Good Evening Blog Buddies

Well - it seems as tho when my DW Melissa goes back to New England I paint a lot!!!  I love to paint and it certainly does make the time go by - which is a good thing.

I seem to be in a winter phase and being someone who does not like winter at all, I do love to paint winter scenes!  If you notice, I always put WARM colors into my winter scenes which of course warms them up and in my opinion the color makes them interesting instead of boring white and grey!

I start by creating a winter looking sky by blending grayish blue - white and grey directly on the surface of the canvas.

Looks like winter to me!!!

I used my TVH brush ( I love that brush) wet into wet for the sky and the ground clutter will be done with my fan brush.

OK the rest will go quickly and will consist of using the fan brush to LAYER different levels of ground clutter so I build up depth in the scene

TAAAAAA-DAAAAAA

DONE!!!!

Some detail photos for those who like to get in close and see what is going on :>)

Until next time  JR :<)

 

The Look Of Winter

Good Morning Blog Buddies,

Well we got a dusting of snow yesterday.  As most of you know, I do not like snow.  I do not like the cold.  I am a desert person and an ocean person - if I could find an ocean in the desert - that would be heaven - that said - I love to paint snow!!!  If I told you that we got enough snow yesterday to do a winter scene, I would be stretching the truth - OK it would a an outright LIE!!!  However that said - which I just did - I have no problem evoking my artistic license!!!  :>)

This painting was done very, very, very quickly wet into wet on 5x7 canvas panel.  This is an exercise in loosening my style and it is overflowing with emotion - expression and spontaneity - the spontaneity was so spontaneous that the painting was spontaneously completed in just about 12 minutes.  :>)  That is not meant to be bragging, it is to say that the loosening of ones style is in direct  proportion to the quickness in which a painting is created.  No time to think - no time to plan - no time to spread out tubes of paint - you just go at it with every ounce of vim and vigor in your body and mind.  If you don't like the color you just applied, simply change it - reach for another tube.  Looseness is uncensored thinking and arm and hand motion that simply happens.

I used my big TVH brush ( I love that brush ) for the sky and trees - the ground clutter was once again done with my fan brush using upward strokes done with stealth like speed - no thought - no planning - just globs of juicy paint. 

I looked out the slider in my tiny living room and there are some trees out there on a slope and the trees have a DUSTING of snow (kind of like a dusting of powered sugar) which did nothing for me so into play comes artistic license.

Some people would call this painting sloppy or semi - abstract - there is a fine line between sloppy and loose as well as semi-abstract and emotion.  IMHO loose is just shy of sloppy and semi-abstract is cold with very little emotion.

OK - this will be very quick:

5x7 "The Look Of Winter"  on canvas panel.

Look what I found --- a blank piece of canvas panel!!!!!!

OK here we go very, very quickly - so fast in fact there was hardly any time to snap photos!!!

The first thing I do - as always in a landscape is to create a sky - I shoot for a semi-winter sky after all it's not a day at the beach!!!  :>)

OK - sky is in so now wet into wet to establish the rest of the scene as I see it from my tiny-tiny living room slider.

BAM!!!!!  I told you it would be quick!!!  I hope nobody blinked!!!!  :<)  The sky and BG trees done with my TVH brush ( I love that brush) and the ground clutter done with my fan brush in a dry brush application.

For the inquisitive blog buddies - a close up.

Work the day and let the day work you - let some sunshine in and enjoy your being.

Until next time----------

JR  :>)

 

 

DUNES No. IV

Hello again Blog Buddies,

I do not often post twice in one day but as I say my DW Melissa is back on the east coast getting ready for her book signing tomorrow - sooooooooo painting is what I do - Tis me own ting!!!

This is the 4th in the series of 5x7 ocean/dune scenes.  2 were done on heavy linen paper - one done on a 5x7 gallery wrapped canvas and this last one done ( or should I say DUNE) on a canvas panel.  All of them are 5x7, inspired by another RV-er who I met on an RV web site.  I thank her for the inspiration to paint in such a small format.  My arthritis in my painting has started to kick in so this will be the last in this series - (for a while anyways!)  :>)

Time to break out the Ben-gay!!!

I started this one in the normal fashion by throwing in the sky.  My intent in the piece was to create (paint) the atmospheric visual presence of an incoming storm over the dunes.  I think I did just that but I will leave that up to the opinion of my viewers.  Don't be afraid to leave a comment.

Soooooo once again OFF we go!  Remember, think INCOMING STORM!!!

Not too many photos in this presentation - I mean hell it's only 5x7 - a brush full of juicy paint covers a lot of surface when working that small!

