Catching the Moment

As I walked out of work to my car. The full moon was in the perfect place against this tree. I grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots, made a few mental notes about color and mood, then went home for dinner. A few minutes after I snapped those photos, the light and color had vanished. Two days later, armed with the photos and those mental notes I spoke of, I laid this pastel down. After a few tweaks, it was ready to frame.

Inspiration can be fleeting so it's always good to be ready for it. It tends to favor the prepared.

Getting Out There

This past weekend I was given the opportunity to show my work in a great venue in Valdosta, GA. Along with preparing some current work, I spent several weeks getting some new work done and getting it all framed and ready. The show was the culmination of a lot of late nights and some extra $$. It was very satisfying to see it all up at the show and in the end, I think it will have great returns for me and my family. So, what's my point here? Work that lies around the studio and looks nice does you no good. Get it framed, get it out and let the world see what it is you do with all those solitary hours. You may be surprised at the results.

Limited Palette: Finished Painting

So, here's the finished painting. This was a great exercise and I am pleased with the result. Going to do a few more of these before I stray off into another type of palette. Thanks for stopping by to take a look. Hope you were pleased as well.

Limited Palette

Working this week with a limited palette. Cad Red, Yel. Ochre Pale and Ivory Black (the Alizarin is a party crasher). Using just a few colors is always a nice break as it lets you focus on the values and the temperature of the colors, rather than worry about getting that exact hue, which can lead to pulling too many colors onto the palette and muddying things up. These (rather poor quality cell phone) photos show a couple steps of blocking the major elements in.

This method makes the painting go much faster as it requires a little less thought in mixing colors. One can pull all three colors together to mix and still not make a mess. It also lends itself to a cooler temperature overall, which I find pleasing. I'll post the final result of this one when complete.

A Rare Day

Today, I painted in a secluded spot on the water that was perfectly quiet with great views and a big shade tree to stand under. The late spring weather here is still perfect, not too cool and not too hot. It is also early enough in the year that the bugs are not really a factor yet. It is rare to find such a perfect spot and conditions when painting outdoors. When you go out take sunscreen, bug spray - I like to spray it all around where I'm standing, as I have had a few run-ins with ants - and water. An umbrella of some sort is nice too for a hot day, as there is not always a handy shade tree and those large oaks are difficult to move. Be sure to enjoy those perfect days and perfect spots, but be prepared for heat, cold, bugs, noise, people asking stupid questions, etc... The payoff for painting outdoors is occasionally the experience, but normally, its the wisdom gained and, if all goes well, the painting you get to bring home.

Now, Where Was I?

Well, a wonderful and eventful year has passed since the birth of our son, Liem. My life has been filled with utter joy and a music I had never heard before, a music only parents know.

I had no idea that being a daddy would be so wonderful or so busy. The small spare room I call "my studio" has been collecting dust all this time, but this week I shook it off and tonight I headed out to paint, feeling good to be so engaged again. I spent this momentous occassion in a little park not far from here, enjoying the cool, clear Gulf Coast evening. The tall pine trees stood still for me quite well and managed to look rather dashing in the warm evening light. I can't say that the result of my effort was great, but the effort itself was very enjoyable. I managed to completely cover an 11x14 canvas panel in paint. Beyond that I did not accomplish much.

I had forgotten some things, such as how I can stand for two hours without noticing my aches and pains or that its hot or cold - my hands were freezing when I was done - when I am focused on capturing something on canvas. I had also forgotten how much I love doing this. Well, anyway, it was great to get started again and I look forward to many more sessions in the days ahead.

Life is once again being served with a side of art.

Fleeting Inspiration

Come Little One - 12x16 charcoal/bristol

  

Our son, Liem, was born on April 1 and life has changed forever in a wonderful way. God has blessed us with a son. During my wife's pregnancy I did several photo shoots with my wife trying to preserve some of the beauty I saw in her while she was with child. The drawing posted here is my favorite piece done from the inspiration of those nine months and so I share it with you.

