My expensive Sea Shell ( Nautilus)

This painting has two coats of paint on it.  I did the initial shaping and shadows ( with help) and then two weeks later I used my Lucas medium 2 over the painting and then started to add more detail.  ( with help.)  Unfortunately I forgot to take of a picture of my set up at the class room, and now the gallery is closing down, so I'll have to wing it upstairs in my studio as best as I can.  Talk about a  hard subject to paint.  But I am loving it.

Summer is flying by.....

I have been very busy for a retired person.  I look forward to a few hours of reading and swimming and just relaxing instead of all the regular work involved with living, like cooking, shopping for food, errands, cleaning, washing clothes, changing beds, etc.  And I have a house keeper that helps weekly besides.  But she is no Kandy Rassberry that is a fact. 
Well I am painting a sea shell.  Actually it is a Nautilus.  I found it at an Antique show that goes on for 2 weeks in Texas.  It cost $75.00 and is fair sized.  Beautiful and perfect in shape etc.  Put it with a maroon back ground, a light shining down from above and what colors come from that  combo would surprise you.  This has been quite an experience painting it, since my teacher is a perfectionist and tight in her teaching style.  I do have a very limited palette thank goodness, but still I really struggle with finding the right color or mixing to get the right color etc.  I am all over the place.  Well this subject is, if I work with Diozenine Purple, half the battle is done for me.  The second thing is remembering to use the opposite color to get the gray colors I need in this painting.  I"ll take a picture of where I am right now and show you.  And I have to say, Kathy, my teacher keeps having to pull me back to the right colors to use.  Ugh.  So, this self taught teacher said I could use this crutch.  It is Steven Quiller's color wheel.  He went to the trouble of mixing all brands of paints to find just the right color you need and she said it will help me to no end.  That is why she uses such a limited amount of colors to oil paint with.  Now, Quiller is a water color painter by the way, but this will work she said.  So I ordered  his color wheel today.  It wasn't cheep at $17.00, but hey, I'm old and I struggle with colors and always have so I need to try this to shorten my time. ( I hope anyway)  So, there you have it.  Mix opposite colors when you need gray, and if you struggle like I do, maybe Quiller's wheel will help.  I have to also say, I am enjoying the Olympic's but wish NBC would show more different events than they do.  I love the rowing, and bow and arrow and karate etc.  I am tired of swimming no matter how many golds that young man gets.  But I admire all the people for their efforts to work so hard to try to be number one in the world, and all they set aside in their personal life to do this.  Watching the best is always a thrill.  We are taking a break from everything, fishing in the morning and Olympics and we are going to watch, Salmon Fishing in Yemen,  a movie that is very good my youngest son said.  Happy heat everyone.

mediums in oil painting

Ok.  My new teacher puts liquin in all of her paintings.  I was not familiar with the product so went to W&N to see what they said about it.  Well, on line there were some pro's and con's.  I know it makes drying faster now.  It has three or 4 different types, up to a gel consistancey.  ( sp?)  Any way.  Laura Robb uses Linseed oil at a ratio of 10 to 1 in an orderless  Gambasol base.  Well, it dries a little quicker but yellows and it not suited to painting whites and there are various thickness of that also.  I like a lush look in painting without it flattening out and I think I found my source on line through W&N.  Now, I'll probably have to order it, since I doubt Hobby Lobby will have any.  I liked the jell.  I don't know if you can use the two mediums on the same painting.  I"ll have to try that, they didn't say.  I do love thick and without just putting lots of paint on a canvas I had no idea how to get this.  Now I have a start. Oil painting gets deeper and deeper for me now.  I was adding a little Linseed oil because Laura recommended it.  Now I find out that what you do on the painting needs to be recorded, so when it needs restored or retouched the expert knows what you used to start their recovery process.  It was said, what a painter uses is the restorer's problem.  I liked that attitude.  I guess with Liquin, you can not remove it or fix what under it.  But it adds high gloss to the painting.  So I guess you could use it for certain area's like my teacher did in one of her landscapes.  Well, nothing of mine will ever need retouching because of it's age, but now I have a little idea of finishes.  I need to add another clear layer to my contemporary painting.  I have been letting it dry for a couple of days, so I don't run the other colors.  Ha ha.. I should have been using linseed oil.  Oh well, live and learn...No age limit.
.