I create the sense of a choppy sea - not too choppy - I mean it's an incoming storm not a friggin hurricane!  :>) 

Some of that sense of a stormy sky needs to project down onto the dune surface.  Remember our discussion on LOCAL COLOR and how the sky reflects down on the ground - well let's do just that!

Ah-ha!!!!!!  REFLECTED LOCAL COLOR!!!  GEEZE  that looks pretty good!

GOOD JOB JR!!!

OK now to make some sense out of what the grasses would look like with this approaching storm.  I have to tell you that this part is not easy --- trust me IT'S NOT!!!  We can't make the grasses too dark as they won't show up against the ocean and the grasses need to extend upward so they are in front of the ocean - I mean that's just the way the world is!!!

Take notice of that horizontal stretch of white-ish cloud as well as a white reflection of the cap of the wave.  They are there for a reason - to give me artistic liberty to have these two slices of light reflect onto the grasses.  Again REFLECTED LOCAL COLOR!!

This did require some thinking ahead on my part and as you folks know I do not like to do a lot of thinking --- now I have a headache so I shall finish up post haste forth with!

BAM------DONE !!!

See the splashes of orange on the grasses - that is the use of comlimentary colors (blue & orange) which a while back you folks learned that the use of complimentary colors makes its compliment color POP!!  Trust me the BLUE IS POPPING!!!!

The orange on the grass in the center is drawing attention (pointing) to the white capped wave which is pointing back to the land!

The eye of the viewer should not go off this canvas!

Well - enjoy the evening - I'm going to take a power nap (don't tell my DR.)  he thinks if one naps there is a medical condition lurking within!!!  Dumb ASS!!!!

Later my friends  JR  :>)

GOOD MORNING BLOG BUDDIES

Well, my DW arrived in Providence RI from whence she will drive to the home of her sister in Massachusetts and will start to prepare for the booking signing at the Andover Ma. hometown book store!  WOO  HOO!!!!  The book signing is during the day on Saturday and sending good vibes that she sells out of books!!!!  Wouldn't that be WONDERFUL!!!  I will keep YA posted!!  :>)

Well, as you can see I've become obsessed with 5x7 ocean/dune scenes - all due to a suggestion by a fellow RVer.  I had not realized how much I missed painting ocean scenes and the 5x7 is something new for me as working in such a small format is not something I've done very often.  However that said --- and I just said it ------ I'm glad my fellow RVer suggested it as I'm having a BLAST!!

This one is a tad different in that the others were on heavy linen paper and this one I did on a............

5x7 Gallery wrapped canvas

Later on I will show you that I have painted it out to the 4 sides of the gallery wrapped canvas.  In this way, there is no need to even frame this as painting out to the sides eliminates the need to frame although it could still be frame - thereby covering up the side painting.  So it allows for some options in its presentation.

OK - off we are....... I first threw in the sky with my big TVH brush ( I love that brush ) - again the canvas was quite wet with nice clean water so I could develop what I call a "soft sky" - as I think the REAL sky above us is normally soft looking.  To me this provides realism with out detail.  Big difference between realism and DETAIL.

Once again, the bottom sky line I've painted in BELOW where I plan on putting in the horizon as this aids in blending in the sky and the horizon - My DW and I have a motto -

 "Keep it simple - Make it easy!"

We are going to apply this motto to our RV life as well as -

"Follow the sun - Find the beaches!"

OK----onward and forward Amigos

I threw in some brush strokes that say "HELLO --- OCEAN"

In this painting, I decided to make the ocean somewhat calm as compared to the previous pieces.  WHY you ask????

Hell I don't know it's just what my arm wanted to do.  As I mentioned before, I really do not have a pre - conceived vision or plan before I start a "out of the head" painting such as these.  I merely paint form and color with spontaneity and emotion ( 2 very important ingredients in the creation process, ) and let my arm control the process.  I sometimes feel that THINKING is highly over-rated and I really try not to do it too often!!  :>)

OK - I thought I would show you how I work off my easel Mr. ED - the painting is rested up against a backer board which just sits on the easel lip and as you can see, I tend to get carried away and go off the edges of the painting surface - this is the painting with EMOTION part!!!

I also always paint with the surface in a "straight up" position - I find I can keep my perspective in check this way.  Some people paint with the surface FLAT on a table top but I can't do that - it confuses me and might require me to THINK and that for the most part is a waste of my time.

I have not talked about Mr. ED my easel lately - mainly because he has been very well behaved - although still water can run deep as they say and I did notice a couple of my brushes missing - so Mr. ED and I will be having a talk SOON!! 

As I mentioned up front, this is a gallery wrapped canvas and I always paint these out to all 4 edges.  Thereby giving it a finished look so framing is not necessary or required.  I have to go back in and carry the horizon line across the painted sides (I just noticed that!)

I did not show much of the painting process as this is the 4th one I've done and I'm sure you know the drill by now.