Efficiency

Gulf Coast Sunset - 6x8 o/p

Working efficiently is the artist's mantra. This is especially true for those with more ideas than they have time. I painted this little sunset study at the beach on one particularly perfect summer evening. Getting there took 30 minutes. hiking down the beach from the boardwalk - to find a nice spot away from the remaining beachgoers - took another 15, and a hurried setup about 5 or 10. By the time I got my brush loaded and looked up, this is pretty much what I saw. So, with not much time left (the sun slides straight down out of the sky this time of day on the Gulf Coast) I blocked in the sillhouettes and plastered the sky on as fast as I could look from palette to canvas panel. Of course I couldn't help messing with it a little once I got home, but basically this is a 25 minute study. I focused mostly on the sky color while there was time and worried about finishing up the trees once the light was fading. All in all, I felt it to be a pretty good study and a pretty efficient use of time. As always, a limited palette and just a few brushes helped to keep decision making to a minimum.

When an artist is in the studio, they usually have the luxury of more time, having everything set up and within reach. But even then, if time is limited, focusing on basics and keeping choices limited can help. Plein air is a great way to practice efficiency. Even in the middle of the day, changing light can force an artist to focus on capturing the essentials of the scene. If an artist can get the big shapes, values and color notes - including correct temperature - they are sure to walk away with a painting they are happy with.

Painting What's at Hand

Bad glare but you get the idea...

The recent full moon reminded me of this sketch I did last fall, which now sits in a pile of forgotten sketches in the studio. This painting did not turn out great (for one thing, the paint is so thick I can't get a decent photo of it) but was a fun exercise and I learned a lot in a small window of time without travelling far to do a plein air painting.

When you have a limited amount of time, you can't spend an hour loading equipment in the truck and searching for the perfect scene, so, I did this from the driveway of my house as the moon rose slowly and silently over the trees - and apartment buildings - across the street. Okay, not very romantic, I know, but there was plenty of color and values to paint. I enjoyed the two different light sources and was able to use my Ott light with an extension cord, another advantage of painting close to home. (I have some long extension cords, but they do have limits ;). My wife was gone for the evening, but the dog got to watch the whole process and every time I got cold, I just went inside for another cup of coffee. Not a bad setup, with the whole process taking about 90 minutes

I do like to roam, sans extension cords, and find a picturesque location when I have the chance, but if time is limited then pick something at hand and just do it. Even if you scrape it off, it is time spent with your paints, and that is never wasted.

Finding Time

    A 6x8 oil painting in progress on the easel in my small studio

I posted this to show the type of small paintings I find time to do.

Completing a painting like this involves a fairly simple setup. Once my Box M palette is ready to go with paint, brushes, towels, turp, and the like, I grab a few interesting objects which I try to keep a good supply of around the studio, and arrange them to my satisfaction. Maybe even a piece of fruit or a veggie, as I used here. Then, I start swinging the brushes.

The Box M setup, shown in the above photo, is easy to use and when not in use, it fits comfortably in the refrigerator - keeping all my paints wet for days and even weeks, if I get busy with other things. I clean the main surface of the pallette at the end of each session, leaving the main piles of paint, and can even tuck the smaller paintings right inside the palette. The ability to store oils paints and paintings in a cold storage unit, such as a refrigerator is invaluable to those of us who like the paint wet. This will maintain an "alla prima", or done all at once, look even if the "all at once" is spread out over several days or a week.

I use only a few brushes, to limit my fussing with too many, and a fairly limited color palette. A painting this size, 6x8, can take anywhere from an hour to several one or two-hour sessions.

Life with a Side of Art

                   Twilight Trawler - oil, 8x10, private collection

I started this blog with the hopes of showcasing some of my work and discussing the life of an artist that is lived in the spare time between family, 9-5 work obligations and all of the other unplanned things that conspire to take up that spare time. My life as an artist is lived in bits and pieces when I can find them: an hour in the morning or at night working on a charcoal drawing or sculpture; a luxurious 2-3 hours on a Saturday morning in the studio or out oil painting en plein air on a Sunday afternoon in between church services. Whatever and wherever - I'll take it. Thought mostly directed at shameless self promotion, it may be that some other "spare-timer" will find some of my posts encouraging - if I can find enough spare time to make them, that is.