Horst Hittenberger wins first prize!

I wanted to extend warm congratulations to Horst Hittenberger for winning first place at the Lane County Fair with his ADNW challenge painting of the San Francisco street car. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see Horst with that big blue ribbon on his painting! Fine work there Horst and I am glad to see you are getting some use out of that new ADNW apron. Seems we need to nickname you Horst Hitten-on-all-cylinders!

"Hay at the End of the Day" - 10x20, Oil on Linen

Hope you are are having a great start to the weekend! Above is the final of “Hay and the End of the Day.” All I really needed to do was work the foreground. Frankly, it was a an experiment. I first laid in dominant tones with oils thinned with odorless mineral spirits. I then proceeded to build up layers – working lights and darks as I went along. My primary goal was to keep the stokes loose while indicating enough form to do the subject matter justice. I know the visual path is not ideal but I was really just focusing on laying the paint down. Sometimes I have to take things one step at a time to make progress. In all, I am pretty happy with this one and I feel like I learned a few things along the way. Now for more practice!

Update: I am actually going to try the foreground again. I liked the overall impression on this one but feel the execution could be better. What did I just say about more practice!

Hay Painting Session #1 Progress

Above is the result of my first painting session on the hay bales landscape. It took about three hours. I decided that the first step would be to lay in the sky in so I could work the trees into it while everything was wet. I used a ton of colors in the sky and kept blending until I got the look I wanted. I did not want texture in the sky since I plan to use paint more heavily in the foreground. The sky was peaceful when I took the picture and I think keeping it light and airy without texture helps create that feeling in the painting. I knew I had to keep the lower horizon light so the interesting silhouette of the  trees would sing. I also did not want to saturate the sky too much so it will be able to take a subordinate position to a more saturated foreground. For the most part, the landscape naturally become less saturated with distance due to the intervening atmosphere.

I wanted the trees to hold together as a dark mass and I broke them up within a tight value range to create interest. Farms tend to have a bunch of stuff laying around. It was fun to pepper the trees with elements of interest including a few bluish roof tops and the sunlit farming equipment. Also letting the light dance a bit around the ground shadows helps break up the darks and indicates that the sun is making its way to the horizon to put a cap on our summer day.

If you look at the larger image by clicking on it, you can see that I am not trying to over render anything. I am just trying to create an impression of how the light is illuminating the shapes in the painting. Adding a few select sharp edges here and there is intended to provide enough information so your brain can make up the rest. I still have a lot to learn but I do think it is getting easier to determine where the edges need to go.

Hay painting palette - Could use a little organization!

Above is the state of my palette after the first session. You can see that I am using a limited number of colors, relying primarily on Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red and Ultramarine Blue Deep. I have added Yellow Ochre as a cool yellow to mix into my greens. I also use Transparent Oxide Red to mix with the blue to get my darks. Something I learned from Jay Moore. and Finally, I use Viridian sparingly to liven up the greens. I will use it more when I get to the foreground next week. It can be dangerous though because a little goes a long way.

Beginning to dry brush the foreground

OK, I decided to do a little more before I pack. Just to get my bearings and build a little confidence in the foreground, I started dry brushing, letting the canvas toning come through to create the sense of illumination. Still much to do but I must stop for now and finish this up at the end of the week.

See ya!

Grid applied in Photoshop to facilitate sketching

In this post, I thought I would make an effort to show my process for setting up a painting. This is by no means the only way – just my way. I first start by generating the image I want to use as a photo reference. Working in Photoshop, I then size the image to the exact size of my canvas. From the image above, you can see I am planning on making this painting 10 inches high by 20 inches wide. The reason I take the time to size the image to the exact size of my canvas is so I can draw the same grid, in one inch increments, on my canvas to serve as the means for transferring the scale and perspective from the photo reference to the canvas. This image is a little complicated with the diminishing hay piles and I want to try and get things just right from the beginning.

Grid overlay shown while sketching

Above is a view of my entire screen with the grid shown. In Photoshop I simply drag a guide from the ruler and place it where I like. I put mine at every inch along the horizontal and vertical dimensions. When I get to painting, all I have to do is hit COMMAND and H on my keyboard and the grid will disappear. If I get lost while painting, I can always hit the key combo again and show the grid to get my orientation back. I have the benefit of a 30″ Apple Cinema Display as my monitor making it perfect for showing the whole image as I work on the painting.

