HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014

Hello my blog friends,

May 2014 be a very happy, healthy and prosperous year for all you folks and I thank you for your blog support.

I've been working on a new series which I call "SOLITUDE."  These are mostly landscapes that I conjure up in my mind as well as weaving in actual scenes from the Gulf Coast of Florida where we live and other places we have visited.

These are what I call "Mindscapes" 

SOLITUDE NO. IV

AFTER THE SNOW

8 X 18

SOLITUDE NO V

SASKATCHEWAN WINTER

6 X 18

I also started a series - Gulf of Mexico in the Abstract

GULF OF MEXICO IN THE ABSTRACT

NO. III

8 X 10

My Holiday sale on my ETSY shop will continue through the month of January - so if the spirit moves you - click on the link below and check it out.  Lots of new paintings in the store as I've been working very hard.  :>)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ACRYLICPAINT

I hope you enjoyed this posting and I look forward to sending more your way during 2014.

SMILE AND ENJOY LIFE

JR     :>)

Christmas 2013 Blog Post

Merry Christmas Blog Buddies.

I did not know if I would get a chance to put up a blog post during the Christmas Holiday but alas I found some time.

I've started three new series:

Hardscapes
Solitude
Gulf of Mexico in the Abstract

Some painters like to make an issue out of "hard edges" & "soft edges."  I guess there should be a balance of each in a painting - I however paint until it looks right to my eyes.  Edges of an object that is in the distance needs to have edges softer than those closer up.  However this can be controlled IMHO by color &, size - (lighter color and smaller size.)  So I don't pay much attention to the distribution of "edges."  Seems like overkill to me for my semi abstract painterly style and is a constant interruption and distraction in the enjoyment of my painting process.

Depending on what you are painting, "edges" can be important for instance in a portrait they are very important - in a landscape - me thinkith not so important.

I know painters who spend hours going back into a painting for the sole purpose of softening and hardening edges ------ YIKES!!!!!

Following is what I call a "Hardscape" in that the entire canvas is covered with paint - no white of the painting surface showing through as in my "Softscapes."


9 x 12 - single canvas sheet - this painting has "splatter" to provide the compliments to green (red) and blue (orange shade)

Hardscape No. I

9 x 12 

Solitude No. I

8 x 18

Heavy Linen Paper - Dry Brush 

 Alla Prima

Solitude No. II

6 x 18 

Heavy Linen Paper

Dry Brush - Alla Prima

Gulf of Mexico in the Abstract No. I

9 x 12 

Dry Brush

Alla Prima

Hope you enjoyed this posting and that all you folks have a very Happy Holiday Season

JR      :>)

Softscapes Continued

Yo my friends,

I've continued on with my "Softscape" series having done 5 more of them.  I'm having lots of fun with these and at the same time fortifying the theory of "loose painterly painting" in that "Less is More."

I'm a firm believer in that theory as well as "Let the viewer finish portions of the painting."  I feel if a painting has so much detail that the viewer only has the function of "looking" at the painting - the painting will very quickly become very boring and the viewer will move onto the next piece exhibited.

So the next two in sequence are:

Softscape No. III

9 x 12

Music has a great influence on my painting in that the type of music has a direct effect on the outcome of the painting both with the colors and the form.

This was painted to a Maranda Lambert CD so the colors are bright,  bold and the form is loose and bouncy. 

Softscape No. IV

9 x 12

This one has minimal color but yet I think it presents itself quite well and allows the viewer to tell themselves a story as to what kind of weather there is.

I normally work with bright- bold color but at times my mood is subdued perhaps by the music I'm playing at the time or by the weather outside my studio.

This was painted while listening to a "Little Big Town" album and some of their "soft passages" are found in this painting.

Check out my ETSY shop as I've added lots of paintings for my 

HOLIDAY 20 % off SALE

Just left click on the following link 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ACRYLICPAINT

I perhaps will not post next week as the Holiday Season is upon us so I wish you and yours a very happy and healthy Holiday Season.

JR    :>)

Softscapes

Hello my friends.