Painting and studying

I am listening to a DVD that is in a series.  It is by Quang Ho.  I have 4 DVD's about subjects, Painting the Still Life, Getting Started Basic's and two others.  He is an exceptional teacher, very deep in his observations and eagerness to make learning about painting simpler and faster for me.  Which is great considering my age and starting point.  I recommend them. www.quangho.com.

So, after listening a little to the Basic DVD I am stuck on Tone.  He said without Tone, your color will be wrong etc.  I will have to watch that part many times to understand what he is trying to get across to me.  I understand light and shadow, and some artists didn't use light and shadow, but did use Tone.  I thought it was light and dark, or the three degrees of it usually used in a subject.. like an apple.  So I am a little confused by it.  His DVD of Painting The Still Life will deal with using light and shadow.  So maybe it will help me understand tone.  So, if you draw a chair, you can draw it two ways.  The Chair itself, or what is around the chair to make the shape of the chair.  So, where does Tone fit in?  I am almost finished with my abstract painting and have named it "Summer Reflections".  I have details to do.  I finished my sail boat and learned a lot about painting water.  Yahoo.!!!

My first Start on the abstract.

I am enjoying using large Brushes, but they are hard to clean.!!!  I am so excited to be painting this way.  I"ll start on my " bat/family" picture tomorrow I hope.  Yeah....Steph was in San Diego last week and took some lovely pictures while working.  She has a new client that is publishing a cookbook for College Students.  She came home and Jeremy and her made salsa from their garden produce all weekend.  He said he doesn't want to look or eat Salsa for quite a while now.  They did 3 or 4 versions and made them from scratch with different ingredients.  I hope they kept track of what they did if they found one they loved.  I guess the Salsa garden they planted this year turned out to be a thumbs up project for them.  Oh, by the way, the pictures she took are fruit, and cactus flowers and ocean waves.  All of the pictures were paint able and wonderful.!!  We are working on ocean waves in Painting class next Thursday.

My first very abstract, large painting.

Jason took this picture while he was visiting.  This is what I am basing my painting on.  I"ll add my own touch I hope.

The big Challenge

I am getting ready to paint a dark picture that was photographed at Night.  I want to put it in the condo in Austin.  This picture will be very modern, not detailed.  I showed it to Kate and she said I need to leave the cars in the picture.  So, I have primed my canvas to paint this picture I post here.  I was at the bridge with my son's and their wives waiting for the bats to come out.  We were walking through the newspaper parking lot back to our cars, when Bob took the picture of us walking from behind.  It has a great memory for me, and I like the vagueness of it.  I primed my canvas using Veridian.  I considered  it the best color, that was opposite of the colors I will paint on the canvas when I start.
This Canvas is very large by the way.  Yeah.!!!
I have some good photo's of Brandy now also.  So I can start a portrait painting of her too.  Yeah.!!!  My neighbor is trying to learn to paint too.  She is already bored with apples and oranges she said.  so I am taking something over to paint with her tomorrow.  You can't help but spend a fortune when getting started painting, besides the setting up somewhere and I think she is very discouraged at this point.  She isn't painting between class.

Older boat painting repainted

So, I am not done with my boat painting I took to my new teacher.  I have the boat and the water to do next Thursday and then it should be done.  It really is good right now.  I wanted to paint today a little and decided to try and fix the painting I had done earlier of another sail boat scene I had tried to do.  I think I posted it earlier.  Anyway, I didn't spray the canvas or anything, just painted over the top of the canvas but with the colors that she is suggesting I learn to use and stayed away from all the rest that I have on my board.  I really think it worked out very well and I am proud of the finished product.  Her instruction stuck.!!

