Into the Mirror

Usually, I like to begin with the post of my favorite recent painting and then give a little recap. This time, however, I feel like I need to admit something I am a little embarrassed about up front. Despite painting in oils through and after college, and despite drawing portraits often in high school, I have never painted a portrait. I've created one quick, far away figurative oil painting in my first semester of Painting 1, but then my artwork departed from representation. 

Last night I did a few sketches of the regular items - coffee mugs, tea kettle, etc. - but they weren't able to hold my attention. It was my last day of the weekend, and with a meeting scheduled for tonight I wanted to have a focused piece. So, I decided to give a self-portrait a whirl! Since I've never had to mix skin tone paint colors before, I limited my palette immediately to one of my go-tos: ultramarine deep, burnt sienna, and yellow ochre. There are a few colors I'll need to add in to the mix if I continue to do portraits, but this helped tremendously for my first go.

February 22, 2016 5.5"x8.5" on Watercolor paper

Palette: Ultramarine Deep, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre,+ White

To my relief, it turned out all right! Not perfect, but a good start. There were a few areas of the skin that started to get rough, since the gouache would only let me work over it so many times. I forgot how fun it can be to paint people (even myself), so I may need to drum me up some models for the future!

Vase, Mallets, and an Obscene Shade of Orange

February 20, 2016 6"x8" on Claybord

Palette: Chinese Orange, Carmine, Terre Verte, B+W

Available on Daily Paint Works

It has been awhile since I sat down to do a larger, focused painting on claybord. (As a side note, it is strange to consider 6"x8" as large after doing 4 foot paintings for awhile.) This is a little red ceramic vase with a beautiful glaze that was really tricky to capture. It drips and swirls between white, deep red, and an almost green. I've mentioned before that painting on claybord can be a frustrating experience for me, but I loved being able to pick up the paint for colored highlights in the glaze. The bright reds were created this way, and the edges formed by the action worked with the pattern in the glaze.

I used my painting from the day before as a prep-day, and did a 20 minute gouache sketch to take a little time to consider the lighting and shape of the vase.

February 19, 2016 4"x6" on Watercolor Paper

Palette: Carmine B+W

February 21, 2016 4"x4" on Claybord

Palette: Flame Red, Juane Brilliant, Yellow Ochre, Ultramarine Deep, B+W

Available on Daily Paint Works

After a day of spring cleaning, I settled down to paint and wanted to paint something BRIGHT! I looked around my studio and my Art/Work book stood out as a good backdrop color to use. For the subject matter I decided to take my husbands advice, for the probably the first time ever when it comes to subject matter, and painted his drum mallets. My loose approach to them didn't work great when it came to the tight wrapping of the yarn, but I did enjoy mixing all of the colors. I think I might return to the mallets for a longer composition when I feel like doing some tight, detail work.

February 18, 2016 ~0.75"x1" on Watercolor Paper

Palette: Raw umber, B+W

And I suppose I should tack on my late-night painting sketch from Thursday, as well. I worked an evening event and just wanted to practice something quick! A teeny, tiny bottle did the trick. 

Kitty Cat Toys

February 16, 2016 4"x4" on Aquabord

Palette: Ultramarine Deep, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, B+W

Available on Daily Paint Works

The aquabord I used for this little painting was originally used for the first try of my rum composition. After realizing the painting wasn't working (maybe an hour of painting), I took it to the sink and rinsed off all the excess paint. There was still a shadow of the composition, so when I returned to use it again I decided to go with a dark subject matter. It was another evening painting, and I wanted to grab something fun that I could be looser with my brushstrokes. Since I am always tripping over little mice, I decided to paint this little guy. This gray and blue mouse is among the favorites of Copper, my younger cat, so it is often quickly lost under couches, chairs, stoves, fridges, you name it!

February 17, 2016 4"x4" on Claybord

Available on Daily Paint Works

Okay, I admit it! I've been slacking on noting my color choices. Before, I was writing the color selection down each time after I finished a painting (or before I began the next one and put my previous paints away) but I didn't do that this past week. I can't quite remember which paints I used for this carrot cat toy... I want to say lemon yellow, terre verte, juane brilliant... or it might have been lemon yellow, prussian blue, chinese red, and juane brilliant. Ah, well, it was another fun, silly still life.

Fast Peppers with a Rum Finish

February 10, 2016 5.5"x8.5" on Watercolor paper

Palette: Raw Umber, B+W

It  has been about a month and a half since I began my daily paintings, and a bit longer since I've begun regular painting with gouache, and I have realized more than once that I do better with flexibility. Doing a full, composed, beautiful painting every day makes me a little stressed out (and that does not translate into good artwork). So, I'm loosening my guidelines on myself. If I need to take a day off, I will. If I paint, it is okay to do a study with a specific goal in mind or a more complete painting.

For this vase of stones, the goal was a quick value study. 