Softscapes are paintings that I use very light touches of the brush to the painting surface and also leave some of the white of the painting surface showing through. The result is what appears to be sort of an older aged painting with a fine art appearance.

Softscapes is a term that I made up and quite honestly most of the scenes that I paint in this softscape manner are also "mindscapes" - that is to say the scene is a conglomeration of scenes I have seen and scenes in my mind.  I combine these scenes into what I term a mindscape.

I use a "dry brush" technique for most of my paintings which means the brush is never more than just barely damp - not wet but damp.  Most of my paintings are done "alla prima" -- In One Sitting.  I paint very quickly and the average time I spend on a painting is 1 1/2 hours to 15 minutes depending of size and complexity.

SOFTSCAPE No. I

9 x 12

SOFTSCAPE No. II

6 x 18

Holiday Sales have been going quite well on my Etsy Shop - check it out and if you see something you like send me an email and we can talk about it.  You need to contact me via email in order to receive the discount. 

EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 4, 2013 THROUGH JANUARY AS PART OF A

 HOLIDAY SALE - ALL PRICES WILL BE DISCOUNTED BY 20% AT THE

 TIME OF PURCHASE

START YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING EARLY!!!!!!!!

Original Acrylic art work by award winning artist JR Secor. 


All paintings are ORIGINAL - NO PRINTS

Paintings are unframed, unmounted, unmatted

Only Professional acid free materials are use.

 I wish all you folks a very Happy Holiday Season.

Enjoy life every day and live well.

Hope you enjoyed this presentation.

JR      :>)

The Progression of Autumn

Yo my friends,

I love color and texture which is why most of my paintings have bold - bright color and lots of brush work or palette knife work has a lot of visible texture to it.  I more often then not throw caution to the wind and favor the side of spontaneity.

I did a painting 12 x 18 and my DW (darling wife) thought the sky was too active/busy.  I will admit that I went a bit overboard with my color and texture so she suggested that I eliminate some of the sky.  Sooooooo I cut off the top 6 inches of sky ( painting was on linen paper ) - long story even longer - the "chopped down" painting looked much better and I was happy with the results of eliminating the top 6 inches.  Welllllll - the story continues - I took the 6 inches of cut off sky and turned it into a painting which I call "The Progression of Autumn"  It is 6 x 18

I hope you enjoy this painting and remember I'm having a 20% sale on my Etsy Shop - so check it out ( Link below ) and contact me if you see something you like or if you have some questions.

JR    :>)

Check out my ETSY shop as I've added lots of paintings up there to kick off my HOLIDAY 20 % off SALE

Just left click on the following link - then click on the 

"go to link shown"

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ACRYLICPAINT

High Desert Winter Sage at Dusk

Hello my friends,

Well, I've been busy getting some more paintings done to put up onto my Etsy Shop for my Holiday Sale.
My favorite from this week is a High Desert scene at Dusk.  More often then not the high desert let's say at abut 6000 feet above sea level in NM does not get a lot of snow - but it does snow. The good part is because of the abundance of sunshine ( avg. 320 days per year) the snow can be all melted come 1 PM!!!!!

High Desert Winter Sage At Dusk

6 x 18

New Mexico has some of the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen.  That said and I just said it - living in Florida now there are some very beautiful sunset but I would still vote New Mexico to have better ones.

If the spirit moves you to do so, check out my ETSY STORE and perhaps take advantage of my 20% HOLIDAY SALE

EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 4, 2013 THROUGH JANUARY AS PART OF A HOLIDAY SALE - ALL PRICES WILL BE DISCOUNTED BY 20% AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE

START YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING EARLY!!!!!!!!

Original Acrylic art work by award winning artist JR Secor. 

All paintings are ORIGINAL ( NO PRINTS )
Paintings are unframed, unmounted, unmatted
Only Professional materials are use.

Well I wish all you folks a very Happy Thanksgiving and Holiday Season.

Enjoy life every day and live well.

JR    :>)

Decision Time Again

Hello my friends,

Once again I am changing the format of my blog.