TAAAA - DAAAA

"DUNES No. III"

The photo is somewhat lighter than the actual painting (cheap camera)  My DW Melissa has a real nice NIKON D-40 but I no longer use it as I dropped it, broke it - cost $125 to get it fixed so I have promised to never touch it again!!!!

However that said - and I just said it -- the picture as it is kind of gives a MOOD to the piece - but the piece in real life has more depth of color.  "DEPTH OF COLOR" -- that is ARTIST TALK :>)

Another photo - perhaps a tad better quality (??) 

Well, amigos --- enjoy the day - let some sunshine come in and direct some of that sunny feeling to friends, family, neighbors and YES strangers.

LATER -   JR  :>)



SUMMER DUNES

Hello Blog Buddies,

Got off to a late start today as I had to take my DW Melissa to the airport in Albuquerque.  She is flying back to New England for a book signing at the book store in her home town.  This is a very big deal for her as she use to go to that book store quite often as a child and when a teenager, she had visions of writing a book and having a book signing in this store.  Well, her childhood dream has come true, on Saturday 11/12 my DW will have her book signing.  How's that for a dream coming true!!!!

WOO HOO!!!

After coming back from the airport, I had some errands to do, so my painting day did not start unit 4:00.

I'm on a 5x7 kick thanks to my RV friend who just happened to mention that 5x7's might be a better size for RVs as there just AIN'T much wall space in RVs - even in the BIG MAMAS!!!

So I did another beach scene!  As I mentioned, for 7 or 8 years I supplemented my retirement selling paintings in my own gallery in East Boothbay Harbor.  I painted 100's of lighthouses, beach scenes etc etc and I have to say that I got BURNT out on ocean scenes.  These last few that I painted over the past few days are the first ones I've done in in almost 12 years.  I've got to say I'm enjoying it!!!!  Never did work as small as 5x7 until my RV friend mentioned it.

Soooooo enough of the jibber-jabber - on with the next painting.  This was done very quickly wet into wet on heavy linen paper using my faithful friends my big TVH brush (I love that brush) and of course my well worn fan brush.

The key word in that last sentence was "QUICKLY!"  Sooooooo my friends do not expect a lot of Blah - Blah - Blah.  This is a painting presentation that will not last very long - but the finished product is all that counts as most of you know my painting procedure better than I do.  Some times I think I suffer from CRS!!!  :>)

The only thing I draw on the paper is a reasonable straight horizon line.  I was once told that a crooked horizon line is SINFUL!!!  Well most of the time I would agree - but I have found that a somewhat crooked horizon can introduce interest and intrigue into a painting.  But that's me!

The sky goes in first so I can establish a reference point for the ocean and land masses.

The horizon line is a tad above the bottom of the sky so when I paint it in, there will be sky above the horizon line and some beginning of ocean below the horizon line.  Thereby my reference point is established without being anal about the whole thing - pretty clever --!!

Soooo with a much darker blue, the horizon line is established and I also quickly with a speedy hand and my big TVH brush I create the beginning of the ocean and some suggestions of wave action.  I also bring the water line down into the area where I will develop the land mass - in this way I don't have to worry about blending in as portions of the land mass will TOWER above the end of the ocean!  

OK - I develop the land mass and I also put just a touch of detail into the wave - otherwise the viewer would feel compelled to focus on the land clutter.  I want the land mass to be seen, but not focused on.  Also, I've designed the wave in such a manner that it should direct the eye of the viewer back to the land clutter.  This is called a "POINTER."  Otherwise, the eyes of the viewer could end up going to the horizon - up the sky - and OFF the paper!!!!  This would be a bad thing!!!  The painter should develop a way by which the viewer's eyes are lead through and around the painting without going off the page.  Once the eyes go off the page, they never return and the viewer goes onto the next painting to be viewed!!!!  DUH - LOST SALE!!!!!!  :>(

Soooooo my friends we have

"SUMMER DUNES"

5X7

Until next time, I hope you have a wonderful evening - I may paint some more as when my DW Melissa is away, I tend to paint-paint-paint -- Tis me own Ting!

JR  :>)

SMALLER!!!

Good Morning Blog Buddies,

It was down right COLD this morning - 22 degrees!!!  Way to cold for me!!  Glad this will be our last winter in a cold climate - next year this time we should either be in Arizona of Florida!!!!

OK - after posting the ocean scene yesterday an RV acquaintance commented that a 5x7 size painting may be better suited for RVs.  I normally do not paint in that small of a format - as I've mentioned before, if I had the space I would do nothing but 48 x 30 size paintings.  This is the size that one can be expressive - emotional - spontaneous and create joyful pieces.  However our tiny Unit on the Hill has no room to paint that size canvas.