The Marines have arrived here in Seneca.  Keowee Key's subdivision invites some Marines from a close Military hospital to spend a week on the Lake.  They had a parade and Motorcycle's  lead the way.  Almost 500 motorcycle's were in the parade.  The Marines were in Jeep's provided by a local Jeep club.  There were lots of people along the route to wave and clap as they passed by.  The home owners of Keowee Key's will host the Marines and feed them.  They have access to boats, fishing trips, Sea Do's, swimming, and golf.  I think they have a grand old time.  Tonight there is a Bar B Q for them at a local Center, with all people in the area invited to enjoy the evening and to visit with the Marines.  There will be meals for everyone, and music to entertain.  I really admire this subdivision for putting themselves out to give these soldiers a break from the Hospital and a real home to relax in when not playing on the lake or  their golf course.

Starting some challenging pieces.

I am going to paint a very challenging piece.  It is from a photo Jason took in our back yard of that awful water fountain.  It really is a challenging picture and will be awesome as a very modern piece.  I decided to take the two colors in the picture and paint the opposite on the canvas.  So one side is blue/ I chose orange, and one side was a lime green so I chose Violet.  I am so excited for the canvas to dry so I can start with my large brushes.  The canvas is very large by the way.

Finished latest try on bottles.

Once again I am messing with bottles.  I will get them transparent one of these days. I loved doing this practice and loved the colors I used.  Oh well.:)  I bought a bottle tree when we drove up to the Highlands with Jason and Brandy last week.  I don't know if JoAnn is using her's, but I decided I wanted one too.  I know there is some reason for them.  Ghosts or evil spirits or something.  I'll have to research what it is.  I think it is Indian lore.
Hello Doves....I sent Jo a magazine article about doing an auction of paintings.  Jason and Brandy said they want Walt's picture someday.  I mentioned to them that it will be an auction painting.  I guess the article is about Art Groups putting on an Auction to raise money for their club and artists getting a chance to sell their paintings.  It said some don't get what they want or hoped to get but that is the chance you take.  But if it becomes a regular program, then paintings have to go up as people become familiar with the artists.etc.  I hope the second time I tried to send it to Jo the article loaded.

Making my own canvas

I called another Dove yesterday.  Liz.  She and that beloved dog were already up and running which I am thankful for, because I am one hour difference in time and I get up and run early.  Not run, but moving...  I needed some info on the glue and board to make my own canvas.  I bought some cotton ( not up for linen yet) when I was in Santa Fe, some cloth to make my own canvas.  I found a web sight after I bothered her and it told in detail what to do to make your own.  They don't make masonite any more.  Birch they sell around here is too thick.  So I have this finished sanded board that looks ok to use so I will practice with it.  I'll ask the neighbor to cut the board accurately.  His wife has been bored and is going to join the art class down town. She has been a stewardess, a registered Nurse and a Physicians Assistant in her lifetime.  She is going to use my stuff for Thursday.  After all she may not like doing this after all.  She is leaning toward pastel's though.  So, I ordered my special glue.. my muck sort to speak and await it's coming.  The store is closed this week for vacation. ( figures)  And they won't ship it if it will freeze.  I'll make a  little canvas at first to see if I can get it right, then move on to a large one.  I'll take my large canvas with me when I go to class, in two weeks, to start the painting for the Condo.  I"ll send you the photo I"ll be working from.  I am so excited about doing this and doing it very contemporary in style.  Since the teacher is VERY tight, I hope she can show me how or explain what to do.  She paints hair upside down, one stroke at a time.!!  I'll have to do Jason's picture over I can see that and try to do it tight like her, to practice this.
I understand Gail's class was awesome.  You painted pears, then boxes with ribbons and she taught you all kinds of new stuff.  And that Richard Kalwick will be there in October?  I should go to that one since I missed Gail's.
Take care..

my new boat picture.