Final sketch with gridlines erased

Just above is the completed sketch. I first used a T-square to draw the one inch grid on the canvas and then I drew the key elements of the painting on the canvas using the grid overlay in Photoshop as my reference. This took about an hour to complete. I lose track and miss something from time to time, causing me to erase and correct bad drawing. I just use a kneaded eraser to erase my bad lines as well as the grid itself when I am finished. Once complete, I spray the canvas with Krylon Workable Fixatif to lock the sketch in place. Once dry, I toned the canvas with a warm yellow. Next, I will start underpainting key values.

Canvas toned with thinned Cad Yellow and Yellow Ochre

I hope to make progress on this tomorrow. I probably will not finish since it is a bigger painting than usual. My goal is to just get things blocked in and come back to it next weekend. I am back to California Monday for a quick trip, which will force me to let this simmer a few days. Maybe that will help with the outcome! Please come back to see!

Santa Barbara Barn Oil Painting - 8x10, Oil on Linen

Photography one day and painting the next. All the makings for a perfect weekend! I will admit that today’s painting was inspired by Perry Brown. Perry has painted some great pictures with old barns in them and when I saw this one off of Highway 101 near the Santa Barbara wine country, I thought of Perry’s work and had to give it a go. If you would like to see Perry’s work just visit his website at http://www.perrybrownstudio.com/.

I set this painting up by first building and underpainting containing a reasonably tight drawing and all of the relative values with a thin mix of Rembrandt Transparent Oxide Red and Ultramarine Blue Deep. A quick photo of the underpainting taken with my iPhone is shown below.

Underpainting for Santa Barbara Barn

Frankly, my pieces seem to turn out better when I follow this method. I find that the process allows me to work out any drawing issues and gives me the time to really set up the piece in my mind before I commit to color. As far as the painting process goes, I first painted in the sky followed by the distant hills. I then painted in the hill behind the barn and completed the foreground. I was really looking forward to the barn so I left it for last. I knew the drawing had to be precise on the barn since it was going to be my focal point. I used a very sharp synthetic brush to cut in all of the shapes and edges and then proceeded to break up the masses and the edges to suit my tastes.

Cumaean Sibyl By Michelangelo

Before breaking out the brushes for my weekend painting project, I want to share a bit of information I gleaned while reading about the Florentine painters of the Renaissance. When I know I will be sitting on airplanes, I like to plan beforehand how I am going to make the best use of my time. On my most recent trip to Vermont, I decided Michelangelo would be my subject of study. Most of my information in this post came from a free Gutenberg Project book I downloaded via Apple’s iBookstore to my iPad. The book was named Michelangelo written by Estelle May Hurll in 1900.

The Vatican is quite mobbed with tourists in the summer. You don’t have much time to ponder Michelangelo’s artistic motivations while staring at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel for a few brief but glorious moments with hundreds of your closest international friends. This post is not about the Chapel as much as it is about learning a bit more about Michelangelo’s motivations as an artist and how he injected immense meaning into is beautifully executed work.

The piece above is among the rows of figures which Michelangelo painted along the arched portion of the Chapel’s ceiling. Although the Bible does not reference sibyls, they were given a place by Michelangelo among the prophets in the decoration of the Chapel ceiling. They were women of ancient times supposed to have supernatural gifts of foretelling the future. Though they lived in heathen countries in caves and grottoes, tradition ran that the prophesied the advent of Christ. As with the prophets, he chose to represent some in old age and some in youth.

To understand Michelangelo’s motivations for the Cumaean sibyl painting above, we need to understand a bit more about her. The legend runs that having asked a friend of Apollo, she gathered a handful of sand and said, “Grant me to see as many birthdays as there are sand grains in my hand.” The wish was granted, but since she forgot to ask for enduring youth, she was doomed to live a thousand years in a withered old stage.

