Adding Color to a Three Step Value Study

Cottages at Twilight

5x6" oil 

This is the final version of the three step value exercise 

and also my 'Nocturne" painting for Girls Just Wanna Paint. 

I included the grayscale version as well. 

If you're having trouble with values and who doesn't, try this. 

Perfect Summer!

"Myrtle"

6x6 oil on panel
SOLD

Wednesday my sister and I went on an adventure to the New England Aquarium in Boston where we saw a fascinating IMAX movie about great white sharks and then toured the newly rebuilt Giant Ocean Tank which holds 2000 species of fish including sharks, eels, rays (my favorites) sea turtles and fishes. It is a work of art and an amazing glimpse into the undersea world! 
We started at the top of the tank and then walked down a descending spiral walkway all the way to the bottom seeing the creatures from different vantage points as we did. 
This magnificent Sea Turtle is about 80 years old! It was difficult but I managed to snap a decent photo of 'Myrtle', (all turtles seem to be named Myrtle) as she swam by. There are two giant turtles in the tank so I can't be sure that it was Myrtle, but let's pretend it was ;) 
We then had a fabulous lunch at The Reef, the aquarium's informal outdoor tent restaurant on what can only be described as a glorious summer day here in New England. 76 degrees, bright, warm sun and cool breezes, awesome lobster salad sliders and great company. My sis and I are soul mates ;) 

Lazy Hazy Summer Days

"Green Harbor"

6x12 watercolor and ink

Honestly, that's all I can say about this summer. The heat has been unbearable and even though it's calmed down some, we are still in AC mode most of the time.  Saturday evening was beautiful though, and I took myself down to the harbor with a chair and a sketchbook and had a lovely interlude watching the birds and the boats and the shimmer of the late sun on the iridescent marsh grass. Yes, in a very short time the cold will be returning and we'll all be complaining. Well...maybe not all.... :D
I love summer but does it have to be so uncomfortably hot?

Strawberries Revolt

4x4 oil on board $100 plus S&H

I did this second painting on Monday and these strawberries just wouldn't cooperate. I tried to get a great composition with them but they just fell into 'line' like a bunch of pre-schoolers going out for recess. I paid them back by eating them ;)

Strawberries and my 'kids'

Strawberries 4x4 

oil on board

Artists who teach always say that they learn so much from their students and it really is a two way street. These are my 'kids' (Carol Marine's expression and I'm proud to be one of hers) Beth and Linda who have both exceeded their expectations this winter. They've been coming to my home studio each Monday for 10 weeks now and although they are fairly new to oil painting they 'got it' right off the bat. They are diligent and paint outdoors and between classes. It came up today in a discussion about workshops that some artists are reluctant to share their"secrets" with their students so I generously shared my secret which is, that there is no secret. It's all hard work, learning to 'see' and painting miles of canvas.

Linda 

Beth

Sunflower in a Jar

"Sunflower in a Jar" 

6x6 oil on board

I'm on a roll with the flowers but I will say that I scraped this entirely and began again. Scraped that one and began this one. Wasn't sure if it was a keeper or not but I posted it anyway. There's actually a point when you're too close to the forest to see the trees. I've learned that I am not the best judge of my paintings and no matter how I feel about them, one way or the other, I am not the viewer. 

Gray is the Way

I'm in value boot camp and nothing is as it really seems when it comes to lights, darks, reflected light and local color. The whites can't be too white or there's no room for the highlight. So what color would 'read' white, but not be straight from the tube white? 

Grays. Green gray, violet gray, orange gray ad infinitum. You can mix endless beautiful grays. I'd like to say that I finished this but I wiped it because I veered off the path and created mud. 

It happens.

"Lonely" 6x6 oil on gesso board

Pig Love

"Pig love"
6x6 oil on board

The pig on the right is making "cow eyes" at the other pig because he has a crush on her, but she thinks she's 'all that' and won't pay any attention to him. I think she's going to come around though because he's irresistible. Don't you think?

Check out the rest of this month's challenge paintings at Girls Just Wanna Paint.

I've been painting this little pig again and again to get value and color saturation practice and wouldn't you know that today, the brilliant Carol Marine and her equally brilliant husband David, announced their newest cool DPW idea which is called ArtBytes. 