When we were full time RV-ing I had a lot of followers and my blog would average 2,500 - 3,000 hits per month. Since we had to stop our full time RV-ing the number of blog followers has decreased by more than one half.

This certainly speaks to the fact that the RV journey seems to have been the more interesting aspect of my blog. This is all well and good as I paint for my own enjoyment and if others enjoy my work that's nice but not a necessity.

Therefore starting with this post I am going back to  my format of presenting one painting each week.  There is considerable time spent in preparing a blog posting of many paintings as well as a blog that I try to make interesting for the readers.

So I hope you enjoy the new presentation of my blog.  I think it is a win/win situation as it will take me less time to prepare it and will take you the viewer less time to read it.  :>)

Florida Inland - No. IV - Storm on the Horizon

8 x 18

This is a quick warm up painting to maintain and improve upon my semi abstract loose style

Quick 2 minute sketch of what might be in the painting

I establish a straight horizon line 

I throw in the sky and some sky color down onto the ground 

The finished painting

DETAIL

Don't forget to check out my ETSY shop and my

 HOLIDAY SALE

Check out my ETSY shop as I've added lots of paintings up there to kick off my HOLIDAY 20 % off SALE

Just left click on the following link - then click on the 

"go to link shown"

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ACRYLICPAINT

Enjoy your week and I shall return in about one week

JR    :>)

A week has passed!!!!

Yo my friends,

Well, another week has passed - see how quickly time flies when you are having fun!!!!!

I did some more "Marsh Land" paintings as well as a "Dune Grasses" piece.  For those of you who are getting tired of Marsh Lands - I apologize - but to your misfortune - I love Marshes and Marshes it shall be :>)  Having just said that and I did just say that, I hope you will be pleased with the presentations this week.  If not, fear not - as we know time flies quickly when you are having fun and before you know it I'LL  BE BAAAAACCCCCCK!!  :>)

"Florida Marsh Land No. III"

8 x 18

I start out by throwing in the sky and the horizon line

Next I throw in the field - as well as throwing caution to the wind and keep my strokes at a minimum and loose as well

Florida Marsh Land No. IV

Cove

8 x 18

First I do a 20 second sketch of what the painting might consist of

Next with a bog brush I throw paint with wild abandonment

Florida Marsh Land No. V

8 x 18

Sunrise

Once again I do a 20 second sketch

Florida Marsh Land No. VI

Sunset

8 x 18

Again the quick sketch - just indicating what might be included in the painting

Dune Grasses

12 x 16

Hope you enjoyed your journey this week - the good Lord willing and if my desire to paint continues I shall return in about a week with some more pieces for you to enjoy.  I've been working on a series of 

"Florida Inland" scenes which I think you will enjoy.

JR    :>)

CANOLA FIELDS AND MARSH LANDS

Yo my friends,

Well ------ I'm still fixated on canola fields and marsh lands.  That said - and I just said it - I did throw in 2 Florida Gulf coast scenes which were commissions.

Enough of the jibber/jabber - here are the 2 Florida Gulf coast pieces:

No. I

24 x 18

No. II

24 x 18

Now for a couple of Canola Fields and Florida Marshes

Abstract Vision - Semi Abstract Journey No. IV

18 x 24

Ile d' Orleans - Quebec Canada

Winter Fields At Rest

Abstract Vision - Semi Abstract Journey No. V

18 x 24

Ile d' Orleans - Quebec Canada

Canola Fields Starting To Mature

Sunset Florida Marsh Land 

8 x 18

Florida Marsh Land No. I

8 x 18

Florida Marsh Land No. II

9 x 18

 Check out my ETSY shop as I've added lots of paintings up there to kick off my HOLIDAY 20 % off SALE

Just left click on the following link - then click on the 

"go to link shown"

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ACRYLICPAINT

Hope you enjoyed the Palms - Canola Fields and Marsh Lands journey.

Please check out my ETSY shop - lots of paintings up there and of course a 20% HOLIDAY SAVINGS!!!!!

JR    :>)