Where our sibyls are located on the Chapel ceiling

Since we think of her as an old woman, Michelangelo decided to paint her this way. The sybil is reading aloud from one of her books of oracles. Two genii, or guardian spirits, stand behind her listening as they hold another clasped book ready for her to read. She is reading with keen, searching eyes in a stern manner. She also has large, strong features that underscore the determination of her character.

Her face is not gentle and pleasing, but is full of meaning. There is a record of centuries that have passed over her head, which have brought her the deep secrets of life. Yet the prophecies are yet to be filled, and there is a look of unsatisfied longing in her old withered face.

The outlines of the Cumaean sibyl are drawn in a oval figure similar to the Delphic sibyl shown below. The oval is more elongated, and the left side is broken midway by the book.

Delphic Sibyl By Michelangelo

In contrast, Michelangelo’s Delphic sibyl, shown immediately above, is the youngest and most beautiful of them all. She presided over the temple of Apollo in the Greek town of Delphi. She has the splendid stature of an Amazon with her head draped with a sort of Greek turban, beneath which her hair escapes in flying curls. Her face and expression show her to be unlike an ordinary woman. She has the look of a startled fawn, which has suddenly heard the call of a distant voice. She turns with the attitude of listening. There are other  pictures of this same sibyl carrying a crown of thorns showing that she predicted the sufferings of Christ, which may be the reason for sorrowful expression in her wide eyes. The scroll in her left hand is the scroll of prophecy. The two figures holding the book behind her are, again, genii, which are symbolic of her inspiration.

The painting of the Delphic sybil presents an interesting study in the composition of lines. Starting from the topmost point of the turban, draw a line on the right, coming across the shoulder along the outer edge of the drapery to the toe. On the left, let the line connecting the same two points follow the outer curve of the scroll, along the slanting edge of the mantle, and we get a beautiful pointed oval as the basis of the composition.

The sibyl’s left arm drops a curve across the upper part of the figure, and the curve is repeated a little lower down by the creases in the drapery across the lap. Such are the few strong and simple lines that compose the picture, producing a grandeur which a confusion of many lines would entirely spoil.

Much can be learned by studying the works of masters. Instead of seeing paintings like these just as pretty pictures, it is fun and educational to dig a little deeper to understand what story the artist was trying to tell in the moment of time captured by the piece. Are we just painting pretty pictures or are we trying to tell a story? Are we then trying to apply the elements of good design to magnify the artistic quality of our work? These are important questions to ask when we approach our painting subjects. I will certaining be thinking about this post when I head downstairs in a few minutes to begin blocking in my next painting.

Have a great weekend!

Martyn Chamberlin's new site soon to be revealed

I have been looking to add a few ADNW guest writers on occasion and I am fortunate to have a contribution from a young painter named Martyn Chamberlin. He is is quite ambitious and definitely passionate about painting. He studies and paints with purpose and has a unique maturity for art at his age. I am often concerned that fine art education is lost for most young people and I think it is quite refreshing to find passionate young painters in our midst. We can learn a lot from young people and Martyn has no problem sharing his ambitions and opinions with others. Please check out his article on the merits of plein air painting immediately following this post. Did I mention he started painting when he was 13, and is presently 17?

Plein Air Study by Martyn Chamberlin

By contributing author, Martyn Chamberlin

If you think about it, there are three ways painters can come up with subject matter. They can make it up, they can use photographs, or they can paint from life. I don’t recommend the first approach unless you’re quite experienced, for it’s difficult creating a convincing composition and color scheme from scratch.

The leaves us with two options. I know artists of all skill levels that spend the majority of their time working from photographs. So I want to talk about painting from life. Plein Air painting, or outdoor painting, is becoming increasingly popular among artists and collectors alike. While some artists are using them for future studio work, others are replacing the concept of studio painting with plein air studies. They paint strictly outdoors, regardless of the weather. While you have to decide for yourself which way is best, there are some undeniable benefits of plein air painting.

First, it forces artists to think and paint efficiently. It’s amazing how much time I waste in the studio just dazing at my work, thinking slowly about what I should do next. Outdoors however, things get uncomfortable quickly, with mosquitoes, rain, heat, and cold. So we work much more efficiently, often unconsciously.

