What are you working on?

[Terri]

I've been working on this painting 10 x9 inches on oil paper. It's from a photo of one friend's house that was designed by my other good friend who is an architect. The photo was great. Dusk with the full moon and it was around Christmas so they had some cool blue lighting on the porch. I had to paint it. I'm going to give it to my friend whether he wants it or not.

I'm not used to painting these straight lines. I can't believe how much trouble I'm having with the technical part here. Tried using a straight edge and still it crooked was better off freehand with a flat brush. Then one little smudge and, oh well, something else to paint over again. I thought this would easy. Just paint by numbers, fill in the line. But no. Just another humbling experience painting. At some point here I have to make some straight lines.

And then, I'm thinking the top of the roof was pointy, but no, it has a flat section. And literally while I'm trying to get the line right my architect friend calls and when I told him he goes " Oh yeah, that's a Dutch peak" or something like that. So I yelled at him for making it even harder on me.

It is partially about the challenge. Climbing a mountain makes the view from the top better right?

After this I'm going back to landscapes. Wavy lines everywhere.



View attachment 16761

Well, I think it's kicking so far. I'm enjoying the black and white house, and am interested in seeing where the blue lights go.

Chin up, it's pretty neat!

 

[john]

I'm liking this a lot. The best way I've found to paint a straight line - it works for oil and acrylic:

another way is to use a polychromos pencil

Thanks for that Bongo. Nice to have it clear also. I was trying to use a wood strip but it was shading the line I was trying to paint and so I couldn't see it.

In the past I mostly used taping off which works fine for water media but tape doesn't stick to oil paint well. Especially if it's not dry.

I think I'm going to get something like that.

 

[Artyczar]

I think the style of that looks really cool John. I like its little "imperfections," if you could even call them that. It's in perspective, so it's not even that. It just has a stylized look to it. I like how the house is black and white and the rest have great color. It is a smaller scale, so it's harder to be precise, if that was what you were going for. But whatever you were going for, it's a great piece. It has a ton of character. Not boring! If I was going to hang that on my wall, I'd be very happy with it. Sometimes the best works come out easy and sometimes they are a battle.

If Bongo was talking about one of the T-straight-edges that hug the side edge of the surface, I use those too, when I'm being smart, that is. But not for the painting parts, because I like my painting to look a bit wonky. I'll use it for the under drawing and then fill everything in like the "paint-by-numbers" idea you spoke of.

 

[snoball]

I'm working on a cup of coffee at the moment. I have a painting sketched on canvas waiting on me but don't know when I'll ever find the time to start it. I may forget how to paint.

 

[Artyczar]

I am still working on those three overhead, aerial pieces of the desert. Truth is, I haven't been working on them at all really. I only finished the small one so far, which I posted already. I have put maybe a few hours into them. The biggest one is taking up so much real estate in my tight quarters and I need to finish that one first so I can get it out of my room. As you can see, it's a bit of a monster for me, and I have to work on it horizontally even though it will be a vertical piece. Not a great picture of its progress:

The medium one is behind it on the wall and can't get to it until the big one is done. I put more hours into that one.

I don't know if I've been lazy or what (with painting). I haven't been lazy otherwise despite not feeling great mentally. I started a diet and exercise regimen that I'm finally committed to and have been spending a lot of time on that, i.e., buying healthy groceries, cooking for myself, organizing new foods into my life, etc. It's very new and different for me. A lot of self-care I've never done before.

Anyway, this painting has a long way to go yet and as I've started before, I'm a slow painter. I'm liking parts of it so far, like the composition, but am still iffy on the choice of palette. Still making decisions and have painted over a few of the tans and browns to differentiate some of them. I do think it will probably come together better once the lighter tans, and yellow ochre come in, the greys and greens, etc. Then the brightly colored squares. We'll see. Dotting this one with the greenery is going to be a bitch and I may make it more sparce than the little one. So yeah, maybe I am pretty lazy. Or feeling impatient. ...because I'm procrastinating.

 

[Artyczar]

Sno, you could never forget. I think it's etched into your brain and soul. No escaping it for you!

 

[snoball]

I didn't realize your aerial piece was so huge! That is going to be really impressive when finished!

 

[Artyczar]

Thanks sno. I hope so.

 

[john]

Getting close to done.

I made a mahl stick and that helped. Learning experience as usual.

It's good. It's bad. It's the sun. It's the moon. Who knows. The sky needs some work.

I'll post the final in oils. Looking forward to the next one.

 

[pcj]

Still working on these sculptures .

