Second Look

Why take a second look, gentle reader? Oh let me share the ways. But first, I will welcome new readers to this blog and post. OK?

Transitions

Welcome! Each year, I select a theme for my weekly paintings. This year’s theme is Transitions. I am expanding on last year’s theme. 2021’s theme was “Small Spaces Special Places“. Since we were all spending a lot of time in or close to home last year, it made sense to me to keep paintings small and simple.

Why Transitions? So many reasons. Here are one or two. I plan to transition to larger paintings this year. In fact, the first painting I posted this year was huge (for me.) It measures 8×24″…wowza. Here’s the painting and post for that week. Second, I am focusing on transitions within my painting process, too. This includes transitions from light to dark. Something I love to think about as I compose a painting. I also love to think about the negative space around an object. An example of this is the painting I shared two weeks ago called “Blowing in the Wind.”

I’m also trying some new processes that I have never done before including glazing. I’ll share more about that process once I have some results worth sharing. In the meantime, there’s lots of painting going on here.

So there you have it! The scoop on transitions as the theme for 2022.

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Why Second Look

There are several reasons why I called this week’s post “second look.” First, we’re going to look at a painting I am working on. I shared it last week. Then I’ll share a painting materials that I’m surprised to be enjoying. And, last I’ll share some notes from a workshop I took over the weekend and, separately, a painter in history that I am revisiting. How’s that for about a gazillion second looks?

Anyway, here’s the painting I continue to work on.

In this part of the painting, the abstract shapes are starting to look like rocks now. Yay! I got some really helpful suggestions about how to revise these painterly rocks from a top notch artist, Adriano Farinella. Check out his fantastic paintings here.

Another Second Look

Since I just can’t ever learn or soak in enough information about oil painting, I will share that I participated in a wonderful plein air (outdoor) workshop with Josh Clare this past weekend. And, drum roll, I hosted a few art school buddies here at our place who took the workshop, too. It’s the first time in two years that we’ve hosted these painting pals. Check out their work too: Kathy Stewart and Wendy Wagner.

During the first day of the workshop, painter extraordinaire, Josh Clare, suggested we give the primaries a second look. Whoa! Really? Remember I’m the one who can’t put enough colors out on ye olde palette.

So when this workshop instructor and fine painter suggested we only put out three primary colors, aka red, yellow and blue (and white) on the first painting day, I gulped and said “AOK!”

Why Primary Colors

First, primary colors are to oil painting what musical scales are to a musician or wind sprints are to a runner. They are fundamental. The better we artists can work in red, yellow and blue, the better we are with all the other crazy colors out there.

Gotta say though, using primaries while plein air painting is a super charged challenge. Why? Let me share the ways. First, the light is always changing so we painters have to make decisions about each brush stroke quickly and confidently.

Just mixing the right green can take some time. She says this as she longed for her paint tubes of sap green, chromium oxide green and viridian. But, it’s amazing what can happen on the palette and the painting with properly mixed red, yellow and blue. Here’s a quick color sketch I did and Josh Clare (who painted with the three primaries, exclusively, for FOUR years as a student) modified. Gotta love it!

I am going to venture off to work in the three primaries later this summer. I think it will be a worthwhile deep dive. But I wonder if I’ll last 4 weeks at it. Stay tuned, we’ll see.

A Second Look at a Painter in Art History

As I paint rocks and cliffs and landscapes, I decided to revisit Winslow Homer’s work. My favorite painting of his is entitled Eight Bells. I saw this painting in person at an exhibit at the Brandywine Museum in Pennsylvania in 2019. Although his paintings, photographs and drawings were wonderful, I left the exhibit without much thought. Until now…

I can not wait to venture up the East Coast again and check out an exhibit of his work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Not sure how that will happen but fingers crossed it will.

Are You Taking A Second Look

What about you gentle reader? Is there something you are re-evaluating, re-thinking and/or taking a second look? If so, what? Please share in the comments below and thank you for reading here today.