bottles again

I finished my bottles today.  Different than the last post of bottles I painted.  Less paint was used that is for sure and of course Artist's pleasure in the style.  I have my new brushes and used them on some of the details on the bottles.  The brushes are called scripts and liners.  I also managed to get a 26 X 30 canvass to work with.  Once again I learned that Michaels' art store is more expensive than Hobby Lobby.  I stayed up very late and watched a movie about Jackson Pollick?  I loved his free painting.  In the end he never used a brush, just dribbled and put on straight out of the tube to do his paintings.  The movie was good and I recommend watching it.  It warns you of how crazy artists really are and how poor they stay most of their lives.  He was married to an artist that didn't really shine until she finally left him for his crazy ways.
The weather has been mountain cool around here.  The pool too cool to deal with right now.  I'll take a picture of the bottles when upstairs tomorrow.  Maybe you can tell me if they are "modern " and I can put them in the show this summer, since it is very contemporary they said.  I forgot my phone to take the picture today.Laters ladies..

A Teacher!

I took a chance and went to a class at the Loft in downtown Seneca.  The Loft is a bunch of rooms that artists rent to keep their stuff in, and show their work.  A new painter to this area is willing to do a oil painting class.  I started this Thursday.  I took an old photo of a sail boat on a lake that I had done similar before.  I really don't understand trees in the distance and how to paint water or sky for that matter.  So I showed up with my canvas prepped by using orange in the middle ( opposite of green) and yellow ( opposite of blue) on the top and bottom.  She has walked me through basic's and blocking and it really looks good.  She uses a very limited pallet and showed me how to get certain colors.  And everything flows and doesn't clash.  Now, if I can just remember how to do this. Practice time.!!!!   I have to get a detail brush.  They are small with very long bristles, and just a few, not really thick with bristles.  Her mom and sister are painters, and her mom used to buy every book she could on how to paint this or that.  She loves doing animals and is very good at that, but she can paint flowers and vases and landscapes and faces, from what I see up stairs.  She said she has tried every medium and likes oil the best.  She is soooo patient.  And I was so lucky that I was the only student that showed up.!!  Here is my started painting.  I am not to touch it until next week when we try and finish it.  Right now all it has is the blocking.  ( and there isn't any red in my pallet.right now.!!)

We are going out with our neighbors to a new restaurant on the lake, called the Light House.  Because we are going in the evening we will drive instead of take the boat over in the dark.  The lake is low and the sky is cloudy so it will get dark early and navigating all the shallow spots won't work for us, even though the boat can go as low as 4 feet.  Here is my start on the painting.
She is asking me how I like to paint.  I told her I use a lot of paint, but other than that I don't have a style of painting I like yet.  She is a very tight painter, and although I like that, it is hard to do I think.  So, we will see how this turns out.  Right next door is a cup cake store.  I told them, I will come in and get two cup cakes every Thursday.  I have a vanilla one and coconut one for today.  We had a strawberry and peanut butter one the last time we visited that place.

Some Carl Plansky art

The first picture is called apple tree and there is this tiny tiny white/blue bird in the middle of the tree.  And the second picture is called self portrait.  The canvas is full of paint... I love it.

Carl Plansky

Hello for the holiday weekend.  I hope you live close enough to put flowers on your graves and can gather together for a weekend of family.  Not the case at this house.  We did have company from Bartlesville. Bob went fishing with them to Jocasee lake and caught trout.  I joined them on Lake Keowee and only one big mouth Bass was found and a fishing pole lost...( it broke).  I think the sun was pretty hard on me tho.  They enjoyed the scenery.  Saturday was Seneca Fest so we strolled downtown to Ram Cat Alley to look around.  A bar b que contest left many chefs with meat to share and the artists were out in abundance.  I found a new artist in town that wants to teach oil.  She loves to paint animals and was working on a snake and a bear and they were very good paintings.  She works with students on Thursday afternoon.  I"ll let you know what I think about her.  She said she travels all over the world to get pictures to paint of animals.  She has been doing it since 12 years old.  Anyway a friend suggested I go to the gallery and see Shirley's huge paintings that were artist of the month and the art of Carl Plansky they had in the main gallery.  I have to say he is modern almost abstract, but he is one of those painters that Anne Spoon called lush in paint.  You had to stand back just like Walt's paintings to tell what the subject was.  One of his paintings was called Lemon Tree, but the tree was green, but the surrounding area's of sky and ground had a lot of yellow in them.  All the paintings were large and for sale at around $4000.00 each.  I liked his style a lot.  I guess I just like PAINT on the canvas.  You can google him to see more of his paintings.  I took one picture I'll share here.  www.carlplansky.com
So, I'll miss Gail's painting class starting next week in Bartlesville, but did find someone down here to help inspire me to continue.  Have a good holiday weekend Doves. Oh, and Shirley's paintings were fantastic.  I love the way she paints flowers.  She definitely had her own style and it was fun.