I said to myself ---- "SELF give a 5x7 a try!!!!"

The main reason I do not normally paint SMALL is because it causes the arthritis in my painting hand to flare up and that AIN'T NO FUN as they say!!!!

However into each life a little pain must come so I decided to forge ahead and try a 5x7 ocean scene.

This is on 5x7 heavy linen paper and was created using the same tools as the last two larger paintings - namely my TVH big brush ( I love that brush ) and my trusty hog hair Fan brush used in a Dry Brush application.

Soooooooo here it is ------ DO NOT EXPECT A LOT OF PHOTOS OR JIBBER JABBER AS 5X7 TO MY EYES IS OHHHHHHHH SOOOOOOOOO VERY SMALL!!!

I have to say that I dipped my brush into some paint and HOLY CRAP I was done!!!  :>)

TAAAAAA - DAAAAAA

DETAIL

I think I will go back into the painting and eliminate the foliage clutter on the viewer right as I find it to bit redundant in such a small painting and I think more ocean will give more visual width and height to the piece.

Soooooo that said ------ I"ll be right back - sit tight y'all

OK - I"M BACK!!!! 

WHEW!!!!

Now --- I think this looks much better - the change gave it more visual length and oddly enough more visual height!  NOW I'M HAPPY!!!

I also got a better picture the ones above are too light!!!  I also threw a splash of visual sunlight onto the breaking wave.

This was an experiment to see how my hand reacted to such a small piece.

Not too bad - only because it was almost done before I started!!!!  So I may do a few more just to see if I like  this small format.

Soooo we have "5x7 Dunes"

DETAIL

Enjoy the day my friends.   JR  :>)



NICE DAY!!!!

Hello Blog Buddies,

We it a tad cold out but the sun is shining brightly and the sky is blue and it is starting to warm up.  That's one thing about New Mexico that I love - we get on average 320 sunny days a year - I lived in New England for 50 years and my memory says New England get 320 CLOUDY days a year.

When we start our RV adventure this April, one of our slogans will be

"FOLLOW THE SUN AND FIND THE BEACHES"

After doing my painting yesterday a fellow RV-er commented that although I said it was snow, the painting reminded her of the sand dunes where she grew up.  Soooooooo I decided today I would do a same size 8x16 painting and make it an ocean scene with sand dunes.

My DW Melissa and I love the ocean and being in the Southwest, we've been away from it for 11 years now and part of our RV adventure is to get us back to the ocean.  We lived on the ocean in Maine for many, many years and before that we used to go down to Cape Cod and spent time in the Wellfleet area.

This painting was done in the same fashion as the one yesterday - same size - same techniques and same brushes.  Done wet into wet and down with expression- emotion - spontaneity using quick staccato strokes with my Fan brush - the sky of course was done with my big TVH brush ( I love that brush!)

First --- my partners in the creation process:

OK --- now "OCEAN DUNES"

8 X 16

HOLY CRAP -- look what I found a piece of heavy linen paper with nothing on it - could this be what they mean by a BLANK PALETTE??????

OK - now time to throw in a sky with my beloved TVH brush. 

Being an ocean scene the sky needs to be several shades of blue - the ocean blue -- the sky being blue feed off of one another and this is why the ocean and sky seems so much bluer at the ocean!  This is truth I speak!!!

You notice I throw a few hints of blue down into the area where the dunes will appear - this is called local color - all colors within an area bounce off one another and leave a little piece of each other ON each other - LOCAL COLOR  Without it everything would be bland and BLAH!!!  This is also truth I speak!!!

OK - time for my imagination and my trusty Fan brush to begin the creation process.  I really have no idea what-where-how the ground clutter is going to go - I just know in my minds eye that I've spent many a day, week, month, year(s) at the ocean and I can see the ocean - I've been away from it for the most part of 11 years - but trust me I CAN SEE IT!!!!

I'm not going to go into detail regarding the creation process of the ground clutter - suffice it to say that very quick staccato strokes, mostly in an upward direction is what creates the ground clutter.  The other entities in the creation process is emotion- expression and the freedom om spontaneity

BAM - in goes the beginning of the ocean!

I FORGOT TO CROP THE FINISHED PAINTING SO I'LL BE BACK IN ONE MOMENT!!! :>)

HI I'm back - that took no time at all now did it!  :>)

TAAAAA DAAAAAA

Staccato - emotion - expression - strokes with the fan brush

At this time, I also put in the indication of some slight wave action in the ocean towards the shore line.  Just an indication - remember LESS IS MORE!!!

For the ( "I like to look close up Blog Buddies",) a couple of close-up detail photos of the ground clutter and wave action.

I hope my RV friend likes this and it is more visually "OCEAN DUNES."