Phlox

Phlox, oil on canvas board, 6"x6"

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I love how the objects melt into the back ground in low-key paintings. Low-key paintings are those using the bottom half (more or less) of the value range. The light bathes the objects producing a soft glow. It can produce a peaceful scene with a feeling of mystery about it. Other appropriate terms might be "moody" or "atmospheric". I have attempted to create some of these effects in this 6" x 6" study.

Each type of painting style has a set of problems (lets call them challenges) and creating the effects I spoke of above are some we face when painting in this style. Any painting can be thought of in this way. It is a set of problems and the artist's job is to solve those problems. It is an equation (or probably a set of equations) to be solved. This is true whether the artist is a beginner or a seasoned professional.

If you paint in a representational style, it is useful to analyze a prospective painting in this way before you begin. That is one of the reasons that doing a preliminary small sketch of a larger painting is so useful. You are able to address (and hopefully solve) many of the challenges such as composition, use of values, etc. before you begin your large painting. If you do not make a preliminary sketch, you should at least take the time to think through the painting you are beginning so you can plan your strategy. The combination of good technique and being purposeful in planning your attack will deliver much better results than blindly painting away will little thought to the problems you will face.

This is part of my thought process and procedure whether I am doing a small still life or a large landscape. I find when I take the time and do a good job on preplanning, my job becomes much easier, more enjoyable, and the end results are so much better.

thanks so much for your visit!

Hydrangea and Peach

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When we think about seasons of the year, certain images comes to mind. Those images are part of the reason we anticipate (or sometimes dread) a certain seasons. Think about it; fall and apples, winter and snow, spring and daffodils, summer and the beach. What do you reminisce about?

Another set of summer images that play in my mind are depicted in the painting above. The hydrangea bushes in my yard in all their glory and peaches from the local orchards. Both have significance to me beyond their beauty as mere objects. Memories from my life are triggered by simple objects such as these. Possibly I reminisce too much, but my recollections are always with me. They give my life a richness that is both pleasurable and painful. It is one of the main reasons I paint - I want to share what is important to me. Even if it is just hydrangeas and peaches.

Thanks so much for visiting.

"Rose of Sharon"

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Outside of my basement door is a Rose of Sharon shrub. It is full of blooms all summer long and reminds me of my childhood because my neighbor had several of these plants in his yard. It is really amazing how many blooms it produces in a years time - seems like it should get tired producing all those flowers...
I have decided that I need to produce more small studies along with my larger paintings. This painting is one of my first efforts in doing that. An artist is never through learning, no matter how good their artwork is or how experienced they are. Small studies are one way we use to work on our technique and they also have become very popular to collect. You can bid on this painting at the Daily Paintworks site where I have begun to auction some of my small works by clicking the link below. Larger works will still be sold through my galleries (see my website for links).