up from down

I've been feeling a bit depressed lately, trying to get out from under that weight. It takes a toll on everything, not least of all my art. (My productivity goes down to zero.) So anyway, I'm trying to be more positive, getting rid of all the crap I've built up, working on being more positive. And working on working more. So here are some of my more recent works, including the one more successful portrait from the David Leffel workshop.

I did do a little work last night. Trying to nail down a still life composition. I mean the actual setup of the objects - cuz I have a nice little sketch, but I haven't been able to arrange my real-life objects to mirror that composition. I think my bowl is too large, so I'm going to V-V Boutique today to see if I can find another bowl. (And buying a teapot for work, so I eschew the coffee which makes me into a crazy-man, or more often than not, up-and-down mopey-man).

But while I was sketching the still life arrangement that I had in place, I realized something quite valuable: the sweet spot was too low! I had instinctively placed the orange that is going to be my main focal point about 1/3 the way up the picture plane, on one of the lines where you're "supposed" to put stuff...and I realized it wasn't in the location that *I* like! I prefer what I call the 60/40 composition: place your sweet spot about 40% of the way up the canvas, which is a considerable distance up from 1/3. (OK: theoretically 7%...but in reality, the picture looks almost cut in half, instead of in thirds, and this is a huge difference. And I could be off on my 60/40 ratio, because I've never measured it beyond, well, THIS fits into THAT once and maybe...half again.) I double-checked my sketch, and sure enough: I had placed it according to the 60/40 "platinum mean." Looking back at my new sketch, the objects seemed WAY too forward, almost in-your-face. That's not what I want to achieve. I am hoping for quiet contemplation of beauty. And the difference between seeing a beautiful woman and having her scream in your face is pretty noticeable. When I can, I'll post photos of all these things to show what I am talking about.

So I'm going to revisit that composition, I guess on Friday night or the weekend. I want to create a charcoal drawing of the still life before I do it in oils. Like the most recent charcoal still life I posted, which I want to now do as an oil painting.

I have to figure out cloth, though - as in, how to lay it down, create fold, which way is it going to orient in order the make the most interesting composition?

My latest charcoal drawing and an earlier figure drawing

(Completed with the help of Mr. Dean Miller at Swinton's Art Supply - a fine painter and an all-around nice dude.)

This figure was done earlier:

Plein air season is here!

I've official started plein air painting season. I intend to go out at least once a weekend (hopefully more), and I'd like to get out sometime after work and paint in the evening. I want to practice a ton before I go to Peru, where I want to paint twice a day there so I can come back with a nice collection of plein air paintings.

Anyway, here is the first offering of the year:





















I tried to foucs on two things: keeping my colours bright and fresh, and then keeping the shape of the tree accurate. I kinda think I need some more lights throughout, and somehow the tree looks a little cartoony, but overall, I like it. It's the first painting I've done that I don't mind calling "cute."

Cloth Study

This is the latest painting study I did at Geoff's. The colours in the photo are off - the cloth is much redder than that (red-violet), and the top of seat isn't that yellow - but it gives you an indication.

I'm quite happy with it - especially the intensity of the hues. The drawing is OK, too, although some of the cloth got a bit muddled on the third painting session, because it was removed and placed on again, and of course, the folds didn't cooperate by falling back into the exact places they were before. Which is something a painter has to deal with, and I dealt with it half successfully.

I want to do more cloth studies, maybe even a drapery series.

The Hammer

So, I have hired a life coach, Chris Hammer, who I am calling "Hammer" or "HAMMER" or "The Hammer." I am hoping that he can help me to write what I need to write, paint what I need to paint, maybe start a band again, I dunno. I should say just figure out what it is I NEED to do, and then do it, and be happy along the way.

This comes on the heels of last week, where I spent two figure drawing sessions unable to achieve anything: I ended up with a scrubbed-down canvas at the end of 2 days. And that's "okay" in itself, but I beat myself up pretty bad about it, and was earnestly considering abandoning painting entirely. I felt that I "am not" a painter (as if that is something that is bestowed upon you, independent of actually spending a lot of time painting!), and that I might as well spend my time on something else, or just give in and start watching a lot more TV.

But I hate TV.

So I started cleaning up my act, getting off coffee, not eating junk, eating lots more vegetables, doing more exercise. I also took the past few nights off, bought some new clothes, a cool hat, a few books I wanted, generally took care of myself in little ways that I had been neglecting. And hired a life coach.

Somehow in all of that, I totally turned around and started feeling fantastic! Which I still do (other than I've been finding it hard to get up in the morning). I am going to spent part of the day tomorrow finishing my plein air of the Bow River, then go for a bike ride, then do some figure drawing at night. I am going to focus on drawing for a while, both at figure drawing and at home. Part of the problem last week was that I simply couldn't see where my drawing was off. I was unable to see the figure accurately. It felt almost like a physical thing (though I am sure it is not). I would look at the figure, draw something, look at my painting, and I could tell there was a difference, but I was totally unable to see where I was going wrong. So for now, I am going to draw the figure, probably just a one-session block-in each time, and then focus on painting at home and with Geoff. Oh, and Doug Williamson and I have a paint date.

And what else?

I need a new place to live. But that's a story for another time.

latest figure painting

OK, folks, here's my latest nude painting. I know it's kinda rough, and I had some difficulties getting the skin colour with the correct colour of highlights. The model has dark-toned skin and, well, that was hard. Skin is hard. I had a difficult time deciding what colour to make the shadows, which I know I know, should be like background colour in the darkest areas, and then they got really warm where they approached the light... and then cool highlights.... Something like that....

Anyway, here she be:



On Thursday, we start with this one dude who we painted one session before. I have decided I am going to do a block-in the first day (to keep up with that), and then start a painting (to get ready for the David Leffel workshop). Next weekend...oh, wait, we start painting the dude next weekend... Well, then, not sure who we're doing this Thursday. But I'll start with a block-in regardless. Want to keep up with the pencil.

In the mood!

OK: this should be playing while you read this post:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR3K5uB-wMA

Cuz I'm in the mood -- to paint, that is!

I'm working now on two oil sketches - one preparatory sketch for my Cutting Board and Grater still life, and one just for the hell of it, cuz I noticed this certain pitcher in our kitchen and thought it would be a cool still life object. Now I want to make that one into a full-fledged painting, too, but I gotta work on the sketch first. And I realized that I need to do a LOT more drawing, cuz my drawing skills don't cut it. In fact, if all I did between now and David Leffel was draw, I'd probably come out ahead... Still, though, oil painting is so damn alluring, I can't not paint. I'm sure The Leffster would want me to paint, too. I mean, come on!

[and yes: I will be posting my sketches when they are done....]

So more on David Leffel, or rather, well, more, including David Leffel: I started looking for other Classical painters in Calgary, I Googled realist painter + Calgary, and well, I can't remember if it was actually from that search, but eventually I came across this guy..... no, come to think of it, I'd been given his phone number at the arts supply store - slash - studio near my work. So forget realist painter + Calgary, other than to say, it didn't lead me anywhere.

So anyway, I called that guy (Doug Williamson), and we talked about painting together, yay!! So we're meeting Monday evening at the studio, and we'll talk about painting together then. Which is cool, because he is a much better painter than I am, and seems like a really cool guy.

So I'm hoping that I have a painting partner who is very suitable to my style. We're both fans of The Leff, and I get the feeling that we'll be able to talk about the kinds of things that Classical painters converse about: colour of light, how background colour influences colour choices, how much of the underpainting to leave showing through, I dunno, whatever comes up.