and its not a very good photo.

This tree had very interesting leaves -dusty green variegated with PINK! Wow. A couple of the last photos in this post might show the leaves better. (As always, click on the photo to enlarge.)

Plein Air Saturday - Lower Hoover Dam

Today, the plein air group met in Westerville, below Hoover Reservoir dam. It was a cold dreary day for July! It was about 65 degrees with angry clouds. After we finished, it poured most of the afternoon.

Here are a few views of the area:


Here is my finished painting. It was hard to capture the clouds in the photographs, but my painting really nails it. Again, we were painting in an area with greens, greens and more Ohio greens....

'Hoover Path', 8x 10, soft pastels on suede mat board

Plein Air Saturday - Coffman Homestead

"Coffman Homestead Catalpa", 8 x 10, soft pastels on suede mat board

Saturday, my plein air group met in Dublin Ohio. Some of the group painted in old Dublin, but a few of us painted in the Coffman homestead park. I wanted to paint this great catalpa tree, with its 'cigars' hanging down. Catalpas are one of my favorite trees.

It was a dreary overcast day and after about an hour or so of painting, the thunder started and it poured all day long. I didn't get my painting done while there, but finished it today. I had originally drawn in the garden gates, but I couldn't capture them, so rubbed them out. Obviously, I tend to paint a bit more yellow than reality. To me, my final painting reminds me of the south, with a high key color and this could almost be interpreted as a live oak with spanish moss.

Worthington Pastel #2

Worthington Square Flowers, 8 x 10 soft pastels on suede mat board.

My final entry for the Worthington note card fundraiser. Next week the entries are due and will be judged and awarded.

Below shows the final painting on the left along with the photograph (although I chopped off the right side of the photo in this view).

Pastel - Everal Homestead Path

'Everal Homestead Path', 8 x 10 soft pastel on suede mat board

I'm having lots of fun painting these dappled shadows in the last few pastel paintings. The photo used for this painting was taken a month or so ago while I was out on a bike ride. I used the camera on my cellphone, and am surprised at the quality of the photos from the phone.

Below shows the pastel on the left and the photo on the right. I obviously changed a few things. I am pretty happy how this one turned out.

Different Strokes Painting - Rower

'Rower at Rest', 8 x 10, Chroma acrylics on gessoed mat board

Here's my latest entry into Karin's Different Strokes for Different Folks challenge. This worked up pretty quickly and although there are areas that bother me, it was telling me it was done, so I stopped!

Worthington Pastels

Today, I worked on some paintings that I hope will be good enough to be included in a fundraiser for the Worthington Area Art League. Members were asked to create artwork which included scenes from Worthington to be recreated in 4.25 x 5.5 inch note cards. The selection committee will be meeting in mid-July.

The first one I really like. This is a view of the village square. I took the photo a couple weeks ago when the plein air group painted there.

'Worthington Village Pine', 8 x 10, soft pastels on suede mat board

The photo is below:

Below is a photograph of a historic home on the square. I'm sorry, I don't know the history of it, but I know it is a well known home that everyone can recognize by the teal blue paint.

Here is my version. I'm not too sure if I will enter this one. Its kinda juvenile. I'm not strong on painting architecture. This was painted on another piece of the golden mat board coated with clear gesso.

'The Blue House', 10 x 8, soft pastels on gold mat board coated with clear gesso.

Plein Air Saturday - Pickerington Ponds Park

Today my plein air group met at Pickerington Ponds Park. It was a lovely day - comfortable temperature, light breeze, bright bright sun. Most of us setup under the cover of one of the observation boardwalks. This made it convenient, but it almost gave us 'snow blindness', looking out into the reflections on the water. I felt like I was painting back in the dark, and I overcompensated by painting a garish painting.

Pickerington Pond Marsh, 8 x 10 soft pastel on suede mat board

For my second painting, I decided to just do a very loose quick study. I had a piece of goldenrod colored mat board, which I had previously coated with clear gesso. This also gave the board a slightly gritty surface. Not as rough as a sanded surface like Wallis paper, but just enough to give it some interesting texture.

I decided to give this clump of marsh grasses a bit more color.

I didn't blend anything, and scumbled the pastel on the top of the board's texture (completely different than my usual technique). I really like this piece. I felt like I was able to finish quickly without overworking it. Be sure to click on the picture for a larger view.

Pickerington Marsh Grass, 8 x 10 soft pastel on clear gesso coated goldenrod mat board

If you look closely, you can see glimpses of the goldenrod mat board.

Self Portraits

I was thinking of participating in David Lobenberg's Self Portrait Global Love In blog, so played around with a pastel and an acrylic painting this weekend. Hard enough taking a digital photo of yourself, but harder still to paint it correctly!

I like this one the best of the two (this is the one I took my own digital picture), but I don't think the painting looks like me. The eyes are too big and the nose too small. This one is pastels on suede mat board. This one is another story. I love the photo of me, but the acrylic painting is WAY off. YUCK. The drawing is not even close, and I had little luck controling the paint today. I used standard acrylic paints, not the Chroma brand today. Maybe that was the difference in my brushstrokes. This was a piece of golden color mat board primed with clear gesso as an experiment. One of my plein air friends uses clear gesso on colored mat board for his toned surfaces since they are lighter to carry than hardboard panels.

I'll probably play around this week more before I decide to send anything to David.

Plein Air Saturday - Antrim Pk

'Antrim Willow' - 5 x 7 Soft pastels on velour paper

My setup with completed painting and my view.

Today, the plein air group met at Antrim Park in Worthington. It was a humid, blustery day. We had a sheltered spot in the shade. We had a smaller group today, maybe 10-12 artists.

Here are a few more shots of the area:

Channeling McGyver’s Artistic Side

I had so much fun constructing the pastel trays several weeks ago, I decided to play again and made a table easel. I made this from one sheet of foam core board, Liquid Nails, white duct tape and clear contact paper, much like McGyver might do!

I prefer to sit to paint and didn’t like my standard wood table easel. This new one is very sturdy even though its as light as a feather. I put the clear contact paper on the flat area.

As you can see in the photos, I have put a slim piece of foam core board underneath the painted panel to lift it up off the ledge just a bit. This might be helpful when painting the bottom edge.

(I’m still trying to figure out this Windows Live Writer software…)

New Picture and Live Writer

Here is a better photo of my painting which shows the background and shadows better.

I am also playing around with the Windows Live Writer blogging layout software which I just downloaded tonight. I’ve added a mirror reflection using this software.