' Starseeker ' clay macquette . I painted it with bronze paint to show people what
it would look like cast in bronze

'Starseeker' wax -- I'm refining the design in wax and will then cast in bronze [hopefully]
- have just run out of fuel for my alcohol lamp ! - need it for heating
the more delicate wax tools. - am improvising with a soldering iron
until I go to the hardware store.

'Wisdom' clay

I'm making a wax version of this since the clay version is drying out and cracking - hope to have it cast in bronze too.

Ideas.

Working out pose for 'Wind Spirit' in wire which will then be used as the
armature for the clay or wax macquette. not happy with the design yet ! Oh well,
I'll keep working on it.
The crockpot is for melting wax - it's the third one that I've removed from our
kitchen to serve a higher purpose in my sculpture studio in our basement .

' Coyote'
Preliminary sketch on piece of 1 inch thick basswood for bas relief sculpture - This is is going to
be my first attempt at woodcarving [ more photo's after I actually start carving !]
Cheers,
Patricia

 

[Bongo]

Getting close to done.

I made a mahl stick and that helped. Learning experience as usual.

It's good. It's bad. It's the sun. It's the moon. Who knows. The sky needs some work.

I'll post the final in oils. Looking forward to the next one.

View attachment 16841

bongo​	18:17 (0 minutes ago)
to Creative

John this is excellent in every way. Very bold move to put the house going off the edge on the right, and at an angle. The stylized treatment of the house details, the colors, the trees! I could go on. Intriguing composition, well-executed.

--
more bongo at:
studiobongo.com

 

[Artyczar]

Penny, those are terrific! Having those cast are expensive, I presume, but they will be well worth it. They are exquisite.

John: good going on the mahl stick. I have used one of those before and just couldn't make them go right for me. I must not be doing it right.

Bongo, is it me, or did your post turn out funky?

 

[pcj]

Penny, those are terrific! Having those cast are expensive, I presume, but they will be well worth it. They are exquisite.

Thankyou ! .....but I'm not Penny - I'm Patricia !
Cheers,
Patricia

 

[Bongo]

Ayin - I answered the post from my email notification (like you're not supposed to do) by mistake.

 

[john]

That is impressive Patricia. Wonderful work.

Good use of a crockpot.


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Thanks Bongo, but any composition skills I must give to my friend who sent me this pic of his house. I really couldn't think of any way to improve it. Just try to copy the photo. Funny thing is that he is a house painter, but not the artist kind. And his spouse is a wealthy ex bond trader. Talk about an odd couple. Why she still lets him work is a mystery.


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Ayin, I made my Mahl stick with one flat side on the bulb part so it would stay in place a little better. Maybe that would help?

 

[Ayin Es]

Thankyou ! .....but I'm not Penny - I'm Patricia !
Cheers,
Patricia

Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! What was I thinking? Foot in mouth. I deeply apologize.

 

[pcj]

Oh that's alright ! No need to apologize !
Cheers,
Patricia

 

[pcj]

That is impressive Patricia. Wonderful work.

Good use of a crockpot.

Thank you very much , John !
Cheers,
Patricia

 

[Artyczar]

A month later and I am still working on my big 60 x 40-inch aerial painting. I had to put it away for a week or so because of a video shoot I did, and now it's back in my studio. It's gone through a couple transitions because I didn't like parts of it, mainly the road that went down the middle of it. I'd painted it gray will a dashed yellow line, and I wound up hating it, so I changed it.

I have to work on this in a horizontal format, but it's a vertical piece. I don't have the ceiling room to do it any other way.

These are terrible pictures by the way, but I haven't been able to take good quick shots of it yet.

Here it is with the gray road...

Then I've changed it to this, which I like a whole lot better:

Now I've been dotting the whole thing with the trees and plants and whatnot, which is taking forever because I can only stand a couple hours at a time, with breaks. It's going to take me another 25 hours to do this, most definitely.

Here is a detail of it (also not a great picture):

I've since heard from my gallery who wants a fourth piece like this, so I have my work cut out for me. Not as big, but another 24 x 30-inch canvas. That's seven more paintings (plus drawings) before fall.

 

[Terri]

I've since heard from my gallery who wants a fourth piece like this, so I have my work cut out for me. Not as big, but another 24 x 30-inch canvas. That's seven more paintings (plus drawings) before fall.

Holy crap! You're going to be seriously busy getting ready for this show. It must be a wonderful feeling to know your gallery is really liking your theme and calling for more pieces like this one (even as they wear you down to the bone!).

It's exciting times for you, even though it probably feels daunting at this stage. Hang in there!