I think I’ll call it quits for today. The paint is starting to dry and its become difficult to blend the colors on the canvas. When to colors start getting muddy, you know its time to back off. I’ll stare at it now for a day or so and see what I like and don’t like about it. Then I’ll come back at it with a clean palette and hopefully finish it up.
I have added more detail in some areas and started using a palette knife to make it a more painterly painting. Although I am pleased with my progress there are still a few issues with the shape of the armoire that I will have to address. I can remember almost having a nervous break down getting this thing up the stairs, I guess it’s not through beating me up yet.
Saturday morning and it’s raining ....again. And my motto is "painting is mandatory when its raining and sunny days are for getting the heck out of the house." I ‘ve been working on this now for a few hours. I’m trying to bring some depth and detail into it.
I started to roughly block in the shapes with color using the same limited palette as the last painting. So far I mixed all the colors on the canvas to speed things up but more likely because my foot still hurts and I didn't feel like running down the stairs again to get my palette knife.
Sketching with a wash of Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna, I just about have the composition work out.
I’ve decided to start another oil painting, this one will be of the upstairs master bedroom. I have to admit that I’m intrigued by Andrew Wyeth’s idea of documenting old homes and there past way of life through his art. It kind of lets the home live on long after its gone and you can never go back . Like an old photo but more intimate more personal. After my last painting of the spare bedroom I’ve decided to do the same with the rest of my home, document it through my paintings. I’m always looking for interesting things to paint and this house seems to be full of them. I just have to bring the easel from room to room without making a mess.
I’m still working on this one.....I might just let it dry and look into those amazing dry brush techniques of Andrew Wyeth, although it may be difficult with oil on canvas. I used the palette knife to highlight some of the lightest lights and I am pleased with the results. I may just decide to let this one go as is. I’ll see how I feel about it in a few days.
I have been reading the Andrew Wyeth autobiography. In the book the artist explains in his own words the story behind his paintings. Painting with words he allows the viewer to see his paintings and enjoy them in a whole new light. The book has 133 tempera, dry brush and watercolor paintings and five pencil sketches. The amount of detail that he gets from his dry brush techniques are mind boggling .
This is my second day of working on this painting, my palette is Chromatic Black, Raw Sienna, Sap Green, Burnt Sienna, Alizarin Permanent and Titanium White.
Northern light is truly amazing, I find myself really painting the light. I started to add some more detail to the sketch, while trying not to over do it. I still want to keep this painting simple. Perhaps on the order of an Anderw Wyeth.
I have been wanting to paint the spare bedroom in my house with the northern light for some time now. After (cleaning the room up a little.......because know one wants to see a painting of cloths on a bed right?) ....I opened the blinds to allow the correct amount of light to come in. I then started sketching the room with a wash of burnt umber.
A good exercise for studying value is to set up your still life with as many objects of the same color as possible. I feel this forces me to be more observant to all the intricate details of an object and to view each item as an individual abstract rather then a whole.
The roses in this painting are from my yard and believe me they were full of life when I started painting them, but they wilted so fast that I just couldn’t keep up. By the time I was finished with the painting they were totally flat.
