Jake

...Jake...
Oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

Isn't this the most endearing dog! Who could resist that tilted head and rolled eyes? He looks like a furry person who is about to say something! Jake is a golden doodle: golden retriever/poodle, and this is a commissioned portrait, which is to be a surprise gift to his human dad. I just hope his dad doesn't see this blog before Father's Day!

Allegheny Forest

...Allegheny Forest...
Oil on Canvas - 6" x 8"

I guess I should explain my absence. Well, without going into a lot of detail, I had to deal with major home repair issues, the insurance claim, and two trips out of town. But the long and short of it is that with all that, I just got out of the habit of painting every day and posting to the blog. It's amazing how once you get out of the habit, it is so hard to get started again!

Here is a painting I did on another trip to Valley Head, WV. It was done outdoors, from life (plein air) and I had to work very quickly because the light was changing. The sun was rising behind these trees, creating a wonderful glow.

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Against the Wall Again

...Against the Wall III...
Oil on Canvas - 6" x 6"

This is the last of my red tulip against the wall paintings... at least for now. I had wanted to do a series of the same subject, using the same colors because:

1. They might make a nice set if displayed together.
2. I wanted to experiment with using a different medium for each one.

If you are not an artist, you might want to stop reading at this point, because here comes some "shop talk."

The mediums were:

1. Gamblin Neo-Meglip--This turned out to be the most difficult to work with, because the brushstrokes showed in the transparent paint, and the paint started setting up, becoming sticky after about an hour.
2. Garrett Copal Concentrate--A resin, not really a medium, seemed to make the paint thicker. Really easy to paint with! Strokes blended like a dream. Did not seem to speed drying. Because it thickened the paint, I ended up using more mineral spirits than usual, but that didn't seem to increase the transparency of the paint. (You know the expression, "Oils slip, resins grip")
3. Grumbacher Copal Painting Medium--After the above experience, I decided to try this medium, even though it is a synthetic alkyd medium. At least it is an attempt to duplicate the effects of a copal medium. It did thin the paint and give better flow. Did not become sticky before the painting was finished. Paint seemed to have more body and less transparency than when using Liquin (another alkyd medium).

So, which did I like better? Garrett Copal Concentrate, though I'm now curious to try Garrett's Copal Medium, which I expect would thin the paint a bit, so I don't have to use so much mineral spirit.

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Against the Wall

...Against the Wall II...

oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

Here is the tulip from yesterday. It is a different pose and lighting, but still against the wall.

Digital cameras seem to have a lot of trouble with reds, and I had to drastically turn down the saturation and cool the photograph's colors to make it look like the painting. The tulip is supposed to be a true red. Of course, monitors vary in color temperature too...

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Uncooperative Tulip

...Against the Wall...

Oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

I was going to paint another classic tulip, this time with a red flower. Well, as soon as I got the tulip indoors, it splayed its petals. Then it refused to stand up straight. I finally ended up leaning it against the wall to get it into the right position. It reminds me of those police shows, where the arresting cop says, "Alright! Against the wall!" (Can you believe, when I was in school, we used artificial flowers--artificial fruit too.)

I used a lot of transparent painting here, to get the glow.

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Plein Air

...First Greens...

oil on canvas - 6" x 8"

I went out plein air painting today with two artist friends. It was our first time out this year and was quite a challenge (translation: learning experience!) The trees haven't leafed out yet, the water here was shallow, so the mud on the bottom was showing. All the colors were grayed, except the bit of green on the marshy land to the right. The geese were entertaining us the whole time with their loud honks and splashing.

White Tulip

...White Tulip...
oil on canvas - 8" x 6"

After doing flowers in their natural environment, I decided to try a more classical treatment, and go with a plain background. There is a simplicity about this that I really like. The tulip had the most wonderful and exotic fragrance!

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