Second, it forces us to think for ourselves. Not that working from photographs or make-believe doesn’t, but when we’re painting alla prima or directly from nature, we are forced to make all kinds of decisions we’re not used to making. It’s much harder to look at a backlit sky, for example, and decide what hues and values are there, than it is to decide from a light-absorbing photograph.

Third, we learn so much more. When I look at one of my plein air studies, I remember exactly the battles I faced, and how I coped with them, including color mixtures and brushes. It’s so easy to fall into a rut in the studio, and plein air painting kicks it out of us.

Of course, there are things that make plein air painting not so nice. It’s more work, it’s often uncomfortable, it’s far messier, and uses more paint. It’s impossible to do commissions, and very difficult to paint anything larger than a 16″x20.” But the payoffs are staggering. Plein air paintings are becoming more and more known for their incredible accuracy in color. I’m starting to leave my studio and paint outdoors. Will you?

Martyn Chamberlin is a 17-year-old aspiring artist from Bixby Oklahoma, who hopes to spend his career in fine art. He has been painting in oils since he was 13, and seeks to capture light, beauty, and accuracy. He is currently studying with Jerry Yarnell in Skiatook, OK.

"Bishop's Peak" - 9x12, Oil on Linen on Board

The lone intrusion of what would seem modern day was the road on which we would travel. A slice of lined asphalt that allowed passage through the perfectly sculpted hills and countryside north of Santa Barbara. After two days of sun drenched skies and atmosphere crisped by a lukewarm sea breeze, the weather was less confident that day. The June gloom as the locals call it. Such skies in Colorado would threaten to give way to a steady rain, but not here. I asked the innkeeper if we could borrow an umbrella. With a look of hesitation on her face, she said, “I am happy to lend you one but it is not going to rain today. It will burn off by two,” she assured me. “We wouldn’t have the wine country if we didn’t have this weather from time to time.” With that sage local advice, I decided to trust her and kindly said she could keep the umbrella.

The exit from Santa Barbara proper only takes about ten minutes at which point you take San Marcos Pass Road over the surrounding hills to make your way to the heart of the Santa Barbara wine country. Thick with atmosphere, the mountain ranges form a stunning backdrop for parched hills lined with meticulously manicured vineyards. The view was reminiscent of the Tuscan countryside that we saw last summer but there is a hint of ruggedness here that can only be California.

After a stop in Los Olivos for lunch and a look through an art gallery or two, we continued north toward Cambria, which is a quaint town about 12 miles from San Simeon and the Hearst Castle. We were not seeing the castle on this trip. We had already seen the castle six years ago while visiting Monterey and Carmel. We were just looking forward to a scenic drive and a visit to The Vault Gallery where paintings by Elizabeth Tolley hang.

As Donna was kindly watching the road, I was driving and combing the countryside for for photo opportunities. There it was. One of the Nine Sisters. How could something called a lava plug be so beautiful? The geologic explanation fails to capture the benefit of time that has allowed the formation of a near perfect medley of landscape elements ripe for painting. Funny enough, the reason I recognized “The “Sister” was because I have seen them in Libby Tolley’s paintings. I was captivated by the painting and even more so by its beauty in life.

So here it is. My version of Bishop’s Peak as seen from the outside of an iron gate just off of Highway 1. Not having my panting gear with me on the trip, I painted this from a photo reference. With grand ranch houses at its base complete with horses kicking up dust in the distance, it is hard to imagine something more beautiful. I loved how the landscape in life is was almost perfectly simplified and ready for painting.

Finger sketch with Apple iPad

While searching for new ways to get the most artistic bang for my buck from the iPad, I ran across an app for $7.99 that turns my magical device into an electronic sketchpad. The application is called Sketchbook Pro and it is brought to you by the fine folks over at Autodesk, also known as the creators of AutoCad. The app really shines on the iPad because it is set up for touch input. The drawing you see above was created in with my index finger right on the screen.  I have yet to receive my nifty Pogo Stylus ($12.99) that I am eager to try out as a more traditional drawing tool. What I love about this app is that you can create quick, highly detailed color or black and white sketches at home, in the field, on an airplane or anywhere else you would like to sketch. It is very intuitive and quite fun to work the values and layers just like we do with our traditional paintings. It is almost like being a kid again poking the finger paints without all the mess!