February 10 & 11, 2016 5.5"x8.5" on Watercolor paper

Palette: Flame Red, Chinese Orange, Terre Verte, B+W

For my two pepper studies, the goal was to quickly capture the form of a bell pepper from angles I had not yet painted. And I mean quick! They were both completed in less than a half hour, which is always a challenge for me.

February 13, 2016 4"x4" on Claybord

Palette: Ultramarine Deep, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre, B+W

Available on Daily Paint Works

This painting began with the composition for February 15th, below, but the stress I referred to above was getting to me and I kept making obvious mistakes. I couldn't focus well, so I pulled out a fresh claybord and simplified the composition. Working quicker let me knock this painting of the shot of rum out fairly quickly and happily. 

February 15, 2016 4"x4" on Aquabord

Palette: Ultramarine Deep, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre, B+W

Available on Daily Paint Works

A few of the proportions of this were a bit wonky, but it was much more fun to paint the second time around. The box with the shot glass on top was tricky, as the lid is off center. I could have happily spent another three hours on just the bottle of rum. I think it is safe to say that I'll return to the bottle for a longer study!

Three in a Row

February 9, 2016 4"x4" on Aquabord

Palette: Ultramarine Blue, (touch of Peacock Blue), Lemon Yellow, Permanent Yellow, B+W

Available on Daily Paint Works

Lately, I have found myself losing interest in the solitary subject. Though it makes for good practice, I feel like I'm getting a hang of using gouache (except for on claybord, which is always a challenge) and will improve more by moving my focus to quick composition. Then, there is the fact that I've painted my way through most of the objects in my house that I can physically move to my studio. Do you buy produce just for still lives? For instance, I've considered buying red apples, even though I don't enjoy them as much, for a different punch of color.

This painting was one of the more enjoyable pieces to make. The laying out and twisting back and forth of the apples, the drawing, the color choices.... It all came together without too much fuss. This black vase was one of the few things I've bought specifically to paint, and I picked it up at a favorite antique/thrift store. I love the modern shape, and was originally dead-set on painting it with a solitary lemon. While I might return to that composition, I thought three little apples all in a row would work better on the square panel. 

Vessels for Favorite Beverages

February 6, 2016 5.5"x8.5" on Watercolor paper

Palette:Ultramarine Blue, Carmine, B+W

February 7, 2016 5"x7" on Aquabord

Palette:Prussian Blue, Chinese Orange, Raw Umber,, B+W

Available on Daily Paint Works

February 8, 2016 4"x4" on Claybord

Palette: Permanent Yellow, Peacock Blue, Chinese Orange B+W

Available on Daily Paint Works

Gouache Sketches: Puzzles and Apples

February 4, 2016 4"x4" on Aquabord

Palette: Permanent Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Ultramarine Deep, Burnt Sienna + W

Available on Daily Paint Works

This mid-week has been a series of quick gouache sketches. I find that if I want to try to capture something quickly, I gravitate towards apples. There is something to their slightly-lumpy-but-still-smooth form that makes me feel more comfortable using looser brush strokes. 

February 1, 2016 ~4"x4" on Watercolor paper

Palette:B+W

February 2, 2016 5.5"x8.5" on Watercolor paper

Palette: Prussian Blue, Raw Umber, B+W

Interlocking puzzles were a subject I spent a long time with during my sophomore year of college. It was nice to revisit one of the puzzles for an evening. I still remembered the trick to parting them!

Onward to Month Two: Tea & Singing Bowl

January 31, 2016 4"x4" on Claybord

Palette: Lemon Yellow, Burnt Sienna, B+W

Available on Daily Paint Works

I have completed one month of daily painting! I have gotten so much delight out of being able to say "I have created 16..23...28 paintings this year!" When I sat down for my final painting of January, a little TNG mug, I opted for one of the Ampersand Claybords since it had been so long since I'd painted on them (a whopping five days), and I felt it. Painting on watercolor paper and the Ampersand Aquabord is a far more intuitive process for me, so I'll need to keep the Claybord in regular rotation if I want to improve.

This morning feels differently than the days preceding, not like a month has passed at all. I feel aware of how easily painting every day has returned to my habits, and how easy it could pass back out. I know there are '30 paintings in 30 days' challenges, and I'm glad that I didn't opt for that goal. There is something more to learn from this experience.

February 1, 2016 5"x7" on Aquabord

Palette: Yellow Ochre, Flame Red, Peacock Blue, B+W

Available on Daily Paint Works

For my first painting of February, I selected a singing bowl that sits nearby my painting desk. I wanted the lavender fabric to mimic the motion the mallet would take in a trip around the bowl, to give the painting a silent echo. This is a subject matter I hope to return to once I give myself several days to complete a composition. There are many lovely details on the bowl that will take close concentration and time to capture. I did my best to give a quick idea of them here.