Living Artfully

Just about every day, I go for a long walk....sometimes for a few miles. "My Evening Walk", pastel 17x23 This is one of the routes that I take near my house. Even though I have waked here very often, it seems just a little different every time.  I do particularly like it in the very early morning...or as in the painting, when the evening shadows get long. The light of the setting sun behind the mountain  just picks out elements of the landscape....like the clumps of rabbit brush that are a mustard yellow. I love the long streaks of light, too. The shadows themselves get to be rich, and jewel toned. I used some gorgeous pastels from France...Henri Roche; which are still made by hand for the luscious blue violet. The color is called Iris. Irresistible! I chose a warm amber color for my support, as I knew it would complement the rich blues beautifully...and there would be a warm infusion of color where the paper shows through in spots. So much like the warm...

As an artist, I love color...and pigments. From time to time it is interesting to experiment with unusual pigments. Yellow is a color that I have always liked, and I know that it is not always popular among designers...however it sure is this season! As one who loves to paint the effects of sunlight, it is always a favorite of mine. The effects in"Gently Down the Stream " would not have been possible without the yellow pigments that I used. I needed some opacity, and wanted a soft quality to the light. Here are three unusual yellows that I have used ...depending on the desired effect. They are right out of the tube in the top row, and are from left to right: Nickel Titanate Yellow, Hansa Yellow Light, and Indian Yellow. In the second row they are thinned with a mixture of mineral spirits and medium.  Nickel titante is a cool, greenish very opaque yellow. Quite unusual. Hansa is often used as a substitute for the cadmium yellows, but it is a bit more ...

Very often, since I work in both pastel and oil, I'll use the inspiration from one piece to paint another in a different medium. Such is the case of "Amethyst Path" This is a 12x 12 gallery wrap oil. It was influenced by a larger pastel, that was a successful painting. I wanted to simplify things a bit, and have the work be more about the shapes and warm/cool color palette. I also wanted to see how my original painting would translate to an oil. I used different source material, but with very similar lighting, and in the same locale. "Shadow Whispers " is the pastel painting that inspired "Amethyst Path" . As you can see, I kept the square format, which I like working in. There is much more detail , and stronger value contrasts. This piece won a 1st place national show award, and also sold...so I consider it a success! Last winter I spent a lot of plein air time in the locale of these two paintings. Here is one of the pastel plein ai...

As some of you noticed ( thank you for following! ) I  missed  posting " Thursday  Stories" . So, I will put a little more effort in to this one  and publish a demo, plus the story behind a favorite painting.                                              "Aspen Shadow Dance", pastel, 24x30. This work is special...the circumstances behind it were one of those rare lighting situations that only happen every once in a while, and only last for a few moments. We are sometimes lucky enough to be in the right place, at the right time. I had been out to a dinner , up at high elevation just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. It had been rainy, raw and windy as a storm was going through; we were in our " monsoon" season. The storm ended, and the sun broke through, illuminating this grove of aspen. I quickly excused myself, ran outside, ( literally) and took a...

Today's post is about everything BUT my art.  As a professional,, it is a business for me, and I find I spend so much time in the promotion, marketing, and all of the other necessary aspects, that I get just plain tired of the whole thing. It even affects my painting///which I love, and it is not a good thing. So today, I would like to share the things that are so important  to a life...living well.Because if we don't have the every day joys, there is just no inspiration and meaning to the painting. .I really  like to cook...and enjoy trying new things. This is watermelon salsa, a great summertime treat. Cooking involves every single on of the senses.Sight, smell and taste, of course. But also hearing ( need to know the right sizzle ) and feeling  ( dough needs just the right touch.)  Growing things are wonders in and of  themselves .  This  is a type of agave that I had never seen bloom before , and here it is blooming right ...

Sometimes I paint a work that is a little different from my usual. It can be a different subject, palette, or treatment. I am known as an impressionist painter, and this one really has the hallmarks with the energetic strokes. I painted them more exuberantly than usual, as I wanted to express the wind blowing, and the time of year when things are just bursting forth. It is all about energy! I also used a surface that I don't usually.It is a coarser sanded paper, mounted to a board. The choice was perfect for the subject, and handling. Notice the triangle in the foreground, which is a perfect lead-in going up the hill. Note also, the the strokes in the foreground are bold and heavy, diminishing and getting lighter going up the hill, all the way up to the softly blended sky. This is a good way to use spatial perspective in a pastel work. In the foreground, I was able to use some saturated blues, blue-greens,  and purples, as these are balanced by the rich blue of the sky in ...

Today I am reframing some of the pieces in my own art collection, by talented other artists. Indeed, I do have many of my own works that I want to keep, but I am an art lover. "Florentine Gold" is one of my own that will stay in my home. However, I always think it is a little strange when I visit another artist's home, and only see their own pieces around. I think they are missing out on a great joy, and constant source of inspiration! I have written about this previously , on my blog that was on my web site. Since then I have added a few pieces , and it is always a good reminder to enjoy another perspective. I certainly consider myself quite blessed that I can support other artists, albeit in a small way! Here is the piece that I am most proud to own. It is a portrait study by Eugene Speicher, a name that is sadly all but forgotten today. In the time, he was considered one of America's top portrait painters in the 1930's and 40's. I purchase...

From time to time, I have written articles for various art magazines. Recently, I was asked to do a step-by-step demo and accompanying article for  Pratique des Artes  , a french national publication. I have been honored to have been featured a couple of times previously, so I was happy to contribute. " Aspen and Ferns" is the featured painting. I thought it would be nice to have an August  issue piece with a subject in full summer greens. this one sure has a variety! I'll share some of the steps with you... My work always starts with a value study, above, .; it is my game plan. This shows my soft vine charcoal under lines, and my lights placed in the piece. This is the whole surface covered with color shapes. This is my working on some of the negative shapes Next I worked on more of the foreground. And here is the final piece again, so that you can see the progress in sequence. If you are lucky enough to be in France, I hope that you get...