They are mini lessons on, you guessed it, value and color saturation among other lessons and demos which they've just rolled out. They're making them instantly available through PayPal for very low prices. I snapped up a few today and I'm sure I'll be returning to the 'well' as they add more. I've taken workshops with Carol and she is the best, most thorough teacher I've ever studied with. 

Goodnight Irene



Black Eyed Susan 6x6 oil on board

I'll make this short and sweet. We have no power and although things could be much worse it might be a while before we are plugged in again. The storm for us, wasn't all that bad although we lost our favorite shade tree. No biggie. Sitting in a dark house at night is a drag. Reading by candlelight doesn't work for me because two curious cats are way intrigued by the flickering candles. This little painting was a one stroke at a time exercise that I did on Saturday.
I'll be back. Really.

Sedona Studies

Ok, I'm a bit 'off' on my blog right now. Lots going on. Watching the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup which is a BIG DEAL here.  I'm going to Provincetown tomorrow and hope to have a nice painting for you all. I SO appreciate your comments and encouragement and continued support. Here are all the Sedona studies together. No more suspense ;}

Cathedral Rock Study

What? I haven't posted this study yet? Where the heck have I been? Never mind. 

This study of Cathedral Rock was also done at sunset from our balcony at the Hyatt. 

I promise to replace this glare-y photo with a better one tomorrow. 

At Gisele's French Bakery in Jerome with a friend ;)

Sutton Place Cottages and Sedona

 I am scurrying to get ready to fly to Sedona on Friday and have been cleaning and tossing and doing laundry and actually....painting! I also happened upon Karen Werner's blog and got a right on weather report for Sedona. She just took a workshop there with Jennifer McChristian (on my bucket list) and they were caught in a sleet storm with 40 degree temperatures!!

Ok, pack for New England summer weather. that means warm clothes TOO!

This watercolor is of Sutton Place cottages in Truro. Adorable one room places right on the beach. To die for!

Shell Game

$100.00 plus $10 S&H

Where's the pea?

Buoys Club

 

These buoys are hanging on my friend Sue's shed right next to the beach. This is the quintessential 'at the shore' scene. My pal Kelley MacDonald did a fabulous painting of this very shed which appears in the current issue of South West Art on the sixth page in which is an ad for Contemporary Fine Art International. Half of the fun is thinking up titles for each post!

Pinned

Pinned 6x6 oil

SOLD

 Remember these wooden clothespins? They must be antiques. Everything's made of plastic now :( 

Liz

 Click to Bid

Merry Christmas to all my faithful readers, friends, and followers. I had a wonderful day with my family and of course my favorite little boys, Colin and Ryan. There was lots of food and desserts. 
Also, we've narrowly escaped 2 feet of snow from a 48 hour Blizzard which knocked out power and closed roads far and wide. Fortunately not our power. We are on the rain/snow line and got mostly a sleet mix and high seas. I'm going to post some photos over on my Not Really a Cleaning Lady blog for those who don't live near the water and haven't experienced it's 'winter mood'.

 Mama and I do the tree together every year

 Auntie Ag gives Ryan and Colin Hess Trucks each Christmas

Waiting

Click to Bid

 Another painting of my favorite subject, white mums. Waiting for Christmas, of course.

We've got a little bit of snow here and I'm inside painting with my little babies sleeping next to me.

Heaven.

 

Pick Me

Click to Bid

Which one should I open first is the dilemma. Ok, the box.

You all know that I suffered the loss of my dearest boy Wendell in October. Don and I couldn't bear the silence and we were lucky to be chosen as parents for these sweet little sisters. Abba (upside down) and Wolfie are amusing and affectionate and kitten crazy! Life is good. 

 

A Good Egg

Remember when people referred to someone as a "good egg"? What the heck was that all about?

Anyway I did this in my Carol Marine class. She really knows how to paint eggs. This one is sold but there will be more of this subject. I had to hide all my saved eggshells in the back of the refrigerator so Don wouldn't throw them away ;)

Pour Me a Cup

Click to Bid

I picked up this little teapot in The Mother Load a cool little shop in Bonita, Florida. This is the first painting I've done of it and I think I'll take a page out of my friend and teacher Carol Marine's book and paint the thing until I turn into a teapot. That probably won't happen, of course, but you know what I mean.

I am also holding a 3 hour painting class on Saturday mornings from 10 to 1 through December.  I'll do a demo and then we'll paint from a still life concentrating on good composition, accurate values and carefully placed brushstrokes. Email me at WENDL15@verizon.net to sign up.