June Southwest Art Magazine

I haven't been painting.  I started two but haven't been up stairs.  The pool is open and it is still cold.   ( So, what's my point?)...The kids came out for a weekend.  We have again been fixing and fixing  ( repairs) the house.  We challenged the Country tax office in a meeting and are waiting to hear back about that.  Quaing has had quite a class going on in Austin.  It looked like a real winning class.  Most  art sessions that he offers are really a good deal.  He brings in wonderful artists.  I think he has something going on in Fredricksburg, Texas soon also.  Bartlesville is busy, busy, with classes and rearranging the Art building.  I hope they post pictures.
Well, if you don't buy Southwest Art Magazine, get the latest copy.  There is a Plein Air program  called www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/prix-de-west-june2012,  at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.  It looks like quite an experience, for artists to meet famous artists, and for buyers of art.  I wish I could go to it.  One of our paintings that we love  is by Walt Gonske, who will be showing there also.  I am in awe of his powerful paintings.  Maybe you like David Leffel?

Art Awards

Some of the Doves did very well at the Bartlesville Art Association Spring show.  Gale Rogers placed first with her still life.  (I wish I had a picture of it to display here.)  And Elizabeth Huff was a money winner also with her painting of a  beloved pet.
I understand Dedra sold her Cowboy boot painting.  Again I wish I had pictures to post.  But I want to let everyone know, how proud I am of their painting ability and success.  If I missed anyone I am sorry.  This is all Jo mentioned to me and she was worn out from being ill and President of the Association leading this years first show.  I understand it was a great success and still a high point of Bartlesville Art.

re-done's.

Well, upstairs I went today to see if I could correct my original  paintings.  I worked on these two that I had done earlier and posted.  A great improvement as far as I am concerned.  And I started another bottle picture.  I am determined to be able to paint them I guess.  I also will start a HUGE painting for the condo.  I have a subject picked out and it will be muted and grey, but some blue that was on some clothes.  I am excited about it.  So, back to bottles tomorrow right after the mamogram that had to be redone.  ( makes you not want to trust anything medical doesn't it?

Full moon artists

There is this group of artists called Full moon.  They are at www.fullmoonartists.com.  They have a sale twice a year and open their studios for tours and sell their wares at a discount.   Then they invite one other artist to each studio to display their art, and do demo's for the day.  We knew about the open house from the paper, and two of them just happen to be very close to us, so we stopped and visited.  The Lady above is a guest artist.  She has a commercial art degree and loves to paint in water color ( her demo above she was working on)  and oil.  She agreed with me that she knows  no oil painting teachers in this area.  She puts some white stuff on the paper that peels off when she wants a clear white area.  Didn't know about that, but she is very good on painting buildings .  There also is a group in Clemson, an art guild, but theater arts are included in this group.  They meet on Tuesday evening once a month.  Their fee is $40.00a year also, but that and another $10.00 gives you a space in their shows for joining. ( haha that is for me.)  So I had some art experiences this weekend.  We watched a woodworker make a bowl, and see ceramic's in another studio that are very functional.  Not just for looks.  She is good at her work too.  So, this area is teeming with artists, I just haven't found what fits yet.  Their studio's were specially built and really were nice.  But they have been doing their art for 30 years.....So visit their web sight and tour. Her name is Beti Strobeck by the way.